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compass around his neck, thinking of home, which was just a few steps behind him. Maybe his mother was right; maybe it was better to be safe than sorry. Before he could convince himself to retrace his steps into the safety of the castle walls, however, a tiny light zoomed before his face. Squinting, he could just make out the body of a fairy. Nasty little creatures, they fed on lies and gossip. They’d been known to put a grown man to sleep, and to steal all the secrets from his mind. Oliver waved his hand before his face, the way you might try to get an insect away from you, but the fairy rose, glowing, and then dove, biting Socks firmly on the hindquarter.
    The stallion reared and bolted into the Enchanted Forest. It was all Oliver could do to hold on for dear life, and he hoped that Frump was able to keep up.
    Sawing at the reins, Prince Oliver finally managed to stop the horse. “It’s all right, boy,” he soothed, looking around to get his bearings.
    It was too dark to see. And then suddenly, there was a pinprick of light. And another. A third. If he squinted, he could see the long, thin legs of the fairies illuminated against the halos of their beating wings.
    One fairy hovered in front of his face, mesmerizing him. Her hair was a constantly shifting mane of sparks that crackled as she moved. Nearly translucent, her skin glowed in the dark like the face of the moon. Her teeth, when she smiled, were perfect tiny dagger points. In the blink of an eye, she darted toward his neck, and bit his skin.
    “Ouch!” Oliver cried, swatting her away as she licked his blood from her lips.
    “He tastes like royalty,” said the fairy. “Like wine and wealth.”
    “I’m a prince,” Oliver replied. “I’m on my way to rescue a princess.”
    The second fairy landed on his hand and sank her razor teeth into his thumb, making Oliver yelp. “He’s lying,” replied the second fairy. “I taste fear.”
    The third fairy landed delicately on the tip of Oliver’s nose. “Fear? I know who this boy is.” She looked directly into Oliver’s eyes. “This is the queen’s son. I’m Sparks. The one who gave you wisdom.”
    The first fairy came to hover beside her. “I’m Ember. I gave you loyalty.”
    “And I am Glint,” said the second fairy. “I gave you life.”
    “Thank you for all of that,” Oliver said politely, because a prince is nothing if not polite. “But I’d really like it if you allowed me to pass through the forest.”
    “You can’t,” said Sparks. “It’s too dangerous.”
    Ember nodded. “A boy without bravery shouldn’t take chances.”
    “Glint,” said the first fairy, “bite the horse again so he’ll gallop home.”
    “No!” Oliver cried out. “What if I challenged you?”
    He knew very little about fairies—no one knew much about them, really. They somehow managed to learn the secrets of humans without ever letting a secret of their own slip out. But Oliver had seen the strongest of knights carried back to the castle by his peers after a hungry swarm of fairies had pulled every hidden memory from his mind. They were destructive and impulsive, and they never had any regrets.
    “If I beat you at your own game,” Oliver said, thinking on his feet, “wouldn’t that be proof enough of my bravery?”
    “A game?” said Sparks, her hair flickering with excitement.
    Ember landed on his shoulder and whispered in his ear. “But we make the rules.”
    Glint settled on a branch in front of him, calling her sisters close. As they leaned in, their hair brightened, like combined flames. Finally Glint broke away. “You must try to cast a glow farther than any of us.”
    Oliver didn’t miss a beat. “Done,” he accepted.
    The fairies looked at each other. “Stupid humans,” said Ember. “They can’t shine.”
    “What do we get if we win?” Sparks asked.
    Oliver thought. “All my secrets,” he said soberly. “Every last one.”
    The fairies clapped, creating a rain of glitter. “Me