“Grab the blanket,” Theo says, kicking the picnic basket off the material.
“Hey, don’t squash my sausages,” I grumble.
Malachi snorts as they each grab the corners of the blanket and throw it over my head. I know trolls are ugly, but this seems mean. My head pokes out.
“Hey, you either love me for who I am or not at all,” I snap.
They share a confused look before pulling the corners together. “We need something to tie her down,” Theo declares.
In other circumstances, this would be sexy. A little perverse, maybe, and more to Nash’s tastes, but still sexy. Right now, I want to strangle the two knights who clearly believe beauty is skin deep.
“Here.” Gwyneth bends and tears the bottom of her skirt into a long strip. I must be revolting if my sister is helping them.
The knights fashion a rope from her torn skirt, and I catch Charming eyeballing her ankles like a creep. He has a foot fetish, so it’s hardly unexpected.
“Eyes off my sister,” I snarl. My body feels light, like I could float away on a breeze. It’s refreshing given I am normally wrestling with gravity to stay upright. Is this how all trolls feel? If so, why are they so grumpy?
Charming’s gaze snaps to me, and he smirks like I’m getting everything I deserve. Malachi holds the corners of the blanket together while Theo wraps the rope around it and knots it securely.
“Don’t panic,” Gwyneth coaxes.
“Why would I panic?” I ask. And who says “don’t panic”? What a ridiculous thing to instruct.
Theo’s lips twitch. “You got her?” he asks Malachi.
Got me what? Malachi nods, and then, gripping one end of the rope, he lets go of the blanket.
I grow larger and wiggle inside the confines of the blanket.
“Don’t do that,” Theo grumbles.
I blink at him. He’s smaller. So much smaller.
“How big do trolls grow?” I whisper.
“You aren’t a troll, Daphne,” Malachi answers with a grin. “You’re floating.”
I’m what? I squint down at the grass, only to find my feet levitating off the ground. I can only assume if my feet are levitating, so is my body.
“I can fly?” I whisper in awe.
Theo shakes his head with a wide grin as the other shiny Hallowed take notice and start pointing at me.That’s right, Daphne Stone can fly. Take that, Idols.
“No, you can float,” Malachi corrects. “There’s a difference.”
“My feet and body are in the air. That’s the very definition of flying,” I argue.
“Flying suggests you can direct,” Theo adds. “Can you do that?”
I wriggle my arm free from the blanket and point at the castle. “That way.”
Gwyneth pinches the bridge of her nose. “How long until it wears off?” she asks.
“Normally, with something so powerful, a turn, perhaps two,” Malachi answers as they walk toward the castle.
“See? Iamflying. I wanted to go toward the castle, and now I am.”
“Because we are dragging you there,” Theo grumbles.
