Page 25 of For the Strange and Surprising

I think.

Then again, maybe it’s a slang term for something that I don’t understand. This place and these people are confusing, and I desperately want to go home.

The first step is talking to the queen.

I pray that she knows how to return me to Florida. And then I dread the issues I’ll run into when I do get back.

My rent is due next week. I’ll probably get fired for missing work without finding a replacement for my shifts. My car has more than likely been impounded, and I won’t be able to pay the fees because, again, rent. I need a place to live, but I also need transportation to get to my job.

In other words, this sightseeing adventure has eaten into what little savings I had in my bank account.

I heave a deep breath and smell the flowers before I see them. The air here is so clear and free of pollution that everything hits my senses in a rush, causing me to sneeze.

The Mongrel prince flinches, acting as if he’s never seen someone with allergies before. His head jerks back, and his brows pinch together. Concern crosses his features; then he’s back to being an ass.

“Has the lying finally made you feel ill? Or are you here to wipe out the entire village?”

“Don’t be a dick.” I roll my eyes. “It’s called a sneeze. It happens to some people when there’s a lot of pollen in the air. You know… From the flowers?”

I’m not sure why we had to walk all the way around the palace when we could have gone through it. It would have been quicker, but I suppose he wouldn’t have been able to have such a lovely stroll with me if we didn’t take the long way around.

I wave at him, striding away before he can say anything else. Then I join the waiting queen in her garden, attempting to shake off the attitude that lingers from my short time with Ecaeris.

Isolde observes us both. Her gaze volleys from her son to me before she grins and extends her arm. She wraps her hand around my elbow, pulling me through a wooden gate into a fairytale land.

The garden is wondrous.

“Was my son being delightfully stubborn today?”

I whip my head around to face her, and she smiles coyly at my stunned expression.

“Are—Are you being sarcastic?”

“Of course, dear. I did raise that boy.” She giggles quietly. “He can be quite the handful, but he usually means well.”

I want to snort, but that seems rude, so I stay silent as we begin our weird tour through her garden. I find myself surprisingly at ease with Isolde, though the change of scenery makes me flutter with nervous energy.

“Watch your step, Ada,” she murmurs, nodding down at our feet.

Below us is a shallow and narrow stream, and wooden beams float over the surface. They’re steady, not at all rocking as we step on them, which baffles me. There must only be about three inches between each one, but the slight glimpses are spectacular.

The water is crystal clear, filled with tiny plants and colorful fish that I’ve never seen before. There’s a whole ecosystem beneath our feet, and I’d love nothing more than to study how it sustains itself.

Isolde pats my arm as she tugs me along. The flowers surrounding us seem to lean closer as we pass them, swaying in a breeze that I still can’t feel. I’m beginning to wonder if the giant blooms are so top-heavy that their thin stems can’t hold them up straight.

She watches me as I survey everything, making mental notes of all the smells and sounds that are new to me. It’s only when I spy the first bug that the queen chortles at my reactions.

The butterfly is the brightest of blues, and it lazily flaps its wings as it perches on a purple vine. It has to be twelve or more inches wide. I swear it could carry away a small house cat.

There are beetles and dragonflies, bees and ladybugs… All of them are larger than life. They’re ghastly to see but somehow so beautiful I no longer care about the flowers.

A caterpillar crawls along the trunk of a moss-covered tree. A centipede scurries across the wooden planks in front of us. Everything appears relatively normal at first, though I start to notice abnormalities the longer I study the insects.

Despite their size, something niggles at me about their appearances.

“Does that bug look strange to you, or is it just me?”

“Which one, sweet girl?”