The owl came in through the window after chasing Rose out of the room. Julian had managed to free himself from one of the bands holding his wrist up to the wall. He was in the process of trying to get his other wrist free.
The owl returned to him and started pecking at the band. Julian used his feet to push against the wall. The room smelled of smoked wood and papers. In her effort to wave the owl away from her, Rose had sent blasts of magic fire all around the room. It was a wonder none of them hit Julian. It was also a wonder that none of the servants had come into the room to see what was going on. His guess was that Rose had put them under a deep sleep so they’d stay out of the way.
Julian gave a hard yank against the band, and it finally released him. He fell onto the chair and knocked it over as he tumbled to the floor. It took a couple of seconds for him to get to his feet, but once he did, he ran to the window.
He saw that Rose was using her wand to shoot more of those fiery blasts at something in the distance. Julian saw a horse galloping toward the section of trees on the property that led to the blue fairy. The horse dodged the blasts as fast as she was sending them. He thought he saw someone riding the horse, but it wasn’t until he noticed the red and gold thread that he realized the horse was taking Willow to the blue fairy. What a relief. He couldn’t think of a better hiding place than the enchanted trees.
Julian slipped outside, doing his best to be quiet so that Rose didn’t notice him.
Julian heard a caterwaul that echoed loudly through the night from behind Rose. Rose spun around, and that was when Julian saw the cat from the barn. She pointed her wand at it, but it was already bolting for the nearest tree.
The owl swept in from behind her and tangled its claws into her hair. She let out a shriek and brought her hands up to grab the owl.
Seeing his opportunity, Julian ran for her. She managed to pry the owl off of her head and threw the animal to the ground. Julian bumped into her before she had a chance to point the wand at the owl.
She shoved Julian away, but he pushed back as he reached for the wand in her hand. She swiped the wand across his chest, resulting in a welt that burned into his skin through his waistcoat and shirt. He stumbled away from her for a second but quickly regained his ground as he pushed the pain aside. He had to get the wand! Everything he cared about depended on it.
A mouse ran up his leg, but he kept his focus on the wand. He gripped Rose’s wrist in his hand. She used her free hand to swipe at his face, but he blocked the attack with his free arm. Another mouse ran up his other leg. Rose let out a frustrated cry.
Above them the owl hooted and circled above them. More mice came at Julian and Rose. Julian glanced at the ground, and the entire ground seemed to be covered with mice. And those mice were starting to climb all over Julian and Rose.
“No,” Rose growled. “No!”
Sparks of pinks, purples, and gold shot out from the wand and lit up the night sky above them.
Julian tightened his grip on her wrist so she couldn’t move the wand. Then he finally secured her other hand so she couldn’t lash out at him anymore. She kicked at him, but the mice were quickly forming a barrier between the two of them so he could barely feel the impact of the kick.
Julian finally managed to get her to release the wand as the mice ran up their arms. He tried to grab it, but it fell on the ground and got lost in the sea of mice that were swarming all around them.
The cat let out a shrill howling noise, and the mice jumped off of Julian and leapt at Rose. That freed Julian to search beneath the mice for the wand. He got on his hands and knees and scrambled to find it.
A faint blue light winked at him. He turned toward it, and with one accord, the mice cleared a spot in the grass. The wand gave out a green pulsing color. Julian dropped to his knees and snatched it up.
Rose tried to get to him, but the mice pressed in on her and forced her to the ground. She threw them off of her, but the more she threw off, the more scrambled to get on her.
Julian jumped up and rushed for the gazebo. He hoped he wouldn’t need Willow to get the wand to the green fairy, but at the moment, he was the only one who could get to her.
The owl and cat stayed with Rose, letting out their hoots and their yowls. He had no idea what Rose had put them through while they were men, but he suspected it wasn’t pleasant since they were so angry with her that they had summoned all of the mice to go after her.
By the time Julian reached the gazebo, he was out of breath and starting to stumble from the exertion of running. He glanced behind him. Rose wasn’t following him.
He turned his attention back to the gazebo and entered it. A blue light glimmered on the bench. He went to it and held the wand out.
A small hand reached through the invisible covering, and he placed the wand in the fairy’s hand. At once, the cage shattered. Julian jerked back and fell to the floor of the gazebo.
The green fairy emerged from her hidden spot and went over to Julian. Though Julian knew he hadn’t done anything to hurt her, he was too scared to say anything. She waved the wand in the air. In the swirl of green dust, a missive formed. It rolled up on its own accord and was given a green seal. It floated in mid-air in front of him, but he was too frightened to take it. She offered him a nod and then flew out of the gazebo and into the air.
He crawled to the edge of the gazebo so he could watch her. She flew high into the air then lifted her wand. At once, the sky became a green color that was so bright, it was if it was noon during a sunny day. Julian squinted against it so he could see where Rose was. He saw her in the center of where the mice were congregating. They covered her from head to toe, and though she tried to fling them off of her, there were too many of them for her to succeed.
The fairy let out a cry with such a high pitch that Julian had to cover his ears. Rose and the mice grew still. The fairy pointed her wand straight at Rose. The mice leapt off of Rose and fled in all directions to hide. The cat and owl hurried for the stables.
Just as Julian thought it might be wise to move further into the gazebo, the ground shook with such violence that he ended up rolling up against one of the benches. He clung to it in order to steady himself.
Dark clouds began to form in the sky above, and thunder boomed from multiple directions.
Rose stared at something above her. Julian shifted so he could see what had caught her attention. The clouds continued rolling in and a tornado began to take shape in the sky.
Rose screamed and ran.
Julian turned his attention back to the sky. No, it wasn’t a tornado that was forming above them. It was something else. He moved to get a better look at the funnel that was coming down from the dark clouds that filled the sky. Black wings flapped in the air in a circular formation.
Fairies. Dark, evil fairies. They were forming the funnel. Julian hid under a bench and grasped its legs to brace himself for whatever was coming.
These were not the benevolent creatures Julian and Willow had dealt with. No, these were the things of nightmares.
The fairies continued to swirl down from the sky until the entire sky turned dark from the clouds. The entire estate was cast into shadows. All color departed. Even the green fairy didn’t give off her glow.
More thunder boomed, and this time lightning shot from the center of the swirling fairies. The lightning hit Rose, and she was unable to keep running. The lightning snaked around her and lifted her into the air.
She screamed again and tried to get out of the lightning, but it seemed to only tighten around her. Another dark fairy, this one larger than the others and far more terrifying emerged from the center where the fairies spun around. It had sharp talons on the end of its wings. It had sharp teeth and sharp nails. Its eyes were flames of fire.
Droch Leteacht. Julian recognized the evil fairy from the vision Rose had given him. It was far more terrible in real life than in a vision.
The air grew so thick and heavy that Julian couldn’t breathe.
Droch Leteacht snarled at Rose. “You’re mine.”
Rose shook her head. “No, no. Please. Willow is with child. I can get that child to you. Or you can take her yourself. She’s over there in those trees.”
Julian tried to call out that he wasn’t going to allow it, but he still couldn’t breathe. And because of that, he couldn’t talk. He rolled out from under the bench and tried to pull himself up, but the air was so heavy that he collapsed back to the floor.
“You’ve tried my patience one too many times,” Droch Leteacht growled at Rose.
Lightning shot forth from his fingers and shackles twisted around Rose’s neck, wrists, and ankles. Rose cried out and fought against them, but he grabbed the chain around her neck and yanked her with him. The two went into the middle of the swirling fairies.
The dark fairies snickered and cackled as they followed him back into the sky. The thunder boomed again, but this time it sounded like it came from further away.
The heavy feeling pressing down on Julian left, and he could finally breathe. The dark fairies headed off into the horizon, and the colors began to return to the estate.
The green fairy, looking satisfied, departed in a different direction. And then the sky returned to its nighttime appearance, and all was quiet.
It took a few minutes before Julian had the strength to get to his feet.
It was over. Rose was gone. She couldn’t harm him or Willow ever again. And…and…a child? Did he even believe her? For all he knew, she could have been lying.
Regardless, he had to get to Willow. As he made his way to the doorway of the gazebo, he remembered the missive from the green fairy. He found it floating in mid-air, still covered in green light.
Despite his hesitation, he took it, and the green glow left it. The green seal broke and crumpled into dust that blew away in a breeze. He walked out of the gazebo and unrolled it. In the moonlight, he read, Because you freed me, your title will be passed on from one generation to the next for all time.
Just as he thought he would show it to Willow, it turned to dust and blew away in another breeze. He stared after the green dust as it disappeared into the night.
He released his breath. It was enough to know everything was going to be all right. He and Willow wouldn’t be taken to that cursed land of the evil fairies. They would be allowed to live on at this estate in peace.
He found the red and gold thread leading to the place where the blue fairy dwelt and headed for Willow.
***
The air was silent inside the group of trees which vibrated with a soothing blue color that formed a barrier to keep malevolent magic out. Unlike her first time here, Willow didn’t feel strange. Everything felt as normal in here as it did out there. She was sure that was significant, but she had no way of knowing how. Perhaps the blue fairy wasn’t trying to mask his dwelling. Maybe he was allowing anyone, or anything, to see his location on the property right now.
Willow stood close to the horse and waited in the trees. The horse remained here, and she took that to mean it wasn’t safe to leave yet. The terrible dark clouds and those awful fairies were gone. All that was left beyond the trees, as far as she could make out, was a peaceful night.
She couldn’t make out the manor or gazebo from where she was. All she knew was that something had changed. As the dark clouds departed, a wave of green light swept through the area. It even passed through the blue barrier. She hoped the green light meant the green fairy was free. If so, then it would mean Julian had succeeded and Rose was no longer a threat.
She heard the sound of fluttering wings and turned in time to see the blue fairy come up to her. He pointed his wand toward something in the distance, and that was when she realized someone was running toward them. Her initial reaction was to lean into the horse, but then she saw the red and gold thread connecting her to the person and knew it was Julian.
She was ready to run out to him when the fairy pointed his wand in Julian’s direction. Julian disappeared for a second but reappeared right in front of her. Willow gasped and hugged him. He was all right!
He hugged her in return. “I gave the green fairy her wand. She’s free now. Rose is gone, too. The evil fairy took her away. We’re safe now. It’s going to be all right.”
She was so relieved that she might have collapsed if he hadn’t been holding her.
The blue fairy approached them, and they turned to him. The fairy waved his wand until blue dust formed in front of them. The dust turned into a parchment with words that began to form on it. The parchment floated in front of them, and the fairy looked at them expectantly.
“You take it,” she whispered to Julian. While she understood the fairy was here to protect them, she wasn’t sure she wanted to touch anything magical.
Julian took it and read, “‘The curse has been lifted. All of the effects will be removed with it. Remember the deal I had with your grandfather. The land belongs to me for all generations, but your lineage will be allowed to live here. I will stay here in the trees that will be invisible to all who look at it.’” Julian glanced at Willow. “That sounds fair to me.”
Willow nodded her agreement. It was much better than being enslaved to an evil fairy for hundreds—possibly a thousand or so—years.
“I understand,” Julian told the fairy. “The land is yours and will stay yours. Thank—”
Willow stopped him. “Don’t thank him.”
Julian’s gaze went to her. “Why not?”
“The books I read warn against it. They are polite, but they don’t like to be thanked.”
“Oh, all right.” Julian’s gaze went back to the fairy.
The fairy smiled and then twirled his wand. A swirl of blue light spun around the wand. As it grew brighter, Julian held Willow closer to him, and she braced herself for what was coming next.
The fairy pointed his wand at Julian and Willow, and the light swept over them. Then the light swept over the horse and continued to sweep across the property.
The fairy offered a bow and waved. Then it disappeared, and in the next instance, Willow, Julian, and the horse were out of the trees. The trees began to blur together and then slowly disappeared. Willow’s eyes widened.
“Do you see trees?” she whispered to Julian.
“No,” he whispered back.
They stood there for a few long moments before they noticed that the horse was wandering off.
“The stables are over here,” Willow said as she followed it.
When she reached it, it stopped and looked at her, but the awareness that had once been in its eyes was gone. She rubbed its nose, and it snorted as any other horse would. She looked up at its mane and noticed the white streak was gone from it. Now its mane was all black.
“I think what made it human in the future is gone,” she told Julian. “It seems to be different now.”
Julian studied it. “I think you’re right. And there’s something else that’s different. The red and gold thread between us is no longer there.”
He took a few steps away from her, and she blinked in surprise. He was right. There was nothing between them anymore.
“Do you think all of the magic is gone from this place?” Willow asked.
“Well, no. There is magic where the fairy is.” Julian pointed to the invisible trees. “That will always be here. But it could be that all other traces of the magic will be gone. Do you remember anything about moving stairs from your time?”
“Moving what?”
“Cars?”
“What’s a car?”
“I suppose not all of the magic is gone,” he said. “There’s enough left so you can be with me in this time.”
The night had been a long one, and she was exhausted. She put her arm around his waist. What did she care about the strange things she had told him about from her time? It didn’t matter. What mattered was that they were together.
Julian gave her a kiss then they led the horse to the stables. He put the horse in its stall. On their way out, a black cat ran by them.
“The cat!” Willow pointed to it. “Do you think it’s like the horse now?”
Julian hurried after it and picked it up. Its eyes were no longer a bright green color, though they were still green. It meowed at them and wiggled to get out of his arms. It then darted up into the loft, and, if Willow saw right, the owl was in the shadows. It gave no hoot to acknowledge it recognized them.
Julian gasped and ran over to her. “I wonder if we can cross the bridge.”
“You want to check the bridge this late at night?” Willow asked.
“I can saddle my horse. We can use the double saddle and ride together.”
“But I’m not in my riding outfit. Shouldn’t we at least change first?”
They heard a sound and jumped.
The stablemaster came into the stables and rubbed his eyes as if he’d just woken up from a deep sleep.
“My lord and lady!” the stablemaster exclaimed in surprise when he noticed them. “I didn’t know you were out here this late. Is there something you need me to do? Is a horse sick?”
“No, the horses are fine,” Julian replied. After a moment, he added, “Thankfully. I wasn’t sure about one of them and wished to check on it.” He glanced over at the horse that had belonged to his father. “As it turns out, I worried for nothing. You may go.”
The stablemaster offered a nod and left.
Julian turned to her. “Whatever Rose did to put them to sleep seems to have worn off.” He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her. “We have so much to be thankful for. Whether we can leave this property or not, I’m just glad we’ll be together.”
She wrapped her arm around his waist and leaned into him. “I am, too.”
In silence, they returned to the manor.