Page 41 of Beyond the Faerie Gate

I’m on the shallowest side of the pool, which is barely six inches deep. On the opposite side of the cave is a crevice I assume must be the exit. I crawl towards it on shaking limbs, only to fall face first into the water as I cross some invisible ledge underwater. The bottom of the pool drops away beneath my hands and I face-plant into the glowing liquid before I can recover.

Dragging myself to the surface takes most of what energy I have left. I cling to the hidden ledge with one hand as I scrub water from my eyes with the other.

Great. I guess I have to swim.

My arms and legs feel like lead, but I force them to move. It might be crazy, but I swear the pool can sense how sore I am and does its best to help. My body is unusually buoyant as I splash and struggle to propel myself to the other side. I don’t need to use half as much effort to swim as I usually do.

I’m naked, something which becomes dangerously apparent as I heave myself out of the pool and collapse in a shivering ball on the floor. There are no clothes lying in wait for me. Not even a cloak.

I’m going to freeze.

I’ve never felt as alone as I do now. Huddled in the dark, with my body dripping glowing droplets onto the floor. I hug my legs, bracing myself for what has to come next.

Because I can’t stay here. I can feel the impatient energy of the cave, nudging at my shoulders, trying to force me up. Slowly and surely, the feeling that I need to leave takes over my mind until it’s all I can think of.

I stumble on shaking legs to the narrow opening, look around one last time, hoping for clothes to appear out of nowhere.

They don’t.

The rock scrapes my skin, and the moment I’m outside, I groan as the familiar cramping sensation smacks into me, driving me to my knees. My chest goes tight, and I struggle to breathe as I once again force life back into the land.

The barren rocky ground around me rumbles as it bursts into a lush green carpet. Grass, moss, flowers… the skeletons of shrivelled trees seem to explode outwards with new growth. Soon I’m standing at the point where a sunlit forest meets a rocky bank.

I suck in one lungful of clean air, and then another, trying my best not to black out. When the discomfort finally passes, I realise I’m not alone.

There, waiting for me, are three familiar faces.

“Told you it’d hurt like a bitch,” Maeve says, voice unusually soft with sympathy.

“You could’ve mentioned being naked,” I mumble, glancing behind me, only to find the entrance to the cave has vanished entirely.

Then I collapse into tears.

“Oh, dear heart.” Titania wraps her arms around me in an empty embrace I can’t even feel. “It was always going to be the hardest the first time. You’ll grow stronger from this, I promise. With preparation, it won’t always be so hard or so lonely.”

“I’m fine,” I choke, swiping at my eyes. “I’m good. I’ve got this. Just as soon as I find something to wear and eat, I’ll be back to normal.”

The very fact that I can say that means it’s not a lie, right?

Mab doesn’t seem convinced, but she forces a small smile onto her face. “You remember what I taught you about edible plants.”

It isn’t a question, but I nod. Mab was the reason I was a successful herbalist in my old village. Her knowledge was so vast it dwarfed what my human mother taught me.

“Let’s see what we can find.” I force myself to my feet.

I chose to live, but now I have to survive.

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