Cy...Cy...where do you keep running off to?" It was a voice long forgotten, folded into the shadows of time from the darkest recesses of her mine.

She was a little girl again as she ran into the arms of a woman in the green dress. "Grandma!" She hugged the beautiful woman tightly, not wondering why the woman had never aged.

"Oh Cybelline." The woman sighed and kissed the top of the little girl's head, "We tried so hard to keep you from that world." She sighed, "You must be careful, guard your heart well, for nothing is as it seems." With that, the woman began to fade. The little girl snatched for the air, desperate to keep her grandmother but it was all in vain. Soon, everything faded...

Cybelline blinked and opened her eyes again. Above her were a few familiar faces. She sat up and looked around.

She was back in the land of the ring. Except it was much bigger now, the little pond was a lake of crystal clear water. Her sick little tree was a sapling. The little acre of farmland was now a hundred acres. And there were trees at the edge of the space, tall trees that looked hundreds of years old.

She blinked as she sat that the far borders of the land was the familiar fog, except, while it was still dense, was it a little less opaque.

"You're alive!" The fox jumped up in joy. Cybeline coughed, "How long have I been out?"

"A day?" Berin said, "I got hungry eight times" Ceric thought for a moment, "Berin gets hungry every three hours." Cybelline looked at Berin, who embarrassed, sold the rest of his brothers out, "Isthan and Ryion eat even more than I do!"

Cybelline smiled.

"Did you find a way to help them?" A voice asked, Ryion stood there his hands linked tightly together. The boys all looked serious at this question.

Cybelline looked at the new bracelet on her arm, "I might have. I think this at least gives me a way to control my powers."

"You are right."

They heard a voice behind them and turned to look. A lady who seemed nearly invisible stood in front of him, she was more smoke than flesh, her opaque body shimmering and disappearing as she spoke.

"You are a child of many surprises. It has been ages since I have been able to step out of the tower." Her voice was clearer now, though still barely above a whisper. She was stunningly beautiful...there was something about her that was also a little familiar.

Cybelline stood up, "You're the tower spirit, Ophea right?"

The lady looked at her and smiled, "Yes. I see you are wearing the bracelet. Take good care of it. It once belonged to Queen Titania. It will help hide your powers in the outside world. There are many stones for you to find."

"We can go out and find help!" Ryion grinned happily, it was the first piece of good news he'd heard in days.

Ophea looked at the coffin her eyes widening when she saw the bloody figures inside, she turned to Cybelline, "You are trying to save them? But only one of them is a pure blood fae."

"You have something against human and fae families?" Ceric asked, his brow furrowed.

Ophea looked at him too, "We do not traditionally mix the two, little halfling." Ceric blushed but glared at the woman. There was something in her tone that made him uncomfortable but he didn't know what it was.

Ophea looked at Cybelline once more, "Perhaps the man and woman can still be saved. But the child is too far gone for the skills of human mages." She looked at Cybelline, "But I can help."

Cybelline studied the woman for a long moment, "That's very nice of you. And you have done a lot for me." She smiled, "But I'm guessing you want something from me."

Ophea nodded seriously, "In return for helping you to save this family, I ask that you help save my people and keep my ...our greatest secret."

"Where is your family?" Cybelline asked. Ophea smiled, "When we lost the war against the humans and our Queen had died, we knew that without the source, our people would die out within a few hundred years. We could not defeat the Lady of Light, she was as powerful as our Queen. So we saved those that we could with the strongest magic we had. We First Blood were greatly weakened by the spell."

Ophea raised a hand, and a book flew out of the tall tower and into the air in front of her. "What the Lady of Light did not know was that when she locked me in the tower, I found the best place to hide my people. But their mages wiped the memory from my mind, when they could not get it out of me. But now, I remember."

The book opened to reveal a rose with a tightly closed bud, it was half bent on itself, its bud almost touching the book, "I hid my people in these flowers and these flowers in the books."

"And who did you save?" Cybelline asked quietly. Ophea looked at the barely alive bud, "I am the lady of the Fire Fae, I saved my court. My soldiers" She smiled sadly, "I was able to save some of the people in the city, but alas, not enough."

"They were not as important?" Cybelline asked gently. Ophea nodded.

Silence followed, Ophea did not know what she had said wrong.

Ophea pointed to the flower, "These flowers produce healing properties, if I planted them around the coffins, the gentle magic will heal your family."

"And Miri? the child?" Ryion asked her brows furrowed, Ophea smiled, "I will save her too, she is a little halfing, I will make her a flower bud from my own blood, with my blood she will heal." She smiled apologetically, "It will take time, but she will be fine."

"Once the flower blooms, the fae inside it will awaken." Ophea said her voice filled with quiet excitement, "If you let me borrow some of your power, I can wake them all in a few years."

Then, she knelt in front of Cybelline, "You are the future I have dreamed but never dared to hope. When Titania died, i thought that our people would die as well. The Dark Fae chosen to follow the Shadow Prince, our very own brothers and sisters of the Night Court had turned against us. The First Blood had been killed, it has been so many years that I had wished for death, so that the secret died with me. But you, you can save us all. In this land of yours, you can give my people a home."

There was fire in her eyes, "You can avenge the deaths of the fae who have perished in the hands of the Lady of Light. This is what I ask of you, to let me borrow your magic to awaken my people." She looked up at Cybelline, "I will help guide you, create an army for you, and you will be the next Queen of the Fae.Or the world of that is your wish."

Cybelline reached out her hand as if to offer it to Ophea and then paused.

Cybelline looked at the woman, "Kneeling really doesn't suit you or anyone in your family for that matter. Get up." She suddenly remembered why Ophea looked familiar.

Ophea looked shocked, "You haven't agreed. You won't save my...your people? You are fae too, don't you care about them?"

"Back up." Cybelline frowned, "I didn't make all of these messes, but you're trying to guilt me into cleaning them?" She looked at Ophea, "Tell me, the war between humans and fae. Who started it?"

Ophea bit her lip, "The humans...a woman named Kyria. She went mad one day and killed the king of her country. She took power and declared war on all fae. She was a horrible creature, jealous of the fae power and so very evil."

"She just declared war on you?" Cybelline frowned, Ophea nodded her head, "She attacked, unprovoked. And from then on, our race has been condemned to hell."

Cybelline studied her face, "You know, if you didn't remind me so much of someone. Especially the expression you're making now, I would have totally fallen for it. But, luckily, I remembered that expression and how much I've wanted to punch the face making it."

Ophea blinked, "What do you mean?"

"A long time ago, another woman wore the same expression you did to get what she wanted from an idiot. Granted she was pretty good at it too." Cybelline said, "But I digress. The point I'm making is that, I am certain you are not telling me the truth. The humans didn't start the war, did they?"

Ophea looked shocked. Cybelline smiled, "Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that Kyria's got enough issues to fill up a library. But the same trick shouldn't be played twice, especially when I have a low tolerance for liars."

"Who are you talking about?" Ophea asked.

Cybelline scanned Ophea, "Her name was Nura.

Ophea took a step back, "How did you know of that name?" Cybelline looked at the fae with a cool look, "You're Nura's sister, aren't you?" Ophea's mouth opened wide in shock.

Cybelline continued, "Let me guess. The Human and Fae war probably didn't start until you heard that Nura was taken prisoner. You probably did something incredibly stupid and that allowed Kyria to invade the Fae lands." She looked down at the woman, "Not a lot of people know what you did, do they?"

Ophea stood up, "You surprised me once again, child."

Cybelline shrugged, "You really had me for a while. Being that you were so pitiful in the tower. And I'm sure that you have had enough of whatever torture you put them through. But it didn't make sense. Why not just kill you and take your power? After all, isn't that what they did with all powerful fae?" She looked at Ophea, "You did something so terrible that they imprisoned you and tortured you to make you suffer. If I am correct, you don't want my power to waken your people, you want my power for yourself."

Ophea sighed, "You know, you did everything I never expected you to." She smiled, "But that will make you a great ally. It's true, I wanted a little help from you, after all, I did help save your life. And I am offering you untold power."

Cybelline smiled, "I don't make deals with people who use other lives as bargaining chips. Besides, you've been using me all along. Getting me to take the books, I'm sure that burning the books would have broken the curse as well. I tend to take the more complicated routes." She gestured around herself.

Ophea shrugged, "No matter, I wanted to know what they took from me." She looked at her hands, "I really did want to die, I could not remember what they took from me and all those years of suffering." She shuddered but then looked at Cybelline lovingly, "But when you came along I had hope again. And I can help you, even if you don't want to share power with me."

She raised her hands, and thousands of books flew out of the tower. Within them, red flowers rushed to circle Ophea. She took one and crushed it, the soul within the flower screamed as their power flowed to Ophea. She gasped as the raw power entered her veins, and she grew more visible. A second flower, third, fourth was crushed in her hands.

The fox growled, "Ophea! You would kill your own people? You are a First Blood! Your duty are your people!" He looked at Cybelline, "She's a monster!"

"Yes. That much is clear." Cybelline said, frowning.

"These are only the city folk and villagers." Ophea said carelessly, "I only need my soldiers and my court."

Cybelline sighed, "This world needs therapists, a codified legal system, and an insane asylum. Many insane asylums. "

She looked at the crazy tower spirit, "Did you really think I wouldn't stop you right now?"

Ophea frowned, "What does it matter to you? If you let me do as I please I will become powerful enough to save your family." She grinned, "Isn't that all you cared about?"

Cybelline raised her hand and in it appeared a bow made of fire, "I don't condone murder. Nor am I comfortable with rescuing a crazy lady hellbent on destroying the world. My dream is to buy a farm, raise some ducks. And perhaps even some children." She drew an arrow, "Drop the flower."

Ophea raised her eyebrow, the thousand roses flew into the air to form a wall in front of her. She waved her hand and the boys flew into the air in front of the roses. They fought agasimt the Faye's hold. Ophea shrugges, "Shoot me and they all die. If you kill me, who will teach you how to find the rest of the fae that the First Blood had hidden?"

A flower few in front of Cybelline, Ophea changed her tone, trying a new tactic, "Try it, crush the flower, if you do, you will become even more powerful. You will never have to fear anyone ever again. If you will not share power with me, I will with you, as a good will gesture. Let us become sisters. Let us find the hidden Fae and take their power."

"No thanks, your sister was delusional. And you clearly are next level."

"I can make you a queen." Ophea offered, "I can make you even greater than Titania. You can be a god with my knowledge and all this power. A goddess in a world of ants."

Cybelline rolled her eyes, "Do you know why you and your sister lost all those years ago?"

Ophea's face when pale, "Why?"

"You were too busy daydreaming about power, choosing fantasies and imagining yourselves in the center of it all."

Cybelline's voice was light and distant, "Not only do you and your sister lack imagination. You have forgotten that while you dream, danger is always behind you."

She took the shot, but instead of flying at the wall it disappeared as it was fired from the arrow.

ARGH! Ophea cried as the arrow struck her in the back. The flowers dropped from the ground, "You...you..."

"Sometime long ago, the world went wrong." Cybelline said as she walked over, knelt by the dying woman, "You all started killing each other and now my family and I have to live in this messed up place. I'm tired of being chased, beaten, prodded and manipulated. So, if anyone gets in my way." Her eyes turned icy, "They will end up like you."

Cybelline touched the woman's forehead, Ophea didn't even have time to scream as she turned to ash instantly. Where her heart was, a red gem lay.

The boys ran over, "Cybelline what do we do now?" They looked at the mountains of flowers that contained fire far.

The fox sniffed the flowers, "These flowers do smell of magic, perhaps the crazy lady wasn't lying about their healing properties."

"Is there any harm in trying?" Cybelline wanted to know. The fox shook his head, "No, it will help them heal."

Cybelline plucked the gem from the ashes, with her power, she transformed it into a giant bright, beautiful rose, its petals were blood red crystal. She walked over to one of the hills and planted the flower on the hill. She willed it to grow bigger until it was as tall as a human man. It's petals waved as if bloomed.

With her power, she moved the thousands of flower until they were all planted on the hill. The two crystal coffins lay in the midst of the flowers. Taking a tiny bit of her power, she fed it into the ground beneath the blooming plants.

Instantly, the grey stems grew a little greener, the flower bulb looked a little brighter. This was the true use of the source, to feed the fae magic and to give life. Cybelline felt power flow in her body the right way. For the first time, the magic seemed happy to listen to her.

Gently Cybelline moved Miri out of the coffin and laid her in the giant flower created from Ophea's blood. The bloom closed around the girl until it was a bulb once more. Cybelline hoped she had done the right thing.

With a sigh, Cybelline looked at the hill of fire red flowers and shrugged, "Now we find a gardner. And some lost fae."