Through the Fairy Ring

Chapter Twelve

As we reached the other side of the plateau, Breeju signaled that she was going to rein her horse in, so I did the same. Dara's sides heaved under my legs. We'd been running the horses through a meadow filled with tall, lush grasses offset by buttes colored in vibrant reds and ruddy oranges. This desert oasis had been hidden behind massive tan rock formations carved by wind erosion over ages of time. We walked the horses over to a nearby stream for a drink.

"That was amazing. The power and speed of a running Suntaria is so exhilarating." Breeju's eyes were bright.

"How much farther until we're at the portal?"

Breeju gestured to two spiraled, red sandstone formations on the other side of the river."It's over there."

Dara blew out a contented sigh and nibbled some of the grass at the river's edge. I gathered up the reins. "Are we ready?"

"Yes, I believe so." She nudged her horse with her heels and it dutifully moved toward the slatted bridge down the river. We'd have to backtrack once we crossed to the other side.

No sooner had we stopped in front of the twisted pillars than a little man, about three feet tall, appeared from nearby bushes. He was clean-shaven and dressed in leather breeches and tunic. Tufts of orange-turning-white hair stuck out oddly from his head.

"Good day, Breeju."

"It is, Roldo. Would you be kind enough to let us through? We need to visit the Pixies."

"I cannot," Roldo said. Breeju's eyebrows shot up into questioning arcs and Roldo rushed to explain. "Queen Amena ordered that no Fairies enter Adven through this portal until further notice."

"Just Fairies?"

"Fairies are all she mentioned. The rumor is that the Fairies haven't been on the up-and-up lately. She didn't say that you are exempt, either, despite your friendship. I'm sorry, but you can't go into Adven."

My heart sank into the depths of my stomach. "But we have to see her."

"You may go through. You are human." He pointed at me and then moved his finger to Breeju. "She is not.

"But Breeju has to go with me."

A frown pinched her arched eyebrows together. "Maybe you could go by yourself."

"Alone?"

"Well, yes. Why not?"

"Would the Queen talk to me without you? I don't know where the Pixies live. What if I mess this up?"

Breeju laid her hand on my shoulder. I was sure she meant it to be reassuring, but only succeeded in increasing my blood pressure. She really needed to quit touching me.

"The Pixie Queen knows who you are, just because you have made quite a name for yourself with your magical abilities. I'll draw you a map and write you a letter of introduction. It will be fine."

"On what? You don't have any paper."

"You do focus on the negative, don't you?" She turned to Roldo. "Could we borrow some parchment?"

The little man nodded. "I've got some in the office." He disappeared back into the bushes.

"He has an office?"

"It's more of a toll booth. Where there is heavier traffic, the portal guardians keep records."

Why didn't I know that? Of course, I'd only used the portal to Boulder, which must not be very popular because it didn't have a guardian.

Roldo rustled his way out of the bushes with a yellowed piece of paper, a jar of bottled ink, and a calligraphy pen. He handed them to Breeju, who promptly stretched the parchment over the face of a large, smooth rock. She swiped the pen across the top several times before filling in the details of the map. Below she wrote several sentences, signed the paper with a flourish, and handed it to me.

"Here you go." She pointed to an X on the other side of a line. "This is where you'll be when you go through the portal. Take the path on the right and follow it for maybe a quarter of a mile. There is a tree filled with Native American Prayer Cloths which hides the front door of the dwelling. Pixies have glamour, which hides their living space, so it appears only to be an animal's den. You will need to stand outside the opening and call to them, tell them who you are, and use my name. They should let you in."

"And if they don't?" The Queen had blocked Breeju from coming into Adven. Maybe they weren't as tight as she believed.

She shrugged. "You come back, and we'll figure out something else."

I drew in a deep breath. "All right. Is there anything I should know before I talk to her? Anything I shouldn't say or ask?" I didn't want to get off on the wrong foot.

Breeju tilted her head. "You'll be fine. Roldo, please open the portal now."

"As you wish." He held his hands outstretched before him and muttered the incantation to rearrange reality into a doorway to Adven—my first world. I spent so much time in Darag-Leigh that my life in Denver and Fort Collins seemed like a dream.

A greenish glow slowly wound its way from the bottom of the twisted rocks to the top and connected in the space between. The air turned into the opaque screen, which allowed me to see into Adven. A thin forest of Ponderosa Pine trees, green grass, and a concrete pathway running horizontal to the doorway. The screen rolled up, which meant I could cross over. I turned to Breeju. "You'll wait here? And take care of Dara until I return?"

"Yes. I promise."

"All right. Here I go." As the cool tingle of crossing worlds passed over my skin, I gritted my teeth and said to myself, "Wish me luck."