by Jaclyn Weist
“Okay, that’s a good idea.” Jared stood and folded the map. “Oh, look. We have company.”
Fairies had gathered around them. Some were bigger than April and August, with different colors of wings and hair. Others floated over them, speaking in a different language. He just hoped they knew English like April and the others did.
Jared held up his hands to show he meant them no harm.
“Don’t mind us. We’re not here to hurt anyone. We just need to save someone. Well, a few someones.” Several of the fairies flew away, while others stayed. They followed along as Jared and Beth walked. They never said anything, and more fairies joined in as Jared and Beth passed by.
Farther into the forest, Jared and Beth darted behind trees while a group of leprechauns and other creatures passed by, chatting excitedly. Jared wondered if they were heading to the celebration, or if something else was going on. He brushed away the thought, and concentrated on getting through to save Megan.
MEGAN
The trip to the queen’s castle had been grueling. Adam and I had to fight every step of the way. We had fairies to help us, but they could only do so much. They didn’t want to go up against their queen, even though they knew that what she was doing was wrong.
Ethan and Eoin had gone ahead to get others to agree to help. Word had spread of my immense amount of luck, and it made me want to crawl into a hole. I didn’t like that they expected me to do all these great things. I just wanted to save my mom. I didn’t care what Queen Oona was doing—unless she was about to unleash this mess on my world.
Eoin had told us several times that the castle was just up and over the next rise, so when we climbed a steep hill covered with beautiful blue roses with large thorns, I was relieved to see that this time, he was finally right.
Down below stood a majestic castle that glowed white in the sunlight. The beauty was marred by what looked like an army swarming the area around it.
Adam came up behind me. “Whoa. That doesn’t look good.”
“No, it really doesn’t.” There was movement from several bands of creatures of all sizes—trolls, centaurs, humanlike creatures, and possibly some leprechauns. By the armor and the rather scary weapons they wore, they looked like they were going to battle, not off to party. “Ethan, what are they doing?”
He looked uncomfortable. “They’re preparing for war.”
“Why? I thought Midsummer’s Eve was a party.” I stared down at the creatures who were scurrying about.
Adam rolled his eyes. “It’s obvious, isn’t it? They want your power. And if they can’t get you to give it to them, they’ll do something to Mom or go after our world. Or both.”
“He’s right,” Ethan said. “Oona’s going to do everything she can to make sure she stays queen and you’re defeated.”
“Well, we’ll just have to make sure that doesn’t happen.” I turned to Ethan, pushing down the panic running through me. I could worry later. Right now, it was time to save Mom. “Do you know where she keeps the prisoners? We need to get Mom out of here before we do anything else.”
Ethan pointed to a smaller building close to the castle. “That’s usually where they’re kept, but I don’t think your mom will be there. She’s too valuable for now.”
“So, if my leprechaun friends are here, they’d be in that building?” I just hoped they were okay.
Ethan looked down at his feet and kicked at a small bush. “They’re locked up in the prison.”
My eyes narrowed. “How do you know?”
“I’m the one who captured them.” He kept looking down. “We couldn’t have you asking them for help. I didn’t want to take the female leprechaun. They’re very rare. But Oona was … insistent.”
Ethan wasn’t making it very easy for me to like him. The look Adam gave me showed me that he agreed.
Eoin burst into tears. “You’re the one who took my parents?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were their son. I don’t like splitting up families.”
“So what does that mean? That you would’ve taken him too?” Adam asked.
“I—” Ethan stopped and took a deep breath. “I’ll do my best to get them out.”
Eoin stopped crying and glared, his face turning red. “If anything happened to them, you will pay.”
“I know. And I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.” Ethan checked the sky and cursed under his breath. “I should’ve been back hours ago. I need to go check in. I’ll see what I can do for them while I’m there.” He turned back into the Far Dorocha and flew down toward the castle.
“Some guy you got there, Megan.” Adam smirked.
“Yeah … I don’t know what to do about him. He seems like he has good intentions, but I still don’t completely trust him.”
“Don’t.” Eoin sniffed. “He’s bad news. He seems like he’s fine, but creatures like him are known tricksters. He’ll say one thing, but mean something else.”
“You mean, like leprechauns?” I asked. “Or imps? Or about ninety-nine percent of all other creatures?”
“Hey, you can trust me.” Eoin huffed.
“As far as I know, I can. I thought I could trust Henry, too, but then he demanded some of my luck when I saw him last.”
Eoin stood there silently for a moment. “Da told me when I was born that I was special. That I’d protect humans from fairies.” He looked up at me. “He told me I was to save you at all costs.”
I smiled. “You’ve done a great job.”
He shook his head. “No, you wouldn’t be here if I had done my job right.”
“Louie told you to watch me, not my mom. You did your job just fine.” I continued to watch the movement below. “Hey, Adam, look. They’re leaving that spot wide open.” I pointed to a corner of the building.
“You’re right. Either that’s our place to get in, or there’s something nasty waiting on the inside. Eoin, think you can check it out?”
Eoin nodded. “I’ll be back.”
While we waited, we crept down the hill to get closer. I wanted to see what I could do with my luck while Adam scoped it out. The fairies had stayed behind on the hill until we knew for sure what was going on.
Eoin reappeared. “Everything looks clear. I don’t know why they’re missing a guard there, but we should take advantage of it as quickly as possible.”
“Got it. I’m going first. Adam, cover me.” I took off running down the hill before he could answer.
JARED
Jared and Beth stood near the castle, looking for the best spot to enter. This was not the most ideal place to be breaking into. They needed Megan before they did anything else. Creatures were everywhere, and the guards they saw were rather large and menacing. These weren’t the same trolls they’d fought before. Queen Oona had them in heavy armor, and instead of the dumb look Jared was used to seeing, these trolls looked rather angry.
“So much for the fun celebration we heard about.” Jared leaned on his sword.
“I don’t think the creatures we saw going into our world have anything to do with this. Look, they’re all dressed for battle. The others were smiling and excited.” Beth readjusted the bag on her shoulder. “We need to stop them, or this will be more than just a battle for Earth. Those creatures are going to get caught in the middle of it and be destroyed. I’m really not okay with that.”
“Those are some pretty big odds. We’ve had worse, though, right?” Jared’s mind flashed back to the battle at a castle in Ireland. That had been a massive army, then and they’d just fine. Thanks to Biddy, but he was going to ignore that part.
Beth watched the activity below. “Oh, I have no doubt we can keep them from taking over our world. Protecting the others, though? That will be much harder. Once Oona gets out there, we won’t know who to protect and who to fight.”
“Easy. We just go for the ones with weapons.” Jared dodged Beth’s punch and laughed. “Fine. I get what you mean. Now let’s figure out a way into this place. First thi
ng we need to do is save Megan’s mom and get her out of here. Then we can go after the queen.”
“Perfect.” Beth started forward, darting between the bushes and flowers.
Jared pulled out his sword and kept watch as he went behind Beth. There had to be a weak spot in the fortress. Suddenly, Jared noticed movement coming down the hill to the north of them. It looked a lot more human than what was below. According to the map, Megan should’ve been coming from around there somewhere. But this world could be playing tricks on them.
“Hey, Beth!” he called.
She turned back to look at him. “Yeah?”
“Check that out.” He pointed toward the hill. “Think that’s Megan?”
She stared for a moment before nodding. “That’s her hair, and I’ve seen that outfit before. But who’s with her? Wait—I think it’s Adam.” Beth ran toward them.
Jared hesitated, hoping it wasn’t a trick. But that stride. It was full of confidence. His heart lifted as he watched her. Yes, that was her blonde hair flowing in the wind. And the way the other guy ran after her, he had to be Adam. Most likely she’d taken off again without waiting for him. Jared laughed. Megan was really good at that.
The way was steep as Beth and Jared made their way over. They had to try to catch Megan before she got to the building, but the bushes made it difficult.
Jared kept his attention on both the armies below and Megan. His heart plummeted when he saw something floating to her. It was a dark shadow, and his first thought was the grey man. Adrenaline kicked in, and he outpaced Beth. He wouldn’t let Megan get taken again.
When Jared was close enough to yell, he called out her name. He watched Megan stop and turn toward him with a huge grin spread on her face. He was grateful to have her back—even if they were in a fairy world, about to defeat an evil queen. That was just something he’d come to expect from being around her.
MEGAN
As I ran toward the castle, ready to get this over with, I heard a voice I’d been wanting to hear for days.
“Megan!” Jared was here. My heart skipped a beat as I searched the area.
I found him running toward me from the south. Saving the day was just going to have to wait for a little bit. I needed Jared first. I changed direction and headed straight for his arms.
“You came!” I wanted to cry. I’d needed him so many times, and now he was finally here.
“Of course I did. You didn’t think I’d let you fight alone, did you?” Jared kissed my forehead, then kissed me soundly. I thought I’d been breathless when that mermaid had me underwater. It didn’t come close to how I felt when we pulled away.
“Shall we go find Louie?” I asked.
Beth and Adam came over to stand by us.
Jared gave knuckles to Adam and grinned. “Well, now that the four of us are together again, I’d say we can go do some serious damage.”
“Perfect.” I saw Ethan standing behind Jared, glaring. “Oh, you’re back. What did you learn?”
Jared turned and stiffened. “Who is this, Megan?”
“This is Ethan. He was supposed to take me back to the fairy queen so she could suck my luck dry, but instead, he let me escape. Now he’s helping me get inside the castle. He’s fine.”
Ethan glowered at Jared before turning to me. “The queen knows you’re here, and she wants to see you. She has no interest in your friends. My suggestion is that you come with me, and have your friends go to the prison to free your mom and the others.”
Beth burst into laughter. “Megan doesn’t come quietly, and she has a really hard time letting other people do her dirty work. Either we all go save her mom, or we all go with you.”
Adam came up and stood by me. “I have to agree with Beth. We all go together.”
Ethan grumbled. “I’m telling you how we have to do it. If you all go together, you’ll lose. I admit that watching Adam and Megan fight together was fascinating, but we don’t need fascinating. We need a miracle.”
Jared wrapped his arm tighter around me. “You want miracles? We can do miracles.”
Eoin appeared next to me. “I think Ethan’s right this time, guys. I think Megan should go with him so she can be a distraction—but I don’t like it even a little bit.”
I bit my lip. They had a point. I’d already missed out on helping set the fairies free, and I really didn’t want to miss saving them again, but my mom’s life was more important than anything else. “Fine. I’ll go with Ethan. The rest of you, go free everyone, and then come save me.”
Jared frowned. “I still don’t like it. I saw how he looked as a shadow.”
I put my hand on his arm. “He’s a Far Dorocha. He’s supposed to take me to the queen, but he didn’t. He insists that he’s only trying to help.”
Jared studied Ethan with his jaw clenched. He finally nodded. “I don’t like it, but I see what they’re saying. Please be careful.” He bent down and kissed me again.
“I will be. Take care of Beth and Adam, okay?” I squeezed his hand and kissed him one more time, so happy to know he would be close by if I needed him.
“We can take care of ourselves, thanks. Now let’s go.” Beth pulled her bow out, and grabbed an arrow.
Ethan turned back into a shadow and picked me up. I hated being this helpless, and I really didn’t like the expression on Jared’s face. He didn’t seem too thrilled to let me go. We floated past the waiting army, and I caught several curious looks from the imps and other creatures.
“Okay, pretend like you’re sleeping. The queen won’t like that you’re still awake.”
“What?” The doors opened, so I dropped my head back and went limp, even though I was dying to know what was going on. I opened my eyes a slit, but closed them when I noticed how many guards were around. Great.
We floated through the castle for what felt like hours. I could heard people moving around and orders being given, but I wanted to see what was actually going on. I needed clues so I could get out of here in case anything went wrong.
Ethan finally came to a stop. His voice echoed through the room when he spoke. “My queen, I have brought her.”
“Well done. And did she suspect anything?” The queen’s voice was smooth and lilting.
Ethan laughed, sounding more shrill than he had before. “Not at all. I did just as you asked.”
I twitched. What was he talking about? I really hoped he was just acting because I was going to be ticked if he was using me.
“I’m impressed. I didn’t think your plan would work.” Footsteps moved toward me. “She’s a beauty, but I still don’t see what makes her so special. I sense no magic power … and yet, she’s defeated everything I’ve thrown at her.” The queen’s voice was melodic, almost intoxicating. If she didn’t want to steal my luck, I’d probably like her.
“You’re looking for the wrong thing. It’s not magic that she has—it’s luck. She’s full of it. You should’ve seen her with the giant. She made it trip.” Ethan laughed. This laugh was more like one I knew from our travels.
And yet, this was all wrong. He was telling my secrets, and I couldn’t do anything about it without risking the lives of my friends.
“Set her down. I want to see what she can really do.” The queen’s voice was more commanding this time.
Ethan laid me gently on the floor, then nudged me. “Wake up, Megan. Queen Oona would like to speak with you.”
I opened my eyes and glared at Ethan before I stood. Queen Oona was beautiful, although that word fell short. Her long, dark hair accented her deep purple gown. Her crown was a circlet of branches, with flowers intertwined. She was much taller than I expected—taller than me.
Next to her sat—wait. I did a double take. What was Jakob doing here? He was dressed in a robe that matched the queen’s gown, and he wore a crown that wasn’t as fancy as Oona’s, but still showed that he was someone of importance. He also looked older than when I’d seen him before, more refined. He’d only looked about my age when he’d k
issed me—and told me I’d be the next queen. I shuddered. I’d kissed the king?
Whoever Jakob was, he stayed quiet and allowed the queen to take charge. His eyes held a warning, but I had no idea what he was trying to tell me.
“So, Megan Crenshaw, here we are.” The queen’s tone took on a sharp edge.
“Yes, here we are.” I pretended to listen, but my mind was busy trying to figure out Jakob and looking for all the possible ways to escape. Unfortunately, the room was full of guards, and there were no windows. Perfect. I was trapped. The tapestries on the walls were promising—I could try to pull them down to trap the guards—but I’d still have to fight my way out without a sword.
“The Far Dorocha says your powers are through your luck. Show me.” She leaned back and took a drink from a golden goblet. Clearly, this woman was used to being obeyed.
“A magician never reveals her secrets.” That probably wasn’t a smart thing to say, but I had to stall until I had a better idea how to get out of this mess. Jakob hid a smile behind his hand.
Queen Oona laughed. “Oh, you have spunk. I like that. It makes things much more fun.”
“You won’t get away with this.” I began pulling on luck from different guards throughout the room. I could only take so much before they’d notice, but I had to be prepared.
The queen laughed. “Really? Who’s going to stop me? Certainly not that boyfriend of yours. But at least your brother will be reunited with your mom one more time.”
My blood ran cold. The distraction hadn’t worked. I tried not to let her see my stress, but by the smug look on her face, I wasn’t doing a very good job. “What do you mean?”
The queen laughed again. “You can’t honestly think that we wouldn’t have seen you coming from miles away. I’ve been watching your progress since you first came to this land. It was my idea to separate you from your friends. I wanted to see you suffer.”
