Chapter 2265

Without a sound the doorway simply vanished into thin air. Daniel gasped. He was certainly new to magic but seeing a doorway floating impossibly in the middle of the air and then watching that opening disappear in an instant, seemed crazy to him.

"I can't get used to this magic stuff..." hemuttered under his breath.

Jasmine, who had heard him, nodded."It's so wondrous!"

Amy was looking at the key in Grace's hand. "How does that work, exactly?I couldn't senseany spells or magic, but my eyes don't lie, do they?"

Grace looked down at the key for a moment and then tossed it to Amy."Keep it. I already have one."

Amy comically failed to catch the key at first, and she knocked it up in the air, before she finally snatched it and held it tight. She opened her hand and stared at it."Thanks!"Then she

snapped her eyes up to stare at Grace."What do you mean, you already have one? Could you have gotten us out at any time?"

Grace was looking around the clearing."Don't think I've been here before..." She glanced at Amy."What was that?"

Amy glared at Grace."You already had a way out? All this time?"

Grace frowned."Of course. But we had to learn things first."

Daniel was feeling just as peeved as Amy."You have another key?"

Grace nodded."Yup. How do you think I escaped the Night fae?"

"I just assumed you walked out," replied Daniel."Who would stop you and how? I thought it wasall just politics. Not actually escaping with a magic key."

Grace grinned, stepped up close to him, and kissed his chin."You thought wrong."

Daniel smiled down at her and missed the adoring looks his girls shot them both.

"This way, I think," interrupted Jennifer. She waspointing in a direction.

Brian nodded."Aye, lass. I agree."

Grace started walking where Jennifer was pointing."Fair enough. Come on. Let's get moving while there's still daylight. We have a few hours. Best we head off quickly before Titania realises we are gone. She won't be happy."

Jason snorted."That's an understatement."

"Wait!" said Daniel. "Where are we going?"

Grace turned her dark eyes on him."To go speak to my mother."

* * *

Their journey was swift. Grace kept pressing them to move faster and only relented their pace when the landscape had quickly changed from a thick forest to fields, to rocky hills.

Daniel's eyes were now locked on the massive mountains rising high into the sky ahead of them. The tops were covered in thick snow and ice and clouds obscured some of the peaks.

All attempts by the party to get Grace to tell them what to expect was met with stoney silence. Brian had pulled the others aside and told them to leave off on Grace. Daniel kept a close eye on Grace and could now see her worry lines. They travelled in silence.

Two weeks later found them standing before a cliff face. Scraggy bushes and plants clung to the rock and eked out a semblance of life. Daniel saw the frowns on his girl's faces.

"What now?" asked Daniel, watching Jasminecrouching beside a plant that seemed dead to him already.

Grace pulled out a gold key from somewhere and held it up."We go in."

"What are we going into?" asked Daniel when itappeared Grace was not going to say anything more.

"The Unseelie Court," muttered Grace.

She stepped up to the cliff face and like she had done to escape the Light fae, she pushed the key into the rock and twisted it.

An open doorway materialised in an instant. Beyond the opening was pure darkness. Daniel felt an unease flow through him, and his hands reached out and found the hands of Amy and Amber. They squeezed his hands tightly.

"Daniel?" murmured Amy, stepping closer tohim.

"It will be fine, Amy," responded Daniel,although he didn't believe his own words.

Jennifer stood beside Grace and looked inside. "This is the Night fae realm?" she asked.

Grace nodded and then looked over at Jasmine. "Stop that. Death is the natural cycle here. Yourefforts are wasted here.”

Daniel looked over at Jasmine and saw that the plant she had trying to nurture looked no better than before.

Jasmine looked up at Grace and they all saw the tears in her eyes."It's in pain! Can you not feel it?"

Grace frowned and then huffed."I've told you before. The Night fae guide life to death. You have to accept that. Inside the Night fae realm you will see much more suffering than one sorry plant. You need to steel yourselves."

Jennifer scowled."It is not that easy for humans, Grace. You know that. We embrace life."

Grace raised an eyebrow at Jennifer. "Your god Syn understands what I am saying. So should you. Life and death are the world of humans. Your lives are brief sparks but like all life, death awaits."

Brian joined Jennifer, with Brian close behind him."The same is true for all creatures who inhabit this world, Grace. I would think the Night fae, who long for the light and life, would better understand that all life fights to survive, no matter the cost."

Grace was about to say something more when a tall figure, easily seven feet tall, stepped through

the opening in the clif f face. His skin was as white as alabaster. His clothes and hair so dark it seemed no light escaped them. Grace took a surprised step backward.

"Ah, Grace. So, you return,"said the haughtyfigure. His black eyes scanned them all."And I see you brought pets. How quaint."

Grace growled and Daniel stepped toward her. Grace looked up at the Night fae."Pwyll de Dyfed," she hissed.

"Daughter," replied Pwyll.

"I'm not your daughter."

Pwyll sniffed and turned back to the opening. "Come along. All of you, I suppose. Grace, yourmother is waiting for you. Don't delay."He stepped through the opening and disappeared into the darkness.

Grace swore but remained standing where she was. Everyone looked at her. She practically vibrated with rage.

Not knowing why he did it, Daniel moved

quickly to her side and held her. She fought him, but Daniel held her firm until she stopped resisting.

"Whatever happens in there, you have us besideyou, Grace. You are not alone. You are never alone now," he whispered into her ear.

She nodded her head into his chest and held him a moment. When she tilted her head back to speak, her mouth was met by his and they kissed.

In a moment, Jasmine joined them, followed by Amy and then Amber. They stood like that for a long moment until Grace growled again. They broke apart and found Brian, Jennifer, Jason, and Bitty looking worried beside them.

Grace sighed."Come on. We need to get this unpleasantness behind us as quickly as we can. Follow me closely. Amy, or Amber, give yourself a light. The darkness inside the realm is absolute. Do not stray. Do not respond to anything you hear, smell, or see, no matter what it is. The Night fae realm is not for mortals. It will consume you and bring you to an early death. It's all it wants. It's all it ever wants. Do

you understand?"

They hesitated and then they all nodded. Jasmine looked frightened.

"Grace!You're scaring Jasmine!" complainedAmy.

Grace shot her a look."Good. I'm not joking around. Stay close. Stay with me. Do not stray."

Amber created a ball of light and floated it above them.

Grace looked at Jason."Take the rear."

Jason grinned and Grace rolled her eyes.

Grace walked into the opening, disappearing like she had submerged in a dark viscous oil. Daniel grabbed Jasmine's hand with his right hand and Amy snagged his left. Amber looked at them and through the bond, Daniel could sense she was wishing he had three hands.

Together they walked into the opening. Passing through it, Daniel felt like he had actually submerged himself in oil. It was unsettling and

it clung to him until he was through. Amber's light barely seemed to pierce the darkness and he could feel her struggling to hold it through the bond. He sent power to her, and the light flared and expanded. Amber shot him a grateful look.

Daniel looked around the tunnel they found themselves in, just as Jason came through. Grace turned her key and the opening disappeared in an instant turning into a rough cave wall. The floor and walls were uneven and looked natural. It was pure black granite and already Daniel could feel a cold seeping into his bones. He shuddered.

A few paces in front of him, Jennifer raised a hand and muttered a prayer he couldn't hear. A warmth burst from her and enveloped everyone, banishing the worst of the cold.

"Thank you, Jennifer," gasped Amy.

"Syn's pleasure," replied Jennifer, her hand onher sword hilt.

Jason started to draw his sword, but Grace stopped him."No weapons. It invites death. Do

not fight in here.”

Brian gawked at her."Lass, it feels like death in here. Surely, we can defend ourselves?"

Grace shook her head."You would lose. Weapons are the tools of death. Even carrying weapons invites that which we would best avoid. I trust my mother has opened the way to us. We should be safe."

"Should be?" asked Daniel.

Grace smirked at him."Should be."

Daniel sighed. "Okay. We trust you, Grace. And we love you. Lead the way."

Grace blinked and looked quickly away."Follow close. Your light should keep anything that defies my mother away. We should hurry."

They set off down the long tunnel. It wound and twisted. At times it rose steeply and in other areas it dropped quickly. Daniel was starting to hear soft scraping noises all around them, but whenever he looked toward a sound, nothing was ever there.

A profound sense of doom started to settle on them. When Daniel asked about it, Grace merely nodded and said nothing.

After an hour, Daniel felt the need to speak. The silence was making everything worse.