A Gateway opened, becoming a thick, gray door, and the queen's servant pushed him through it, then held onto his arm tightly. Shade watched as the human world dissolved before him, like a picture being smudged and destroyed by water. Kara dissolved with it. It felt so much like she had died that he wanted to go over, push past the magic that bound him here, and hold her until she opened her beautiful eyes and looked at him the way she always did-with hope. Shade couldn't do that, however. Not only were his arms bound behind him with handcuffs, but his legs were bound together too, with tight bits of rope. He could've gotten out of his bindings, if the weasel faced fairy that had arrested him wasn't watching him constantly. He was, though, his sick looking eyes never straying from him, not until they reached where they were meant to go. The only good thing about this trip was that he would once again see the skies of Lymeria above him. Fairies swore by those skies, he knew, himself included. They were so clear, so blue and bright that it had become holy to them. It would sound strange to any Flightless, but their world's skies never stayed clear, always filled with clouds or smog or storms. Gifted fairies would supply the plants with water when it was needed, and there were always enough streams and lakes to drink from. It made sense, if you gave it enough thought. Only those skies didn't meet him, the skies that were only legend to some. Instead a dreary looking, dark sky greeted him, along with a literal wasteland. The ground was hard and beaten by the feet of prisoners. Scraps of metal and wood lined the soil, left by fairies that had tried to craft weapons for themselves. A path was worn through it, but only because it led to a prison. Suddenly, Shade felt sick.
He didn't want to go any further, he wanted to go home, to his family that was surely waiting for him. Reena. He had promised her he would come back. He narrowed his eyes at the lackey that was standing behind him, shoving him forward. "You can't do this," he said angrily. "You can't send me to Outerworld. Not for this. Even Flightless don't have crimes like this!"
"That's because they're uncivilized."
The man smiled. "We're really helping you, you know. Spending time with a human girl must have been draining, not to mention tedious. You really should know better, child.
No one rebels against Queen Iona."
Shade drowned this out with his own outraged cry. "I'll get out!" he warned. "I'll break out of any cell you put me in! I'll survive any trial, and any terrain, and then after that, the queen'll have to deal with me herself!"
"No, she won't. You'll die before then."
Shade was persistent. He leaned forward, hoping to put fear in the older fairy's eyes.  "And if I don't?"
Nothing like that occurred. The man smiled, this time more menacingly. He grabbed Shade's arm tighter and shook his head at him. "Then you'll wish you were, child."

Caleb released a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding in. Kara hadn't noticed her Guardian's departure. It was probably better that she didn't notice at all, so he slowly but surely brought her inside, being as gentle as he could with her wounded legs. She awoke again upon the couch they had in their living room. She raised her head, and his heart gave a literal lurch in his chest. Kara was injured-hurt by a world that he had never wanted her to see. In fact, that was what Emily had wanted too-for her youngest daughter to never see the world she originated from. Despite this, Kara had seen it anyway. He wasn't sure what to say to her now. Would she hate him? Would she never want to talk to him again? He wasn't sure what the outcome would be. The only thing he was getting was a sleepy stare at the moment. She looked so small on that couch, so very small. He held out a cup to her, a mug from which steam rose into the air. He had made sure to wrap a washcloth around it to keep her from burning her fingers. His daughter sat up on the couch and took it from him gratefully. She took a quick sip and then laid back, setting it down. "That wasn't tea," she murmured. "What was it really?"

Kara waited for a response, hoping that hadn't been insulting. Her father was being much more understanding than other parents now. She felt like she was pushing her luck with that statement. Caleb didn't look mad-not at all, really, just tired. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, brushing her hair back slightly. "It's a fairy drink," he said. "I forget what it was called exactly, but the beverage had always been a favorite of your mother's. Emily taught me how to make it-said it helped calm her nerves during long days." He smiled. "It's made from berries that only grow in Lymeria. I keep a couple of preserved ones here just for the purpose of making the drink."
"Hmm..okay." Kara pursed her lips. "It's good. It sort of tastes sour, though."
"Well, it's used to make fairies feel better, generally, sort of like how coffee calms me down. It's gross sometimes, but the contents of it are soothing." He sat down next to her on the couch, still watching her carefully. "Are you feeling any better?"
"Yeah." Kara sat up, then thought about what to say next. "Dad..was my mom really a fairy? I mean, everyone's been kind of implying it, but I don't know for sure."
Caleb smiled again, this time in a way that seemed to remind him of distant memories. "Yes. Yes, Emily was a fairy. She was the most beautiful fairy to ever exist."
Kara's eyebrows furrowed, then went apart again as she considered this.
"Tell me about her."
Caleb stiffened. "What?"
"I said, tell me about her." Kara wistfully ran her fingers through her tangled hair. "I don't know much about her since she passed away so soon. You only told me that she was a lawyer, and left us when her minivan was hit by another car."
Her dad winced, then seemed to be regretting something. "That's not what really happened, Kara. Your mother died in battle against demise beasts, fighting for humanity and for fairies, too. She was skilled and fast on her feet, but not as fast as a few airborne beasts."
Kara's eyes widened. "Wait, you were there?"
Caleb nodded. "I was. I had been fighting beside her. At that time it was sometimes common for fairies and their human companions to go into a war together-if they so chose. Now though, it's..almost unheard of."
He looked down at his shoes. "Times have changed since those days."
"How did the war end?"

Caleb sighed. It was like she was a child again, waiting anxiously for something exciting to happen in a story. "Did you win?"
"Yes, but it wasn't a victory, not really."
He shuddered as he spoke. The flashbacks haunted his mind.
"There were bodies all around us, mangled corpses of fairies, demise beasts, and humans alike. In death, their faces were all frozen. God, it was awful. Emily had been hurt too, but she didn't breathe a word of her injuries until we had made it to what we thought was safety. By then, it was too late."

Her father seemed to no longer be there with her, as if he was back on the bloodstained battlefield from long ago. Kara wanted to tell him to stop explaining it, but she didn't think she had the ability to.
"Your mother had claw marks running all along her back. One of her wings had been shredded, and her right arm had been badly bitten too." Caleb had tears in his eyes. "All the magic in the world couldn't save her, but she did still have you. She had hidden you, within the dark cloak she wore. Even then, demise beasts had been after you. She told me to take you somewhere safe, kissed you one last time, and then was gone."
The house had gotten quiet now, but with her father grieving, he filled the house with new noise. "I have never loved anyone more than her besides you," he gasped, "and when you went missing, I thought the beasts had found you, and I was never going to see you again."
"But I came back," Kara cried. "I'm here now, and I won't leave again without you knowing."
She turned to hug him tightly, and he returned the embrace.
"I'm not sure of that," he said quietly, "but I trust you."
There was a buzzing sound from Kara's pant pocket, and she released her dad, grabbing her phone from it.
It was a call from Lily. Lily! Kara didn't know what to say to her, but she answered it anyway.
Her best friend's voice was frantic and heart wrenchingly sad.
"Kara? Kara, oh my god, is that you?"
Kara was almost ashamed to answer. "Yeah.."
"Omg, Kara, I thought..I thought you had been kidnapped or something! Did you run away? Everyone thought you were sick or worse.."
Kara was filled with regret. "I know. I know what everyone probably thought, but I'm here now. I'm back, and I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry."
Lily was clearly crying on the other end. "Sorry isn't enough this time." There was a pause, and then she said, "Come over to my house today so we can talk, face to face. You have to tell me everything that's been going on."
Kara felt like she wouldn't be able to do that, but she agreed anyway. "Fine. When should I come over?"
"Whenever you want, just come over soon. I need answers." Lily hung up, and Kara threw the phone down with a groan of annoyance. "What's wrong?"
"It's Lily," Kara told Caleb. "She wants me to come over, but..I don't think I should."
Kara drew her legs up to her knees and squeezed them hard. "I just want to be alone right now."
Her father nodded. "Oh, I get it. I could talk to her for you if you want-"
"No. No, it's alright." Kara stood up fully, pushing the blanket off of her. "I'm going, but only for an hour. You can drive me there, right?"
Her dad sighed. It looked like he didn't want to do anything of that sort, but something changed his mind. He looked over his shoulder, then ran his hands through his graying hair in exasperation. "Okay, but you'd better be back here within the hour, Kara."