Felicity shot swift and true, watching with satisfaction as bats fell down the ravine. The cloud of bees swarmed the remainder and sliced at them with their vicious stingers. Gwenyn buzzed in victory, watching the remaining bats fly off back into the forest. Nesrin screamed after them in rage.
Octavia and Martha took advantage of the lull in attack to race under the canopy, joining Otto in calming the unicorns. Soren, badly bleeding from a duel with a gigantic eagle owl, crawled under the canopy, breathing heavily.
“Open my bag,” he said, wincing as he thrust the bag at Octavia. “There are sap bandages inside.”
She did as he asked and found a roll of sticky brown leaf bandages, which she handed to him.
Struggling, he tried to unroll the bandages one-handed. Martha knelt to help as Mum joined them.
“Here,” she said, wrapping a bandage around the gash across his arm. “I have had my fair share of injuries to bandage– my husband is clumsy with the pruning knife!” She smiled wistfully.
“Thank you,” Soren murmured gratefully. The colour started to return to his cheeks as the sap did its magic and stemmed the flow.
“Soren!” Evony shouted frantically as she dived under the canopy as well. “Are you hurt?” She raked her eyes over him, looking for injuries.
Octavia and Martha exchanged a small grin at Evony’s sudden worry over Soren, who slumped against a rock weakly as he gathered his strength.
“I think he’ll be fine,” Mum reassured Evony gently.
A screech in the distance had the princess turning, her eyes widening at the flames encircling the camp. Dark figures rushed up, shooting fire at logs and tree stumps.
“Fire imps,” Evony said in horror. A white shape leaped over her, long ears spinning, creating a flurry of snow that blanketed pockets of fire. “Eira, I’m coming!” Evony yelled, and leapt into action after her mother’s hare.
“Evony!” Soren shouted at her retreating form. “I have to help her!” He made to get up, but Mum held him back.
“You are too weak! The best thing you can do is help Otto move the unicorns into the waterfall pool; the flames won’t get them there,” she reasoned.
He looked at the place where Evony had disappeared, but nodded and allowed Mum to help him up. He and Otto led the unicorns back into the pool, the protective canopy shielding them.
Martha, still holding the roll of bandages, looked around at the wounded fairies and creatures. “I’m going to help the injured,” she told the others.
“Be safe,” Octavia said, and followed Mum over to where Felicity stood, scanning the skies.
“Nesrin has disappeared,” she told them. “The queen and king followed her to that ledge. I fear it’s a trap.”
A volley of arrows shot from above the ledge and had them running for cover behind a large group of rocks; Octavia’s foot connected with something small and furry. She looked down and was greeted with the cowering form of Wattle.
“You! You little weasel!” She grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. “You betrayed us!” She shook him roughly.
“Please don’t hurt me! My queen is still angry with me, so I am hiding until this is all over,” he whimpered, eyes rolling in his head.
“Octavia, put him down. Maybe he can tell us where Beatrice is,” Mum said softly, crouching to Wattle’s level.
“Oh yes, kind Key Keeper, kind human lady,” he simpered, patting her dusty leggings.
The smoke had nearly reached them now, and Octavia could hear the frightened whinnies and neighs of the terrified unicorns. Eira bounded by in a blur of white, shooting a stream of glittering flakes in their direction and blanketing the ground with cool, powdery snow.
“She is at Castle Astra, but there are only a handful of guards there. Queen Nesrin wanted to hit you with the full force of her army,” Wattle said, a little too proudly, making Mum narrow her violet-blue eyes at him.
A buzzing sounded in Octavia’s ear, and she saw Gwenyn hovering by her side. “It izzz not zafe here! My beezzz will lift you out, before the zmoke reachezzz them and overcomezzz uzzz all,” she told them.
Wattle took advantage of their distraction and scampered away into the smoke. Octavia made to go after him, but the carpet of bees landed at their feet and she was urged to get on by her mother.
Mum, Felicity and Octavia crouched low on the bees as they rose higher and higher, out of reach of the incoming, intoxicating smoke. The bees settled onto the top of the cliff, where Aurus could be seen locking horns with a black stag with orange eyes. They were safe from the fire, but danger still awaited all around them.
“Please, Queen Gwenyn, can your bees find Martha?” Octavia pleaded. “She was helping the injured.”
Gwenyn peered down and saw that the smoke was clearing. Her buzz had her swarm lifting and diving once again into the battle below.
A roll of thunder echoed around the ravine as Taran swooped into sight, followed by Nesrin’s cloud. She stepped from it and gave a sardonic smile.
“I said you would not win,” she told Octavia as Taran circled overhead, booming loudly.
Octavia smiled, to Nesrin’s evident confusion, for behind Nesrin stood Queen Rhosyn, King Llyffant and an army of speckled toads. King Llyffant caught Octavia’s eyes and winked as the amphibious creatures hopped forward and wrapped their long tongues around Nesrin’s arms, knocking her staff from her hand.
With a scream of rage, Nesrin looked down and shuddered in horror. Queen Rhosyn and King Llyffant aimed their staffs above Nesrin, two rainbows arcing from their tips, joining in a sparkle of light. The light beams solidified into a shining golden cage, which dropped silently over Nesrin as the toads retracted their tongues.
Nesrin turned on her sister. “How dare you!” She tried to grab the shining bars of her cage but yelped as if they had burned her.
“How dare you?” Queen Rhosyn shot back, fury written across her beautiful face. “You curse the last true believers, thus endangering the whole of our realm! You decimate the Flower Fields! Kidnap one of our guests! Wage war upon us!” She paced in front of her sister, sparks flying from her in her anger.
“Well, why wouldn’t I? You have it all! You get to rule the realm,” Nesrin shrieked. “Along with your toady husband,” she added with a sneer in the direction of King Llyffant, who bowed sarcastically.
The battle on the clifftop had stopped as Nesrin’s guard realised she had been captured; they slunk away into the shadows, watchful and waiting. Aurus, one magnificent antler broken, limped over to stand next to his queen. His eyes were locked upon Nesrin, who gave a sudden smile.
“But you do not have the one thing I do – I have been harnessing the power from Prince Kiran’s descendant. I saw it lying dormant within her, but I have been feeding it. She grows stronger by the hour. Her silly grandmother thwarted my attempt at rule all those years ago, but I have another chance; look!” she commanded.
A beam of light shot from the top of Castle Astra, lightning zigzagging across the sky.
Nesrin laughed. “Soon her power will reach Castle Enfys and lay it to ruin, and I will rule while you all stand in the dust!”
Queen Rhosyn exchanged a worried look with King Llyffant; murmurs came from the assembled crowd as more of the guard joined them. Nesrin gazed avidly at her castle, waiting for the next beam of light.
The carpet of bees landed next to Octavia and upon it sat Otto and Martha, tunics torn and dusty.
“The fire is out,” Otto announced. “Eira and the water fairies drove the fire imps back. Soren is looking after the unicorns, and the healing fairies are seeing to the injured. Evony is headed up here.” He put his foot out to step down, but Octavia shook her head; grabbing Felicity, she headed over to Gwenyn.
“Can you take us to Castle Astra? Beatrice will have to listen to us now we have Otto,” she whispered to the queen bee. “Hopefully she’ll realise we can all go back home, and life can get back to normal. We have to act now!”
Gwenyn buz
zed worriedly as she decided what to do. A gasp from the crowd forced her decision, as a larger beam of light shot from the distant castle.
“I will take you,” she buzzed. Octavia made sure Ferren was still secure in her pocket and stepped with Felicity onto the bee platform. They settled themselves next to Otto and Martha and nodded at Gwenyn, who rose slowly.
Mum, distracted by the light, didn’t see them going until the last minute. “Octavia!” she shouted exasperatedly at the retreating swarm, but it was too late.
Chapter Fifteen
From the Dust
Gwenyn urged her bees on to Castle Astra. Under cover of the dark clouds, they were able to get close before they were spotted. Felicity took aim and released an arrow, hitting a guard whose eyes had widened at the sight of the incoming cloud of bees, the magical arrow knocking him out.
They swooped into the roofless throne room. Beatrice stood in the centre, an invisible wind swirling her gown around her ankles and whipping her loose hair across her marble-white face.
With two rapid arrow shots, Felicity made short work of the guards who charged into the room, beating their black wings furiously. Otto watched his older sister, admiration shining in his gleaming violet-blue eyes. The bees hovered as Octavia and the others stepped from them.
Beatrice looked at them with wild eyes. “Stay back!” she shrieked. “I can’t stop it!” She ended on a sob as another burst of light travelled from her chest, along her arm and shot through the staff she clutched.
“Bea, remember who you are and what we came here for,” Martha pleaded, taking tentative steps toward her twin. “Look! Otto is safe. Tavi got the cure from Mum and Dad and Uncle Kit – they are waiting for you back home. We can all go back home together.” she held out her hands beseechingly, tears welling in her blue eyes.
Beatrice shuddered, her hand convulsing on the staff. Her eyes travelled to Otto, who was standing next to Octavia, widening in disbelief. She clutched her head in pain and dropped to her knees as another burst of light racked her slim frame.
“We have to do something!” Octavia said frantically.
Martha rushed forward as if she couldn’t stand to see her twin in pain any longer. She cradled Beatrice in her arms and held tight; despite the glow building within her sister, she didn’t let her go. Beatrice writhed and twisted in Martha’s embrace, pain etched across her face.
Octavia, seeing what Martha was trying to do, grabbed Otto and Felicity and ran forward. They encircled the pair and hung on, linked as one.
Octavia closed her eyes. The tingling in her fingers she had experienced before came back with a vengeance, and focusing on that, she put all her love and faith into the forefront of her mind and believed. Believed with all her heart in her family. Believed that they would all be going back home safe together.
She opened her eyes and gasped; the glow within Beatrice was building until it was almost blinding. Octavia struggled to hold on, but feeling Felicity’s and Otto’s hands in hers and Ferren nestled in her pocket over her heart gave her strength. With one final thought of her family, she believed!
The glow in Beatrice pulsed once… twice… before fluttering out.
Beatrice sagged to the floor. The staff dropped from her hand onto the unforgiving stone, where it shattered in two. The silver orb rolled from the tip and lay empty and useless. Octavia, Otto, Felicity and Martha looked at each other in the aftermath, breathing heavily.
“Martha, whatever happened to your clothes?” a small voice whispered from the floor.
With a strangled sob, Martha looked at her softly smiling sister. “Bea!” she cried, helping her sister sit up and grabbing her in a tight hug that, this time, was reciprocated.
The grins exchanged by Otto, Octavia and Felicity were quickly extinguished as the floor beneath their feet began to tremble. The walls started to crumble and black rocks fell all around them.
“The Caztle’zzz defenze zyztem hazzz been turned on! Nezrin’zzz magic izzz zuch that she hazzz zpelled Castle Aztra to fall, should it be taken,” Gwenyn buzzed frantically.
The five reunited Blooms hastily climbed back onto the rapidly buzzing bees, clutching at each other as the bees lifted abruptly. All around them the castle was falling, lights flickering out one by one as they were showered in clouds of dust. The bees soared through the open roof as the castle toppled in on itself. Octavia looked down in horror at the castle ruins as a long, keening wail echoed across the sky, followed by one solitary clap of thunder.
The bees flew back to the clifftop and set the cousins down gently where Mum waited. She stood, legs planted, hands on her hips and eyes fierce, although they softened as Beatrice stumbled toward her.
“Beatrice!” she cried, running to hold her close. She ran her hands over her niece’s hair and smiled into her eyes. “I am so happy to see you.”
“And I you, Aunt Genny.” Beatrice smiled back. She gently withdrew from the embrace to approach the queen, and curtsied tremulously. “I am so sorry for all the trouble I have caused,” she said quietly.
Queen Rhosyn smiled benevolently at her. “My child, it was not your doing: you were bewitched by my own jealous sister.” She looked sadly at Nesrin, who was on her knees in her cage, head bowed in defeat.
In a sudden move, Nesrin leapt to her feet. “I will not be thwarted! You may have destroyed my castle, but I will take yours!” she screeched, her face contorted into a furious mask of hatred. “Taran!” she yelled at her circling raven.
Before anyone could stop him, Taran swooped low and scooped up Nesrin’s fallen staff. He spiralled back into the clouds and swirled faster and faster, whipping the clouds into a boiling tempest, funnelling it toward the cage. With a crack, the cage shattered and Nesrin stood triumphant, her hand outstretched to catch her staff as Taran flew toward her.
With a gigantic leap into the sky, using his large wings to propel himself up, King Llyffant intercepted the raven and knocked the staff from his beak. It clattered over the clifftop and came to rest at Beatrice’s feet.
Nesrin laughed confidently. “Girl, give it to me,” she said, her tone coaxing.
Beatrice paused and looked at the staff at her feet. Octavia felt her heart begin to pound in her chest as she watched Nesrin’s triumphant grin creep across her cruel face. Beatrice slowly raised her gaze and looked at Nesrin for a long moment, before turning to meet the identical eyes of her sister.
A huge smile lit Beatrice’s face. She bent to grasp the staff with one hand and placed the other on top of it, palm down. Martha beamed and placed hers on top.
“What are you doing?” Nesrin screeched, uncertainty colouring her voice.
Felicity grinned and placed her hand next, swiftly followed by Octavia, who nodded at Otto. As his hand completed the bond, a light glowed from their combined hands. The children gasped as it rushed through them and into the staff, shattering it into a thousand fragments.
“Nooooo!” screamed Nesrin. “What magic is this?” Enraged, she turned to Queen Rhosyn, who held her own staff at her sister.
“That, sister dear, is the most powerful magic of all – one you will never tap into.” Queen Rhosyn grasped the hands of her husband and daughter, who walked to her mother’s side; their combined power flowed through them, creating an aura that lit up the dark skies.
Nesrin seemed to diminish before them, her wings drooping and her head bowed in defeat. Octavia was just wondering what Nesrin would do next when the dark fairy reached into her robes and drew out a vial. Before she could be stopped, she uncorked it and drank deeply.
“Nessy, stop!” Queen Rhosyn cried, but her sister could not be helped – in fact, she was her sister no more, and in her place flapped another black raven with wings of silver feathers. It circled the group once, gave a loud caw, and shot up to join Taran. With a boom, the two ravens flew off. Queen Rhosyn watched until they were two specks in the lightening sky.
With a sigh, she turned to the Blooms. “You are safe now.”
/> Mum let out a breath and looked at Octavia. “Not quite yet,” she admonished. “You and I need to have a little chat about your tendency to run off headfirst into danger.”
Everybody laughed as Octavia gulped audibly and Ferren gave a frightened squeak, crawling back into the safety of Octavia’s pocket, while Pan tweeted disapprovingly overhead.
The wounded had been tended to and were resting, and the able had been dispatched to capture the last of Nesrin’s guard still lurking nearby.
Octavia and Otto sat side by side, watching the sun rise together, the light playing over their copper curls. Martha and Felicity sat nearby and filled Beatrice in about what had happened in her absence; in turn, Beatrice told them that she had no real memory of her time with Nesrin – just flashes here and there.
“But what I don’t understand is how I was able to perform magic.”
“I can answer that for you.” With Eira bounding at her heels, Queen Rhosyn glided over, her gown luminous in the sunrise, the rays picking out the purples, greens and blues. “We have a common ancestor in Prince Kiran’s family – he married a mortal girl, and the Blooms are descended from one of their daughters. Nesrin and I are descended from Prince Kiran’s sister, who became queen following his abdication. You, Beatrice, it seems, have an extraordinary amount of his magical blood running through your veins. My sister was always excellent at sensing power. She took advantage of your magical lineage, using you as a conduit to enhance her power. You all have some magical blood, but it has been diluted so much over the years that it is rare for a human to perform real fairy magic,” she added musingly.
She stared thoughtfully at Octavia and Otto, the latter of which was giggling at Ferren’s antics as Pan teased the mouse with a juicy red berry, flying just out of reach.
“Maybe it is time for a change,” the queen murmured to herself. She nodded to the children as she gracefully rose and went to join her own family.
Octavia Bloom and the Missing Key (Through The Fairy Door Book 1) Page 13