“Follow me,” Aetnae said. “The entry is in the children’s library downstairs.” She zipped off to the door.
Afton held a hand of each of the boys. Emily moved my messenger bag to her side and offered Peyton her hand, but the little girl ignored it. We plodded down the stairs to the children’s library. Aetnae landed on my shoulder and directed us to a reading area.
“It’s in one of those pop-up books.” She pointed at a bookshelf.
I crossed over to the case. There were many picture and pop-up books lining the shelves. “Which one?”
“The Secret Garden,” she answered.
My mouth gaped.
Her eyes widened, and she glanced around. “What’s wrong?”
The Secret Garden? I couldn’t believe it.
“It’s her favorite book,” Afton said.
I’d found it in my mom’s collection of books and had a strong connection to it the first time I’d read it. It was probably why Arik’s parent faery read it to him when he was a boy.
“It’s one of my favorites as well,” Aetnae said. “Our queen’s grandmother chose this book when it was time to change the realm’s door. The entry into our realm moves every hundred years. I’ll be sad when it changes from this one. Wait until you see. It’s quite lovely.” She raised her hand and spoke something in a language I couldn’t understand.
A thick picture book slid out from the bottom shelf of the bookcase in front of us.
Aetnae tugged on my hair. “Stand back. Don’t want anyone getting hurt.”
I moved away as the book opened and grew. Emily scooted back. Afton dragged the three children with her to the other side of the room.
The pages flipped as the book grew. Pictures popped out and folded in, rustling and crinkling with each turn, until it stopped on a page with a three-dimensional image of a gate nestled in a vine-covered wall. The book quit growing when it reached the ceiling.
The detailed artwork on the heavy gauge paper was awe-inspiring—the weathered gate, its wood splintered with age, the vibrant green leaves on the vines yellowing at the ends, and the bricks with cracks and pockmarks. It all seemed so lifelike.
Emily took a step forward. “You don’t see that every day.”
“There are many things I’ve seen lately that you don’t see every day,” Afton said. “But this is so much better and a lot less scary.”
The gate slowly crept open, revealing a lush garden with pointy flowers of various colors dotting the greenery. Cutting through the middle was a glittering sandstone pathway. The birdsongs and low-toned chirping of insects created a soothing melody. A peaceful feeling loosened muscles I didn’t know had tensed.
I’d never seen such beauty. It was what I imagined the Garden of Eden would look like, but magnified.
“Can we go inside?” Peyton asked, standing by my side, her eyes wide.
“Yes. Follow me.” Aetnae flitted into the garden.
Peyton grasped my hand, and I gave her a no-need-to-worry smile as we plodded to the book. There was something special about her. Strong and determined. I bet she bossed the other two eight-year-olds. But the way she kept glancing back at them, I also bet she took care of them.
Passing through the gate was like walking into a dream. The temperature was perfect, and the air smelled of sweet honey. A balloon of excitement and fear inflated inside me—I was thrilled for a new discovery, frightened of the unknown.
Emily came in after us, then Afton with the boys holding tight to her hands. Once we were through, the gate behind us shrank and disappeared into the vines.
Emily rotated, taking in our surroundings. “Is this for real?”
“It’s amazing,” Afton said.
Aetnae hovered in front of us. “Welcome to Tír na nóg.”
“Tir…what?” Dag asked, then hid behind Afton.
“It’s the name of the faery realm,” Aetnae said and zipped up the pathway. “This way.”
Knox rubbed his nose. “Will they have food?”
“Of course. They have to eat, too,” Peyton said, and then whispered, “I just hope it’s not bugs.”
I pressed my lips together to stop a laugh from escaping. There was a crack forming in the walls around Peyton.
We followed the pathway winding through cottages of varying sizes—large ones with curved doors, small ones like birdhouses hanging in the trees, and others built into their wide trunks. Beings of different sizes, some with wings, some without, looked out windows or stepped onto their porches. The tiniest we saw zipped in and out of the shrubbery. Their moth-like wings, hair made of twigs, and bodies resembling sticks helped them to blend into the woods.
“What are they?” Peyton asked, keeping up with me.
Aetnae buzzed around us. “They’re sprites. There are many different species of faeries in the Fey realm. Some can be tricky and others not so nice, but mostly all are friendly. So keep on your toes until we reach the castle.”
The pathway curved and trails branched off to unknown places until we came to the end. A magnificent city, crowded with extremely high buildings made of glass and copper, spread out across the land under a sky bluer than any blue I’d ever seen.
An expansive bridge constructed of twisted wood and vines arched over a large body of water that cut off one side of the city from the other. Riders in one-person aircrafts that looked like metal birds mingled with the many different faeries flying overhead.
In the distance, an enormous castle sat on the tallest hill. The sun dancing across the walls made them sparkle like crystals.
Aetnae landed on my shoulder and grasped my collar.
“I’m dreaming,” Afton said.
“If you are, then I am, too,” I said, stepping onto the bridge, my boot clacking over the tightly placed stone pavers.
Emily came up to my side. “Too bad I forgot my cell. I could’ve snapped some pics of this.”
Aetnae gave her a disapproving look, which, since she was so small, no one noticed but me. “Cell phones don’t work here. Our magic blocks human technology. It’s damaging to the environment. And we don’t have many humans visit the Fey realm. You all being here is a rarity.”
By the curious looks we were getting from the citizens of Tír na nóg, I’d bet many of them had never visited our world, either. The majority of the faeries on the bridge reminded me of Sinead. They had pointy ears and no wings like her. I wondered how she and the others were doing at our hideout in Ireland. I missed them. They’d become my family. My strength.
Such thoughts always led to Pop. How was he doing? Did he miss me as much as I did him? Even though I knew staying away ensured his safety, I wanted to run to him, to have him protect me as he had before all this otherworld shit hit the fan.
“Afton?”
“Yeah.” She glanced over at me.
“I didn’t have time to ask you. Have you seen Pop?” I held my breath, hoping he was okay, but knowing she’d have told me if he wasn’t.
“He’s good,” she said, guiding one of the boys over to the side to let a group of faeries pass. “Been hanging out with my parents at a Cape Cod rental, under my mom’s maiden name. No one can find them.”