Fairy Lies by E. D. Baker Read Free Book Online

you.”
    Buttercup had bouncy blond curls and wore a short dress made of yellow flower petals. Pale green slippers with curved toes covered her tiny feet, and tights the same shade of green covered her legs. She was carrying a woven basket filled with buttercups and seemed to be in a hurry. When Dasras called to her, she turned, her curls bobbing around her shoulders, her blue eyes wide in surprise.
    “Dasras! How are you today? And is this the princess? Imagine meeting you here!” Buttercup giggled. “I’m taking these buttercups to Narlayna. I picked them this morning after the dew settled. They’re still wet. See!” Plucking a handful of blossoms from the basket, she shook them in Tamisin’s face, showering her with droplets. “My gown is about to wilt and Narlayna is making me a new one. Don’t you just hate it when your gown wilts? It looks so bad, and everyone thinks you can’t take care of your flowers if the petals you’re actually wearing dry out.”
    “Uh, sure,” said Tamisin. “That would be awful.” It occurred to her that she really didn’t know much about being a fairy. She certainly didn’t know anything about wilting clothes.
    “Oh, dear. Would you look at the time!” Buttercup said, peering through the branches at the sun. “I’m running late. I should have inspected two meadows by now. See you later!” The fairy ran off, leaving a trail of buttercups behind her.
    “She seemed . . . nice,” said Tamisin.
    “I thought you would like her,” said Dasras.
    They were approaching a stream when a tall, orange-haired fairy wearing an orange gown dotted with black stepped between two thickets. Her expression was sour, and she didn’t seem nearly as lighthearted.
    “Hello, Lily,” Dasras said without much enthusiasm.
    “Dasras,” she said, acknowledging him with a curt nod. She glanced at Tamisin, and for a fraction of a second Tamisin thought she saw a flash of contempt in the fairy’seyes. “Princess,” said Lily before turning back to Dasras. “Are you going to the other side of the briars?”
    The blue boy nodded. “We’re on our way to see Malcolm about shoes for the princess.”
    “If you’re going there anyway, you can take these to Narlayna,” Lily said, holding up a small bouquet of orange tiger lilies. “Tell her to drop whatever she’s doing and start this right away. I need a new cap by tonight. I’ve been away, and my old cap was ruined in a thunderstorm.”
    “Actually, we—” Dasras began.
    “Lily!” called a voice, and a male fairy appeared behind her. “What’s taking so long? You know we have to . . . Well, well, what have we here?”
    “Dasras seems to be giving the princess a tour,” Lily said in a tone that implied she had just tasted something bad. “They’re taking my flowers to Narlayna.”
    “We never said—” Dasras began.
    “The princess! We’ve heard so much about you!” The male fairy snatched the pointed green cap from his head and flourished it even as he bowed. “My friends have neglected to introduce me, so I’ll gladly claim the task. I’m Hawthorne,” he said, grinning up at Tamisin.
    Lily thrust her bouquet at Dasras. “Here! We have to go.”
    Dasras fumbled and nearly dropped the bouquet. Lily gave him a scornful glance before returning back through the thicket.
    Tamisin watched until all she could see of the fairieswas the tip of Hawthorne’s cap bobbing above the greenery. “What was that all about?” she asked.
    “Shh!” Dasras said softly, holding his finger in front of his lips.
    “So,” they could hear Lily saying to Hawthorne, “what did you think of her?”
    “She’s a bit chunky for a fairy, but who am I to say who’s a full-blood these days?” said Hawthorne. “There’s no denying she’s Titania’s brat, but as for the rest . . .”
    “Oberon will believe what he wants to believe, and there’s nothing you or I can say to change that,” Lily said, her voice dwindling with distance. “Once