Chapter 6: The Fae Moorways

The Watchful Highlands were growing in trees as the ferry went further down the river the next day. Most of the passengers entertained themselves with trading tricks for social games or even talking about their plans once they reach further east. The captain reassured Gothy that they'd drop off the trio at the Fae Moorways before the sun set. Where they were now, the mist had vanished from the horizon. The sky was blue, but more cyan than the ridiculous baby blue that Auradon had.

Audrey, meanwhile, flipped through the beginner's spellbook that Ingwer Hexe had smuggled in her backpack. Contrary to Mal's spellbook, the one Audrey held was typed; it was obvious that multiple copies probably existed out there. The pages were worn out by an inch and the paperback cover a bit torn, but the information was still there. Always start with basic incantations before creating your own. That's what Ingwer Hexe had told her.

And yet nothing was happening. While Gothy was keeping an eye out on the other passengers, Audrey was cautiously hiding behind crates, struggling to perform a mere levitation spell on a discarded piece of rope while the Bloody Bambi watched.

"Snake of strings, float like wings." Audrey was holding out her hands with force over the discarded rope. The Bloody Bambi watched as the pink glow in her eyes flickered like a malfunctioning light bulb and the tip of the rope slightly budged upward before collapsing back to its inanimate state.

"Ugh!" Audrey stomped her foot. "Why can't I do this right? I didn't have any problems when I spelled the van!"

The Bloody Bambi tilted its head.

"You think I should try another spell?" The red-colored animal responded by resting its head on her lap. Audrey sighed and gave it the usual neck caress. "Why is that it's so easy to have a devoted friend like you, but I can't even cast a spell on my own?" With her spare hand, Audrey flipped through the pages until she reached the index.

Page 3: A General Introduction to Witchcraft

Page 10: Beginner's Basic Incantations

Page 30: Creating Your Own Spells

Page 56: Potions That You Can Craft If You Don't Have Allergies

Page 74: Is Human Neat Necessary For Your Fuel?

Page 113: The Pros And Cons of Summoning Demons

Page 116: Familiars

Page 130: Magical Contracts

Page 166: Magical Reproduction & Endings

The mention of Page 113's title reminded Audrey of that disturbing dream she had the other day. She realized that she couldn't even remember the facial details of the red-coated, redheaded man who proclaimed himself as her devil. Only his strange, never ending smile caught her attention. Part of Audrey wanted to shake it off as the mere hallucination that she probably imagined due to blood loss, but another part of her was telling her to not shove it aside. Whoever she saw in her nightmare, he made her memorize the particular lyrics perfectly. You gave me your soul to guide. You summoned me with you fallen, angelic voice to come to your aid.

Audrey shuddered. She really hoped it was a mere coincidence and not the whole 'once upon a dream' nonsense she had heard from her mother. Unable to contain herself, she turned to page 113.

So you've wondered about what it's like to summon a demon. Is it out of accident or for motivation? We hate to break it to you, but only idiots summon demons.

"Wow. So much for an educational intro," Audrey told the Bloody Bambi.

Demons aren't quite as unholy as one would think. While it is true that they all live in Hell and some of them might be native to the fallen angel's kingdom, the greatest percentage of all demons were originally human. Morality is very selective when choosing who goes to Heaven and who goes to Hell. The smallest, nastiest act can guarantee your ticket to Hell. Even a child isn't safe from being added to Hell's upcoming list if he whines or is spoiled by his parents.

Demons generally don't have much left of their humanity, but they fully understand how humans work. That is why very frequently, they get summoned by mortals whose sins, desperate wishes, and lost directions associate best with the summoned guardians.

But how to summon a demon? That isn't easy. Only beings with genetics close to Death can fully describe the summoning methods. Because sinners overpopulate Hell every year, the list of summoning methods is beyond hectic. Be grateful that even witches who wrote this book know nothing about the summoning methods either, otherwise this book will crush you.

We witches do know one thing: once summoned, a demon will be dedicated in leading his or her protégée in the path they deem to be correct. And regardless of how the demon approaches the corruption of his or her protégée, the demon is BANNED from harming the protégée. Only Death will destroy the bond between the summoned one and the protected one.

But seriously, don't even think of committing suicide or finding other ways of indirectly taking your life! Because if you mistreated your summoned demon, he or she can retaliate VICIOUSLY once you join him or her in Hell.

"Princess! Bloody Bambi!"

Audrey panicked and shut the book closed. She and the Bloody Bambi got up from their hiding space and rushed to find Gothy, who was walking around the deck.

"We're here!" Audrey called out. "What happened?"

"I dare ask the same thing to you." Gothy noticed the spellbook Audrey was clutching before the latter hid it behind her back. "Practicing, eh? How did it go?"

"I can't even get a rope to float. You?"

"News that made my day. The captain said that we're getting to our destination sooner than expected."

"I thought he said we'd reach the Fae Moorways before the sun set."

"And he did. The sunset isn't until 6:50pm. It's 5pm." Gothy pointed ahead. The Watchful Highlands were getting vacant in trees and making way for a massive valley. Compared to the highland's green lush, the moors were covered in neutral gray grass. Rocks were dispersed here and there, and though there were some gray clouds in the sky, Audrey could somewhat see the few pinches of glitter the rocks had. The most troubling part, however, was the sight of the thousands of doorways that stood out in the entirety of the moors. Some were small while others were large. Some were of plain wood while others had intricate designs on their marble. Some were rectangular while others had rather abstract designs. As the ferry got closer to a desolate boardwalk, Audrey saw that each nearby doorway had some kind of blur trapped within the frames. She could see the colors of the background through the doorway as if a painter had decided to smudge his handiwork.

The Fae Moorways were literally a massive forest of nothing but doorways.

"This could take forever!" Audrey groaned as the ferry made a halt. They thanked the captain and got off the boat.

"Are any of you familiar with the Fae Moorways?" Gothy asked some people waiting to board the ferry from the boardwalk.

"We weren't here for tourism, missy." A goateed man rolled his eyes as if it were obvious.

"Why are you so rude?" Some braided woman snapped at him. "It's not the newbies' fault if they don't know that only people who come to see the Fae for business travel here!"

"Oh really? How did that work out for you?" He sarcastically asked her.

"Um, I'm really sorry, but would you happen to know where we can find a Fae princess?" Audrey quietly asked.

"Ye gonna have to be specific, doll," an old woman said as she boarded the boat with her grandson. "A lot of fancy doorways lead to different kingdoms."

"We're looking for a princess who's abused by her father… who happens to be out of town until tomorrow."

"Oh, that princess!" The old woman widened her eyes.

"We just came back from there!" Her granddaughter swung on the ferry's railing. "She's so weird! She's inviting a bunch of strangers to party at her house!"

"Sophie, the main reason we were even there was because one of your classmates wished you away!" Her grandmother told her in an angry tone. "I'm suing your school once we get back home!"

"Where's the doorway for that?" Audrey asked Sophie's grandmother.

"Just follow the owls." The old woman pointed at the sky. Sure enough, a massive diversity of owls was flying towards the opposite direction of the boardwalk. The way they flew downward to a specific direction reminded Audrey of a strange feathery snake. "They're going straight to her doorway, the only one in the area to have peach designs."

"And very glittery!" Sophie nodded.

"Thank you so much. Come on, guys." Audrey patted the Bloody Bambi and the three made their way. The ferry left the boardwalk while they walked through the Fae Moorways using the owls as guides. As they walked, they cautiously kept an eye out for the other doorways. Gothy cringed when she saw a doorway designed with teeth while Audrey didn't know how to react when she saw a very scaly doorway. In a way, as they continued walking, they felt more like walking through a silent cemetery rather than walking through someone's weird concept of art. Occasionally, they'd run into at least one or two people phasing out of the doorways like ghosts do through walls. Some looked very satisfied while others were shaken.

They finally found where the owls came to a stop. While the Bloody Bambi was shaking off some tiny owls that dared to land on its antlers, Gothy and Audrey saw that the other owls were taking their turns flying through the doorway. Just as the little Sophie and her grandmother had said, the doorway had medieval carvings and paintings of peach trees and the peach fruit itself. The black and white paints that had been used were standing out due to the glitter mixed into them.

"OK…" Gothy took a deep breath and clasped her hands. "We go in, we find the princess, we ask her about the next clue, and we make a run for it before her father gets back. Got it?"

"I wonder why she doesn't just leave to come here if her Dad is so abusive?" Audrey wondered. Gothy didn't bother giving her an answer. She started poking her finger through the doorway; her finger was blurring itself until she pulled it out.

"What does it feel like?" Audrey asked Gothy.

"Like I lost all my muscles and bones."

After some convincing, Audrey and Gothy got settled on the Bloody Bambi's back. Gothy made sure to double-knot the ropes they were using as makeshift belts.

"Anytime you want," Audrey told the stag.

It didn't waste a minute. The Bloody Bambi ran towards the doorway and jumped through the blur. Gothy and Audrey immediately felt queasy and struggled to hang on to the stag. Gothy hadn't joked when she said that going through the blur made her feel like she was only floating skin. Audrey had the same feeling.

The landscape of the Fae Moorways blurred into neutral-colored abstract clouds that took their turn into being blurred into something cleaner. Audrey thought she was seeing a night sky full of stars, but it turned out to be nothing but a starless sky and what she thought were stars were actually thousands of glittery specks being thrown on her face.

The Bloody Bambi finally landed onto solid ground and the girls wasted no time in unknotting the ropes to get off. Audrey worked on dusting the glitter off her. A problem came, however. The glitter wouldn't come off. No matter how much she tried to brush or shake it off her clothes, the glitter remained intact. She untied her hair and messed it up, but it did no good. Even on her hair, it wouldn't budge.

"Gothy, I think we have a problem…"

"You're telling me." Gothy wasn't referring to Audrey's glitter crisis but to the massive maze that stood out under the night-shrouded sky. The area only had two light sources, the moon and the beam lights that were coming from a castle located at the maze's center. Both sources of light caused the glitter staining the amaze to brighten up in colorful specks. Party music could be heard coming from the castle.

"Huh…" Audrey widened her eyes. "It kinda reminds of those all-nighter parties Chad Charming used to throw at his castle. You know, one of those 'don't have the midnight curfew' extravaganzas."

"Guess the idiot eventually realized that he needed his beauty sleep?"

"No. Cinderella grounded after the accident with the castle clocktower." When Gothy looked at her in confusion, Audrey raised her hand to indicate that she didn't want to talk about it. "OK, well, if my memory on maze designs recalls well, the quickest way to the center is by going left."

Gothy snorted as if Audrey was joking. "There's no way that we'll make it to the center of the maze by going left!"

10 minutes later

"I can't believe we made it to the center of the maze by going left!"

Audrey hadn't failed. OK, so they had some troubles dealing with the first illusions that the maze was throwing in the first pathway, but a certain worm was feeling in a good mood so he told them to take a left turn to head straight to the castle. And sure enough, after taking that left turn, they managed to reach the castle in less than ten minutes. Gothy looked like she wanted to rip her hair out at the illogical math behind all this, but Audrey spared her. She dragged her towards the scale-motif doors. Two tiny creatures were guarding it, but judging by their hiccups and the presence of party cups, it looked like security wasn't a priority for the castle's princess.

"Uh, excuse me?" Audrey called out. "We came to see the princess."

"Princess… partying…" One creature hiccupped with a weird smile.

"Princess throw lot of parties… Wish king didn't have to return tomorrow…" The other creature hiccupped as well.

That's the part where the doors burst open, and because the creatures were leaning on it, they were sent flying in laughter. The person who ran out to welcome the trio was some wild teenager with dark lemon brown hair tied in a messy ponytail and splattered with glitter. Her dark purple dress reached her knees and was covered by a stone brown coat with glitter on the ends, a purple collar, purple lace ends, and a purple belt. Everything that was purple on her, including her rather tight small boots, had a maze pattern on it. Overall, she looked like someone who was having too much of a wild time, but if the purple crystal earrings, necklace, and tiara were any other sort of obvious statement, she was obviously the princess they were looking for.

"Well, ain't this a fine sight!" She stared at them with brown eyes that matched her coat's coloring but expressed two different sorts of expression within her, one of wild excitement and the other of serious interest. "Another fae magic induced princess…"

"Oh, no." Audrey shook her head. "I'm no Fae and no princess."

"Don't lie!" The princess laughed. "Why do you think the glitter is only stuck on you? It sticks permanently on those who have fae magic. Can't wait to hear the massive story behind the former bratty royalty who thought she could mess with Fae magic and get away like she'd be a normal human!"

Audrey couldn't even tell if the princess was mocking her or saying nonsense out of influence.

"And you brought an escort!" The princess's eyes widened with strange glee that made Gothy take a stiff step back. "Got any after-party availabilities, Gorgeous?"

"Excuse me?" Gothy looked offended.

"Come on in!" The princess dragged them inside, though she clung onto them to retain her balance. There wasn't a single hallway or room that wasn't packed with strange creatures, humanoids, or humans dancing to the loud music, eating and drinking heavily, or doing… whatever they were doing behind the statues.

"Princess!" Another strange creature approached her, but unlike the drunk ones from the main doors, this one had clearly kept his head straight. "Ten more minutes till the thirteenth hour!"

"Dang… It's gonna be tomorrow already?" The princess tried to keep her head straight.

"Princess, your medication!" The creature pulled out a purple-colored inhaler. Gothy grabbed it and forcefully pumped it in the princess's mouth. When she got her mind straightened, she took a massive deep breath and pulled the inhaler out of her.

"OK, thanks to all those who came to every single one of my last parties, but whoever's not a goblin, GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" She yelled. "And whoever is a goblin, CLEAN UP THE PLACE!"

Most of the complaints were either goblins wishing they didn't have to go back to work yet and the humanoids and humans were complaining something about how they wished the king didn't have to come back home. The new visitors, on the other hand, followed the princess and her sane goblin to the throneroom.

"Cup of tea for the guests?" The goblin asked his mistress as she sat down on the steps that led to a strange throne.

"Don't spike them," the princess warned. "And if those blasted cooks try to spike mine with peach juice again, I'll kick them into the Bog of Eternal Stench!"

"Yes, princess." The goblin walked his calm way towards the kitchen.

"That's Beetleglum." The princess told the trio. "He's nursed me since I was in a crib. Oh, right, I forgot." She gave the lousiest form of curtsey she could come up with while sitting. "Crystal Maze, princess of the Underground. Daughter of Jareth the Goblin King." Her middle finger pointed at a small portrait that hung next to the throne, portraying Crystal posing with her father in a glittery blue coat, ridiculously tight pants, and mismatched eyes. The only things he and Crystal seemed to have in common in the picture were their messy blond haircuts and their expressions that made it clear that posing next to one another for the portrait was unbearable.

"Your dad doesn't let you have a lot of friends, does he?" Audrey took the audacity of sitting down next to Crystal; the latter didn't react much. "That's why you throw those hectic parties when he's out and you let random strangers in."

"You'd be surprised by how many of the guests are actually Jareth's rejected clients. I'm a bit more lenient than he is," Crystal nodded. "And if you three are here, it's probably to ask for a service that I can do but that you can't ask when he's around."

"Indeed." Gothy groaned. "Would you happen to know anyone named Cassandra?"

"Hold your horses, Gorgeous." Crystal raised her hand. "I don't do names. I lost track of a lot of them after I got drunk at my parties…" Beetleglum entered the throneroom with a silver tray bearing a crystal teakettle with matching crystal cups. He gave each girl a teacup once he was done pouring tea in the cups.

"Shall I bring the stag to the stables, Princess?" He asked Crystal.

"No, he's good. But bring a fancy bowl for him. The blonde one will feed it."

"Of course, Princess." He left again.

Audrey clutched her bag. "How did you know?"

"Didn't have to peep. Who sees blood-colored stags walk around these parts?"

"So, you can tell that the Bloody Bambi drinks blood, but you can't tell if you've met my sister Cassandra?" Gothy scowled.

"In my defense, your sibling doesn't have one of those fancy Bible names!" Crystal raised a finger. "There's at least 100 women out of the 6 billion in the world who have that name! Heck, the original was the namesake for the phrase 'Cassandra Truth', aka 'you get cursed to tell the truth but no one believes you because a sun god can't take no for an answer!' And believe me, when it comes to men who can't take no for an answer, my old man is part of the club!" Crystal pointed her middle finger at the portrait yet again. Gothy, on the other hand, was stressfully drinking the still boiling peppermint tea in a rapid manner as she began pacing.

Audrey decided to take another approach. "What about a hybrid that phases numerous faces? Do you know one of those?"

"That I know… because in that subject matter, there's only one."

"Really?" Audrey smiled. "Do you remember her name?"

"I do, but I can't say it out loud."

Audrey sighed.

"And why not?" Gothy was less patient with the Fae princess than Audrey was.

"FYI, Gorgeous, you're now walking on turf that is different from wherever you came from. People are cautious about giving away names. Besides, the hybrid comes from a particular case when people only summon her kind to make contracts."

"Is she like a demon?" Audrey thought of what she had read in the spellbook back on the ferry.

"Eh… partially." Crystal waved her hand. Beetleglum brought a fancy crystal bowl and placed it on the ground. Though Audrey insisted of doing it herself, Beetleglum poured pig's blood in the bowl and gave the Bloody Bambi its space to eat while Crystal continued talking. "She's part-ghost, so she's familiar with the whole 'use a particular summoning method and a certain Hellion will follow you to the ends of your life!' Her own dad still has to go through the whole being summoned by calling his name three times even though he married a human, and the summoning method also applies to her. Not to mention that her dad doesn't like my dad, and if I randomly started saying her name three times to satisfy the needs of some mortals..."

"You wouldn't hear the end of it." Audrey nodded. "Where does your friend live?"

"Further northeast from the Fae Moorways, in Macabretown."

"Great!" Gothy shoved her cup on the tray. "Well thanks for the chat and advice! We'll be go… WHAT THE!" Gothy interrupted herself when Crystal, in an expression of boredom, snapped her fingers and two stone hands grew out of the floor to grab Gothy by the ankles.

"Not so fast!" Crystal said. "We haven't discussed payment."

"Payment?" Both Audrey and Gothy gasped.

"Obviously. You stepped on Fae turf. You honestly think that we give services for free. I'm giving you something you want. Now, you must give me something I want. And no, I don't want payment in cash."

"Well, what do you want most of all?" Audrey asked.

"I want to leave."

Gothy stared at Audrey in confusion. The princess, on the other hand, took only a few minutes to stare at the castle doors and then at Crystal to actual come up with a conclusion. "Your kingdom is actually a prison. That's why you keep throwing these parties whenever your dad leaves!"

"Goblin King very defensive about letting his heiress leave Underground." Beetleglum spoke out. "Princess not allowed to leave to go to Aboveground where mortals roam unless mortals wish for it. General Fae rule."

"But that's not fair!" Audrey protested.

"If I had a nickel for every time I heard that," Crystal rolled her eyes.

"You can't be serious!" Gothy snapped. "You expect me to believe that as payment for one small info, you want us to wish you out of your house?"

"Hey, I didn't make the Fae laws, Gorgeous!" Crystal stood up from her sitting spot. "I'm the future Goblin Queen by blood, so my essence is bound to this realm and who knows how long of an ETERNITY I'll have to wait until Jareth dies so I can take over!"

"Not quick to happen." Beetleglum shook his head. "Goblin King immortal."

"And according to Fae law, my kind of Fae aren't allowed to leave their realms unless mortals invite them, and in my family's case, we only get invited when mortals wish for something from us! My dad and I only go to the mortal realm when someone wishes something from us, and even when we get summoned, we only have limited time there!"

"And King doesn't let Princess abuse loopholes like King can." Beetleglum added.

"I JUST WANT TO GET OUT MORE OFTEN!" Crystal dropped on her knees. "I CAN'T EVEN GRANT MY OWN WISHES! PLEASE, WISH ME TO GET OUT AS FOREVER AS IT TAKES! I'M BEGGING YOU!" Beetleglum, being the gentle goblin he was, ushered to give gentle pats on the princess' back while she sobbed hysterically. Gothy and Audrey couldn't handle the sight that much either.

"Princess, you do it." Gothy muttered to Audrey. "I don't do hysterical."

"Why are you asking me?" Audrey protested. "I mean, out of the two of us, aren't you the most professional with neglectful parents?"

"Uh, your parents were hardly there and your grandmother was abusive."

"Uh, your mother practically treated Rapunzel the same way the Goblin King is treating his own flesh and blood!" Audrey gestured at Crystal. "I mean, look at her! Being unable to go out to the human realm more often? She might as well be claustrophobic in her own castle."

"But…"

"You gave me a chance when nobody else would a few days ago," Audrey said quietly. "How is Crystal any different?"

"You're less unbearable than her!"

"When ladies done bickering, maybe comply to wish of Princess?" Beetleglum gently asked the girls. They saw that the sobbing was worsening when Crystal's tears turned into actual crystal balls. "Please make wish for Princess to come with ladies. Princess miserable until Goblin King pass away and Princess become Queen."

"Yes, we know!" Gothy snapped at the goblin. "Ugh! That king makes my mother look like a saint when it comes to neglect! Gothel never bothered to raise her own pinkie when I disobeyed her every day!"

"Disobedience!" Audrey snapped her fingers. "I wish for Crystal Maze to join us on our trip for as long as her disobedience to her father lasts!"

Crystal stopped sobbing, Beetleglum stared at Audrey, Gothy was too speechless, and the Bloody Bambi finished drinking the last blood drop in its bowl.
"Come again?" Crystal looked at Audrey in equal startle. "What did you wish?"

"I wish for you to come with me, Gothy, and the Bloody Bambi on our trip to find Gothy's sister. For as long as your disobedience to your dad lasts," Audrey repeated herself.

"But… my disobedience to Jareth is eternal." Crystal poked Audrey on the nose.

"And last time I checked, you mentioned that whenever you're invited to the mortal realm through wishes, you only get to spend a specific time depending on the wish before you're forced to go back here for the rest of eternity." Audrey gently pushed away the finger. "But, by wishing you to join us as long as you disobey your dad, you might as well consider it as self-imposed exile… until you crack and…"

Audrey didn't get the chance to finish. Crystal was hugging her to the point of constriction.

"You GLORIOUS GENIUS!" Crystal let her go, causing Audrey to collapse a bit. "Wish granted! We're leaving as soon as after breakfast tomorrow! No, wait! We wait until my jerkass father comes home, I trash in front of him, and we make a run for the hills! Beetleglum, my luggage! Now! I'm taking everything, I'm never coming back! No, bring some soda in my room! I'm calling for a three-girls slumber party! OH MY GOSH, LETS DO KARAOKE UNTIL WE YAWN!" Crystal kicked her father's throne off its place and struck a pose. "LET'S DANCE MAGIC, BECAUSE BY TOMORROW, I AM OUT OF HERE!"

Gothy merely turned her head and gave a vicious glare at Audrey, who could only give a mere chuckle. "Uh… Just helping another princess be a bit free?"

"Consider yourself lucky that I tolerate you better than most other living freaks out there," Gothy said flatly.