We followed the tall fairy out of the dining hall, or whatever hall it was that we were in. This whole place was weird so I wasn't sure what was what. We walked down these very dirty stairs that looked ancient, but yet of course, this whole realm was. When we came to the bottom, there were two lit torches on either side of the wall. The Fairy ahead of us took one and gave the other to Erebus; "You're going to need this" she smiled. All the nasty and cruel expression had left her face and she looked somewhat human and full of life.

The gate to the prison was of crystal. I would think that it would be easily broken.

"You would think so, but this is the hardest crystal in the entire universe" the fairy answered. "And don't be too freaked, I am the guardian of the prison for a reason, I am psych by all means necessary. I can read anyone. Which is why no one has ever escaped from my prison without me knowing" she turned back around and continued down the long and dark hallway until we reached an opening. "I trust your intentions to retrieve your friends if he is here, or alive, and then to leave shortly afterwards. I warn you, our Queen is very manipulative. She may decide to ascend war on you even though she has given you the right to come and free him."

"Why do you tell us these things?" I asked.

"We were not always such mean creatures" her eyes looked sad as she looked down to the floor, "I can not speak of such things anymore, as it is forbidden, but I assure you, while you are in my charge, you will not be harmed."

"Thank you….um, I'm sorry, your name is?" I asked.

"Maurelle. And you're very welcome."

"Maurelle, you will be much rewarded by our Goddess for your kind nature" Erebus said as he bowed to her.

Maurelle, even in the dark, and since I could see in the dark much better, actually blushed. "It has been quiet a while since we have had visitors. Come, I will take you to where we have put the newest ones that have arrived"

"Newest ones? How do they get here? I assume you mean Humans?" I asked

"Yes and no, and I am not sure how they get here. Actually, they have been coming more recently. We usually only got one or two humans in a century, we have received 20 in the past few days, most of them Vampire's and fledglings. The humans do not live long. I fear something dreadful is about to come about, but I fear for my immortality here as a fairy to say anything to the Great Queen"

"Has she always been the Great Queen?" I asked.

"No. Only in the past century. We once had a loving Queen, Tania. The seventh daughter of a seventh daughter. When King Edric died during the battle of the Eastern King, the Queen was distraught and took her own life to live in the Summerland's to be with her beloved, leaving me behind. Since then, our lives have been turned to darkness. Fairies turned on fairies. Evil and darkness spread in our blood, hence, what we are now"

"How do you know of this?" Erebus asked as we continued walking. "We have always been told that Fairies are by nature Evil"

Maurelle stopped and turned to face us, "Because I am Tania's only daughter. And we are NOT evil by nature, that is only what the Great Queen will have everyone believe. You forget Lord, we are centuries older than you or your Goddess are" She turned back around, I could sense the turmoil in her soul as she took us further down into the prison.

I wanted to reach out to her, but I couldn't. I needed to find Heath, I needed to fix what was happening at the House of Night, there was so much to do, and yet I felt I had to do something here. People living in darkness, that just wasn't right.

"Here is where we keep the humans. If you find the one you are looking for, I will open the gates, and then you must leave, immediately." Maurelle instructed. "There is little I can do anymore about the way we live, even as a daughter of the Great King Edric, daughter of Queen Tania, I do not have the strength or courage anymore to fight against the Dark Queen." I saw the tear drop fall down her face.

I couldn't help myself, I walked close to her and reached up and put my hand on her face, "I wish I could make this better. I can't promise anything, but I can try to come back to help you"

"You can not help us. Most of our people are long gone, killed by Isenmort. The Dark Queen's army has taken over the lands and only she has control"

"Isenmort?" I asked confused.

"Metal. My mother was half human and half fairy. She was able to touch it for most of her life. My Aunt Rathina could touch Isenmort without harm that was her gift. Metal is dangerous to us, we can not touch it or be around it. It is like a poison"

"Then come back with us." I was surprised to hear myself say that. I felt I had to reach out to her. I may be a Vampire, and from all the books I've read from Charlaine Harris, Vampire's LOVE Fairies, but I wanted to help her. "Please, leave this place with us. Be happy again"

"Alas, I wish I could. If the Dark Queen were to find of my escape, she would break the barriers to the Human world to find me. I can not let her do that" She turned around, "Now come, we must be swift"

We went into the prison and I saw many cells. None had bars of steel on them, no noise of rambunctious criminals making faces or noises. These people, as we passed seemed to be incased in something. Some orange orb of some sort.

"They are in an Amber Prisons. It keeps them alive, but frozen. They never sleep, they never age. For all eternity, they are stuck there."

"Poor souls" Erebus said. "How do you free them?"

"Only the Dark Queen can, but from what my mother has told me in stories, Isenmort was always able to break an Amber Prisons. That is how she freed my Father and how she freed my Grandfather Great King Oberon."

Erebus looked like he was contemplating something. I knew he carried a sword or two with him which was probably made of metal, or Isenmort.

I walked over to each orb, most covered it thick dust. As I wiped away the dust I saw the poor faces of the humans trapped inside. I felt my own Spirit ach from the sight and I knew Nyx would never put up with this from anyone. I touched the first orb, was the face of a young girl, frightened, and she looked no older than maybe 12.

The next orb held a male adult, probably in his mid twenties, he had a vampire tattoo across his forehead. "Erebus!" I shouted.

He came running over and he gasped. "Dear Goddess, it is Ate! I thought we lost him when Neferet was turned, he was abducted into the Fae Realm?" he looked at Maurelle, "His is one of our Sons of Erebus! You must let us free him."

Maurelle gulped and looked from Erebus, who was not very happy, and nor would I piss off a God either, who happened to be the lover of Nyx, the personification of Night. "Free him if you must, free them all"

"But the Queen" I started to say.

"I will deal with the Queen. She has ruled this land far long enough and has done many dreadful things. If he is one of yours, you may have him, since she instructed that what was your, you may have. Do not open his orb yet, wait until you have found who you can to look for, then you may free all the rest and I will show you a way to leave this place quickly."

I ran from cell to cell, dusting off each orb until I came to one that glowed and almost seemed brand new. "Heath!" I saw his face and I felt the tears come down my cheeks. "Oh poor Heath! Erebus I have found him!" I ran up to the orb and touched it. "It will be ok. We will get you out of here. I promise" I kissed my fingers and placed them on the orb over Heaths lips. We may not be together anymore, I may not want to be together with him anymore, but that didn't mean that I didn't care about him. I still loved Heath, maybe not in a boyfriend kind of way, but I love him like I love my Grandma. I would die if he was hurt or died, just as I would if something happened to Grandma too.

Erebus came to my side, "Stand back" he drew his sword and swung at the orb. The moment it made contact with the Amber Prison it started to crack and then instantly burst into dust sending Heath hurdling to the floor coughing. "Zo!" he coughed again. "How did you find me?" coughing some more.

"Don't worry about that, but we need to hurry and get out of here." I put my arm around his shoulders and helped him up.

Maurelle walked up to Heath, stood in front of him, for the first time I could see through her thinning pale skin that she was once a great beauty. "I am deeply sorry for what my people have done to you. If I hope to right what has been wronged, I hope that you will forgive what has happened here"

Heath just stood there, "Yeah, whatever" Typical for upset Heath, but not really typical for his character. No matter what anyone thought about Heath, he was a gentleman down to the bone; his parents really did raise him right.

"Young lad, take this and smack against all the orbs here in this prison" Erebus commanded of him.

"Who are you?" Heath asked.

"No time for questions Heath!" I yelled at him. "Just do it!"

Erebus and Heath rushed to each of the Amber Prisons with metal swords, or Isenmort as Maurelle would call them and unchained those held captive inside. It wasn't long before we heard a thunderous scream and it felt like the whole castle has shook.

"We must hurry!" Maurelle cried. "She knows they are free, we must go!"

The last of the orbs to be freed was Ate. The moment we got him up and walking he seemed just dazed and confused as to where he was and why he was there, as was everyone else.

"Take my hand" Maurelle instructed. "And then take the hand of the person next to you"

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"It is my gift, to walk between Realms. Just like my Mother's, only she was allowed to take those she loved, I can take whomever I like. I can go anywhere my heart desires, not just what's in place here in another realm." She said with a smirk.

We all clasped hands just as we saw the shadows coming down the stairs, I heard a terrible scream, "KILL THEM!" I heard the Queen's raspy voice boom as more of her creepy little skeleton like fairy soldiers started to descend upon the prison.

"On three, One…two…three"

It seemed like we side stepped. As if there was an invisible barrier that allowed us to walk through and we walked right into a big grassy field. It looked much like the field to where I saw Nyx and Jack. "This is the Divine Realm. You will find your Goddess here" Maurelle said.

Erebus turned and nodded to her. "Maurelle, it has been a pleasure to meet your acquaintance and I hope we will see you again. Much luck on your journey" he smiled at her and kissed her hand, which she blushed.

"Zoey, I must tell you that you have been quiet a brave one and Nyx will be very proud of you. Now go, there is much darkness still where you are going. But remember, as always, what is dark does not always equate to evil as light does not always bring good" and he was gone. I was left with Ate, Heath and about 10 other humans that had been abducted along with about 8 other vampires and fledglings.

"Are you ready to go back?" Maurelle asked.

"I am" I took her hand once again, took Heaths hand and he grabbed the next person, then so and so forth. "Take us to the front of the House of Night"

And as before, we side stepped and was magically in front of the gates of my House of Night. I smiled realizing that I was home, and now it seemed like no time has passed at all. It was still dark out, though it felt really early. I turned to Maurelle who had a sad look across her face. "What is wrong?"

"The Queen will come looking for me, but I have no where to go. I can go back, but now the Queen will certainly kill me. I don't belong here, can't you see?" she pointed to her wings, or where her wings used to be. "What the…"

On the ground lay her wings withering up and turning to dust. As she looked back up, I gasped, she had been Marked. It was certain that the crescent moon was distinct, but it was not sapphire like ours, or red like Stevie Rae's and Stark's used to be, it was emerald green. "I think you do belong" I smirked at her and handed her a small mirror that I kept in my pocket. I know, I'm not that vain, but with as often as Nyx marks me, it's useful to have handy.

Maurelle, shell shocked, reached her hand up and touched her forehead. "How? How can I be Marked? I am Fairy! I am not Human!" she started to cry.

"There is nothing saying you have to be human to be Marked. This is our Goddess's way to thanking you, of making sure you are loved and that you belong somewhere. Because of your loving heart, you helped us. I am Nyx's Chosen, and for you to help me, and her lover Erebus, you have done her a tremendous favor"

Maurelle started to cry as she reached over and hugged me tightly. "I really hope I gain some weight, I feel anorexic here"

I laughed, "I think that's a first I've heard someone say that!" I laughed some more.

I turned around at the other Fledglings and Vampires, and lastly at Heath. "Welcome home everyone. Because of Maurelle's bravery to defy her own kind and her Queen, Nyx has favored her and marked her as her own. I wish you all welcome, now go, be with those you love and visit, laugh, and be merry." I opened the gates to the House of Night and everyone flooded in, except for Heath. The rest of the humans ran down the street heading towards home.

"So, what now? Do I just go home? Or do I get an explanation of what the hell just happened!"

Maurelle spoke first, before I could say anything, "The Queen of the Fairy Realm has been kidnapping Vampire's and humans. She takes the humans to feed the Vampires that she keeps outside of the Amber Prisons. The Queen has a mysterious touch, deadly to a human but that touch can transfer powers from a vampire to her. She has been stealing powers for some time now."

"Mysterious Touch?" I asked. "Like what kind?"

"Like talons." Maurelle added.

I gasped. "Grandma" she had been attacked by the Queen and the Queen had taken Heath. "Does anyone live through it?"

"Only if they are treated right away" Maurelle confirmed.

"Ok" Heath butted in, "I know this is all cool and interesting and shit, but what the fuck just happened to me! Can anyone explain that to me?"

"Please, just please, would you pay attention!" I used my Twin verbiage when they were annoyed. "You were kidnapped by an evil Fairy Queen to be fed to a bunch of Vampires so that the Queen can steal their powers. Got that?"

Heath's face went blank, "Ugh"

"Now do you understand why you can't keep showing up here? I've saved you're ass twice now Heath, I can't keep coming to the rescue because your hard headed enough not to listen for your own good!" I yelled at him. I know that now was not the time to get angry at him for this, but he needed to be slapped or something for it to get into his thick, jockey head of his. "I love you Heath, but you have to stop. You have to stop coming here, you have to stop trying to see me. Not that I don't want to remain friends, but it is too dangerous for you and I to be friends. Do you not get that I will be 17 forever? You will get older and die and I will still look like this!"

Heath was a bit taken back by what I said, and I could feel the pain in his eyes. "I get it. I'm sorry I burdened you by coming to my rescue" his voice was snappy and he quickly turned to walk away. I was tempted to go after him and explain that he got it all wrong, but that's what I always got wrong. I always went back after him and he always came back. If I wanted to protect Heath, I had to let him go. I had to let him be hurt and I had to hurt myself in the process.

I turned around to Maurelle, "Well, I guess I might as well introduce you to a new pack of friends, but let's get you cleaned up first"