The sky had already darkened in the human realm, and was lit up with stars while the waning crescent moon sat on the edge of the horizon. It was an unusual time for anyone to start a journey that would take a few days, but given their timeline, his cousin would be needed in Niba quickly enough.
Tolys lifted the last bag on top of Erzsébet's horse and tied it on securely, before going around to the front and holding out an apple. As the beast enjoyed its snack, Tolys mentally ran through the locations of all the wards they had nearby in the forest, making sure he remembered visiting every single one over the past hour. They would protect the cottage from harm in Erzsébet's absence, whether from humans or fae or nature, and he'd be back in a few days to refresh the magic.
Provided, of course, he didn't get locked away in the Unseelie Court's dungeons tonight, never again to see the light of day.
Once his hand was empty, he returned to the cottage and opened the front door to step inside. His cousin was by her workstation, hovering beside the cauldron over the lit fire, and was carefully pouring something into a vial.
"It's ready then?" Tolys checked.
"Yes, it's ready," Erzsébet confirmed, "There were notes left that it was possible to make it taste a bit better with fruit juice added, so I added strawberries."
"That's a nice touch," Tolys remarked as she finished pouring and put a cap on the vial.
"Here you go," Erzsébet handed it over, "Best if she consumes it within the hour."
"Thank you," Tolys accepted it, "Did you have anything left in here to deal with before you head out?"
As he spoke, Erzsébet turned and walked over to the table, waving her hand at the fireplace as she did so. Sage green magic shot from her fingertips to the firepit below the cauldron and immediately extinguished the flames.
"Just the fire and the windows," Erzsébet answered.
She snapped her fingers, and the windows immediately shut and locked on command while she grabbed her cloak and satchel.
"I see you have it managed," Tolys commented as she draped the cloak over her shoulders, "Ready to go then?"
"Yes, let's go."
Tolys walked back through the front door to return outside, and Erzsébet quickly followed him and locked the door shut. As she cast a spell to prevent unauthorized entry, Tolys came in close with his own magic summoned to his hand, and mixed in a touch of his magic so the ward would recognize him as well.
"That will do the trick," Erzsébet determined as the spell was completed, "You should get to Yuvalon now."
"I will see you off first," Tolys insisted, "Feliks and Leon can wait another minute."
They approached the horse, and Tolys held the reins while Erzsébet mounted the beast's back. Once she was properly seated, Tolys handed her the reins.
"Be careful riding to Niba, Erzsei," Tolys warned, "The forest is a dangerous place in the dark."
"You're about to break into the Unseelie Court," Erzsébet countered, "You're the one who needs to be careful."
She gave the horse a nudge, and Tolys backed away as the horse immediately took off into a quick gallop and carried Erzsébet off into the woods. After a few moments, they were already out of sight and out of his hearing range, so Tolys grabbed the gemstone from his pocket and sent a message.
I have the potion, and Erzsébet's on the road. Are you ready for me?
Before he could even put the gemstone back in his pocket, he got a reply from Feliks.
Yeah, we're just waiting for you, get over here!
Tolys rolled his eyes as he focused on the destination Feliks's message came from, then summoned his teleportation spell. The forest green haze of magic swirled around him, obscuring the forest and the cottage, before fading away to reveal his destination.
Tivalon.
Or rather, the outskirts of the forest bordering the Unseelie Court's glittering silver Royal Palace, the stronghold of the Unseelie Court.
"There you are! I was wondering what was taking so long!"
Tolys spun around to find his best friend scolding him, while their other fae friends loaded their backpacks with their supplies.
"I came as fast as I could, Feliks," Tolys explained, "Erzsébet bottled this potion only two minutes ago."
"We really pushed into the night here," Mei judged, "I hope Natalya is still awake."
"Some of these fireworks are loud cracking ones," Leon assured, "Should do the trick to wake her up if need be."
"How did you get so many?" Tolys asked, noticing the large open boxes on the ground that were still mostly full.
"There's enough here for a full hour show," Leon explained, "I have excellent contacts in the black markets of the human realm's Far East."
"Let's run through the plan one last time" Feliks announced for all to hear, "The rest of us will fly around outside the palace, weaving through the spires and setting off these fireworks. As we run low, we can teleport back here, grab more, and return to the fray. When the guards come to find us, we can use this spot as a safe place to teleport back to in case we are nearly caught. Should the guards find our stash here, the game is up and we all teleport to our homes immediately."
"Mei, we are on the search for Natalya," Tolys added, "While the others cause the distractions with the fireworks, you and I will fly by every window and try to find Natalya. I'll be the one to enter her room and deliver the potion, so you'll have to tell me if you find her before I do. Once she is found, you're good to teleport home and I will do the same once Natalya has drunk the potion."
Leon and Mei nodded along, as did their other few friends in the back as they hoisted their full backpacks onto their backs.
"Looks like everyone's ready," Feliks directed, "We'll teleport to our chosen spires to get into position. Remember, Leon will set off the first firework, then you're allowed to go wild."
"Keep an eye on the sky," Leon ordered, "I've got a big one to start the show."
The others quickly teleported away, leaving Tolys and Mei alone in the clearing with the extra fireworks.
"I'm surprised you're not wearing pink for once," Tolys noticed, "The maroon looks nice on you."
"Oh, thank you, sweetie," Mei graciously replied, "I figured my usual pink dress would stand out too much tonight, I need to blend in. The black wings will help too, of course."
"How do we want to split the castle?" Tolys addressed, "North and south? East and west?"
"I think east and west makes more sense," Mei judged, "The south is all lower levels for the front entrance. If they're treating Natalya like a proper guest, they'll keep her in one of the towers in the back."
"That makes sense," Tolys agreed, "So you take east and I take west?"
"That works for me."
A glimmering light suddenly burst among the spires, and rose into the sky to create the large flaming image of a mythical creature.
"A dragon?" Tolys chuckled as more fireworks started lighting up below it, "Leon sure picked a cue."
"Time to go," Mei said, "I'll let you know if I find her first."
Tolys observed the castle closely and spotted a tall spire in the distance that looked like a promising starting point for his own search. Focusing on the spot, he closed his eyes and held them shut for a second, allowing his magic to immediately perform a quick teleport to the spot. When he opened his eyes, he was standing atop the spire, looking down on the palace below as his friends flew around and set off more fireworks.
He unfurled his wings and willed them to prepare for flight, while also summoning his glamour to hopefully keep him undetectable from any guards that are likely to show up soon. Once prepared, he stepped off the ledge and allowed his wings to catch the wind as he began to fly. He did a few peripheral swoops of the area first, determining which sections of windows to look through in which order, before coming back around and slowly peeking through each one for occupants.
After the first wall of windows was checked with no success, Tolys moved to the next section just in time to see guards taking flight from the ground below. Leon quickly flew past Tolys, setting off a firework behind him to distract the guard on his tail, so Tolys flew to a nearby alcove and quickly took cover to avoid detection.
As the guard flew away, Tolys felt a thrum from the gemstone in his pocket, and pulled it out to receive a message from Mei.
I found her! No wings, long flaxen blonde hair, standing on a balcony watching the fireworks! I'm already in a safe spot for you to teleport to me!
Tolys took a huge breath in relief, before focusing on Mei's destination from the gemstone's message and closing his eyes. After another quick teleport, he opened his eyes and found himself on a roof above another section of the castle. Before he could see much else, a hand grabbed him from behind and pulled him backwards. Tolys was promptly squeezed into an alcove, chest-to-chest and face-to-face with Mei.
"She's just down below," Mei whispered in his ear, "There's a lot of activity at the moment though."
Tolys silently nodded, waiting for a guard to fly past before leaning out to look down. Sure enough, just below them on a balcony, a young woman was watching the show.
"That's definitely her," Tolys verified, "Looks like I should be able to teleport to the balcony and have her join me in the room for a chat."
"Would you like me to go first?" Mei offered, "I could bring her into the room, then you teleport to me?"
"No, that won't be necessary," Tolys declined, "You should teleport home now while you're safe to do so, your task is complete."
"If you say so, sweetie," Mei allowed, "Just make sure you make it home safe, okay?"
"You'll be the first I tell," Tolys promised.
She leaned forward and puckered her lips so as to kiss him on the cheek. Feeling the movement, he turned his face just in time for her lips to gently brush the corner of his own, and he kissed her back at the same time. She giggled softly before pulling away and out of the alcove, and immediately vanishing into thin air.
Alone in the alcove, Tolys cautiously leaned back over to watch the activity around the balcony, spotting Feliks flying by just then with a guard on his tail. The moment the guard had passed the balcony, Tolys closed his eyes and quickly teleported. When he opened his eyes, he was standing on the balcony a few feet away from Natalya, who turned just then and took a step back in surprise at his appearance.
"Quick, inside now before they see me!"
As he spoke, he rushed forward, grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the room. Once inside, he quickly shut the doors and pulled the curtains back, hoping that no guard in the distance saw them enter the room together. For additional security, he crouched down to sit on the ground, below the level of the windows where someone could peer in that way. As he collected himself, Natalya joined him in sitting on the ground, both their backs against the balcony doors.
"So," Natalya began, "What's your deal?"
"You can relax, I'm here to help you," Tolys assured, "My name is Tolys, I'm a Seelie fae."
"Why should I believe that?"
"Long story short, my cousin is your prospective sister-in-law."
"Sister-in-law? You better make that short story a bit longer."
"My human cousin Erzsébet is in love with your brother Ivan."
"You know my brother?"
"And also your sister, Katerina. In the last couple days, I've also met Prince Alfred of Aegaimore, as well as the two Princes of Solyra and your mermaid friend Erika."
"So you know what's happened to me?"
"Yes, I know what happened to you. They all desperately want to bring you back to the human realm, but it might take a while to fully prepare a rescue. In the meantime, my Seelie friends are outside distracting the guards with those fireworks right now while I deliver this."
Tolys removed the vial out of his pocket and handed it over.
"What is it?"
"Erzsébet is a witch, she made this with my help," Tolys explained, "This potion will keep you from feeling hungry or thirsty while you're here in Yuvalon, so you don't have to feel tempted to eat or drink anything that will turn you fae. As long as you haven't already done so, of course."
"I haven't yet," Natalya confirmed, "I know what would happen if I did."
"Perfect, you're still human then," Tolys continued "The effects of the potion aren't permanent, but it is known to last up to a month, allowing the rest of us time to figure out how to rescue you. A very important side effect is that you will become painfully hungry and thirsty when you return to the human realm, so you will need sustenance immediately when you get back."
Natalya nodded before removing the cap from the vial, and bringing the vial to her lips. As she tilted back the vial's contents into her mouth, Tolys saw her cringe in disgust, but her throat still moved as she swallowed it back.
"That was disgusting," Natalya whined as she handed back the empty vial.
"Sorry about that," Tolys apologized, "Erzsébet said she added strawberries to make it taste better."
"Wrong fruit," Natalya grimaced, "Didn't help."
A thrum from the gemstone in his pocket alerted Tolys, so he removed it and listened to the message from Feliks.
Are you somewhere safe? The guards found the rest of the fireworks, we've lost our hiding spot, and I need somewhere now!
"My friend needs a hiding spot," Tolys told Natalya before creating his own message back to Feliks.
Come to me!
Before Tolys could even pocket the gemstone again, Feliks suddenly appeared in the room in front of them and crouched down to join them.
"Oh good, you found her," Feliks checked, "She drank the potion?"
"Yes, she did," Tolys confirmed, "Where's everyone else?"
"Escaping as we speak," Feliks answered, "The party's over, we need to get out of here now!"
"Wait, Tolys, before you leave," Natalya requested, "Can you take a message back for me?"
"Of course," Tolys permitted as Feliks vanished, "What is it?"
"Tell Alfred and the others to hurry up and get me out of here," Natalya demanded, "I've been in enough towers now to last a lifetime."
"That doesn't surprise me at all," Tolys encouraged, "Don't worry, we're all working on it."
With that all said and done, he thought of home, closed his eyes and teleported away.