by Elsa Bridger
“Okay, I can see the problem now,” Felicity said, “but I don’t see how we came to find it if Nightshade had it. Had he hidden it in our world?”
Queen Tara shook her head, “No, The Book always seeks a leader, and having sensed danger and with me being out of action, it went in search of a human with a belief in fairies so strong that when they discovered its powers they would be able to break the spell. Until now, we were unaware it could do this – and so was Nightshade, luckily for us. Even luckier was that your belief broke that spell. Your belief could save us all too. Now I am free and back with my people, but - as you can see - Nightshade’s power has grown.”
“So now you have The Book back, you can use it to overpower Nightshade, right?” said Felicity.
“Even with the book, I alone can’t overpower him now. He has been sapping strength from every living thing he kills. We require an even greater source of strength, and that source (or should I say sources) is the two of you. The fact that you are identical twins is key. Your physical sameness serves to double your belief strength. This will double the strength of The Book’s magic. I can feel that from you. The Book has chosen well.”
“I still don’t see how we can help,” said Sophie.
“We need you both to return to school and find all the non-believers you can. Collect their signatures into The Book and it will harness the negative energy from their writing,” Queen Tara explained. “We must combine both The Book’s magic and human non-belief and use this negative energy carefully to weaken Nightshade, so we can overpower him. Under any other circumstances we would not use dark magic, but we have no choice.”
“Oh, that doesn’t seem so bad,” said Felicity with relief. “We can collect signatures, no problem!”
“You must take care. Nightshade will not stop searching for The Book. It’s his ultimate prize with which he will become all powerful once he has devastated every living thing here,” Queen Tara warned,” and if that should happen, there won’t be anything any of us can do to stop him.”
There was a brief silence as the gravity of the situation sank in.
“I will give each of you a special gift. The gifts will be disguised as buttons. If they glow, Nightshade is close,” explained Queen Tara. “If this happens I will also be alerted, and I will send help.” She reached into a silk bag that had been tucked in an inside pocket of her cloak and took out two golden buttons and presented them to the girls. “Sewn on to your uniform, no one will look twice at them and they can always be with you. You don’t have long to collect as many names as possible; even as we speak our beautiful land is dying.” She lifted her hand indicating out of the window and across the meadow.
The darkness was much closer, the thunder now audible as the storm seethed, inching ever closer like an unstoppable, slow motion tsunami. When lightning struck, there was no sign of the castle, now completely engulfed by the clouds that seemed so heavy that even the very air itself was unable to prevent them from sinking to the ground.
The animals were growing increasingly restless. Birds sent up shrill alarm calls warning of the impending danger, panicking many into chaotic flight.
“I fear we may only have a day left before it reaches us too. The storm is gathering in strength and pace, an indication of Nightshade’s growing magical powers.”
The Queen turned abruptly to face them again. “Where are my manners? You must be thirsty after all that has happened.” She nodded to Yarrow and he stepped forward with two drinks and gave one each to the grateful girls. “Drink, then you must be on your way,” she said briskly, then pausing before she added gently; “I do apologise for my abrupt manner when we first met. I’m sure you understand now why I was so fractious… now you know of our plight.”
“Yes, we do,” Sophie reassured her, “but I’m still puzzled as to how I knew to draw you?” She’d finished her drink and was unable to suppress a yawn. “Oh, I’m sorry. It’s just such a strange day.”
Queen Tara smiled sympathetically. “If all goes well we will have plenty of time for questions soon enough. But for now, just try and take a little time to relax. You’re going to need your strength.”
Having finished her drink first, Felicity placed her glass down on the long table. It had left an unusual bitter taste in her mouth, but she was feeling far more relaxed now. “How do we… get…. back….?” she struggled to ask through a descending veil of fatigue, her voice little more than a whisper. Her eyelids felt impossibly heavy as she glanced over to her sister who had lolled sleepily back in her chair.
“Shhh,” came Queen Tara’s soothing reply.
A Race Against Time!
Felicity woke with a jump. She turned to Sophie and shook her. “Wake up!” she urged.
“Mmmmm? Is it morning already?” Sophie mumbled woozily.
“We’re back at school, Sophie, under the oak tree.”
Sophie sat up. “Oh! I had the strangest dream.” Then she felt her side. There was the book, tucked into her blouse.
Felicity felt something cold and hard touch her knee and turned the hem of her skirt over to find the gold button Queen Tara had given them. It had been sewn neatly into it, invisible from the outside. She turned so Sophie could see it. Sophie felt for hers too.
A small group of children were approaching, laughing, with a teacher running behind and catching them up fast.
“You ran into the tree and knocked yourselves silly!” giggled Nikki, one of the older girls.
It was then that Sophie and Felicity realised they were wet, but there was absolutely no sign of the storm clouds now.
“Sophie, Felicity, are you alright?” fretted Mrs Shaw, their classroom assistant.
“Yes.”
“I think so,” they answered in turn.
“Come on, let’s get you up. Go and find some dry jumpers in the school office - there should be some in the lost property box,” she said whilst turning them on the spot by the shoulders one by one, checking them over for any bumps and bruises.
As they made their way to the office Sophie glanced at her watch, anxious to find out how long they had been gone. It said 1pm still. She tapped her watch, suspecting that it must have stopped, but the hour hand remained stubbornly on the one. So no time had passed? She had read of this happening in fairy books, but hadn’t really believed it possible that time itself could stand still!
Having changed out of their wet things they remembered they had a job to do; they checked their gold buttons, - not glowing, good, and rushed back out to start collecting signatures from non-believers.
Felicity briskly walked over to the first person she saw and asked; “Excuse me, we are doing a project on fairies called “Do they exist or not?” and we want to do a survey to see what people think.” As the boy shook his head “no”, she extended the book and pen out to him. “If you could sign our book then, please?” Great, they were off to a good start!
By the end of the day they had collected about 50 names, but it left them with mixed feelings; sad that so many didn’t believe, but hopeful that it would give them enough energy to overpower Nightshade.
That night, whilst they waited for their mother to come upstairs to read them a bedtime story, Felicity whispered to Sophie;
“Do you think we have enough signatures?”
“I hope so. We could ask the book,” Sophie whispered back.
So, in the dim light filtering in from the landing, they wrote the question…..but nothing happened. By this time they were too worn out to wonder why, and were already sound asleep moments later when their mother came in to read.
“Funny little things,” she said to herself, smiling as she watched them in their sleep. “School must have been too exciting again. I don’t remember it being that way in my time. In turn she bent down, smoothed their hair away from their brows and gently placed a goodnight kiss on each child, taking in their lovely sweet smell whilst whispering, “Love you most,�
� into their ears. They didn’t even stir.
Next morning, the girls dressed quickly. Sophie stowed the book in her blouse as before. They virtually gulped their breakfast down and raced to school.
Their mother couldn’t believe how different the girls were from just last week. Now she was finding herself having to rush to keep up with them!
Felicity checked her magic button. It was glowing ever so faintly. She showed Sophie. Hers was glowing softly too.
“Nightshade must be looking for the book and getting closer. When do you think we should go to the tree?” Felicity asked Sophie anxiously.
“Oh, ha-ha!” giggled Sophie. “The book’s moving; it really tickles!”
“Maybe it has a message for us?” Felicity asked excitedly. She ushered her sister to a quiet area of the playground. Their mother was busy chatting to another parent, so she didn’t notice them edging away.
Sophie glanced around for any prying eyes. Luckily there weren’t many people around as they’d arrived early. She pulled the book from its hiding place. She almost dropped it as it unexpectedly flipped open of its own accord, revealing a poem. They both studied the verse swiftly and silently.
"Nightshade’s power grows ever stronger,
The fairies can’t hold on too much longer,
Hurry to The Great Oak tree at half past ten,
The fairies will meet you there again."
Once read, the words then disappeared as before, and Sophie promptly tucked the book away again.
The class door was now open, and as the girls rushed towards it their mother called out; “Wait up ladies, I can’t go all day without my kisses….”
They’d completely forgotten! Mrs Vincent shot their mother an astonished glance as she also registered the change in the girls’ attitude towards school from just last week.
“Good morning ladies, you are keen today aren’t you? That’s great, come in, come in,” she encouraged happily, blissfully unaware of the grave danger that everyone was in, should the girls fail…..
No Turning Back
10.20am came round and luckily it was P.E. which was to be outside today (despite the ominous looking clouds) which would make it easier for them to get to The Great Oak in time. The wind was quickening again too.
The girls had hidden their P.E. bags – pretending they had left them at home so that they could keep their skirts on with the magic buttons. It seemed that each time they checked the buttons they were glowing steadily brighter. Nightshade was getting closer! Felicity thought she’d rather not have known, especially as there seemed to be no sign of any help coming from the fairies. Had something already gone badly wrong in Serenia?
Their watches said 10.28am and it had started to rain hard, born sideways onto the children on a cold, stiff and unrelenting wind.
“Inside please class!” came Mrs Vincent’s shrill voice over the rising din of the brewing storm.
Whilst she was distracted with a couple of children who seemed to be having a disagreement over the only hoop, Sophie and Felicity took their chance and dashed for The Great Oak. This time they would be ready and made sure they had a good grip of the tree’s broad trunk.
It had just turned 10.30 and right on time they heard a small wispy voice above them; “Hi girls, hold on tight. Nightshade’s close, but we can beat him!” Bryony – Felicity’s doodle fairy called encouragingly from the boughs.
It was now dark, with swathes of dense clouds eclipsing any sunlight. A bright golden light from their buttons was now visible shining through the material of their skirts, intensifying by the second it seemed. Nightshade must be practically next to them. Their eyes flitted nervously peering into the shadows about them as they clung to the tree.
Suddenly, as if The Great Oak itself knew the urgency of their dilemma, it began to spin, gathering pace much more quickly than before, rotating faster and faster… CRACK!…then stillness.
As the girls’ eyes refocused after their dizzying journey, they noted silently that the clouds were almost blocking out the sun here in Serenia now too, not just in the distance anymore.
They were met by Campion, the male fairy, who wordlessly took their hands and flew the girls directly into the tree and then on into the Great Hall as before.
As soon as the door to the hall was closed, Queen Tara rushed towards them asking, “Do you have The Book?”
“Yes – here,” Sophie started to pull it from its hiding place.
Queen Tara leaned forward hastily, “No! Keep it,” she said, firmly placing her hand on Sophie’s, preventing her from removing it.
With no time for pleasantries, she rushed on to explain her plan. “Nightshade must be drawn here willingly, to this very spot. He’s not so strong within The Great Oak. It’s our last advantage, which will soon be lost as his powers grow ever stronger. You both need to wait for him up in the tree’s highest boughs, and draw him inside, here to us.” She indicated with her finger, pointing to the floor. “He won’t be able to resist a chance to claim The Book, I’m sure. Campion, Sorrel and I will use a cloaking spell to make us invisible, enabling us to stay here unseen as you draw him in. Then, with The Book held between you both, we will join hands with you to entrap Nightshade within a circle of our arms. For a brief time he will be sufficiently weakened for us to bind him over with a spell. We will need you to join in as we chant. Hopefully his greed will make him foolish and he will not guess our plan.” With that she muttered a spell and waved her wand and only the girls seemed to remain.
“I’m scared,” whimpered Felicity, almost inaudibly.
“Just believe…. Believe in fairies, The Book and the power of your faith in all that is morally right, and you will not be overcome!” Queen Tara’s words came from somewhere in the hall, echoing eerily within its walls, but she was now invisible to them, as were Campion and Sorrel.
Sophie jumped as she felt someone take her hand. “I’ll fly you up into the branches.” It was Campion’s voice. Sorrel must have taken Felicity’s hand, and together their invisible companions whisked the girls swiftly up into the tree top.
Whispering softly, Campion’s disembodied voice said, “We’ll be waiting back in the hall. Hold The Book out between you and be ready to hold your other arms out too. We need his hands on The Book, and the moment they are we will join you to encircle him.” He reminded them. “Then just join in with our chant.”
They saw the branches part as the two boys started to make their way back to their hiding place within the hall. They must have paused briefly as Campion’s grave voice came to them from further away….. “Good luck!”
Meeting Nightshade
Sophie and Felicity sat huddled close together whilst they waited, pretending to be engrossed in chatting to each other, with just a corner of The Book left intentionally visible.
They didn’t have to wait long. Nightshade flew down out of the low black clouds at great speed, abruptly pulling up as he caught a glimpse of The Book, a triumphant smile spreading across his face.
They convincingly feigned being surprised to see him, easy enough as their nerves were strung out with anticipation!
Nightshade, who seemed to be trying to befriend them, continued his descent now at a leisurely pace and alighted gently on a branch a discreet distance away.
“Now, how did you two end up in Serenia and right up here of all places, my human friends?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Your timing couldn’t be worse, I’m afraid. It’s really not a safe spot in such a bad storm,” he warned. “I’m on my way home. Come, you can shelter with me and I will bring you back when it passes. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if something happened to you and I’d not offered.” He smiled warmly and held out a hand for each child.
It seemed strange; Nightshade wasn’t what they had expected. Was he really the one to blame for all this? In fact he looked quite pleasant when he smiled. They’d anticipated someone haggard and wicked looking, in dark sombr
e attire. In sharp contrast to their expectations however, Nightshade looked youthful, with a playful twinkle in his eye. He was sporting a matching purple ensemble of hat, shirt and shorts. The green pea-like buttons on his shirt that matched his leggings and shoes were undone almost to his waist exposing a cheery summer yellow t-shirt through the v-shaped gap. On his head he wore a purple hat which was yellow at the tip. Short brown hair curled out round the edges of it, as if it was too full of life to be contained beneath it. His lovely purple wings were gently opening and closing as he tried to maintain his balance in the ever increasing wind.
The girls looked at one another, as if they were trying to decide what to do.
“That’s very kind of you, but I think we will be safer staying here in this tree. We’ve just discovered a way inside it.” Sophie was sure he must be able to hear her hammering heart! She turned and started to make her way down the tree, then paused, “There’s plenty of room, why don’t you stay here too?” she suggested brightly.
A frown crossed Nightshade’s face. This was not what he wanted. He realised too late that they had seen his disgruntled expression. The girls pretended to be frightened by his sudden change of mood and started scampering down the tree.
“Is he following?” Felicity hissed quietly to Sophie through the corner of her mouth. Sophie risked a glance behind. “No!” she whispered back.
Just then Nightshade’s friendly façade slipped further. “Come back! Do you not realise it is extremely rude to turn down the offer of help from a fairy? Do you not know who I am?” He seemed incensed at their lack of response, and anger overtook any caution he may have been exercising and he gave chase– he just had to get that book!