“This is nonsense.” Bryson said throwing some papers onto his coffee table. They were the markings that he copied from the message from the curse. He stared at it for well over an hour now and nothing to gain from it.

“Still no luck?” Lila said entering the room holding a tray with a glass of lemon iced tea and a fried chicken sandwich.

“No, nothing useful.” Bryson grumbled.

“If that’s the case take a few minutes to eat something. You need your energy.” Lila said as she placed the tray down.

“In a moment.” Bryson said as he stared a hole through the papers.

“Primrose and the pixie have any luck?”

“No and if they don’t have any idea then who in the world will? This is their realm of magic!” Bryson complained as he grabbed the sandwich in frustration. His sense of hopelessness only increased when he was informed that Sable’s curse was only going to get worse in a day. Yet no one was able to figure anything out.

“You couldn’t have gotten nothing from this?”

“Just gibberish. Pictures and dumb sayings. It’s dumb.” Bryson said taking an angry mouthful.

A knock on the door grabbed their attention looking over they saw Florence enter, “Lord Bryson, can I have a word.”

“Go ahead.” Bryson said swallowing.

“I would like for it to be more private.” Florence said.

Bryson frowned, “Why is that?”

“It’s about when the pixie found the message.”

“Yes? What about it.”

Florence simply glared at Bryson accusingly. Bryson gave a hard swallow. Does she know? Impossible she can’t have known. Can she?

As Bryson was immersed with his own thoughts, Lila cleared her throat.

“I’ll see myself out.” She said as she moved past Florence and shut the door behind her. Bryson scowled at Lila as she did so.

“What happened?” Florence said moving towards him.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” Bryson played coy as he placed his sandwich down and looked away.

“Your eyes glazed over for a brief moment. It was quick but they did, then you acted surprised and then as if nothing happened. What happened?” Florence accused.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do. Bryson, please. You can’t say nothing forever.” She said staring at Bryson with eyes that were a desperate plea, “Tell me the truth.”

Bryson looked at Florence and rubbed his hands on his thighs uncomfortably, “Something happened.” He said.

Florence simply stared at him and waited. Bryson gave a sigh and rolled his eyes.

“Maybe.” He added.

“Tell me, please trust me.” Florence said sitting next to him.

“When the pixie activated the message, I received my own message.”

“Details?”

“Just reinforcing the fact that I’m not from this world. I was meant to go somewhere else when I was kidnapped.” Bryson said crossing his arms and leaning backwards.

“Why would Hallow tell you this?”

“It wasn’t Hallow… it was I guess a weird recording left for me to discover when something like this happened.”

“Was that all it said?”

“No, also mentioned how something as bad as Sable’s curse may not happen again. But more bad things are going to happen.” Bryson said bitterly, “I would recommend you leave soon for your own safety. Honestly, I realize I should go tell Frost that.”

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

“I’m not going to do that.”

“You’re being stupid.”

“From what I’ve heard from Miss Frost, I doubt she would just leave too.”

“Not surprised, she’s also stupid.”

“Bryson.” Florence said calmly.

“What?”

“Was that what the message said? That only bad things will happen?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Because I doubt that. Tell me. Has everything you think might have been caused by Afa been bad?” Florence asked tilting her head curiously.

“Yeah.”

“So our meeting was bad. Because Afa helped cause it.”

Bryson gave Florence and unimpressed look, “What are trying to prove?”

“Answer the question. Was meeting me a bad thing?”

“Meh, you’re passable.” Bryson mumbled.

“So not everything is bad then?”

“I guess not.”

“So either the message is wrong or that’s not the message.”

“Point?”

“Could you please give me a more accurate version of what you heard?”

Bryson thought for a moment, recalling what he was told, “Things will happen, whether they are good or bad depends on what everybody involved does.”

“So it isn’t that bad.”

“I guess.” Bryson scoffed, “Still doesn’t help Sable.”

“Message didn’t say anything at all as to why Sable became a victim?”

“No. Apparently there had to be another option other than the pixie however. Which was why this was made.” Bryson said smacking the notes.

“Why is that? Why give another option?”

“There are rules apparently. Sable needed another cure as an option. One that didn’t require that large of a sacrifice. But that stupid message really doesn’t help at all.”

“Anything said about the other option?”

“Just that there is some stupid price for it. Which is even more concerning.” Bryson said flippantly. He hated the fact that it felt like he was being forced into a corner by some unknown force.

“Price… as in an exchange?” Florence said slowly, something clicking inside her head.

“Yeah? I guess.”

Florence took the notes and read through them, murmuring to herself, “Pixie, Bryson…” She immediately snapped her head to Bryson, “Follow me Lord Bryson.” She said grabbing his hand as she pulled him towards the door.”

“Woah! What are you doing?”

“I think I understand the message now.”

***

“Okay, so what’s the plan exactly? Because I really don’t want to be here when ‘The Cold Conqueror’ gets here.” The pixie asked as she hovered around Sable.

“The what?” Bryson asked.

“It’s one of the many names your father has been adorned with.” She explained.

“That’s really bad name.”

“He has better ones.” She nodded in agreement.

Florence had gathered the two back into Sable’s room. Lila Frost stood outside the door keeping watch as the sun was beginning to set, and Duke Coldwater was said to be returning soon. Bryson did his best to try not to think about the time running out on them.

“Where’s Viola and Primrose?” Bryson said.

“I asked Primrose to keep Viola distracted.” Florence said.

“Why?” Bryson asked, not a fan of the tone Florence used.

“She’s tempted to take the first option.” Florence said diplomatically. Bryson would blink in surprise, but this was expected at this point.

“So she wants to grind me into powder?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.” The pixie said folding her arms uncomfortably, “What about the Bryson boy? You don’t share the same sentiment?”

“I don’t know.” Bryson said. It was the truth. He had gone over the thought of it before, but he just couldn’t bring himself to think on it much. He wasn’t sure if it was because of morals, cowardice, stupidity, or maybe hope.

“Either it won’t come to that as long as this works.” Florence said quickly.

“What works?” Asked the pixie.

“Option two. The message.”

“You deciphered it?” The pixie asked in astonishment.

“I believe I know how.” Florence nodded as she approached Sable, “Though it won’t be easy.”

“I don’t care, we have to try. So what do we do?” Bryson said.

“Could you bring out the circle again?” Florence asked the pixie.

The pixie nodded and created the magical message that was supposedly the cure. As Florence was handed it, she squinted at the small print size, “Could you please expand it?”

“Oh right.” The pixie said complying.

“My magic is extremely limited, but after talking to Bryson, I have an idea of what we need to do, but I’ll need help figuring it out.” Florence said as she touched the magic circle with a finger and moved one of pieces away. From that, one of the smaller symbols on it was pulled out for them both to see.

“What’s that?” Bryson asked, it wasn’t a magic symbol that he recognized.

“It’s a symbol representing fairies.” The pixie said.

“Yes, right next to it are these, a universal symbol that represents gods and something I don’t quite understand.” Florence said showing Bryson something that look like a scribble.

Bryson frowned staring at the floating magical scribble, “This… is an image.” He said as he warped the scribble around. Suddenly out popped a floating image of two people trading goods.

“What does that mean? Trading goods.” The pixie asked completely lost.

“It’s an exchange. The puzzle is some sort of rebus.” Florence said.

“A what?” Bryson asked.

“A puzzle where the clues are images and symbols. I believe this entire message is one massive rebus.”

“So Hallow left an entire word puzzle for us?” The pixie said unimpressed.

“Yes.”

“Great.” She said rolling her eyes.

“So wait.” Bryson said as he began to process the information, “Fairy, gods, trade? As in?”

“Yes, divine fairy exchange.” Florence said nodding, “I could only figure out the symbols that didn’t need magic tampering, but after this I’m sure that as long as we complete this puzzle, we can get rid of the curse. If he’s telling the truth.” She added.

“So some god from another realm wants us to solve a curse through something that is made for children.” The pixie asked.

“Yes.”

“As least it’s not too difficult.”

“No, deciphering seems straightforward once we know what to do.” Florence agreed.

“So what’s next?” Bryson asked.