-You are welcome, High Lord of Landover-
-You have found yourself and in doing so you have found us-
He struggled to speak, but found he could not. Faces crowded close, lean and sharp, their features somehow muddied in the twilight. They were the faces he had seen when he had crossed into Landover through the time passage. They were the faces of the fairies.
-Nothing is lost that we do not first see as lost, High Lord. Believe it saved, and it may be. Visions born of fear give birth to our failing. Visions born of hope give birth to our success-
-What is possible lives within us, and it only remains for us to discover it. Can you give life to the dreams that live within you. High Lord? Look into the mists and see-
Ben stared deep into the mists, then watched them swirl and part before him. A land of incredible beauty appeared, sunlight spreading out across it like a golden mantle. Life flourished in the land, and it was filled with boundless energy. There was excitement and promise beyond anything he would have believed possible. He felt himself cry out at the sight and feel of it.
Then slowly the vision faded and was gone. The voices whispered.
-Another time and place for such visions. High Lord. Another life. Bondings such as this must wait their birthings-
-You are a child among elders, High Lord, but you are a child who shows promise. You have seen the truth behind the lies that would deceive you and know it to be your own. You have earned the right to discover more-
Then show me, he wanted to shout! But he could not, and the voices whispered on.
-You have unmasked the fear that would have destroyed you. High Lord. You have shown great presence. But fear has many disguises and assumes many forms. You must learn to recognize them. You must remember what they truly are when next they come for you-
Ben’s throat worked soundlessly. He didn’t understand. What was the fairy’s meaning?
-You must go back now. High Lord. Landover needs your help. Her King must be there to serve her-
-But you may take with you that which you came to find-
Ben saw a bush materialize within the mist before him a bush of midnight-blue with silver leaves. He felt something pressed into the palm of each hand. He looked down and found that he was holding a pair of oblong pods. The voices whispered.
-Io Dust, High Lord. Inhale it, and you belong to the giver until released. A single breath is all it takes. But beware. The witch Nightshade seeks the dust for uses of her own and plans to share nothing of it with you. Once you have secured it for her, you will have no further value-
-Be quicker than she, High Lord. Be swift-
Ben nodded mutely, determination etched into the lines of his face.
-Go now. One day only has been lost to you — but that day must remain lost. To bring you back more quickly would cause you harm that could not be repaired. Understand. therefore, that things must necessarily be as you find them-
-Come back to us, High Lord, when the magic is found again-
-Come back to us when the need is there-
-Come… –
-… back-
Voices, faces, and slender forms faded into the mist and were gone. The mist drew back in a tight swirl and disappeared.
Ben Holiday blinked in disbelief. He stood once more in the twilight of the Deep Fell, a pod of Io Dust gripped tightly in each hand. He glanced about cautiously and found that he was alone. Fragments of his imagined encounters with Miles, Annie, and Questor Thews darted momentarily through his memory, cutting like tiny knives. He winced at the pain they caused and quickly brushed them away. They had never been real. They had been lies. His meeting with the fairies had been the only truth.
He lifted the pods of Io Dust and stared thoughtfully at them. He could not help himself. He began to smile like the Cheshire Cat. He had done the impossible. He had gone into the fairy world and, despite everything, he had come out again.