The Daughters Daring (The Daughters Daring & The Enchanted Forest Book 1) by Steven J. Thompson Page A

giving shade and shelter to everything below. She stopped here to whisper secret words, calling to an old friend.
         “Lady Daring?” A small voice answered.
         “Iris, is it you?” The Duchess spoke normally, now. “It’s me, Aryanna!”
         A regal-looking faery appeared in response. Her apparel, beautiful in purple and gold, floated around her as if under water. A warm light emanated from within her, filling the duchess with feelings of love and calmness. Iris was a friend the duchess had known since childhood; they’d been introduced when her own mother brought her into the Enchanted Forest. Years later, it was Iris who had lured the handsome Duke Daring in their direction.
         While the memories of their shared past together brought joy to the duchess’s heart, it was also a sad reminder of the distance that had grown between them. It had been years since she had seen her childhood friend.
         “Aryanna Daring,” Iris said somewhat coldly, “it is good to see you again, even in dire times.”
         “Then you know?” The duchess responded. “Highcynder is under attack, and my daughters are in danger!”
         “As are my daughters.” Iris said. “The ogres have been here for quite some time, now. They kidnapped our kind and imprisoned them!”
    “Iris, why did you not send word?” The duchess said. “We would have sent aid!”
    “Word was sent, my friend,” Iris answered, “and summarily dismissed by the King. Lamont has grown careless in his old age. I tried reaching out to you as well, but your window of late has been closed to the songs of faeries.”
         The duchess’s eyes dropped at the truth in the faery’s words. She had spent so much of the last decade worrying about the affairs of men, and raising her children, that she had lost her connection with the world around them. Clearly, Iris was hurt by it; faeries were extremely sensitive beings.
         Another faery burst through the leaves above, flying to them with haste.
         “My Queen!” cried the messenger faery, stopping suddenly to bow.
         “Azalea was the last to see your daughters,” Iris said. “It was the young one saved her from the witch.”
         “The witch!” The duchess and Iris shared a look of recognition. “That explains the poison pies, but not how she could have come back.”
         “She always craved power,” Iris said. “And blamed you for so much.”
         “The witch sent the ogres to attack The Shining City!” Azalea interrupted, still catching her breath.
         “Azalea, where are my daughters now?” the Duchess asked.
         “The younger one was captured,” Azalea said, “So I showed the older one a path leading down into the witch's lair, into a great cavern! I would have gone with her, but she sent me here to get help. I flew as fast as I could!”
         “My girls are in terrible danger. Iris I need your help.”
         “We will accompany you to the witch's lair, my friend,” Iris said, “and do what we can to rescue your daughters.”
         “I’ll do that,” the Duchess said. “I need your help elsewhere.”
         Iris frowned. The witch was dangerous, and the duchess was an old friend, no matter how angry she was with her. What could be more important than rescuing her daughters?
    “What can we do to help you?”
         “Save The Shining City.”
    
         Duke Daring commanded the defense at the city gate. He called out orders, adjusted the archers’ fire, and personally manned defenses. The ogres repeatedly pummeled the city, especially at the forest gate. The few archers and gnomes in his company managed to slow the ogres down a little, but the duke knew that the huge doors, a solid defense against men—wouldn't hold up against the ogre horde much longer.
         He had fallen back to the guardhouse to regroup, hoping desperately for more troops, while shouting orders