by Jaclyn Weist
“You must rule here. The fairies need you.” And in a softer voice, I could’ve sworn I heard, “I need you.”
“Ethan?” The shock of his voice made me stop. It had to be him. I didn’t see his form, but it was his voice I heard.
“Megan, watch out!” Beth screamed just as the queen made contact with my head using the hilt of her sword.
I fell to the ground in a daze. The world was spinning, and I watched the queen in slow motion as she raised her arms above her ahead and came down. From behind, I heard shouts of anger, and then the queen’s look of triumph turned to shock. She looked down to where a crossbow bolt stuck out of her shoulder, and a red stain spread below it.
Another arrow hit her in the arm just below the bolt. Others followed behind. Queen Oona’s eyes went black, and her face began to change. I shook my head, trying to clear it so I could stand. I knew the blackness in her eyes from when I’d had to fight Bryce—Oona was becoming a demon.
Ethan appeared in front of me, still in his shadowy form. “Look, there’s only one way you can take her down. You have to get her crown and her wings. Once those are gone, she’ll die. Got it?”
I wasn’t sure what to think of him, but we had no other options but to listen to what he said. I nodded and backed up a little. I felt my friends come and stand next to me, weapons ready.
I rubbed my finger across the ring Jared had given me. I really hoped it would keep helping us. I held up my sword and concentrated on the queen. Getting the crown off might be easyish, but getting her wings? I had no idea how to do that.
The queen straightened. She was a good eight feet tall, with long, spiked wings. Her white dress was replaced with a black gown that stretched over her shiny black skin. Bryce was nothing compared to this … thing. I shivered. I could do it. I had to beat her.
Her laugh dripped with insanity. “You fools. Don’t you know that your mortal weapons have nothing on me? I’ll destroy each of you one by one.” She swiped her hand, and we dove out of the way.
Beth stood up and aimed. “No, but we can sure drive you crazy. Not that it’s a long trip.”
The queen roared as the arrow struck her in the eye. She batted at it, but couldn’t get it loose. Adam shot her in the stomach and followed quickly with another bolt. Jared and I attacked her legs. As soon as she was on the ground, I ran forward, grabbed the crown, and yanked.
“That won’t work. She had it attached so no one would defeat her.” Ethan floated next to me.
I growled in frustration and sliced it off her head with a thunk. The crown rolled away and landed at Beth’s feet.
“Grab it, Beth!” I had to back up as the queen shrieked and lifted her head.
“What have you done?” She reached up to her head and felt for the crown. “It’s gone. What have you done?”
I wasn’t finished yet, though. I slammed my sword into her wings and sliced them off. I expected them to be heavy, but they were light, like feathers. They shattered, and as the pieces hit the ground, the dust turned to water that ran into the nearby stream.
I looked down at the queen. “Your time to reign is finished. These creatures deserve someone who will rule them in fairness, not control their minds.”
She sobbed into the ground, and I turned toward the portal. My job was done here, and I really needed to get to the other side.
“Megan, watch out!” Beth screamed.
I was grabbed from behind, and the queen held me to her chest with her sword against my neck. I couldn’t breathe, and her grip was tight enough that I couldn’t move enough to get free.
“You will pay. Every day, you will wake up in the morning, miserable because of what you’ve lost,” she whispered. She dropped the sword and held her bloody hand out toward the portal. She spoke ancient words, and a flash of light hit the portal. She held my head, making sure I watched as it shrank. Shouts came from both sides as creatures scrambled to get through.
Grandma stood next to the portal near Phantom Falls, her eyes wide as the portal flashed and closed completely. I was trapped.
JARED
Jared watched in horror as the queen closed the portal. He ran for the opening, but it had already closed.
“No!” Swiping at the spot did nothing but hit empty air.
He whipped around to face Louie. “Can you get me back there? My mom—my mom needs me.”
Louie looked down at his hands. “You’d leave Megan?”
“I—I don’t know.” Megan was still held by the queen, her eyes wide. “Can we just try? I’ll come right back to save her. I just … need to know.” Jared knew he was failing Megan. He knew this was the worst possible time to leave. But he had to find a way for them to get back.
Louie sighed. “Sure.”
Jared took Louie’s hand and watched him snap his fingers. And then snap again.
“I’m sorry, Jared. We’re stuck here.” Louie wouldn’t meet his eyes as he turned and headed back to Megan.
Jared wanted to throw something. If the queen wasn’t already half dead, he would have gone after her himself. His chance to go back to his family was gone. His mom, his sister—everything was gone.
The only thing left was Megan. He watched her stand there, staring at the fairy she’d just destroyed. Her hair blew into her face, hiding the anguish. She was enough for him. He just hoped he could be enough for her. He jogged back to where they stood in the clearing.
Queen Oona fell next to Megan, gasping for air. Ethan floated over and stood next to the two of them. Jared pulled out his sword, anger coursing through him. He wasn’t about to let Ethan take Megan as well.
“Get away from her.” He pushed through the crowd, but Adam grabbed his arm.
“Wait. It’s fine. Watch.” Adam’s grip released, but he didn’t let go.
Megan pushed herself up and rubbed her throat. “Is she dead?”
Ethan shook his head. “No, but she’s close.”
Megan stood and stared at the queen, who had transformed back into her fairy self. Megan wiped a tear away as she slid her sword into her belt.
Jared felt a lump in his throat. These creatures had just lost their queen. He moved forward to comfort Megan, and this time, Adam let him go. He wrapped her in his arms and let her sob while he stroked her hair. After several moments, she finally pushed away and wiped her face.
“Are you ready?” Ethan asked. He looked unsure of himself.
Megan nodded. “Eoin? Louie? I could use your help. I need you to help me guide the spirit.”
Louie nodded, and Eoin stared at her with wide eyes. Fairies surrounded the group, and as one, they pulled on the dark spirit that was in Ethan, and then Megan pushed it toward the queen’s body. Ethan fell to the ground, and Megan grabbed for him. Jared rushed over to help her lay him down softly.
“What just happened?” he asked. He glanced between the two bodies lying side by side.
“Ethan didn’t want to be the Far Dorocha anymore. I told him I’d try to help him get rid of the spirit.” She looked up at Jared with tears in her eyes. “He saved me, Jared. He told me how to defeat her.”
Jared nodded and stared down at the boy. Beth came over with April and knelt down next to Ethan. She took the potions April handed her and mixed them up. Adam raised Ethan’s head while Beth poured the fluid into his mouth.
Ethan coughed and bolted upright, gasping for breath.
Megan grinned. “Did it work?”
Ethan looked at his arms and felt his chest. “Yes, I think it did. And just in time, too. Watch.”
The queen’s body disintegrated into a million pieces and floated away on the wind. Everywhere the dust landed, flowers bloomed into brilliant colors—her last tribute to the fairy world.
MEGAN
I had just killed the queen of the fairies. I should have been glad that I’d saved the other creatures from her reign, but I couldn’t. I hated battles. Yes, they made life a little more exciting, but I hated the killing part. At least she was back wit
h Jakob again, right?
Because of what we’d just done, this was now home for me, Beth, Jared, and Adam. At least Grandma knew what had happened. She could let Dad know.
Jared pulled me into a hug and kissed my forehead. “You did it.”
“Yeah … I did it, all right. I made a bigger mess than what we had before I came here.”
Jared laughed. “Yes, well, they came after you. You didn’t have much of a choice.”
I sighed. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for this mess. I’m sorry that you won’t make it home. I’m sorry you’re going to miss out on your basketball scholarship.”
Jared lifted my chin and gazed into my eyes. “I admit, I was upset. I hate to admit that I even tried to go back. But we’ll find a way to get home. I know we will.”
Beth stood next to me. “He’s right, you know. There’s got to be a portal somewhere, even if this one is broken.”
Eoin tugged on my shirt. “Um, Megan? I hate to break up the party, but you might want to see this.” He gestured behind me.
I turned and gasped. All the creatures surrounding us were kneeling, their heads bowed. Louie and Eoin stepped back, and they pulled their hats off to bow as well.
“No. Not you two. Never.” I lifted their heads, blushing.
Ethan walked over to stand by us. “Are you ready for this?”
“Uh, ready for what?” I looked between him and Louie.
Ethan turned to the crowd and raised his arms above his head. “All hail, Queen Megan.”
“All hail, Queen Megan,” the crowd repeated back.
My heart nearly stopped. What in the world had I just done?
Also by Jaclyn Weist
The Luck Series
Stolen Luck
Twist of Luck
Best of Luck
More Than Just Luck
No Such Luck
Just My Luck
Lost in a Fairy Tale
Timeless ~ Sleeping Beauty
Fearless ~ Rapunzel
Endless ~ Cinderella
Gates of Atlantis (Middle Grade)
Magicians of the Deep
Celtic Fairy Tale Romances
Leana
Keela
Jaclyn is an Idaho farm girl who grew up loving to read. She developed a love for writing at a young age and published her first book in 2013. She met her husband, Steve, at BYU, and they have six happy, crazy children who encourage her to keep writing. After owning a bookstore and running away to have adventures in Australia, they settled back down in their home in Utah. Jaclyn now spends her days herding her kids to various activities and trying to remember what she was supposed to do next. Her books include; Endless: A Modern Cinderella Tale; Timeless; Fearless; Magicians of the Deep; Leana; Keela; and the Luck series, which helped feed her obsession with all things Irish. You can learn more about her at www.jaclynweist.com