Chapter Eleven

"Kendra?"

Someone was calling to her, trying to wake her up. Was it time for breakfast? She didn't usually oversleep. No, wait, she wasn't at home. She was in the Fairy Realm. Memories came rushing back all at once.

"Kendra, please be all right."

That voice… She knew that voice! She opened her eyes and saw a familiar face leaning over her. Pale blue eyes gazed into her own – blue eyes, not red.

"Bracken?"

"Kendra." Relief flooded his voice, the same relief that Kendra was feeling herself. He gave her a quick hug. "I thought Ronodin had gotten you somehow."

Kendra sat up carefully. She felt battered and bruised, but not seriously hurt. But she hadn't been the one at risk. "Gotten me?" she repeated. "I wasn't the one possessed by a dark unicorn!"

Realizing something, she looked Bracken over carefully. He certainly looked like himself – light blond hair, pale silver-blue eyes. His clothes were a little singed, but aside from that there was nothing out of the ordinary about them. She couldn't afford to be too careful, though. Ronodin had fooled them before.

Bracken noticed her scrutiny. "It's really me, I promise," he said with a smile.

"I want to trust you, but I can't be sure," Kendra said apologetically.

"Can't you feel the absence of darkness?" Bracken gestured to the room around them. It was the same exit-less room as before. The menacing shadows were gone, but Kendra couldn't perceive anything about the "aura" or whatever.

"I've never been good at that sort of thing," Kendra admitted.

"I suppose we'll have to wait until Brynn can vouch for me," Bracken said, but he didn't seem concerned. If anything, he seemed content to sit there on the floor and wait.

To Kendra, the window- and door-less room was beginning to feel claustrophobic. "I don't suppose you know how to get out of here?" she asked.

Bracken shook his head. "Ronodin veiled his actions – my actions, I guess, though I wasn't really in control – from me. I didn't realize what he was doing until he chose to show me."

"What was it like?" Kendra asked. She didn't want to pry, but the curiosity was eating at her and if they had to wait they may as well talk.

Bracken sighed, and with that sigh it struck Kendra how old he was. He sounded weary as he said, "It was like nothing you can imagine. You're there, fully conscious – you can feel the presence of your body like it always is, but every time you try to move nothing happens. It's like your paralyzed, except you know that the other spirit is there running the show. You feel yourself move, hear yourself talk, but it's not really you. You begin to forget who you are…" His voice cracked on the last sentence.

Unable to help herself, Kendra reached over to comfort him, but she couldn't think what to do. Eventually she just put her hand on his knee, which seemed lame, but Bracken seemed to appreciate the gesture because he smiled weakly at her.

"It's kind of like the inscription on the Memory Glass," Kendra murmured. "'As thee gaze into this Glass, thee shall see thy true face and know thy true self.'"

"Yes, that's exactly it," Bracken said. "When you pulled out the mirror, I didn't know why, but I felt a spark of hope. Maybe because the mirror seemed to worry Ronodin. But then when I looked into it… It was like I found a reserve of strength I didn't know I had. It was like, what's this other spirit doing in my body? I was able to – I could throw him out and regain control."

Kendra suddenly remembered something. "The Memory Glass!"

She crawled across the floor until she found what she was looking for – shards of glass. A splotch of something gold lay on the ground near the shards. Cautiously she picked up one of the pieces of glass. It was surprisingly sharp and as she held it in her hand it cut her thumb slightly. She ignored this for the moment and, against her better judgment, peered into the shard's crystal depths. But she saw nothing but her own face staring anxiously back at her. The glass was lifeless in her hands. She felt nothing like the gentle hum of power she'd experienced before.

"What are you looking at?" Bracken had moved over to join her.

"What's left of the Memory Glass," Kendra said. She picked up the other shards one by one but no trace of magic remained. "I didn't think it was going to break when I used it."

"Perhaps Ronodin was too strong a spirit for it to dislodge and it used its last bit of energy to defeat him," Bracken suggested.

"Maybe." Kendra turned one piece over and over in her hand. She couldn't shake Ronodin's last words from her thoughts. You have not yet won.

Bracken noticed her cut thumb. "You're bleeding," he said softly, taking her hand in his.

"It's nothing," Kendra said. She tried to pull away, but Bracken wouldn't let go.

"Just let me try," he urged. Seeing that he wasn't going to give up, Kendra gave in.

Bracken's lips moved silently and his hands glowed with a pearly light. But when he let go of Kendra's hand, her thumb remained the same as before.

Bracken looked away. "Pathetic," he muttered angrily.

Kendra hastily wiped her bleeding thumb on her jeans. "Hey, it's all right. It's just a little cut. I'm fine."

Without turning around, Bracken said. "Exactly. It's just a little cut. I should be able to heal it as easily as look at it, but I can't."

His voice sounded strained, as if he were trying very hard to retain his composure. Kendra sought to comfort him.

"Well, you've just been possessed by the spirit of a dark unicorn. I'm sure that takes a lot out of you," she said.

Bracken stared resolutely away, but Kendra saw his jaw clench. When he spoke again, he seemed angrier. "You don't understand," he said sharply. "Wile Ronodin was in control, he used my body to produce his own magic – dark magic. That's how he was able to take over the Fairy Realm, by using me to amplify his power. I can't describe what it was like to look inside for my own reservoir of energy and find only a black hole. When I touched it, it was exhilarating, but it was terrifying that that amount of power excited me. And now that it's gone, I feel drained – drained of everything, light or dark. I don't have an ounce of magical energy left in me."

Losing her patience, Kendra retorted, "Well, neither do I!"

Finally Bracken turned back to her, looking confused. "What?"

"When Ronodin took over the Fairy Realm, I lost my fairykind powers," Kendra explained. "Not all at once – I didn't notice until I couldn't see in the dark anymore. But Brynn said that it will replenish itself like the human body makes up for lost blood, so now that Ronodin's gone, I guess I'll start filling up again. I'm sure it'll work like that for you, too."

Bracken looked her over until his scrutiny made her feel uncomfortable. Finally he said, "You're right. Your brilliant glow has diminished significantly. Not entirely, though, and it returns by degrees every second. Given how you used to shine like a beacon on the magical spectrum, I can't believe I didn't notice."

"Well, you did have other things on your mind," Kendra teased. "Literally."

He ignored her jest. "You fascinated me from the day we met," he murmured. "It had been years since mother had chosen a handmaiden and I was curious. And I knew that anyone my mother chose to share her magic with had to be someone special."

Kendra froze as Bracken leaned in closer. She could see the wonder in his silver-blue eyes even now as he spoke of her. Her heart pounded against her ribs. He was going to kiss her!

A door materialized out of nowhere on the opposite wall and opened with a bang. A familiar voice called from outside, "See, I told you!"

"It is impressive that you sensed a door when I could not," Brynn said to Seth. "Likely it was shielded by dark magic that your shadow charmer abilities were able to detect."

The two entered the room, followed by Warren and Elise, who both had their hands on the hilts of their weapons. Brynn halted just inside the room when she caught sight of Bracken. He and Kendra quickly scooted apart.

"Brother," Brynn whispered.

Slowly Bracken stood and cautiously approached her. "Brynn."

Kendra, too, stood, and went to stand near her brother.

"Is Ronodin gone?" Seth asked in a low voice.

"I think so," Kendra whispered back.

"There's only one way to find out," Warren muttered. His eyes never left Bracken, as if he considered the unicorn a threat.

Then, just as she had what felt like a lifetime ago, Brynn touched her index finger to Bracken's forehead. Kendra held her breath, but no explosion came, no loud crack echoed throughout the room, Bracken's eyes didn't glow red, and Brynn didn't collapse. The unicorns just stood still, staring deep into each other's eyes. They were both so focused that Kendra guessed they were communicating mentally or whatever unicorns did.

At long last Brynn removed her finger from Bracken's forehead and announced, "It is truly him!"

At this the tension in the room decreased dramatically, but Warren kept his hand on his sword. "The spirit is really gone?" he asked, suspicious.

No doubt he was thinking of how Ronodin had pretended to be Bracken when they had encountered him in the infirmary.

"Not a trace of darkness remains," Brynn assured him. Her eyes flickered to Bracken's for a split second; he shook his head ever so slightly in response. It happened so quickly that Kendra wasn't sure if she'd imagined it.

"Peace, Warren," Bracken said soothingly. "You needn't worry. I am in full control of myself now, thanks to Kendra."

With a noncommittal grunt, Warren took his hand off the hilt of his sword.

Elise said to Kendra, "The Memory Glass worked?"

"Yeah. It broke afterward, though." Kendra indicated the scattered fragments of glass on the ground.

Brynn stooped to examine the shards. "A shame," she remarked. "The mirror could be restored, but the enchantment in the glass has been lost."

"We just leave it here, then?" Warren asked.

"It seems the best option," she replied. To Bracken and Kendra she explained, "This is a room Ronodin wove out of dark magic and connected to the Fairy Realm. The enchantment is weak, though, so it will vanish when we leave. What is left of the Memory Glass will vanish with it. Come; let us return to the infirmary. Everyone is anxious to see that the dark unicorn is truly gone."

Some emotion crossed Bracken's face – fear, worry, regret? – but it was gone as soon as it came. "Sure, let's go," he said. "I wish to apologize to Mother for what has happened here."

The six left the tiny room. There was no sudden burst of light or noise, but when Kendra looked back a few seconds later the door was gone. Bracken and Brynn took the lead, whispering in the secret fairy language. Elise followed. Warren took up the rear, which left Kendra to walk with her brother.

"What happened after Ronodin froze us?" she asked.

"I'm not really sure what happened at first," Seth answered. "I wasn't self-aware like the fairies and unicorns were. Everything was just black. I remember that Ronodin gloated a little, and then he left. When we woke up – and I still don't know how much later it was – everything was kinda chaotic. No one knew what was going on. We noticed that you were missing right away, and we tried to look for Brynn but everyone else had unfrozen, too, and they were moving around and we had no idea where anything was anymore. Then this massive unicorn – and by unicorn I mean unicorn, not their human avatar – stood up. Kendra, this thing was huge. It could make a full-grown elephant run for its mommy. And all of a sudden everyone got quiet and they were all looking at the unicorn, but there was no talking going on. That we could hear, at least. We started whispering about what was going on and we got some dirty looks. Then Brynn came out of nowhere and said the Fairy Queen had given us permission to find you and Bracken and bring you to the infirmary. We got some more nasty looks on the way here. I don't think they like shadow charmers very much."

"Well, this is a realm of light and purity," Kendra pointed out.

"Yeah, but they could at least be politer about it," Seth grumbled.

They walked the rest of the way in silence. When they reached the infirmary, Kendra saw that the archway had been repaired. Inside, it was bursting with life. There were fairies of all shapes, colors, and sizes bustling about. Kendra would have stopped to gawk if not for the icy glares they shot the humans.

"Friendly crowd," Warren remarked.

"It has been a long time since humans were allowed in the Fairy Realm," Bracken said.

A neon pink fairy with translucent wings saw them talking and gasped. She said something to Bracken in the secret fairy language that Kendra thought was unnecessarily rude. Bracken smiled at her apologetically, but she flew off in a huff.

"What's her problem?" Kendra whispered to Brynn.

"Not many magical creatures have taken it upon themselves to learn the tongues of humans," Brynn explained under her breath. "The fairies in particular think it especially vulgar and look down on those who choose to learn."

"Oh." Kendra had thought fairies vain before, but not necessarily contemptuous. Apparently they had a mean streak.

"When we go in, keep your heads down, and don't make eye contact," Bracken advised. "Particularly you, Seth."

"Why not just leave me out here, then?" Seth complained.

"Because your grandmother would probably like you back in one piece," Brynn said flatly.

That ended the discussion.

When they went in, Kendra kept her eyes to the floor as instructed, but she couldn't block out the whispers. Most were directed at her and Seth. They thought she had overstepped her bounds by setting her sights on the Fairy Queen's son. Kendra gritted her teeth at that one and tried not to blush. As far as Seth went, the opinions ranged from that he was an ally of Ronodin's that they had captured to that he was a demon who was controlling the humans and planned to take over the Fairy Realm. Some of the comments were particularly nasty and Kendra was glad her brother couldn't understand them.

Brynn stopped a small green-skinned fairy that was flying past and asked where they might find the Fairy Queen and King. The fairy glanced suspiciously at Seth before replying shortly that they were in a private room in the back. Virtue, Ophelia, and Gardenia were with them.

Kendra glanced at Bracken questioningly.

"My other sisters," he explained.

Brynn thanked the fairy, who muttered something unintelligible and flew away. The crowd seemed to part before them as they made their way to the back of the infirmary. No one seemed to want to brush elbows with the humans.

"I'm sorry I even bothered to come," Seth muttered. Raising his voice slightly, he added, "So sorry we had to save Bracken and your entire realm from Ronodin! We didn't mean to inconvenience you. We'll be leaving soon."

Warren elbowed him in the ribs. "Let's try not to antagonize our hosts lest they decide to incinerate us," he cautioned.

They reached a small chamber built into the corner of the infirmary. A white silk curtain separated it from the rest of the room. Brynn pushed the curtain aside and they entered.

It was a tight squeeze. A small bed took up most of the room. A regal-looking man with a thick gray beard sat in it. Kendra didn't recognize him, but he looked so much like an older version of Bracken that he had to be his father, the Fairy King. An orange-skinned fairy with dragonfly wings perched on his shoulder and three women knelt at his bedside. Kendra recognized the Fairy Queen of course, who was once again giving off her ethereal radiance. She assumed the other three were Bracken's sisters.

To Kendra's surprise, Warren bowed deeply. "Your Majesties," he said respectfully. Kendra, Seth, and Elise followed his lead. Apparently he was serious about not antagonizing anyone.

"Rise," the Fairy Queen ordered. "There is no need for formalities when, against all odds, you have returned my son to me. I must hear the tale of your success, but first, Kendra, would you introduce me to the members of your rescue party?"

Kendra was startled at being addressed directly by the Fairy Queen. "Uh, this is my brother, Seth. He's a shadow charmer. And that's Warren and Elise. They're both Knights of the Dawn. The human Knights, I mean. Not the astrids," she hastily explained. "And of course you already know Bracken and Brynn."

The Fairy Queen nodded and spread her arms wide. "Welcome to my home. It has been centuries since we have hosted humans in the Fairy Realm, and you have the honor of being the first in the new realm."

"It's very… grand," Warren said, which was an understatement.

"Yes, we are quite proud of the work we have accomplished in such a short time. And yet we must keep expanding until all of what was once the demon prison is suitable for creatures of light to dwell in. It will be a task of centuries, possibly millennia, but we are up to the challenge," the Fairy Queen said with a smile.

"The flowers are growing flawlessly and rapidly," the orange fairy chimed in.

"Pardon me, your Majesty, but–" Kendra began awkwardly.

"Ah, forgive me for not introducing them to you," the Fairy Queen said. "These are my daughters, Virtue, Ophelia, and Gardenia –" (she indicated the two women and the orange fairy respectively) "- and my consort." She indicated the Fairy King.

Kendra frowned. She was confused as to why they were exchanging pleasantries when there were more pressing subjects to discuss.

Bracken knelt at the foot of his father's bed. "Father, it gladdens me to see that after all these months you have awakened, though I regret it took such a disaster to bring about your recovery."

"Do not be sorry, my son," the Fairy King said in a deep voice. "For my stupor may have lasted another thousand years and then I would not be here with my people and my family around me once more."

Kendra felt uncomfortable, like they were intruding on a private family occasion. Should they leave? They had no right to see the King in such a weakened state. But then Bracken changed the subject, saving them from further awkwardness.

"The threat is not completely vanquished, though," he said, standing up.

"What?" Kendra thought she must have heard him wrong. How could there still be danger? Surely Ronodin was gone. He couldn't not be, after all they went through.

But Bracken confirmed her worst fears. "He's still out there."

"How?" Elise asked.

"How do you know?" Brynn demanded.

There was something significant in the difference between their questions, but Kendra couldn't put her finger on it.

"The Memory Glass was only designed to remove an invasive spirit – it does nothing to destroy it," Bracken explained. "He still lurks."

Seth glanced around as if expecting the spirit to jump out of the corner. "Not here, right?" he asked.

"The purity of this Realm would not allow him to linger long," the Fairy Queen assured him. "He probably fled through one of the portals. But outside of these halls, he could be anywhere."

Brynn brushed her mother's comments aside. "That's all well and good, but how do you know?" she pressed. She fixed Bracken and the Fairy King each with a hard stare. Bracken looked away uncomfortably, but the Fairy King held her gaze. It was like she already knew the answer, but she wanted them to confess. But why the Fairy King?

"I sensed his presence while he was here in this Realm," Brynn went on, "just as we all could. But once Kendra used the Memory Glass I knew he was gone because I detected nothing. So how do you know he's still out there?"

"Brynn, the Memory Glass was designed—"

Brynn cut Bracken off. "I know how it was designed! I read the books! So I also know that it was one of the most reliable of Agad's creations, if not the most unreliable. And yet the certainty I've been detecting from you, Bracken, and from you, Father… You're been keeping secrets."

Bracken took a step closer to her. "Brynn—"

"Bracken. Brynn."

The Fairy King spoke in a low voice, but he used that dangerous tone that parents always use to warn their kids that it's the last straw. Even on millennia-old children it still worked, apparently, because Bracken and Brynn relaxed their aggressive stances and stepped apart. Brynn crossed her arms.

"I know with utmost certainty that Ronodin has not been destroyed because I know his mind better than anyone," the Fairy King said definitively.

"But—" Brynn began, but the Fairy King silenced her with a look.

"Yes, Brynn, there is no stronger mental bond than that of teacher and student, particularly when the student is learning magic. No stronger bond save, perhaps, the bond of kinship."

Kendra's eyes widened as the implications of what the Fairy King was saying sank in. Surely he didn't mean to say he was related to… Was it even possible?

The Fairy King continued, "See, as well as you five are attuned to each other's minds, or to your mother's, or to my own – that is how well I know Ronodin's mind."

Evidently it was possible.

A stunned silence filled the room. Then everyone began talking at once.

Virtue, the girl with the long, toffee-colored hair, cried, "How is that—"

The orange fairy perching on the Fairy King's shoulder, Gardenia, was so startled she shot a foot into the air. "We never knew!"

Ophelia, whom Kendra was fairly certain was the oldest after Brynn, exclaimed, "Why didn't you—"

Only the Fairy Queen seemed unsurprised. "It was not a secret at first, just not broadcasted to the world. After Ronodin turned to the darkness, though, we decided it would be best if it wasn't known that our greatest enemy was also the brother of our king," she explained.

Kendra could practically see the wheels turning in Warren's head at the thought of another adventure. "So we know Ronodin's still out there, but how do we get rid of him?" he asked. "It's not like you can cut off his head with a sword or something."

"His horns," Bracken said suddenly.

Everyone stared at him.

He sighed and looked Brynn straight in the eye. "I, too, can sense him," he admitted.

No! A million thoughts raced through Kendra's mind – Ronodin had been too strong; Bracken hadn't looked into the Memory Glass for long enough; they had been too late on their one-week deadline.

Somehow, they had failed.

"But I thought we got him out of you!" Kendra cried.

"No, no, he's gone. I am fully in control," Bracken promised. He flashed her a reassuring smile. "It's just like he left a little piece of himself behind. Just as I am aware of my own horns' existence, state of well-being, and location, I can also sense Ronodin's. His dark magic pulses across the thin thread of connection between himself and his horns. They're like his lifeline. If we destroy his horns, Ronodin will be gone for good."

"So we got to go on another wild goose chase to hunt down his three horns?" Seth asked incredulously. "That sounds like lots of fun!" His voice dripped with mock enthusiasm.
"Not quite a wild goose chase," Bracken said. "Like with my own, I can detect Ronodin's horns' proximity. The connection is thin right now, so they are probably in the human world. But I could lead you to them."

"That sounds like a—"

Warren was interrupted by the Fairy Queen.

"Absolutely not. I forbid it," she said firmly.

"Now, let's not make a hasty decision," the Fairy King said soothingly. "It's a reasonable suggestion. Let's talk this through."

Ignoring the Fairy King's remarks, the Fairy Queen said to Bracken, "Every time you leave the Fairy Realm, something bad happens. First the incident at Living Mirage, and now this mess with Ronodin. You seem to be a magnet for danger."

"But you can't prohibit me from leaving," Bracken protested. "For centuries before I was captured by the Sphinx I wanted the human world, serving and healing. All unicorns do this for a part of our lives. It is what we exist to do."

"But in the last few months you haven't been doing much wandering, healing, or serving, have you?" the Fairy Queen said, but it didn't really sound like a question.

"The Society of the Evening Star was on the brink of opening the Demon Prison! Even you left the Fairy Realm to confront the demon king," Bracken pointed out.

"And your most recent excursion?"

Bracken was silent.

"Perhaps we have become too directly involved with humans," the Fairy Queen said pointedly.

"So sorry for saving your butts for you," Seth muttered. Kendra didn't even bother to elbow him for that.

"We could have saved the Realm ourselves, eventually," the Fairy Queen said, but she didn't sound very certain.

"You're as bad as the other magical creatures! You want nothing to do with us until you need our help and then after that you forget we exist again." Seth prepared to punctuate this outburst with a spit on the shiny marble floor, but Elise stopped him with a warning look.

"Mother, see sense," said the blonde girl, Ophelia. "These humans have helped us – at their own peril, I might add – and even now, even after you have disrespected them so, they are still willing to help us. If you apologize now, you may still be able to enlist their aid."

The Fairy Queen frowned.

"You are not the only voice of authority in this Realm," the Fairy King reminded her gently.

The Fairy Queen stood, and for the first time Kendra realized how tall she was. Kendra gulped, feeling very insignificant before this being of obviously great power.

"Fine. You may go. Brynn, too, if she must. But when your association with humans turns on you, you will have no one but yourselves to blame."

The Fairy Queen strode from the room in an imperious whirl of embroidered silk.

Kendra breathed a sigh of relief, but new worry set in. She had thought their quest would end with the confrontation of Ronodin, but really the adventure was just beginning.

Author's Note:

Dun dun dun! Yes, their quest is far from over. Was the reunion scene sufficiently sappy? I suppose it could have been sappier, but I'm saving that for later :)

Lots of talking going on in this chapter… It seems that no matter how I try to write her, the Fairy Queen turns out like a worrying, overprotective mother to Bracken. I hope that wasn't too weird.

Hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner than this one; after hearing an inspiring speech from a local author I resolve to write at least a page a day! We'll see how long this resolution lasts, but here's hoping.

All comments, critique, and reviews are, as always, greatly appreciated!