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  She looked down and instantly regretted it, her head spinning and her stomach heaving as her legs buckled and she sunk to the ground. Combined with the voice still whispering in her head, Belle had to fight not to empty the contents of her stomach right there and then. Leah and Raff were beside her in seconds.

  She shooed them away with a feeble laugh. “I’m fine. I just made the dumb mistake of looking down.” Holding onto the guard rope, she pulled herself to her feet, willing her rubbery legs to behave and the voice in her head to go away.

  They followed Lyricus into what appeared to be a large meeting hall. The walls were covered in colourful tapestries depicting elves at work, rest and play. Each one was big enough to cover the entire floor of her bedroom. She marvelled at the fine workmanship, wondering how long it must have taken to complete just one.

  Sunlight poured into the room through the glass roof, reflecting off the smooth opaque tiles and lighting up the tapestries, giving the impression the characters were alive. Finely carved wooden chairs were arranged in random groups beneath the tapestries, as if they had only recently been vacated.

  But it was the sight of the old man, sitting regally in the centre of the room, that rendered Belle speechless. She knew he must be the Oracle, from the deference those around him showed. The old man smiled when he saw them in the doorway, his eyes twinkling as they met hers. He beckoned to them to come forward, and Belle found her eyes fixed on the hand exactly the same colour as her own.

  “Welcome to the Forever Forest my friends. Please, come and join me. I received a message from my dear friend, Madame Persimmons, only a short while ago, to say you were on your way. She sent it as soon as you had left the Fey Academy. Please know that you are safe here in my home, well away from prying eyes and ears.” He spoke in a surprisingly strong clear voice. He looked so old and frail; Belle had expected his voice to sound the same.

  The pounding in her head was getting worse, the whispering growing more persistent every minute. It was impossible to concentrate on anything. She needed it to stop, before she went insane!

  “Can you please tell us what’s going on? Who is Serena the Great Elf Mother, and why is her voice in my head?” She burst out in desperation, the stunned looks on everyone’s faces making her wish she’d resisted the urge.

  The Oracle was clearly agitated by this outburst. “What is this? What do you mean her voice is in your head?” To Belle’s relief, Leah squeezed her hand and stepped forward.

  “I’m sorry sir, Belle’s a bit stressed at the moment. You see, we’d only just worked out the voice she’d been hearing in her head was actually coming from this book she always carries with her. And then Lyricus and the others came out of nowhere, and were rabbiting on something about coming in answer to the call. Anyway, I think maybe the voice in Belle’s head, and the voice that sent out this call, both belong to this Serena person. Have you ever seen this book before?” Leah stepped closer and handed the Oracle the book.

  “No. I have never seen this before.” He opened the book and turned a few pages. He looked at them in surprise. “Why are there are no words written on the pages?”

  Belle sighed, and stepped up beside Leah. “I was given the book as a gift over a year ago. There were no words in it then either, I just sort-of kept it as a good luck charm. But it’s never spoken to me before today. In fact, it only started after we entered the forest.”

  The Oracle looked at Belle with understanding dawning in his eyes, and a smile hovered at the edge of his wrinkled mouth. “Aaahh. That would suggest to me that perhaps the book recognises the forest as its home. But how is it you can hear the voice, when no-one else does?”

  Belle shrugged. “Maybe it has something to do with being able to communicate with animals? I only found out a couple of days ago I could do that too.”

  The Oracle stood up from his chair, his old face lighting up with excitement. “Blessings child, this explains why you can hear Serena’s voice! We assumed the Gift had died with her. So it seems you not only have Serena’s book, but also her blood flowing through your veins. Welcome home!”

  Belle’s legs were shaking so badly, she abruptly sat down on the ground. The voice in her head had lost its hysterical tone, and settled back into a gentle whisper. It was almost as if Serena had realised Belle was finally ready to listen. And for the first time, the whispering made sense.

  This is the diary of Serena, Mother Elf of the Forever Forest.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  - Serena -

  Lyricus and a couple of the other elves had placed a large round table in front of the Oracle’s chair, adding some of the chairs from around the walls. Raff and Leah sat on either side of Belle, so they could offer moral support as she relayed the contents of Serena’s diary. Water jugs and fine crystal glasses were placed on the table. Leah poured them each a glass of water, encouraging Belle to have a drink before she started.

  When everyone was sitting quietly, Belle took a deep breath, closed her eyes and started to talk. “Well, my little book is apparently the diary of Serena, the last Mother Elf of the Forever Forest. It appears she began making entries in the diary when she was first appointed as the elven representative to the ruling Council of When. She tells lots of stories about life at court, the parties, the intrigue, stuff like that, but then everything changes.”

  Day 30: One of the Human council members has been found murdered, and all evidence points to one of the Dark Fey.

  Day 32: Dissention within the council has resulted in the expulsion of the suspected Dark Fey members from the council.

  Day 36: War has broken out, the Dark Fey are determined to destroy the races who have snubbed them.

  Belle stopped, and looked at the Oracle in confusion. “I’m sure Madame Persimmons told us the war was between all three worlds. Yet Serena is saying it was the Dark Fey who attacked, and the Humans and Light Fey banded together against them.”

  “Hmmm, that has been the story handed down for generations. But for now, please continue child. I am eager to hear what Serena saw.”

  Belle closed her eyes again. “Wait, she’s talking about the amulet!”

  Day 60: Today I suggested using the amulet against the Dark Fey, in an attempt to end the war. I reminded the Council that it had been forged to protect the people of When. The three pieces, each supplied by a different race, were joined and then infused with the magical ability to locate and destroy those responsible for starting the war. But one of the councillors, an elf named Sardon, dismissed the idea, saying the amulet was useless unless wielded by a representative of each race. The fact we are at war with the Dark Fey made this an impossible task. Thus, my suggestion was dismissed, and the amulet forgotten.

  Day 80: Sardon has come up with a plan to end the war and force the Dark Fey to surrender. One of his spies has located a secret tunnel, which runs under the capital city of the Dark Fey, and comes out on the other side.

  Day 83: Thousands of troops have been sent through the tunnel, and now our troops surround the Dark fey capital city.

  Day 85: The leaders of the Dark Fey have accepted their defeat, and have today surrendered.

  Day 86: Earlier today, I went to Sardon’s room to congratulate him for initiating the Dark Fey’s defeat. I knocked and entered, calling out to him to let him know I was there, thinking he must have been in the adjoining room. When he didn’t answer, I was about to leave when I saw the amulet sitting on his desk, surrounded by tools. I was appalled to discover that the stone from the centre of the dagger had been prised out of its casing. And then I heard Sardon’s voice right outside the door. Not wanting him to know I’d seen the amulet, I slipped behind the desk, and crawled into the space between the chair and the front of the desk just as he entered. Thanks to the intricately carved scrollwork on the front of the desk, I had a limited view of the room. Sardon entered, chuckling and talking to himself.

  “Idiots!” he was muttering “They have no idea what’s going on right under the
ir own noses.”

  He was standing in front of a tall, oval mirror suspended in a free-standing, solid timber frame. I watched in horror as his elven persona melted away to be replaced by an oversized white-furred fox. And then I saw the tails… nine of them! How could this creature take on the persona of another so easily? I knew it had to be a Dark Fey creature.

  And then the puzzle pieces all fell into place. That was why he had talked the council out of using the amulet, because he knew it would reveal his complicity in the crime. It also explained why he was taking the amulet apart, so it could never be used again. I needed to get out of there. I needed to tell the council what was going on. But how am I to know which members of the council are real, and which are these creatures in disguise?

  I don’t know how long I sat squeezed into a ball under the desk. The creature preened itself in front of the mirror, muttering about its cleverness and chuckling to itself. Finally, there was a knock at the door. The creature transformed back into Sardon and answered. His presence was required at an urgent council meeting.

  I waited until I knew they would be long gone before crawling out of the cramped space. My legs were shaking so badly I wasn’t sure I’d be able to walk. I pulled myself into the chair behind the desk, and sat looking at the amulet. I desperately wanted to grab it and run all the way home to the Forever Forest, but I knew I needed to stay and expose Sardon. I have written everything down in this diary, hoping if something happens to me, someone will find it. I must now attend the urgent council meeting.

  Belle looked up with tears in her eyes. “This next entry is her final one.”

  Day 86: I have just returned from the urgent council meeting. The world has gone mad. Sardon has convinced the council to erect veils between the worlds, separating the three races forever. He believes it is the best way to ensure peace, and prevent another war inspired by jealousy and mistrust among the races. The veils will be erected first thing tomorrow morning, by the strongest of the Light Fey and Human Mages. But the worst news of all is about our children. They are to be taken away at birth! All children will be raised together in ‘foster-homes’ run by Guardians. Any unique individual qualities will be bound at birth and until their fourteenth birthday, they will be unaware of their future, or whether they have any Gifts. On their fourteenth birthday, they will be transported to the appropriate world and taught to use any Gifts they might have in a safe and secure environment.

  At least I am going home to the Forever Forest. I will tell the Oracle the truth, and he will know what to do.

  “And that’s it,” Belle said as she opened her eyes. “Did she not come home?”

  The Oracle shook his head sadly. “Legend has it they were all killed in the great battle. This Sardon must have killed them all before they left for home, declaring himself the first Elder Guardian, with no-one alive to oppose him or reveal the truth. Poor Serena, she has waited a long time to tell her story. Thank you, my child.”

  And then he was frowning again. “I have a question if I may? Why did you sound so excited when you spoke of the amulet? Do you know something about it?”

  “Ummm, we know quite a lot about it actually,” Raff chimed in. “In fact, Madame Persimmons thinks we might have two of the missing pieces.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  - The Missing Piece -

  The Oracle sat in stunned silence, looking at them in utter disbelief.

  Raff chuckled. “Yep, that’s about the same look Madame Persimmons gave us when we told her.”

  The Oracle pulled himself together, and leaned forward eagerly. “Do you have these pieces with you?”

  Raff and Leah dug under their shirts, both pulling the leather thongs holding the bags over their heads. They each pulled out their piece, and placed them on the table in front of the Oracle. Raff could have sworn the pieces were glowing even more than the last time he’d seen them. He looked at Leah with raised eyebrows, and could see she’d noticed as well.

  The Oracle’s eyes widened as he looked at the objects in front of him. “Do they always glow like this? I’ve never read anything about them glowing?”

  Raff scratched his head. “They only glow like this when they’re close to another piece. It might be my imagination, but I reckon they’re glowing more than the last time I saw them.” Leah frowned, and nodded in agreement.

  The Oracle chuckled softly. “Perhaps because they can feel the presence of the third piece?”

  The children reacted instinctively.

  “What…?”

  “Where is it?”

  “You mean it’s here?”

  “How did…?”

  The Oracle raised his hand to curb the rush of questions. “Please let me explain.” He smiled at their enthusiasm.

  “A little over a year ago, I heard a rumour about a young dwarf bragging he’d found a blade he claimed was a piece of the missing amulet. I knew the blade was the piece forged by the elves, so was interested to know how it had come into the possession of a young dwarf. I made some unofficial enquiries, and discovered the dwarf had apparently found it in Naissance and brought it with him to Florisia.”

  “I encouraged another rumour to be circulated, about the piece being a fake, because the real amulet piece was safely stored with the elves. I then sent a friend to visit this Rufus fellow, and offer him a large sum of money to purchase the knife. Thinking it worthless, and my friend a fool for not knowing it was a fake, Rufus took the money and handed over the blade. Since then the rumour has been true, the amulet piece is safely stored here in the Forever Forest.”

  Belle frowned at the Oracle. “Raff didn’t mention that I also found a bag the same as theirs. The bag was buried in my backyard, and it was empty when I found it, but… we had a neighbour in Naissance by the name of Rufus. He was two years older than me. He and his foster-brothers were always hanging around our house, waiting for a chance to give me a hard time.”

  “Hmmm, it sounds like the piece had found its way to you, as the other pieces found Leah and Raff, but was intercepted before it reached you.”

  Raff was astounded. “What do you mean the pieces found us? How could they do that?”

  “The amulet was infused with a great deal of magic when it was created. The fact that the pieces glow when they are near each other indicates their desire to be reunited. I have no doubt they would be able to plant suggestions in the mind of the person who possesses them.”

  Leah jumped up in excitement. “Wait! This explains so much! Like when the circlet blocked the old hag, and the way I felt its sadness that night!”

  The Oracle smiled at her. “Ahhh, an Empath I presume?”

  Leah explained to him about their visit to Zolinda. Then she turned to Raff and Belle. “I’d forgotten all about the amulet communicating its feelings to me. So much else happened, I guess I didn’t think it was important. Sorry I didn’t tell you.” She shrugged and sat back down. Raff gave her a thumbs up to let her know it was okay, and Belle rubbed her shoulder.

  “I think it might be time to see what happens when the three pieces of the amulet are reunited.” The Oracle reached into his robe, and handed a small golden key to Lyricus. “Would you please bring the dagger from my room?” Lyricus took the key, bowed, and quickly left the room.

  The Oracle rubbed his chin as he sat deep in thought. “One of the things still puzzling me from Serena’s diary is how did Sardon separate the pieces of the amulet. I am assuming it would have taken at least one member from each of the three races to negate the magic long enough to separate them?”

  Raff was wondering how the whole ‘blood of old’ thing worked. From what he could tell, it was actually having the Gifts associated with this blood that made it so important. Madame Persimmons had said all three of them had rare Gifts, but what if they didn’t have the right ones? And how would they know what the right ones were? Or, what to do with them? He scratched his head, sick of questions that just led to more questions!

  Lyricus r
e-entered the room, carrying a small red cushion, on which sat the winged blade. It emitted a pulsating glow, much like a throbbing heartbeat, and the two other pieces began doing the same. The beats were in perfect sync, and from the look on the faces of Lyricus and the Oracle, Raff assumed this hadn’t happened before.

  Lyricus placed the blade on the table next to the other two pieces, and they all watched and waited to see what would happen. Nobody in the room spoke or breathed, or at least not that Raff could hear, while they waited.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  - The Cave -

  All eyes were glued to the three amulet pieces. Slowly the pulsating grew fainter, and then stopped altogether. The three pieces of the amulet lay on the table next to each other… and nothing happened. Leah didn’t know what she’d expected to happen, but it definitely hadn’t been nothing.

  Although, she should have known it wouldn’t be as simple as the three pieces simply merging back together. They lay on the table, as if their job of finding each other was complete, and now they were waiting. But waiting for what?

  She wanted to scream in frustration. How were they supposed to know what to do next? The look on the Oracle’s face told her he was as bamboozled as the rest of them.

  “Are there any records anywhere, of how the pieces were joined in the first place?” She saw a small flicker of hope spring into the old elf’s eyes.

  “There is supposed to be an underground vault, in a cave behind the waterfall. According to elven legend, it contains records of events throughout elven history. I’m afraid I can’t confirm whether it actually exists, I’ve never heard of anyone needing to go there. Legends say it can only be entered by those who are ‘worthy’, but I have yet to find any record of exactly what makes a person ‘worthy’. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful.”

  Leah nodded absently, her mind racing. If this cave existed, it might be their only hope of finding out how to reassemble the amulet. Raff’s eyes were twinkling, as they always did at the mention of an adventure. And Belle?