“I guess that’s why I never heard of you,” Dana murmured. She let out a sigh. “But then, there’s so much about Faerie that I don’t know. I was really surprised to hear about the queen who brought summer to Canada. Did she come through the portal in Creemore?”
“Oh no,” said Daisy. “She came through the oldest one here. It stood in Newfoundland at the heart of the Rock. There were gateways in every corner of the world before they got destroyed. But they’re all gone now.”
“Except for ours,” Stanley stated with pride.
“Ours stood strong,” Daisy agreed. “For the portal of Magh Croí Mor, the Plain of the Great Heart, was sealed long ago.”
“Thanks to the Old Ones,” Flora Bird chirped up.
A solemn air fell over them all, including Dana.
“You know the Old Ones,” she said at last.
“How could we not?” said Daisy. “All of Turtle Island—what you call North America—belongs to them. They are the spirits known to the First Peoples of this land.”
Dana saw the looks that passed between the fairies. Their features were difficult to read.
“They’ve been helping me,” Dana told them.
Daisy nodded. “Since long before you were born. They were the ones who sealed our portal, though we didn’t know why at the time. It was all a big secret. But we were happy to do their bidding. At their request, we called your ancestor to meet with the Chief Druid—”
“You mean Grandfather?”
“He has many names,” Daisy said. “He is not an Old One, but they speak through him. He has great power.”
“He could see us,” said Stanley Moon, “from the time we got here. That’s how we knew he was a Druid. He said he was going to die soon but that his soul would migrate to another body. We brought your great-great-grandfather to meet him, here in our rath.”
“We drummed till Thomas followed us!” Lavender said. “He was a man with a big heart.”
“We liked him for that,” said Big James Tweed.
“We sang at his shivaree,” chirped Flora Bird, “and we blessed his children and their children and their children …”
Dana had to smile to herself. No wonder her father ended up marrying a fairy queen.
“We are the guardians of Magh Croí Mor,” Daisy explained. “We have always kept watch on the Plain of the Great Heart.”
“We’re the ones who got Edward Webster to donate the site for a graveyard,” Stanley Moon explained with a little grin. “He had a dream that the land should be secluded and peaceful.”
“A good neighbor he was,” Fern said with a sigh. “I cried buckets when he went away to California. It was so sad that he lost all his money and had to sell everything.”
“We tried to help as best we could,” Flora added, “but in the end mortals got to live their own lives.”
Though they were talking about something that happened long ago, it was obvious the matter still upset the fairies. Dana was trying to get them back to the subject of the portal when a small group broke from the trees.
“Ms. Woods!” she cried. “Laurel!”
The two young women rushed over to hug her. They looked like forest-dwellers, twin Maid Marians in mottled clothing of green and brown, with leaves caught in their hair. They were escorted by more of the Creemore troop. Alf Branch was like Daisy, a natural leader, short and stocky with an air of command. Weatherup was fat and jolly, while Gaelyn Tree-Top was tall and dignified. Christy Pines looked half-girl, half-hedgehog with a mane of spiny bristles. Like the other fairies, they wore clothes of fern, bark, and wildflowers.
Joining the circle, they helped themselves to the feast.
“Isn’t it wonderful?” Gwen said to Dana. “Fairies over here and we didn’t even know!”
“How could we?” Laurel pointed out. “They’ve been in hiding for years!”
“Some of them are so shy they still won’t come near us,” Gwen added.
“It’s our nature to be elusive,” said Alf Branch. “And modern people don’t believe in fairies.”
“That’s not true!” Gwen argued. “I keep telling you. More and more of us believe. If you showed yourselves from time to time that would help the cause.”
“How did you find them?” Dana asked Gwen.
“Actually they found me.”
Alf Branch told the story of how the Creemore fairies saved Gwen.
“The day the portals went down, we all got a shock. Though we hadn’t gone home in a hundred years we felt the cutting of the cord, and it hurt, I can tell you. In that terrible moment we understood why our gateway was sealed so long ago. It was the only one left standing. We were slow to act, I’ll admit that now. In our defense, we knew nothing about what happened between Thomas and the Chief. All we knew was that they shut the door between them.
“I guess we were waiting for someone or something to come to us. Then rumors and strange tidings started to drift in. Dark things creeping through the countryside. Bad things happening in the city. By the time we got wind of your quest, you were already on the move. Once we heard you were a Gowan of Creemore, we put two and two together. It was time to end our isolation, not to mention our procrastination. We knew we had to go into the city to find you.”
Alf Branch stopped and shuddered visibly.
“We’d rather go into battle than into Toronto!” Big James Tweed stated with conviction.
The others echoed his sentiment.
“We’re woodland fairies,” Alf Branch explained. “The Big City is just too big. The crowded streets and the traffic and the noise …”
He shuddered again.
“You should’ve seen us cringing round the corners of those skyscrapers.” Honeywood breathed with soft horror.
“And unfortunately we don’t know any urban fairies,” Al Branch went on. “They hide even better than we do. But thanks to the city pigeons and squirrels we finally got our bearings. They told us there was an evil thing squatting in an empty building on once-holy ground. And when we discovered it was near to a house protected by a Sacred One, we knew we were on the right trail. And not a moment too soon! We were in the area when we heard the cry. Gwen’s spell of succor brought us to her in an instant.”
It was Gwen’s turn to shudder, and it was obvious she preferred not to speak of it.
“Poor girl, she was near dead,” Daisy said gently, squeezing Gwen’s hand.
“He was about to deal the fatal blow.” Alf’s look was grim. “Good thing there were so many of us. We got right in there and lathered him good-oh, till he fled the scene. Then we took her back here as fast as we could.”
“We thought she was you,” Daisy explained to Dana. “Her wounds were terrible and she was close to death. It took all our healing skills and many long days before she was conscious. Only then did we discover the full story.”
“We hurried back to the city,” Alf Branch said, “but we couldn’t find hide nor hair of either you or Laurel.”
“I thought you were both dead for sure,” Gwen said, eyes dark as she recalled the nightmare of that time.
“I would have been,” Laurel put in, “if one of the Old Ones hadn’t acted to save me. I didn’t know who he was then, but I realized it later. The amulet he gave me protected me from death, but then Crowley flung me into the burnt place.”
“The Brule,” Dana said, nodding, “where I met you when I was with the Old Ones.”
“We were over the moon to find you both there,” said Gwen. “Messengers had been looking everywhere for you. Laurel’s body was found on a deserted beach where Crowley had abandoned it. That was a bad moment. I thought she was dead, but the fairies could see that her spirit had been stolen. We had to find it.”
“That was some search,” Daisy Greenleaf said softly. “With the doorways closed, he couldn’t hide her in some dark part of Faerie; but he had made a lair in the shadows between time and space.”
“And that’s where you found me,” Laurel said.
Now Daisy turned to Dana with a look of deep regret. “We saw you were with the Old Ones and that you had fairy powers. Alas, we assumed you were safe and didn’t need us. We were caught off guard when we heard you were in Creemore and under attack.”
“What!” said Gwen and Laurel together.
It was Dana’s turn to tell her story. When she came to the part where Jean had lost his humanity, Gwen wept openly while Laurel looked stricken. Up till now, neither of them had known anything about the wolf in the circle.
Dana didn’t cry. She had no tears left. As she spoke in a calm and quiet voice, her hand rested on the wolf’s head. The golden eyes gazed back at her without blinking.
“Faerie is the Land of Dreams and Promise,” she stated with sudden fierceness. “Once I open the door, I will bring Jean there where I believe he can be cured. I’ve found the portal. It’s at my great-great-grandfather’s grave. But for some reason it was beyond my reach.”
“It’s out of alignment,” Gwen explained. “As I mentioned in my note to you, the worlds have been drifting apart without the gateways to bridge them. When they cross again on Halloween, the portal will appear. That’s your chance to open it.”
Gwen hesitated, though it seemed she had more to say.
Laurel finished for her. “It’s your one and only chance. If the door isn’t opened on Halloween and the worlds drift again, they will stay apart forever.”
Dana felt the weight of the truth on her shoulders, but she preferred to know it. She nodded gratefully to Laurel.
“The Book of Dreams described how my ancestor sealed the gateway with a drop of his blood. Only the blood of his family can open it again. I’ll do what he did. That’s easy enough, I think.”
They all looked at her. There was a gravity to their silence that made her catch her breath. She knew that she was missing something.
“It won’t be easy at all,” Daisy said to her. “As you discovered today, your enemy has called many dark things to the Plain of the Great Heart.”
“By the time the portal appears,” Alf Branch finished, “a great army will stand between you and the door.”
The wolf growled low in his throat.
Dana looked back at them, stunned. She had expected a battle of some kind, chiefly between herself and Crowley, but she hadn’t imagined something this huge.
“The secret of the portal was well kept through the years,” Alf pointed out, “but even as you uncovered the truth, so too did your enemy. Having failed to kill you, he will stand between you and what you seek. His forces are closing in on Creemore. Many are already here, as you know yourself.”
Dana looked stricken.
“You have allies also,” Daisy assured her quickly. “We’ve been gathering our own army far and wide. That’s why we were away and didn’t know of your peril. You’ll be happy to know that you’ve made many friends on your travels across the country. You’ve passed many tests, received many blessings. Word of your quest and your cause has spread. Stories are being told about you. Even as the dark forces draw together, so do the bright hosts who will stand against them. You are not alone.”
Dana was steadied by Daisy’s words. Her arm tightened around the wolf’s neck. They would do what they had to do to open the door.
“Now, your report,” Daisy said to the latecomers. “What news?”
“We steered clear of Creemore,” Laurel told her. “As Alf Branch said, the dark is rising there. We went to Collingwood. We were told about a great hosting at Algonquin Park. They’re coming from as far as Fort Severn and Lake of the Woods. All the northern Ontario troops will march down together on Halloween.”
“Excellent,” said Daisy.
There were smiles all round.
“There’s good news from Ireland too,” Gwen told her. “We rang from town. The hold on our Irish Companions has been broken at last. All are restored to health and ready to help. They’ll gather in a sacred place on the eve of Samhain and send us power.”
“Good news indeed.” Daisy nodded. “And I can report that at the Grand Council held today on White Island, there were heralds from every province and territory. All will send troops to join the battle.”
A lively cheer rose up from the circle.
“The giants are in,” Gaelyn Tree-Top announced. He was a quiet man who rarely spoke, but when he did everyone listened. “Fingal has called them.”
“The trolls too,” Weatherup declared.
“Really?” Dana said, surprised. “They’ll fight for us?”
“Natch,” said Weatherup. “They’re not bad, you know, just thick. Their king says he’s a friend of yours? Little fella, half-troll, half-leprechaun?”
“Trew!” said Dana, even more surprised. “He’s the King of the Trolls?”
“Will the dragons come?” Lavender interrupted. “I’d love to see them!”
“Lots of power there,” was Big James Tweed’s comment.
“Would they want to join us?” Fern wondered. “After what happened?”
A silence fell over the group. Stanley Moon let out a sigh.
“What is it?” asked Dana.
“The Irish and the Chinese built the railways together,” Stanley Moon explained. “Right across Canada. They got along most of the time, except when the Irish took to the drink on their days off. Then they thought it was funny to cut off the pigtails of the Chinese workers.”
“Dreadful behavior,” said Fern, shaking her head.
“We used to pinch the blackguards black and blue,” said Christy Pines, “but it made no difference. They just thought they fell over when they were drunk.”
Dana frowned. History was a terrible thing. The sins of the father. It had an awful habit of coming back at you. “None of you sounds Irish,” she pointed out. “You’ve all got North American accents.”
“Will we approach them as Canadians, then?” Alf Branch suggested.
“Yes and no,” Dana decided. “We must be honest. Say I belong to both Ireland and Canada. That’s the truth. See if they will accept that.”
With or without the dragons, they had reached the full tally. Dana sensed an uneasiness in the circle. Was there enough?
“What about the Old Ones?” Laurel suggested. “They’ve helped us already.”
The fairies frowned. Their reluctance was obvious.
“They seldom intervene in such affairs,” Daisy said quietly. “When they do, it’s on their own terms and not at anyone’s request. They see a bigger picture, a Grand Design beyond our comprehension.”
Even before Daisy had spoken, Dana had already decided against the notion.
“We won’t ask them,” she said. “It wouldn’t be right. Why should they fight our battles? They’ve already been more than generous.”
Flora Bird looked as if she might speak, so too did Gaelyn Tree-Top, but Alf and Daisy both shook their heads as if to say keep quiet.
“We will leave that decision for now,” Daisy declared with finality. Then she turned to Dana. “When you traveled in the West, did you receive a blessing of any kind?”
“I … I don’t know,” Dana said. “I visited many places and was taught many things. Most of all, I was given a vision of my own power. What do you mean exactly?”
“Was there any mention of a gift or ransom?” asked Alf.
“Oh yes!” said Dana. “The Sasquatch Elder told me. He said I was the gift.”
Some of the fairies went pale at this. All looked deeply sad. They couldn’t meet her eyes. Again, their leaders shook their heads. Say nothing.
“So be it,” said Daisy tersely, and her voice sounded pained. “But it may not come to that and we shall do our best to ensure it doesn’t. Whether big or small, we all have a part to play.”
• • •
The wolf stood alone at the edge of the forest, unable to deny himself one last look. His amber eyes were dark with grief as he gazed back at his beloved. Her black hair shone in the afternoon light. Her eyes were like blue stars.
Despite the burden that weighed upon her, she had never looked so radiant or so strong. Her hands rested in her lap, glowing faintly. She had found her people. It was time he returned to his.
On hearing the battle plans, he had decided what was best for him to do. He would head north to Roy and grand-père, and most of all to the Old Man. He would ask them to help Dana.
He was about to set out when she was suddenly there, blocking his path.
“How could you go without saying good-bye?”
Her face was streaked with tears, but her voice was steady.
“You can’t stop the pain, Jean.”
She knelt down to put her arms around him his neck. He rested his great head against hers.
“Don’t give up,” she whispered to him. “There’s still hope. If I open the portal, we have a chance.”
She could hear his thoughts as if he had spoken to her.
“Stay alive for me,” he said. “Je t’aime.”
“I love you too,” she whispered back.
• • •
When Dana returned to the camp, the fairies were singing around the bonfire.
She’s like the swallow that flies so high,
She’s like the river that never runs dry,
She’s like the sunshine on the lee shore,
She loves her love forever more.
“I’ve got to go,” she told them. “It’s getting late. My gran will be worried.”
“Not a good idea,” Gwen argued. “Creemore is crawling with creepies.”
“I’m going home,” Dana insisted quietly. “I’ve got seven days till the battle, and I’m going to spend it with my family. I’m not afraid of Crowley. I can protect myself.”
Both Laurel and Gwen were about to say more, but Daisy held up her hand.
“The Light-Bearer’s Daughter has power of her own.”
Alf Branch agreed. “He won’t risk attacking her now that she has gained strength from the Old Ones. He’ll wait till he’s gathered his full army. The servants of evil are always cowards.”
Dana took her leave of the fairy troop of Clan Creemore.
The Book of Dreams Page 40
