Silver gazed into Gwenneth’s colorless eyes as he considered her words. He thought about the ash tree that had brought them to Faerieland, remembered spiraling around it. Remembered feeling safe beneath its shelter as a child, when it was just a tree in his best friend’s yard. Was that the link she spoke of?

“Do you mean the tree? Is that why you lived in that house? I don’t think anyone is allowed to cut it down, ma’am. It’s protected by law,” he said.

“Not just the tree,” said another councilor. “The tree is the strongest, but it is not the only link. Or it wasn’t.”

The dark woman next to him gracefully stepped forward, nervously stretching and contracting her fingers over and over, revealing and then hiding her claws. Her loose trousers were cut to accommodate her tail, which whipped back and forth as she spoke. “My people have always been masters of portals. These doorways have been fading, trapping fae on one side or the other. My sister is stranded in Humanland right now, unable to return home.”

Silver turned toward her. “Can’t she use the tree?” he asked.

“She would have to travel a great distance, and her glamor would not hold up,” she responded. “It will fade soon, and she will not be able to leave her dwelling without causing great alarm.”

Silver shrugged. “I mean, I think people would just assume she was wearing a costume, right?”

“You’re missing the point!” Fiona interrupted. “It’s not just about Aganya’s sister or anyone else being trapped in Humanland. Humans and fae need each other. We can’t survive without you, and you can’t survive without us.”

“Okay. So what do I do?” Silver asked.

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The gathered fae were silent for a moment. Then a councilor spoke up, a large, sturdy-looking creature with small spikes scattered across his greyish skin. “We don’t know.”

“My vision is spotty and extremely limited.” Gwenneth’s voice was a frustrated hiss. “All I can see is you, but not what you can do. I only see you, and I can feel that you’re in Humanland. I can’t even see where.”

Fiona spoke up. “My mother could be of help. She is in Humanland, and she is very powerful. I could take Silver to her, and she could teach him.”

Her suggestion was met with silence, and Silver looked around to see a surprisingly wide range of emotions on the faces of the fae. Most looked thoughtful, a few apprehensive, and two of the councilors seemed outright hostile.

He turned his attention to the bald fae who sat beside Gwenneth, as she responded with a stern frown. “Absolutely not.”

Fiona’s lips tightened and she stepped forward. Devon placed a blue hand on her pale arm and she reluctantly stepped back again.

“With all due respect, Salina,” Devon began, addressing his aunt. “Rozsa has completely denounced all connection to-”

“That’s not the point!” Another councilor interrupted, thumping his fist on the table. He was the only one at the table who looked wholly human, and Silver wondered if he was a human mage or if he was of mixed blood, like Fiona. “She has shown poor judgment in her past, and that cannot be forgotten. We cannot trust her.”

Gwenneth raised an eyebrow. “I seem to recall a few questionable decisions in your youth, too, Harold. Let’s not be too hasty. I think this idea has merit.”

Harold scowled. “I would hardly compare some minor indiscretions to taking up with Duvslaine.”

Salina nodded her support. “Indeed. As long as there is any chance that Duvslaine is involved, Rozsa needs to be kept out of it. There are other mages.”

“I disagree,” said the bespiked councilor. “If anything, Rozsa’s knowledge of Duvslaine could be of service, should this turn out to be his doing. And she has remained loyal to this council, despite everything. She would be a good teacher for this young human. I am in support of this plan.”

He gave Silver and Fiona an encouraging smile as he sat back in his chair, bathing them in gentle warmth.

Silver’s answering smile faded as Harold stood up abruptly. “I will never agree to this. And in fact, I must insist that Duvslaine’s daughter be dismissed from this council. We are all in danger as long as she lingers here.”

He pointed to Fiona.