Kara felt like she was inside of a tornado.
She spun around and around rapidly, dizziness keeping her from crying out. Lily shrieked and held onto her wrist for dear life. Everett took Kara's free hand and stopped her from spinning. Her vision had gone blurry, but it was soon fine again. She blinked and watched as immense magic swirled and darted around them. There was a blinding flash, and solid ground met with her feet. Lily, not realizing that she would hit the ground, landed on her knees hard. She gasped and stood up, brushing soil from her dark leggings. The trio was in a forest with oak trees all around them going as far as the eye could see. The air felt thick and warm, with none of the chill of the beginnings of winter. Lily couldn't stop looking around. She was about to ask something, which was evident through her expression, but Everett cut her off. "Come," he stated. "My queen is expecting you." Kara nodded and went with him, hoping this wouldn't take too long. Lily followed them, still looking at their new surroundings in wonder. Soon enough, the thicket parted to reveal a worn path that looked  ancient. Everett led them onto it. Kara put a hand up to her forehead to shield her eyes from the blinding sun. A castle appeared, a brilliant one with tall silver spires that seemed to scrape against the edges of the midday sky. The walk was short, and the group soon reached the vast dazzling door. A knocker with jewels on it was in its middle. Everett grabbed it and rapped it against the door several times. A bell-like noise sounded, and a small, slim girl answered the door. She had pale hair and wide green eyes, with pointed ears, too. She was wearing a black dress with a white apron. "You've brought her!" she exclaimed, her hands going over her mouth. "Oh, my word, it really is her! It's Kara!"
"Yes, it is, Dahlia," Everett told her. "Let Queen Iona know we're here."
The girl nodded and scurried away.
Lily spoke quietly to Kara as they walked through the castle's massive hallways. "Kara, this is crazy. Completely crazy. This isn't a dream, right?"
Kara smiled. "No, you're not dreaming. This is real, but you're right, in a way. It's completely crazy, and insane too, but we'll just have to deal with it."
Lily nodded, and spent the rest of their walk in silence, contemplating this.
Everett had been quiet the entire time, his tall, dark form striding forward ahead of them to lead them both through the castle. Eventually, he came to a gentle stop in front of an extravagantly designed door. It was wooden, a dark, caramel colored brown, with a thick brass doorknob. A dragon's likeness was carved into the center of it. Sapphires had been put in where the creature's eyes were supposed to be, and they shined in a way that was almost lifelike. "The queen's chambers," he breathed. He knocked twice, and the door opened for them, swinging open without anyone having to touch the knob. The dragon's eyes glittered with a bluish light. Lily seemed at a loss for words. Kara simply stared straight ahead, hoping that the queen they were going to meet would be friendly. Everett turned back to them, and gestured towards himself, signaling for them to follow him further. Beyond the door, the walls were a deep scarlet red color, like human blood. It was unnerving, and Kara couldn't help but wonder how it had been made to be that color. It didn't look like paint.
The floor was a polished, glistening white, and the group could see their faces reflected in its tiles, as if it had been scrubbed excessively. Lily's high heels were the only sound in the room for a while, since no one really wanted to talk to each other. Lanterns were lined up along the walls, lighting the way. Those same walls soon changed to an elegant ebony color, and paintings appeared, one by one. Kara didn't look at them too closely, but one painting in particular caught her eye. A young man holding a curved knife had been painted on one of them. He was wearing a crown and had pointed ears, but that wasn't what had made the picture so interesting.
He was dying. An arrow had pierced the man's chest, and he was laying on his side with his hands clasped around the wound. Violet blood spilled from it, and flecks of it dotted his reddish hair. Horned beings were all around him, and they were crouched beside him in a close circle, as if they were enjoying his suffering. It was a gruesome thing to paint a picture of, but yet, someone had. There was a title at the bottom, along with the cursive signature from the artist.
The title was as follows, in bold, dramatic script:

Death of Lymeria's King

Kara shuddered, and forced herself to look away from the painting. She lifted her head, and was surprised to see that Everett had stopped to wait for her. Lily had, too, and was now looking very nervous. "Kara," she began, "what's the holdup here? It's just some weird, old painting."
"No, it's not. It's quite the contrary, actually."
Everett drew close, pressing a hand against it. "This is a portrait from a time before Lymeria knew peace, before it had spells that kept its houses hidden from enemy eyes." He sighed. "This is an artist's rendition of our last Seelie King's death. His name was Frederick Fairweather." Everett shook his head. "Queen Iona was shaken by this loss. She hadn't been queen for very long at this point in time, and even then, she had still been carrying his two children when he passed." Iona's messenger drew back from the painting, his arm shaky. "It was tragic, and very sudden, but..it isn't really the time for such talk, now, is it?" He started to walk away, gesturing again for the two girls to follow him. "I am sorry," he said as they continued their travels through the castle hall. "I tend to go on a tangent sometimes when the past is brought up. My apologies."
A question stirred up within Kara's thoughts. She opened her mouth to speak, but as soon as she did, Everett stopped walking abruptly. He had stopped at a certain room. It had a golden and white accented throne, and a high arching ceiling, so high that you had to crane your neck to see its top. In the middle of the room, the throne was covered with many different kinds of flowers and plants, their vines and leaves going across the sides of the chair. In the chair sat a woman with long, curly blonde hair. Her hair was so blonde that it was almost white. She wore dark purple robes that hung loosely off of her thin frame, and a crown and brooch adorned with blue jewels. Two burly, broad shouldered men flanked her on either side of the throne. They watched the three newcomers attentively, as if they expected to be threatened or attacked. The woman moved to stand up, and her wings extended outwards. They were a shimmering gold color, and Kara could hardly tear her gaze away. "Welcome, Kara," she said. Her voice was smooth, silky and sweet sounding. . She also had a lilting accent that sounded very close to a British one. "Thank you, Everett, for bringing her here."
At once, Everett was down on his knees, his head lowered. "You're welcome. It is always a pleasure to serve you, Queen Iona."
The queen nodded. Her interest and attention was now on Kara. "Yes. Come here, Hybrid. We have much to talk about." Kara listened, walking over to her, and Lily followed, hiding behind her best friend. Iona made a noise of disgust, and brought up a dainty gloved hand, pointing a single finger at Lily. "No humans are allowed to be in my presence," she murmured. Sparks rose up around Lily. She looked at them in confusion, then froze in place as the Sparks touched her. Her skin turned to a cold blue color, and she didn't budge from where she stood. Kara gasped and went to her in horror. She tried to shake her by the shoulders, but this didn't do anything. "Lily!" she cried. "Lily, answer me!"
"She's fine, Kara," the queen promised. "I will release her when our discussion is complete. For now, come here, and leave her be." Kara swallowed hard, then let go of Lily's arms.
She had a bad feeling about this.
"What do you want from me?"
The queen sat back in her chair, looking cross with her. "The Fairy Stone has been damaged. Didn't Everett tell you that?"
"Yes, but by who? Who damaged it?"
The queen was slow to reply. When she did, she was distant. "I'm not sure. No one really knows, but that doesn't matter. I need you to fix it, because in each fairy there is a small amount of power, concentrated into a form that is usable and stable. If the Stone were to break entirely, this magic would be released, and it would mean certain death for us all."
"I know, but why me?"
"No one else can repair it. I have sent all of my Gifted fairies to do it, but none have prevailed."
Iona folded her hands together neatly upon her lap. "Your mother was one of the most powerful Gifted fairies in Lymeria, and if you are anything like her, then you will be able to fix it. There is no doubt in my mind."
Kara frowned. "Okay, but can you at least unfreeze Lily? She deserves to hear this, too."
The queen smiled. "Oh, our talk is finished, so there's nothing to hear, but I will."
She raised her hand up again, and Lily gasped sharply. Her skin had returned to normal, and her eyes were wide. She turned to face Kara in terror, and ducked down behind her. The queen turned to both of the fairy guards at her sides. "Escort them to their rooms for the night," she told them. The fairies nodded and took hold of the two girls with a painful amount of force. Due to the queen's instructions, they were both removed from the room. Kara and Lily tried to free themselves, but nothing worked. The guards were too strong. They were soon half shoved, half dragged into a room with two beds across from one another with white walls. There were fancy golden curtains that fluttered from the breeze the windows let in. The guards left then, shutting the door behind them.

Lily jumped onto the bed of her choice, and felt the texture of the sheets with her fingers. "Oh, wow," she gushed. "This is so soft, much softer than my bed!"
Kara sighed. Lily noticed her upset look and turned to face her. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, it's just..the queen wants me to help her, but I'm not sure if I can or not."
Lily sat up. Her white flower headpiece was a little bit lopsided. "Oh, alright. What did she ask you to do?"
Kara hesitated. If she told Lily this, she felt like Oren would somehow find out. The purple haired Gifted fairy was frightening, to say the least-in hindsight, though, his sister wasn't much better. Never mind all that! She didn't want to get Lily in trouble. "I've been..um..sworn to secrecy," she lied. "I don't think I can tell you about it."
Lily looked puzzled, then shrugged and was indifferent to this. "Oh. Well, okay. I guess I can't really offer my advice now, but whatever it is, I'm sure you'll be able to help with it."
Kara smiled. She appreciated that, even though she was still uneasy. "Thanks, Lily."
"You're welcome." Lily laid down on her bed, and pulled the covers over herself. In the white gown that the queen herself had given to her as pajamas, she practically blended in with the blankets. "Goodnight, Kara."
"Oh, uh..goodnight." Kara jumped up onto her bed and took off her shoes, which were pale blue sneakers, and put them beside her bed on the floor. Her indecision about fixing the Stone was making it hard to sleep. It was still relatively early, too, being only around eight or so. She tossed and turned, then got up, giving up on sleep entirely. The room was small, but there were other things in it besides beds. There were bare bedside tables, bookshelves, and an intricately designed rug beneath their feet. Kara studied the shelves, then walked over to them to get a book. If there was any easy way to get herself to fall asleep, reading was the easiest. Most of the books she saw were very old looking, and when she tried to grab one of them, it practically fell apart in her hands. She was ready to just decide to leave the bookshelf alone when a bright light came into the room. It was like sunlight, only brighter, but it was orange tinted and was coming from one of the shelves. A book was close to her, and light streamed up from its pages onto the ceiling, like a small spotlight from a theater stage. Kara pulled out the book from where it was placed. She wasn't sure whether she should look at it or not. The last time something like this had happened, Foster and her had created a Gateway and had gotten themselves stranded in Lymeria. She didn't want anything like that to happen again. However, her curiosity soon got the best of her as she studied the novel. The book was thick, bound together with twine and a worn out leather cover and back. The cover had a dragon on it, like the first spell book she'd found, but this time, the dragon had blue scales instead of gold ones. Kara tiptoed back over to her bed and got onto it gingerly, wrapping herself up in her covers and laying her head back against the lacy white pillows behind her. She opened the book, and was nearly blinded by the light that streamed from its pages. The light gradually faded, and Kara found the table of contents. Three names were written up in the top right hand corner of the book. The names were in black ink, but weren't faded. They must've been written there recently. Kara read the names quietly, being careful not to disturb Lily, who was still sleeping soundly. The first name was familiar.
"Iona Fairweather," she murmured. The two other names were Hillary and Axel Fairweather. Were these-the queen's children?
That would make them the princess and prince of this place. She flipped to the next page in the book and found a list of spells there. They were labeled with a note that said, "Safe, probably" in loopy cursive. Kara smiled at that, and found a spell that looked interesting. It was apparently called "the spell of magic flame". She remembered Toby using a spell that was similar to this when they both had to go through a cave together. She knew it wasn't a good idea, but she was bored, and boredom tends to make you do things that you would usually think otherwise about doing. The words on the page were actually clear English for once. She read the words aloud to herself, raising both of her hands out in front of her.
"Fire of dragons and forges alike," she said. "Give me your flame to guide me through the night." Kara prepared herself, and watched her hands for any bright lights in the darkened room. When nothing happened, she frowned, and brought her arms down, starting to close the book. Before she could put it away, her palms tingled, and fire burst forth from them, shooting upwards and engulfing her hands.
Kara moved backwards in alarm, and hit her head on the back of the bed frame. She winced and put her hands together, trying to put out the flames. This did nothing at first, but when she pressed harder, the fires receded and were put out for good. Smoke rose up from her fingertips. Kara released a sigh of relief, but that relief went away fast. Burn marks lined the bed covers in various places, and the spell book had been dropped and was now burning into cinders on the floor. She gasped and grabbed for the cup of water the queen's staff had left for her on her bedside table. Dousing the flames with water did the trick. Kara went back to her bed and picked the book up to assess the damage. Some of the lettering on the front had been blackened, and it was hot to the touch, but other than that, it was fine. Kara brushed off any soot, and read the book's title, holding up the demolished book by her fingertips.
She was shocked by what it said.
Legend of Faerie: Volume 2.
There was more than one? Did that mean that she had the first one, or was it a separate book? Puzzled but tired above all else, Kara settled back down upon her bed. Note to self, she thought. Don't mess around with destructive spells at night. This could've been way worse.