Grip of the Shadow Plague

Then again, if she opted not to take this risk, her apparent destiny was to become a shadow person on a fallen preserve ruled by a demon and a wicked hamadryad. In a way, an exit as dandelion seeds might be preferable.

All considerations aside, she had made the decision already, and now just needed the courage to carry it out. The naiads could drag the boat back into the water at any moment!

Braced for the worst, she leaped out of the rowboat and onto the firm mud of the island. As on her previous excursion to the shrine, the moment was anticlimactic. She did not transform into seeds. There was no signal to indicate she had done anything out of the ordinary.

Kendra glanced back at Patton, giving him a thumbs-up. He touched his forehead in a casual salute. A moment later, the boat was dragged back into the water and began to twirl.

"Don’t fret about me," Patton instructed lightheartedly, skimming an oar across the surface of the water with a ferocious swing. "Go commune with the queen."

On her prior visit to the island, Kendra had not known the location of the tiny shrine, and it had proven difficult to find. This time, bowl in hand, Kendra traipsed diagonally across the island, shoving between shrubs on an undeviating path to her destination. She found the gentle spring burbling out of the ground at the center of the island, trickling down a mild slope into the pond. At the source of the spring stood a finely carved statue of a fairy about two inches tall.

Crouching, Kendra placed the bowl in front of the miniature pedestal supporting the fairy figurine. At the same moment, Kendra inhaled an aroma like young blossoms blooming in rich soil near the sea. Thank you, Kendra. The words were distinct in her mind, arriving with as much clarity as hearing could have provided.

"Is that you?" Kendra whispered, thrilled to have achieved contact so quickly.

Yes.

"I can hear you more clearly than last time."

You are now fairykind. I can reach your mind with much less effort.

"If you can reach me so easily, why haven’t you spoken with me before now?"

Ido not inhabit your world. I dwell elsewhere. My shrines mark the locations where my direct influence can be perceived.

They are my contact points to your world.

The thoughts were accompanied by mirthful feelings. The combination of thoughts and emotions made Kendra feel as though she had never truly communicated with anyone before. "You’re called the Fairy Queen," Kendra said. "But who are you really?"

I am Molea. There is no word to aptly describe me in your language. I am not a fairy. I am the fairy. The mother, the eldest sister, the protector, the first. For the good of my sisters, I reside beyond your world, in a kingdom untouched by darkness.

"Fablehaven is in danger," Kendra said.

Although I can rarely speak to their minds, I see through the eyes of my sisters in all the spheres they inhabit. Many of my sisters in your vicinity have been tainted by a terrible darkness. If such darkness were to pollute me, all would be lost.

For a moment Kendra could not speak, as a forlorn feeling overwhelmed her. She realized the bleak emotion had flowed from the Fairy Queen as part of her communication. When the emotion subsided, Kendra spoke again. "What can I do to stop the darkness?"

The darkness emanates from an object endowed with tremendous black power. The object must be destroyed.

"The nail Seth pulled from the revenant," Kendra said.

The object inflames the anguish of a corrupt hamadryad and enhances the strength of a demon. The profane object is embedded in a tree.

For a moment, Kendra beheld a gnarled, black tree beside a fuming pool of tar. A nail projected from the tortured trunk. The image made Kendra’s eyes burn, and engendered a feeling of deep regret. Without accompanying words to explain the scene, Kendra felt certain she was witnessing the tree through the eyes of a dark fairy as perceived by the Fairy Queen.

"How can I destroy the nail?" Kendra asked.

A lengthy pause followed. She heard Patton’s oars sloshing as he continued to resist the attacking naiads.

"What if we make the fairies big again?" Kendra tried.

An image of giant dark fairies flashed vividly into view. Terrible and beautiful, they shriveled trees and oozed shadows. Aside from the other potential drawbacks, I am still recovering from the energy it required to transform the fairies and initiateyou as fairykind.

"What did you do to me?" Kendra asked. "Some fairies called me your handmaiden."

When I looked into your heart and mind, and witnessed the purity of your devotion to your loved ones, I choseyou to serve as my agent in the world during these turbulent times. You are indeed my handmaiden, my steward. You and I draw energy from the same source. With the office comes great authority. Command the fairies in my name, and they will hearken to you.

"The fairies will obey me?" Kendra asked.

If you issue orders in my name, and do not abuse the privilege.

"What is your name?"

Kendra felt a response like melodic laughter. Mytrue name must remain secret. Issuing commands in the name of the queen will suffice.

Kendra suddenly remembered when the fairy at the mansion where the Knights of the Dawn met had suggested she issue a command in the name of the Queen. "Can the fairies help me destroy the nail?"

No. The fairies lack sufficient power. Only a talisman imbued with tremendous light energy could unmake the dark object.

"Do you know where I can find a talisman full of light?"

Another long pause followed. Icould make one, but such an action would require destroying this shrine.

Kendra waited. A vision unfolded to her mind. As if gazing down from high above, she beheld the island and the shrine shining in the midst of darkness. The water of the lake had turned black, and teemed with foul, misshapen naiads. The boardwalk and gazebos had crumbled; dark fairies flitted among the rotting debris. Darkened dwarfs, satyrs, and dryads roamed among withered trees and parched fields.

Preserving the shrine is not worth so much devastation. I would rather lose one of my precious points of contact with your world than see my sisters condemned to benighted slavery. I will concentrate the energy protecting this shrine into a single object. After I forge the talisman, my influence will no longer persist here.

"I won’t be able to contact you anymore?" Kendra asked.

Not from this place. As soon as the talisman passes beyond the hedge, the pond and the island will be stripped of all defenses.

"What do I do with the talisman?" Kendra asked.

Retain possession of the talisman. The energy inside of you will help keep it stable and fully energized. While in your possession, the talisman will cast an umbrella of energy that will help protect those around you. If you bring the talisman into contact with the dark object, both will be destroyed. Be forewarned. Whoever connects the objects will perish.