Author's Note:

Here's the nineteenth chapter. Sorry for the long wait. Let's just say I have the worst luck in the universe and summer traveling, and leave it at that. I am completely and utterly sorry, and if you don't want to continue reading or call me a big fat jerk, you can. I won't even hold it against you. Thank you for waiting and hopefully that won't happen again. Here is a recap of the last chapter, First.

Previous Chapter Recap: The fairy has died, and Kendra is the only one who can save her. However, Liz doesn't like this idea at all and is freaking out. And what's this about how she could die?

Can Kendra do what she needs to to save the fairy? This will be answered in this chapter.

This chapter is sad, serious, revealing, and I tried to put some humor in it but I don't know if I succeeded. It is also a little long, a special treat to all of you. Sorry for the cliff hanger though.

OK, so some people have been talking about me stop writing. I assure you that will NEVER happen. It is one of my biggest pet peeves on this thing. You know, when you get into a story and then they stop writing it forever. Not happening here. It may take me forever to update but that's only because I have THE WORST LUCK EVER TO EXIST. Sorry about that. Also someone said to me to change my summary. If you guys have any ideas, I'd really appreciate it. I'm horrible with summaries but I can write. Thanks for reading.

Hope you enjoy... –Evangeline

Power Challenge

Every time I reached down into my power, it amazed me how much was there. I can never believe that I have only been able to access forty percent of my potential light. There was just so MUCH!

But for this spell, I would have to tap into the blocked portion of my inner light. In order to do that, I would have to beat a test, a challenge.

Each time I gain a tenth more of power, I have to beat a challenge that my gift, mind, heart, and soul, have put up in my brain. Sometimes, these challenges are fought in the physical world, but that is rare. The reason is so I can prove that I am ready and worthy for this gift. The light I have comes with a burden and that burden grows as my power does. I gain more responsibilities and potential. I also have more enemies and people that would use my gifts for their desires. Each level of power is harder to get by. Every hour for me in my challenge is a minute in reality. Every burse and cut I receive in the test is placed on my body. If I die or faint in the test, I faint in reality.

As I dove into my power, I hit a wall.

This was it. Either I back away and retreat and hope I have enough power to save the fairy, or I push into the wall and gain more power.

I remembered my previous challenges. The fist challenge is simply bravery and gaining the Fairy Queen's trust. I completed this challenge by fighting my inner battle to go to the Fairy Queen's shrine knowing I could become a bunch of dandelion seeds. The second challenge is showing compassion and love to someone who has hurt you. I concurred this challenge when I healed Vanessa in the Leaning Tower at Fablehaven. Challenge number three is nurturing living beings and acceptance of death. It was the first challenge I had to go through in my mind. I had to take care of a dieing plant and a baby fairy that would not heal. I has to be kind and gentle to both of them, but in the end they died. It took me a while but I accepted that their death was not my fault, and it was inevitable. Task four is protecting and understanding every living creature. It was my previous battle and I had learned what happened when I died in these events, and I DON'T want a repeat. However, I managed to bet it the second time. I understood that in order to win, I had to protect the innocent and understand my attackers. Not an easy task, but manageable.

I have tried to beat task number five before. Once before, and it had scared Liz and the Fairy Queen. I knew the task was about sacrificing the life of a loved one to save the life of an enemy. I couldn't do that, especially when that life being sacrificed is Bracken and the life I'm saving is Navarog. Not a good trade, but I had to do it. Last time, I nearly bleed to death because I was under for seven hours, and then I died causing me to faint. Not a fun time or experience.

This time though, isn't to see if I can. It isn't because I've mastered my other talents. I'm doing this to bring this fairy back. I'm doing this, because I can't afford not to.

Only a couple of seconds had passed by since I closed my eyes. It was now or never.

I broke the wall.

I appeared in an arena of sorts. It looked like the coliseum in old documentaries where they show what it had been like in the time of the Roman Empire. However, this place had the Fairy Realm Glow. It had designs of flowers over it.

Though, the beauty of the place wasn't what caught my attention. No, my attention was on the two men fighting in the middle of the arena.

One was all in black and midnight hair welding a dark gray sword that had a streak of blood red running down the middle of the blade. The other was wearing all white and had silver hair welding a blade that emanated a pure white glow. Navarog and Bracken. Both fighting for blood. For death.

I knew the situation immediately. Navarog had information that could save the world. He was the only surviving person who had the knowledge we desperately needed. We, no, THE WORLD, could not afford to lose him.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a shadowy figure start to sneak towards the boys. The idiots were so focused on their fight that they didn't notice there death sneaking up towards them.

"Do I have to do EVERYTHING," I murmured angrily to myself as I ran to intercept the un welcome figure.

As I ran I grabbed a sword that was handily on a table. It felt perfectly balanced in my hands, as if it was made for me. What a coincidence.

"STOP!" I shouted as I pointed my sword in front of the figure and stood in between him and the boys. I'm not sure who exactly I was talking to, but in any case they all stopped.

"Kendra?" The idiots whispered behind me in shock.

"Kendra Sorensen." The man's voice gave me the chills, but I didn't let it show. "Move child."

"No," I told him, "You two idiots get out of here."

"I'm not leaving without you Kendra," Bracken told me. At least he knows he is an idiot.

"GO! NOW!"

"Not without you."

"We have to protect Navarog. So GO!"

"No. I won't let you die to protect him." I hadn't realized he had been walking towards me until he stood next to me. He put his hand on my shoulder. "Please, Kendra. Do this for me. If you love me, you will do this."

My eyes watered. I wanted to say no and charge the man. I wanted to give him Navarog and run away with Bracken. This whole situation felt so real. It felt like… like Bracken would really die. In the back of my head, I knew this whole thing was fake. It wasn't real but that didn't change my feelings. It was like a nightmare. You feel like it's so real and part of your mind knows it's not, but that doesn't stop you waking up screaming. I knew what I should do. That I should let him sacrifice himself and run away with Navarog. My head was telling me to do just that. But my heart screamed in agony to not to. All throughout my training the Fairy Queen told me to always, ALWAYS listen to my heart. This challenge went against that fundamental principle.

I was about to say no, for a second time. The world was on the tip of my tongue about to leave my mouth when I remembered the fairy. I remembered that I didn't come here by choice, but by necessity. I had to win. I had to shove my heart into a box and listen to my head. No matter how hard it was. No matter the fact that my heart was shattering into a billion pieces.

I turned to look at him. The man I love. He was staring at me with love and determination in his eyes. I could feel my eye's water and my resolve breaking. I had to use ALL of my strength not to break my resolve.

"I love you," I told him putting every ounce of love I had into my words as I lunged forward, grabbed his shirt, pulled him down, and kissed him in desperation.

He pulled back all too quickly. "I love you." He whispered to me with love. "Now run." He pushed me out of the way.

And I listened.

I grabbed Navarog's hand and we ran towards the exit, the sound of swords clashing together behind us. Tears fell relentlessly out of my eyes.

When we reached the doors, I pushed them open and turned my head back. I looked back to see the masked man thrust his midnight sword into the love of my life's heart. It all happened in slow motion for me. I saw Bracken throw his head back and heard the evil shadow life a hideous, bone chilling, crackling laugh. Bracken released his sword and it slowly fell to the ground. Clashing when it hit the marble.

I swear I heard him whisper my name, before his head dropped and his body sagged. Before his soul left him life less.

"BRACKEN!" I screamed as his body dropped with a sickening thud. The masked figure pulled his sword out of him continuing to laugh. Blood, blood, and more blood gushed out of his body as his blood dripped from the weapon of death.

I wanted to run to him. To drop down next to his body and hold him once more. To kiss his lips one last time. To cry into his shoulder and soak his shirt with my tears a finale time. However, I couldn't let him die in vain. If I ran back there, Navarog would die to. The world would end.

So, I turned my head around, my tears coming stronger than before and my body ranking with sobs, and I ran through the doors and into the light.

Next Chapter:

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