JOURNEY INTO THE REALM: The Spell Master (Journey into the Realm Series) (27 page)

Finally the vision ended, leaving me confused and frightened. “It’s just like Zora,” I whispered, opening my eyes.

“What is?” Nathan asked, concern spreading over his features at the sound of my voice.

“The vision. It’s of me being taken by a fire fairy,” I said, shivers passing through me like a bitterly cold wind.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” I said.

“What are you going to do?”

“What can I do?” I wondered, feeling at a loss for any kind of solution.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “Unless we begin an Element fairy hunt. That sounds more like trouble than a solution, though.”

I sighed and shook my head. “I guess I will just have to wait and see what happens and try to be ready for it.”

Nathan looked just as unsatisfied with my idea as I was, but I didn’t have another option. How could I fight a fairy I saw in a vision – a vision that could possibly change depending on the actions leading up to it?

“Want to work on spells more?” he wondered. I knew he was trying to get my mind off the subject and cheer me up, but I wasn’t in the mood.

“Not anymore today. I…I’m tired,” I said. Truthfully, I was just incredibly scared.

“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, and I could tell he didn’t believe my lame excuse.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine,” I assured him.

I said the words, but I didn’t believe them one bit. Neither did Nathan. We both knew I wasn’t going to be “fine” for a very long time.

***

I hadn’t been in the mood for company because of my “vision of doom,” but later that afternoon a knock sounded at my door, and, before I could even open it all the way, Brielle dragged me outside.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“I’m leaving soon, Ramsey.”

“I know,” I said.

“Well, we’re going to have some fun tonight because I can’t leave without partying with you one last time.”

“I don’t know if I’m in the mood for partying,” I admitted.

“Why are you always so…focused and serious now? You weren’t even like this when Zora was missing. What’s wrong?” she probed.

I didn’t want to answer any questions. Even though Brielle was one of my closest friends, I couldn’t tell her my secret. She was still the Princess of the Elf Realm, even if she never acted like it. If I told her, I knew she would have to tell her mother. It was her duty to her Realm. So I said the one thing that would get her off my back.

“So where are we going?” I asked, forcing a smile.

“That’s the spirit! Come on, you’ll see when we get there.” She took my hand and pulled me down the streets of Birchwood City. I reluctantly feigned enthusiasm and followed without complaints. Soon we were standing in a large open field just outside the town.

“What are we doing here?” I asked.

“Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything. My mother gave me a gift for my sixteenth birthday, but I haven’t used it yet. I wanted to wait for the right time. I consider you one of my greatest friends, so I want to share this experience with you.”

“That’s so thoughtful, Brielle…Are you sure?” I asked.

“Of course!” she cried. Then she pulled out a small bottle from the pocket of her breeches. “This is called a Dreaming Potion. I think Elvina was the one who made it, being a Woodland fairy and all. Fairies can do that sort of thing, I guess. Anyway, all we have to do is describe what kind of dream we would like to have. I’ve chosen a party because that’s my favorite atmosphere. We say everything we want out loud – you can think about it in your mind, but saying it aloud is guaranteed to work better – and then we each take a sip of the potion. In a few moments, everything we wished for will happen.”

“How? And won’t the rest of the city notice?” I asked.

“No. It’s like going to sleep but being able to take command over your dreams as if they were reality. To everyone else, we are simply two elfens taking a cozy nap in a field.”

I got an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. “Is this potion some kind of drug? A hallucinogen of some kind?” I asked.

“A what?” she asked, looking extremely confused.

It occurred to me that elves probably didn’t know anything about human drugs. I discarded the question and placed my trust in Brielle. “Never mind. Let’s do this,” I decided.

“That’s more like it! So, what should our party be like?” she asked.

“It should be held in a huge ballroom,” I suggested.

“With candles lighting the dance floor, and fireflies!” Brielle added.

“Yes,” I agreed. “And everyone will be dressed in elegant clothing.”

“Medieval fiddles will provide the music,” she interjected.

I nodded. “We’ll have plenty of partners for dancing.”

“And plenty of wine.” Brielle winked.

I rolled my eyes. “Sure. And there won’t be any green.”

Her eyes squinted in confusion. “What? Why not?”

I took in her green long-sleeved dress and raised my eyebrows. Brielle grinned sheepishly. “Too overdone. We need a little variety,” I determined.

“I like your thinking. That’s why I knew this was a good idea,” she said, crossing her arms smugly.

“Is that all we need?” I asked.

Brielle nodded. “I think so. Let’s drink the potion.”

“Okay,” I agreed.

Brielle opened up the bottle and took a drink. I did the same. Nothing changed.

“Well, that didn’t work,” I said. “What a waste of excitement.”

“Just wait. I’m sure it will work,” Brielle said.

I was about to disagree, when I felt a strange new feeling, the feeling of eagerness, excitement, and energy. Then everything was spinning, but not in a way that made me dizzy. It was enchanting, dazzling, a wonderful feeling. I closed my eyes, afraid that I would fall. When I opened them, I cried out in amazement.

It was there! The ballroom, the dancers, the wine, and the medieval fiddles. Everything was just as we had wished but more brilliant because it was real…or sort of real. I looked down at myself and saw that I was dressed in a silky violet gown. Brielle was wearing a similar gown, but in dark blue. The dresses were strapless and shone beautifully when we moved. They reached our ankles, where our feet were clothed in sparkling black flats. My hair was in ringlets atop my head, the first time my hair had ever been curly. Brielle’s was braided and then coiled together at the top. Only her two pale strands fell on either side of her face.

Our mouths open in shock, we absorbed the wondrous atmosphere, hardly able to breathe. And then we began to dance.

We danced with countless elves; our partners changed frequently. The fiddlers played song after song and we were lost in the allure. We sipped wine and laughed and sang. Every moment of the gathering was perfect. I soon forgot all about being a fairy, all about Finn, all about the war…all about life in general. All that mattered to me was the dance, the celebration.

Brielle seemed to enjoy herself as well. She floated effortlessly across the dance floor, a smile never leaving her face. She looked glorious and powerful, like a future queen should. I realized that no matter how crazy and wild she was, Brielle would make an excellent queen one day. She had a way with elves and a way with life that seemed ideal and inviting to me. The way she lived each day to the fullest had always made me wish that I could be more like her.

I was interrupted from these thoughts by a tapping on my shoulder. I turned, my dress swishing with even the slightest movement, and faced the elf standing behind me. He was tall, lean, and muscular, very different from normal elves. I guessed that this was part of the wish, elves looking more buff – probably Brielle’s doing.

He was beautiful in a way that was enchanting to me. More striking than any elf I had ever seen, he drew me in with his beauty. He had something
different
, something foreign and exotic compared to other elves.

I joined my hands with his, happy that I didn’t have to put up my wall in this kind of state. We swayed and twirled across the dance floor. I felt light in his arms. I closed my eyes and just listened to the wonderful hum of the fiddles. I let my feet take me where they wished. Following the elf’s confident lead, I drowned in the intoxicating effects of his presence.

Feeling a change in temperature, I opened my eyes. A coolness against my skin caused goose bumps to appear on my arms, and the biting cold stung my nose. I found that we had drifted out of the ballroom through a set of terrace doors, now atop a balcony overlooking a mysterious, dark forest. I wondered which one of us had wished for this. I couldn’t recall myself doing so.

We continued dancing to the music playing inside the ballroom. But our pace had slowed, and I noticed that my elf partner was staring deep into my eyes, in a way that was comfortable only when I saw silver slashes in return. This elf’s eyes were dark green and daunting.

“What is it?” I asked. “Why have you stopped dancing?”

“You know what your secret is now…correct?” he asked in a husky voice.

I felt my stomach drop. How did he know about my secret? He wasn’t even real! Or was he?

I decided to answer his question. This was after all, just a potion. If it wasn’t, I needed to figure out what was going on. “Yes. I have. Why do you ask?”

“When the time comes, I need you to trust me,” he said fervently.

I looked away, the weight of his stare too much for me. “What do you mean, trust you?”

“What happens next will be unexpected by everyone in the Elf Realm, something no one will be able to fully explain. When it happens, all will change. You will begin your journey. I am here to warn you.”

“Warn me about what?” I inquired.

He held my wrists tightly, willing me to return his gaze. “Now that you know your secret, you must end this war. You cannot wait to act.”

Still not understanding how he knew about the war, I asked, “What are you talking about? How?”

“You will learn soon enough. Just know that any choice you make from now on will not be easy. Twists and turns you do not expect will become part of your life; they will present great challenges to overcome. You must not give up – for the sake of the Elf Realm and the Element Fairy Realm. For the sake of every Realm. Change must come, and quickly. It’s up to you.”

I could barely wrap my head around what he was saying. His words were so prophetic and ominous, heavy with foreboding. Was he real or just my imagination? But why would I wish for this?

“Who are you?” I asked.

“A friend. Trust me.”

“What will happen next that’s so unexpected?”

“I can’t tell you. No one can be allowed to change what is fate,” he said solemnly.

“Then why even mention it?”

“Because you need to be prepared,” he said solemnly. “And I care about you too much to keep you in the dark any longer.”

Before I could ask any more questions, a fog seemed to lift. The enchantment disappeared. I was finally able to recognize the elf before me.

It was Eder.

“Oh my God,” I whispered.

“Trust me, Ramsey. Please trust me,” was all he would say, in a pleading tone that made tears rush into my eyes for a reason I couldn’t fathom.

And then he jumped from the balcony.

“No!” I cried, running forward, almost hurtling myself over the rail.

“Ramsey! Be careful!” Brielle screamed, coming up behind me.

Suddenly everything was spinning again. My mind was buzzing with thoughts and confusion over what had just occurred. Had any of this been real, or just an effect of the potion? Had the warning been true? Would something unexpected, something no one could prevent, really occur in our Realm? Was I about to embark on a journey full of danger, twists, and turns?

And how had Eder, the vague elf guard and my former rescuer, put himself in this Dreaming Potion?

When I opened my eyes a few moments later, we were back in the field just outside of Birchwood City. Both Brielle and I lay panting heavily on the grassy floor, completely in shock. I knew that what had happened at the end of the party wasn’t supposed to have happened. Something had gone terribly wrong.

I pulled my knees to my chest and huddled closer to Brielle, who I noticed was doing the same. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face covered in sweat. I knew that I probably wore an expression resembling hers.

“What in the Realm was that, Ramsey?” she asked. “How did Eder put himself in the dream?”

“I’m not the one with the potion, Brielle! I have no idea!” I cried.

“Well, neither do I! It was my first time using it.”

I didn’t reply. I didn’t know how to explain what had happened.

“Did you wish for him to be there, Ramsey? Just please tell me the truth.”

“Of course I didn’t wish for him to be there! I don’t know how he got there,” I told her. “Or why he was there…It doesn’t make any sense….”

“What did he say to you?” Brielle asked.

“He wanted me to trust him,” I told her.

“Why?” she wondered.

“He said that what happened next would be unexpected, that twists and turns were coming into my life and I had to be ready for them. When the time came, I would have to trust him. I don’t understand what he meant by that, though,” I admitted.

“That doesn’t make sense,” she said, her lips forming into a pout. “He’s just a guard….”

“That’s why I’m so confused.” I failed to mention the time he rescued me and his promise to reveal my secret. I said I wouldn’t tell anyone about his trip to the Human Realm when I confronted him outside of Queen Taryn’s palace. I wasn’t going to retract that promise now.

“It must have been a mistake in the potion. Either we did something wrong or it wasn’t brewed correctly. I’ve heard that potions can be tough, even for experienced fairies like Elvina.”

I nodded. She could be right. Though I had started learning fairy spells, I hadn’t even read about their potions yet. Nathan had explained to me that they were too advanced for me to try yet, just like fairy charms, especially since I wasn’t a full Golden fairy.

“What are we going to do?” I asked. “Should we tell someone about this? Should we get some sort of help? We have to figure out how Eder got there.”

“I’ll speak with him when I return, see if he’ll admit to tainting Elvina’s potion.”

“It was so real, Brielle. You didn’t hear him speak to me…It was so real.”

“I know, Ramsey. I know.”

This experience was more frightening than fighting Finn in the Human Realm for both of us, because at least then we knew what was real and what was not. There was no confusion. Now, there was plenty of confusion.

“I should go. I promise I’ll talk to Eder when I return to the palace. I’ll…I’ll talk to him.” She seemed nervous all of a sudden, her demeanor altered drastically, and I got the feeling that she knew something she wasn’t saying aloud.

Still, I nodded. I didn’t want to argue with Brielle, not after everything we had gone through.

“Are you okay to walk by yourself?” I asked, as we helped each other to stand.

“Yes. I can walk by myself,” Brielle said, although her voice was just as shaky as mine.

“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

She took my hand suddenly and gave it a tight squeeze. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“It’s not your fault. Not entirely, anyway.” I smiled briefly.

She smiled as well. “Thanks. Great party though, right?”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. Brielle had a way of looking at things in a lighter way than most. I couldn’t help but love her innocence.

“Yeah, it was a night to remember,” I said.

Then we turned away from each other and parted ways into the night. I had this sickening feeling that Brielle knew more than she was letting on, despite her promise to figure out what was going on with Eder. And if she did know something, why was she keeping secrets from me? Eder had sought me out; I deserved to know the details. But with only a few days until Brielle left, I had a sinking feeling that I wouldn’t learn any other facts concerning this night for a long, long time.