Forty minutes later I was sitting on a swing at the park, the cold air drifting past my face, it was freezing, but refreshing at the same time. I looked down at Kenzie who was sitting on the ground, her big green eyes (a side affect from drinking a potion which allowed her to see fey) which usually were filled with life suddenly flashed with fear. “Um Isaiah” she stuttered, her voice full of uncertainty “ I think someone is watching us, they look like they’re waiting for us.” Following her gaze, my eyes landed on a small lake, I felt my chest tighten as I saw the shimmering figure dart behind a tree. I knew immediately that we should leave, that shimmer meant only one thing. A faerie was using the glamour to hide itself. “Kenzie we should go, now”
“Shouldn’t we just see what they want? What if someone’s in danger”
She looked up at me and even though she was right I couldn’t help but remember the last time we’d gotten involved with the fey.
“Please Isaiah, what if Meghan’s hurt, or Ash and Keirren” Kenzie pleaded with me as she spoke, she knew that I’d always help them, even after everything we’d been through, they were still family and nothing would change that. She knew that if anything happened to them I’d feel terrible.
“Okay “ I agreed “But if we don’t get any answers with in five minutes, we should leave.”
“Okay, then let’s go” Kenzie agreed, taking my hand we both ventured cautiously towards the faerie.
As we walked towards the lake every bad memory of the Nevernever came flooding back. Meghan being struck by Queen Titania (Queen of the Summer Court) powers, Keirren being hunted by the realms. I remembered Ash being hunted down by the forgotten, but most of all I remembered Kenzie getting kidnapped. I remembered the feeling of being ripped into two pieces, the pain, the sadness and the feeling of emptiness, I could not bear to lose her again.
The two-minute walk to the lake felt like the longest two minutes I’d ever had to witness. With every step I took, every second we got closer to the lake, the fear inside me grew stronger. Kenzie was right if anything had happened to my family I would feel terrible. As we neared the faerie I realised that it was fey but not actually a faerie, standing in front of us was a dryad and not just any dryad, it was Annwyl.
