Enchanted Summer Read online

  “Yes, that was his idea.” Nate nodded. “Both my father and my mother hated it. My father always said that it was the last time he listened to him, and he only did so because Grandpa was already sick at that time, and it was the only thing he ever wished for.” He looked up at her. “Come to think of it, you seemed surprised when you heard my full name. Why?”

  “That was my first hint,” she explained. “Nathaniel was the name of our little brother. We lost him when he was just a little boy. Just after it happened, we’d lost our parents, too.”

  “I know …” Nate whispered. He had no other words at this point.

  “When your father was born, both your grandfather and I wanted to name him after our brother. But Eliya was against that. She said the name brought her too much pain. So we named your father differently. But I knew your grandfather would never forget our brother’s name.”

  “But my father …” Nate shook his head. “He always despised those fairytales. He hated anything that had something to do with magic, especially fairies. He was the one who told me over and over again that my grandfather was not in his right mind. Why would he do that? He—” It was so strange to say those words. “If it is like you say, then my father is a half-dryad!”

  “Yes; he is,” Lady Bronwyn confirmed. “I think the fact that his mother died so young and left him had scarred him forever. It’s just a way for him to cope with the tragedy. I know it’s hard, but don’t blame him for that. The way dryads had treated him …” She shook her head, her gaze distant. “No one deserves to be treated that way. Especially no child. It’s no wonder he’s so full of resentment.” She cast her eyes on the piano in the next room. “Can I also suggest that your grandfather was the one who promoted your interest in music?”

  “Yes; he gave me that piano,” Nate said. “He always encouraged me to listen to my heart and do what it tells me.”

  A sad smile appeared on Lady Bronwyn’s lips as she gazed at the instrument. “He’s not around anymore, I see. I wish I had kept some contact with him. He was a good man. Even though I hated him a bit for bringing Eliya so much pain. But I knew all the while that she loved him like no one else, and he was right for her. They could truly be happy if they stayed together. But even if those laws weren’t in place …” She shook her head. “Human lives are so short. Wherever they might be now, I hope their souls had found a way back to each other.”

  It was the first time when that thought had occurred to him. Nate regarded Lady Bronwyn in a whole different way.

  That story must have happened almost fifty years ago. And she was his grandmother’s older sister. She was his great-aunt. She must have been in her eighties, if not older, but she looked no more than twenty years older than him.

  How long dryads even lived?

  Before he could voice that question, she turned back to him.

  “We must hurry. We don’t have much time.”

  “Yes,” Nate said, reaching for the door. “How will we get there?”

  “Through the portal.” She walked toward the door as he held it for her, then whirled to face him. “I will shift now. Follow after me.”

  Minutes later, Nate had locked his house and was running down the street, following the glowing bubble of light.

  Questions popped in his mind one after another. He had so much to learn, so much to make sense of. The whole revelation tipped his world upside down.

  But somehow it all felt right. The way it was supposed to be from the start.

  That missing part of his life, that longing he never found the explanation for—it all made sense now. He could never find a place in this world because he wasn’t fully of it.

  Twenty-Eight

  Just as he had expected, Lady Bronwyn led him to that gnarled oak tree Ariadne had shown him the other day. She shifted as they reached it and landed on the forest floor.

  Nate assumed she would touch the trunk, the way Ariadne did, revealing the secret door leading to the staircase, but instead Lady Bronwyn asked him to come closer.

  “I want to test a theory of mine,” she said, motioning to the door-shaped carving. “Place your hand right here.”

  Nate quirked an eyebrow. He wondered if Ariadne had told her of their little adventure in the Forest and that he had magic in his blood that let him in. The latter was no surprise now, as he’d learned about his heritage. Still, he had no idea how that magic might work.

  Either way, there was no time to argue, so he crossed the distance between him and the tree and pressed his hand to the door carved in its trunk.

  His eyes went wide and he nearly jumped back as a light glowed underneath his palm. He felt the door give in under his touch and removed his hand, staring ahead in disbelief.

  He flicked his eyes to his hand. It trembled a bit. There was a slight tingling sensation on his palm, but aside from that, he felt normal, albeit a bit shocked. It didn’t feel the way he supposed the magic would feel if he used it.

  “Good,” Lady Bronwyn said from the back. She stepped closer. “There is enough magic in you to open the portal. That is an advantage.” She met his eyes. “Once we’re in, I’ll transform again. Follow me down the staircase. I’ll shift at the bottom and show you the way.”

  Unable to utter a sound, Nate nodded in agreement.

  Once again he was bounding down the dark spiral staircase, with only Lady Bronwyn and an occasional glowing crystal ingrained into the wall illuminating his path. He felt the already familiar scent of damp earth. As soon as they reached the bottom, Lady Bronwyn shifted and led him through the network of tunnels to the cave opening into the Forest. As soon as they reached it, Nate felt the tug of magic beckoning him.

  “I will lead you to the kingdom,” Lady Bronwyn said as they emerged, the sight of the Enchanted Forest taking Nate’s breath away for a moment. He could never understand how anyone could get used to that. “Then we will sneak inside the Rainbow Castle. I know the secret passageways. If everything goes according to my plan, no one would discover us.”

  “Wait,” Nate said, turning to face her. “I thought most dryads lived there in their true form. So all the houses must be tiny. How will I get inside?”

  She nodded. “I’ve already thought about that. And since you were able to open the portal on your own, I’m certain this would work. I can turn you our size.”

  “What?” Nate gaped at her.

  “You will not be able to do it on your own. But since you are a part-dryad, you should be able to become our size if a full dryad turns you. Of course, you won’t have wings or any other of our features, but at least you will be able to enter. I brought a cloak for you to hide underneath so that others couldn’t see you’re not like them.”

  “Oh,” Nate said, still hardly believing it was possible. “Okay. I’ll do whatever you say.”

  “Follow me,” she said. “And if you have any questions, save them for later.”

  She turned again and wove through the trees, leaving a trail of magical pollen in her wake. Nate took off after her.

  It took them about half an hour to get to the kingdom. All the way, Nate tried to concentrate only on the glowing bubble ahead, ignoring the beautiful scenery and an occasional pixie that giggled by his ear or tried to lead him astray. He couldn’t help but remember the way Ariadne scorned at them as they did all they could to distract him. At one point, they formed a tight circle around him and started throwing something like magical dust in the air, obscuring his vision. Lady Bronwyn had to shift and shoo them away.

  “Hurry up,” she told him, and they continued on their way.

  She shifted again before an arch made of glittering flowers and what looked to be real butterflies fluttering around them.

  “We’re almost there,” she said. “Take my hands. If you go any further in your human form, someone might see you.”

  Nate obeyed without hesitation. As soon as his hands touched hers, a cloud of bright light and glittering dust exploded all around them. He closed his eyes, an
d when he opened them again, the world had changed.

  The grass was almost to his waist—now he could understand why they kept it so short. The tree trunks became enormous skyscrapers. He could barely see the foliage. Some of the insects looked dangerously huge. And the crystals scattered here and there could serve him as furniture.

  Lady Bronwyn, surprisingly, looked normal. Just like she did when she was human-size. There was some sort of an aura surrounding her that seemed to illuminate everything around, but it wasn’t like she was glowing like a lightbulb. Nate couldn’t stop himself from voicing his surprise.

  “More powerful dryads appear to glow in their true form due to the high concentration of magic. It dissolves when we shift.” She threw a cloak over his head, which he assumed she hid under her own cloak all of this time. “Keep the hood low, and try not to stare at anyone or anything. Nobody should guess who you are.”

  “Wouldn’t it look suspicious if I’m not flying?” Nate asked, fastening the cloak.

  “There could be many reasons why a dryad can’t fly,” Lady Bronwyn said. “Just let no one see your eyes or your ears.”

  Navigating his way while being this tiny had proved to be challenging. Lady Bronwyn hovered just above the grass—she clearly preferred flying to walking, and Nate couldn’t blame her. He wished he could fly, too.

  After a while, the grass gave in to cushiony moss, then a path made of gray stepping stones. He heard water stream trickle nearby and a distant chime of flowers. A giant dragonfly crossed his way, making him spring back. Its wingspan was almost as large as Lady Bronwyn’s. Its bejeweled back glinted in the fairy light drifting past. Up close, those fairy lights looked like glowing empty bubbles.

  Shortly after, they reached a moss-covered staircase, leading up along one of the tree trunks. A stream of lanterns illuminated the way.

  “Keep your head down,” Lady Bronwyn reminded him. “It’s nighttime, so not many dryads are out, but we still can’t risk getting caught.”

  Nate obeyed her.

  The stairs seemed to never end. One landing led them to the bridge over the gushing stream, which led them to another set of stairs. By the time they’d reached another bridge, Nate was completely out of breath. A couple of dryads landed near, and he heard them address Lady Bronwyn. She answered them shortly and urged Nate ahead. Nate wondered what impression they gave, especially considering Lady Bronwyn’s history.

  As they reached the center of the bridge, Lady Bronwyn whirled to face him.

  “It’s all clear for now,” she said. “You may look around for a moment.”

  Hesitant, Nate lifted his head and pulled the hood back just enough to look ahead. He gasped.

  They were standing on a wooden bridge built over a stream—or rather a river. The staircases and bridges formed a network between the tree trunks and resembled streets. All the houses were built off the ground. Some of the pointed roofs were covered in moss, and an occasional window glowed here and there. As Lady Bronwyn had pointed out, not many dryads were out in the middle of the night, but he saw a few crossing a bridge in the distance or flying low over the river, their wings all shaped and colored differently.

  “We would be able to see the castle from the next bridge,” Lady Bronwyn said, motioning for him to follow after her.

  Nate nodded and lowered the hood. She pushed off the bridge and flew ahead.

  As they passed one of the many houses on their way up, Nate caught a whiff of a raspberry pie cooling off on one of the windowsills. It made him think of Ariadne. Everything here did. The thought gave him the strength to continue. He had to get to her as soon as possible.

  They turned onto another bridge, and Lady Bronwyn touched his shoulder, making him look up. The sight ahead made Nate pause and stare in wonder.

  The castle reminded him distantly of a crystal cluster. It was indeed partially made of crystal, spilling white light onto the waterfall rushing underneath. The bridge it was built on was made out of a solid piece of crystal, too. No wonder it was called the Rainbow Castle. During the day, the rainbows must have been everywhere, and even now Nate seemed to glimpse a few, or maybe it was just an illusion cast by magic. He wondered if Ariadne occupied one of the many white turrets.

  “Is it guarded?” He shot a concerned glance at Lady Bronwyn.

  “Dryads are peaceful folk,” she replied, staring up at the castle. “We don’t use weapons. As with everything else, the castle is guarded by magic.”

  “Will it let me in?”

  Lady Bronwyn made a few steps forward and ran her hand over the railing of the bridge. “One thing I love about magic,” she said, “is that its judgment differs from those of our rulers. They may say whatever they wish, but in the end, the magic chooses the outcome. And despite everything that happened, I continue to believe that it will always find a way to make things right.”

  Nate stepped closer to her. “What will happen?” he asked. “When we reach the castle. If magic lets me in, if I reunite with Ariadne … Leaving her again would be so much more painful than it was to let her go.”

  Lady Bronwyn kept her gaze ahead. “I know,” she said. “I wouldn’t have brought you here if I wasn’t sure about it.”

  “Sure about what?”

  “I want to show you to the King.”

  “What?” Nate stared at her. “What do you mean? If he finds out about Ariadne and me, he—”

  “As I’ve said, I believe magic always finds a way to make things right.” She flicked her eyes to him, then turned to fully face him. “I’ve never had a family of my own. Never had children. I used to think I was alone in this world. Her Majesty was a close friend of mine, and I had a few other friends within the castle, but they all distanced themselves from me after what happened with Eliya. The Queen, while it’s only thanks to her that I’m still alive, had clearly sensed that it put a strain on our friendship. For decades I had led a secluded and lonely life. And then Her Highness was born, and they let me become her nanny, and later, her tutor. She was like the sun of my life, like a daughter I never had. I promised myself that I would do anything to make her happy. I would give my life for her if needed.

  “And then I met you.” She cast her eyes down for a moment. “I might not know you at all, but you’re still my family. My sister’s blood runs in you. And Ariadne cares about you so much. All that makes me believe you are worth fighting for, too.”

  “Lady Bronwyn.” Nate stepped up to her. “I am grateful for your loyalty, but I don’t think I’m worth risking your life.”

  “You don’t have to call me ‘lady’.” She averted her eyes. “The title has been taken away from me long ago. Ariadne calls me that out of habit. And you and I are relatives, after all.” She gazed at the castle. “Your grandfather could never live in the Forest because he was a human and the magic wouldn’t allow him to enter. But your father had every right to stay. I always thought it was better for him to remain with his father in the human world. He was different from the rest of the dryads, and I knew he would never have an easy life here. But had he chosen to come back, the magic guarding the Forest would let him in, and nobody would be able to stop him.

  “I’ve watched the King over the years. Despite everything he’d said in the past, he’d grown old and tired, and Eliya’s ghost had been haunting him for decades. Not to mention, both his daughter’s and his wife’s lives are in danger at the moment. It’s time for him to face the mistakes he’d made.”

  Nate followed her gaze. “Ariadne’s father,” he said quietly, “I wish I could say I at least have an ounce of respect for him … but he’d killed my grandmother. I will never forgive him.”

  Lady Bronwyn watched him for a long moment before she stepped away from the railing.

  “Let’s go,” she urged him. “Ariadne’s waiting.”

  Nate pulled the hood over his head and followed her.

  It was strange to approach the castle and enter the courtyard with no guards keeping watch at the gates. It did
n’t match with the images of fairy castles he saw in books when he was little. Still, he couldn’t argue—a dryad holding a weapon was almost impossible to imagine. The atmosphere here was so peaceful. It was hard to grasp how anyone could experience as much sorrow as Lady Bronwyn while living in such a place.

  He lifted his head just enough to glimpse a lush garden—straight out of a fairytale, with glowing flowers, fountains carved of crystal, and magical pollen floating everywhere like stardust—before Lady Bronwyn pulled him under a low arc. A moment later, they were climbing a narrow staircase.

  “I don’t understand,” Nate whispered. “How can magic allow me to be here? I’m not from this place.”

  “If it lets you in, then it considers you worthy of being here,” Lady Bronwyn replied in a low voice. “It wouldn’t let just any dryad inside the castle. And you are partially from this place, no matter what you think.”

  “This is crazy.” Nate chuckled softly. “How can the royal family rely on magic so much? Does it work so flawlessly? Can’t you manipulate it? What if someone comes here with an ill will?”

  “I know it’s hard to understand for someone like you, who’s lived his whole life in a human world. But our world is completely different than yours. We might be similar in some sense, but still, we view so many things differently. And I’m sure you understand this way of thinking, partially at least. For instance, have you ever been in a fight?”

  “No,” Nate replied after thinking it through for a moment. It would seem strange to some people, but even as a boy he tried to avoid conflicts and would rather hide than physically hurt somebody—even if that somebody tried to hurt him. And his father was the same, even though he tried so hard to fight it, tried to be “normal”.

  He also never understood why anyone wanted to hurt nature in any way. He remembered asking Ariadne about picking the flowers in the Enchanted Forest, and all the while, he’d never had an urge to pick flowers himself. He always thought plants looked best when they grew in the wild. So did stones or other things that could be found outside. While all the other kids would pick up pinecones or acorns to add to their collections at home, Nate would be the weird one who thought he’d rather see them lying on the forest floor the next time he visited the woods, and maybe turn into trees one of those days.