The condors harnessed to the carriage were batting their giant wings, screeching and plucking out useless feathers from their bodies. Iona looked out of the window and found that her father was talking to Circe. The woman was in the ministry. The kind lady looked at her with her hazel eyes and smiled sweetly. Iona returned the smile. Dmitri nodded at what she said and then stepped in the carriage. As soon as he stepped, Iona said, "Papa, you have to sit here, and not with Mother!" Dmitri laughed and he pulled his daughter in his large lap.
"Of course, love. I am going to stay with you. You are more fun than your mother!" Iona had laughed and laughed as her father tickled her. She loved this carriage and remembered when her brother teased her last time, they were sitting in it and he would throw her out of the window. They had fought over it and her father had to intervene in the end. Iona chuckled at the memory. She missed her brother. Gloria would feed her with the latest information about him. He was in Evindal these days to learn the Elvan form of combat. "Will you also send me to Evindal, papa?" she asked. "I want to learn Elvan combat and then be better than Ileus."
Dmitri stroked his daughter's hair lovingly and said, "Yes, you have to go there. And if you won't go there, I am going to push you there!"
Iona giggled. From the corner of her eye, she saw her mother talking to Circe. She found it particularly odd that Circe had come to meet her parents now when they were about to leave, but then who was she to speak in such matters. Adrianna listened to Circe with a lot of concentration. She handed her a parchment roll and bowed to take her leave. When Adrianna got in the carriage, she rolled out the parchment and studied it.
"What is it, Adri?" asked Dmitri, as he shifted Iona to one thigh.
"Circe has given us the route to Vilinski. She said that the Haldir had given it to her to personally hand it over to me."
"Why? We all know the route to the fae kingdom. Why has she given this? Is something wrong?"
Adrianna rolled the map back. "She said that this one is a shorter route and the Mozias have already patrolled it. So, it is safe."
"Ah! I see," said Dmitri. "But I was hoping that we would take the longer route. I would have shown so many things to Iona. That's one of the reasons why I don't want to go via portals."
Adrianna gazed at her husband and then her daughter. A flicker of worry crossed her face. "You realize how dangerous it is, right?"
Dmitri smiled and took her hands in his. "What are you there for, my queen? Take care of us."
Adrianna shook her head. "It's usually the man who is supposed to take care of his family."
"I am not a caveman. I am a modern man," he replied. Iona laughed at her father.
The carriage wobbled and the condors took off. Iona squealed. When they were at a height in the air, she saw a woman, Nefasky, and several Mozias around the carriage on their brooms. It was beautiful weather and Iona loved flying. "When are we going to reach Vilinski, papa?" she asked.
"It is a long journey, love," he said sleepily. "But the king has promised us that he would come to receive us at the outskirts of Sgiath Biò and that should shorten our journey." Little Iona looked out of the window with a grin on her face.
They crossed two portals and reached outside Sgiath Biò in two days. In those days, Iona had so much fun that she hadn't had in her life. It was like a vacation. Her father and mother had enjoyed it to the hilt. She would often watch them kiss and wonder how much they loved each other.
The landscape before Sgiath Biò was beautiful. They had reached a small mountain hamlet Óraid where they had stayed at a small inn. Haldir had also joined them. He was supposed to accompany them to Vilinski. Nefasky had left. Journey from Óraid to the outskirts of Sgiath Biò was the most beautiful. They had started in the morning when the sun had just risen up cladding the snow forest in white. It had such a pristine aura about itself that Iona would ask them to stop every now and then to just watch and take in the beauty.
"We are going to get late, my dear," said Dmitri when she wanted them to stop for the fifth time.
A little grumpy, she made her parents promise that they would come here again. She wondered what the fae princess must be like. Gloria had given her a small doll to gift it to the fae princess. "What is her name?" she asked absent-mindedly while she watched outside the carriage.
"Anastasia," said Adrianna as she looked intently at her daughter.
Iona could feel her mother's gaze boring her. "Why are you watching me Mother?" she asked, turning her head towards her. Golden eyes met another pair of golden eyes.
"Iona, I want to enter your cell when you are awake, baby. You might feel slight pain, but I will be quick," said Adrianna.
Dmitri grunted. "Don't be mad, Adri! She is too young. Do you want to damage her brain? One wrong move and you can impair her forever!"
"I know Dmitri. I will be very careful. I just— I just want to know what happens to her when she blacks out… please…"
Iona trembled in her place, scared that her mother would come to know of her secret.
"I won't allow it," Dmitri said in a mulish way. "Besides, she is fine now."
All at once, a condor screeched. The carriage wobbled and slanted in the air towards the right.
"We've been hit!" Haldir shouted.
Dmitri grabbed Iona as they all skidded into the right corner of the cushioned seats. "Who is there?" he asked Adrianna, who had already taken her wand out.
"I don't know!" she replied as she tried to regain her balance. "Stay in the carriage while I go out to investigate. Don't leave the carriage, okay? Keep her safe!"
"Okay!" Dmitri said but he was on the verge of shifting.
Adrianna opened the door and leapt out of the carriage. Iona screamed for her mother but before Adrianna touched the ground her broom came and took her back in the air. Dmitri closed the door with difficulty.
"We have to take that condor down!" Adrianna shouted. "It is already badly injured."
Iona heard a thwack and knew that the bird had fallen down. Now the carriage was being flown by one condor as the coachman did a fantastic job in harnessing it midair. Haldir and five other Mozias had flown in the direction of the attack as Adrianna continued to fly outside the carriage, protecting her child and husband. "Ahhh!" She shouted in pain.
"Adri!" Dmitri called her and when he looked outside the window, he was aghast to see that an arrow was lodged in her back.