(Dorcha POV)
It's still night outside.
Rain crashes endlessly against the windows.
Fairy blood stains the glass in dark streaks.
It's grotesque.
Aileen sits on the windowsill, staring silently into the storm.
Worried. Lost in thought.
I understand why.
Too much has happened already… and it still isn't over.
Time is running out.
And if we fail—
Damn it.
This is my fault.
I walk over and rest a hand on her shoulder.
I need to comfort her.
…And maybe I need comfort too.
She leans into me immediately.
"We'll make it through this, love," I murmur.
She looks at me like I just uncovered something she was trying to hide.
I hand her a steaming cup of herbal tea, sit behind her, and wrap my arms around her waist.
The scent of her hair settles around me, warm and familiar.
For one brief moment, everything feels quiet again.
But I still can't rest.
That knight in the crimson armor won't leave my mind.
I have to defeat him.
Once and for all.
(Gaithy POV)
Okay, they're actually adorable like this.
I mean—
the first time I saw Dorcha, I was one hundred percent convinced he was gonna kill me.
I flutter over to the couch and drop onto it with a yawn.
Ugh… I'm sooo sleepy…
"Already awake?" I ask.
They come sit beside me.
Dorcha stares at me with those intense eyes of his.
Oh no.
What does he want now?
"Thank you for saving me, Gaithy."
…Huh?
Heat rushes straight to my cheeks.
I'm probably red as giant cherries right now.
"I just had a feeling you weren't actually evil, that's all," I mumble, trying to sound cool. Maybe. "Anyway… what's the plan now?"
Neither of them answers right away.
Then Fayrin walks in from the kitchen carrying the most super-overstuffalicious plate of delicious things I've ever seen in my life.
YES.
The orc-troll follows behind her with two gigantic pitchers filled to the brim with apple cider and fruit juice.
I launch myself at the food immediately.
"I think the wisest thing to do is retrieve the next Secret," Fayrin says.
"Yeah, but… where did all this amazing food even come from?" I ask between bites.
Oh wow.
This tastes illegal.
"If I know you, probably the emergency supplies…" Aileen says carefully, glancing toward the fairy master.
Fayrin nods proudly before sitting down.
"Where are you keeping the Secrets of the other kingdoms, Aileen?" she asks.
Aileen pulls back her sleeve.
Whoa.
Wrapped around her wrist is a beautiful golden bracelet shaped like intertwined roots, delicate and glowing softly beneath the light. Embedded in it are gemstones of every color imaginable.
"There," she says softly. "Every time I find a Secret, it turns into a stone and joins the bracelet."
"Hm… so the Scroll is changing form?"
"It seems that way," Aileen replies. "Though we still don't know if this is its final shape."
"We'll find out soon enough. Right now, what matters is recovering the Fairy Secret."
"Right… except I still have no idea what I'm supposed to look for."
"I do."
Fayrin folds her hands in front of her.
"You'll need to go to the castle and enter the throne room. At its center, you'll find a glass case containing an orchid. But it is no ordinary flower. It has existed for thousands of years… and holds immeasurable power."
The room falls silent.
"Whenever a new Fairy Princess is crowned Queen, the orchid is placed upon her crown. Its essence spreads through her body, making her the wisest and most powerful fairy in the kingdom. Once the ceremony ends, the flower is returned to its case, where it remains as both symbol and protection of the realm."
Aileen's face falls slightly.
"Fayrin… if it's that important, Queen Titania will never give it to me."
"She will."
Fayrin's answer comes without hesitation.
"I already contacted her and explained everything. The moment she learned the truth, she agreed. King Edouard did as well."
"Excellent," Dorcha says immediately. "Then let's go."
Fayrin doesn't look convinced.
Yeah. Thought so.
He still looks half dead. Where exactly does he think he's going?
"You're staying here," Fayrin says firmly. "You haven't recovered yet, and the situation outside is worsening by the hour. We'll go."
"But I—"
"You," she cuts in sharply, "need to focus on taking the regeneration potion and healing."
Dorcha's expression hardens instantly.
"That is not happening, Fairy. I have no intention of letting you go alone."
Ohhh no.
This is getting bad.
I quietly grab another pastry.
Then Grogher cuts in, his voice rough and blunt.
"Enough, Dorrrcha. You're pale as snow. If dangerrr comes, you'd only slow us down. We go. You stay."
…
He's dead.
…Wait.
No?
Nope. Dorcha just stands there staring in silence.
Aw.
Okay, now I actually feel bad. I don't think Grogher meant to hurt him.
"We'll be quick, okay?" I tell him gently. "The castle's only a few miles away. We'll be back before you know it."
But he barely seems to hear me.
God, this is frustrating.
Aileen walks over to him and looks straight into his eyes.
Then she wraps her arms around him.
For a second, neither of them moves.
After that, she turns and walks out the door.
Fayrin and Grogher follow after her.
…I hurry after them too.
But before leaving, I glance back toward the house.
Dorcha is still standing at the window, watching us.
And he looks deeply, deeply uneasy.
(Richard POV)
Phéist and I have been circling this area for hours.
How the hell did that knight just vanish?
Shit.
…
Hm?
What's that…?
A different vibration.
A pulse.
I close my eyes and focus.
There.
Images.
Blurred at first… then sharper. Clearer.
A young fairy climbing the winding paths toward the castle.
With… an older fairy… a white lion… a girl radiating strange golden light… a unicorn and—
What the hell is that?
An orc…?
Or a troll?
Eh, who cares.
It's shorter than both, so whatever.
But where's the knight?
…
Damn it. He's not there.
Still… they definitely know where he is.
"Phéist. Let's move."
I place my hands against his neck and shut my eyes.
The clearing dissolves instantly.
One way or another…
they're taking me to him.
…
We rematerialize behind a massive boulder, wrapped in perfect silence.
From here, tracking them is easy.
With a quick motion, I cloak both myself and Phéist in invisibility.
"Let's go, handsome," I whisper.
And we follow them.
(Grogher POV)
We've been walking for a long time now.
Thought it'd take much less.
"How much farrrther, Fayrin? I don't want Dorcha doing something stupid."
Aileen's delicate hand rests gently on my arrrm.
"He's not reckless," she says softly. "He won't do anything foolish. You'll see."
(Richard POV)
Ah-ah. Bingo.
I knew it.
So Dorcha's the guy in black armor…
At this rate, I'll get to him sooner than expected.
Still… this is dragging.
They need a little push.
The Fairy Castle… Queen Titania… an orchid inside a glass case…
Hm.
So they want the flower?
Good.
Then there's no need to wait until they reach the castle.
"Reveal yourself… longed-for flower."
(Aileen POV)
A beautiful fairy approaches from the far end of the road.
She wears a crown upon her head and carries a crystal case in her hands.
Inside it rests an orchid.
Could she really be—
"Titania!" Fayrin gasps in surprise. "Your Majesty, it could be dangerous. Why did you come alone?"
The queen smiles calmly at each of us.
She radiates confidence. Grace. Authority.
A true queen.
"I had the impression time was not on our side," she says warmly. "So I brought the flower myself."
Really…?
That's incredible.
Fayrin looks at me encouragingly.
I nod and step forward.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," I say, bowing deeply.
Then I reach out toward the crystal case.
(Fayrin POV)
A sudden gust of wind erupts around us.
Strong.
Hot.
Wrong.
Me and the others spin around immediately.
The road… the forest… the dead trees—
Gone.
Everything is gone.
We're standing inside absolute nothingness.
Aileen doesn't even notice.
She's completely entranced by the Queen's hypnotic gaze.
No.
She's in danger.
I have to stop her.
"Aileen, wait!" I scream, lunging toward her.
Too late.
Her hands are already touching the case.
Titania's body twists violently—
—and transforms into a monstrous praying mantis with enormous razor-sharp claws.
It lunges straight for my child.
It grabs her.
Lifts her effortlessly into the air.
I have to act.
But if I attack carelessly, I could hurt Aileen.
"AILEEN!" Grogher roars.
No response.
The creature tightens its claw around her body.
It's going to crush her—
Grogher explodes forward with terrifying speed, swinging his flail and slamming it directly into the monster.
The mantis screeches in pain and releases her.
Aileen crashes to the ground.
Now!
I cast a spell.
The creature shrinks.
Another.
Flames engulf its body.
Another.
Its ashes scatter into the void.
"Fayrin… Grogher…"
Gaithy's tiny voice.
I turn instantly.
She's kneeling beside Aileen, pale as death.
Aileen lies motionless on the ground.
Blood pours endlessly from her arm.
Too much blood.
Far too much.
"We have to go back," Gaithy says shakily. "Now. Or it'll be too late."
(Richard POV)
Perfect.
Now things are finally getting interesting.
(Dorcha POV)
"Dorcha, open the door! Hurry!"
Gaithy's voice.
Something's wrong.
I rush to the entrance, throw the door open, and run outside.
Aileen—
Grogher is sprinting toward me with Aileen in his arms.
She's not moving.
What…?
What happened—
"AILEEN!" I shout.
My voice breaks halfway through her name.
I reach Grogher and carefully take her from him.
She's limp.
Too still.
I don't understand.
"What happened?"
"Later! Explanations later!" Fayrin snaps urgently. "Inside. Now!"
She rushes into the house and I follow immediately.
Back into the same room I was resting in.
"Here," she says, pointing to the bed. "Lay her down here. Good. Now get out and let me work."
She pushes us outside and slams the door shut.
I can't breathe.
I need answers.
I look at Grogher and Gaithy.
"A monster!" Gaithy blurts out frantically. "We were attacked by a monster!"
"A millennarrry mantis," Grogher adds grimly.
"What does that even mean? Explain properly."
And they begin telling me everything.
(Richard POV)
Hm.
That has to be him.
Yeah.
The guy who ran out of the house wearing black armor… that's definitely him.
And now that they're all back inside, every vibration has disappeared.
Interesting.
So the house is shielded.
That explains—
Wait.
I want to test something.
I cast a destruction spell directly at the house.
…
Just like I thought.
The magic vanishes the instant it touches the barrier.
Absorbed like nothing ever happened.
So that's how it is, huh?
Completely immune to magic.
Whatever.
I can wait.
In the meantime, Phéist and I retreat to the nearest hidden clearing so I can contact Teallach.
She needs to know.
I reach for her with my mind.
Less than a second later, she's already standing in front of me.
God, she makes me nervous.
"Well?" she asks coldly. "Did you kill him?"
That tone again.
Sharp. Commanding.
Every single time, it freezes my blood.
But I can't let her notice that.
"Not yet," I reply. "But I found him."
"As if failing to find him was ever an option. So what exactly are you waiting for?"
What am I waiting for?
It's not exactly easy, okay?
Better just tell her everything.
As I explain what happened, she listens carefully, her gaze drifting toward the house in the distance.
"Hm. Perhaps you're not as foolish as I originally thought."
…Wait.
Was that praise?
Then she steps closer.
One of her long black nails slides beneath my chin, tilting my face upward.
Why does she do that…?
She leans near my ear and whispers softly:
"I could wipe every last one of them out with a single finger. But this task belongs to you. Inform me if anything changes."
A pause.
"I have someone to visit."
And then—
Gone.
Just like that.
Like she was never there at all.
…I have to succeed.