"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.

kendra swallowed. her mouth felt dry. "do i need to be the person who touches them together?"

not necessarily. i would prefer that you survive the endeavor. but whether you or another will complete the task, if the light and dark objects can be joined, the sacrifice will be worthwhile. much that has darkened will be restored.

"can we fix your shrine afterward?" kendra asked hopefully.

this shrine will be beyond repair.

"i won't hear from you again?"

not here.

"i'd have to find another shrine. could i approach it if i find it?"

kendra sensed laughter mingled with affection. you wonderwhy my shrines are so heavily protected. having points ofcontact to your world makes me vulnerable. if evil finds my kingdom,all creatures of light will suffer. for their welfare, i mustkeep my realm unspoiled, and so i zealously guard my shrines.as a rule, all trespassers must perish. i rarely grant exceptions.

"does being fairykind allow me access?" kendra asked.

notinherently. if you ever find another shrine, search your feelings for the answer. you have sufficient light to guide you.

"i'm afraid to try to destroy the nail," kendra confessed. she did not want the conversation with the fairy queen to end.

i am reluctant to destroy this shrine. kendra could feel her deep sadness. the emotion brought tears to her eyes. sometimes we do what we must.

"okay," kendra said. "i'll do my best. one last question. if i survive this, what am i supposed to do? as fairykind, i mean."

live a fruitful life. resistevil. give more than you take. help others do likewise. the rest will take care of itself. step away from the shrine.

kendra backed away from the miniature statue on the tiny plinth. her vision blurred, and a flood of sensations overwhelmed her. she tasted sweet honey, crisp apples, fleshy mushrooms, and pure water. she smelled plowed fields, damp grass, ripe grapes, and pungent herbs. she heard the rush of wind, the crash of waves, the roar of thunder, and the faint crackle of a duckling punching through an eggshell. she felt sunlight warming her skin and a light mist cooling her. sight was temporarily unavailable, but she simultaneously tasted, smelled, heard, and felt a thousand other sensations, all distinct and unmistakable.

when her vision returned, kendra found the tiny fairy statue shining intensely. she instinctively squinted and shielded her eyes, worried that the brilliant light might cause lasting damage. when she peeked, the radiance did not inflict any pain. hoping the brightness was benign, she gazed openly at the statue. by contrast, the rest of the world became dull, drained, dreary. all color, all light, had converged on the thumb-sized figurine.

and then the statue shattered, stone flakes chiming as they dispersed. upon the small pedestal remained a dazzling, egg-shaped pebble. for an instant, the pebble flashed brighter than the statue had gleamed. then the light diminished, absorbed into the stone, until the ovoid pebble became rather unremarkable, except for being so white and smooth.

color returned to the world. the late afternoon sun shone brightly again. kendra could no longer sense the presence of the fairy queen.

kneeling, she picked up the smooth pebble. it felt ordinary, weighing no more or less than she expected. although it no longer glowed, she felt certain the pebble was the talisman. how could all the power protecting the shrine fit inside such a small, nondescript object?

looking around, kendra saw that patton had the rowboat back on the shore. she hurried over to him, worried that the naiads would haul the boat away before she got there.

"no rush," patton said. "they're under orders."

"reluctantly," a voice muttered from under the water.

"hush," a different naiad scolded. "we're not supposed to talk."

"i got a free ride back last time as well," kendra said, stepping into the boat.

"good news?" he asked.

"generally," kendra said. "i'd better wait until we're back at the tent."

"fair enough," patton agreed. "one thing i'll say-that stone shines almost as brightly as you do."

kendra glanced at the stone. it was flawlessly white and smooth, but did not seem to her to emit any light. she sat down. patton rested the oars across his lap. guided by unseen hands, the rowboat coasted away from the island and drifted toward the boathouse. glancing up, kendra saw a golden owl with a human face gazing down at her from a high limb, a tear sliding from one eye.

chapter twenty-two

light

seth waited beside lena in the gazebo above the pier.

none of the satyrs, dryads, or dwarfs lingered on the boardwalk or in any of the other pavilions. as patton had asked, they remained out of sight.

kendra and patton reclined in the rowboat, returning placidly toward the boathouse, apparently towed by the same naiads who had recently been attacking them. seth wished he could have seen what kendra was doing out on the island, but she spent most of the time screened by bushes. lena had described a blinding light, but seth had failed to see it.

"you were awesome at dodging those naiads," seth said.

"anything to distract them from drowning my husband," lena replied. "part of me will always love my sisters, but they can be such pests! i was glad for an excuse to bait them."

"do you think kendra succeeded?"

"she must have made contact. only the queen could have ordered the naiads to conduct them safely back to shore." lena narrowed her eyes. "something has changed about the island. i can't quite put my finger on it. after the flash, there is a new feeling permeating this whole area." lips pursed, lena thoughtfully watched the rowboat glide into the boathouse.

seth bounded down the steps to the pier, arriving at the boathouse door as kendra and patton exited. "anything good happen?" seth asked.

"pretty good," kendra said.

"what's with the egg?" seth inquired.

"it's a pebble," kendra corrected, closing her fingers around it tightly. "i'll fill you guys in, but we should do it back at the tent."

patton embraced lena. "you were wonderful," he said, pecking her on the lips. "however, i don't enjoy seeing you so near those naiads. i can think of few people they would rather drag to the bottom of the pond."

"i can think of few people they would have a harder time catching," lena responded smugly.

they mounted the stairs to the gazebo and then descended a few steps into the grassy field. three towering dryads strode briskly toward them, obstructing their route to the tent. in the middle, tallest of the three, walked the dryad seth had seen consulting with grandpa and grandma, her auburn hair flowing past her waist. the dryad to her left looked native american and wore earthy robes. the dryad on the right was a platinum blonde with a gown like a frozen waterfall. all of the graceful women stood at least a head taller than patton.

"hello, lizette," patton said amiably to the dryad in the middle.

"don't 'hello' me, patton burgess," she said, scowling down at him, her voice melodious but hard. "what have you done to the shrine?"

"the shrine?" patton asked, checking quizzically over his shoulder. "is something amiss?"

"it has been destroyed," the blond dryad announced firmly.

"after you sent us away," the native american added.

lizette gazed at kendra, her eyes narrow. "and your friend is outshining the sun."

"i hope you aren't insinuating that we overthrew the monument!" patton objected scornfully. "not only do we lack the desire-we lack the means! the fairy queen dismantled the shrine for reasons of her own."

"you realize the preserve has permanently lost contact with her highness," lizette said. "we find this unacceptable." she and the other two leaned forward menacingly.

"less acceptable than fablehaven and all who dwell here descending into irredeemable darkness?" patton asked.

the dryads relaxed slightly.

"do you have a plan?" lizette asked.

"has kendra ever gleamed any brighter?" patton exclaimed. "her glow is a token of good things to come. lend us a few minutes to confer in private, and we will announce our plot to reclaim fablehaven, a strategy formulated by the fairy queen herself." patton glanced at kendra as if hoping his words were true. kendra gave a slight nod.

"there had best be a satisfactory explanation for this desecration," lizette threatened darkly. "this day will be mourned until the end of leaf and stream."

reaching up, patton patted lizette on the shoulder. "losing the shrine is a grievous blow to all who love light. we will avenge this tragedy."