Trust Me

Otto looked up as the other teams departed then turned back to his team.

"We know what he's after," Draal growled, "But how is he doing it?"

Otto shook his head, "VVe have no idea. Ze only power vve know he has is mind control. He never showed Lenora his fay power und Liza has no memory of it. All vve know is that it has allowed him to maintain control of ze fairy clans in Italy, Sicily, and Greece."

"He could be using anything?" Eli looked out the window, "Hell, he could be using human tools to do it."

"Or an artifact, or a spell. Ze good news is vve know vone of his vveaknesses."

"Iron."

"Ja," Otto reached into his pocket and pulled out an iron ring, "I'll be vvaring zis. Draal, your arm is made out of copper und iron. Roland can't touch you. Eli, zis is vvare zings get complicated for you."

"I'll get burned if it means he can't control me," Eli crossed his arms.

"I vvouldn't go zat far," HIs father shook his head, "But vve need a plan…"

Eli licked his lips.

"Try these," Morgana stepped up, holding out a pair of leather gloves," They won't protect you from his magic but you could carry an iron weapon. Something you could use against him."

The young fairy grinned and slipped on the gloves, "Danke, Oma!"

"Alright. First step done," Otto looked out the window at the figure in the school, "Now. How do vve get in vvizout him noticing?"

"Tanta Liza masqueraded as a student while he controlled her. That means he knows his way around the school. He'll have the entrances to the gym guarded."

"Guarded?" Draal looked down at him.

"Yeah. If he had just broken in, the alarms would have gone off. That means he has at least one other person with him. Probably under his control."

Otto smiled proudly and squinted at the school.

"Can I not just smash through the wall?" Draal punched his palm to demonstrate.

"Zat's a good plan 'B'. But vve need to zink of somezing more subtle. Try to take him by surprise."

"Not easy to do when you don't really know anything about your enemy but he knows a lot about you."

Otto hummed. He scanned the building.

"I could create a shadow portal directly in," Morgana offered, "It won't even give him the chance to form a plan against you."

Otto blinked, "Zat makes much more sense zen vvhat I vvas planning…"

"But how do we destroy him?" Draal growled, "There is no point in fighting him if we cannot defeat him. And fairies are notoriously hard to kill."

Eli tilted his head as he looked out the window, "The cages in the dungeons are made of iron. We just have to subdue him enough to lock him in. He won't be able to use his powers in there.

Otto nodded, "Very good...VVe can bring a set of iron shackles. But vve have to be careful. VVe don't vvant to hurt anyvone under his control."

"Killing him is still an option, right?"

"Of course. Just try not to make a mess."

The troll harrumphed and nodded. Otto took a deep breath and smiled at his mother. She nodded and summoned a pair of iron handcuffs. Then, she stepped back.

"I'll try to put the portal out of sight but, just in case, try to make it fast."

"Right. Close ze portal as soon as you can see us on ze ozer side. VVe don't vvant anyvone zrough."

Morgana nodded and raised her hands. Otto and Draal braced to run through the portal. Eli heft an iron staff, wings quivering. She took a deep breath and opened the portal. All three dashed through. She closed the portal.

On the other side, Draal immediately pushed the other two out of the way. A large piece of the new gym floor smashed into the new walls.

"Oh, Coach isn't going to like that," Eli pushed himself to his feet.

"They sent YOU?" Roland drew their attention with a cackle, "No mage? No magic at all? Just two trolls and a fairy not even old enough to use his powers?"

Otto smeared. Stone walls began to rise out of the floor. Eli flew up and out. Draal simply smashed an opening for him and Otto.

"VVas zat supposed to be intimidating?" Otto's eyes sparked with a dangerous light, "Gwen vvas more of a challenge."

He charged Roland. The fairy laughed and pulled up another wall. Otto smashed through but was thrown off course. His claws scraped along the floor. Eli crept in and swung at Roland's legs with his staff.

Roland jumped over the iron bar with practiced ease. He pinned Eli to the wall and kicked the staff away. All with a malicious smile painted over his face.

"Now, son. Didn't your mother teach you to respect your father?"

Eli stopped struggling and grinned, "Of course she did."

He brought his knee up into Roland's groin. Kicking off his stomach, Eli flew up and away from the older fairy.

"Und Papa hat mir das beigebracht!"

Roland snarled and stumbled back to his feet, his cocky smile gone, "I could use a little help here, Love! Distract them while I finish up here."

From up on the stage sauntered Miranda Pepperjack. In her fairy form her black curls were held up in a high bun with a gold ribbon; her teal chiton flowed around her feet and her golden wings were folded down her back.

"Tanta Miranda!?"

She grinned and raised her hands. The windows shattered. Thick vines spilled through, bareilly missing the youngest fairy. He tumbled to the ground and landed beside his father. They beat away the magic plants with the iron staff.

"She must be ze vone under his spell."

Eli growled, his deep brown eyes glowing red.

"Not yet, Mein Geist. Not yet. I have a plan zat might vvork. Draal, I vvant you to smash a hole in ze vvall. VVe'll need zat to get out. Eli, you go free Tanta Miranda. I'll distract Roland until you're finished. Zen, vve'll TRAP him. OK?"

Eli grinned and nodded. Draal just rolled off. Otto squeezed his son's shoulder. Then, he dropped to all fours and bound off. He made a bee-line for Roland. And this time, when the fairy tried to stop him with a wall of stone, he vaulted over it. He raked his claws over Roland's perfect face as he passed.

"Zat's for Liza," Otto may have been smiling but his voice was a deep snarl.

Roland stumbled, one hand pressed to his face. Before he had a chance to recover, Otto punched him across the other cheek. His iron ring burned down Roland's face.

"Zat is for Eli," he brought his knee up into Roland's already bruised stomach, "Und ZAT is for LENORA!"

Roland snarled and straightened, "Enough!"

He struck out at Otto with a barrage of stones but the polymorph leapt deftly out of the way. Far more agile than his troll form would lead anyone to believe.

"Is zat ze best you got?" Otto laughed, goading the fairy king, "I heard you ruled ze Mediterranean Fairy Kingdom vviz an 'Iron Fist'! How did you accomplish zat vvhen you can't even take down a lone polymorph? Trapped in his base form, no less!"

Roland growled and lashed out again. Otto just smiled and clasped his hands in front of him. Just before the stones reached him, a steel beam from the ceiling intercepted him. Wires descended on the furious fairy. Across the gym, Eli's hands, wings, and eyes glowed a brilliant red. Miranda gawked down at him, a burn across her arm from the iron staff.

The wires tangled around Roland's wrists and legs, coiling up like the snakes of The Laocoön until he toppled over. The red glow faded from Eli and he ran over to his father. Miranda followed slower, eyes still trained on Roland.

"You did wunderschön, Mein Geist!" Otto hugged his son tightly, "Your Mama is going to be so proud of you!"

Draal picked up Roland by his ankles, "Can I kill him now?"

"Zere's no honor in killing a man who's tied up," Otto let go of Eli and turned, "Und, he can't hurt us like zis. Fairies need zeir hands to access their magic und vve already took precautions to keep him from controlling us."

Eli watched for a second longer before running over and hugging his aunt.

"I'm so glad you're back, Tanta Miranda! Mama's missed you, too! And you've missed so much! You have to meet Tanta Liza and Baby Toni. Oh! And you haven't met my boyfriend! Or Mary's! Or- hurk…"

Miranda pulled her nephew closer as she dug the knife into his side. Everything slowed down. Miranda sneared.(1)

"You really think I was under his spell," she hissed, twisting the knife, "You REALLY thought I was keeping you safe from him? For Lenora? You're even stupider than I thought. I was taking care of you for him! His heir needed to be strong and healthy and you were such a sickly little thing because of your mother's rash choices. And we couldn't let you be raised by her and that soft pig you call a father. Now could vve?"

He could hear his Papa shouting but he sounded so far away. Why was he so cold?

"But, with the hybrid child, he doesn't need you. You are noth-"

Whatever else she was going to say was cut off as Draal yanked her away. The knife clattered to the floor. Unable to hold himself up, Eli crumbled. But he never hit the floor. His father caught him.

"Eli? Eli, Look at me," Otto's voice cracked as he cradled his son.

"P-Papa? I-I'm cold…"

Otto licked his lips and cradled Eli to his chest like an infant. He was wasting precious time Eli didn't have.

"Draal! Take ze two of zem und put zem in ze dungeons. I have to get Eli to Mama!"

He ran as he shouted. He sprinted. Through the hole in the wall Draal had made. Across the courtyard between the castle and the school. Through the castle halls.

"Moment mal, Eli,"He begged, "Bitte warten Sie."

The boy went limp in his arms.

LLB

Halfway around the world, Mary shivered against the biting cold blizzard that raged around her.

"Mermaids do not do well in the cold, Onkel Walt," She shouted over the wind and tucked herself closer to his side.

The small team had taken the air skif to chase down the ice titan. However, it left them a little more exposed to the elements than anticipated. Even Stardust was shivering.

"I know, Mary. But it won't be for much longer. As soon as we finish we can go straight back to California and never think about snow again."

She nodded pitifully against his shoulder.

"Up ahead!" Angor shouted as he steered the skif.

The frozen titan towered over them, Skrel glowing at its helm.

"I...Think we underestimated how many dwarkstones we needed…" Walter swallowed thickly.

Mary tiptoed to the bow of the skif and looked around. Her uncle soon joined her.

"OK. I have a new plan. We don't need to destroy the whole titan. Just its legs. We stop the titan and all we have to do is fight Skrel. Mary, can you hold it still while I plant the Dwarkstones?"

She nodded and looked up at the frost spirit driving the titan. She felt a strange churning in the pit of her belly.

"Angor, can you make portals to get Mary and I down there?"

"I can do it from here," Mary insisted, "You be careful with those. We don't want you to get blown up."

Walt heft a satchel of dwarkstones and stood on the railing of the skif, "I won't, Mary. You be careful not to hurt yourself."

She rolled her eyes and stepped up to the railing. Walter jumped and transformed, circling the titans legs and throwing the explosive stones as he passed. Activating them only when he was ready to throw them. Mary focused on opening a crack in the ice and forcing the titan to trudge through the slushy frozen water. She had to be careful not to submerge the legs entirely. That would stop the darkstones from exploding efficiently. The first stones began to explode and the ice titan stumbled. He fell. First one leg and then the other. Walter glided back to the skiff.

"One part down. Now we take on the angry demigod…"

The titan was still massive, its arms still scrabbled to pull it forward. Even before their eyes the legs were starting to rebuild themselves. Mary looked from the titan to Skrel. The churning was back.

"I have an idea," She announced, "But you have to trust me."

Walter and Angor stared down at her. Stardust leapt from her chosen's shoulder and into Mary's arms. Walter shook his head.

"What is it? We don't have a lot of time so we only have one shot at this."

Mary nodded, "I know. My new magic melts Skrel's ice. I may not be able to melt the whole titan but maybe I can melt HIM. The Lady of the Lake is a water spirit and what's ice but frozen water."

Walter shook, looking back and forth from her to the titan.

"Something's wrong with him. Like...he's confused. I think...I think he needs me…"

Stardust looked up at her then at the adults, "I say we trust her. Mary´s plans have worked before. They´re practically what kept you alive while we were in the past."

Walt hesitated for a moment longer before blinking hard and looking at his niece.

"I trust you, Mary. But be careful. Angor? Can you get her closer with a portal?"

The taller troll nodded. One portal later and Mary was clawing her way up the titan's back. Skrel payed the girl no mind, much more intent on continuing his path to Arcadia. The titan melted under Mary's hands. It felt like hours before she reached the titan's head.

"Skrel!" she shouted over the wind, "Skrel!"

The ice spirit whipped around. With the wave of his hand ice stalagmites shot up around Mary. She melted them with the touch.

"Skrel! Please!" Mary pushed herself forward, "I know you're angry! I know this can feel like the only option but-"

"It is!" his usual wind-whisper voice was the raging wind of a storm, "Humans have destroyed this world! They have destroyed the ice where my wind blows! Killed the animals that live here! They have cut down Nari's forests! Poisoned YOUR oceans!"

"I know! And it makes me angry every day! But you don't have to remake the world to fix it!"

She was getting close to the helm of the titan. Skrel took a step back.

"The damage has been done! We have to fix it! And even you, Ung Kona, cannot stop us!"

"But people are trying to fix the damage. Nari has grown to love this world. She wants to help us fix the damage to the world. Not remake it. You'll be taking away the people she loves by doing this!"

Skrel was shaking, glowing blue eyes fixed on Mary. She tiptoed closer.

"No! We are her family! She belongs with us!"

Mary took another step forward, "But we're her family too. Is it fair to take that all away from her."

Skrel growled and covered his head, the titan's hands lifting to mimic him. Mary stumbled and looked at the glowing blue rings around his wrists.

"You just want what's best for her. Don't you. Nari is your family and you want to take care of her." She reached for his wrists.

"GET BACK!"

Mary was tossed back by the force of the wind and toppled right off the titan. She heard a roar in the wind and saw one of the titan's giant hands come flying at her. That was the last she saw before everything went black.

"Mary!"

Walter threw himself off the skiff at the sight of his niece falling. And his heart stopped when he saw the titan swipe at her. A portal opened right below her but the massive fingers of the titan tossed her like a leaf on the wind. Walter's wings beat the air around him as he forced himself towards Mary. A portal opened before him and he came out just inches from her. He cradled her head and neck as another portal opened before him. He dropped to the deck and layed Mary down as gently as he could. Angor knelt by his side.

"She was hit! She was hit!"

"I saw that!"

"Fix her! Please fix her!"

"I'm trying!"

Stardust chirped and rubbed her face against Mary's cheek. She was limp and her parka was torn. The Akoridian clip slid out of her hair.

"Ba…" Stardust squeaked, "She-She's…"

"She's stable," Angor leapt to his feet, "I've done all I can for her. We have to get her to Morgana."

Stardust and Walter stayed down on the deck as Angor steered the skiff through another portal back to the castle, leaving the titan standing alone on the ice.

LLB

Icelandic Translation:

Ung Kona: Young Lady (as in Young Lady of the Lake)

1) What was it Mary and Liza said a couple chapters ago about being to forgiving?