Short recap: Ferry's adjustment to his new world is not as easy as it he thought. The training is difficult (especially with Lord Stephan),  the people of Akna do not understand his appreciation for humans and the human world, and he finds himself in the middle of the rivalry between the Amalghams, his guardians, and the Solacers, the warrior elves.

Ferry tries to understand his new home, but doubts are coming over him when he hears a rumor that his Guardians might not be as honest as he thought and had something to do with his departure to the human world.

But with perseverance, Ferry makes new friends, he is getting better at handling weapons and earns the respect of the inhabitants of the Cloud Fortress. He even beats in fight Stot, the right hand of Leomh, but wounds the elf pretty badly. Ferry is particularly worried that Stot doesn't seem to heal very fast as the rest of the Solacers.

On top of that, his relationship with Oona is getting complicated. The red-haired fairy kisses him, but she bites his lip at the end of their first kiss. Now everyone in the Fortress knows what happened. And Ferry fears that his hasty gesture might have hurt some people. Especially Matilda...

And now, without further ado, let's get on to the next chapter!

***

There was no need for Oona to say anything about their kiss. Now, all the inhabitants of the Fortress glanced at him meaningfully just at the sight of his swollen lip. Even his training companions could hardly concentrate and not stare at his face. Only Raghnall kept his eyes on the ground, without saying a word, except for a short nod of the head.

"I'm an idiot," Ferry whispered to himself and his lip hurt again as a reminder of how foolish he had been.

But he was most surprised by Raghnall's reaction. The young elf greeted him briefly, yet he did not join him as usual but retreated somewhere to the edge of the cave and began to angrily hit a sandbag.

"See you later at the usual place?" Ferry asked him after training.

Raghnall avoided looking at him. "I can't... I'm busy..."

Ferry frowned. Ragh had never said no to him. And Ferry loved spending time with him. And he had to admit – training with him had made him more self-possessed and more confident and a better weapon handler. Thanks to him he had defeated Stot.

"Then maybe later?" tried Ferry.

The young elf hesitated. "I-- I have to stand guard at the east tower..."

Ferry knew that the Fortress was guarded against all four corners by towers that reached the skies where there was always a permanent guard.

Raghnall then nodded and withdrew, away from everyone's gaze.

The hour of rest found Ferry wandering the windy corridors of the castle towards its depths. He was surprised when he realized that he was shivering. It felt colder than usual, now that the Long Night was coming. Or maybe he was just shivering at the thought of seeing Matilda. He had to explain the kiss between him and Oona. She had to know that it wasn't what everyone thought - and probably she, too - that there was nothing between them.

He arrived at her door and it took him a few minutes to knock. He heard rustling on the other side of the door, a sign someone slowly stepped closer.

"Matt, it's me. Open the door. Please..."

The steps on the other side stopped. "Ferry, what are you doing here?" she whispered.

"I need to talk to you. Open up..."

"What do you want to talk about?" she said, and the words sounded even fainter, melting into the surrounding silence.

"I wanted to talk to you about... About–" Ferry sighed. "Please let me in..."

"I can't..." she said. Her voice was closer now and Ferry thought she was against the door, just like he was.

"Please, Matt, let me in. I have to explain to you about Oona..."

"You don't have to explain to me, Ferry," she said, her voice breaking a bit. He heard a long sob from the other side, filling the empty corridors with the sadness it meant. "You don't have to explain to anyone. It's your life. It's your choice..."

"But you don't understand... It's not what you think. If you would just let me in... I could--"

"It's okay, Ferry," she whispered. "Sometimes things don't go the way we plan or hope... Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, some things just aren't meant to be."

Ferry rested his head against the heavy oak door. The old, rough-hewn wood scratched his skin. But he didn't care. "No, it's fine with us. We can change the course of things, Matt. If this is what we really want..."

"It was foolish of me to think that—" she softly said, "to think that it could be something—". But she stopped.

Ferry leaned against the door. To know her there, so close and yet so far from him, was breaking his heart into thousands of pieces. "Please, Matt... Please, please..." he said in a low voice, almost a whisper.

He let himself slide along the door and it seemed to him that she was doing the same. "I'm sorry..." he whispered. He then sat down and rested his head on his hands and, without realizing how, he fell asleep.

He was awakened by a strong jolt. It was Rosemary.

"Ferry, wake up," she said quickly. "What are you doing here? You should be in your room. Do you realize what it means if someone finds you here? You are lucky this part of the castle is not so visited."

Ferry stood up quickly, dusting off his clothes from the fine powder that reigned everywhere in the lowest part of the castle.

Yet he stood there, by the door,  waiting for a sound, a movement, anything from the other side that would tell him she knew his torment. But it was all quiet.

Rosemary pulled him by the hand. "Hurry up, Ferry! It is not good to be seen here. What if Sage ran into you?"

Ferry didn't have time to ask what Sage was doing there at that hour because Rosemary pushed him up the stairs and out of the castle, away from the eyes of the keepers who were as active as ants. With his mind wandering in thousands of places, he went around the castle until he reached his window. He flew through the window without being seen, quickly put on his armor, and headed for the training grotto without going for breakfast.

At the grotto, Ferry was surprised to discover Thyme among the fighters training. There were more Amalghams than usual. Wrapped in his big cape, Thyme followed Ferry's every move with his beady black eyes. Under his gaze, his movements became clumsy. His opponent, one of the elves, tried to take advantage of this, but Ferry quickly recovered and countered his blow with a quick movement of his sword. From a few other quick movements, as if he were a gust of wind sneaking through the trees, he managed to disorient the elf-warrior and win the fight. The other fighters applauded him and Ferry felt a little better, thanking them with a nod. He glanced for Raghnall, but his friend avoided his gaze again, busily polishing his armor.

"You've learned a lot," came Thyme's voice behind him. Ferry had not realized how he had reached him so quickly.

"Thank you," he said, feeling his heart pounding in his chest with pride.

"But you still have a lot to learn," added Thyme without giving him time to enjoy the praise. "In a fight, you must not let anyone or anything distract you. It's your life and that of your comrades at stake for just a blink of carelessness."

It was the time of rest for the young fighters, so Ferry joined Thyme for a short walk.

"Have you seen Stot?" Ferry asked him. "He hasn't come to training for a while..."

"Don't worry about him," Thyme said coldly. "Being a soldier means not thinking too much about yourself, but putting the greater good above everything else. I'm sure he thinks the same and will be back soon."

For a while, they walked side by side, without saying a word. Ferry looked at him out of the corner of his eye. He was still thinking about the play he had seen in the village. How well did he know Thyme? How well did he know any of his friends? None had ever revealed themselves to him. Not entirely. And even if they seemed to care about him, help him, and take care of him, he felt that there was something more. Something they were hiding from him.

Thyme seemed to read his thoughts. "Is something bothering you, Ferry?"

Ferry took a deep breath. "When I was in the village... There was a group of street actors and a play... A song about that night... When I was brought into the human world."

Thyme didn't answer, and Ferry saw his jaw tighten.

"We're going to talk about that night, Garrett. But not here. Not now. I will leave soon. Another village needs our help. The enemy is getting stronger..."

Ferry felt his heart beat faster. In this world that he was trying to understand and to which he was trying to belong, there was something more significant, more worthy of acts of courage and sacrifice than him or his questions. People who fought every day to defend their lives. People who were dying...

The words came out of his mouth by themselves. "Take me with you."

Thyme stopped. He turned to him and studied him with his dark eyes. Then he shook his head in disagreement. "No." And he started back towards the grotto with a determined step.

Ferry hurried to catch up with him. "Please, Thyme. Think about it. I would be of help to you. I'm good at fighting now. I could--"

But Thyme stopped him with a sudden gesture of his hand. "Do you think the enemy can be defeated just because you are better at fighting?" he said between his teeth. "You don't have the slightest idea what we find there. People, hidden in caves. Poisoned fountains. Sunken places. Children killed in their homes where they should grow up healthy and safe!" Then he continued walking with the same determined pace.

But Ferry didn't give up. He tried to keep up with him. "That's exactly why you need me, Thyme. I'm ready... I could help you. I could use my powers–-"

"No."

"My powers are growing. I can feel it. What's the point of having them if I can't use them?"

Thyme stopped and looked at him again. His eyes glared daggers. "Do you think having powers is enough, Garrett? Do you think your powers should be used to destroy? To kill? What if you die?" he shouted.

He then took a deep breath. "If you die, I would never forgive myself," he said, his voice trembling. "If you die, our hope dies with you."

Then he walked away from him without looking back.

***

Lying on his firm bed, Ferry was thinking about everything that had happened lately. He didn't feel like seeing his horse anymore. He didn't go  to supper. He had taken a shiny green apple from an overturned cart near a wall of the castle's kitchen and had quickly retreated to his room for fear that Oona would see him.

He heard a light knock on the door.  It was Ragnall. It seemed to him that he had not spoken to him for an eternity.

"Ragh, you came," he said, smiling. "Come in!"

But Ragh greeted him briefly and remained in the doorway. "Prince Garrett, I have come to deliver you a message from Lord Stephan. He requests your presence in his chambers after the announcement of the rest hour. He also asks you not to tell anyone about the meeting and to get to the upper wing of the castle as discreetly as possible."

Ferry's enthusiasm died. "Ragh, why are you talking to me so formally?  I am Ferry for you."

The young elf looked down. "It is not proper for a lowly soldier to address the future king by name," he said in an low voice.

"But Ragh, you're not just a soldier. I was waiting for you to train together. I thought we were friends..."

Raghnall took a step back. "It was a mistake on my part. Forgive me," he added, then retreated. Ferry remained in the doorway looking after his friend until she disappeared into the dark corridors.

***

When the noises and the fuss ceassed in the castle, Ferry started for Lord Stephan's cloud chambers. It was difficult for him to fly when the winds above raged, coiling on his body like cold gusts of air. He didn't know what to expect from this meeting and that made him even more agitated. But he hoped at least to find some answers to the questions that troubled him.

Ferry knocked on the huge doors and they opened by themselves with a long wail that the wind from the corridors caught, carrying it further.

They were all there, standing around the oval stone table that dominated the entire room: his guards led by Thyme, Lord Stephan, and Leomh. Stot was missing, again.

"Prince Garrett, welcome," Lord Stephan greeted him. "Take a seat, please," he added, pointing to the end of the table, opposite to his seat. Ferry sat down and everyone else did the same, except Lord Stephan.

"You are probably wondering the reason for this meeting at this late hour," Lord Stephan said in a more thunderous voice than usual. "Well, you must know that such meetings take place quite frequently. And now it's time for you to join us. Because the times are changing. The Long Night is coming. And the enemy is more powerful and consumes our lands and people one by one until there will be too few of our great race left and those who will remain will become the enemy's slaves. The Hollowers are a dangerous people. And the fact that their world is dying makes them even more dangerous. When Akna is completely oppressed, they will look for other and other worlds to invade," his voice thundered and the torches in the huge room flickered.

"That's why we need to make plans for the assault on the Glass Palace when the Long Night comes," he added, unfolding a long scroll of parchment  where maps, lines, and circles, along with various symbols that Ferry did not understand were drawn.

"We should divide our army into five," suggested Thyme, "surround the palace from all sides, and let the fifth attack from above."

"Unfortunately, the attack from above will not be possible," Pan's voice thundered. "The Valkies refused our proposal. Their help would have been invaluable. Think of an army of hundreds of winged fighters that no lightning could stop. "

Ferry remembered the winged women Thyme had met in the village they had all visited and wondered if that meeting had actually been the real reason for the visit.

"That's because they didn't believe me," answered Thyme calmly. "It is very difficult to prove that Akna is under enemy attack when the enemy is practically invisible."

"But aren't the inhabitants of the villages that are besieged a proof?" asked Leomh who was seated at the far end of the table, to Lord Stephan's left.

"Unfortunately, the enemy leaves nothing behind. They kill everything. Even the children," said Thyme and his voice no longer sounded so sure.

"But where is this enemy?" Ferry asked and all heads turned to him. "How does it look? How does he behave? How are we supposed to fight him if nobody knows anything about them?"

"Do you doubt the existence of the enemy, Prince Garrett?" Lord Stephan asked and his eyes flashed. "You didn't see him, but we did. It is more deceptive than a shadow. Fierce than a storm. Stronger than a rock. And that's because their sun is getting ready to set forever... They are desperate. And they need a new home. And our world will slowly become their new home. From what we found out from our spies, the Glass Palace is entirely theirs."

"But what if – What if we are fighting the wrong enemy?" said Ferry and for a moment, only the wind could be heard whistling in the great hall.

The pan approached him and the sound of his hooves seemed like a jerky pendulum announcing an important moment. He studied him from head to toe.

"What makes you say that, Prince Garrett?"

Ferry looked him straight in the eye without being intimidated. "What if there is a bigger threat and not from the Hollowers?"

"What kind of threat?"

"At home... I mean in the world of people, in Goodharts... There is this man, Albert Pride, who has been building his own world for decades. Who promises his followers something that no man can resist. He is the real enemy."

The Pan frowned. "And what is that thing?"

"Eternal youth. No illness. Which means eternal life."

Pan scoffed. "Prince Garrett, are you going to discuss that man again?"

"That man is dangerous. He made a whole town obey him. He destroyed any man who opposed him. He killed fairies for their blood. That man is evil incarnate. I saw him. I saw what he can do," Ferry raised his voice. "Come on, Parsley, you saw him too. He doesn't give up on anything. He doesn't shy away from killing his own blood to get what he wants."

Parsley nodded silently.

"And what does he want?" asked Pan.

"The Moon's Tear," said Ferry.

This time, Ferry could read a shadow of concern in the Lord's tarry eyes. But the shadow quickly melted away.

"Prince Garrett, this is neither the place nor the time to talk about that man. He's only a human."

But Ferry shook his head. "He is not just a man. He is a man with fairy blood running through his veins. Which makes it thousand times more dangerous. You have to believe me," he added, looking at each one. "I remember how once, at the Pride Mansion, I hid in that room where he kept all his trophies from the fairy world. I wasn't just hiding. I was unseen. And he was checking his stock of fairy blood. I couldn't stay in that place for too long. I felt the need to leave as soon as possible. I ran because— I couldn't see that blood and know that that blood had once flowed through the veins of fairies... Then the strangest thing happened. Albert Pride laughed..."

"He laughed?" wondered Lord Stephan.

"It wasn't just a laugh," Ferry said, a shiver running through his body at the memory of that moment. He laughed as if he knew I was there."

"He couldn't possibly have known..." said Lord Stephan. "Humans don't feel fairies," he said, his mouth twisting in disdain like every time he talked about humans. "I'm sure it was only in your mind. You were just a lost boy among strangers, alone and scared..."

"No, I wasn't!" cried Ferry. "I wasn't scared. And I was not alone or among strangers. I was never alone in that world!" he said barely breathing. "I had my friends. And Matt who was talking to me then and who cared about me - And I had my mother..." he said and his voice btoke. He swallowed the lump in his throat. "So don't tell me that man isn't a danger to that world or this," he said, clenching his fists.

"Enough of this nonsense!" cried the Pan, pounding his fist on the stone table. "When will you understand that this is your home?" his voice thundered.

"If this is my home, then why am I not allowed to know it as it is? Why can't I protect it?"

"What do you mean?" asked Pan.

"Thyme leaves again to defend a village threatened by the enemy. Why don't I go with him?"

Thyme jumped like burnt. "No! You're not coming! I thought I had that clear," he shouted, glaring at him.

"But Thyme—"

"I said no! On all the moons, how can you be so stubborn?"

"You can't tell me what to do!" cried Ferry. "I am your master!"

"I do not care!" cried Thyme. "I won't let you come!"

"I agree with Thyme," Sage chimed in. "I think it would make it harder for us. We wouldn't have time to babysit."

Lord Stephan returned to his seat and sat down. He studied them all for a moment, without saying a word. Under his penetrating gaze, Parsley and Rosemary, seated next to each other, looked down at the ground. Instead, Sage looked him straight in the eye, while Thyme was too busy reprimanding Ferry with his looks.

"Let him come," the Lord finally said.

Thyme took a deep breath and turned to him. "With all due respect, my lord, he cannot come. He's not ready yet."

"Then prepare him."

"But my lord, there is not enough time to prepare him."

"I think that Prince Garrett has evolved a lot lately. I think you should prepare him for what he doesn't master very well. Oh, and he can take his friends with him. I think they would be fine."

"Friends?" Thyme wondered.

"His human friend, if she wants to come... I heard that she is very skilled at handling weapons. Surprisingly for a human girl..." he muttered.

"People can be surprising," Sage interfered. "They always try harder. They are ambitious and don't give up easily."

"Unfortunately, their ambitions, as you call it, are as great as their greed."

"And which of their nature are in us?" Sage asked without seeming flustered.

Pan frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"We are part fairy, part fairy dust, and part human, right? What if our human side makes us want more? Do more? Would I be here if my human side hadn't urged me to be more than I was destined to be when I was created? What about Parsley? Would he have been worthy of the mission to protect Prince Garrett if he had remained a simple gardener? Or Rosemary a simple herb picker?"

Pan's chin clenched. "I'm tired of hearing about humans and their virtues! The enemy is approaching and here we are, discussing people!" he shouted.

He then turned to the parchment in front of him. "So, for our fight to be victorious, we need more allies. The army of Solacers and Amalghams that I have gathered and prepared in the Fortress for so long is not enough. The enemy's army is continuously growing because Hollowers are constantly coming to our world. And besides that, let's not forget the army of nihils, those hideous creatures created from nothing that only know how to destroy and kill. Nihils only die by iron. But since we can't handle iron, that makes them practically immortal. And this is the greatest weapon of the enemy -- an invincible army. And when they decide to take control of this place, they will do it completely because we have no chance in front of them."

"If we don't stand a chance against them, what's the point of attacking the Glass Palace?" asked Leomh, the Second Commander who until then had not uttered a word, studying the battle plans in front of him.

"We have a chance if we lure them into an area surrounded by iron."

"How are we going to do that?" Sage asked.

The Pan stopped. It was clear that he had something on his mind, but he didn't want to share it. Not yet.

"We will determine this at the next meeting. Until then, train hard! Allof you. Harder than usual. The Hollowers are fearless soldiers. And their desperation grows which makes them even more determined. But remember: everything we discuss here will remain a secret. And prepare for the next village," he said, starting to fold the scroll.

They all stood up, with their minds on the challenge that awaited them.

"Oh, and take the fairy from Tenalach with you!" added Lord Stephan before they exited through the heavy doors.

"Oona?" Thyme wondered.

"Of course," answered Lord Stephan. "She is the only one who saw their world. She's our spy."

***

After the secret meeting, they all retired to their rooms. Ferry was heading towards the wing where his room was when the wind brought whispers to his ears. He was sneaking past the castle walls following the whispers that were melting in the ever-fading light of the star. Then the whispers led him to the clearing beyond the castle.

In the shade of the old sycamores, with their gnarled arms, Ferry found Leomh talking to Stot.  In the pale light of the star, he seemed weaker and more fragile.

"Is the secret meeting over?" he asked the moment he saw Leomh.

"Not so secret," Leomh muttered. "Almost everyone was there, the whole bunch."

"What did you talk about?"

"About humans, go figure!"

"About humans?"

"Yes, it wasn't enough that we had the Prince as their fierce defender. Now there's also Sage," Leomh said and his mouth twisted in disdain. "And I'm pretty sure the other royal guards think the same."

Stot frowned. "They lived so long among humans... Maybe not all humans are really that bad..." he said.

"Not that bad?" snorted Leomh. "They are greedy, selfish, cheaters and schemers. There is nothing noble, nothing dignified about them!" he spat the words. "They are just opportunists who betray you at the first ocasion to achieve their small, petty goals."

Stot didn't say anything and hit a thick root with the cane he was leaning on.

"What's wrong with your leg?" Leomh asked a little irritated. "Why is it taking so long to heal?"

"I suspect that the cut was deeper than I thought. But don't worry, I'll be back soon."

"I'm not worried," Leomh said perhaps a little too loudly and too quickly. "It's just that the others are starting to get suspicious."

 Stot frowned, but then changed the subject. "And what did you discuss at this secret meeting in the end? I doubt old Pan brought you all together to discuss humans."

"Of course not. We discussed the plan of attack for the Long Night. Only that the Amalghams have a problem–nihils. They unstoppable."

"But not to humans..." said Stot, lost in thought.

"No human or Amalgham would know how to defeat the enemy. Solacers are the most worthy, gifted, and best weapon wielders," Leomh reinforced his words.

"Prince Garrett would say otherwise. His loyalty to the Amalghams is unfathomable."

"That's because their ideas were put into his head from the beginning," Leomh said between his teeth.

"Their ideas?" Stot wondered. "You mean facts?"

"Facts?" scoffed Leomh. "Nobody knows what happened that night except them. What if what is heard in the kingdom is true? What if they twisted the truth to get what they've always wanted?"

"And what is that?"

"To rule this world."

For a few moments, there is silence over the creek. A gust of wind made Leomh startle.

"I have to go. You'd better get well and go back to training. There will be more, now that the Prince is leaving to save the world with his banch of beasts to that village forgotten by the world."

"Is he? Is it wise to leave at this time?"

"Oh, I doubt they'll let him do anything. He's just a petulant child who has no merit for the role and position he's holding," Leomh said in disgust.

"Yes, but he can learn to be worthy of his name. I have to admit he's starting to wield the sword pretty well," said Stot, pointing to his wounded leg.

"It was just carelessness on your part," Leomh said giving him a fierce look. "Take care to get better as soon as possible. Solacers cannot lose the advantage of being perfect fighters against the Amalghams. Are you coming?" he asked Stot, getting up from the overturned trunk he was sitting on.

"I think I'll stay here a little longer," he said.

"As you wish," said Leomh, and disappeared into the shadows, taking care to avoid the pale starlight that poured around the grove and the castle.

Ferry did not follow him. He remained in the shade of the old tree, watching Stot's movements. The elf seemed lost in thought. After a while, he stood up, leaning on his cane. He tried to hurry, but the wound on his leg prevented him. His cape got caught in a bush of wild roses, and Stot stumbled and fell on his wounded leg.

He struggled to his feet, panting. He sat down on an overturned trunk and examined his leg. When he unfolded the last strip of the bandage, Ferry gasped. Under the cold light, a red strand sparkled, draining down the leg.

Well, it's been so long... I'm so anxious (and a bit nervous) to know what you think of this chapter. We are getting closer to the action in this book, and I can't wait. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter.

As always, love lots!