Ayden and Tess journeyed north through Brunya Forest and into the Aillean Mountains. They found the waterfall they were directed to by the fairies' invitation, but what wasn’t in the letter was a warning as to what was guarding the waterfall.

Human-like creatures looked up at them with large, curious green eyes. Several stood, they were all around five feet tall, with very long copper hair that fell around their delicately slender, naked bodies. Their skin was so light and flawless that they almost seemed to emit a soft glow

Nine of these enchanting creatures were sitting around or swimming in the pool at the bottom of the waterfall. Golden shafts of sunlight filtered down through the lush canopy of trees, making the water glimmer in places, adding to the soft splendor of the moss covered oasis.

The nymphs were the very embodiment of beauty. Men were often blinded by just looking at them. The few who weren’t, were mesmerized, pulled into a stupor, and easily dealt with. The nymph’s beauty was their power, their one defense. If more was needed, they were able to communicate with the animals in the surrounding forest and call for help.

People very rarely sought out the nymphs and those who did were male and usually ended up wandering the forest blindly until they died. But that was after they were used, nymphs liked to mate with humans, though half-nymphs were extremely rare. No one knew why this was. Not much was really known about the nymphs. Even Sera’s mother, Lotus, who was half-nymph, didn’t know much more than anyone else did since she was raised in human society with her father—one of the very rare men to escape.

Tess turned to Ayden worriedly. His eyes were glossy, his mouth was hanging open slightly, and there was a small, blissful smile on his face. He was captivated by them, which was good because it meant he wasn’t blind, but Tess still didn’t like it.

“Ayd.” She frowned when he had no reaction to her voice at all. She moved his head to make him look at her, but he just pulled away and looked back at the women. She reminded herself that it wasn’t the nymphs' fault, it was just their nature, and so she tried to not feel like she wanted to kill them.

It wasn’t working.

“Ayd,” she said. “Can you even hear me?” 

Whether he could or not, he didn’t answer. 

She sighed heavily. She took his hand and led him forward; she would force herself through this, and then maybe kill the fairies for giving them no warning. She liked that idea. A few of the nymphs came forward, looking very much like tentative but curious animals.

Though their appearance was human, and their hair was brushed and silky, they still looked very wild. They moved slowly, gracefully stepping closer. One of them spoke with a sweet voice. Tess recognized the language as Woodlander, what people generally referred to as elven, because her aunt and uncle spoke it, but she didn’t know what they were saying.

“Ayd, I don’t understand them. You need to talk to them.”

But he, once again, didn’t even register that she existed.

Stupid damn nymphs, she grumbled silently, why can’t they just speak common like everyone else?

When two of them got close enough, they reached out to touch Ayden, their eyes filled with wonder, like children touching velvet for the first time. Their hands started caressing him all over.

Tess snarled as she pulled him away. “Don’t. Touch. Him,” she said slowly, as if they would understand that way.

They cocked their heads to the side, studying her. Suddenly, two small branches of the tree behind her moved and wrapped themselves around Tess like a pair of strong arms, holding her in place. Apparently, beauty and animals weren’t their only defenses.

“What the hell!” Tess complained. “Ayd! Snap out of it!”

The two returned to him, running their hands over him, smelling him, one licked his cheek, tasting him. All the while, he stood there, looking blissfully happy. Tess knew she shouldn’t be feeling hurt, but she couldn’t help it. Her eyes stung with the threat of tears when one of their hands slipped under his shirt and the other ran her tongue along his throat.

“Ayden please,” she called, her voice sounding more anguished than angry now.

Then, she remembered something her aunt had told her once. She had said that song can often break through where words cannot. It was probably just some nonsense bards liked to spout, but she tried anyway and started to sing in a shaky and slightly off-key voice. It was a song that Lotus had written for them. “When I was young I’d like to run through a field of sage, then one day I was swept away by the sweetest mage, now does he belong to me…” She stopped when he blinked and shook his head.

Becoming fully aware again, he shrugged away from the nymphs and looked around. Tess really wished she could wipe away the stupid tears streaming down her face before he saw her, but her arms were pinned at her sides. 

One of the nymphs said something to him and he turned back to her. He replied in their language. The nymph looked thoughtful for a moment and then the tree let go.

Ayden was there wiping her tears away before she could. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, holding her face and kissing her.

“Don’t be stupid, it’s not your fault,” she told him, though she was still feeling ridiculously jealous. “Just talk to them so we can get out of here, please.”

He took her hand and turned back to the nymphs. Tess waited while they spoke. Ayden dug the scroll they had received from the fairies out of his bag and handed it to one of them. The nymph smiled and nodded as she gave it back, then turned, and walked away.

“We follow her,” he said.

They were led to the small body of water. A waterfall poured into it, but the pool didn’t overflow, even though there were no streams flowing from it. Suddenly, flat rocks rose up from out of the water and made a walkway on the surface. The nymph walked across, stepping from one gray stone to the next and they followed. When she reached the waterfall, she gestured with her hands and it moved aside in two halves. She stepped back out of the way. New stones rose up just in time for her to step on them.

Ayden led the way into a dark cave on the rocks between the watery curtains. He said something as he passed and Tess guessed it meant thank you. The waterfall returned to normal as they stepped inside and Ayden cast his light spell. The glowing white orb floated above his head and stayed with him as he moved forward. But seconds later, the dark cave dissolved around them and they found themselves standing in a meadow with the sun setting over the distant trees. Forest surrounded them on three sides, including behind them. On the opposite side of the lush green clearing was a calm river with flowers along the banks in at least a dozen different colors. A stone bridge arced over the water and led into a small town.

The cottages were made of gray stone with clay shingle roofs. Most were one story and all were smaller than normal, human-size homes. Every house had windows that were made up of little squares of yellow stained glass and glowed as if a lantern was set on the ledge just behind them. 

A narrow cobbled lane began at the bridge and weaved its way through the small town. Every fifteen feet along the road, there was a lamppost, glowing as golden as the windows. And everywhere you looked, there were flowers in a wide variety of colors, even the trees in town had leaves of pinks and purples, blues and oranges. It was like the town was set in a garden and nestled in between amazingly green pine trees.

“It’s so beautiful, it makes me all feel warm and cozy just looking at it,” Tess murmured, the nymphs already forgotten. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many colors in my whole life.”

“It’s not at all what I imagined,” Ayden said. “But it’s perfect.”

“Yeah, there’s no golden palace like the stories say.”

He nodded. “You’d think that some of the descriptions would be accurate though. I mean, obviously people come here sometimes.”

“Or we’re the first.”

“I seriously doubt that.”

She shrugged. “But it's possible.”

“Why us?”

“I don’t know,” she answered. “Let’s go find out.”

He shared her smile of anticipation and continued to hold her hand as they started along the little dirt path to the bridge. Ayden gasped and jumped out of the way, as they got to the other side and passed the first street lamp. A bunch of firelight butterflies flew away, each one looking like a piece of fire fluttering in the breeze. The post was left bare and no longer glowing. They weren’t lamps at all, just perches.

“Cool,” Tess said. “We should ask if we can catch one for Gavin.”

“How about we don’t,” Ayden said, shuddering at the thought.

She chuckled. “They’re butterflies Ayd, they’re not gonna hurt you. You know the fairies have wings. They’re kind of like insect people.” He glared at her and she laughed more as they continued walking. He actually whined softly when they got close to another one. “Come on,” she told him, “we’ll run so the evil little things won’t get you.”

“It’s not funny, Tess.”

She giggled. “No, not at all.” She took off running and pulled him with her, not stopping until they rounded a corner and came to a new street, filled with more butterfly posts. At the very end of it was a two-story building with white lilies growing in front. “There it is,” she said, pointing to the house that was described in the letter.

He sighed and she knew it was because of all the butterflies along the way. She let go of his hand. “Stay here.” Before he could ask why, she ran down the length of the lane and back, causing all the butterflies to fly away. “Better?”

He smiled at her. “I really love you.” She grinned, then took his hand again and continued down the street. “You know, this place doesn’t look very magical,” he said after a minute. “But I can feel it. There’s so much of it. Like there’s mana in the air.”

“Cool,” she said offhandedly, not really caring. “I wonder where everyone is.”

He shrugged. “Probably inside, all the houses look lit up. I don’t think fairies like being outside much, I’ve rarely seen the ones at the Mages Guilds go out.”

They got to the last building and walked up four steps onto the porch, Ayden’s head was only about an inch from the ceiling of the overhang. Tess knocked on the small rosewood door, the top of it coming up to her chin. “Surprised I have to knock, shouldn’t they know we’re here?”

“The fairies are psychic, but they don’t see everything,” Ayden told her. “They just get random visions.”

“Oh, right.”

It took a minute before the door opened. The woman who answered looked as if she were only six years old, like all fairies. She had wispy golden curls and a sweet, cherub face, with rosy cheeks and lips. Her eyes were lavender and literally sparkled, as did the purple and gold butterfly-like wings on her back.

“Mr. Sanders and Miss Bennet, thank you for coming,” she said in a bell-like voice. Her accent gave her words a lilting, melodic quality. “Please come in.” She led the way inside, the bottom of her long blue dress fluttering behind her. They had to duck to go through the doorway, but thankfully the ceiling inside was just high enough to accommodate them.

The place looked like any normal home. They stood in a cozy living room, with rosewood floors, creamy walls, and a stone fireplace that had a crackling fire in it.

The fairy motioned them to sit on a white sofa that had flower embroidered pillows and a lavender throw blanket. It was smaller than a normal sofa, but they still fit on it easily.

The fairy sat on another, facing them. “Would you like some?” she asked, motioning to the little coffee table between them. There was a teapot with three cups and three plates, each with a blueberry muffin on it.

Tess smiled at Ayden; the fairy had known when they would be there. “Thanks,” Tess told her, picking up a muffin and taking a bite.

“The letter didn’t say what your name is or why you wanted to see us,” Ayden said, getting to the point.

“My name is Fate,” she told him, seeming happy to jump straight to business. “I am a pathseer.”

“Pathseer?” he repeated.

She nodded. “As you know, fairies are psychic, but I can see more and in greater detail. I also see the paths that lead to those futures. I see how those futures may be altered. There are times I must become involved, to manipulate a path and change an outcome.”

“Okay…” he said slowly. “What’s that have to do with us?”’

“Twenty-one years ago, I had a vision of the high priestess of Malluk, dominating our world and eventually becoming a god. I cannot tell you of the horrors she would have caused, but I saw the way to stop her. I saw a man and a woman from another world and I brought them here.”

“My parents,” Tess said excitedly. “That was them. They really are from that Earth world, aren’t they?”

She bowed her head in a slight nod. “Together, they defeated Kieran. But then, seven years later I had a vision of Malluk letting Kieran come back as a ghost and her son eventually bringing her back to life. Then she would have continued on her violent and bloody path to godhood once again.”

“But Matt stopped her,” Tess said.

“Yes. That was another altered path.”

“How?” Tess asked.

“When you were six years old, you were on your way to see your mother at the orphanage when suddenly you felt the need to wander a different way, a way you never went before. You ended up at the cemetery, where a little boy sat crying.”

Tess’ eyes widened. “Are you saying I met Ayd because of you?”

“Yes. Kieran would need two sacrifices to come back to life. I saw that she would choose you and Sera Taylor. Sera Trent now. I saw that her son would convince you to help him find the spirit dagger. He would lie and say that it was to destroy her ghost, though his real intention would be to use it to bring her back to life. Together you would have found it, he would have sacrificed you and Sera—even with her being a cleric—and Kieran would have come back. Like your father, it was not you alone who would help defeat Kieran; it was you and Ayden together.”

“So, my life had a different path before you interfered?” Ayden asked.

“Yes. Though you are still very close to the other,” Fate told him. “Someday those paths will merge.”

He glanced at Tess for a moment, then frowned at the fairy. “I don’t…”

“You will understand in time,” she said.

He just nodded and let it go.

“Did you… interfere with me at all… after you led me to Ayd?” Tess wanted to know.

“No.”

Tess nodded. “So, Sera was right then? It was Matt’s destiny to risk his life for me, to destroy his mother’s spirit?”

“Only because Fate wanted it to be that way,” Ayden answered, obviously not happy about someone having such control over his life. “So, that’s it? All this fate and destiny people talk about, it’s really just you meddling in people’s lives?”

“Yes, however Destiny, my sister, was killed in the fourth century, so there is only me now. But people misuse my name, not understanding I am a conscious being, nor what I really do. They believe that their life is on a set course no matter what they do. That is not true. Everyone controls their own lives, makes their own choices. All I do is touch little things, I see how those things will alter a future outcome, but I do not make it so, it can change, though it very rarely does. If I were to tell you that I had a vision of you eating a muffin tomorrow, you could choose not to eat one. That outcome would be changed by your own will, not mine. The paths of life are easily changeable, though very complex. One small thing, one person’s choice, touches much more than they can imagine.”

“How often do you interfere?” Ayden wanted to know.

“As needed,” she answered vaguely. “I was created by the gods a long time ago for this purpose. I keep balance in this world.”

“What about Sera?” Tess wondered. “Was her path messed with, with Matt, I mean?”

“I made sure that Sera came to heal him. She was needed to make him who he is today.”

“Why?”

“I cannot tell you, because the outcome of that has not yet come to pass. But it is of great importance.”

Ayden frowned at a thought. “There have been problems in the past with fairies getting tortured for information about the future. What if you were caught?”

“Wait,” Tess said. “How do fairies get caught if they’re psychic in the first place?”

“They don’t see everything, just whatever comes to them,” Ayden told her again.

Fate gave a small nod. “Even I do not see everything. To answer your question, Ayden, I do not leave this city for just that reason. I have not left since my sister died. I am safe here, and so are the paths of life. This is why it is best that people do not know of me.”

“So how do you do it? Is it in your head or do you have some kind of instrument?” Ayden asked curiously.

“That is not your concern,” she told him.

He looked disappointed, but nodded. “So what’s all this have to do with us being here?”

“We created a portal to bring Falcon and Julia into this world. But it was never fully closed, due to an egregious oversight by the keeper of portals.”

“So there’s more than one?” Ayden asked. “All to Earth or other worlds, too?”

“That is not your concern,” she repeated and he sighed. “A man used the portal in Falcon’s old home and came here, into our city. Even worse, the keeper was not at his post. The man was able to wander around for several minutes before he was spotted. When he saw the keeper, he fled. He ran back through the portal, but he took with him an orb of great power. We need you to retrieve it for us.”

Tess gaped at her for a moment. “You want us to go to Earth?”

“Yes.”

“Why us?” Ayden wanted to know.

“For two reasons,” she answered. “One is because you already know about Earth from Falcon and Julia.”

“But why not just ask them? They’re from Earth,” Tess pointed out.

“The second reason,” Fate continued, “is because if you do not go, then a future event will not come to pass. And it must.”

“More messing with lives?” Ayden asked with a slightly sour edge to his tone.

Fate nodded. “Yes. It is for the good of all.”

“What event?” Tess asked.

“I cannot tell you that,” Fate said predictably. “But you will understand in time.”

“Why don’t you just go yourself and alter the path a different way?” Ayden asked.

“Fairies cannot set foot on Earth,” she told him. “We are sort of a physical manifestation of magic. The magic of this world does not exist on Earth, therefore neither would we.”

“That explains why there’s so much magic here.”

She nodded. “Most mages would not even feel it. You have much power in you, more than you know, that is why you are so sensitive to it. But do not worry, you will not be harmed by Earth’s lack of mana, you will only be unable to cast.”

“No magic at all? But then I wouldn’t be able to heal,” he said, his gaze flickering worriedly to Tess.

“I can promise you that she will come to no harm.”

“So what’s this orb do?” Tess asked. “Why’s it so important?”

“It is what holds our protective shield in place, the thing that keeps our city hidden from outsiders,” she answered solemnly. “Without it our shield will deteriorate and then disappear all together.”

“And then the paths of life would no longer be safe,” Ayden added.

“No, they would not,” she agreed.

“How long?”

“About a year or so by our time,” she said. “You must leave within a week, and then stay on Earth no longer than eleven days. A month passes here for every day on Earth.” She studied them for a long moment as they thought it over. “Will you accept this task?”

“I’m not sure I like the idea of helping you mess with people's lives,” Ayden told her.

Tess frowned at him. “The gods gave her this job. And the guard meddles in people’s lives but they’re okay. Fate’s just doing what’s right.” She glanced at Fate. “Right?”

“Yes, I do what I must for the good of all,” Fate answered.

“See?” Tess asked Ayden. “Plus,” she added, grabbing his hand and holding it, “if it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t be together.”

Ayden sighed and nodded. “You’re right.”

Tess smiled. “So you wanna do it?”

He smiled back. “Yeah.”

Tess returned her attention to Fate. “We’re going,” she said excitedly.

“But can we go back to Brunya City first?” Ayden asked. “It’d be helpful to ask Falcon and Julia some questions about Earth.”

She nodded. “I will have a portal opened behind their house in five days' time. It will take you to Falcon’s old home on Earth. Once you have the orb, simply return by clicking play.”

They understood that she meant using something called a computer from the stories her dad had told them. “How could you make something that would work on Earth if you have no magic there?” Ayden wanted to know.

“The keeper of portals has power beyond mine,” Fate answered. “Power that works in this world as well as the other worlds.”

“Ah-hah! So there are portals to places other than Earth.” Ayden smirked.

The fairy smiled and gave a small head bow, conceding.

“Okay, so, is there anything more you can tell us about this man?” He asked. “A name? Maybe a description to help us find him?”

“I do not know his name,” Fate said. “I only know that he was tall and strong, with wavy blond hair that was to his shoulders, green eyes and he wore a shirt with words on it that said; I was young and needed the experience points.”

They stayed long enough to finish their muffins and have a cup of tea, then set off back to Brunya City. Fate wouldn’t let Ayden explore or learn anything from them, so he decided he wanted to leave right away. They unfortunately had to exit from the waterfall and get through the nymphs, but this time Ayden remained coherent and they made it through quickly. It took them three days to get home; all the while Tess was bouncing with excitement, impatient to tell her parents where they were going.