Ever faced Mina. “Let’s use the seam ripper. I’ll go with you. I trust your instincts.”
Saying goodbye was difficult, but Mina knew her grandparents and Kino would watch over Charlie as they sailed toward the Bermuda Triangle.
None of them belonged here. She didn’t even know if she belonged here, but they would all find each other again on the other side.
Ever and Nix stood directly behind Mina as she pulled out the seam ripper and opened the gate between worlds. But something was wrong. The gate didn’t glow like it had before. It opened into a dark swirling vortex of wind, and sparks of lighting shot in and out of the gate.
“What’s happening?” Ever yelled as she held up her hands to deflect the flying debris stirred up by the gate.
“This is what I’ve been feeling,” Mina answered. “I think the gates are closing.” She stared at the gate with mixed emotions. For a few years, this had been all she wanted, to close the gates between the worlds and to stop the Fae from coming over. Now, if it closed behind them, it would trap the sirens and her brother in the human plane forever. And it would also mean she’d never see her friends again.
“But why are they closing?” Nix yelled as he held onto Ever’s shoulders to try and steady her.
Mina, unafraid of the wind and the vortex of darkness, walked toward it and listened. She let herself hear and feel what was coming through the gate. “There’s not enough magic to keep them open anymore.”
Mina took a step back before running toward the gate and jumping through. Coldness rushed through her body, followed by prickly pain. When she landed, she rolled through rough grass that scratched at her arms. Mina sat up and watched the gate close slowly. Come on, guys.
Ever and Nix came flying out at the last second.
The gate closed, and the wind stopped. They were left in utter silence.
Ever was the first one on her feet. Her mouth dropped open, and her hands flew to her mouth in horror. “Holy snickerdoodles on toast.”
Mina got up and looked at the Fae plane. The trees were brown and withered, the grass had dried up to a crusty brown, the river beds were dried, and fish lay dead in the mud.
Nix turned away and covered his eyes. As far as they could see, the magic and life in their world was fading away.
“What’s going on?” Ever cried out in despair.
Mina knew. She could feel it deep in her soul, and she answered. “The Fae plane is dying.”
“How can that be?” Ever whispered. “We only just left.”
“We have to get to the Fates and fast,” Mina answered. “They were last in the swamps.”
Nix looked around at their surroundings and ran up a small hill. He placed his hands on his hips and turned around to look at them. “I hate to tell you this, but I think we’re in the swamps. Or what’s left of them.”
Mina turned full circle and then ran up to where Nix stood. Sure enough, he was right. The valley lay in the distance, and she recognized the mountains, so that meant the Fates should be here. She turned and spotted the large willow tree. And she took off running.
It was easier to cover the distance when the swamp was dry as a bone. She kicked up dust as she leaped over dried shrubs. She slowed when she came to the withered and dead willow tree. She should have been stopped. A guard or Reaper or someone should have tried to stop her, but there was no one. She reached forward and gently pushed the withered hanging branches to the side. She stepped under the boughs.
Her breath caught. Captain Plaith kneeled in front of the bodies of the Fates, who were laid out along the ground. Dried flower petals had been scattered across their formal outfits. The Captain of the Guard turned to look at Mina, his eyes red-rimmed and his face pale and covered in a fine coat of dust.
“Captain Plaith, what happened?” Mina asked, staying as far away as she could from the grieving man.
“How dare you enter here!” He spun on his knee and pulled a weapon out of his robes to attack.
Mina held up her hand in panic, and his blow froze mid-air. All she wanted him to do was stop, and he had.
His eyes looked about wildly, his teeth gnashed, and spit came flew out of his mouth. “I know you! I remember you from the maze, but you look different. How are you doing this? With the death of the Fates, there shouldn’t be any magic left in our world.”
“Well, maybe it’s because I don’t come from your world,” she said coldly. “Now, I’m going to ask you again. What happened?”
“Poison,” he said. “An offering came from the gnomes, and it was poisoned.”
Mina closed her eyes and felt a pang of deep sorrow. It seemed that the all-powerful Fates were not immune after all. The whole family fell to poison. “What can we do?”
“There’s nothing to do but prepare for the end,” Captain Plaith answered. “The reason the Fates are so strong is because they are the conduits of all power that flows through our plane. That link has been broken. If Prince Teague were here, he could save us, but I fear he doesn’t care about his people anymore.”