Ferry tried to hide his head away from the moonlight as best as he could. He looked at the Moon, once so beloved. Its light was splitting the darkness of the sky like a sickle and Ferry thought that if he had reached out for it, he would have touched it. Yet, this time, the apparition of the night's queen didn't bring full joy to his heart as it once did. He could feel how everything around him was gradually charging with strange energy as if the whole realm was coming to life. He knew the Sun governed overTenalach, just as it gave vigour and energy to all the beings that inhabited those lands. And yet, the apparition of the Moon seemed to bring something special to them all. Since the event happened so few and far between, Ferry thought that caused the cheering and shouting in the village.

Now, to him, the Moon meant nothing but trouble. He needed to hide better from curious eyes. Besides, the time for finding the Fountain of Truth was getting shorter. He had no idea where to look for it, of course. But that was the smallest of his concerns. His biggest one was Matilda.

Racking his brain, Ferry hid behind the first bush that came on his way to look at the map once more. The problem was that he had no idea where he was. With the darkness falling, he realized that finding the way to the door between the worlds was even harder.

After a while, he heard the whir of wings above his head. He was almost afraid to raise his head. Yet, he felt happy he did. Because Baldie was flying above him, croaking. In the blink of an eye, he changed his shape into that of the raven-man and the other Protectors followed. At their sight, Ferry came out of his hideout and threw himself in Baldie's arms; that took the raven-man by surprise. He didn't quite know what to do with his hands or wings, for that matter. But he eventually let himself being hugged by Ferry, wrapping him in a gawky embrace.

"I'm so happy to see you, Baldie," whispered Ferry. "I'm sorry I ran away. It was so stupid of me..."

Baldie smiled, "I'm happy to see you, too," he said. He took out the raven's stone from one of the many interior pockets of his long coat. Up until that moment, Ferry hasn't noticed Baldie's many pockets and he surely would've loved to know what they were hiding. "I'm sorry I was watching you, back home. I promise I won't do it unless you ask me to. But until we leave this place, you need to keep it."

Ferry nodded and put the raven's stone back on.

"But how did you find me since I didn't have the stone anymore?"

"Well, we wouldn't have had if the moon hadn't been rising," said Shadow. "You're a Moon Fairy, the Moon found you. As it found you, it sent one of her rays to you. Everyone saw it. Some got scared. But others are coming this way. A Moon Fairy is a rare occurrence in this place."

"It's true," added Baldie. "We must go. And you'd better keep your head hidden."

Shadow sniffed the air, "Let's go, I can feel Matilda's scent that way."

They all took off, carefully avoiding the groups of magical creatures that came on their way; it turned out to be hard since the visitors of Tenalach were growing in number with the Moon rising. To Ferry's Protectors, it would've been a lot easier to fly. But since Ferry couldn't, they had to join him by foot. Every time the wind blew, his hair and the moon adorning his forehead shone, brighter than ever. As if they were made of moonlight.

In Tenalach, the spirit of the Midsummer Feast was growing. They could see the fair folk dancing and singing or drinking to everyone's honour, or simply enjoying the celebration from the sides. It seemed as the rising of the Moon made them feel more alive, more magical even.

Ferry tried to keep up. He looked at the places they were walking and found them so unfamiliar. The land of Tenalach was larger than he'd ever imagined. With each step they took, they were moving away from the door between the worlds.

Baldie looked like he was reading his mind. "Sage, are you sure you know where we're going?" he asked Shadow.

"Of course," the wolf-man answered. "I know Matilda's scent. It won't be long before we found her."

Indeed, after going around a few tree-houses, they went into a grove of old, twisted trees, their trucks looking like bodies of suffering people. It wasn't a charming glade like they've seen before. There were no napping shelters, although the hollows of the trees were quite large, yet, uninviting. It was rather secluded and... dull. There were no lights in the trees and their old branches were not dancing in the wind. The ground was covered with a thick layer of dark moss and the path of moss was wriggling around the trees. Following the sinuous moss path, they reached in front of an old tree, its bark covered with thick weeds. Shadow stopped, sniffing the air. But Matilda was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is she?" asked Ferry, wringing his hands. The darkest thoughts came upon him.

Shadow was troubled, "I could've sworn she was here. The scent of cookies and shoe polish is stronger here than anywhere else."

"Are you sure? Maybe so many scents spoiled that famous nose of yours," said Izzy.

Ferry looked around every hollow of every tree. But to no avail.

"Matt!!!" he shouted.

"Quiet," said Baldie. "Someone might hear you."

Ferry turned on his heels. He wanted to go to a leaning tree which he found rather peculiar, but he stumbled on something. He wondered what that was. The root of a tree? A sleeping snake?

But no. It was the thick thread tied to Matilda's leg, covered in leaves, moss, and branches which made it almost invisible. If Ferry hadn't stumbled, no one would've noticed it.

With his heart racing, Ferry followed the thread. The others gathered around him. The shred led to the oak tree with the cracked bark. When Ferry pulled it, the bark crushed and scattered like made of small toy cubes. Inside the hollow in front of them, there was Matilda. She had her eyes closed. Ferry's hands were shaking as he touched her motionless body. She was pale and barely breathing. Her lips were burnt and almost white. She kept her eyes closed and she whispered something.

"Matt..." whispered Ferry, tears coming to his eyes.

Shadow took out a gourd from his bag and watered her lips. The little girl opened her eyes and, at Shadow's sight, a faint smile appeared on her lips. Then, she looked worried, all of a sudden.

"No," she shook her head. "I don't want to drink anything from this place..."

But Shadow smiled. "It's not from this place, Mattie... It's from home," he said as gently as a wolf-man could speak.

Matilda looked at his face with wonder. Then her eyes recognized him. She hugged Shadow. "Thank you, Shadow," she said between sobs. Shadow caressed her head with his hairy hand. In front of their gestures, so warm and familiar, no one dared to speak.  Ferry could see that Matilda knew about Shadow's true nature the whole time.

He felt a warm lump in his throat. Matilda saw his hesitation; yet, she smiled and took him by the hand.

"I'm sorry, Matt," he whispered. "I shouldn't have left you. What kind of friend am I? Will you ever forgive me?"

"I've already had," she smiled.

"But how did you get here?" he wondered.

Matilda tried to stand, "I don't know... All I remember was that I felt very sick. I could hardly walk and I didn't know where I was going... I didn't get too far after we separated. Then, I remember I fell. And I simply couldn't get up... I wanted to sleep right then and there. After that, I felt a sweet scent of flowers. I know I felt that perfume before... Someone wrapped me in the softest blanket and gently picked me up. It felt so good and warm... And I fell asleep. I never slept so well. Then I woke up and you were there."

They were all listening just as confused as she was.

"What do you think that was?" asked Ferry.

Matilda shrugged, "I don't know. Yet, that warmth was somehow familiar. I think it was my grandma's spirit," she said in a low voice. "I think she's watching over me from beyond. And maybe... Maybe the walls between this world and hers are not that thick..."

"Or maybe it was just a dream," said Baldie.

Shadow picked up something from the ground, "I don't think it was a dream," he said, showing them the most peculiar blanket, made of leaves and weeds. It was the blanket that was covering the tree hollow where they found her.

The others changed looks.

"Who could that be?" asked Ferry.

"I don't know," said Matilda. "But that encounter really made me miss home. I miss it more than ever..."

"Then let's go home," said Ferry, smiling.

"But we haven't found Danny yet," Matilda sighed. "And I also need to get rid of this thread. And we need to find Poppy's doll. And you have to find the Fountain of Truth or else Oona is going to tell us and we'll never leave this place."

Ferry couldn't argue against her sayings. He was so happy they found her, he almost forgot they were still tied to the place.

"Then we must go to the Blind Alley. That's where Danny is," he said.

But Baldie stopped them, "Before that, we need to have a plan. We can't just wander around without knowing what to do next. This clearing looks safe enough. So whoever brought Matilda here, he or she knew it is a secluded place."

Ferry agreed, "All right. What should we do next?"

Baldie's answer worried them all, "We need to go to Fae Queen's Palace."

⃰

It's been more than an hour (as much as an hour counts in fairyland) since they stared at Ferry's map. They all studied the right corner--the Blind Alley. Oona had drawn a different way to the Blind Alley because the Palace didn't appear on the map. But to get to Danny meant to get to the Palace first.

Eventually, Baldie was the one to talk, "First, I say we should decide who should go. There are guards. And we don't know what we'll find there. So I think I'm the most suited to go. Matilda is a human, Ferry hasn't got his fairy powers and you are domestic fairies. Only I am the warrior-fairy and the only one who knows what to do in front of danger."

"But Oona said that not even them, the Wandering Fays, can't enter Fae Queen's chamber where the charming chest is," said Ferry. "What if you can't go, even though invisible? I think there is some kind of a charm put on that room so that even the invisible fairies could be seen by the Queen. There are two other fairies the Queen trusts and we know nothing about. Doruh and Mamma Leena. Oona told me nothing about them."

"And why should we trust Oona?" asked Matilda. "Where is she now? How come she's not with you?"

"She left with her sisters. But something tells me Oona is not the carefree, jolly fairy that she appears, and that everything is connected with the Fountain of Truth. If only for that and she won't betray us."

That made them all think.

"I wish Ben was here," Ferry sighed. "He would've definitely come up with something."

"We could pretend we're Ben," Matilda suggested. "What would Ben do? Izzy, you know him, you've been living under the same roof. What would he do?"

Izzy, the lizard-man, gave it a thought, dangling his head.

"Ben would study all the pieces and then put them all together. So what do we have, except for the map?"

Ferry emptied his sack; first, the seven boxes with the iron powder fell on the ground. Then, he unfolded Lavender Sky's feathers under the eyes of his friends.

At the sight of the feathers, the Guardians couldn't believe their eyes.

"The feathers of the Mighty Bird," whispered Baldie. "I didn't even know they still existed. I thought she lost them..."

"What's a mighty bird?" asked Matilda.

"It was a bird with magical powers who used to live in Akna. But they've all been slayed ever since ─ Now they are all gone," he whispered. "But their feathers are just as powerful as the bird."

"I know," Matilda mumbled. "Too bad they belong to the wrong person."

"Yes, but now we have them and we can use them," said Ferry. "And I also know who should go to the Palace. I!" he said, trying his best to look confident and brave.

He could read the panic on his Guardians' faces.

"No! It's too dangerous," said Baldie. "We can't take the risk."

"Think about it, Baldie," Ferry insisted, "I'm the proper one for this mission. You said it yourself. You're fairies and maybe there's a charm against fairies. Matt is human. But I ─ I'm not a human... and I'm not a fairy either. And I have the Mighty Bird's feathers. "

"It might work," said Shadow. "He could use the blue feather to become unseen; the green one would help him fly, and the red one could open any door, or chest, or locked drawer and take the charming scissors. And in case of danger, he could spread the iron filling to chase away the fairies."

"I know how the feathers worked, Sage!" said Baldie, his fists clenched. "But I still think it's too dangerous. The perils watch from every corner in that place."

"I'm afraid we don't have much time," said Shadow pointing to the sky.

They all looked at the sky; it was getting brighter. The Moon was half full.

"If we're going to wait much longer, the full moon will pass and the doors between the worlds will close. And then Mattie, Danny, and Poppy ─ they will all be trapped in this world for seven human years. And in Tenalach, that might seem forever," Shadow concluded.

"Shadow is right," said Ferry. "Please, Baldie, let me go! I'll be fine, you'll see..."

Baldie closed his eyes and slowly nodded. Yet, his fists were still clenched.

"So be it," Baldie eventually said. "You'll be the one to go. But you have to promise you'll keep the raven's stone, no matter what. It's the only way we'll know how to find you in case of... danger."

"I promise," said Ferry, trying to look brave.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" said Izzy, leading the way. The others followed, each one with doubt and fear in their hearts. Ferry was the most frightened of them all.

⃰

They were walking sideway paths toward the Fae Queen's Palace. Since their unusual group would've drawn attention, they decided they should do small changes. Ferry's Guardians took their animal shapes while Matilda had to wear, with half a heart, one of Rosemary's dresses. The hare-woman made her a beautiful wreath of flowers and Matilda turned into the prettiest, most innocent little girl. As for Ferry, he only had to hide his head from the moonlight.

Ferry and Matilda were now walking side by side, watching the wonders of Tenalach becoming more amazing, yet stranger with every step they took. Every once in awhile, he would steal a glance at her. And each time, she would blush. She was so pretty with those small flowers that showed up here and there in her shiny, dark hair. Ferry thought he had never seen how beautiful and delicate she really was. He was rather used to her wild, rebel nature.

"Stop staring at me or else," she said. "You know I hate to wear dresses, flowers, pompoms, and other silly things like that. So be careful," she warned him with her finger.

Ferry laughed. Matilda was still Matilda. He was happy to see the old Matilda back. Yet, from time to time, he could see her lost in thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked her.

Matilda sighed. "About all that happened since we've got here. I feel like there is something more of this place."

"I feel the same," Ferry admitted. "As if behind every wonder, there's something else hiding, something dark and mysterious..."

"Yes, like that person who saved me and took me to a safe place. Who was it? And why did that?"

Ferry shrugged, "It doesn't really matter. All that matters now is to get out of this place and go home."

Matilda smiled, "Do you miss home?"

Ferry nodded, "I miss my room, my swing in the backyard, my friends... I even miss my Dad. And I miss my Mum the most," he said with a sigh.

Matilda took his hand and looked him in the eyes. "We'll be home soon," she said with a sparkle of hope in her eyes.

She didn't even finish the word, that she stopped. His Guardians also stopped, sniffing the air. A blast of wind, carrying jasmine scents, passed them by and then scattered in the air.

"What is it, Matt?" Ferry asked.

But Matilda wouldn't answer. She was listening to something. Somewhere close, they could hear a voice humming a song. A lullaby. Then, like in a dream, a young woman walked right in front of them. Her brown locks were dancing on her shoulders as she was walking. She smiled at the children with her big, warm eyes, the color of coffee and milk. Ferry has seen those eyes before. He saw them happy, curious, and playful. But he's also seen them throwing fire, angry, and sad.

The young woman walked away, carrying on with her song. A thick thread, almost as thick as Matilda's, was tied to her foot. Ferry looked at his friend and saw tears in her eyes. He wanted to tell her something but didn't have the time because Matilda went on following the strange woman.

Ferry ran after her. His Guardians, feeling the danger, took their human shape. They were all afraid they might lose her again. Instead, they found her at the side of a meadow full of flowers and light bugs. In the middle of that meadow, there was the strangest house. It had the shape of a giant picnic basket made of young, blossomed branches, looking like wickerwork. The most beautiful white, pink, and blue blossoms were decorating the house. A thick mantle of moss was the roof. From inside the odd house, they could hear the cries of a thousand babies. The mysterious woman went inside without looking back.

Matilda was staring at the lovely, yet curious house. And a tear she tried hard to hold fell down her soft cheek.

"Mum?!"

Thank you so much for reading yet another chapter of Ferry's story. This story is getting closer and closer to the climax. What do you think about it so far? Let me know in the comment section below. And, of course, don't forget to VOTE :)

PS. What do you think about the pictures of the forest accompanying this chapter? They are actually real pictures of Baciu Hoia Forest in Transylvania, Romania. One of the strangest places on Earth :) And a recurrent motif in my stories. Have you ever heard of it?