I struggled to my feet and took a few steps towards the waiting wolf. I could no longer hear the sounds of the soldiers or the villagers, and I thought the spirits would alert me to their presence. Fynn continued to sleep, and I hated to wake him. He had undergone enough torment and deserved what rest he could get. The wolf waited patient for me, a gray shadow with luminescent eyes.
“Please,” I begged of the spirits, a final favour, “keep Fynn safe.”
I heard them acknowledge my request and I followed the wolf deeper into the forest. As we walked, the trees began to grow closer together, their thick trunks and wide leaves blocking almost all the sunlight. It was like I was walking through a cave, further into the darkness. I followed the sounds of the wolf more than the sight of him, my stomach fluttering with anxiety. I could no longer sense the presence of the spirits, as if they did not dare enter this dark sanctuary. Finally, when the shadows became as thick as night and I could not see my own hand in front of my face, there was a flicker of white light. Blinking against the sudden glow, I advanced. The wolf had vanished, I don’t know where, but I found I wasn’t worried about him. The light called to me, beckoning me closer and it expanded as I approached. Suddenly it erupted, and I had to hide my eyes from the intensity of the sudden shower of light. When I felt it safe to look again, my jaw dropped in surprise.
A figure floated in front of me, completely surrounded by a white radiance. The whiteness drifted around it, as if it were in water, flowing above and beside it like sunbeams. The figure had no gender that I could discern, but I was filled with a comfortable feeling of happiness and contentment, so I stood unmoving before it. A face materialized from within the brightness, and I was shocked to see that it mirrored my own face. The look-alike smiled at me gently.
“Welcome, Leila Sinclair,” the figure said in a melodious voice.
I blinked. “Are you the Faerie Queen?”
She laughed lightly. “No, I am not. Are you disappointed?”
“A little,” I replied truthfully. I found I could not lie to this figure. “I was hoping to find the Queen and help Fynn.”
“Aefynnelldar,” the figure said, using his full name. “Yes. The Faerie Queen will be able to help him. Do not worry, Leila. He has time still.”
I felt as if a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I took a deep breath and relaxed. My head was spinning from exhaustion after summoning all those spirits to help me escape, and I found that all I wanted to do was sleep. The figure seemed to read my mind.
“Gentle Leila,” she said soothingly. “How great a burden I have placed on you. Aefynnelldar will guide and protect you, and the spirits will help you in their own way. Be careful what you ask of them. They are eager and childish, and will misunderstand your requests.”
I nodded dumbly, barely able to keep my eyes open. The figure seemed to notice and drifted close to me, until I was nose to nose with my own face. Softly, she kissed me on the cheek and I felt my weariness melt away while the mark on my hand began to itch.
“Who are you?” I felt myself asking.
“In time, Leila,” the figure replied, slowly floating away. I saw the wolf had reappeared to guide me home. “In time. I have faith in you.”
She vanished and I found myself standing once more in the forest clearing, the trees all around me. There was no trace of the darkness where I had met the mysterious figure, only a glimmer of light in the corner of my vision and the sensation of her lips on my cheek where she had kissed me. I looked at the wolf, who was already starting to walk away, and for the first time since I had arrived in this strange land, I felt things were going my way. I followed the wolf back to Fynn when I suddenly got the feeling that I was being watched.
“Little sheep,” I heard a familiar voice call. “Don’t move.”
I stopped. The wolf growled and pressed himself against my leg protectively. From the forest came a dozen Huryl soldiers, some with crossbows pointed at us. Roric was standing in front of me, holding his axe ready.
“Leila,” Roric said in a pained voice. “Come with us. There is no escape.”
I froze, my heart in my throat. I kept one hand on the wolf, trying to keep him from doing anything foolish to the twelve armed men. Had they found Fynn, lying asleep in the forest? If I ran, would they do something to him?