Ben pulled Mateo's sleeve off his injured shoulder. He dug a cloth out of his bag and soaked it. "This may sting a little bit," he told Mateo. With that, he dabbed his shoulder.
Mateo flinched. He closed his eyes and snatched Evie's hand. He started to doze off.
Ben felt like a doctor. He removed the cloth from his friend's shoulder and asked, "On a scale of one to ten, what's your pain level right now?"
Did that include the pain in Mateo's shoulder, head, and tummy? If so, he had his answer: "9.125."
"9.125." Ben could not help but chuckle, the same as Evie. However, he quickly became serious again. "Crystal's gone to get Seranet's chief. He'll get you to the village hospital."
"I don't need a hospital," Mateo mumbled.
Ben scoffed. "Yes, you do, dude."
Evie's friends and Thebes watched the whole thing from the other side of the tunnel. Everybody stayed in the torches' lights.
Evie pressed her hand up against Mateo's forehead. She gulped. "Ben, his fever's back."
"I'm not surprised. He's pushing himself too hard." Ben dabbed Mateo's shoulder again. He jumped when his ranger device beeped from his pocket. Gulping, Ben lowered the cloth. He pulled Mateo's device out of his pocket and checked the collar ID. Dang it, he forgot that Mateo was supposed to call the Union whenever he got everybody to Seranet. Ben guessed Ranger Krysta became impatient. He took a deep breath and answered. "Hello?"
Not only did Ranger Krysta appear on the screen, but so did Ms. Brook and Maria. Oh great, that just made the situation even more uncomfortable. All three women were in what looked like a mini control room. A couple of computer monitors were behind them.
At the sight of Ben, Krysta blushed a little bit, but then she remembered her job. "Your Majesty, this is unexpected."
Ben was not somebody who liked to delay bad news, so he got straight to the point. "Yeah, we have a bit of a situation."
Fear flashed across Maria's face. On the verge of tears, she clutched at her heart. "Is my Mateo okay?"
"Uh…" Ben stammered. "Let's just say the basilisk paid a visit. Mateo thought it was wise to try to take it on by himself."
"What? Why?" Ms. Brook screeched.
Ben waved his hand. "I'll be frank with you, Ms. Brook… I think he's trying to get himself killed."
Scared, Maria slammed her palms down on the table where she, Ms. Brook, and Krysta sat. "So he's not okay?"
Ben shook his head. "No, not really. The basilisk injured his shoulder. His fever's also come back."
"Ugh!" Maria leaped to her feet. The force at which she did almost knocked the table over. She grabbed hold of her head. "Why, Mateo?"
Ranger Krysta stayed quiet. "But are y'all in Seranet?" she asked.
Ben nodded. "We are."
"Okay, good." Krysta sighed deeply. "Try to keep Mateo calm. Please. As soon as it's safe, we're going to send an ambulance your way to come pick him up. The fae can only do so much."
"And that's what I'm worried about," Ben admitted. His deep brown eyes rolled over to Thebes who glared at him. "You see, Ranger Krysta, humans aren't exactly friends with magical beings."
"I know," Krysta said. "It has to do with Mateo and Evie's great grandfather."
That sentence grabbed Evie's attention. She perked up and rose to her feet. She walked around Mateo, joining Ben. Evie took hold of his shoulder. "What are you talking about?" she said in a nervous voice.
Krysta inhaled. "I'm sorry, Evie."
"What is it? What aren't you telling Mateo and me?" Evie's whole body shook. She tightened her grip on Ben's shoulder.
Krysta drummed her fingers on the table's top. She glanced at Ms. Brook and mentally asked her for permission.
The older woman gave her a slow nod. "She needs to know."
"I know." Again, Krysta inhaled. She looked Evie straight in her blueberry blue eyes. "Evie, the thing is, yours and Mateo's great grandfather trained that basilisk when your guys' grandmother and Euphorbia took a trip through time. He turned it into the monster it is today, the monster who forced Euphorbia to trap Sam for sixty years."
Evie's jaw dropped. She never felt so heated, so scared, and so betrayed.
Sam noticed her fear. He didn't hear Krysta's words, but he knew they triggered her.
A fountain of tears rolled down Evie's cheeks. She threw her arms around Mateo's neck. "Oh, Mateo, it's worse than I thought." It was everything she feared.
Hers and Mateo's family was evil. They destroyed the bond between humans and magical beings.
Mateo was only semi-conscious, but he still heard the news. Unlike Evie, though, he did not have the strength to react to it.
Crystal returned after Ben hung up. Flying close behind her was a fae man. His long blonde hair reached down his back, and he wore a silver circlet around his forehead. His silky white wings flapped behind him.
Evie's friends, Thebes, and Sam came within reach of Evie, Ben, and Mateo.
"Are you the chief?" Ashlynn asked the fae man.
He landed in front of Mateo. "I am, milady. You can call me Edger." He picked up Ashlynn's hand and gave it a small peck.
Evie noticed his long, pointy ears. It was kind of strange to see a human-sized fairy.
John came between Evie and Edger. He tapped his chin with his claws. "Hm, I have to say, you look good for your age," he told the man.
"Well, thank you. It doesn't take much." Edger patted his pale cheeks. "I use a special type of cologne and jam from the forest to maintain this look. Now, is this the patient?" He kneeled to Mateo. His sky-blue, elf-like tunic bounced slightly.
Thebes pulled Evie and her friends away from the magical beings. "He is," he said. "Now that you're here, Edger, we can finally get rid of these good-for-nothing humans."
John jumped in. "Oh, come on! At least let me stay. I'm a talking bird."
Evie narrowed her eyebrows. "We're not leaving," she said to Thebes. "Mateo needs us. Whether you like it or not, the Ranger Union's going to send an ambulance to come get him."
Thebes threatened to slap her cheek. "I'm not going to let it happen. The boy needs fae medicine, not human medicine. Humans aren't even allowed in Seranet."
"Thebes, I know how you feel, but Evie and her friends are the rare exceptions," Edger explained. "After sixty years, the Pebble Masters are finally here, as well as Euphorbia's second oldest friend." His attention shifted from Evie and Mateo to Sam.
"Where is she?" he inquired.
Edger patted his shoulder. "Not to worry, son. She'll be back soon." He winked. "But for now, let's get you guys some food and water. For the time being, we are allies, and we welcome you to our home."
"But, Edger!" Thebes groaned.
Edger ignored him. Fairy dust bounced off his wings as he lifted into the sky. He put his hands under Mateo's arms and helped him up. He lugged him into Joey's saddle.
While he worked, Ben said, "Sir, it's not the shoulder we're worried about, but the tummy."
"Oh, I know," Edger replied in a confident voice. "Crystal told me. The poor guy's been poisoned by the basilisk."
Just hearing the serpent's name, Evie shivered. Her great-grandfather injured her cousin. He betrayed the family.
Evie stuck close to Sam the rest of the walk down the tunnel. She wrapped her fingers around his hand. His skin was smooth under her palm. Evie met his eyes. "Sam, why exactly did Euphorbia trap you again?"
Sam thought back to sixty years ago. "From what I remember, Evie, she was trying to protect me from a hunter. The basilisk was his pet."
"A hunter you say?"
"Yeah. What's wrong? Why do you look a little green around the gills?" Sam gave Evie's hand a small squeeze.
She paused on her tracks and stared at the tunnel's different-shaped rocks. "That hunter…"
Crystal broke her train of thought. "Come on. Keep up, guys. We're here." Sure enough, the party just reached the end of the path.
***
Seranet was a small but gorgeous village. Scattered around it were mushrooms and huts. The mushrooms themselves had doors and windows. Waterfalls and pools surrounded the area, and a wooden stage was in the center of the village.
Fairies were everywhere. They playfully flew around their hometown. A pixie opened the front door of her mushroom house. She smiled and joined her friends on an afternoon flight. Fae children raced a few unicorns. There was a unicorn stable at the edge of the village.
There may have been many different fae shapes and sizes, but Evie still noticed some things they all had in common: elf-like clothes, long hair, pointy ears, and white wings with different tints to them, such as green, blue, and orange.
The human-sized fairies stopped flying. They hovered and stared at the visitors.
A young, brown-headed girl about Evie's age plopped down in front of her and her friends. She wore a green tunic with gold trimming and a forest-themed crown. A huge grin stretched across her face. "Oh my gosh! Humans! Real humans!" Instantly, she inspected everybody. She flew around Evie and her friends and touched their non-pointy ears.
Mateo popped up a little bit on Joey, right when the fae girl reached him. She ran her fingers through his black hair. "It's so strange to see short hair."
Edger chuckled. "Especially a fae with short hair. Diana, can you do me a favor and escort these humans and bird to the visitor's center? At least until I get this kid settled at the hospital?"
Diana plopped down next to Joey. "Of course, Daddy." She patted the horse's black cheek.
Joey enjoyed her presence. He rubbed his nose against her side.
She laughed and hugged his muzzle. "Who's a good horse? You are."
Evie, still a bit disturbed, observed the lively village. She felt as if the canopy was going to collapse–like the side of a mountain during a rock slide. At the same time, she had so many questions about Mateo. If he was fae, then why didn't he have wings and pointy ears?
Evie took hold of the pebble in her jean pocket. "'Find Mam. Find Mam,'" she repeated to herself. She recalled when Grandma Gilbert gifted her the stone. There had to be more to those two words. What if "Find Mam" itself was the key to defeating the basilisk? There was too much going on. Evie could not think straight.
Thebes took Mateo away from Joey. He handed him off to Edger. The tall grass under the fae men went up to their shins. A few more fairies and pixies peeped out of their houses.
Mateo slapped his palm to his dry lips. His cheeks puffed out. Not again!
King Benjamin quickly got him a bag. He tossed it to Mateo. He threw up for who-knows-what number that day. "Please take care of him. He's my friend," Ben begged Edger.
"We will. He's in good hands, at least until your ambulance gets here," Edger said. "My daughter will give you a tour of the village. Right, Diana?"
"Yes, Daddy! Yes!" Diana said. She was the opposite of Thebes. She loved humans. She always found them fascinating. Diana jumped into the sky and started to dance on the air currents. Light green fairy dust trailed behind her. She enjoyed showing off to Evie and her friends, just as much as they enjoyed watching her.
Mateo looked over his injured shoulder. His heart sank at the sight of the beautiful, little fairy. "I'm never going to watch her grow up," he whimpered. "Maria, I hope that one day, you will find it in your heart to forgive me." He tugged at Edger's shirt sleeve. "Sir, does this village have a baby store?"
He smirked. "Nice try, kid, but you're not going anywhere–not until we get you better."
"But that's just the thing." Mateo collapsed to his knees. He almost ripped Edger's sleeve. A few tears ran down his burning cheeks. His next two sentences were nothing but mere whispers: "Chief, I don't want to get better. I want to die."