Serial Saturday: "Fairies Under Glass" Part FINAL

Part 28

"One Last Encounter"

Lewis had only spent a few hours asleep when the ringing of Ashwyn's voice awakened him.

"Lewis!" She chimed, swirling around his face with her glowing wings. "It's time! The portal is opening, and once it's fully open, we must hurry to go through it before it closes again!"

The mere mention of it jogged the young man into action. He threw off his covers and scrambled for some clothes to wear instead of his pajamas. Once he was fully dressed, he opened the window and, supported by the fairies, climbed out of it to land on the grass.

The sky was just barely changing to pale purple on the horizon, so it was far earlier in the morning than he'd hoped, but at the same time the wee hour worked well for sneaking out without drawing too much attention. Behind him, Little Folk poured out of the window, the fairies taking to the sky while the elves scampered down to the ground like a trail of large ants.

Queen Evalia drifted forward and came to land on Lewis' shoulder. "Everyone's here," she informed him. "Let's go join the others."

Lewis headed for the bus stop, timing his arrival precisely. He stepped off the bus and entered the public park where Rawlings Point was located. His eyes scanned the top of the tree line for any sign of Lisa's massive silhouette, but there was no sign of her.

Beside him, Ashwyn delivered the latest update, "The portal is about halfway open by now. It will be fully open when the sun reaches its highest point."

Halfway open, and still no sign of his friends. Lewis reached the base of the outcropping, wondering why at least Gathlen hadn't come out to greet them. Had Krasimir beat him to the meeting spot? How did he know where it was?

A screech split the early-morning air, but it wasn't Kharrie's cry. Lewis looked up to see a black winged shape soar through the pink-clouded sky. The Chain around his neck alerted him to danger, and he realized he was looking at a huge vampire bat nearly the same size as a gryphon, with Krasimir Schlimme upon its back. The vile man wore his self-made Phantasmagyth around his neck, and by the rumbling sounds he heard, Lewis ascertained that a whole horde of Underworlders were charging through the forest toward him.

"It's a trap!" he yelled, sending the cloud of glowing fairies dispersing in all directions. They formed a sparkling protective barrier around their human guardian, attacking and repelling any ogre, goblin, or troll who tried to take a swipe at Lewis.

Meanwhile, Krasimir Schlimme taunted him from a tree branch overlooking the skirmish.

"So nice of you to come, Lewis," he chortled. "How commendable is your commitment to ze Feenvolk, zat you vould not even kvestion how a giant might be able to leafe you a note saying they'd succeeded in only a day, vhat you could not manage in a whole veek!" He cackled and raised his hands, and immediately all the Underworlders bellowed along with him. "But zey failed, and now you are here, vis only ze tiny fairies to defend you, just ripe for my clutches!" He willed the vampire bat off the branch and headed straight for Lewis.

The young man cringed, waiting for those savage claws to rip him apart--but instead of claws he felt a smooth, muscular shape jostle him, and a powerful whinny accompanied by a flash of red light. Lewis gasped as Gathlen stood in the middle of the throng, fending off the Underworlders with his silver hooves and jagged red horn. 

A howl rang through the early-morning air, and Adolf jumped into the fray, along with a few other werewolves. They lunged for Gathlen, surrounding him as the goblins and ogres backed off. Gathlen reared and let out a furious bellow, and with a cracking sound, Lisa rose out of the trees. Kharrie followed close behind, swooping in with talons and claws bared. 

Lewis scrambled backwards to get away from the werewolves, while one of them tried to jump on Gathlen's back. The unicorn bucked, flinging the werewolf into a nearby tree, and his powerful silver hooves stamped dangerously around the crouching wolves. He twisted and turned, giving no quarter and injuring several werewolves. Adolf rose up on his hind legs and tried to sink his teeth into Gathlen's neck, but the unicorn twisted his head and ducked, stabbing his horn into Adolf's unprotected flank. The werewolf snarled in pain.

Lisa started swatting aside great piles of goblins and ogres, while Kharrie bounded toward Lewis and allowed him to grab her ruff and swing himself onto her back. An enterprising goblin tried to attack Lewis with a rapier, but he caught the creature around the wrist, and Kharrie reached around with her beak to nip at its body. The goblin let go with a scream, leaving the rapier in Lewis' hand as Kharrie took to the skies. 

Huge trolls trudged in, trying to hem the battle in place with felled trees, but Lisa swept them aside as quickly as they could gather, smashing goblins like little beetles under her hands and feet.

Kharrie circled like she wanted to carry Lewis away to safety, but he tugged her ruff to direct her toward the vampire bat.

"We've got to get that Gyth off his chain!" he said.

Kharrie screeched and veered toward the creature, talons outstretched.

Krasimir raised the sword in his own hand, laughing at Lewis' feeble attempts to gain an advantage.
"Don't you see I am vinning zis battle?" he crowed. "Ze swords my army carries are poisoned vis ze venim nectar--just vonne touch and your fairy friends are infected!"

Lewis chanced a glance downward, and saw that it was true--he couldn't see as many twinkling lights flying around as he could before.

"No!" he gasped, and in that moment of distraction, the vampire bat struck. It flew very close to Kharrie, its claws nearly reaching Lewis, if the gryphon hadn't twisted away at the same moment. Lewis clung tight as Kharrie executed some intricate evasive maneuvers, twirling and tumbling through the air to try and shake off the persistent vampire bat.

"Don't bozzer trying to run, Lewis," Krasimir growled, brandishing his sword, "you vill not escape me zis time!" Just when he nearly reached Lewis, Kharrie launched straight upward and flipped upside-down. Lewis saw his head nearly touching Krasimir's, and he reached out his hand toward the man's chest. He felt something cold and hard, and he grabbed it as tightly as he could.

"Nein!" Krasimir yelled, and both the vampire bat and Kharrie screamed at the same time. 

Lewis didn't let go of the thing in his hand, but that meant that the vampire bat and the gryphon were in close quarters--close enough for the bat to sink its fangs into Kharrie's flank. Lewis felt her whole body shudder, and she began spiraling toward the ground. The grip of his knees slipped with the force of her fall, but he gripped the Chain at his neck and fought to bring his two hands close together. 

Krasimir had ceased shouting and was now actively choking, until finally Lewis felt something snap, and the hand holding the Gyth suddenly bore much less resistance. He held it against the Chain around his neck, and at once, the familiar magnetic pull brought the two pieces together. Kharrie stopped falling and flexed her wings in a burst of renewed strength, while every infected fairy rose up to rejoin the fray.

"Quick, Kharrie," Lewis instructed his mount, "we've got to find--"

Lewis didn't finish what he was saying before a savage pain lanced through his back, knocking him off Kharrie's back and into the open air, right into the clutches of the vampire bat just behind him. The beast grabbed him by the shoulders, hauling him into the air.

"Nein, du feindlich kind!" Krasimir screamed in German. "You vill gif me ze Gyth, or you vill die!"

Lewis winced at the pain he was experiencing, but he was too far away from anyone to receive help. He worked his grip on the rapier in his hand, aiming the point toward the round black body above him. It screamed and raked its claws down his back, throwing him up in the air where Krasimir reached out and grabbed his collar.

Lewis was too disoriented by the height to realize what the man was doing until he felt his grasp on the Phantasmagyth.

"Zis is mine!" Krasimir fumed.

Lewis saw Kharrie swoop in underneath him and tried to push away from Krasimir to grab onto her back, only to feel a small tug as he did so, and the empty Chain settle against his collarbone. The feeling of power emanating from the Phantasmagyth ended just as suddenly, and Lewis immediately looked up toward Krasimir, but the artist was swearing in German and staring toward the ground. The sunlight glinted off the Gyth as it fell toward the ground.

Both Lewis and Krasimir directed their beasts toward the spot where it landed, Lewis jumping down before Kharrie had touched the ground so he could get it first. Krasimir tried to do the same, allowing the vampire bat and the gryphon to viciously attack each other as the two humans vied for control. 

Krasimir hovered over the Gyth and was about to pick it up when Lewis, in a burst of desperation, tugged the Chain from around his neck and swung it toward the Gyth. It struck Krasimir across the back of the hand and he recoiled with a yelp of pain, while the loose end of the Chain reconnected with the Gyth, and Lewis could pull it back to himself and reconnect the Chain around his neck.

Krasimir raised his sword, but Lewis worked the tip of his rapier around and pierced the artist's wrist. The sword clattered to the ground as Krasimir's arm flopped limply to his side. Angrily, he reached toward Lewis with his other hand, but the young man pricked that arm with the rapier and it had the same effect. Try as he might, Krasimir couldn't touch Lewis. He tried kicking at him with his legs, but Lewis simply stepped back. He responded to the surge of power rushing through him from the Phantasmagyth and commanded, "STOP!"

Everything stilled in an instant. The Underworlders and Phantasmians alike froze in place.

Whoever holds the Phantasmagyth will have power over all living creatures of this world and the other, Lewis remembered Gathlen saying something like that. Then he recalled what Queen Evalia had said to him: Until we return to Phantasm, you are its Guardian...

"The fighting ends now," he announced to the crowd of creatures in front of him. "All you Underworlders, surrender to the Phantasmians!"

At once, every Underworlder threw down their sword, allowing the little folk to swarm over them and bind their hands. Lisa helped restrain the trolls, and as things calmed down Lewis saw Adolf taken prisoner. He scanned the battlefield. "Where is Gathlen?"

"Here I am!" called the strong voice, and the milky-white unicorn stepped into view.

Lewis removed the Phantasmagyth and held it out. "I believe this belongs to you, sir," he said.

Gathlen dipped his head to receive the gem, and it began to glow brighter than ever.

"The portal is opening!" Ashwyn's voice piped up from somewhere yonder.

The unicorn sauntered deeper into the forest, until he came to a very thick tree. Lewis watched him touch the tree with his horn, and a burst of energy coursed down the ruby-red channel and surrounded the trunk. It split right down the middle, and in the space between the sides of the trunk, a rippling view of another world could be seen.

"Phantasm!" Queen Evalia's voice resounded near him.

Lewis smiled at the Fairy Queen. "Go ahead," he said, "you and your kin have been waiting long enough."

With a cacophony that sounded like a chorus of sleigh bells, the Little Folk surged through the portal.

Once they were through, Gathlen announced, "The next ones through will be all the Underworlders. It is high time you returned from whence you came as well."

Kharrie and Lisa herded the prisoners through the portal, and Lewis watched as the moment they touched the soil of Phantasm, a great chasm opened up and dropped them all into the caves and underground passages where they belonged.

Kharrie only hesitated a little, turning to Lewis and bopping him with her head as she approached the portal. He stroked the top of her head, and she immediately stretched out her neck to allow him to wrap his arms around her in a hug. She gave a happy squawk, bounded through the portal, and was gone.

Lisa put her hand flat on the ground to lift Lewis up before her face, where great tears swelled in her eyes and dripped down her cheeks.

"You're the most amazing human I've ever met," she said softly. "I hope someday I can visit your world again and see more of it."

Lewis hugged her thumb and said, "If I ever get the chance to visit Phantasm, I hope we find each other and you can show me all the wonderful things your world has to offer, as well."

Lisa smiled in spite of her tears, and set Lewis back on the ground. The portal expanded to admit her stature, and she crawled through.

Now there were just three figures standing in front of the portal: Lewis, Gathlen, and the partially-paralyzed Krasimir. Gathlen nodded to Lewis. "You have done well, young human," he said. "I did not think this world could--Look out!"

Lewis was too focused on Gathlen's words to realize what was happening, but as the unicorn broke off with the warning, he turned his head to see Krasimir raising a knife sandwiched between his useless hands, aimed straight at Lewis' back! Lewis grabbed the rapier from beside him on the ground and aimed for Krasimir's left knee. It crumpled, and the knife fell from the former artist's grasp as he collapsed onto the ground.

Lewis turned back to Gathlen. "Thank you for the warning."

The unicorn nodded. "Once the Phantasmagyth passes through the portal, the effect of the venim should start to wear off. I recommend using some of the nets and ropes discarded by the Underworlders to bind him before he can attack you again."

"I will do that," said Lewis.

"Also," Gathlen continued, "speaking of the Phantasmagyth, bring me the false chain."

Lewis walked over to Krasimir, who did not even attempt to resist as Lewis lifted the chain from around his neck.

Gathlen directed him to place the chain upon a rock, and with his silver hooves the unicorn smashed the chain until not a single link remained intact. "Take up the pieces and toss them through the portal," he said.

Lewis swept every bit of that destroyed chain into his hand and flung it through the gap inside the tree. He could see it sparkle as it fell.

"No more will a human have dominion over Phantasm," said Gathlen, "but that does not mean we will continue to live as we were, in ignorance of humans. It has been an honor to know you and join you in defending your world, Lewis Grant. Tales of your courage and forthrightness will be spoken throughout Phantasm for many generations to come. We will not forget you."

Lewis felt his face flush, and he ducked his head. "Thanks; I feel the same about you," he mumbled.

Gathlen tossed his head. "It is time for me to leave. Once I have passed through the portal, it will close, and the connection between our world and yours will be severed." He bent his head over the Phantasmagyth, and Lewis heard a sharp clicking sound. When Gathlen raised his head again, something glinted between his teeth: a single link of the Phantasmagyth Chain. He dropped it into Lewis' hand and said, "In honor of your nobleness while you served as a temporary Guardian of the Phantasmagyth, I will allow you to keep this token of our gratitude."

Lewis grasped the smooth metal. Tears began to itch behind his eyes. The most amazing year of his life was coming to a close.

Gathlen turned toward the portal, looking back at Lewis one last time. "Farewell, Lewis Grant."
"Farewell, Gathlen," Lewis responded.

The unicorn entered the portal into Phantasm, and at once the tree began to fold back together, until the light of the portal died, and all that was left of the final confrontation was a torn-up clearing, a paralyzed gentleman, and Lewis.

He sighed and trudged over to the nearest bit of rope he could find. He wasn't that good at tying knots, but he figured he didn't really have much to worry about, now that Krasimir's access to Phantasm was cut off. He tied Krasimir's wrists together and propped him up against the tree.

The man began to blubber shamelessly. "You vill not leaf me here, ja? Vat vill I do, now zat my most important verk has been destroyed?"

Lewis stood back and stared at the man. "You're going to have a lot to answer for, both the damage to the house you were renting, and the fact that you can't keep up the Phantasmenagerie anymore. Once the paralytic wears off, you are free to try and escape the rope and contact anybody to help you go back to wherever you lived before you came to America, but I'm going to tell the security office at Browning Academy that you were the one who attacked my dorm, so you'd better not show your face around there ever again."

"But visout my art, I hef no money!" Krasimir complained, squirming against the tree. "How vill I afford transportation back to Germany?"

A small smile played around Lewis' lips. "You could get a job to raise funds for yourself. Try being a janitor somewhere, it's not so bad." He turned and walked back toward the entrance of the public park, leaving Rawlings Point behind.

He walked through the doors of Chester Hall with his stomach rumbling. It was nearly the middle of the day, and he hadn't had anything to eat! He crossed the threshold of the common area, headed for the hallway where his room was located, and somebody called his name.

"Lewis!" Danielle sat on one of the couches, slouched like she'd been waiting there for a while, but she seemed surprised to see Lewis coming from the opposite direction of his room. She stood up and stepped toward him. "Where were you? Did you go somewhere for breakfast? Or..." she glanced up and down, "a really intense hike or something?"

Lewis looked down. His shirt was ripped, stained, and rumpled, and he did have streaks and grass stains on his pants. His hair felt like it probably looked like a mess as well. "Well, um, I kinda... Yeah, I guess I went for a walk or a hike or something." His jaw tightened as he felt his cheeks flushing again. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh..." Danielle's face flushed as well. "Um, well, I wanted to come over and invite you to see a movie with me... but if you want to, like, go somewhere to eat first, that would be okay..."

"Yes, I do," Lewis replied quickly. "Just let me change my clothes and freshen up a little and then we can go."
"Sounds good," Danielle sat back down on the couch. "I'll wait here for you."

Lewis scurried to his room, a renewed determination invigorating him. He shed his dirty clothes, tossing the dirty shirt in the hamper.

"Oof!" a tiny clang rang out.

Lewis froze, his eyes scanning the room. His shirt seemed to take on a life of its own, shifting and shaking until a small bead of light rose from the hamper and zipped toward him.

Lewis' breath caught in his throat. "Ashwyn?" he gasped. He put out his hand, and the small fairy in the purple dress dropped into his palm.

"Hi, Lewis," her tiny voice jingled.

He forgot all about getting dressed as he sat on the bed, staring at the sight he never imagined he would ever see again. "Wh-why did... How are--What are you doing here?" he spluttered.

Ashwyn fidgeted with her hands in her lap. "Well, I didn't go through the portal with everyone else," she admitted. "I almost did, but I wanted to stay here with you more than I wanted to go back. I hope that's okay."

Lewis rolled his eyes. "I mean, I'm not angry or anything, it's just... You know that Gathlen said that our worlds are not connected anymore, right? That means that you'll never see Phantasm again, and neither will I."

Ashwyn huffed and crossed her arms. "What about that thing you said to Lisa? About wanting to see Phantasm, or welcoming her back if another portal ever opened?"

Lewis dropped his hand so Ashwyn could fly over to his desk while he donned fresh clothes.
"Oh, good grief, it's not like I will be going around looking for portals like Krasimir did!" he groaned. "Gathlen made it sound pretty permanent, you have to admit." He reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out the Chain link. "He gave me this as a memento, but that's all there is left of the Phantasmagyth. You're basically trapped here forever."

Ashwyn picked up the link, twice as big as a bracelet for her tiny hand. Her wings flickered. "As a matter of fact..." she said slowly, "there is a way for me to go back home anytime I choose."
Lewis frowned. "How?" he asked.

Ashwyn flew into the air with the link, which she dropped in Lewis' hand. He noticed that somehow she'd stretched the metal so that it formed a ring that fit around his little finger. He could wear it rather inconspicuously right on his hand.

"With that," the fairy said. "That little bit of Phantasmian metal still holds the power of the Phantasmagyth, even on a small scale. Humans don't know it, but magical portals happen every day, all over your world. I can sense them, remember? When I've done all I want to do, seen all I want to see, and been everywhere I want to go in your world, I can just sense the arrival of the next portal, and use this link to open it just wide enough for me to go through it."

Lewis sighed and wagged his head. "So... you're staying, huh?"

Ashwyn settled on his shoulder, where he could just make out her satisfied expression. "I'd like to, if you'll let me," she said. "I promise I won't be a bother and I'll stay hidden and I won't make too much trouble!"

Lewis shrugged. "Okay, if you can stay out of sight, I'll let you stay with me." He paused at the doorway. "Speaking of which, I'm about to go on a date with Danielle. Do you mind giving us some space for now?"

"Really?" Ashwyn chimed happily. "Oh, that's wonderful! I'll go exploring today and return when the sun goes down. Have a great time, Lewis!" She zig-zagged toward the window at the back of his room.
Lewis opened it a little ways to let her out, and the little fairy disappeared into the sunshine.

He went out to the common room where Danielle was still waiting for him. She stood as he approached.
"Ready to go?" she asked.

"Ready," Lewis responded, and in that moment he knew that although the adventure of the fairies under glass had come to a close, his next great adventure was just beginning.

THE END

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