Chapter 29

A valynn and Stormshroud followed Lady Sonia back to the room where she had awoken. She sat on the bed and folded then refolded her hands on her lap. Her gaze roamed the plain stone walls.

"Is this Mateo's room?" She knew the answer because she sensed him here. Notes of spicy vanilla mixed with sandalwood drifted amidst the earthy aroma, but she asked anyway.

"It is."

Mateo slept here, dreamed here. He hoped and prayed here. He probably also plotted and planned how he'd win the Summit Range Hunt here. Stormshroud's strong body pressing against her leg pulled her away from those thoughts and back to Lady Sonia. "So, how is this going to work?"

Retaking the stool, Lady Sonia explained. "It will work with your unique human witch powers combined with your fae strength. All you need to do is focus your energy, your blue light, on your parents, Gabriela and Leaf. You do not know them, but your heart and soul do. "

"Um, what?" Avalynn shook her head. "I have no idea what that even means, let alone how to do it."

"Trust me, Avalynn. And trust yourself." Lady Sonia placed her hand on tops of hers. The gentle touch stilled her trembling. Was this part of Lady Sonia's magic? "Your gifts will never let you down."

"Okay." Avalynn blew out a breath. "I will try."

"Very well." Lady Sonia released her hands and sat back. "Close your eyes and repeat the names of your mother and father in your head. Gabriela and Leaf. Focus on feelings of family and love."

Family and love—concepts she didn't understand, but desperately longed for. She closed her eyes. Gabriela and Leaf . The ones who gave her life. They loved her so much and did everything to protect her. A tingle spread across the top of her head. Gabriela and Leaf. She had brown hair with a white streak like her mother and a tall and slender fae build like her father. The tingle coursed down her body in soft waves. Gabriela and Leaf. They were in the Passing Place, taken there by the Enbarr. Possibly her father's. Her name was Silverhoof and after all this time she had watched over her.

A swirl churned in her stomach. Go there , she commanded the mysterious sensation that tickled all over like sunshine. Go to them.

Weightlessness claimed her. Her body dropped, and her stomach tumbled. She soared through darkness until she crashed face-first on a soft surface. She opened her eyes. A lavender-filled meadow hazed over with soft sunlight spread out all around her. She spit out bits of grass and flowers as she propped herself up on her elbows.

Was this it? The Passing Place? She climbed to her feet and dusted herself off. A creaking sound met her ears. She turned to see an Enbarr pulling a wagon. Not her magical beast, but another. Inside lay two bodies dressed in all white. The horse's lavender eyes roamed to hers before shifting back to its path toward the bright horizon.

So, it was the Passing Place. She had made it. But where were her mother and father? She meandered about the meadow until she saw a hedge with tall trees beyond. Picking up the hem of her skirt, she crossed over the thick brush. There, under the canopy of an apple tree, sat a petite maiden with long white-streaked brown hair and a tall fae with long dark hair and piercing blue eyes. The same color as hers. Their attention snapped her way.

In a stunned wave, Avalynn raised her hand slowly. "Hello."

The maiden's hands clutched the fae's leg. "Sun, Moon, and Stars."

They rose to their feet, hand in hand, and approached her. The maiden smiled, and her eyes glistened like shaking stars. " Mija ," she uttered. "It's you. My girl and my love." She touched Avalynn's face. Starting at her forehead, her fingertips moved down to her eyes, cheeks, and then her chin. "You are finally here."

"She looks like you," her father said, beaming with pride. "The hair and the features."

"But tall like you, my love," her mother added. Then she chuckled. "I always wanted to be tall."

A laugh came from Avalynn, and soon the three of them were hugging each other so tight Avalynn could hardly breathe. For the first time in her life, she sensed love, care, safety, and protection. It filled her heart and soul like an overflowing cup of blessings and happiness. She had her family. She didn't want to ever leave this circle and longed to stay with them forever in this place, but she had a mission. Mateo. Despite what she had done, he was to her what her father was to her mother. She would one day join her parents in the Passing Place to stay. But today was not that day. Until then, she must return and rescue the one who filled her heart.

It was Leaf, her real father, who pulled back first. His chiseled and handsome face took on a serious expression. "Are you alive?"

"I am. Lady Sonia helped me come here."

He glanced at Gabriela, her real mother, with concern before focusing on her again. "Then Faevenly needs you and your power."

Avalynn nodded. "It does." There was so much she wanted to say, but she had no idea how long she had. She needed to be quick. "The Stromms rule all of Faevenly, and they want to banish the Sublands forever."

Leaf and Gabriela glanced at each other. "The realm needs peace, once and for all," Leaf said.

"Is it even possible?" Avalynn asked. "After all this time of so much hatred and maneuvering and fighting, can it ever be?"

Her mother took her hand. "Your grandmother, Princess Celyse, says it is. We must take you to her."

Avalynn could not explain touch in this place, but it didn't matter. She was grateful for the connection. The three linked hands. They walked through the trees until they reached a babbling brook. They followed the stream until it opened into a crystal-clear lake. Purple reeds and wheat-styled long grasses swayed along the lake's edge. Along the still surface, geese and swans bathed and preened. Avalynn smelled wild mint and sweet clover.

"Wow," she breathed. "Faevenly is beautiful. But this, this is something else entirely. "

"It is, my love." Her mother squeezed her hand. "But this is as far as your father and I can go. Your grandmother, Celyse, is in the water not much further ahead, at the shallow end. She will give you what you need and tell you what you need to know."

There was a tale there, how her grandmother ended up in the lake, but now was not the time for that.

Her mother and father wrapped her in their arms. They held her for something that seemed like an eternity, but was really only seconds. "You are so strong, my beautiful girl," her father said. "Do not forget that."

Gabriela stepped back. She kissed each cheek and then touched the cross around Avalynn's neck. "Faith is a warrior."

"It is," she whispered.

She left her parents and continued along the edge of the water. A soft breeze whisked about her, sifting through her long brown and white strands. She wasn't quite sure how the waters worked but thought she should take off her slippers. Kicking them aside, she edged her toes into the water, finding the lake to have the perfect cool temperature. She walked in until the water covered her ankles. A few more paces in, a glint and a gleam beneath the water's surface caught her eye. She edged closer. A beautiful woman under the glassy surface, with silver strands and a blue dress, came into view. She appeared ethereal and magical, and she held a sword in her hands.

Avalynn gasped. Of all the magical things she had seen, this outshone all the others. "Celyse. My grandmother."

The woman opened her green eyes and gazed at her with timeless affection. "I am her. Princess Celyse of House Strong. Betrothed to Julio Avila, a powerful witch from the human realm. Mother to Princess Gabriela. Grandmother to you, Princess Avalynn." She opened and closed her eyes. "I knew your name before it was ever spoken, and I have been waiting for this moment for the fortnight's eternity."

Avalynn neared, not knowing what to say or do. "I am so honored to meet you."

She smiled and tipped her head. With her brows slightly lifted, she said, "Beautiful Avalynn, Only One. It is you who will unite the human and fae bloodlines once and for all. As the last remaining heir of House Strong, and with your innate human witch abilities, you walk both realms. It is upon you to step into your destiny. You shall not turn away from this sacred duty."

She extended the sword. It broke through the water with a slice, sending droplets of water dripping from it like a cascade of a thousand diamonds. Blue etchings that lined the black onyx blade glinted under the bright sun. The hue snaked its way up into the guard and gathered at the blue-gemmed pommel.

Avalynn's hands shook, and she gaped. The power from the blade coursed through the air like a magical current, every hair on her body standing on edge. She reached out. She slipped her hand around the grip and held on as a blast of blue exploded around her, covering her sight like a charged fog.

With a gasp, she opened her eyes. Her body was back in Mateo's bedchamber, lying on the bed. Her hands gripped the sword's hilt that rested on her chest. She gulped and looked into Lady Sonia's anxious eyes. "I…did it."

Lady Sonia smiled back. "You did."

She and Lady Sonia returned to the room where Manny, Floriana, and Camilla were waiting. Their eyes widened when they saw the black and blue sword.

"The Only One," Floriana whispered .

The sword felt natural in Avalynn's hand, as if it had been with her, its true owner, her whole life. Her spirit and this sword said she was invincible. She moved it from one hand to the other. She would not turn from her duty. She would fulfill her destiny and unite the two realms.

The love of her life awaited death in a dungeon. She was the Only One and would not be stopped.

"Let's go get Mateo."