Page 104 of Valpar

My fairy godmother snorted. “Ah, it will be fine. You need to live a little. Come on.” She stepped through the boulders like a ghost, and my eyes widened. I touched the boulders with my fingertip to see if I could follow her way out, but the whisp gestured me to follow him through the small hole that Valpar left behind for Simon.

Go through the hole it was, then.

Why did I feel like my role was reversed here?

Oh, I knew why. Because I’d been the one getting my holes filled, not filling holes.

Duh.

I had to wiggle through. It was a tight fit but once I get on the other side, I see my Fairy Godmother tapping her foot and her hand on her hip. “Alright then, let’s go.”

“Wait just a minute! Are you a ghost too? I didn’t think a fairy could walk through a rock!” I ran to keep up with her fast pace.

She shrugged her shoulders. “Technically, I’m not here.” The whisp following us sat on her shoulder. “You are sleepwalking and I am just guiding you where you need to go.” She pointed toward the forest, and I just mindlessly followed.

“Sleepwalking? I don’t sleepwalk!”

My Fairy Godmother raised a brow and wrapped her arm through mine. “Not normally, but I’m short on time. I swear, I’m not getting paid enough for this.” She ran her hand down her face. "Two humans at once are just about to kill me. At least I didn’t have to explain much to you since you already lived here. But ow, we need to work on your thinking department.” She tapped her finger in the middle of my forehead.

I grabbed her finger and pushed it away. “Hey, I can think, just fine! And, what do you mean two humans?”

“Don’t worry about that.” She waved her hand. “Anyway, I know you can think just fine,” she chastised,” but you are refusing to. You are wasting precious time and getting on my nerves with your nonsense, by being afraid of the past you no longer control. The time is now, darling, embrace the future like you always wanted, but in order to do that you must understand the past.”

I groaned and slapped my forehead. “I don’t wanna. I like how things are now.”

My Fairy Godmother let out a disdainful snort, her grip firm as she pulled me along. Her words were few, but her presence guided me through the dense forest, where the moonlight filtered through the rich green leaves above. As we emerged from the trees, we entered the deserted courtyard of the Golden Light Palace, and the silence was deafening.

The air carried a faint scent of flowers, mingling with the earthy aroma of the surrounding forest. With each step, I could feel the coolness of the ground beneath my feet, leading us back towards the familiar path that led to my parents’ home.

“Are you taking me back to the tree house?”

She shook her head. “No. Do you happen to remember how you came to the tree house, Calliope?”

I twisted my lips, my eyebrows forming into a scowl. “Mom and Dad brought me, having spent a day in the palace after waking up. I was sick and still tired, but they said I would do better at home.”

She nodded and continued to pull me. “Anything else that stands out? Who was there when you woke up?”

“Uncle Osirus and Melina, of course. And there was another woman, a sorceress. She was really nice. I haven’t seen her in a long time.”

“Taliyah. Yes, she is very nice,” my Fairy Godmother said. “She’s very powerful and can cast spells so strong she is almost equivalent to one of the greatest sorceresses, Serene.”

My lips parted. Serene was so powerful she helped close the portal to the Underworld during the war, capturing all the demons and rogues and sealing them inside.

“Taliyah was the one that helped hide your memories.” She squeezed my arm.

That means her power was strong enough to keep my memories away. Then, why was I seeing that woman flash in my mind? Was it just a nightmare, something my head was coming up with on its own?

My Fairy Godmother tugged on my arm. “Come on, what are you thinking?”

I shook my head, my loose braids hitting her on the arm. “I don’t wanna.”

She hummed, not bothered in the slightest. “Is it because you are having flashes of memories, perhaps? Or at least you think they are memories because you have no idea why things are popping up in your head.”

I gasped. “Can you read minds?”

As we trod on a patch of vibrant purple moss, she threw her head back, laughter filling the air. In response, bursts of brilliant yellow lights soared out, illuminating the surroundings with a mesmerizing glow. The explosion of colors created a breathtaking spectacle, enveloping us in a warm and enchanting light.

“No,” she calmed. “But I know it is something that could happen. Even the most powerful sorceresses, such as Taliyah’s magic, are no match for a bond.”

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