“Lookin’ good, Mrs. Twiggen!” Ostephen said as he gestured to the nursery.
Mrs. Twiggen bowed her head slightly with graciousness.
“I’m so glad I chose to come here. It was the right thing to do, although Twiglet wouldn’t agree,” Mrs. Twiggen confessed. She extended her wooden limb to Deliah, saying “Pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard of your journey, and I’m grateful you accepted your mission.” Deliah carefully shook Mrs. Twiggen’s hand and smiled back warmly.
“Speaking of Twiglet,” Kristoff said as they all looked around, suddenly wondering where Pan had gone. They saw him off in the distance playing a quiet melody to the nursery.
Picking up on his brother’s lead, Ostephen decided to get straight to it.
“Mrs. Twiggen, we need your help with the twisted root key.”
“No, No. I know nothing. It was all Twiglet. He was messing around one day, and when he tried to tell his father and me, we assured him that we wanted nothing to do with it. Nothing. I had grays haunting this nursery day and night for weeks after. Luckily, these pines are strong.” She shook her head, growing frustrated with the memory.
“I understand,” Edwin assured her. “Do you think you could help us find Twiglet?”
“Your guess is as good as mine, I’m sure,” she replied hastily. “That boy….”
Two baby pines started fussing, and she rushed off to tend to them, a few tiny leaves rustling on her little twig legs as she went.
“I have an idea,” Deliah said, gripping the mermaid’s bracelet. “Show me Twiglet,” she commanded.
She suddenly had a clear vision of Twiglet who was in trouble—as usual. They all gasped when Deliah explained that she saw him in Valley Low caught between two Dark Ones and a Kahorgi who were teasing and taunting and trying to turn him to their side.
Kristoff, knowing all too well what Twiglet was dealing with, shouted, “Let’s go! We have to help him!”
It seemed they’d lost Pan for good, his music still an echo throughout the nursery. The remaining three hopped on top of Edwin, and he magically transported them to Twiglet who was just over the hill from the pine nursery.
• • •
“Come on, Twig. You know you’re better than the rest. Don’t let them hold you back. Be a star. Show them.”
The Dark Ones showed Twiglet a vision of a mansion. It was a long held desire of Twiglet’s to own a mansion where he could throw the best parties in all of Faye. The vision vanished, and Twiglet snapped back to reality when he heard the voices of two old friends.
“Twiglet! No!” Kristoff and Ostephen buzzed over and took hold of Twiglet, but the Dark Ones started throwing fire, trying to burn him. The fairies made their glow brighter in hopes of blinding the Dark Ones, and Deliah used her crystal wand to try and block them.
The Dark Ones recognized Kristoff and took aim at him with fireballs.
“So you didn’t die, huh, yellow? Well, don’t worry. We’ll finish what we started. Muahaha!”
Deliah pointed the light from the wand in their direction and the two vanished.
Regaining his sense of self, Twiglet hugged his dear friends. He said, “Thank you” over and over again as his eyes welled up.
“You’ve gotta get a grip, Twiglet. These Dark Ones are no joke. A second too late and, well, you might have been captive in the Dark Corner. You know, your mom may be right; sometimes it doesn’t hurt to play it safe,” Kristoff said gently.
After catching up and introducing Deliah to Twiglet, Ostephen got to the heart of the matter.
“We need to find the twisted root key, Twiglet,” Ostephen declared. “We need to set our king free.”
Shadows of grays appeared in Twiglet’s eyes.
“I’ve never actually seen it,” he said, “but I’ve come close. Okay, I will do what I can. After all, you just saved me.”
Deliah found it hard to believe that Twiglet could get into so much trouble. He was so little; his twig legs and arms were so tiny. It was certainly a displaced sense of adventure, she decided.
“It’s buried by the actual tree, but it’s guarded so well that it’s nearly impossible to get close,” Twiglet began as he recalled the day he found the key’s location. “As usual, I was bored so I was looking round for…something. Mom had warned me about Valley Low, but she never told me about the grays or its real dangers. I decided to hike down, but when I wanted to turn back, the shadows kept leading me in deeper and deeper. I was getting close to the tree when the grays came upon me, and I was so scared that I fell to the ground and played dead—a twig’s best defense. It worked; they couldn’t track my energy. As I lay there, I heard the key. Being a twig, I could hear the key calling to me. The root that was used to make the key and the tree itself are still very much alive. Their power is just dormant, unable to yield itself in Valley Low’s energy field. The soil buried beneath is trying to help the root grow a bud so that it can reveal itself. There was a tiny crack with a tiny twig beginning to sprout where the key lies. I overheard a few Dark Ones talking, and they said that when the key is found, it must be turned in the twisted root tree five times, and only a blueprint has the power to open it.”
“Well, we don’t want to go during the night,” Ostephen said. “That’s when the grays really come out.”
“But how do we go unnoticed during the day?” Deliah asked.
The crystal wand began to flash. Reaching for it, she saw Merlin. He congratulated her on finding Finvarra, then reminded her of the vile he had given her.
“The golden potion, my dear! The golden vile, and you shall disappear. Wait for the fifth hour tomorrow, the hour of change. The number five will help to transform and rearrange.”
They decided that there wasn’t nearly enough potion for all of them, so Edwin stayed back because he was so big that it would take all the potion to make him disappear. Kristoff also stayed back because now that the Dark Ones knew he was alive, he would draw too much attention. And so it was settled. Deliah, Ostephen, and Twiglet would drink the golden potion, become invisible to all they should pass, and hopefully find the twisted root key and set Finvarra free. They would embark on this sacred mission tomorrow at the fifth hour.
It may have been daylight, but grays were everywhere. Deliah, Ostephen, and Twiglet rounded a corner quickly and huddled close together. Although the grays couldn’t see them, it was important that they not bump into them or call any attention their way. They had made it to within five feet of the tree when Deliah bent down and began searching for a tiny twig or crack. Twiglet knelt down alongside her as Ostephen searched a few feet away. Twiglet poked Deliah’s arm and pointed toward what looked like the beginnings of a tiny root breaking through the surface. Ostephen followed their eyes and spotted the mark, and all three smiled and cheered silently.
They had discussed their plan in detail about how they would manage to retrieve the key from underground; surely, this would cause some noise and dust. And, as Kristoff had declared, this would require a distraction of great proportions. This was where he and Edwin would come in.
Ostephen hurried and flew straight up, aware of their limited time with the potion; it would wear off sooner rather than later. He sent a little flash of blue light toward Edwin and his brother—just enough so that Kristoff could see it, but not enough that it would catch a gray’s eye. Then in return, and just as they had planned, Ostephen received a sparkle of yellow. They had received the signal. It would be only a matter of minutes before chaos would erupt. They would hopefully have enough time to get the key, free Finvarra, and vanish from Valley Low for good.
They had asked themselves what was the one thing grays couldn’t stand? Light. So Kristoff and Edwin set forth a blinding glimmer of rainbow–colored light. Blinded by the light, the grays ducked and wailed. Seeing that the light wasn’t fading, the grays all gathered. Cloaked in a circle of darkness, they set out to the top of Valley Low to cover the land in a cloud of gray so that the light couldn’t shine through. Edwi
n and Kristoff were struggling to hold the darkness back when they suddenly heard a familiar voice and turned to see Merlin beside them in a puff of smoke. He pointed his wand in the direction of the grays, and it amplified the rainbow color, sending it into a swirling circle of bright mists, fading into one another. It began to break up the dark cloud, and the grays got angrier and louder, wailing with discontent.
Deliah, Ostephen, and Twiglet rushed to dig and break apart the rock. Determined to widen the gap, Deliah kept thrusting her wand into the cracked, dry land. They saw a root and scrambled to pull it out but were sent flying backward on to their behinds. The wailing of the grays got louder and louder as they drifted closer to the top. They felt panicked for their friends, and Ostephen began chanting “Finvarra, Fin Fin Faye!” over and over. Deliah and Twiglet joined him, and the crystal wand started to glow. She slammed it down into the earth as they all held it and chanted Finvarra’s name over and over.
On the fifth chant, the wand glowed a bright white, and the earth began to part. They pulled on the root once more, chanting and sweating. Finally, it broke free and seemed happy to be in Deliah’s hands. They all cheered, but their celebration was cut short as they saw their friends’ light barely holding up against the grays’ cloud overhead.
Deliah heard Merlin’s voice in her head: Hurry, child.
She ran to the tree, searching for a keyhole. They all looked desperately but couldn’t find it.
Twiglet laid his head against the bark and whispered, “Help us.”
He leaned his twigs against the tree, and feeling with his arm, he managed to make out a tiny crown etched in the bark, barely visible to the eye.
“Try this! Try this!” he exclaimed.
Deliah placed the three points at the end of the twisted root key into the bark. It fit but was snug.
“Nothing’s happening! What now?” she cried.
“Turn it five times, remember?” Ostephen said encouragingly. Using all her strength, Deliah turned it clockwise five times. On the last turn, the key fell to the ground, and the tiny carved crown in the bark glowed gold. The tree slowly rattled and shook before it was suddenly sucked down into the ground, disappearing completely as though it never existed.
“Oh, no! What have we done?”
They all stood forlorn with heads bowed, then they realized that the sky was turning dark. They looked up to see the grays headed their way. They also noticed that the potion had faded, and they were visible and defenseless.
Hearing a sharp whistle, they looked up to find a tall, dark–haired man waving them over. His blue eyes sparkled with love, and without hesitation, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
“Finvarra!” they all said excitedly.
“Indeed,” he said, “hurry now. We haven’t much time.”
Finvarra was tall, dark, and handsome. He was dressed in a suit of burgundy velvet with gold lining. He looked regal. His broad shoulders carried an air of confidence, and his shirt was emblazoned with the symbol of Faye.
The grays were fast approaching now, and they all held their breath, waiting for the attack when a great white light shot down the middle of the grays, and a magnificent unicorn skidded to a halt at their feet.
“Edwin!” they shouted with relief.
Merlin sat atop the unicorn now, casting a beam of white light to try to postpone the grays. They all scrambled onto Edwin’s back. Kristoff and Ostephen proudly sat in the king’s chest pocket, elbowing each other and smirking at how grand they must look as royalty. Deliah held on to Twiglet who held onto Merlin’s cape for dear life. Just as the grays wailed mournfully and charged rapidly, Edwin was gone.
Chapter 17
There is so much love to go around.
There is so much light to be illuminated.
Be the match to ignite the flame,
For soon there will be no igniting left, as only light remains.
Safe and sound back in the forests of Faye, the king fell to the ground and kissed the earth. He stood, eyes filled with tears of joy, and profusely thanked all of them before coming to Deliah. Being very familiar with the prophecy, he bent down on one knee and plucked a smiling flower from beside him and wrapped it around Deliah’s pinky finger, making a ring.
“I could not be happier to see the prophecy of Faye being fulfilled, and we have you to thank for it.” The tiny pink rose on her finger continued to smile at her. “Too long I have been captured, hidden, and forced to remain silent and asleep.”
He stood, and for the first time, Deliah realized how utterly tall and majestic he truly was. They all embraced him and shouted, “Fin Fin Faye!”
Finvarra raised his right hand to his heart and said, “We’ve traveled far. We’ve traveled wide. In Faye, we have bestowed our pride. To love, to laugh, to live, to play, may Faye conquer all and see a new day.”
As Deliah sat quietly, yawning and fighting off sleep, she couldn’t imagine how life could ever be the same. How was she supposed to go home after all the amazing and curious things she had seen and experienced? It was then that her heart gave a little sigh, and she realized that she never had to say goodbye. She was looking forward to seeing Grandma and knew she wanted to return to the cottage, Papa’s favorite place. She fell asleep by the fire, but instead of drifting off to her usual sweet dreams, she awoke in a cold sweat, fists clenched and terrified.
Unable to find sleep, King Finvarra was awake as well and handed her a mug of warm berry tea.
“It’s the Dark King,” he said suddenly. “We’re too close now. You can’t escape it or push it away. He knows we’re coming, and he intends to haunt us with night terrors.” Finvarra talked at length of Faye’s history and the prophecy before assuring Deliah that he had no intentions of letting Faye and all its glorious inhabitants fall prey to the Dark King.
“One light will always overpower any darkness,” Deliah said, repeating Papa’s wisdom.
Finvarra looked through the fire into Deliah’s eyes, raised his cup to hers, and said, “Indeed, indeed it shall.”
After managing to find a few hours of sleep, they all gathered around an elm tree and devised a plan. Merlin, seeing that everything was proceeding well, simply tipped his pointy hat and vanished in a puff of smoke and sparkle.
“Merlin, that wise old sage! Still as mysterious as ever, I see,” Finvarra stated as he chuckled. “In preparation of the prophecy, there is a forest we can trek through to sneak silently into the Dark Corner. In fact, I believe that with the right guide we can get within a few hundred yards unnoticed. We can call Trin to guide us.”
Trin was a forest fairy with dark black hair and emerald green eyes. She was very familiar with the dark forest, as she chose to call it home. Trin appeared in a sparkle of teal light, the blue–green color enhancing her haunting eyes. She was quiet but very charming, and she immediately took to Deliah, flying into her palm and casually sitting cross–legged. Her green stockings were long and slouchy but matched well with her slouchy green hat and roughly hemmed green dress.
“I always knew this day would come,” Trin said softly. “And here it is.”
• • •
Trin, short for Trinamier, was happily leading her followers through the dark forest when she stopped abruptly as if frozen in time. Ahead she spied five Kahorgis coming their way. They all slowly tiptoed behind a birch tree, but they rustled a branch and accidentally snapped a twig. The Kahorgis grunted and charged as Trin and the rest tried to huddle closer together and hide. The Kahorgis were searching and sniffing, tearing apart every branch, trying to find the noise makers.
Out of nowhere came a loud, exaggerated weeping sound. The Kahorgis immediately changed direction and followed it, forgetting all about the snapping twig. Deliah breathed a huge sigh of relief and they all peeked around the edge of the birch tree. They could see the Kahorgis grunting and gnashing their teeth at a willow tree.
“Weepin’ Willy!” Deliah cried just as Ostephen and Kristoff covered her mouth, trying to sti
fle the gasp. Removing their hands, she whispered, “How can he be here?”
Ostephen whispered back, “He can uproot himself like any other tree. Weepin’ Willy’s always been a bit of a wanderer, a sad one at that.”
Finvarra remarked on Willy’s loyalty, as it was obvious that he had seen his friends in trouble and created a distraction in their favor.
The Kahorgis, fed up with his wailing and unable to decipher any information, wrote him off and trudged onward. Willy slowly lifted a root out of the ground, followed by several more and made his way over to Deliah who moved out from under the birch tree. Deliah embraced Willy at once.
“Thank you!” she said earnestly.
“No pr…prob…problem, ma’am,” he sobbed back. Deliah knew that Weepin’ Willy was happy to see her even though he seemed unable to show it.
Willy bowed a root before the king and stammered, “Fin… Fin…F…F…Faye!”
The king bowed back. Then standing tall, he told Weepin’ Willy that he was an honorable tree who had earned a reward. He explained that as the King of Faye, he could bestow titles.
“If only I had something ceremonial to offer you besides a title,” he mused aloud.
Deliah’s pocket within her cape began to glow, and she saw that it was the vial of green liquid Merlin had given her. She pulled it out and handed it to Finvarra.
“Merlin gave me this. Perhaps it will do?”
“Ah, certainly,” Finvarra said relieved. He took the wooden cork out of the vile and poured it over Willy, declaring “Willy, Willow of Honor and Rightful Protector of Faye.”
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