Let Me Fly Free Read Online Free Page B

my forefinger, I’d be
a fool to assume her weak, for I’ve seen what her magic can do. The
look on her ebony face is one of hardened resolve, and she sweeps
her arm in a wide, beckoning gesture at the six other fairies
behind her.
    I call out her name. “Naadri!”
    Naadri pauses midair, hesitating for a
moment, before flying toward me. As she approaches, she twists back
to shout, “Continue the journey! I’ll catch up to you shortly!”
    I knit my brows. “Journey? Where are you
journeying to?”
    Naadri hovers before me, tugging nervously
at the violet vest she wears over her otherwise plain white outfit.
“I’m taking my family away from Kristakai until the monster the
unicorns spoke of is dealt with.”
    “ You’re fleeing ?” I give her an incredulous
look. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised—Cyim’s message did tell
everyone to do whatever they could to remain safe. Still, I’d hoped
I wouldn’t be the only one who wanted to fight for our land.
“But—”
    “ My magic is no match for
an Infernal creature,” Naadri interrupts, her tone defensive. “I
would not be able to protect my family from it, so I’m taking them
someplace safe.”
    Despite the logic in her words, running
still strikes me as cowardice, and it’s all I can do not to scowl.
“Where will you go?”
    “ To Yessalem.”
    Recognizing the name, I blink in
astonishment. “That’s a human city.”
    “ Exactly.” Naadri purses
her lips. “Whatever threatens Kristakai, it must have come because
it wants magic. That’s the only explanation for it attacking a
unicorn-guarded domain instead of the more vulnerable territories
of the humans. If it wants magic, then there’s nothing for it in an
unenchanted place.”
    Kiri takes a step toward her with an
expression that seems to mirror my own surprise. “You really think
you’ll be safer among the humans than under the unicorns’
protection?”
    “ I do not know.” Naadri’s
voice is taut. “This monster has already breached the unicorns’
most powerful spells—the ones around Kristakai’s borders. I trust
the unicorns, of course, but I will not risk the lives of my
children. I cannot allow them to remain here. Many others are
leaving as well. You—” She breaks off abruptly.
    But I know what she was
going to say: You two should leave,
too. Except we cannot, and she knows this.
Though it was a harmless slip of the tongue, it reminds me that I’m
chained to this land, thanks to the actions of those who lived
thousands of years before my birth, and my blood burns. Because of
them, I—and my kind—will have to stay and face whatever is
here.
    It makes me even more determined to
fight.
    “ I’m aware that the human
world is rife with danger of its own kind,” Naadri continues, as if
she hadn’t misspoken. “But at least they are known dangers.” She
glances away, in the direction of her departing companions. “I’m
afraid I must go. I wish I had more to tell you.”
    “ Good luck, Naadri.” Kiri
gives the fairy a parting smile, and I know I should as well, but I
only manage a slight quirk in the corner of my mouth.
    Without another word,
Naadri flits off, her red wings flashing, and I watch until she
vanishes from sight, wishing I could follow. Not to flee the
danger, but to escape the imprisonment. Envy pierces me as I recall
how she said the human world held “known dangers.” Known to her,
perhaps, but to me, they’re only myths. Tales from storybooks and
descriptions from motionless tomes. I can read about the world
beyond Kristakai as much as I want, but that’s not the same
as experiencing it.
    “ Perhaps we should follow
her,” I mutter.
    Kiri turns to me in shock. “You know we
can’t.”
    “ Why not?” I lift my chin.
“I’ve walked along the borders before—even extended my hand past
them. There are no physical barriers keeping us here, only
rules.”
    “ And our lives.” Kiri gives
me a stern look. “We wouldn’t last a week.”
    I bite