The Stepsister Scheme

pearl-black eyes told Danielle that this was a bird who knew nothing of fear. Both the energy of a child and the wisdom of a grandparent spoke to her from those eyes. “You’re beautiful.”
    Karina bobbed her head.
    “I’m not riding a fairy bird across this island,” Talia said.
    “Of course not.” Trittibar gave the falcon one last pat, then walked over to close the shingles. “You’ll be harnessed to her chest.”
    He led them down the other side of the roof. There, a stone gutter drained rainwater into a barrel on the ground. Trittibar stopped at a cluster of ivy which grew near the end of the gutter. Shoving aside the leaves and vines, he pulled out a large leather harness and an enormous basket.
    “Dried willow from the elven forests,” he said, tapping the basket. “Light as air, and strong as steel.” He set the basket to one side and began tossing the harness straps over Karina’s back and wings.
    Karina took a playful nip at Trittibar’s beard. He yanked it free and used the end to swat her on the beak. “None of that now,” he said. “It’s time to work.”
    He pulled the harness tight, buckling the straps so they crossed in the center of her chest. Then he lifted the basket. “Could you hold this, my dear?” he said to Snow.
    Snow grabbed the basket, which was twice as tall as she was, and held it steady as Trittibar threaded more straps through the back of the basket. A heavy sheet of white leather covered the top, beneath Karina’s chin.
    “This can be buckled from the inside or out,” he said, showing them the brass buckles along the top of the basket. “Make sure all of the buckles are pulled tight. Otherwise there’s nothing to stop you from tumbling out if Karina goes into a dive.”
    “I’m walking,” Talia said. “I’ll meet you in Fairytown.”
    Danielle was already moving toward Karina. Trittibar smiled and laced his fingers together, providing a stirrup to boost her into the basket. He was stronger than he appeared, hoisting her over the edge as if she weighed no more than a feather. Which was close to the truth, really.
    Cushions and blankets lined the bottom of the basket. Danielle scooted to one side to make room for the others. The basket hung at an odd angle. Resting with her back against the far side, she sat facing Karina’s chest, which seemed the most comfortable. She tried to find a position where her sword wouldn’t catch the holes of the basket, and finally ended up removing the sword and belt altogether.
    Snow slid down beside her, giggling. As soon as her feet touched the bottom of the basket, Snow was twisting around and pulling herself back up to peer out at Talia. “Hurry up, fraidycat. It’ll be fun.”
    Talia threw one of their bags into the basket, knocking Snow down. Danielle watched as Talia turned back to Trittibar and asked, “How do we get back to our normal size? I’m not hunting the prince like this.”
    Trittibar grabbed a large pouch from his sash. One side was white, the other black, and Danielle could see that it was divided in the middle, like two sacks sewn together as one. Trittibar retrieved three black objects the size and shape of walnuts. “These spores will change you back to your normal, oversized selves. I trust I don’t have to tell you to wait until after you’ve landed?”
    Talia tossed the rest of their belongings in with Danielle and Snow. Ignoring Trittibar’s offer of assistance, she jumped to grab the upper edge of the basket. She swung one leg over the edge and dropped lightly down beside Snow.
    With three people, even shrunken as they were, the basket was fairly crowded. Danielle tried to squirm toward one side to give the others room.
    Talia stood and began tugging the buckles tight. Danielle did the same on her side, working the thick, stiff leather through loops woven into the basket.
    “Are you ready?” Trittibar asked.
    Talia lay back, closing her eyes and muttering, “I suppose it’s too much to expect that this thing is just going to run really fast along the ground?”
    Trittibar chuckled. He walked around to pat Karina’s wing. “Take them to Fairytown, swiftly as you can. And, Princess?”
    Danielle hesitated, not sure which princess he meant.
    “Bring your husband home safe. And yourself.”
    Trittibar whistled, and the world fell away. The falcon turned sharply to the left, away from the mews. Danielle fell against Snow, who slid onto Talia. Wind rushed through the basket as Karina