The next day, Ferry was late for school. He had stood awake all night, staring at the sky through the gauzy ceiling in his room. He wasn't even looking at the sky. He just stared, trying to think of something, anything that would bring him a little peace. But his thoughts kept coming back to the past night and the confrontation with Sage. His words kept ringing in his mind, and he was certain they would stay in his mind forever. He couldn't tell anyone. And what worried him the most was he could do nothing to change that.

He had to keep Sage's secret, otherwise, he was afraid he might never see Matilda. Or worse, she'll never remember him. Sage had told him about the glorious lands of the fairies, other than those in Akna. He knew about the land of Eternal Youth. And he also knew about the Valley of Oblivion. Thyme had flown with Danny over when they returned from Tenalach; Danny had remembered nothing about their fairyland adventure ever since.

What if Sage was preparing the same for Matilda? What was worse—that she would remember how much he had made her suffer for the rest of her life? Or not remember him at all? The mere thought made his heart aching.

If only he could have seen it coming. What Matilda felt for him. What Sage felt for Matilda. If he could have opened his eyes. But what did that even mean? And why was everyone telling him that?

He decided it was time to do it, to see what's around him. To open his eyes. When he did, he saw Rosemary giving Parsley a cup of tea and his hand resting a moment too long on her hand. He saw Lavender looking at the tomb at the top of the hill. He discovered Thyme's training ground that he hadn't visited since his Guardian left. Where was Thyme now? How he had completely forgotten about his friend?

At school, he saw the emptiness in Andrew's eyes and the sadness in Billy's. He saw the spark in Ben and Celia's eyes every time they passed each other. He also saw the storm in Steph's eyes at their sight, though Ben and Celia behaved like two strangers when there were people around. He saw the light in May's eyes every time they met during the break. He also saw the curtain moving on the school's floor every time May was around.

At the Pride mansion, he saw a foreign car parked in front. Four women descended from it, groping the road with white sticks. They were the blind ladies cleaning the last room on the third floor, a sign that the guest's visit was approaching.

During the five o'clock break, Ferry hurried to meet his mother. They both sat on a secluded bench, under a shady mulberry tree, enjoying the warm weather, without saying anything. His mother read his sadness.

"Ferry, sweetheart, what is it? You didn't even touch your sandwich."

Ferry tried to find an excuse, but he felt a lump in his throat. He could never lie to her. She knew him better than anyone, even than himself. His mother wrapped her arms around him, and he rested his head on her shoulder, as her hands caressed his forehead and hair.

"What's in your heart, darling?" she asked softly.

"My heart's a mess, Mum," he said with a sigh. "Such a mess..." He wished he could tell her. Her, of all people. He wanted to tell her he wasn't from this world. That he was a freak that people feared, haunted, and chased for centuries. He was sure she would have understood. That she wouldn't have seen him with different eyes. And she wouldn't have feared him. But he had to keep the secret. He was so tired of keeping the secret.

"Shhh," she said, rocking him, as she did when he was a small boy. "Whatever it is, this too shall pass. They all do..."

"I don't know what to do with my life, Mum. I don't know what I want. I don't even know who I am anymore."

"You are my son," she softly said. "Always remember this. You will always be my son, no matter what. If you keep telling yourself this, you'll never feel lost ..."

In the evening, after dinner, Ferry didn't go to see Matilda. The fact that Sage knew he was up in the tree, watching, changed everything. Instead, he walked beyond the trees with bent branches that sheltered the training ground where Thyme taught him (or at least tried to) how to wield weapons for when he was to face his enemy.

He saw the punching bag still hanging from a sturdy branch, swaying in the soft wind. A bow with wooden arrows rested against the trunk of the tree; and the spears he had trained with so many times with Thyme. A few trees away, there was the target that Thyme rarely missed. Ferry picked up the spear he hadn't touched in a while. He studied it as if it was the first time he saw it. It had been masterfully carved by Thyme; he noticed the strange symbols Thyme had embedded in the shock wood. He stared at the target and suddenly felt the need to throw the spear at it; it stuck somewhere at its edge. Ferry pulled it off and threw it again. The spear missed the center again. Then he tried again. And again. And the spear finally hit the center of the target. Then he hit it again. And again. And of all the attempts that followed, he didn't miss one. Ferry smiled, trying to catch his breath. He made it all by himself. Well, maybe imagining Sage's face instead of the target helped a little.

Ferry sat down on a log to rest. He saw Parsley stepping closer. The lizard-man smiled when he saw the spear stuck in the middle of the target.

"So you did it," he said.

Ferry nodded.

"But what do you think led to this?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I watched you earlier," Parsley added. "It wasn't the workouts that made you succeed. It was your anger. You channeled it properly, this time."

"What does it matter when you reach your goal?" Ferry asked.

His Guardian shook his head, "Anger is not good for you, Garrett. It can help, it's true. But sometimes, it can make you see things in the fog. And then you can fail. What makes you so angry?"

"You should be happy," he said, feeling his jaw clenching. "Isn't that what you wanted from me? To be ready to go to Akna anytime? I guess that time is coming. You should all be happy. Isn't that what everyone wants? To leave this world and become what I am meant to be? To fulfill my destiny?" he asked, feeling his body beginning to shiver.

Parsley sighed, "What about you, Garrett? What do you want?"

Ferry looked at the spear. "What does it matter? Nobody cares what I want or how I feel, anyway."

Parsley turned sad, "You're wrong. If you don't do it with an open heart, if you don't do it because you want to, and not because you have to, then it's useless. The Moon's Tear will not be shown to one who does not believe in its power. And if the Moon's Tear is not awakened, neither the Spear of Justice will do justice."

Ferry rose from his seat, "Do you know what I really want, Parsley?" he snapped. "I wish those around me would stop talking to me in riddles. I'd like them not to hide things from me or give me half the truth. And what about the Moon's Tear? What's its story?" he said, feeling a vein tighten on his temple. "What has this got to do with the Justice Spear I'm carrying? And where is it now?" he shouted.

Parsley came closer and looked at him with his remaining eye. "Sit down, Garrett. I'm going to tell you a story."

Ferry sat down on the log again. Outside, the shadows had already removed the last remains of the day. The lanterns in the trees sent their faint, flickering light to them, making everything around seem as if coming from another world — the world Parsley was detached from the story and bringing it closer.

"The Moon's Tear was found in long-forgotten times in Akna by a Great Fairy, a great warrior, an ancestor of yours. It is said that a drop of moonlight fell on the top of a spear during a great war. You see, even the fairies fought wars; they died to defend what they believed in. And at that moment, that spear became Olarf, the Spear of Justice. And with the help of it, they won the war and brought peace to Akna.

"But then, they discovered that the power of the Moon's Tear was far greater. And the stronger it became, the harder it was to control. You see, this stone didn't just wake up when it was time for justice. This stone could heal, warm sunless lands with its light, and even give life if in the hands of the right people. But if it fell on the wrong hands, it would give power to the one who had it. Unlimited power. The one who ruled could become omnipotent, able to conquer worlds only with its power. That's why the Great Fairies decided that it should be taken far away, in a world where no one would know its power and see it only as a simple blue stone, not even a shining one. And then they decided to take it to--"

"In the world of humans..." Ferry said softly.

Parsley nodded.

"But how did it get lost?" the boy asked.

"Well, that's a mystery we haven't solved yet," Parsley said. "We do not know how it came into May's grandmother's possession, and how she knew it existed over fifty years ago. And how she knew it would get to you. But somehow, the Moon's Tear found you. And that's all that matters."

"Where is it now?" Ferry asked after a while.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you. There are only three beings who have sworn to keep the secret at the cost of their lives. When the time of justice shall come again, the Moon's Tear will return to you again."

"Why me?" Ferry asked softly.

"Because when the Spear of Justice is a whole again, completed in all five worlds, the stone will gain unimaginable powers. With its help, you will be able to bring peace not only over Akna, but over the Four Realms of the fairies. Or to give life ..."

"Amalghams," Ferry whispered, feeling his worries creep into his heart again. There were so many who depended on him.

Parsley agreed, "Our species is dying, Ferry. As we cannot give birth to offspring, our tribe will be extinct. And Akna will not only lose healers or skilled workers around the house. It will lose leaders and great warriors, those who defend peace," Parsley said, and his voice trembled. 

"That's what so much depends on you. That's what we all depend on you for ..." said Parsley slowly tapping his shoulder before leaving.

Ferry remained in Lavender's garden long after Parsley retreated. Suddenly, his future seemed even more complicated. As if it wasn't already.

*

"Are you saying you're going to do this? Create life?" Ben asked when Ferry told him about the conversation with Parsley.

"I think I'll have to at some point," Ferry said. "Amalghams are on the verge of extinction."Ben shook his head, "Having so much power can be dangerous, Ferr. If you look back, you will see that all those who had the supreme power ended up losing it altogether, in the end. They even lost their lives. At least that's what our history says."

"But I can't let them perish altogether, Ben."

"And how long are you going to do this? For the rest of your life? I mean, will that be your purpose? It seems too much of a burden to me. Only if--"

"Only if what?"

"You can give life to a new generation of Amalghams," Ben said, getting up from his chair and walking across the room animated by an idea that had just come to him.

"What sort of generation?" Ferry asked.

"A generation that can multiply on its own without you having to create them again and again," Ben said with a spark in his eye.

"How could I do that?" Ferry asked.

"You can change the DNA of an amalgham with human DNA."

Ferry's jaw dropped open. Ben always had brilliant ideas.

"Who's going to give me human DNA?"

"You can find it in any drop of blood or hair."

"Will you give it to me, Ben? Do you realize? Your offspring will be the first generation of a new species."

But Ben shook his head no, "I can help you," he said softly. "But I can't give you my blood. I want my descendants to be born by ... old methods," he said, blushing.

Ferry was ready to make a joke about the old methods he was referring to when Celia burst into Ben's room. Her face was pale.

"My journal is gone. I can't find it anywhere," she said, barely breathing.

Ben took her hand slowly and placed her on the edge of the bed. The girl was constantly wringing her hands.

"Celle, calm down," Ben said softly, kneeling in front of her and gently placing his hands over her trembling hands. "Take a deep breath. Are you sure you can't find it? Did you look for it everywhere?"

"I'm sure Ben," Celia said in a faint voice. "I take it everywhere with me. I looked for it in my room, I looked in our place, I looked for it everywhere."

"What was written in it?" Ben asked.

"Everything! Celia said, barely breathing. "How I feel about you, our secret dates, what we do when we're alone ... in my room ..."

It was Ben's turn to lose the color of his cheeks. He collapsed on the bed, next to Celia, with a lost stare on his face, "God, Celia ..."

His reaction brought even more uneasiness to Celia. "Maybe... Maybe I should look for it elsewhere. Where I haven't looked before. Maybe it fell out of my bag at school," she said, trying to sound optimistic.

Ben took his head in his hands and began to sway back and forth. Then, he rose from the bed and walked back and forth, his head in his hands.

"Ben, calm down," Ferry tried to comfort him.

"I can't, Ferry. Imagine what happens if it falls into the wrong hands."

"What hands?" Celia asked in a faint voice.

"Well ... let's see," Ben turned to her. "Maybe your parents'?"

Celia began to shiver, "Maybe I didn't look for it well ..." she barely said.

"No, Celle. You wouldn't be here if you didn't look for it," he said. "Someone took it."

And Ben began to walk like mad from one side of the room to the other. "I'm dead, I'm dead," he kept repeating. "Your father is going to kill me when he reads it. Even worse — he's going to rip off my arm and beat my corpse with it."

Celia came to him, trying to calm him down, "But I also wrote that we've been careful every time we were together. That I wanted it as much as you did ... That I didn't feel for anyone what I feel for you. And that you feel the same way," she said, and her voice broke.

Ben turned to her, "He won't get to that part, Celle," he said. "He'll go mad when he gets to the part with the two of us alone, in your room!"

Celia could not stop the tears from falling at the sound of his words, "I'm sorry, Ben. I'm so sorry ..." she sobbed.

Ben turned to her and held her in his arms. "It's not your fault, Celle ..." he said.

Ferry felt like an object in their presence, again. He didn't need his friends' intimate confessions. Yet, he had never seen them so broken.

He felt it was time he was the voice of reason, now that Ben was too troubled to think clearly. "Alright, let's think about who could have taken it," he said.

"Maybe your friends," Ben suggested.

Celia shook her head. "I didn't tell them about us," she said.

"Well, you two weren't exactly the most discreet," Ferry added.

"Ferry, you're not helping," Celia told him, and tears appeared in her eyes.

"I just told the family, Ferry, and Matt. And I trust them with my life," Ben said.

"I know ..." Celia said, thinking.

"Who else could have found out?" Ben asked.

Celia broke away from his embrace, "Billy. He knows about us. He saw us at the lake when he visited Andrew at the lake house."

Panic began to take over Ben again, "Billy? Did you tell Billy ?!" he snapped. "How could you do that, Celle? Billy isn't exactly my friend."

"But he won't tell anyone, Ben," Celia said. "He'll keep it a secret."

"What makes you think that?" cried Ben.

"Because I know his secret," she said.

"What secret?" Ben wondered. "What secret does he have so important that he won't tell?"

Celia took a deep breath before saying, "Billy and Andrew are together. Andrew has been living in the house by the lake for some time. Billy visits him almost every day."

Ben was speechless for a second. "I knew! I knew! I always felt something about the two of them. Like a strong energy. It was as if the air around them vibrated every time they were together. Just like between Ferry and--" But Ben stopped. This was not the time for analyzing others' love life.

"What will happen now?" Celia asked in a low voice, sitting on the bed."

"I don't know," Ben said, sitting down next to her. "We wait. I guess we'll find out soon."

Celia nestled at his chest, and tears began to fall again. "I don't want to lose you, Ben," she whispered. "I'm so afraid..."

Ben held her in his arms, "Me, too."

Well, let me hear your theories on this one ;) The comments on this book are like stories of their own. I can't wait to see them. I have the best readers!