The sun had risen by the time Johnathan woke up. He was lying on something soft and the sun was shining on his face just enough to be annoying, but not so much as to make it worth the effort of moving out of its way. He remembered being engulfed in fire and smoke, his skin burning, and thinking he was done for. Had it all been a dream? Was he in his own bed? The sun would sometimes hit his face when he forgot to close the curtains in his bedroom. He put his arm over his eyes, blocking the light. His skin didn’t hurt. If he had really been burned as badly as his memory told him he had, he would certainly be in a lot of pain still. It must have all been a dream. “Good, you’re awake,” said Kelviana’s voice from across the room. “We need to get moving soon.”

Johnathan groaned. So it hadn’t been a dream after all. “What happened?” he asked, his arm still covering his face.

“You passed out.”

“Thanks,” he said. “I kinda figured that part out myself.”

“Your friend was also hurt, but he didn’t pass out.”

“Good for him,” Johnathan grumbled.

“Your injuries were much worse than his, though,” she continued, ignoring him. “So I guess it’s understandable. I almost thought I wouldn't be able to heal you completely. You humans really wear me out, you know?”

Johnathan opened his eyes and looked in the direction of her voice. He recognized the room. It was the bike park’s security office. He was lying on a couch and Kelviana was sitting cross-legged in an armchair near the door, her wings neatly folded behind her back. The chair was far too big for her and seemed to swallow her up. She looked tired, and there was something else about her bearing that seemed off to him, but he couldn’t quite place it. “Where’s Zoe?” he asked. “She is here, isn’t she?”

“She’s in the next room with your friend, resting. She didn’t want to leave you, but I made her. She wasn’t in particularly good shape either. She wasn’t burnt, though.”

Johnathan sat up and swung his legs over the side of the couch. His mind was a bit fuzzy, but at least his head didn’t hurt. Kelviana’s healing was very thorough, it seemed. “So Vendetta didn’t capture her after all?” he asked.

“That’s the thing,” said Kelviana, furrowing her brow. “The Stormclouds did capture her. By the time we got there, they were already carrying her off. Somehow she escaped on her own and came back when she heard all the commotion. She’s a tough kid, I gotta admit.”

Johnathan couldn’t help but chuckle a little. Zoe always had been a fiery one. The memory of her standing in front of him, her hands glowing with fairy light, drifted to the surface of his mind. “She was the one who destroyed the Hurricane, wasn’t she?” he asked, already knowing the answer. Kelviana frowned, her hesitation was all the confirmation he needed. “How was she able to do that?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Kelviana said, her frown deepening. “I have a theory. I’ll have to test it some more, but I wanted you all to rest first.” She sighed deeply and seemed to sink into the armchair. “I apologize for letting you get hurt,” she said. “Chrysanthemum turned out to be a more formidable opponent than I thought she would. Fey don’t fight other fey, except when training. It was a hard battle for me — in many ways.” She rubbed her left shoulder and Johnathan remembered the injury she took while trying to keep the Hurricane away from him. Her shirt was torn and he saw a white bandage tied underneath. “I thought I could fight her and protect you boys as well,” she continued. “I was wrong.”

“Is Vendetta…?” he couldn’t say the rest, but he didn’t need to. Kelviana shook her head.

“She took off after the Hurricane was destroyed. In a way, I am glad. I would not want to be the first fey to ever kill another of our kind, even if there was good reason for it. By the way,” she said, standing up in the chair. Her wings unfolded behind her and Johnathan got his first good look at the pattern. The large upper wings were a beautiful swirl of red and blue that flowed down to a circle of deep purple in the center of the lower wings. The pattern was mirrored on each side, making it look like a pair of eyes. She beat them against the air a few times and rose up out of the chair, somewhat shakily, Johnathan noticed. She flew across the room and smacked him on the back of the head. “NEVER give a fey your name when they ask for it. I thought everyone knew that. You're just lucky that your sister’s name isn’t yours to give, or Chrysanthemum would have complete control over her right now. As it is, she may have some influence over her if they ever get close to each other.”

Johnathan rubbed the spot where she had smacked him. It had actually stung a bit. “But I told you my name, and so did Tyler.”

She sighed and settled back down to stand on the floor, folding her wings back. She looked pale and was sweating a little. “First off, he didn’t tell me his true name, just a nickname, and second off, I never asked for your names, did I? It’s all about the details.”

“Fine,” he grumbled. “I get it. Anything else I should know?”

“Even freshly budded fairies know this stuff,” She muttered, then thought for a moment. “Don’t eat anything I or any other fey gives you, or you’ll get stuck here forever. You’re on your own when it comes to food unless you decide you really like it here. And DON’T accept any gifts, not even from me. There’s always a catch, and it’s never good.”

“Should we be trusting you at all?” Johnathan asked, all the old tales of fairies being tricky and untrustworthy were starting to sound like they were true after all.

Kelviana shrugged. “I’m telling you the rules, aren’t I? Most fey would be perfectly fine letting you bungle through it and ensnaring you the second you mess up. We can’t lie, but we don’t have to tell the whole truth either. I’m being straight with you. Somehow you’ve managed to gain my favor, don’t ask me how.” Her legs wobbled and she steadied herself against the edge of the couch. Johnathan reached out automatically to catch her, but she held up a hand, grimacing slightly. “I’m ok, just a little tired. I used a lot of magic last night.” She took a deep breath and stood up straight. She unfolded her wings and fluttered them slowly. She lifted off the ground a few inches then fell back down. She huffed. “Fine, my legs need the exercise anyway.” She strode over to the door and pulled it open, and suddenly Johnathan realized what it was that seemed odd about her.

“Where’s your magic dust?” he asked. The blue haze of glowing dust continuously surrounding her last night was nowhere to be seen.

“It’s still there,” she said, turning back to him with her hand on the doorknob. “If it weren’t I’d be dead. It’s just too dim to see easily in the daylight. Like I said, I used up a lot of my magic last night.”

Johnathan looked at the floor, feeling ashamed. “Thanks for saving us. If I hadn’t frozen up you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

She waved him off. “Protecting you was my responsibility. I took on that job the second I brought you over here. Don’t sweat it.”

He looked up, suddenly realizing something. “You let me win that argument, didn’t you? You didn’t need my help finding Zoe.”

She shrugged. “Like I said, you gained my favor somehow. Maybe it’s ‘cause you’ve got guts. Not just anyone can stare down a mythical creature like me, you know. Much less win.”

At the moment Johnathan felt like he was anything but brave. “You like me and you don’t even know why?”

“It’s a fey thing,” she said with a rare smile and a shrug, then her face hardened and she turned back to the open door. “Now let’s go. I need to get back to the Darkwood before nightfall. The Seelie Court needs to know about Chrysanthemum.”

“And us?” Johnathan asked as he stood up. Kelviana didn’t answer, instead, she just turned and walked out the door. He frowned after her, then sighed and followed her out.

“Johnny!” Zoe cried as soon as he stepped out of the room, pouncing on him from seemingly out of nowhere and wrapping her arms around him in a smothering hug. Johnathan braced himself against the sudden assault on his balance and returned the embrace. Neither of them was big on hugging as a general rule. But this was one instance where an exception could be made. He held her tight, not even minding that her hair tickled his nose.

“You guys weren’t even apart for one full night, you know,” Tyler said, yawning and running his hands through his hair as he crossed the hall from the room he and Zoe had been sleeping in. It looked like a manager’s office.

Zoe pulled away slightly and glared at him, her arms still wrapped around Johnathan. “Give it a rest, Ty. I thought I’d never see him again, ok?”

“And what about me? I came all the way to another world to find you and I didn’t get a big hug.” He was sulking a little. Could it be that he was jealous? Zoe had told Mom that there was nothing going on between them, that they were just friends. It seemed that Tyler maybe had a different opinion on the matter. Johnathan was going to have to have a talk with him about that. And won’t that be a fun conversation? he thought. “Hey Ty, stay away from my sister. She doesn’t like you like that.” Then Tyler would pound me and Zoe would hate me and nothing would be solved. He sighed inwardly. Why did life have to be so complicated?

“It’s a twin thing,” Zoe said, oblivious to his thoughts. Johnathan decided to leave it at that for now. He pulled away from the hug and took a good look at her. She was still covered in mud, her Team U.S.A. jersey was rumpled and torn in a few places, and her hair was a tangled mess, but her cheeks were rosy and her eyes were full of life. She looked even better than she did on a normal day back home. There was a liveliness about her that was usually only reserved for special occasions, like the trip to Disneyland they had taken a few years back before Dad’s pay got slashed. In comparison, Tyler looked reasonably well-rested, but still a bit run-down. Kind of like how Johnathan felt. He smiled at Zoe, just glad to see that she was safe. She smiled back, then slugged him on the shoulder. “Don’t scare me like that!” she said, glaring at him in much the same way Mom sometimes would.

“Don’t scare you?” he asked, rubbing his shoulder. That had hurt. “What about me? I thought the Stormclouds had you. How’d you get away anyway?”

Zoe’s face fell and some of the liveliness left her cheeks. “I — I don’t know,” she said, shrinking back from him a little.

“It was magic,” said Kelviana. Johnathan and Zoe both turned to look at her.

Tyler started laughing, then stopped short when he realized no one else was joining him. “That’s impossible,” he said, looking at each of them in turn. “Isn’t it? I mean, she’s human. Humans don’t have magic.”

“Not usually, you don’t,” Kelviana said, looking up at Zoe with furrowed brows. “But it’s not unheard of. She’s definitely got some magic in her, I can feel it.” She reached down to her belt and pulled out her sword. It was glowing with white light, as always, but it seemed dimmer than usual. She turned it around and held it out to Zoe hilt first. “Here, hold this.”

Zoe reached for it hesitantly, confusion in her eyes. Jonathan grabbed her by the wrist, sudden panic rising inside. “Wait,” he said, then turned to Kelviana. “This isn’t a gift, is it?”

He half expected Kelviana to be offended at his accusation, but she just smiled with something like approval in her eyes. “Now you’re starting to think like a fey.” She shook her head. “Others may try to trick you like that, but I never will. I’m not giving it to her. I just want to see what happens when she holds it.”

Johnathan thought for a moment then nodded. “Ok. Go ahead,” he said to Zoe, releasing his grasp on her wrist. He didn’t like the sudden suspicion with which he found himself regarding Kelviana’s every move now. He was glad she had told him the rules that governed the Fey, but some part of him wished she hadn’t. He had been much happier when he was blindly trusting her.

Zoe looked between Johnathan and Kelviana a few times, clearly wondering what that had all been about, then reached down and took the sword from the fey’s much smaller hand. The soft white glow faded away as soon as it left Kelviana’s grasp, making it look more like a child’s toy sword than the deadly weapon it really was. She held it up and regarded it curiously. Jonathan watched closely, wondering what Kelviana was hoping would happen. He didn’t have long to wait. After only a few moments the sword began to glow again, but this time it was green and much brighter than the soft white it had been before. “What’s that mean?” Zoe asked, her voice wavering slightly.

“The sword reacts to the inherent magic of whoever’s holding it. The color it glows with reflects the type of magic. White is for the fey.”

“And green?” asked Zoe, looking at the sword with wide, fearful eyes.

“Dryads,” said Kelviana, nodding as if she had expected this to happen. “There’s dryad blood in you. Strong too. Maybe only a generation or two removed.” She looked back at Johnathan. “I knew I liked you, now I know why.” She turned back to Zoe. “This explains how you could open the portal. You’re part dryad, so you’re already connected to this realm.”

Zoe shoved the sword back into Kelviana’s hand as if it were a snake about to strike, the green glow fading as soon as she let it go. “This is crazy,” she said, backing away. “You can’t be serious. There’s no such thing as dryads.”

“Or fey?” Kelviana asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“What’s a dryad?” asked Tyler.

“A tree spirit,” said Johnathan, watching Zoe. She seemed frozen halfway between disbelief and shock.

“More like a tree nymph,” said Kelviana. “Most every creature in this realm is one sort of a nymph or another, but dryads are closer to humans in appearance than any of us, most of the time.”

“What do you mean, ‘most of the time’?” asked Zoe, turning pale.

“Some of them have to transform into trees occasionally,” replied Kelviana, as casually as if she were giving a weather report.

Zoe stared at the fey like she were crazy. Slowly she began shaking her head and backing away. “I can’t deal with this. Just — just get us out of here,” she said, then spun on her heel and strode off, disappearing behind the door to the girl’s restroom.

“Not exactly the reaction I would have expected,” said Kelviana.

“It’s what she does,” said Johnathan, watching the bathroom door swing shut. After a few moments, he turned back to Kelviana. “Zoe’s right, though — this is nuts.” He held out his hand. “Let me see that sword.” She handed it to him without a word. He grabbed it by the hilt and held it up, waiting for it to start glowing, but nothing happened. Eventually, she took it back with a huff. “Why didn’t it work for me?” he asked, disappointment welling up inside him. Zoe may not have liked the idea of having a magical heritage, but he sure did.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“I said she was part dryad,” Kelviana said as she shoved the sword back in its sheath. “I didn’t say anything about you.”

“But we’re twins. We share the same blood.”

“First off, you’re fraternal twins, not identical, so you don’t share the same DNA. And second off, this is magic, not genetics. It doesn’t follow the same rules. You can’t be part dryad, because there’s no such thing as a male dryad.”

“How do you know about DNA?” asked Tyler.

She glared at him. “I was raised in the forest, not a barn.”

“But you don’t know what WiFi is?” Tyler mumbled, then quickly clamped his jaw closed as her glare turned into a scowl.

“So Zoe gets to be magical but I don’t, just because I’m a boy?” Johnathan asked, anger welling up inside at the injustice of it all.

“Calm down kid,” growled Kelviana turning her glare on him. “Do you want to bring every Stormcloud within twenty miles of here bearing down on us?”

“It’s not fair,” grumbled Johnathan, but he tried to push the anger down.

“It’s the way things are,” said Kelviana. “Fairness has nothing to do with it. Besides, you’ll still probably get some sort of fringe benefits. Good looks, a winning personality, long life, things like that. A lot of celebrities in your world have dryad blood. It’s far more common than you would think.”

“Does any of this even matter?” asked Tyler. “We’re leaving this place anyway.”

“The kid’s right,” said Kelviana. “The magic of mixed-bloods doesn’t work on Earth. At least not like it does here. Even my magic is weaker over there. Once I get you all back home you can just keep on going with your lives like nothing ever happened. Now stop pouting, grab your sister, and let’s get going.” She turned and stalked down the hall towards the main counter and the still-open glass front doors.

Tyler turned to follow but Johnathan stopped him. “Hey… Tyler?” he said hesitantly. He didn’t want to say this but knew he needed to.

“Yeah?” said the bigger boy, looking impatient.

“I just…” he hesitated, then, with great effort, continued. “Uhm… I just wanna say thanks… you know for last night. You helped me when things got real. I froze, and you didn’t. So… uh… yeah… thanks.” He was babbling, he knew.

Tyler shrugged. “Well, just ‘cause I don’t want to see those things get you doesn’t mean we’re best buds or anything. I still think you’re a geek.” He looked down the hall to where Kelviana had walked. “We better catch up. You wanna get Zoe?”

“I’m here,” she said, coming out of the bathroom looking a bit less upset than she had going in. “Fair warning, the water doesn’t work.”

“You ok?” asked Johnathan.

“I will be once we’re out of this crazy place,” she said, looking all around. “Where’s the fairy?”

“Waiting outside,” said Tyler.

“She’s a fey,” said Johnathan. “Not a fairy.”

“I don’t care what she calls herself,” said Zoe, frowning and looking down the hall toward the front doors. “And I’m not one of them, no matter what she says.”

“No, you’re not,” agreed Johnathan. “You’re a dryad.” He realized it was the wrong thing to say even before he was done saying it.

If looks could kill he would have been dead a dozen times over right then and there. She whirled on him, her face bright red. “Don’t ever call me that again.”

“Don’t get angry!” Kelviana shouted from across the building.

“This is so stupid,” grumbled Zoe. “Let’s just go home.” She turned and stomped away, leaving Johnathan and Tyler to catch up.

“Way to go, Little John,” Tyler said under his breath before following along after her. Johnathan sighed heavily and wondered again why life had to be so darn complicated.

----------------------------------------

It was a very, very, quiet walk home. Zoe kept staring daggers into Kelviana’s back and shooting the occasional angry glare back at Johnathan. Tyler – quite wisely – decided to keep his distance from either of them and stuck close to Kelviana, who walked the entire way, her wings drooping behind her. Johnathan found himself worrying about the fey. Her pace was slow and her gait unsteady at times. Once or twice she had to stop and catch her breath. He still could only see her magic dust when she passed through the shadows, and even then it was just barely perceptible. He did not think she was merely tired from the night’s toils, despite her reassurances to the contrary.

When they were about a block away from their house Kelviana brought the march to a halt. “Wait,” she hissed and urgently pushed them all behind a nearby hedge. A few moments later a Stormcloud floated down the street where they had just been walking. “I was afraid of this,” Kelviana said after it was gone. “I’d bet anything that Chrysanthemum is watching the house, just waiting for us to come to her.”

“Which is exactly what we’re doing,” pointed out Tyler, who was crouched down next to her.

“Yes, it is,” said Kelviana with a frown. “We don’t have much choice, though, do we? And Chrysanthemum knows it.”

“So what’s the plan?” asked Zoe.

“For now, you three stay here. I’ll scout ahead and take a look.” She poked her head around the hedge and prepared to leave when Johnathan stopped her.

“What will you do if you’re caught?”

“I don’t get caught.”

“Maybe not,” he said, “but I've been watching you all morning. You’re worse off than you’re letting on. Even I could probably catch you right now if I wanted to.”

“Just try it, kid,” she said with a low, dangerous growl.

“Ok then,” said Johnathan, looking her in the eyes and trying not to let her intimidate him. Her voice may have been saying one thing, but the thin sheen of sweat and pale cast to her skin said another. “Prove that you’re fine and fly.”

“I don’t have to prove anything to you. Remember what I said last night? I’m in charge here. You’re just along for the ride.”

“And what happens to us when Vendetta catches you and no one’s driving anymore?”

“I can handle Chrysanthemum. Especially if I’m not having to keep an eye on you kids.”

“Fey can’t lie,” said Johnathan. “Tell me the truth. How can you fight her if you can’t even fly right now?”

“I’ll figure something out. Don’t think you can use our own rules against us, kid. We’ve been getting around them for thousands of years now.”

“Just let me come with you. Maybe I can help.”

“If he goes, I go,” said Zoe.

“And me,” said Tyler.

Kelviana glared at them all. “Humans,” she sighed. “Do you all have death wishes?”

“The opposite, actually,” said Johnathan. “You’re our best bet at making it out of this. I just want to make sure nothing happens to you.”

“I’m more than a hundred years older than you, I don’t need a babysitter. Especially not one that’s barely out of its bud.”

“Then stop acting like you do,” Johnathan said, trying to glare at Kelviana the way she always glared at him. She glared right back, then suddenly swayed and fell forward. Johnathan gasped and caught her by the shoulders before she hit the ground. He was surprised at how frail she felt. She had always seemed so strong, despite her diminutive frame. She cried out in pain and pulled her injured shoulder away from Johnathan’s grasp. Through the ripped sleeve, he caught sight of some skin that wasn’t covered by the bandage. It was red and inflamed.

“You didn’t heal yourself?” he asked. He should have realized that sooner. She wouldn’t have bandaged the wound if she had been able to heal it the way she had healed his own injuries.

“I tried,” she said, holding her shoulder and scowling. “Chrysanthemum’s sword has some sort of hex on it. The wound won’t heal and it's keeping my magic from recovering.”

“And when were you planning on telling us this?” asked Tyler. “When we were all standing in front of the mirror, surrounded by Stormclouds?”

“I’ve been saving what little magic I have left hoping that wouldn’t happen. And the girl has plenty to get herself through without my help. She could probably take both of you as well if she was trained up a bit.”

“My name’s Zoe,” said Zoe.

“I know,” said Kelviana dismissively. Zoe huffed and rolled her eyes. Kelviana sighed heavily. “Fine, you win,” she said, rubbing her temples. “We’ll all go and take a look. Chances are, if Chrysanthemum’s already there, we won’t be going anywhere today anyway. You’re right. We need a real plan, and that starts with knowing what we’re up against. Help me up.”

Johnathan grabbed Kelviana by the hand and pulled her up. She was so light he felt like he might rip her arm right out of its socket. Kelviana took a few deep breaths while steadying herself against his arm, then let it go, stepping out from the hedge and motioning for them to follow her. Tyler fell in behind Kelviana, but Zoe stayed with Johnathan.

“What’s with you and the fairy?” she said, whispering so the other two couldn’t hear.

Kelviana was keeping them off the sidewalk, instead crossing lawns and staying close to the fronts of the houses. It felt a little like trespassing to Johnathan and he had to remind himself that these houses weren’t the same ones from his neighborhood and were unoccupied. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“Just that you two seem to have a thing going,” said Zoe, stepping over a low hedge lining a walkway. The mailbox by the front steps was strangely blended between an old dented black one and a shiny new blue one.

“A thing?” he asked, blinking away the image of the strange phenomenon that still made his eyes hurt whenever he saw it. He stepped around a large flower pot and realized that plants were always sharp and in focus despite their constant state of change; they did not seem to follow the same strange rules that inanimate objects followed. He would have to ask Kelviana about that if the chance came up. He realized with a sudden shock that their time together was nearly over. He didn’t like that one bit.

“Yeah,” said Zoe. “Like the two of you have some sort of agreement or something. What rules was she talking about earlier?”

“She just gave me a few pointers this morning to help us when dealing with the fey. That’s all. There’s no ‘thing’ happening.”

“Uh-huh,” said Zoe, not sounding convinced.

“You could be a little nicer to her, you know,” said Johnathan. “She did save us last night.”

“And what about me?” Zoe asked. “Who destroyed that big smoke monster?”

“How did you do that, anyway?” Johnathan asked.

“I don’t know,” said Zoe, looking irritated. “It just kinda happened on its own. Just forget about it.”

“I can’t, and I’m glad it did happen,” said Johnathan. “No matter how you feel about it, I think it’s pretty cool.”

She glared at him. He was getting glared at a lot lately, he realized. “You think it’s cool that I might turn into a tree?”

“No,” said Johnathan, though a part of him actually did think the dryad part was cool, not the tree part. “I think it’s cool that you can do magic.”

“You’re not going to turn into a tree,” Kelviana said, crouching behind one of their neighbor’s shrubs. “Now hush, we’re here.”

Zoe shot Kelviana a nasty look, but she crouched behind the shrub with the rest of them. Their house was near the end of the block and set back a little further than their neighbor’s houses, which made it hard to see much of it until they got closer. The garage was still open, though from their vantage point behind the hedge they couldn’t see more than a few feet in. Dad’s old Toyota was in the driveway next to the Chrysler minivan, which was a little odd since it was a weekday and he should have been at work. He must have taken some time off, Johnathan thought, suddenly filled with guilt. He had been so worried about finding Zoe that he had not given any thought as to how their parents would react when he also went missing. “What’s that?” Tyler said, squinting. A hazy and translucent figure had emerged and was standing just outside the garage entrance. Kelviana frowned.

“It's Mom,” Zoe gasped, her eyes widening.

Their mom stood there for a few moments, looking up and down the street then cupped her blurry hands over her mouth. “Zoe!” she called. “Where are you?”

“C’mon, let’s go,” said Zoe as she jumped up.

“Wait!” said Johnathan, grabbing her dirt-stained jersey. Something about Mom’s voice seemed off to him.

Zoe shoved his hand away. “Why? Mom wouldn’t be there if that dark fairy was.”

“This smells like a trap to me,” said Tyler, trying to pull Zoe back down as well. “Vendetta could be hiding anywhere, as long it’s not in the mirror’s line of sight.”

“I don’t care,” said Zoe, roughly prying Tyler’s hand from her jersey. “I gotta get out of here. I can make it if I run.” Kelviana watched them with a big frown and furrowed brows but was otherwise uncharacteristically quiet.

“You can’t run faster than Vendetta can fly,” said Johnathan, suddenly worried that she might actually try. “Did you see that fight last night? They moved so fast I couldn’t even follow them.”

“Zoe!” Mom called again. “Zoe!”

Zoe’s head jerked up and she looked towards the ghostly specter of their mom. “She needs me,” she said, her voice suddenly becoming much quieter than it had just been. “I caused so much trouble already.” She pushed aside Johnathan’s hand as he grabbed for her again and took a step away from the cover of the bushes as if in a daze. “I have to go.”

“Stop her,” Kelviana said, finally breaking her silence. “This is Chrysanthemum’s doing. She’s under a spell.” Icy fear gripped Johnathan’s heart. He and Tyler both grabbed Zoe and pulled her back down. She struggled, but only mildly, her eyes remaining fixed on their house.

“What do you mean?” Johnathan asked as he fought to hold down Zoe’s legs. She hardly even seemed to be aware of him and Tyler as she single-mindedly tried to get to their house.

“That’s not your mother’s voice,” said Kelviana. “Sound doesn’t pass through the portal. Didn’t you notice that last night? And even if it could, why wouldn’t your mother be calling your name too?” Kelviana answered her own question before Johnathan could even open his mouth to reply. “It’s because you never gave it to Chrysanthemum.”

Johnathan paused and thought for a moment, realizing she was right. It must have been Vendetta mimicking their mom’s voice. For all he knew the whole thing could have been an illusion and that wasn’t even their real mom’s reflection. One of Zoe’s legs broke free from his grasp and she kicked him in the chest. He grunted and grabbed the flailing leg, pinning it back to the ground. “Can’t you break the spell?” he asked.

“Even if that was possible I’m in no condition to do it right now,” Kelviana said then sighed. “I should have stuck to my guns and come alone.”

“What are you guys talking about?” asked Tyler as he wrapped his arms under Zoe’s shoulders and held her against his chest. She pushed against him, trying to stand back up. “What’s Vendetta done to her?” Johnathan shifted his position and sat on her feet. Through all of this she was staying completely silent. It was very creepy and had Johnathan very worried.

“This one,” Kelviana said, jerking her thumb in Johnathan’s direction, “in a shocking display of poor judgment, decided to give Chrysanthemum his sister’s name last night. I wasn’t sure if that would be enough for Chrysanthemum to exercise any control over her, but it seems that it was.”

“Wait,” said Tyler. “She can control Zoe just by knowing her name?”

Kelviana nodded, and Johnathan kicked himself for not realizing the danger sooner. Of course it was a bad idea to let Zoe anywhere near Vendetta. “That’s why you never use our names. Isn’t it?” he asked.

“Even so, she really shouldn’t have this much influence over your sister,” Kelviana said, frowning at Zoe and ignoring Johnathan’s question. “Her name isn’t yours to give away. And since she’s part dryad, a fey’s hold over her name should be even weaker than it would be against other humans. Possibly even non-exisent.” She looked back at the house. “This will make things tougher. We need to get out of here. Chrysanthemum’s influence should wear off with distance.”

“A pity we’ll never find out if you’re right, Darkwood.” A voice said from behind them. Johnathan jumped and spun around to see Vendetta hovering about ten feet up in the air with four Stormclouds surrounding her.

“Let my sister go, traitor!” Johnathan shouted, jumping up and glaring at the dark fey. Kelviana stood and faced her as well, a low growl forming in her throat. Tyler was left alone to hold down Zoe, who was still desperately trying to get free.

Vendetta giggled like a schoolgirl. “What a cute little group. A human child who has no idea what’s going on, a dryad who doesn’t even know what she is, a useless tag-along, and a fey who can’t sense a trap when she’s standing right in the middle of one.” She looked at Kelviana with mock concern. “How’s your shoulder?”

“Get a little closer and I’ll show you, coward,” said Kelviana, drawing her sword. It was so dim that in the full daylight Johnathan couldn’t even tell if it was glowing or not.

“Mmmm, no,” said Vendetta, placing a finger on her lips in thought. “I think I’ll stay here. My pets will be more than happy to play, though.”

“Get back, fool,” Kelviana said to Johnathan, her voice low. “This is going to get ugly. I’ll distract the Stormclouds. Take your sister and make a break for the portal. Maybe you’ll get lucky and the girl can get you through.”

“I’m not leaving you,” Johnathan said, shaking his head. “Teammates stick together.”

Suddenly there was a rustling behind them and Johnathan turned to see Tyler jump up and run towards the house. Zoe was climbing to her feet and heading in that direction as well.

“Zoe, stop,” said Vendetta cooly. Zoe froze in her steps and stood there, silently waiting.

“Zoe!” Jonathan cried. “Snap out of it. She’s controlling you.”

“She can’t hear you, little boy,” said Vendetta. “She’s only got ears for me.” She looked towards their house and smiled. “Looks like your friend has abandoned you. How shockingly predictable, and since I have the girl, I have no use for either of you.” She turned to the waiting Stormclouds and drew her impossibly dark sword, pointing it at Johnathan and Kelviana. “Get them,” she said then flew off towards the house.

Zoe followed without a word.

END OF PART FOUR