“We’re almost there.” Freya said, as Barry gasped for breath.

They’ve been walking for about fifteen minutes now and needless to say, the poison was getting to Barry. His knees were getting weak and they had to stop every five minutes now.

“Just hold now...Here.” Freya moved towards him and threw his hand behind her neck.

“I don’t want to crush you under my weight.” Barry said. The pain in his voice was noticeable but his try of making Freya smile did not go wasted.

No, she didn’t smile.

She rolled her eyes.

He knew that meant more.

“How far are we now?” Barry asked, as he dragged his body with Freya’s help.

“There.” She pointed.

In front of Barry were tiny houses made up of stones. All the houses were in a circle, facing towards a huge tree in the middle with a distance on ten feet or so in the middle. The first six houses that faced the tree directly were about fifteen feet away but those houses looked better than the others. They had a star on the roof while the others didn’t.

The tree in the middle was weirdly captivating. Even though it was clearly an elder tree, it looked so lively, so green, and so alive.

The tree lifted his branches to the sky as if its very presence was enough to beat back the darkness and command the daylight to fall on his papery leaves. Its bark shone like the right kind of gold, the sort that inspires the mind to heady heights of imagination, opening doors to fantastical kingdoms. Its bark so patterned as if carved by own rain-born flash rivers. It stretched up, as if so proud to stand there under the sun and in any weather. It was no wonder that the tree is where all the houses were facing. Barry wouldn’t be surprised if the tree straight up started talking.

It looked magical.

“Where’s everyone?” Barry asked.

Even though the tree looked alive, everything around it looked dead. The stone houses looked empty. There was no light coming out of the windows. It was awfully dark. The only source of light was the moon, making the stone houses look like grave houses.

“They are not going to come out like this.”

Barry’s head snapped at Freya as he heard a thud. Freya dropped her back on the ground.

“Hey hey!” Barry exclaimed as Freya took off her shirt.

Her bra became visible and Barry looked away. Still shocked and trembling from his own weight, he started coughing.

“Are you okay?” Freya looked at him, worried.

“I am but I won’t be if you don’t put on your shirt.” he whispers to himself.

“What?” Freya asked again.

“Nothing,” he replied, “Why’d you do that?” He said, pointing at the shirt in Freya’s hand, “They want to see you naked?”

She shook her head, “They want to see this.”

She turned around and Barry’s jaw dropped on the floor.

A triskele.

It was a triple spiral tattooed on her back, right below her neck. It wasn’t a small tattoo. It was the size of Barry’s hand.

“What is that?” Barry asked, shocked and amazed. He had never seen a tattoo that looked so... promising and permanent.

“It’s a sign which shows you’ve been to the Banshees before. It’s their way of marking whatever they have cured.”

Before Barry could ask more questions, a yellow light distracted him. The tree was lighting up. His eyes grew wide as the light started moving. He could hear his heart beating fast. Either it was because of the scene before him or the poison was about to kill him anytime now.

He looked at it closely. It wasn’t just light; they were fireflies that emerged from the tree as soon as Freya turned her tattoo towards the tree in the middle. The fireflies entered the house. The scene before Barry’s eyes was mesmerizing. The town seemed too lit suddenly.

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The light casted by the fireflies painted the town light yellow. It looked like a scene from the movies or a dream.

It looked magical.

“Come on.” Freya said, putting on her shirt and helping Barry to get up. Barry threw his arm around Freya for support.

As they walked or Freya walked and Barry dragged his body towards the town, Barry’s eye widened when the door creaked opened to one of the houses and a very small dwarf walked out.

They looked human but very, incredibly small. Wearing a leaf around her body, she looked at Barry and almost seemed to recognize Freya.

One after another, the doors opened and Banshees walked out of their houses, their eyes fixated on both of them as they made their way in front of the tree.

Freya helped Barry sit beside the tree and looked at the Banshees.

“I need help.” She said, looking at the Banshee who first stepped out but no one moved until she said the next words, “Mistletoe.”

The little Banshees – kid Banshees – gasped and hid behind their moms.

“That’s not a very good reaction.” Barry commented, earning a glare from Freya, “Sorry.” He added.

The Banshee in front of Freya nodded and went inside of the houses with stars.

Barry looked at everyone one by one. They looked intrigued, not by Freya but by Barry. Little did they know, Barry was equally intrigued to know them but he knew they are smart and clever? He needed to be smart.

“Who’s that?” One of the young Banshee said, looking at Barry.

No one answered, not even Freya. He casted a look on her and he realized she looks troubled. Her hands were folded on her chest, as she had her gaze fixated at the house, waiting for someone to emerge out of it. She looked like she was ready to get out of here as soon as she can.

“Psst,” Barry whispered and luckily, she turned around, “What happened? You looked tensed.” He asked.

Freya sat on her knees, “Whatever you do, don’t strike a deal before thinking over it a hundred times. Alright?”

Barry nodded his head dumbfounded. As soon as Freya got back on her feet, her eyes fixated on one of the houses again, Barry started making a list of things he could offer but he didn’t really have anything. What could they ask for? His memory? He doesn’t have any memory of the Island – not important ones anyway. He has barely been on the island for a week. He hadn’t seen anything that everyone else on the Island hadn’t. He didn’t even make it to the middle of the Island!

The door creaked open and Barry snapped out of his thoughts. The lady Banshee who went in, quickly moved out of the way as an elder looking Banshee made his way out. He supported himself with the help of a stick. He had glasses on his nose and seemed to recognize Freya instantly.

Freya smiled – tried to smile. It was barely a smile – just an act to acknowledge his presence.

As the elder Banshee crossed others while walking towards them, everyone bowed down.

“What is it, my child?” He stopped right in front of Freya.

“He ate a mistletoe.” Freya kept it minimum.

The elder Banshee nodded his head and motioned Freya to move. Hesitantly, she did.

The elder Banshee looked at Barry and nodded.

He turned to Freya and said, “We’ll need to open him up.”

“What?” Barry almost screamed but he was ignored by both, the Banshee and Freya.

“Open him up? I don’t think he can heal. He might die like the...others.” She pressed her lips.

“Others?” Barry repeated, looking dumfounded.

“Indeed, he might. But we have to take a chance.” The Banshee folded his hand in front of him.

“Okay, can anyone notice me down here?” Barry said, annoyed and earned a look from Freya, “Thank you. It felt like I’m invisible,” He rolled his eyes before the concerned look came back, “He can’t open me up, Freya. I’ll die!”

“That you will anyway, boy,” The Banshee turned around, “If we don’t get the poison out of you.”

“Do you have the Fopez?” Freya asked, scratching the back of her neck.

The Banshee nodded, “Yes. That will help him.”

“Alright,” She said and came near to Barry, “Listen, they have magic, alright? They won’t let you feel a thing, I promise.”

“What’s Fopez?” He asked,

“Once they are done with sucking out the poison, Fopez will help you heal fast, almost immediately. It's the Island’s rule. Fopez and Oak mixed together becomes a powerful weapon of healing.”

“The clock ticks away...” The Banshee said, as he walked away from them.

Barry licked his lips and looked at Freya. She looked tensed, he couldn’t tell if it was because of him or the fact that she was surrounded by the people who took her memory away, making her a ‘walk dead.’

“Barry...” Freya caught his attention, “It won’t hurt.”

He sighed, “Alright. I’ll do it.” He said, loud enough to make the Banshee turn around almost immediately.

“They didn’t ask for a deal.” Barry whispered as the Banshee instructed everyone to start gathering stuff.

“They will. After they take out the poison,” Freya said, “But don’t strike a deal before thinking about it twice. Don’t offer anything that means a lot to you.”

Before Barry could answer, the Banshee’s voice echoed,

“Take him inside. He doesn’t have more than half an hour.”