Barnaby’s eyes widened. “Summon? Like… bring them here?”
“Yes,” Mandy said. “But if we do, Erin and I can’t be seen. If they realise, I’m here, it could expose both of us. Dark and light fairies don’t forget debts, and I’ve run from mine long enough.”
She turned to Erin. “Come on, love. Let’s prepare.”
They stepped out into the garden, the night air cool and still. Lucy and the others followed at a distance, watching as the two of them knelt on a patch of bare ground near the edge of the trees.
“Stay back,” Mandy warned softly.
Erin raised her tiny hands, her face set in concentration. She began to move them in slow circles, and the ground trembled. A vine sprouted upward, twisting and coiling until it formed a perfect spiral. In the centre, a single flower bloomed, large, purple, bell-shaped, and shimmering faintly in the moonlight.
Erin turned to her mother with a proud smile.
Mandy nodded approvingly, then looked toward Lucy. “When you’re ready,” she said, “stand before it and speak these words:
‘Ancient light, I call to thee,
Come forth and set what’s bound now free.’
“Once you do, wait. They will come. Erin and I will stay hidden until they leave. I'll feel their arrival through our bond, and when it’s over, I’ll return.”
Lucy swallowed hard and nodded. “Understood.”
They gave it half an hour so that Mandy and Erin could get enough distance before chanting into the flower. The house fell quiet except for the faint hum of the flower glowing outside. Everyone took turns watching it, even though deep down they knew it wouldn’t do anything until the right moment.
Then. Three sharp knocks broke the silence.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Everyone froze.
Corey looked up from his seat with a crooked smile. “That can’t be them… can it?”
Barnaby snorted nervously. “Well, it’s not the pizza guy.”
Lucy gave him a look before walking slowly to the front door. She opened it carefully—and stopped breathing.
A man stood there, easily seven feet tall, his presence filling the doorway. His skin glowed faintly under the porch light, smooth and flawless. His long blue-black hair fell to his waist, and his eyes, dark as obsidian they seemed to see straight through her.
He smiled, and even Mary, watching from the stairs, seemed momentarily lost.
“Good evening,” the stranger said in a deep, melodic voice. “Someone called for help.”
Lucy stepped aside. “Please… come in.”
He inclined his head politely, stepping past her. “Then tell me, child of both sun and shadow—how may I be of service?”
Mary, unable to help herself, took a step forward. “I have many tasks you could assist with,” she murmured, half-teasing, half-dazed.
“Mary,” Corey hissed, pulling her back.
The stranger’s grin widened slightly.
Lucy cleared her throat. “Mind her, she’s harmless. Mostly.”
He chuckled softly, his gaze drifting toward the flickering glow still visible through the window. “If you think she's harmless,then more fool you. This is not the reason why I'm here though is it?”
Lucy led the stranger through the hallway, the others followed at a cautious distance, their footsteps soft against the marble floor.
