"I really didn't want it to end this way, Marissa." The Master said, almost in amusement. "But you leave me no choice."

He brought the dagger down, and my instincts rolled me away like lightning. I sprang into a crouch, preparing to fight again. I peeled the terrible nightmares off of my mind and let them drop to the ground. I tried my hardest not to shake. I wasn't going to go down that easily. But it has all felt so real.

"What was that dirty trick?" I spat at The Master. "I thought sprites had no magic."

The Master held his dagger in the faint light of the cavern, as if envisioning the best way to stab it through my ribs. "Of course I have no magic, Marissa. You should know that. But just because I have no magic does not mean I do not have gifts." His eyes narrowed in cruel slits. "Although I must say, I'm surprised that you could break out of my hold that easily. You've grown stronger."

"Maybe you're just losing your touch." I snapped, swinging my sword at his helmet.

The blade created an echoing clang! and The Master stumbled slightly, distracted. He swung his dagger wildly at me, and I let out a cry as the iron slashed across my leg. I cursed myself for not wearing armor as my skin burned and bled, a vicious cut forming in my flesh. I pressed my hand against my wound. My entire thigh felt as if it had been lit on fire, and I was relieved to see Glen swoop in, his wings beating powerfully behind him. Suspended in air, he extended his oak staff at The Master.

"Now you're asking for it." Glen growled, "This is what happens to people that threaten my kingdom."

Sunlight shot from the tip of his staff, blazing towards The Master.

"Duck!" Glen hollered at me, and I threw myself out of the way just as the sizzling rays exploded against The Master's armor. Sparks flew into the air, embers falling to the ground of the cavern. In a spilt second, I watched The Master's armor shudder slightly before the light bounced off of the iron and zoomed into the cave walls.

"Get down!"

There was a loud crashing sound as the light was deflected into the rock, and chunks of debris flew into the air. I slammed to the ground, holding my hands up to shield my head. Glen was on top of me in a heartbeat. I squinted my eyes open in a stunned silence. His wings were thrown open above him, and his teeth were grating together in an effort to keep them up as rocks pounded against them. He was protecting me.

"Glen!" I called over the sound of falling stone. "What the hell are you doing? You're going to hurt yourself!"

"If you haven't noticed, I'm heroically saving your life," he grunted in reply. "Just try and appreciate it."

An odd stirring swirled in the pit of my stomach, but it was squashed at the sight of The Master looming above us. There were small dents in his armor from Glen's magic, but the iron was still intact. He limped slightly, his iron hands clenching the hilt of his dagger.

"It looks as if you've run out of people to protect you, Marissa," The Master jeered behind his helmet.

"Not quite," snarled a voice, and I looked up in astonishment to see Diandre. He was standing in front of the Master, his eyebrows knitted together in determination. Like lightning, I watched him reach over his shoulder and draw an arrow from his quiver.

Damn, I realized, my shoulder suddenly feeling light. Diandre stole back his quiver from me. And I didn't even notice.

His eyes smoldering, Diandre knocked the arrow and let the bowstring lose with impressive speed. The black arrow zoomed from his bow, streaking towards The Master's chest plate. My eyes widened in awe. Then, just as the arrow was inches from piercing him, The Master caught it in his hand. His iron fingers closed around the shaft, and he snapped it in half. The two pieces of the arrow dropped to the cave floor.

Diandre stood still, holding his bow in his hand as an expression of rage flashed across his face.

"I should have known," The Master remarked darkly. "Of course you would choose Marissa's side over your own people. You would gladly betray your ruler just to win the affections of a girl. I knew that you were too attached to her to possibly kill her like I told you to."

My mouth fell open, and Glen's face mirrored my shock. The Master had ordered Diandre to murder me. But why didn't Diandre do it? I had always thought that once Diandre became a sprite, he became a demon just like the rest of them. Maybe, just maybe, I was wrong. He had his chance to kill me, multiple times. He could have just let me fall to my death in the woods, or finish me off himself. But Diandre didn't. He disobeyed The Master's direct orders and caught me as I was falling from the sky. Then he led me to the sprite's lair. And now he was rescuing me.

This day just keeps getting more and more complicated.

"I'm not going to kill Marissa," Diandre snapped. "It was because of all of you and your wild schemes for revenge that forced me to take everything she loved away from her, including our friendship." He swallowed hard, his gray eyes beginning to mist with passion. "I'm not going to let her kingdom get taken away, too. So I'll fight for her, and if I die while doing it that's fine by me."

My heart seized up in my chest. The Diandre I had known so well was standing in front of me again, and the way he stood tall with unshakable loyalty made my breaths stop. I was speechless.

"Wow," Glen breathed. "That guy sure knows how to give a speech."

"You know that you're still on top of me, right?" I said.

"I can't help it, partner. It seems as if we always end up in this position no matter how hard we try not to." He winked at me smugly.

"Shut up."

He rolled off of me with a snort, his wings humming as his eyes flickered over to The Master. He and Diandre were circling around each other like two wolves.

"How very touching," The Master hissed to Diandre. "You'd give up your life just so that you could maybe earn an ounce of forgiveness for what you've done. But I've got news for you; once there's blood on your hands, it never goes away."

With a loud cry, The Master lunged at Diandre with his dagger. Diandre dodged the blade nimbly, and landed light on his feet again. His anger burning, he snatched an arrow from his quiver and stabbed it between The Master's neck plates of armor. The tip punctured the weakening iron slightly, and The Master reeled around with a roar. Diandre was knocked against the side of The Master's iron throne, his head slamming into it. The Master's fist collided with his face, and Diandre snatched up his bow desperately. The Master knocked it out of his grasp with his foot, and the bow skidded away.

The Master then kicked Diandre hard in the stomach, and I watched his face contort with barely suppressed pain. I dove at The Master just as he was nearing Diandre, trying my best to ignore the searing pain in my leg. I swung my sword at The Master's dagger, sending it flying from his fingers. It clattered into the dust. Diandre sprang up again, his hair matted with sweat.

"Thanks Marissa." He panted with a small smile.

I shrugged. "I should be thanking you," I replied. "For not killing me."

I wheeled around and kicked my leg out at The Master's shin. He tumbled against the arms of his throne.

"Fairy!" I heard Tyler's little voice call out to me.

My head followed the source of the words until my eyes met Tyler's from inside the cage.

"Help us!" He cried. "You need to set us free!"

From behind me, Glen darted over to the cages while Diandre and I faced The Master. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Glen blasted the locks off of the cages with his magic, releasing the children. He pulled open the barred doors and hundreds of them spilled out. Some were still dazed after having magic extracted from them, but they all crowded around Glen, their eyes filled with uncertainty and fear.

As I ducked and swung at The Master, Diandre battling alongside me, my mind was whirring. I had to get all of these children out of here. Now.

The Master's eyes glared with hatred.

"You have no chance of escaping with those children," He spat at me. "You have no where to run. Those children are mine."

Desperation crashed into me. We could try running down one of the tunnels, but there were dozens of them. There was a small chance of choosing the one that would lead us to freedom. We could also try going back the way we came, but climbing back up the ladder would take to long. We were trapped in the cavern.

My eyes darted around, frantically searching for a solution. I gazed back at my panicked expression in the mirror behind The Master's iron throne. Blood was gushing out of my leg, and my shorts were coated in dirt. My Colorado shirt was torn on one of the sleeves as well. My eyes suddenly widened. A mirror. The Master had a mirror.

"Glen!" I screamed. "The mirror!"

Glen raised an eyebrow at me as I barely missed hitting The Master with my sword.

"Is this about my good reflection?" He sighed.

"This isn't a time for jokes!" Diandre yelled as he and The Master began fighting in the dirt. I joined in, slamming on top of The Master and slicing my sword at his armor.

Suddenly, understanding surfaced on Glen's face. He turned to the children, serious now.

"Follow me!" Glen ordered, racing towards the mirror. The children obeyed, tripping over their feet as they struggled to run.

"No!" The Master howled. Glen put his hand on the mirror's surface and whispered his name, and his reflection simmered away to reveal the police station that I had seen on the news back at the motel. I marveled at Glen's choice of location. There wasn't a safer place for the children, although I'm not sure how the authorities will be able to explain dozens of missing children magically appearing in their offices. The glass of the mirror rippled like water, and Glen began ushering the children through.

"You all need to run through!" He shouted. "I promise that you'll be safe!"

They were crying as they melted into the portal, out of fear or confusion or relief it was unclear. There were so many of them, all wailing in a chorus of cries as they darted through the mirror, and I knew that Glen needed help getting them all to safety.

I turned to Diandre, who was shooting his arrows into The Master's armor.

"I need to get these children out of here," I told him. "Can you at least keep The Master away from them?"

Diandre nodded determinedly.

"I can do that," He answered. "His sense of fear doesn't affect me since I'm one of his kind."

I spun away from him and sprinted towards the mirror. Some children were backing away in fear as they watched others disappearing through the glass.

"What happened to my brother?" A little girl sobbed as a younger boy reluctantly stepped through the mirror and vansihed.

"He's fine," I reassured her. "You're going to be back with your families in no time, you just need to walk through that portal, alright?"

She nodded, her pigtails bobbing. I gently led her to the mirror, and she uncertainly walked through. The glass swallowed her up, and Glen and I continued to lead children through the portal. I tried to move as fast as I could, telling the children that things would be fine and that they shouldn't be afraid while Glen was able to get them to run through. Diandre was keeping The Master at bay, the two of them grappling a few feet away as I urged a set of young twins into the mirror. Finally, just as nearly all of them were through, Tyler ran up to me and hugged my waist. He was the last child left.

"I knew that you would save us." He whispered into my shirt, and I ruffled his tousled hair.

"I always keep my promises." I smiled down at him, and he broke into a gap-toothed grin.

Suddenly, The Master shoved Diandre down and was barreling towards us.

"Marissa, look out!" Diandre warned me.

"Tyler," I said urgently. "You need to go. I'll be right behind you."

"Don't leave me!" He cried, suddenly fearful.

"Goodbye." I whispered. Without a second thought, I tossed him into the air and he soared through the rippling glass just as The Master reached me.

"Well, there goes your last servant." I remarked. "I guess you'll have to clean up this hole you live in all by yourself."

The Master's eyes were alight with hatred.

"You may have rescued those children, but my people are hunting for The Objects of Power as we speak. And once we find them, your precious faeries will be beyond saving."

"Unless we find the objects first." I spat.

Diandre, Glen and I then made a run for it. We all knew that we couldn't defeat The Master, not in our current state. We were hurt and exhausted. My sword vibrated weakly with magic, Glen had used up too much magic energy, and Diandre was scratched and bruised. We couldn't win this fight. Diandre ran through the mirror first, vanishing into the portal. I was next, with Glen right behind me. I was just inches away from stepping through when I heard Glen cry out. I whirled around, terror spiking through my body. I watched as Glen's legs gave out and he collapsed with a scream, his eyes forced shut. His entire body was shaking with fear, and I could see the predatory triumph in The Master's eyes as he held Glen under his spell.

"Glen!" I shouted at him, falling at his side. "It's not real! None of it is real!"

Tears were gathering in his eyes, and I desperately grabbed ahold of him. I dragged him frantically towards the shimmering mirror, grunting with the effort. The Master took three strides towards us.

"You may have magic on your side, Marissa, but I have something much more powerful. I have fear."

I glared at him, edging my way closer.

"Nothing is more powerful than magic." I glowered. I was just a few steps away. "Not even you."

With a cry, I reached into my backpack and flung a knife straight at The Master. The blade sank into a dent in his armor, and I watched him crumple. This was my chance. Sweating, I heaved Glen through the mirror and stepped inside after him.

Once inside the portal, I was hit with the familiar blinding light. I squeezed my eyes shut against the brightness, and I reached out and held Glen's limp hand in mine. I couldn't let him go or he could drift into another portal, but I still felt a flush creeping into my cheeks. I waited for a moment. Then another. Confusion washed over me. The portal should have swept us to the police station by now. What was going on?

All at once, the white light flickered out. I was engulfed in complete darkness. My breaths came out ragged from my chest. This wasn't normal. This wasn't normal at all.

"Diandre!" I called, finding that my voice echoed back at me from every direction.

It was as if we were stuck between dimensions. Frozen in space.

"I'm right here!" I heard him reply, his voice sounding distant. "Just follow my voice."

I stumbled through the darkness, dragging Glen along with me.

"Where are-"

I abruptly slammed into Diandre's chest, and awkwardly took a step back.

"So what do you think is going on?" I wondered aloud nervously, happy that he couldn't see the embarrassment on my face. "Why aren't we moving? And why is the light gone?"

"If I had to guess, I would say that the Fae detected us using a portal and closed all of them down." Diandre answered.

My heart fell down to my shoes, plummeting.

"Dragons above, we're trapped here, aren't we?" I exclaimed. "It's just a matter of time before they come and capture us."

I shuddered, feeling intensely afraid. The darkness was suffocating, pressing in closer. Glen's hand began to tremble.

"What about the prince?" Diandre asked, his words floating into my ears. "I don't hear him, which is pretty surprising."

"The Master used his fear sense on him." I responded, trying to distract myself from the infinite blackness surrounding us. "It seems like Glen is almost half-conscious."

"I should have guessed The Master would try and hurt him, too." Diandre said bitterly.

"We have to find a way out of here." I told him urgently. "There's got to be a-"

My words were cut off by a strange vibration beneath my feet.

"Do you feel that?" Diandre asked.

I nodded, even though he couldn't see me.

Suddenly, the ground was whipped out from under our feet. With a cry, I tumbled downwards. It was as if the floor had simply disappeared, and I held on tightly to Glen as we plummeted down. Beside me, Diandre gasped in surprise. There was a small light below us, glowing in the distance. It was shaped like a door, almost. The three of us dropped through, and I let out a groan as I slammed against something hard.

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