He nodded to fey as he walked past them and quickly stepped into the Commons. His eyes trailed over the group. Sure enough, Alda was in the back corner. Waterfall was also there, along with Summersky, George, and Fireheart.
He got a drink and a scone on his way over to Alda, not because he was hungry, but because it would look suspicious if he sat down without some food. Waterfall watched him but made no move to interact. That was the one benefit from their last encounter: Waterfall had no expectation to be on good terms with his son.
Sitting next to Alda, Silverlight did his best to pretend that everything was as his father believed it to be.
“How are you holding up?” Alda asked.
Silverlight shrugged. “As well as can be expected. I’m worried about her.”
“Me too.”
A few moments passed without either of them speaking. Silverlight didn’t have much to say. He was worried about what was to come: the distraction, Rose going into the human world and then getting back to the fey world, and all the aftermath. As much as he wanted to believe that they could pull this off and life could return to normal, he knew that Rose would be different if she came back at all.
Still, being here, surrounded by people giving him suspicious looks, was better than being at home. He would never have guessed how empty and strange the house would feel without her. Before Rose had come into his life, he had been accustomed to being alone. His house had been his personal refuge. Now it was just a reminder of what he had to lose.
“Everblue’s here,” Alda said.
Silverlight looked up. Catching his friend’s eye, he nodded. Everblue nodded back. It might have looked like a simple greeting to someone else, but to Silverlight, it was confirmation that Rose had been safely delivered to the Slitan. It was all up to her now. Well, her and the distraction Alda had planned.
Chapter 29
Rose took a deep breath and started forward. Everblue had been right. It was impossible to miss the Slitan. Rose looked at the two trees and the strip of land between them that was still only half-healed after her lesson with Moonbeam.
Unfolding the paper, she read what she had signed months ago:
I pledge to accept the magic with my heart, mind, and body. I will be bound to this realm, unable to cross into the human world for the next century. This will be enforced so long as the magic wills it, and penalties for violation of the agreement will be swift and final.
The words resonated in her, and suddenly she knew what she had to do. After all, one blood contract could only be replaced by another.
Rose tore off the section with her signature and looked at the empty space between the trees and carefully formed her thoughts. I’ll not be held captive by this. You’ll open the Slit for me and allow me to cross, body, mind, and spirit, so I can honor the commitments I made long before I came here. Upon my return, I’ll accept the punishment, but I will have this time with my grandmother.
Feeling around on the ground, she found a slender branch with a jagged end. Sucking in a breath, she jabbed it into her hand. As she pulled the stick out, warm drops of blood dripped onto the paper before running off and vanishing into the earth.
You will do this for me.
Rose held her breath, willing it to work.
Seconds ticked by without any change. She exhaled and sucked in more air, then the smell of roses and irises slowly filled her nose. She was so focused on the Slitan that she didn’t notice the words on the paper changing to match what she had communicated to the magic. The image between the trees rippled, and a park near her parents’ home came into view.
Tears trickled down her cheeks. “Thank you. Thank you for helping me.”
Taking a deep breath, she walked forward.
Boom!
Rose paused, one foot in the human world, the rest of her in the fey world. The sound had come from the direction of the Field.
What was that?
Everblue was most of the way to the table when a great boom sounded, shaking the Commons. Silverlight instinctively covered his ears as all around him cups, plates, and bowls fell off tables and shattered as they hit the ground. A few fey had been knocked out of their chairs, and no one who had been standing was still upright.
Searching the room, Silverlight saw Everblue on his hands and knees. Silverlight looked at Alda, who had a wide-eyed look of surprise on her face. Whatever was happening wasn’t exactly what she’d planned.
He got up, weaved around people, trying not to step in anything too messy or alive, and grabbed Everblue by the arm. “Are you hurt?” The words sounded quiet and distant. Hopefully his hearing would return to normal soon.
“I’m fine.” Everblue got to his feet. “What was that?”
“No idea.”
A second boom rocked the building, and the two of them held onto each other, managing to remain standing. They exchanged a look and started making their way to the door. Silverlight had to see whatever was causing this ruckus.
Waterfall and his group must have had the same idea because they were already at the door. A few other fey were following them, either out of curiosity or because they wanted to escape whatever danger they feared was headed their way. Most of the fey remained inside, helping those who had fallen.
Outside, Silverlight looked around, trying to figure out what had made that sound. An uneven shape moved across the sky, the stars it covered the only sign of its passing. Silverlight searched the sky further and found a second shape. When a ball of fire flew through the air, it illuminated enough of the sky for Silverlight to see two large dragons. Rolling to avoid the fireball, the second dragon flew at the first and collided with it, creating a sound that left Silverlight’s ears ringing and the ground trembling.
Somehow Alda had organized a dragon fight over the Commons? How she had managed that was beyond him. Dragons usually kept their battles well away from town because of the damage they caused to their surroundings. Silverlight wasn’t looking forward to the cleanup, but this was just crazy enough that his father might not suspect his involvement.
The dragons pulled back, each shooting flames at the other. They winged up into the sky, taking the flames well away from the trees. Studying their pattern, Silverlight guessed Alda had found two courting dragons and persuaded them to continue their mating dance over the town. Though, again, the big question was how. It wasn’t exactly easy to communicate ideas like that to amorous dragons.
Risking a glance at his father, Silverlight found Waterfall looking at him suspiciously. In sheer exasperation, Silverlight said, “How would I have managed that?”
Waterfall shook his head. “I had to have a clever child.”
A hiss and yowl distracted Waterfall from additional comment, and two fevians came tumbling off the top of a nearby home. In the blink of an eye, a mass of fevians came streaking in from every direction to be part of the fight. As some joined in, others attempted to escape, but they were often pursued, and soon the entire area was full of angry fevians hissing, screaming, and shrieking.
Rose heard a second boom as she stepped through the Slit. While she was left with ringing ears, the sound didn’t travel into the human world. She was curious as to exactly what distraction her friends had come up with, but that discovery would have to wait because she wasn’t turning around now.
Grateful for the lack of light—and the absence of people who would’ve noticed her appearance—Rose quietly moved through the park. The streetlights only lined the outer edges, leaving the main body of the park to be illuminated only by the moon and stars. From time to time Rose could see a person huddled up on a bench. She crept around them carefully, not wanting to draw attention to herself.
From the look of things, not much had changed. The one thing that had changed was Rose. This place didn’t feel like home to her anymore. With each step, she found herself missing the fey world. The polluted air felt thick and caustic, and the trash on the streets was revolting. How had she spent so long in this place?
Shaking it off, she focused on the task at hand. She had to get to her grandmother’s house. This wasn’t a part of town she’d frequented when she lived in the human world, and after months away, the memory of where each road went had faded. In addition, Rose knew she needed to stay out of sight. Not only because she didn’t want trouble with anyone who might be lingering around late at night but also because the police and, well, everyone, would know she was out of place. Her clothing alone marked her as an oddity.
Rose tried to remember where to go. She turned down a side street, cut across a main road between streetlights, and ducked through an alley. A couple of blocks later, she realized she’d made a wrong turn and had to backtrack. Now that she was going in the right direction, things were starting to look more familiar. She turned the next corner, and there was her grandmother’s street.
This was one place where things truly hadn’t changed in years. Old, single-story homes lined the street. The porches had rocking chairs, and big bushes hid ugly parts of the houses. Even at night she could recognize her grandmother’s house. It was partially because of the gentle sound of wind chimes floating out into the night but mostly because of the garden. The yard was filled with the namesake flowers for each lady in the family and dotted with whimsical fairies and squat gnomes. One corner even had a stone dragon hiding between a rosebush and bed of irises.
Rose found the purple toadstool and shook out the spare key. Not wanting to startle her grandmother, she stomped up the porch steps. At the door, she scrubbed her feet on the mat before putting the key in the lock.
She swung the door open.
“Lily?” her grandmother called out from the back room. “Is that you? I’ve told you that there’s no reason to check on me like I’m an infant. If you’re that worried, just install one of those Internet cameras.”
“No, Grandmother, it’s me, Rose.” She closed the door and hurried to the bedroom. “Don’t get up for me,” she scolded as she walked in. Grandmother had flipped on the lamp and was sitting on the edge of the bed, scooting her feet into slippers.
“Rose? Is it really you, or is my medication getting the better of me? I told the doctor it made me see things.”
Rose nodded. “It’s me, Grandmother. I’m here.”
Chapter 30
Another boom came from above as the two dragons collided again. Thankfully, they were far enough above the Field that it didn’t hurt Silverlight’s ears this time.
Looking around, he spotted a lone fevian and went to calm it. He needed to be helpful or his father would be even more suspicious. Everblue followed behind, probably unwilling to linger near Silverlight’s father and have some of that suspicion fall on him.
Silverlight made gentle cooing sounds as he neared the fevian. It wasn’t one he recognized. As he got closer, he saw the wild look in its eye and felt its discomfort. This wasn’t a creature that was accustomed to being near fey, which meant that Alda had also gotten the feral fevians out of the woods.
“Come on, I want to help you.” Silverlight continued to make soft noises, and bit by bit the fevian calmed. Silverlight felt when it relaxed and started to trust him. A moment later, the fevian was willingly stepping onto his arm. He stroked its chest until it finally settled and gave a rumble of contentment.
“Will you go home?”
The fevian tilted its head one way and then the other before stretching its wings. Silverlight took the hint and launched it into the sky. The fevian took off, dodging others who were continuing to fight, and flew into the woods.
“We’ve got to get these guys under control,” he said to Everblue. “Do you see any more that are on their own?”
“I don’t have your gift with animals.”
“Then just stick with me and look like you’re doing something useful.”
They ducked as two fevians screeched behind them and flew through the space where their heads had just been.
“Those two are alone,” Everblue said.
“Thanks. I hadn’t noticed.”
Silverlight tracked their progress through the sky, and when they landed a house over, he went after them. Everblue followed close behind. In the end, it took both of them to get the two separated and headed back to the forest. After that, they moved on to the next pair.
At some point, someone asked the magic for light and the entire area brightened to a dawn-like glow, giving them plenty of light to work by. Silverlight lost track of the number of fevians they’d cornered and sent back to their homes, but Everblue had been with him the entire time.
Silverlight looked in the direction of the Slitan. Hopefully Rose had gotten through; otherwise this was all for nothing. She had to get through, because if she didn’t, he wouldn’t know what to believe. It had been easy to accept the way fey hearted were brought into their world when he was a child and they were simply stories and people he saw from a distance. Now it was different. He was no longer a child. Silverlight not only knew how it had affected his mother but that she was not alone in her feelings. He knew the pain the fey hearted suffered when they left their families. He also knew how that loss stuck with them. It changed them, and Silverlight wasn’t sure that forcing people to never see their families again was in the best interest of the fey.
“Silverlight!” Waterfall bellowed.
He turned around to see his father bearing down on him.
“The Slit has opened, and she’s gone. What did you do?”
He wanted to say that he hadn’t done anything, but he couldn’t bring himself to flat-out lie to his father. “The Slit is open? Who opened it?”
“I’ll find that out soon enough.” Waterfall’s eyes darted to the side before returning to Silverlight. Alda was approaching. “Did you help her escape from the healing house?”
Silverlight looked back at his father. “Why would you ask that?”
“Yes or no, Silverlight. Did you help her?”
Silverlight knew what he had to do. It wouldn’t be much, but it should buy her some time. If he did it right, he could even protect Alda and Everblue.
He took a deep breath and locked eyes with his father. “Yes.”
Rose knelt down and took her grandmother’s trembling hands in her own. “It’s me. I heard you wanted to see me again.”
Grandmother lifted her hand, smoothing it down Rose’s cheek. “You’re really here.”
Rose leaned into her grandmother’s touch. “I am.”
She didn’t try to stop the tears, and through them, she could see that her grandmother was crying, too. Rose laid her head in Grandmother’s lap, and the tears came even faster.
She’d done it. She’d gotten to her grandmother before…before she died. This moment alone was worth any punishment the fey could concoct.
When the tears slowed, a tissue was pressed into her hands. Rose looked up to see Grandmother dabbing her own eyes. It took two tissues to return Rose to looking mostly normal, by which time the expression on her grandmother’s face had shifted to skepticism.
“Rose, how did you get here? I thought—” Her voice faltered. “I thought you went to the fey world.”
“I did. I wish you could see it. It’s the most magical place I’ve ever seen. A dragon snuggles with me some nights—a small dragon, the size of a house cat. I’ve met unicorns, and I’ve done magic.”
A sad smile spread across Grandmother’s face. “It sounds much like I remember.”
That caught Rose off guard. Humans weren’t allowed to remember. “How do you remember? Have you been there before?”
“Once,” Grandmother said, her eyes faraway. “The sweetest fey took me there, just for a night. He offered me more, but I couldn’t. There was your grandfather to think of, and I’d just had Lily.”
Grandmother was lost in the memories, and while Rose had never thought of her grandmother as being unhappy, she’d never seen her as vibrant as this. Even though her hands were thin and her skin was loose, the light in her eyes was brighter than any
Rose had seen before.
Then she started coughing, and by the time she could breathe normally again, the light had faded.
Rose knew that sound and that look. It was like she was seeing the final days of her grandfather’s life all over again. She kept her voice light when she asked, “But how do you remember?”
“Oh. The fey… Well, he was quite taken with me, as I was with him. When I told him why I couldn’t stay, he told me he’d leave me with the memories so I could know the truth, and then he returned me to my bed.”
Rose smiled, knowing what she had to do. “Let’s get you dressed. We’re going to have one more adventure.”
“Are you taking me to the fey world?”
“Yes. You deserve to see it one more time.”
Rose helped her grandmother into her clothes and found the car keys. After Grandmother had another coughing fit, Rose grabbed a box of tissues on the way out. Other than the coughing, Rose’s grandmother looked better than she had expected. Maybe it was the thrill of one last adventure, but there was a spring in her step and the light was back in her eyes.
“Tell me about the dragons,” Grandmother said as Rose drove to the park. “I never did see one.”
Rose told her grandmother about Pearl, how she liked cranberries and morning cuddles. She also talked about Ember, the perytons, and the baby unicorn.
Rose stopped talking when she pulled up to the park. The gates to the parking lot were closed. She circled around for a few minutes, then just parked the car on the side of the road. Rose didn’t have any intention of coming back. Grandmother was going to see the fey world again, even if it was only for a few days before she died. Rose was sure she could convince the treis to let her stay. After all, Grandmother was a true fey hearted.
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