The Fairy Realm
A pair of oars propelled the rowboat toward the tiny island, stirring up miniature whirlpools with each powerful stroke. Twelve graceful pavilions surrounded the modest lake, connected by whitewashed boardwalks. Beyond the pavilions, satyrs wrestled on green fields encompassed by hedge walls.
Kendra knew that most at Fablehaven feared the Fairy Queen's shrine. The typical trespasser would be immediately turned to dandelion fluff. It had happened before.
But today was more exciting than scary. Bracken sat opposite her in the rowboat, manning the oars, eyes on her as he guided the craft. Though she knew he was a unicorn, Kendra had never seen him in his horse shape. Bracken had become trapped in human form after surrendering his third and final horn to create an artifact that helped lock the demon prison. All Kendra had ever seen was a teenage boy who looked a couple of years older than her. His silver-blond hair, boyishly handsome features, flawless skin, and penetrating eyes hinted at his true identity—son of the Fairy Queen, a young man of astonishing power and purity.
And she suspected he might have romantic feelings for her. But despite her best efforts to crack his shell, he kept his distance. She was still hoping for a first kiss!
"Are you sure this is all right?" Kendra asked as the prow of the boat slid against the muddy bank of the island.
He flashed a reassuring smile. "I told you my mother granted permission. That is the definition of 'all right' in the fairy realm."
"No humans have ever been there?" Kendra asked.
"Never," Bracken said. "You're setting a new precedent. Mother kept it closed off to the outside world, especially after Gorgrog captured Father."
Kendra shivered at the mention of the Demon King. She could still picture him, titanic in size, a vast tangle of contorted antlers sprouting from his bullish head. Chains had dangled from his wide belt, allowing him to drag around his most prized victims, including the Fairy King. After Kendra had killed the Demon King with Vasilis, the Fairy King had been rescued.
"How is your father?" Kendra asked.
Bracken lowered his eyes. "Not much has changed since we found him. His body is whole, but he keeps to himself and hardly speaks. Others still have to feed him, though at times he will wander on his own."
"I'm so sorry," Kendra said.
Bracken brightened. "It's not your fault. Kendra, you saved him. Most of us figured he was dead. I wish we had known! I would have mounted a rescue. Mother warned me his recovery would take time. After all, he was dragged around inside Zzyzx for centuries, chained to the Demon King. It's a miracle he survived."
"I can't imagine how horrible that would have been," Kendra said, trying not to picture it.
"We're lucky to have him back." Bracken vaulted gracefully from the rowboat and Kendra followed, unable to avoid noticing how clumsy and slow her efforts seemed compared to his effortless coordination. Watching her with eyes that made her feel like the only real thing in the universe, Bracken took her hand.
Three female heads popped up out of the pond not far from the island, and three eager smiles gleamed.
"Hi, Bracken," one of the naiads called in a flirty singsong.
"Pretty day," another remarked coyly.
"Care for a swim?" the third offered.
Kendra frowned. Normally naiads only welcomed men into their waters so they could drown them. But Bracken was different. Part of his superstar status among magical creatures meant naiads actually wanted his affection. Normally the aquatic maidens would have harassed the rowboat, but the crossing had been tranquil. Kendra had even seen Bracken carelessly throw off his shirt and swim with the naiads before, never experiencing any trouble.
"Hi, Chiatra!" Bracken said. "Good to see you, Zolie! Hey, Ulline."
Kendra watched the naiads blush as their names were spoken.
"Sorry, I can't swim right now," Bracken went on. "I'm taking Kendra to the fairy realm."
Three sets of glaring eyes fixed on Kendra.
"Did you need somebody to sweep up the place?" Chiatra teased.
"Is she going to be sacrificed?" Zolie wondered.
"It's part of our job to forbid the unworthy," Ulline said.
"Be nice, ladies," Bracken said. "Your orders come from my mother. You know Kendra is coming with permission, as my guest."
Ulline and Zolie rolled their eyes and disappeared beneath the water. Chiatra looked Kendra up and down with naked disgust. "I don't get it," she said before vanishing below the gently rippling surface.
"Your fan club doesn't approve," Kendra said. The naiads all had lovely faces. Kendra knew any of them would belong to Bracken in a heartbeat if he showed any interest.
"Don't waste any thought on them. They're silly and harmless."
"Unless they drown me."
Bracken furrowed his brow. "I'll talk to Mother. We ought to forbid that."
He led the way to where a spring bubbled up out of the ground. A two-inch statue of a fairy stood nearby atop a small pedestal. A silver bowl rested close at hand as well. It had been some time since Kendra had visited the Fairy Queen's shrine.
"How do we cross over?" Kendra asked.
"Simple," Bracken said, but he suddenly seemed hesitant.
"What?" Kendra asked.
His posture slumped a little. "There has been a lot of build-up to this. I don't want you to be disappointed."
"Why would I be disappointed?"
Bracken grimaced. "The splendour of the old fairy realm was unreal. We sacrificed all that to create a new prison for the demons. Zzyzx was a mess when Mother and the others claimed it and began to transform it. This new home is still developing."
"It makes me sad to think of the demons wrecking your old realm."
"It's what got them inside," Bracken said. "In all their millennia of evil, none of them even saw the fairy realm. The chance to go there and spoil it was too hard to resist. Especially when the alternative was to fight dragons. Before they knew it, our old home became their new prison."
"And their prison became your new home," Kendra said.
"It was available," Bracken said. "Like our previous realm, the prison was a pocket dimension tied to your reality. The demons left the way open, and we were free to move in. There was lots of space. We've put in loads of work. Don't forget, Zzyzx held many of the most powerful demons in the world for thousands of years. It wasn't just a mess—it was horrifying. Nobody can purify like unicorns. And beautifying is what fairies do. But plenty of work remains."
"Can I help?" Kendra asked.
"Who knows?" Bracken replied. "Your fairykind status makes you a powerful source of
magical energy."
"I'd love to be your battery," Kendra said. "I can't wait to see your home."
"I'll show you a lot," Bracken said. "Mother won't let anyone inside the palace yet. She refuses to accept anything short of perfection there."
"Maybe I can drop by again," Kendra said.
"Once we set the precedent of you visiting, I expect Mother will keep having you back. It is very difficult to get to know my mother. I'm only beginning to understand her myself. But when you killed Gorgrog, you made a friend for life."
"I hope so," Kendra said. "The Fairy Queen has always been good to me."
"She doesn't grant fairykind status to many," Bracken said. "Mother liked you even before you freed her husband. After the battle at Zzyzx, I don't think she has more respect for any human."
Kendra thought about the barrage of fairy kisses that had made her fairykind. Since that day she had understood the languages of the fairy folk and didn't need special food or drink to see the magical creatures at Fablehaven or elsewhere. She could energize magical items, see in the dark, speak several languages, and who knew what else? Her abilities were still emerging. How would the Fairy Queen feel if someday her only son proclaimed his love for a human girl? Would Kendra's fairykind status make her more acceptable?
"Do you think we'll see your mom?" Kendra asked.
"She spends a lot of time in the palace with Father," Bracken said. "If we run across her, she'll probably be in horse shape. She likes to go for runs in that form."
Kendra had been surprised to learn that the queen of the fairies was actually a unicorn. Unlike Bracken, she still had her third horn, so she could take horse shape whenever she pleased. She could also appear as a beautiful woman.
"Ready?" Bracken asked.
"What do I do?" Kendra asked.
A rippling glare of whiteness accompanied a disorienting sensation. Kendra recalled a similar feeling when she stood in the shallows on a beach while the water pulled away. As the seawater withdrew all around her, she had seemed to be in motion while standing still. She felt that same way now.
When the whiteness dissipated, Kendra stood in a blossoming field. The cloudless sky was a golden orange with streaks of red and yellow. Peculiar flowers thrived in all directions, flaunting colours more luminous and brighter than any Kendra had ever seen. The blossoms were of such diverse shape and size that Kendra wondered whether they were tropical or if perhaps they existed only here.
Bracken's apprehension had led Kendra to envision a charred landscape with clusters of flowers beginning to grow and shoots of young grass coming up. She certainly had not expected flawless gardens stretching across rolling countryside to the limits of sight.
"It's beautiful," Kendra gushed.
"It's a start," Bracken said. "A big improvement from before. Come this way."
He escorted Kendra to a broad, shallow stream where shimmering water tumbled down a series of rocky shelves. Several fairies waded in the silvery flow. All were taller than Kendra, built with the lithe athleticism of ballerinas, with bright, extravagant wings and lovely young faces.
"Big fairies," Kendra said. "Like the warriors at Zzyzx."
"Fairies tend to be full-sized here," Bracken said.
"Would the tiny fairies at Fablehaven grow if they visited?" Kendra asked.
"Most would, but Mother wouldn't trust the majority with such power," Bracken said. "Fairies can be so foolish."
"I heard that," said an extremely fit fairy with striking red hair and glittering green eyes. She fluttered over and landed before Bracken, legs wet to the shins.
"The fairies here are exceptions to that rule," Bracken explained smoothly. "Tinori, meet Kendra."
"Hello," Kendra said, trying not to feel intimidated as she looked up at a face that belonged on a fashion magazine cover. Thanks to her fairykind status, Kendra knew that fairies were supposed to obey her. But she wasn't sure if that applied to these larger ones.
"I remember you," Tinori said with a broad smile. "You killed Gorgrog."
"Yes," Kendra said, grateful to have some notoriety. "You must have been at the battle."
"I lost most of my left wing," Tinori said, spreading her elaborate wings wide. Both looked perfect to Kendra, with colours like stained glass backlit by sunlight. "It's been healed, of course."
"They're so pretty," Kendra said.
"You," Tinori said, bopping her on the nose with a fingertip, "know the way to a fairy's heart." She gave a squinty, self-satisfied smile and flitted away, her wings allowing her to turn gentle skips into soaring leaps.
"She's a little jealous," Bracken whispered. "You're so radiant."
Kendra glanced at her hands. They looked normal to her. Ever since she had become fairykind, certain magical creatures would comment on her radiance. Kendra had never really perceived it.
"At least she spoke to me," Kendra said. None of the other fairies had glanced her way.
"Tinori has more confidence than most," Bracken said. "You know how fairies get. This is their special realm. You're the first human to come here. You killed the Demon King. You shine brighter than any of them. It's a sure recipe for envy."
The tiny fairies back at Fablehaven had been generally nicer to Kendra since she became fairykind. She supposed their sizes were so different that it was easier for them not to view her as competition.
"This way," Bracken said, leading Kendra toward a bridge composed of smooth, rounded stones in several shades of blue.
She passed a fragrant flower the size of a barrel and a shrub twinkling with numberless glittery petals. The perfume in the air was almost rich enough to taste.
"Seems like you're already finished," Kendra said.
"This area is more polished than some," Bracken said. "But the land needs more shape and character. Some big trees would add a lot—ancient groves, or forests in their prime. And we have very few structures. We can do grass and flowers quickly."
"It's a paradise," Kendra said.
Bracken winked. "Trust me, it'll be more impressive in years to come."
As they crossed the bridge, a pair of astrids landed in front of them, brawny men with golden, feathery wings. Removing gilded helmets crafted to resemble the heads of owls, they bowed low.
"You look familiar," Kendra said to one of them.
"I'm Denwin," he replied. "This is Peredor. We were both at the battle of Zzyzx."
"Prince Bracken," Peredor said, "Jubaya has announced that she will confer with us."
"Now?" Bracken asked. "I'm giving Kendra a tour."
"I believe that is why we got the offer," Peredor said. "Jubaya expressed interest in conversing with her."
"Absolutely not," Bracken said.
"Who is Jubaya?" Kendra asked.
"A demon," Bracken grumbled.
"You still have demons here?"
"Not all of the demons exited Zzyzx with the horde," Bracken explained. "We've purged most who remained, but a few have proven tough to root out."
"You can't get rid of her?" Kendra asked.
"She's hiding in a sludge pit," Bracken said. "There is ancient magic there, deep and dark. Plus, her touch corrupts. Unicorns have temporarily purified the top layer of sludge, but the pool becomes tainted again immediately."
"This opportunity could bring her to the surface," Peredor said.
"Out of the question," Bracken replied. "The risk is too great."
"How can I help?" Kendra asked, a little offended that nobody was checking her opinion.
"Chiefly as bait, so to speak," Denwin said. "The demon requested you by name."
"That doesn't sound too bad," Kendra said. After all, she had defeated the Demon King and faced his fierce army. Here she would be surrounded by allies. What could Jubaya do? "How dangerous is she?"
"We have a dozen of our best warriors in place," Peredor said. "We could get another dozen there. I'm confident we could protect you. And maybe capture her."
Bracken frowned. "What about Mizelle?"
"She's on her way," Peredor said.
"Who is Mizelle?" Kendra asked.
"One of my sisters," Bracken said. "She leads the warrior fairies."
Kendra laid a hand on Bracken's arm. "If this would give you a chance to catch the demon . . ."
"She's cornered," Bracken said. "That's never a safe scenario. A desperate demon could get vicious. I'd rather seal up the sludge pit, leave her there until the end of time."
"Begging your pardon," Denwin said, "but can you imagine your mother leaving such an impurity in her realm, sealed up or not?"
"You're right," Bracken said, folding his arms.
"Let me do it," Kendra urged. "I'll be careful."
"I don't like it."
"You have plenty of people to protect me. This could be a chance to get rid of some trouble. Let me do this. I insist."
Bracken sighed. "From what I understand, Jubaya isn't much of a fighter. But she'll undoubtedly play mind games."
"I'll play them right back," Kendra said, feeling brave. "I've been on much riskier adventures than this."
Bracken shook his head. "Don't be so sure. Jubaya wants access to you for a reason. She sees an opportunity."
"I'll keep my guard up," Kendra said. "You will too. It's an opportunity for us, too."
"Very well," Bracken relented. "But at the first sign of trouble . . ."
"You'll bail me out," Kendra finished.
"Shall we transport you?" Denwin asked eagerly.
"Probably for the best," Bracken said.
Peredor scooped Kendra into his strong arms, cradling her, and sprang into the air, powerful wings turning the leap into flight. Looking down at the receding bridge and stream, Kendra saw Bracken rising as well, dangling from Denwin's ankles, using the astrid like a hang glider.
The higher they rose, the more blooming fields and winding streams Kendra could see.
Zzyzx had apparently been a very large place, and so was the new fairy realm. In the distance, Kendra could see other astrids heading their way, light glinting off golden feathers and armour.
From her loftier vantage point, Kendra also noticed some parts of Zzyzx the fairies had not yet reclaimed. Off to one side, a row of harsh, fanglike rocks interrupted a series of low, green hills. Sickly fumes steamed from a dark chasm that cut across an idyllic garden like a wound. And up ahead churned a bubbling pond of oily sludge.
Peredor swooped down and landed in tall grass within view of the roiling pond. He set Kendra on her feet as Bracken landed beside them. The reek of the pond overpowered the aroma of the nearby flowers with a foul stench like molten tar and sulphur.
"The fairy realm is huge," Kendra said.
"It's big," Bracken agreed. "Even up high we couldn't see more than a fraction of it. But the sky here does not extend to outer space like it does on Earth. Our atmosphere eventually fades away. And if you go too far in any direction, the ground dwindles to nothing as well."
"Can you fall off the edge?" Kendra asked.
"It would take great effort and powerful magic," Bracken said. "As you get to the edge, you ordinarily get turned around and head back toward the centre. Same if you fly too high—you start heading down when you thought you were going up."
"Strange," Kendra said.
"This is not actually a world—just a pocket dimension attached to your world."
I would speak with the girl!
The words hit Kenda's mind like a shout, though her physical ears detected nothing.
Perhaps a conversation can be arranged, Bracken thought back calmly.
You wish to capture me. I will not let that occur. But I may strike a bargain.
We're listening, Jubaya, Bracken answered.
Withdraw your troops from my pool, Jubaya expressed. If you let me speak to the girl alone, I vow to cause her no harm, and at the end of our conversation, I will surrender myself, if you pledge to transport me to the new demon prison.
You would exchange your freedom for private words with Kendra? Bracken replied.
Do you call this freedom? Jubaya challenged. I intend to trade imprisonment among enemies for imprisonment among my kind!
Why now? Bracken pressed. You could have asked for such a transfer months ago.
I have my reasons, Jubaya answered. And you have my terms.
"Can she lie?" Kendra asked Bracken.
"Certainly," he said quietly. "But demons tend to keep their formal vows. All magical creatures do. Our natures allow certain oaths and promises to bind us. It is partly how preserves like Fablehaven were founded and how rules were established."
"Then I'll do it," Kendra said.
"Jubaya promised to cause you no harm," Bracken said. "Agreements to confer during a truce are difficult to break. But she might tell you things that could lead you to harm."
"This solves your problem," Kendra said. "It gets her out of here. And who knows? Maybe I'll learn something useful."
"Or something hurtful," Bracken said. "I've been shielding my half of our conversation from her mind. Because you're fairykind, your mind is already protected. Jubaya can only see the thoughts you deliberately project to her. Go ahead and accept if you must."
When should we talk? Kendra thought at the demon.
Immediately, Jubaya replied. Have the warriors back away. Send Kendra to my pool with your first horn. She will need it for us to interact properly.
Very well, Bracken responded, then turned to Kendra. He pulled a straight, spiral horn from a leather sheath at his waist and handed it to Kendra. Pearly white and silky smooth, the horn was the length of a dagger. Unicorns shed their first horn after childhood and the second toward the end of adolescence. Both retain magical properties, including the power to purify anything they touch. To certain beings, that purification could be deadly. Kendra had used this very horn to slay a venomous dragon.
"I'm shielding our conversation again," Bracken said. "I was going to give you this anyhow as a precaution. Perhaps she anticipated me. Or she might have a trick up her sleeve."
"I'll be careful," Kendra said.
Bracken gave a nod. "Very well. We'll be close by if you need us."