The day Gwen was offered a teaching job at Dana’s school, she went straight to Laurel to tell her the good news. The porter at Massey College recognized her and waved her through the gates. As she hadn’t called ahead, Gwen caught Laurel off guard. There was no time for the other to hide that she’d been crying. Her eyes were red and swollen from weeping.
“I need to be alone,” Laurel mumbled, keeping the door half-closed.
“I don’t think so,” said Gwen, gently pushing her way through.
By the time they were both sitting down with cups of green tea, Laurel was ready to talk.
“I can’t stop thinking the worst. If everyone in Ireland was attacked, then Ian would have been too. He could be lying somewhere in a coma or …”
Gwen listened with sympathy. The same thought had occurred to her also, but she had kept it to herself. “He could also be safely in Faerie,” she pointed out. “You said he lives in both worlds. If he was there when the portals went down, he’d be stuck on the other side.”
Laurel nodded and blew her nose. “That’s what I believe on good days.”
Gwen glanced around the room. This was obviously not a good day. Given that Laurel was a perfectionist, the state of disorder spoke volumes. Clothes littered the floor. Books and papers were strewn everywhere. Gwen had already noticed the photograph on the desk, which hadn’t been there before. Encased in a silver frame was a young man with raven-black hair, striking features, and the startling blue eyes of Faerie. He looked thoughtful and romantic, but also moody; like an Irish poet.
“Ireland’s a small place,” Gwen said. “Do you want me to ask Dara about him? Maybe he and Granny could do some kind of search, with or without magic. I’m sorry, I should have thought about this before.”
“You have enough to think about,” Laurel said, “and so do they. The mission is the important thing.”
“Ian’s important too,” Gwen argued. “Everyone is. She reached out to squeeze Laurel’s hand. “We need to hold on to hope. It’s the only way we’ll get through this.”
Laurel sighed and admitted quietly, “My hope is to see him again.”
“That a girl. Are you ready for some good news?”
Laurel was delighted to hear about the job. She rallied immediately, looking stronger and happier. The tide appeared to be turning in their favor at last.
“You’ll be Dana’s teacher!” she exclaimed. “This can’t be a coincidence!”
“There’s no such thing as coincidence,” they said together, then laughed.
Gwen was glad to see the change in Laurel. “It’ll be a piece of cake to approach the girl now. She’s far more likely to trust her teacher than some stranger off the street.”
• • •
Dara was also overjoyed when Gwen rang him with the news. All of them needed a boost to their spirits. Despite every effort to date, Granny had been unable to counter the spell that held the Irish Companions in its grip. Katie and Matt were still unconscious; she and Dara were still blind. Nor had she divined a way to restore the gateways. Though her auguries continued to point to Dana, they showed little else.
“The situation’s hopeless, but not dire,” was Dara’s comment, made with his typical dry humor. “We’re working away. Granny’s the brain and I’m the dogsbody. She has me out on the road at all hours, getting lashin’s of this and lashin’s of that. I can’t drive, but I’ve got two feet and a cane. And don’t I know the island like the back of my hand?”
Both Granny and Dara agreed that Gwen and Laurel should join up with Dana. The enemy’s attacks called for direct action and with no communication from Faerie they had to make their own plans. Gwen’s new position at the school seemed to support the idea.
• • •
But Gwen’s hopes of making immediate contact with Dana died her first morning on the job. The girl was not only absent that day, it turned out she had been away since the first week of school. When Gwen made inquiries, she was given reports on an illness and a car accident, with doctors’ notes attached.
“No wonder we couldn’t reach her!” Laurel said, when Gwen rang to tell her. “She must have been attacked!”
“Maybe. But the medical reports didn’t sound serious. Could it just be a coincidence? But we know the party line on that … She’s expected back soon. We’ll just have to wait till then.”
• • •
The day Dana arrived back in the classroom, Gwen saw instantly that their fears were confirmed. She looked pale and fragile, like a porcelain doll, and her eyes had a haunted look. There was no doubt that she had suffered a trauma of some kind; and though she appeared both shocked and relieved to see a new teacher, she also seemed distracted, and kept looking around. Was she searching for someone?
From the front of the class, an astute teacher can tell a lot about her pupils. The faces turned toward her reveal a great deal about their feelings and attitudes, and the ease or hardship of their lives. Some students are naturally bright and cheerful, others sullen or rebellious. There are those who are utterly uninterested in being taught and those who demand to be challenged and stimulated. Then there are the ones whose features are closed like a door. For whatever reason, usually painful, they just want to be left alone.
It was to this last category that Dana belonged, Gwen saw immediately. The girl was evidently a loner. Despite her long absence, no one greeted her when she entered the room, nor did anyone ask how she was. Moving quickly to the back of the class, she slumped into her desk. At lunchtime, she sat by herself in the cafeteria, reading a book.
From the day Gwen took up her post, she introduced the practice of interviewing her students to get to know them. This provided an ideal opportunity to be alone with Dana. Gwen had decided she would casually introduce the subject of Faerie when they met. Given that the girl was obviously shy and withdrawn, Gwen knew she had to tread carefully. Still, she was not prepared for an outright refusal.
“You want to interview me alone without my parents’ consent? Sorry, it’s not on.”
Before Gwen could react, Dana had sped down the hall. For the remainder of the day, despite all Gwen’s efforts, the girl managed to avoid any further encounters.
• • •
“Something to do with her last teacher?” Laurel suggested when she and Gwen met that evening for supper.
Laurel was picking her way through a Caesar salad. Gwen had a plate of spaghetti with a creamy sauce and strips of smoked pancetta.
“Definitely,” said Gwen between mouthfuls. “I did a little detective work in the staff room. His name was Crowley. Seems he went through some kind of major change since the summer. Lost weight, became withdrawn, acted weird. No one liked him anymore. In fact, I got the distinct impression they were afraid of him.”
Laurel looked shaken. “This sounds all wrong. Was he possessed by something? Gwen, you’ve got to be careful.”
“I am, don’t worry. I’m up to the yin-yang in protective charms, plus I’ve put them around the school. The place is clear now, I guess with him gone. But do you see the good of this? Crowley has disappeared and Dana is still here. Whatever happened, she survived and he didn’t. Looks to me like we’re being helped.”
“Could she have fought him off herself?”
Gwen was scooping up the sauce with her spoon. “I’d like to think that, but I can’t. She’s no warrior. There’s no sense of power there at all. She seems weak and nervous. How can she possibly take a mission? No wonder your sister was worried.”
“We’ve got to join her immediately. Granny and Dara say so too. We’re running out of time.”
Gwen frowned. “I agree, but I don’t want to rush things and scare her off. She won’t trust anyone after being attacked. Certainly not her new teacher if the old one was the bad guy!”
“Maybe I should talk to her?” Laurel suggested, but her voice was hesitant. “Since I look like Honor.”
Gwen saw the grimace. Laurel didn’t feel the same way Gwen did about children or teens. It didn’t bode well. The girl needed to be handled sensitively.
“Give me a few more days,” she suggested, to Laurel’s obvious relief.
The waiter with the dessert cart was on the far side of the room. Gwen called him over despite the other’s protests.
“This is my treat. Don’t be a killjoy. We’re celebrating my first real paycheck as a full-time teacher. And none of your low-fat nonsense,” she added.
Laurel held up her hands in surrender.
Gwen waited till the dishes of gelato were served, garnished with chocolate-covered wafers. Then she brought up the new topic as tactfully as she could.
“Granny says she might be able to help with Ian … though she can’t make any promises. But she needs something personal of his. Do you …?”
“Yes.” Laurel concentrated on her dessert as her face flushed with embarrassment. “I have one of his shirts. Oh God, this is so—”
“Well, it’s a good thing you do,” Gwen said in a no-nonsense manner, “or she wouldn’t be able to work the spell. So eat up all those calories and we’ll get back to your place and send it off by courier. The sooner Granny has it, the sooner she can find him.”
Gwen’s tone helped Laurel to regain her composure.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
“Oh stop it. What are friends for?”
• • •
The next day at school, Gwen was astonished by the difference in Dana. The girl looked transformed! The haunted look was completely gone, and though she still sat in the back of the class, there was something dignified, even queenly about her aloofness. There was also an air of triumph about her, as if she had succeeded at something. She looked immensely pleased with herself, like the cat that had got the cream. In the days that followed, Gwen saw a steady increase in strength and vitality. Dana’s features seemed to glow. But at the same time, the girl became even more evasive and wily. No matter how often Gwen tried to cross paths with her or speak in private, Dana managed to slip away. She was adept at escaping, disappearing around corners, out of classrooms, down hallways.
“As elusive as a fairy,” Gwen said ruefully to Laurel.
They were taking turns watching over Dana. Like guardian angels, they followed her from home to school and back again to make certain she was safe.
Though they didn’t admit it, they were also spying. Gwen now believed that Dana had a mission; that someone, somehow, had set her on the quest to restore the gateways. All the changes in the girl pointed to it. There was a definite air of determination and purpose.
Laurel wasn’t convinced. “How could she know anything? The portals are down. There’s no contact with Faerie. If there were, we’d have heard something by now.”
Gwen recognized the logic of Laurel’s argument, but she trusted her instincts. Dana was questing and growing from it. If only the girl would let them in!
Gwen’s chance arrived the day Jean returned to school. She knew one of her students had been mugged, but she hadn’t connected him to Dana. After all, Toronto was a big city with the usual crime rate, and this particular boy had notes on his file about absenteeism, rebelliousness, and defiance of authority. When he first entered the classroom, he didn’t even look at Dana.
It was at lunchtime, when Gwen was passing the cafeteria, that she saw them together. Her attention had been caught by the sound of wild laughter. She was so surprised to see Dana with a friend that she stopped and stared. It was Jean, the boy who was attacked! Gwen’s mind raced, putting two and two together. She studied Dana. The girl looked flushed and happy. With a pang, Gwen saw the relationship and knew what it meant. She could have been looking at herself and Dara the first time they met, brought together by a Faerie mission. The reminder brought an ache to her heart, but she was also glad. If her intuition was right, Dana was not only on the quest but she had a companion.
With some trepidation, Gwen decided it was time to act. She would have to talk fast. Teachers rarely entered the student cafeteria and she didn’t want an audience. At the same time, she needed to convince these two that she was on their side and ready to help them.
Dana’s instant rebuff was so forceful, it took Gwen’s breath away. Hardly the weak and nervous girl of first impressions! Rejection notwithstanding, Gwen was delighted. She looked from Dana to Jean, liking what she saw. The young man showed strength of character. Someone to be trusted. Together they inspired confidence. There was hope for the mission.
• • •
The moment she was alone, Gwen rang Laurel with the latest news.
“No offense, Gwen, but we need something more tangible than your instincts. Give me the facts, ma’am, just the facts. She knows the portals are down since she, like us, would be cut off from Faerie. And she obviously knows an enemy is after her, if she has been attacked. But that doesn’t mean she knows what to do or that she has the power to restore the gateways. We’ve got to meet her and find out what’s happening.”
“Our original task was to watch over her,” Gwen argued. “Not to interfere. We each had our own mission and this one is hers. If she doesn’t want our help, we’ve no right to force her. We’ve got to trust she can do it. It’s her destiny.”
Laurel made an exasperated noise. “There’s your rose-colored glasses again. Destiny doesn’t guarantee that everything will turn out all right. This is too important to stick to tradition. You’re endangering Faerie.”
“That’s unfair,” Gwen protested.
She was hurt by the remark, but Laurel was relentless. “Fair or not, time is against us. I say grab Dana by the scruff of the neck and find out what she knows. If you don’t, I will. This can’t go on any longer. We’ve been sensitive enough for her sake. The mission is more important than any of us.”
It wasn’t their first disagreement about strategy, but it was the worst. Laurel’s tone was belligerent. Gwen felt cornered.
“All right. I’ve got an idea. I’ll write her a note. If that doesn’t work, you can confront her yourself.”
“Fine,” said Laurel, and she hung up.
Gwen sighed as she stared at the phone. She missed the Company of Seven.
• • •
On entering the classroom the next morning, Gwen saw immediately that Jean had changed desks to sit beside Dana. The two were deep in conversation, oblivious to everyone else around them. It wasn’t Gwen’s nature to eavesdrop, but she couldn’t help herself. Sidling along the aisle, she took more time than was necessary to open the window near them.
She heard very little before Dana spotted her, but it was enough. Confirmation at last! Gwen was elated. Dana was on the mission and so, too, was Jean. They had been discussing how to get away for the long weekend. Here was the opportunity Gwen had been hoping for, the chance to show her good faith and gain their confidence.
• • •
When Gwen called Laurel that day, they devised a plan together. Gwen would arrange “a school trip” for Dana and Jean. She had the money to finance their travels and she would accompany them. Between the note declaring Gwen a Companion of Faerie and the offer of assistance, they were bound to accept her.
“You’ll miss Thanksgiving,” Laurel said. “My parents were looking forward to meeting you.” Her voice was sheepish. She was feeling guilty about the fight the night before, especially since Gwen had been proven right. Gwen being Gwen, of course, hadn’t said, “I told you so.”
“I’ll visit another time. Tell them I really appreciate the invite. But it makes sense that I’m the one to go and not you. It’s your Thanksgiving and you should be there. Maybe you’ll come to New Jersey for ours next month?”
“You’re sure about this?” Again, the guilt.
“Hey, I’m the one who’s off on an adventure. Isn’t that better than a turkey dinner?” Gwen gasped with mock horror. “Did I say that?”
“You’ve convinced me now,” Laurel said, wryly. “Okay then, I’m going to head off today to beat the rush on the buses. I expect a full report when I get back.”
“You’ve got it.”
“And Gwen?”
“What?”
“Be careful, eh?”
• • •
The plan was a good one, but like all plans it wasn’t foolproof. With only two days till the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, Gwen had to act fast. First things first, she needed parental permission for the two students to travel. That was the easy part, a few phone calls. It was her efforts to make contact with the young people that failed disastrously. She had hoped to catch Jean before he went home, but hadn’t counted on him leaving early for hockey practice. But the real catastrophe was Dana’s reaction to the note.
The handmade paper was a gift from Dara. The golden spirals were a Faerie design. Gwen had taken her time to write the note, knowing it was important that the message appeal to Dana. As a last flourish, she had sprinkled the envelope with her favorite apple-scented perfume. The note was left on Dana’s desk where she couldn’t possibly miss it.
At her own desk, Gwen pretended to mark papers, watching Dana from the corner of her eye. She held her breath. Now her heart lifted with hope as the girl approached her. But without looking back, Dana hurried from the classroom.
Hopes dashed, Gwen sat stunned a moment. Then, grabbing her coat and purse, she ran after the girl.
• • •
Gwen was well used to trailing Dana from her turn on watch, but today everything conspired to confound her. First the school principal stopped to have “a little talk” in the hall and praise Gwen’s work. She almost screamed with frustration. That delayed her getting to the subway. Dana’s train was already leaving as Gwen hurried down the stairs, cursing her high heels. Racing back up the escalator and into the street, she hailed a cab. Early rush-hour traffic meant slow progress, and the one-way street system on Brunswick Avenue left her only halfway to Dana’s house. Throwing money at the driver, she jumped out of the cab. A quick look around showed her instantly that she had arrived just in time.
On her left, a short way up the street, Dana was unconcernedly walking home. On Gwen’s right, near an abandoned convent that dominated the street, something was taking shape in a gurge of green matter.
Something wicked this way comes.
Gwen wasn’t sure what she was looking at, but she could see it was all wrong. The smear of green mist took a human shape, tall and pale with hideously scarred features. But it wasn’t human. Out of its body writhed long tentacles like tumid worms. Gwen caught the smell. A sour, metallic odor that clawed at her throat. Now a loud buzzing sound, like that of a giant wasp, drilled into her head.
The ghastly thing was not looking at her. It had turned toward Dana. The hatred that burned in its eyes was shocking. Gwen didn’t stop to think. Before the monster could move, she ran to fight it.
• • •
The thing was now fully formed, both man and hideous creature at the same time. Barreling into him, Gwen caught him off guard. He fell back as she kicked and punched, but then a skeletal hand shot out like a claw and gripped her arm.
With horrible speed, he dragged her to the yard behind the convent.
“You dare to challenge me?”
Gwen shuddered at the sound of his voice. Something dead and remorseless echoed from the human throat.
“First you, then the fairy girl. I will enjoy this little feast.”
Sticky tentacles coiled around Gwen’s waist. A quick snap of her back was no doubt his intention. He had to get Dana before she reached her house.
“Not on my watch,” Gwen hissed through clenched teeth.
She was neither weak nor powerless. The protective charms she carried were meant to combat a creature like this. Better than packing a pistol. She had slipped the first one from her pocket as she raced across the road. Clutched in her hand was a little sprig of green holly with a twist of red thread. Before the monster could tighten his grip, Gwen dropped the charm onto him and uttered the spell.
Let the briar that spreads, let the thorn that grows, pierce and perish your flesh.
Though she had barely managed to croak out the words, the effect was instant.
He released her with a screech and fell to the ground. Every part of him was pierced with fairy thorns. He writhed in agony.
Staggering back, Gwen grasped the next charm. She knew the battle had only begun. Though it was a long time since she had fought for her life, her adrenaline was rushing, her courage rising. Once a warrior in Faerie, always a warrior.
The second charm comprised dried leaves and flowers in a pouch of woven hemp. Gathered on May Eve, they were seven herbs that nothing natural or supernatural could injure: vervain, St. John’s Wort, speedwell, eye-bright, mallow, yarrow, and valerian. Quickly, she shook them into her palm. They had to be swallowed one by one. Would she have time? As soon as she gulped down the blade of yarrow, its power coursed through her veins. She was instantly stronger. Now for the speedwell. Yes! Her limbs quivered. She would move more swiftly. The eyebright would improve her sight and reflexes —
• • •
Her enemy had recovered. He charged at her. His rage was palpable. He was burning with it. The waspish noise exploded in her brain. The metallic smell was overpowering. Smoke rose from the pavement where he stepped. He spotted the pouch in her hand and lashed out furiously.
Tentacles flayed the air, each one a sharp and deadly weapon. The speedwell helped Gwen to dodge the full assault, but she couldn’t avoid them all. One tentacle sliced across her face to gash her forehead. Blood ran into her eyes. The world went red. Another whistled through the air and tore at her hand.
She let out a cry.
The pouch of magical herbs was ripped from her fingers.
Now Gwen reached for her last weapon: a thin switch of hazel, peeled bare. It was tucked into her belt, like a dagger. Brandishing it like a sword, she sprang forward with a cry and laid into him with her own fierce fury.
Back and forth, they wove in a dance of death.
Gwen darted with the swiftness the speedwell gave her, while the yarrow strengthened her arm as she smote and jabbed. Whenever she landed a blow with the wand, the creature shrieked with pain. Sacred and powerful, the hazel had secret properties that defied all demons. Though Gwen herself knew only a little of its mysteries, she was a trueheart and a braveheart and it responded to her touch.
But the monster was a mystery too, if a dark and loathsome one, and it had power of its own. The thing that had taken Crowley’s body was much older and more terrible than Gwen could have imagined. Despite the grave injuries she inflicted upon him, slowly but surely he gained the upper hand.
She continued to fight valiantly. Long before she had begun to lose, she knew she had won. Dana was safe at home and out of harm’s reach. Gwen had done her duty, she had served the cause well. Her king would be proud of her.
Gwen’s time was coming. Despite the strength of the yarrow, her arm was growing tired. Despite the swiftness of the speedwell, her steps began to falter. The hazel could work its magic only as long as she could wield it. All this she knew as she continued to do battle against a much stronger enemy.
The monster’s blows rained relentlessly down. The tentacles lashed out tirelessly like massive whips. Gwen could no longer fend them off. She staggered dizzily. When the blows landed, she screamed. The pain was unbearable.
Now her arms went limp at her side.
Now her tears fell, without shame, for a life lost too young.
Now the monster coiled around her once more.
She felt his rage and his ravening hunger. There would be no mercy. There was no hope. Yet even as she felt her body begin to crack, she found the last remnant of strength to utter a cry.
Come, holy word, singing word, and the good word also! May the power of these three holy things set me free from evil!
As her words shimmered in the air like silver, the monster recoiled. The cry seemed to reverberate outward, a clarion call to all that was bright and beautiful. But it lasted only a moment.
Now, with implacable malice, Crowley bore down on her. The stink was overwhelming. The foul smell of the murderer. She felt herself falling backward into darkness. Her heart fluttered wildly like a bird in its death throes. And as her eyes closed on the world, she whispered the name of the one she loved most, her greatest grief in parting.
Dara.