by Jaclyn Weist
“Are you done now?” he asked, glowering.
“Yes. So, what do we do?” Adrenaline was coursing through me, and I was ready to do something. Now that I knew Mom was on the other side of whatever this thing was, I wanted to go. She had to be okay, or I’d never forgive myself. This wasn’t Eoin’s fault. He’d already warned me to keep away from the lights.
Eoin pointed down. “We go through that ring. Or, well, you do. I have to break it after you go through and meet you on the other side.”
“What’s on the other side?” I really wanted my sword. And Jared. And Beth. And time to prepare.
“The fairy world. I’m guessing she’ll be taken to the queen. If that’s the case, we’re in luck. Well, sort of. Jared and Beth have met with Biddy, Mrs. Lincoln, your grandma, and two others, trying to figure out how to stop the Midsummer’s celebration. There’s a chance you can meet up there.”
“Awesome. I’ll send them a text letting them know what’s going on. Make sure they get it, please.”
“I will.”
I pulled out my phone and typed a quick message to both Jared and Beth. Once that was done, I stepped inside the fairy ring and felt the air spin around me until I could no longer see anything. When the wind stopped, I was in a lush forest filled with fruit trees. And fairies. So many fairies with different-colored wings. Most were small, like April and August, but I saw a few other larger fairies as well. Or at least, that’s what they looked like. It was like something out of my worst nightmare. I didn’t want to deal with this many creatures at one time.
And of course, I had no idea where I was supposed to go. It looked like I would be relying on good ol' luck all over again.
I closed my eyes and concentrated on where I was supposed to go. When I opened them, I gasped. I saw small trails and large trails going in all directions. Apparently, my luck worked a little differently here.
“But which one is hers?” I took a step forward, but a fairy flew over to block my path.
“Welcome. May I ask your purpose?” Her blonde hair and blue flowery dress were a big contrast to April, who usually had her hair spiked and wore T-shirts and jeans.
“I’m looking for my mom. Do you know which way she went? And which trail I should follow?” I gestured toward the path in front of me.
The fairy laughed. “You won't find her that way. Humans don’t leave trails of magic.”
I rubbed my forehead. This was going to be harder than I’d thought. “Okay, well, where did she go, then?”
“Follow the trail that does not exist.”
I stared at the fairy. “Seriously? My mom is stuck here somewhere, having who knows what happening to her, and you want me to play guessing games?”
The fairy sighed. “Look down.” She pointed at a dark path that seemed as though it was filled with … nothing. It was black—as if whatever was underneath it no longer existed.
“You want me to follow that?” I’d rather follow … well, about anything. I didn’t even knew who I was supposed to trust here, and she could be leading me into a trap.
The fairy rolled her eyes. “Unless you want to lose your mom?”
“No. Thank you for your help.” I took off running through the thick bushes. I had to watch for the spring that ran through the forest because the trail didn’t seem to care where it went. The air was thick with the scent of the large flowers that dotted the forest floor.
After running for what felt like miles, I stopped to take a break. It was then that I noticed that the forest was quiet. And it wasn’t because there was no life there. It was because … they were all staring at me. “Um, hi.”
The fairies, pixies, and other creatures I didn’t recognize around me giggled, then went silent again. One by one, they bowed to me—which totally creeped me out.
“Um, guys? Fairies? Whatever you want to be called? Please stop it. Stop bowing. No, seriously.” When they didn’t stand up, I decided to weave around them and keep running. I would deal with that later.
Eoin still hadn’t shown up. I really hoped that meant he was on his way to get the others. I stopped every now and then to catch my breath, but then I’d have to run again to get away from the adoring eyes. I would’ve thought they’d hate me for fighting so many of their kind.
Night fell—much sooner than it should have—and I knew I couldn’t go on anymore. I was exhausted, and if I was going to fight anyone, I’d need my energy. I found a clearing and gathered up some grass for a pillow. It wasn’t the worst I’d had to sleep on. This was heaven compared to the cold prison where I’d spent Christmas morning.
I closed my eyes, wishing I had a drink of water. My legs throbbed from running, and I just wanted to rest for a day or three. I felt something laid over me. I lifted my head to find that the fairies had covered me with a blanket woven from leaves. Four fairies set a large pillow next to my head, while others set down some food and a glass of water.
“Wow, thank you.” I sat up and picked out what looked like a pear. It was like nothing I’d ever tasted before. The taste was both sour and sweet at the same time. The water was clear, and soothed my parched throat. I thought of the water in Ireland that had been tainted by magic. Beth had been affected and had hallucinated, while my reaction was minor. It was almost worth it, though. I needed the water. I had no idea how long I’d have to run.
“Sleep. We will protect you.” Several fairies flew overhead.
“Thank you.” I wanted to stay up. I wanted to keep running. But I felt myself drift off to sleep.
“Louie?” I called out.
“Shh. You don’t want to alert the guards.” Louie’s voice came from a few feet to the left.
I crept toward the voice. “What are you guys doing here?”
“Oh, we just thought we’d have a party.” Louie laughed at his own joke, but it ended with a cough. “How did you find me?”
“I’m dreaming. I just go wherever you are, I guess.” I stood to look out the bars. “I’m trying to find my mom, but I don’t know where to find her.”
“Your mom is here?” Louie asked, surprised. “Humans aren’t supposed to be here.”
I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration. “Yes. We got tricked by some Will o’ the Wisps, and she went through a fairy circle. I hopped in to find her.”
“Take caution. Things are different here.”
“Yes, I’ve noticed.” I inspected the lock, wondering how I could get in to save him. “Oh, yeah. Eoin is doing okay. He’s supposed to be delivering a message to Beth and Jared.”
“You’ve seen Eoin?” Patrika’s voice came from the other side of the prison.
I sighed in relief. Patrika was safe too. “Yes, he’s been helping me.”
I heard sniffling. “I’m so glad he’s okay.”
“Yes. Now, I’m going to wake myself up so I can sleep peacefully. I’ll save you guys. I promise.”
MEGAN
I woke up for a moment and rolled over to go back to sleep … except that two feet stood where I was supposed to be resting my head. I looked up to find a dark, shadowy creature. I scrambled away and stared at it, my heart pounding. It wasn’t the grey man, although he should’ve been here somewhere. But this thing wasn’t it. There was something … familiar about it. Wait a minute.
“Ethan?” It was him, but he was just a shadow. A creepy, human-like shadow. I knew I didn’t like him.
The creature bowed. “At your service. Well, not really. I serve only the queen. And right now, she needs to see you.” He grabbed my ankle and dragged me into a small carriage pulled by large white horses.
I landed with a thump as he climbed in. I untangled myself from the seats and tried to sit up. The ground was flying past me. “What are you?”
Ethan smirked. “I’m the Far Darocha. I bring humans to the fairy queen so she can do whatever she wants with them.”
“Well, that’s not cool.” I wondered how many bones I’d break if I jumped out right then. “What do you want w
ith my mom?”
Ethan’s laugh was hollow and almost harsh. “It wasn’t your mom we wanted at all. Her magic is weak.”
I snorted. “Um, hate to break it to you, but no human has magic. Mine is just luck, not magic.”
“You’d be surprised. Everyone has magic. Some just use it more than others. If you believe in fairies, you’re in touch with the magic world.”
Mom has magic? No way. “But what does the queen do with the magic?”
Ethan’s smile was menacing. “She harvests it from them and leaves them to find a way to escape.”
I clenched my fists. “If she touches my mom—”
“Your mom will be fine. The queen is only looking for you.” Ethan glanced down at me.
“Which is why you followed me.” The creep. He must have been waiting for just the right time. And the volleyball games were never good because Mom wouldn’t leave them unless I was with her.
“You’re a tough one to get ahold of, Megan. Even my mermaid couldn’t capture you, and you were in her element.” His look was somewhere between admiration and disgust.
“So, wait—that’s why the mermaids attacked me?” That made so much more sense.
“Of course. All I had to do was remind them of what had happened at Phantom Falls, embellish it a little, and they were ready to go after you, no matter what it took.” His expression darkened. “But then your luck got in the way. Again. I’m not sure I like your ability to get out of anything.”
“I don’t know. It’s helped me a lot lately. You guys won’t leave me alone.” I stared at the horses pulling us through the forest. I just needed something to slow this carriage down enough so I could jump out.
He sighed. “Look, it’s my job. I do what the fairy queen wants. Now, I could drag you there, kicking and screaming, or we could make a deal.”
I raised an eyebrow. “A deal? Why would I make a deal with you? You took my mom.”
“Because I had no choice. Now, I have some powers of my own. But if I were to combine them with, say, some luck—”
“No. You will not touch my luck.” I kept my eyes on the horses in front of me, even though I really wanted to punch him and get it over with.
Ethan smirked. “You need my help. This is just one way of doing it.”
“Not a chance.” Okay, focus. With the speed we were going, slowing the horses down would be hard. I’d have to think of something else. Well, I couldn’t slow them, but if I got rid of them, we’d slow down faster. I followed the rope from the horses back to the carriage. There. I concentrated my luck on the knot and tried to coax it loose. The ropes were old and rough, but I’d done it often enough on past escape attempts that the rope started giving way easily. Perfect.
The knot unraveled, leaving us behind, and the horse creatures galloped away. I dove off the side of the still-moving carriage, hoping I hadn’t just done something really stupid. The wind whipped my hair around as I used my luck to protect myself, but I still did a few somersaults before stopping. Rocks and bushes dug into my back as I lay there. Seconds later, I heard a crash, and I looked up to find the carriage smashed to pieces against an old weeping willow tree.
I rolled over and stood up, dusting the leaves off my pants. Ethan lay a few feet away from me. He sat up and groaned when he saw what had happened.
“Great. The queen is going to kill me. That was her favorite carriage.”
“Well, she shouldn’t have sent you after me with it.” I looked for the path that would lead me to Mom, but it was gone. Awesome. I wondered where my fairy guards had gone while I slept. Surely they could’ve kept Ethan away from me.
“You won’t find the queen or your mom without my help.” His smirk just made me more annoyed.
“I did just fine last night. All I had to do was follow that … trail.” The trail. I’d just found it, and it was surrounding Ethan. I’d been following his trail this whole time. Awesome.
He grinned. “See? You need me. We can help each other. You help me get out of my … position as the Far Dorocha, and I’ll get your mom back safely.”
“Uh-huh. And I’m supposed to believe that . . . why?” I shook my head. “I’ll never figure out all this mythology. From what I was reading in my fairytale book at home, the Far Dorocha isn’t a position. It’s a person. I can’t just change who you are. That’s not how my luck works. Besides, why would I do it?” He’d followed me, kidnapped my mom, and then kidnapped me. Not a way to build a friendship.
His face fell. “Well, I’d kinda hoped you had feelings for me. Is that not true?”
I laughed. “Ethan, I barely even know who you are. Plus, you’ve never given me any reason to like you.”
“I made sure you didn’t get the poisoned food at the restaurant. I served it to someone else instead, and now they’re off in a fairy prison, awaiting their fate.”
I stared at him in shock. “Oh, my word. I can’t believe you’d think that would flatter me. You could’ve killed them!”
He shrugged. “He was a horrible person. He’d stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from his company, and kept gambling it away.”
Ugh. Well, maybe … No. Still not okay. “That doesn’t help your case.” I picked up my backpack and started walking in the direction I thought I was supposed to go. All of the trees and flowers looked the same, but I just figured that’s what happened here in Fairy Land.
“Wait, hold on. Let me explain. I was once a normal kid, just like you. Well, not like you, because you have large amounts of luck, but you know what I mean. I was attacked one night by the last Far Darocha. He wanted out, and the only way to do that was to make someone else take his place. I was lonely, had no family, and no one to turn to, so he thought I would be perfect. I agreed, figuring that anything was better than my life at that point. At first, it was fine. I just had to grab a few people here and there, and it would make the queen happy.
“That was two hundred years ago. One night, I took a young father. I didn’t know he had a family until after he was already gone. But then I heard the crying. His poor wife had just had a new baby, and now she was without a husband. It nearly broke me. I had destroyed a family. I’d made that poor baby suffer, and he was only a couple of weeks old.”
I didn’t even know what to say. “I’m … sorry.”
Ethan shrugged. “It was then that I started paying attention to who was lonely, or had no one left behind. It made the queen angry because those with no one to turn to no longer have magic. Their hope is often gone, and without hope, they no longer believe in us or the fairy tales.”
“That’s too bad.” My heart broke just a little. No hope? No family? I’d been so blessed all my life with a family who supported me. And my mom had been given back her belief in magic because of me. Well, now she was kept prisoner because of me, but that was beside the point. “I’m sorry. I still can’t help you. I can’t find someone to take your place. That would be dooming them to do the same thing you’ve been doing for two hundred years.”
Ethan nodded. “I understand, but that’s where your luck would come in. I’ve watched you fight. I think you can pull the being out of me without actually making someone take my place.”
“You mean, you watched me with the mermaid? Why didn’t you stop her?” I totally could’ve drowned that night.
He shifted uncomfortably. “Well, yes. But I had to wait for the right moment to get you. I was already breaking the rules just meeting you at the games.”
I was officially creeped out. He’d watched me this whole time? “Why didn’t I ever see you?”
“You were too busy fighting for your life.” He looked up at the sun just coming over the rise. “Now, we have quite a journey in front of us. I can take you the easy way by carrying you, or you can walk. Of course, the carriage would’ve been a lot faster.”
“I’ll walk, thanks. I don’t like being carried.” I pushed my way through some tree branches and farther into the forest. I knew he could probably get me there fas
ter, but I wasn’t ready to trust him.
“You’re going the wrong way.”
“No, I’m not. The sun is over there, so I must be going the right way.” I was pretty sure the sun was setting on the other side the night before.
Ethan laughed. “You don’t realize I was sending you in circles last night? Wow, Megan. You really need to pay more attention to your surroundings.”
The fact that he’d been following me this whole time without me noticing was enough to tell me that. “Okay, Mr. Smarty-pants. Which way do I really go?”
He pointed off to my left. “This way. And I would watch out. Not all fairies are good fairies.”
“No kidding,” I muttered. I switched directions and jogged along a river I hadn’t seen the night before.
Ethan went back to his shadowy self and glided along next to me. He didn’t say anything as we traveled, but his smug expression was enough to put me on edge.
I ran faster and darted around toadstools and a few small creatures who were in my path. The last time I’d seen brownies, we’d attacked before we knew they weren’t bad creatures. I hoped these brownies would forgive me. I could’ve apologized, but what would I say? “Oh, sorry for killing off your friends. I thought they were the bad guys when they were really someone’s lunch.” Not a way to make friends. Instead, I shouted a “Sorry!” as I ran past and hoped they would know what I was talking about.
I stopped short when I came across a large swamp. I was a pretty good swimmer, but by the look of the mucky, smelly water, there was no way I wanted to swim in this mess.
Ethan came up alongside me. “Would you like some help now?”
“Um, maybe. But if I get help, that doesn’t mean I’m willing to go along with what you want me to do. I can’t free you.” I hoped he’d agree, because I was pretty sure I’d just seen some rather large creatures coming up out of the middle of the swamp.