a noticeable limp and difficulty moving one arm, but she babbled at them a mile a minute. The Lion had damaged her body, but heâd certainly done no permanent harm to her spirits.
Pete was mostly silent, and Hex couldnât help but wonder what his sullen mood meant. Iris chattered on at them both about a new formula she had developed to track banana consumption by age, happily oblivious, and Hex was grateful for her cheer. She hadnât forgiven him exactly for what he had done in Luluâspalace, but since he had saved her life, she seemed somewhat appeased, and sheâd apparently forgotten all about her plan to murder Hex in his sleep. (He seriously doubted she had ever been capable of such an act, anyway, as much as she wanted them to believe she was a ferocious warrior.) Sheâd given them a detailed rundown of the current political situation among the Wingless Ones: with Quentinâs treachery exposed, Lulu had been able to restore order among the rebel factions. The chancellor had been storing away most of the supplies heâd stolen, and Lulu was busy redistributing them among the poorest of the monkeys. Anyone else would have managed to report this news in a few sentences, but Iris was only too happy to go off on long digressions about statistical analysis, equations for determining equitable distribution of goods, and cost-benefit analyses. While Queen Lulu still credited the mysterious sorcerer with exposing the chancellorâs wrongdoing, Iris said, shooting Hex a menacing look, Iris herself had been promoted out of the guards to a management position as soon as heâd left, and couldnât be happier about it.
âNow that everythingâs settled with the Lion,â she said finally, âI should be getting back to the Wingless Ones. Luluâs a great ruler, of course, but she doesnât have a head for numbers. Iâm badly needed back at the palace.â She puffed her chest importantly, and then winced.
âYou shouldnât travel alone,â Pete said. âYouâre still hurt, and vulnerable.â
âI can take care of myself!â Iris said, immediately furious.
âThe Lion may return at any time,â Pete said, and shedeflated.
âI suppose youâre right,â she said, and her bravado fell away. âI thought I was going to die back there,â she said softly.
âThe Lion is far less likely to attack again if the three of us are together,â Pete said. âEspecially now that he knows Hex is a match for him. And I think we got rid of the wolves for now. Weâll escort you back to the Sea of Blossoms. You should be safe enough the rest of the way to the queendom.â
Hex looked at Pete in surprise, but didnât ask any questions. Was this part of his third test? And why was Pete sticking around? But Pete was as infuriatingly inscrutable as ever as they rolled up their blankets and prepared to leave. Pete suggested they fashion crutches for Iris, but she scoffed at the idea. Her indignation was so comical that even Pete cracked a smile.
At some point while they rested, the other pathâthe cowardâs path, Hex thoughtâhad disappeared, leaving them only one way out of the clearing. The trees were just as ominous, the weird perpetual twilight just as creepy, but Irisâs happy chatter lightened Hexâs mood, and it seemed as though they had only been walking for a few hours when the thorny underbrush thinned out and the trees began to grow farther and farther apart. Soon, real sunlight filtered down through the forest canopy, and at last they emerged, blinking, into a sunny meadow dotted here and there with huge, lush fruit trees that grew in tidy rows. A broad blue stream ran through the meadow, burbling merrily. The whole place was such a welcome contrast to the forest that Hex felt his heart lift immediately.
âBeautiful, isnât it?â Pete said. Hex nodded, and Iris sighed in
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