“Are they all here?” I asked, tilting my head up to Drendor. Ava was still asleep against my shoulder.
“They are almost all here, we wait only on the rising den, it is the furthest from our mountain. Rest some more, we will wake you when they arrive.”
I smiled and relaxed into Ava. I felt great, like I had slept a week, but after breathing in her sweet scent I found myself drifting off again.
I woke to the gentle nudging from Drendor. He shifted his tail to slide beneath us and help us stand all at once.
Ava yawned and stretched her arms out wide. I yawned automatically then smiled at the sight of her. The brilliant colours of her hair had returned to their previous luminosity.
“So they have arrived now? How long did I sleep?”
Drendor bowed his head, “It took a little longer than expected to receive the rising den, Only the ones with fire stayed behind, those old enough to fly made the journey.”
I looked closer at the dragons surrounding us and the shapes flying in the sky above. “There are young ones flying above. How long did I sleep?”
“Four hours.”
“Four? Ava, we must do this now. We still have items to acquire before I can even hope to seal the mouth. Are your dragons ready? Do they know what they must do?”
“We are all arranged. When you have the portal open, they will enter in rank and exit the same. None will dwell long in the fire. I wish to reduce as best I can the time you will need to keep the gateway open. I fear if it falters we could lose some in your forbidden world.”
“We will keep it open as long as is needed. You will have back your fire, the lot of them will.”
I took Ava’s hand and we walked between dragons to the far side of the mountain. “Are you ready for this?” I asked, squeezing her hand.
“What if it collapses again?”
“I will help you. Together we can do it.”
I raised my other arm, and Ava copied. She then swung her arm to force the portal. It looked like wobbly jelly suspended in the air. Flopping about, the outer reaches barely visible through the mess.
I felt my magic and her portal. I cast my power to her portal, again and the portal strengthened. Grew wide, then tall. The lake of fire beckoning the dragons forward with its raging hot glassy surface.
“It is now or never,” I called and the first of the dragons flew through, followed quickly by the rest of them. With each passing dragon, the portal wavered slightly.
I kept my gaze on Ava. She watched the dragons bath in fire. Once the last adult was through, the first toddler—for lack of a better word—immediately followed. They stumbled through, nervous but excited.
I wasn’t sure what the fire would do to ones so young and took my eyes off Ava to watch the eldest of the young tentatively step into the lake. The fire bubbled and spat at the intrusion of the dragon’s feet, but the fire didn’t burn it. It growled excitedly into the sky then dove in, emerging on the other side and instantly filling the air with a burst of fire from his belly.
The young dragons learn quick. The young fey, too, I thought, turning back to marvel at Ava.
Once the last toddler had passed through they began to file back out again. Drendor stood beside me, his eyes taking in each of them as they passed, ensuring none were left behind.
I watched as Ava’s hair began to fade. Felt the portal weaken.
“Get them through now!”
Drendor roared into the portal and they stampeded towards it. I pushed my power as far as I could, praying it held. The portal grew taller but wobbled slightly around the edges. The horde of dragons came thundering through four at a time, clamouring over one another to get back. Fear pushed them forwards.
Fear drives me too. His fear. What are they doing to you Jax? Hold on just a little longer.
We held it until no more dragons came. Drendor stuck his head through the portal, and it shrank down almost entirely around his large head.
“Get out, I don’t know what will happen if it closes on you. It might cut of your bloody head.” I grunted as I watched Ava’s hair turn a whitewash of the once brilliant colours. My own magic began to falter, too. I could feel it fighting me.
“They are all through,” Drendor said, pulling his head free as the portal closed and Ava collapsed to her knees, pulling me down with her.
“Are you okay?” I asked her, running my hand down her hair and tucking the now pale blue curl behind her ear.
“That was intense,” she said, beaming up at me. “I don’t think I could do that again any time soon.”
“No, I guess not. But you did an amazing job.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Let’s phase and get out of here, we have fabled to visit.”
I helped her to stand and then tried to shift into my fairy form. Nothing happened. I tried again, but again nothing, except a light head and churning stomach.
“Ava, can you phase?”
“I can’t, I tried twice. What is going on?”
“I think that magic took a little too much from us. We will have to wait again.” I tried not to look too wounded, but we had already lost so much time. I was grateful to the able to help the dragons but time was something I was running out of, fast. The sun had already began to set on the horizon. It would be dark again soon and I would have one day left.
“Is everything okay?” Evetta asked as she pushed the scale she promised us across the dirt towards me. I picked it up and dropped it into the bag.
“We will have to wait to regain our strength is all. It is no problem. We will go when we can, until then, we have a beautiful view to keep us company. You all should go, your eggs need you.”
Evetta squinted her eyes then in a swift movement she hooked Ava up in the end of her tail and placed her on her back.
“We will deliver you to a gateway. You can rest on the way.”
“Umm, what? You want us to ride you?”
A tail wrapped around me and lifted me up. I landed on top of Drendor. “Yes we do, and a rest is well deserved. We know of a gateway not too far from here, you will be able to open it I am sure once we arrive.”
“Okay, Ava, it looks like we are riding dragons out of here.”
She clapped her hands in excitement then ran them down the back of Evetta’s head as she felt the scales that covered her body. “Where do I hold on?”
Evetta chuckled. “Slide your hands under two scales, they lift a little at the ends. You won’t hurt me, no need to be gentle.”
I slid my hands under two of Drendor’s scales just as he and Evetta leapt upwards, spreading their wings to fly between the clouds with their kin.
I am flying on the back of a dragon. A dragon! Yep, this is totally my life now.
The clouds began to change colour the closer to the sunset we went. Orange light painted them like a fire beneath us.
“Do you see the gateway?” Drendor boomed, his voice like thunder in the open air.
“I don’t see anything.” I replied, scanning the distance. Then I saw it. A black speck on the horizon. Drendor dropped to beneath the clouds and I was surprised to see us flying over water. Water, as far as the eye could see. “Where are we?”
“I don’t know what name they have given this sea. The island rises and falls with the ocean tides, and with it the gateway appears. I presume the humans are yet to discover it, or it might have been plundered as our kind were.”
“It is likely protected by casts. Humans probably turn away from it without ever seeing it,” I offered. I had read about how the entrance Moyeth and Jax had brought me through had a similar cast over it. Anyone even thinking of going near it is redirected away.
“Well, you see it, and you shall be able to use it to get to where you are going next.”
“Yes, cause I am so looking forward to that place.”
Drendor tilted his head back to look at me but didn’t ask.
We landed on the sand in front of the gateway
and I slipped from Drendor and landed on my hands and knees. Graceful as ever, Des. Ava climbed off Evetta’s back with ease.
I was in awe, she had just saved an entire species. Wow, what an amazing child I made, I thought, then laughed aloud.
“What is so funny?” Ava asked.
“Just thinking about how amazing you are…and crediting myself for it, of course.”
Ava giggled. Drendor did not. He cleared his throat, which sent hot air over both of us.
“Please do visit soon,” Drendor said, lowering his head to thank us.
“We will. Thank you for your help.”
We watched Drendor and Evetta fly away before Ava grabbed my arm.
“Something is wrong,” she said, spinning around as if looking for something.
“Ava, what is it?”
“I don’t know, something is pulling at us, don’t you feel it?”
I didn’t feel anything. Some all-powerful fairy I was.
Then smoke began to seep from a crack in the portal wall. It rose out slowly, then formed a tiny cloud. In it was my father’s face.
“What the hell? Dad, is that you?”
“Yes, Desmoree, it is I, your father,” he said in his creepiest voice, reminding me of the wizard behind the curtain in OZ.
I looked at the face made of smoke, raising my brows.
“Okay, fine. So sue me, I wanted to have a bit of fun with this new trick.”
“How are you even doing it?”
“I am not, the elves brought through a bundle of potions for us. Nice work, by the way. Getting them to agree to put old squabbles aside.”
“It wasn’t easy. Traflier has had so much effect on so many fabled. I don’t understand how no one knew.”
“That is part of the reason I contacted you. You need to come back, there is a matter being debated within the council that brought to light something very concerning. Something that doesn’t just affect the fey. Can you come?”
“I can but it will be through the gate at Sayeesies, can you meet us there?”
“Yes, there is a transport potion they gave me I have been dying to try. Can’t move far, but it will move fast.”
The smoke disappeared without a farewell. “I guess we will see you soon,” I said into the gateway, taking Ava’s hand I cast the portal open and we stepped through into Sayeesies.
“My dear child, aren’t you just the most talented ever.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I began but he held up a hand.
“Sorry, Desmoree, but I was talking to Ava.”
“Thanks, I am aware that she trumps me in the power department—”
“Mum is still faster than me,” Ava offered.
“It is okay,” I said to her looking down into those beautiful brown eyes. “Your grandfather thinks he is being funny, your powers are only a small part of who you are. Power isn’t everything.”
“No, it is not, but it is a lot of fun.” Max held an orb between his thumb and forefinger, shaking it vigorously. The smoke spun inside then thickened, becoming a sludge that sank to the bottom of the ball.
“Is that how you got here? That orb brought you?”
“No, this orb was the one that sent my aura to you on the island. Where was that by the way?”
“No idea, but thank fey it was there. Ava and I are drained.”
“You do look a little light,” he said, lifting a pale curl of Ava’s hair.
He placed the orb into his jacket pocket and pulled out something brown and round.
“Dad, you are the best!” I took the wagon wheel from him and handed it to Ava. He pulled another out and gave it to me.
“These are a little more than your average Wagon Wheel. The elves have recovery potions that work best on the fey, and these treats of yours hold a gooey centre that is perfect for encasing them. It seems marshmallows also make their potions more palatable. They have requested we send them a recipe.”
“For Wagon Wheels?”
“Yes. I tried to tell them they must be bought in the human world, but they insist they can create it.”
“If they do, I will be their biggest customer,” I said shoving the treat into my mouth. The chocolate was perfect, the jam delicious, but the marshmallow had a wetness to it. Not unpleasant to taste but the texture was off. I did feel better though. Well rested, without rest.
Ava scoffed hers down just as fast and it was a relief to see the colour return to her hair in vibrant waves.
“So what is this big thing you think I should know?”
We should talk somewhere a little more private. Here take my arm each of you.”
We each held onto my father’s forearms and he brought out another orb. This one contained blue sand. “The speed is a little jarring,” he said, then shook the orb and the world blurred. We moved at lightning speed through Sayeesies, through the woods, and into my father’s house, stopping inside his study.
“Woah, what a rush,” I said.
“Almost as good as flying dragons.” Ava added.
“You flew on dragons?” Max beamed then shook his head. “Another time. Desmoree, you need to know that the council voted yesterday to reopen the library of scrolls.”
“Scrolls…like the rose scrolls? The ones that revealed my prophecy?”
“Yes, but so many more. The library is full of scrolls, written by seers since seers existed.”
“So it is a good thing. If they have the scrolls they can look at what might come to be, and start sorting some of this crap out. Surely the scrolls show a better future than the separation the fey have now?”
My father frowned, effectively killing my theory.
“Are you kidding me?” I groaned, dropping down onto one of the hard wooden chairs that surrounded the oddly bare office. “What did they find this time?”
“It is more what they didn’t find.”
My eyes shot up. “What?”
“Traflier had shown scrolls to his people throughout the past, using them to prove his actions to be what was best or what was prophesized to happen, but those same scrolls have changed.”
“What do you mean changed? How have they changed?”
“The scrolls were altered by Traflier. When you defeated him his magic slowly dissolved revealing the truth behind his lies. Oh my Fey, Desmoree, there were so many lies.”
“So, okay, they now show the real truth, but what does that have to do with me, why do I need to see them?”
“The scrolls they have show you opening the mouth of hell. It says you will set free the demons, Desmoree. They are calling for your imprisonment—or worse—your head.”
My mouth went dry as I realised the people who had wanted me to lead, had suddenly turned. I laid my face in my hands wishing I had some response for him that wouldn’t disappoint as much as the truth.
“Mum,” Ava said, and I felt her hand on my shoulder. “We should tell him.”
I could feel the weight of his stare beating down on me. I ran my hands up over my face and through my hair. Squeezing my eyes closed in defiance I breathed out.
“The logaras took Jax, they want me to open the portal.”
“Des, I’m so sorry.”
I took a deep breath and blinked back tears.
“You won’t, though?”
“Jax would not want me to.” My vision went blurry. “The logaras demons will torture him. Death would be better.”
“No, Jax would not want you to open the portal, Des, but this cannot be easy for you. Think about what you are saying, are you sure you can do it? Seal the portal and doom the man you love?”
Hell no! No I can’t do it. I won’t do it.
“There is no other way. I will do what has to be done,” I said instead. “Jax sacrificed himself to save me and Ava.” I paced the room. “The coven of souls have enlisted demons to talk to my daughter, they won’t relent, they get into her head. They had her thinking she could save the dead. She won’t be free of them until I seal the gateway. I have almost all
of what I need to close it. The demons will try to stop me. I have no idea how many are a part of the coven and what power they truly hold. All I can hope is that the elves, and dragons, the fey, and as many other fabled as we can find, will be there to help destroy them while I seal the darkness away forever.”
“You are asking a lot.”
“I know, but it is all of them at risk.”
Ava walked over to me reaching out her hand. Her skin was so soft, like placing your hand into a pile of fuzzy, little feathers. “We will close the gateway. We can do it, Mum,” Ava said, and in that moment I believed her. Max frowned his disbelief.
“I am not insane. I can do this.”
“I won’t tell the council you are here, but—”
Before he could finish, Jax’s parents opened the door into the room. They obviously were not expecting to find us, as when they laid eyes on Ava they froze. My magic burned inside me.
If they touch her they die, Jax. I won’t let them hurt her.
“Don’t go, please, Ava,” Sarah said, taking a few steps towards her. My magic swelled to the tips of my fingers. Mark didn’t move, his eyes were on me, or more precisely, on my hands at my side. The sparks had begun to jump between my fingertips. Good, be afraid.
“We need you to try to wake up Tai. Please? He won’t wake. No matter what we do, he won’t come back to us. Please?” Sarah stopped a few steps from her.
Mark finally removed his eyes from me and looked at Ava. “We have seen the scroll change, the magic Traflier poisoned it with has been removed. We know you are not what we thought, we are so sorry.”
“Where is Jax? He will believe us, he will know we mean her no harm.” Sarah looked around the room.
Max enveloped Ava in a hug, turning her away from Sarah and Mark. I moved to stand between them and Sarah.
“Jax has been taken into the darkness. The demons stole him away. They want us to open the mouth of hell to set him free.” I couldn’t look at Mark or Sarah.
“So you will open the portal, the prophecy is right? You will open the mouth of hell to save our Jax.”
“No.”
Mark stepped around Sarah to stand but inches from me. His eyes bore into mine. “No? You would leave him there to die in the dark, tortured by demons?”
Enchanting the Fey- The Complete Series Page 40