by L. Danvers
Uncle Ben dangled the keychain. “This should be interesting...”
Danielle
The moon was hanging low, barely visible through the clouds. A deep fog had rolled in, giving the coastline a ghostly feel. We hoped we could use that to our advantage.
Sneaking past the authorities had proven to be less difficult than I’d imagined. Yes, Grace had to drink from Xander, Charlotte and myself in order to have enough juice to keep the spells going. Not only had she altered all of our appearances long enough for us to get Miguel’s white-and-seafoam-green speedboat from the marina, but she’d also cast a spell to make the boat itself invisible. I was both amazed by her determination and overcome with guilt that she was expending so much energy to carry out my plan. And yet, seeing her like this only strengthened my resolve that we were doing the right thing. Staying here wasn’t an option. Not when it meant Grace using so much of her powers that she had to drink blood to sustain herself.
We’d come back when things had time to settle. When the world was ready for us.
And who knew? Maybe this would be good for us. Give us a break from all the running and fighting. Give us a chance to, I don’t know, enjoy the greatest plus-side of being immortal—time together.
If we could pull this off, Julian and I had committed to starting over in a new world.
Grace and I hadn’t spoken about it directly, but I knew she had no intention of coming with us. She wasn’t the one who needed to hide. She could lay low as long as she didn’t get reckless with her magic. And anyway, I think she felt like she had to stay. Like it was up to her to set things right. It wasn’t her fault that Reed had screwed the supernaturals over, but he was her father. And I couldn’t shake the feeling that she intended to stop him.
As for Ben, he had no reason to leave. He’d been around a lot as of late, but he had his own life. And since he was human, he didn’t need to hide.
Xander and Charlotte still hadn’t made up their minds. One second, Charlotte was confident she was coming with us. The next, she was worrying over whether she should stay behind and create some sort of safe-haven for supernaturals who wanted to lay low. While some beings didn’t know how to control their urges, others did. And if things got bad, Charlotte thought it might be a good idea for her to have some sort of refuge for them to turn to.
Staring at nothing in particular, I fiddled with my hands, thinking. We’re doing the right thing, I told myself over and over again. We have to do this to keep Julian safe. We’re doing the right thing. Yet, I couldn’t shake that little voice in the back of my head. What if things never got better? What if it was never safe to come back?
I chewed the inside of my cheek, reminding myself that eventually we could return. Sure, it may take twenty, fifty, a hundred years for people to forget all about the unveiling of Crescent Cape and his photograph that was discovered in the castle. But one day, it would be ancient history, and we could return.
But what if Grace is long gone by then? What if I never see her again?
The thought made my stomach twist into knots. Was this how I was repaying her for everything she’d done? By leaving?
“Hey,” Julian said, giving my shoulder a nudge. “What are you thinking about?”
My jaw unclenched when I saw his familiar eyes staring into mine. Now that we had made it on the boat, Grace had released the spell altering our appearances. “Everything,” I shrugged.
“You don’t have to do this, you know.”
“Yes, I do. I can’t risk anything happening to you.”
He forced a grin, though there was a heaviness to it. “It’s not fair that you have to share in my burden.”
“I want to, Julian. That’s what you do when you love someone. If you’re only along for the ride during the good times, that’s not love. That’s company.”
“Ha. Fair enough.”
“Plus, I know you’d do the same for me.”
“In a heartbeat.”
I squeezed his hand, taking in the unspoken love that filled this boat. Grace, Charlotte, Xander and Ben were risking their lives to help us pull this off. And when we were gone, they were the ones who were going to have to carry on and find their way back home. Find their way to settle into this new reality.
“You’re going to miss her,” Julian said knowingly.
“Yeah,” I said, nodding as tears filled my eyes. “I am.”
“This is temporary,” he reminded me. “You’ll see her again. And I’m sure she can come to visit from time to time.”
“That’s true,” I said. I hadn’t thought about that. If we could enter the portal to the faerie realm, no doubt Grace could do the same.
I nuzzled against Julian’s firm chest, paying no mind to the cool spray of the sea splashing up against the nape of my neck from over the side of the boat. Julian wrapped an arm around me, giving me a squeeze as he pulled me in.
We’re so close, I assured myself. All we had to do now was find Keo, find Aurora and then, hopefully, we’d find a place of refuge. We could stop running. Settle down somewhere. Just be.
I wasn’t naïve. I didn’t expect the new realm we’d enter to come without its own challenges. But at least we wouldn’t have to hide.
That is... assuming we could get Aurora to agree to help us.
I didn’t expect her to create a new portal out of the kindness of her heart. That would require her to have a heart. And based on our previous interaction with her, that didn’t seem to be the case.
But surely we could come to some sort of agreement. She had the ability to help us—and if she didn’t, she knew faeries who did. We just had to make it worth her time and effort.
I couldn’t think that far ahead, though. All I could focus on was doing the next thing. The rest would come in due time.
Julian pulled out his phone and texted his old friend. “I’m letting him know we’re on our way,” he explained. He turned his attention to Ben, who was steering the ship. “How’s it going over there?”
Ben let out an uncomfortable laugh. “Never been better. Just trying to get us to shore without, you know, looking down.” We’d warned him about the strange hold the water had on sailors. And the stranded vessels with soldiers eerily frozen in time staring into the silvery abyss only confirmed our warning to him. It was a disturbing sight. Yet the drama of these past months had numbed me to the horrifying scene.
Another thirty minutes or so passed by the time we reached the shore. A figure emerged from the forest, and my breath hitched until I realized who it was: Keo. “You’re here,” he said, surprised.
Julian smirked. “Did you think that this was some elaborate ruse?”
“Nah, man. I mean you actually made it.” He extended his hand to Julian and drew him in for a hug. “It’s good to see you again.”
After a brief round of introductions, Julian explained the plan to his friend. “I hate to ask this of you,” Julian said, holding eye contact with Keo even though the guilt made him want to look away, “but we’re out of options.”
Keo nodded as he turned the plan over in his mind, his hands planted firmly on his hips all the while. “I hate to admit it, but it’s not the worst plan I’ve ever heard. It’s certainly not safe for you to stay here. And honestly, I don’t know where else to tell you to go. Stuff like this is happening across all the kingdoms I know of.”
“Really?” Charlotte said, her voice tinged with sadness. She glanced over at Xander, who uncharacteristically comforted her by rubbing her back.
“Afraid so. All this fighting and running. It’s no way to live.”
“So, you’ll help us?” I asked.
“You understand that the faeries don’t do favors.” It wasn’t a question. “This is going to come with a price.”
“We know,” Julian said. “We’ll pay it.”
Keo smiled warily. “Alright,” he said, patting Julian on the shoulder. “As long as I can come with you.”
“You’ll come?”
K
eo gestured to nothing in particular. “What reason do I have to stay?”
For the first time in quite some time, Julian smiled. I mean really smiled. He motioned for Keo to lead the way. “After you.”
Danielle
I couldn’t believe what Keo and his people had gone through since we’d last been here in the Kingdom of the Silver Seas. He had filled us in as he led us along a roundabout route to the faerie garden. He told us about the drones and helicopters. About the alliance between the vampires and werewolves. About the assault on the humans who landed here.
There was such a coolness, a heaviness, to his voice as he spoke. “So much unnecessary bloodshed.” He shook his head. “Women. Children. Even men. Why is everyone so quick to jump into a war without even trying to coexist?”
I swallowed hard. His words rang true. “This portal... it doesn’t just have to be for us. We can get the word out to the others. Those who don’t want to fight. Those who would prefer to live in peace.”
Keo grunted with approval. “I like the sound of that.” Keo looked over his shoulders at the others. “I assume all of you are coming, too?”
Ben cleared his throat. “I think it’s best that I stay here—being human and all.”
“I’m staying, too,” Grace asserted, stealing a glance from me. It felt like a punch to the gut. I knew deep down that she’d stay. I knew her well enough not to expect anything different. But still, to hear her say it out loud...
“Same,” Xander added. “Someone’s gotta stick around and look after these two.” Grace promptly rolled her eyes.
“What about you, Charlotte?” Julian asked his sister.
She tucked her blonde hair behind her ear, taking a moment to think as we followed Keo through the forest. She stepped over a fallen tree branch and then said, “I... I haven’t decided yet.”
Xander pretended to check a watch that wasn’t there. “You’re running out of time.”
Charlotte huffed. “I know that,” she snipped. “I’ll know what to do when the time comes.”
“You don’t have to come now if you’re not ready,” Julian reminded her. “It’s a portal. You can come and go as you please.”
“Oh,” she said with a sigh of relief. “That’s a good point.”
I cleared my throat. “Thanks again for doing this for us, Keo. I know it’s probably the last thing you wanted to—”
He held up his hand to silence me. “There’s no need to thank me, Danielle. This is the best solution.”
“I know Aurora is the last person you want to speak to, and I hate that you’re going to have to deal with her again.”
He let out a heavy sigh. “I can’t say I’m looking forward to it. But sometimes you have to do what you have to do, you know?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I know.”
We walked for what seemed like an endless stretch of miles, trudging over fallen branches and crunching on leaves, winding our way through the forest. I couldn’t help but smile at the memory of Julian and I bickering over our knowledge of cork trees the first time we came here.
“We’re getting close,” Keo announced. Sure enough, ahead was the faerie garden, spelled to look like nothing of note to anyone who didn’t know it was there. We neared the desolate plot of land and came upon the unassuming hut that housed the portal to the faerie realm.
An icy chill prickled my neck. We’re doing the right thing, I told myself over and over again. Whatever the price, it’ll be worth it if it means Julian is safe.
“Here goes nothing,” Keo said as he pressed his palm against the cracked wooden door. Palpable magic oozed out from the hut as it opened. Keo stepped through first and disappeared.
Xander let out a low whistle. “You live a thousand years and you think you’ve seen everything,” he muttered under his breath.
Julian and I passed through the portal next, walking hand in hand. But the violent tumbling that followed caused us to separate. My long, dark hair whipped against my cheeks. Before I knew it, I pummeled into the faerie realm, landing on my back. I let out a heavy moan, trying to block out the agonizing pain. By the time I managed to roll over and push myself off the ground, I was starting to heal from the effects of the impact.
Charlotte, Xander, Grace and Ben followed in suit. Ben managed to get a large gash on his head upon landing, but thanks to the blood of his niece, he quickly recovered.
“You know,” Xander grumbled, “if the faeries can create an entirely new world, you would think they could create an elevator to get there.”
Grace slowly spun around, taking in the wonderous sights. She knelt and breathed in the intoxicating aroma of the flowers that carpeted the surrounding lands. Standing again, she planted her hands on her hips, surveying the faerie realm—the picturesque willow trees, the sapphire water. “This is incredible.”
We had landed in the precise spot where we’d landed before—a garden filled with all types of plants. Interestingly enough, there were still no Silverleaf saplings. I scratched my ear. “Where’s Aurora?”
Keo frowned. “I have no idea.”
“Where did you find her last time?” Charlotte pressed.
“She just happened to be here in the garden.”
“Well, that’s convenient.”
Ben pressed his fingertips against his forehead, deep in thought. “And you have no idea where we can find her?”
Keo shrugged. “This is my second time here. And last time, we didn’t leave the garden.”
“And you don’t know anything else about this place?”
He shook his head.
“Didn’t she ask last time why you hadn’t called on her?” Julian asked his friend. “What did she mean by that?”
“Why didn’t I think of that?” Keo said, a lightbulb going off in his head. “Our minds are connected. I’m so used to trying to block her out that I didn’t even think about trying to let her in.”
“Okay,” Grace said, brushing the dirt off her jeans. “Let her in.”
Keo nodded in agreement and widened his stance, shaking out his arms as he tilted his head from side to side. “Okay,” he said, letting out a puff of air. “Here we go.” He closed his eyes.
We all inched closer, anxiously waiting for him to make some sort of mental call for help to Aurora.
“Well?” Grace asked.
“I’m trying.”
“Clear your mind,” she offered, sincerely trying to help. “Let your guard down.”
“Easier said than done,” Keo said with a slight growl. He closed his eyes again, the vein in his temple bulging from trying so hard to “not try.” He shook his head. “I can’t do it.”
Well, this was unfortunate. Here we were in the faerie world with no knowledge of how vast this place was or where to even begin searching for Aurora. “Maybe we could pick a direction and start walking,” I offered. “Even if we can’t find her, I bet we’ll come across someone who can help.”
He shrugged with ambivalence. “Might as well. I’m out of ideas.”
“She doesn’t have a cell phone?” Xander asked.
“No.”
“There’s no service here anyway,” Charlotte interjected, looking longingly at her own phone.
Xander threw his head back in frustration. “So, we can’t even call each other if we get separated?”
I swallowed hard. If we couldn’t use phones, then... “What happens if the faeries create a portal for us and we can’t talk to each other once Julian, Keo and I cross over?”
The others exchanged worried glances. It was a problem none of us had anticipated. It was one thing to say goodbye knowing we could check in on one another now and then. But now, the only way we’d be able to communicate was if one of us stepped through the portal and tracked down the others.
I planted my hands on my hips, trying not to hurl at the thought.
Grace suddenly perked up. “Wait a second. I have an idea. Danielle, do you still have that compact mirror?”
“Of
course,” I said, retrieving the gold case from my back pocket. My thumb skimmed along the swirls etched into it as I handed it over to her. “Why do you need it?”
She took it from me and smiled. “There’s a spell I read about in one of the grimoires. Basically, I infuse these babies with a little bit of magic and boom—we’re video chatting... except with mirrors.” She stepped aside, kneeling beneath a massive willow tree. The rest of us gathered around, watching as she gently closed her eyes and held her palms over the mirrors, mumbling an incantation under her breath.
When she was done, she picked one of them up and then examined it. She scrunched her nose. “I can’t tell if it’s working. I just see myself... someone else needs to try.” She handed one back to me.
When I flipped it open, I saw her. So, I stepped away from the group to test it out. “Hey, Grace. Can you hear me?”
“Yep. I can hear you. Can you hear me?”
“Yeah.”
I snapped it shut, giving out a little squeal. Flinging my arms around her neck, I said, “Is there anything you can’t do?”
“Plenty.” She grinned. “But magic mirrors I can handle.”
Julian cleared his throat. “Maybe it’s best if we split up then, now that we have a way to stay in touch. We’ll cover more ground that way. Keo, Danielle, Charlotte and I will head...” his voice trailed off as he scanned the area, realizing he had no sense of direction in this strange place, “...that way. The rest of you can head in the opposite direction. We’ll check in every thirty minutes or so, okay?”
Grace folded her arms, not looking particularly excited about being paired with Xander. I pitied Ben for having to listen to the two of them bickering for the foreseeable future. Reluctantly, they agreed.
“Remember,” Keo said, cautioning everyone with the lift of his finger, “do not, under any circumstances, think for one second that the faeries have your best interest in mind. Their deals always come with a price. We’re trying to find Aurora, and nothing more. Okay?”