The cucumber-scented body wash helped wake me, and after exiting the shower and toweling off, I felt better. I’d admitted I had a problem, and that was my first step to recovery. If I wanted to finish this quest without reigniting my feelings for King Skullsplitter, then coming to terms with my emotions was a necessity. I couldn’t afford to fall for him again.
Han Solo purred at my side as I pulled on my leather boots. I’d worn my forest garb—a mix and match of gray leather pants, a dark green sweater, and my green hooded cloak. I suspected that simply asking my stepfather for an explanation of the bloodthorn would be too easy, and that if I really wanted answers, I would have to scour Faythander to find them—hence the practical questing gear.
I grabbed my pack, made sure I had my mirror, canteen, and a few food items, then left Han with a drawn-out good-bye. However, I had to force myself to step outside.
The air chilled my exposed hands and face as I crossed the distance between the camper and the fairies’ tent. It was still dark outside, and only a few streetlamps far in the distance lit my path.
Already I felt homesick. Why couldn’t I just go back to my little apartment on the island? Sure, I’d been lonely and bored, but I hadn’t risked my life once. Plus, Han liked me better when I spent more time at home.
Approaching the open dale by the fairies’ tent, I didn’t spot the Wults, so I waited. Soon, they appeared. They were both dressed as I’d expected—thick animal-hide cloaks, dark leather, and an array of weapons. Kull had strapped Bloodbane to his back, and in the near darkness, with a gentle wind tousling his loose blond hair across his face, he looked like he’d come straight from a legend.
There was a reason this guy had a reputation. The first time I’d met him, I’d sworn never to challenge him. Looking at him now, with grim determination in his eyes and in the set of his jaw, I reaffirmed my commitment.
Heidel walked beside her brother. While she also seemed menacing with her weapons and armor, I noted that her usual look of defiance—the look I’d become so accustomed to in the past—had disappeared. Despite the stories of her mistreatment, she walked beside her brother as an equal.
The fairies trailed the Wult siblings, as did Rolf and Brodnik. When everyone had entered the clearing, the company of warriors and fairies stopped. All eyes focused on me.
“You’re ready?” I asked the two Wults.
They both nodded.
“Your memory charms—” I asked, “I assume they’ve got enough power to withstand the crossing?”
Prince Terminus walked forward. “Yes,” he answered, “they are fueled with fairy magic. They will withstand both the crossing to Faythander and back to Earth—and perhaps a final crossing back to Faythander, although there is not enough magic for any crossings beyond that.”
“You’re sure?” I asked.
“I am positive. I enacted the spells myself.”
I turned to the Wults. “In that case, I hope you’re ready to return to Faythander.”
“We’re prepared to fulfill our duty to the fairies,” Heidel answered.
The fairy princess moved to stand by her brother. “May the spirits protect you. I leave each of you with a gift.”
A ball of lilac-colored light formed in her cupped hand, and soon, three flowers appeared. She stopped beside me.
“You, Olive, I gift with a sunfire flower. May its beauty and warmth replace the ice in your heart.”
Raising an eyebrow, I wasn’t sure how to answer as she pinned the flower to my breast over my heart. Before I had a chance to give some sort of thanks for her gift, she moved to Heidel.
“To you,” the princess said, “I give the silver lilac. You have overcome much adversity. I gift you with the knowledge that you need never look back.”
After pinning the flower, the princess moved to Kull.
“And lastly—Kull, King of Wults, I give you the periwinkle faeflower. It stands for knowledge. The one you love who has departed wishes you to know that death merely leads us to another plane of existence. He journeys with you and guides you always. He has never left you.”
As she pinned the flower to his shirt, Kull stared straight ahead, but I knew that look. He was fighting back his emotions. I was sure being told that his deceased father journeyed with him had been unexpected.
Brodnik and Rolf stood tall as they waited beside the fairies. “We will guard the fairy prince and princess while you are gone,” Brodnik said. “We give our oath to protect them with our lives.”
“Very well,” Heidel answered.
Overhead, the sky had lightened to alternating shades of pink and gray, indicating that morning was only a few minutes away.
“We need to go,” I said, then unshouldered my pack and removed my mirror.
I handled the case gently as I found a flat place to lay it on the grass. Opening the mirror, I focused on keeping a calm mind. I still didn’t trust the mirror or my magic, but if we wanted to make it to Faythander, I would have to make do. We needed answers, and the time it would take me to test and retest my magic would set us back days.
Carefully, I replaced my backpack and lifted the case again. The figurines resting inside were dark and shadowed, but as the first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon, they glinted silver.
“It’s time,” I said. “Place your hands on the mirror.”
Heidel and Kull stood beside me, and they each placed their hands on the mirror.
Kull’s nearness made me catch my breath. I’d forgotten how it felt to be near him, to inhale the scent of his hair and clothing—like sandalwood—a familiar smell that made my heart skip a beat. I exhaled, forcing my
