In a forest, a mysterious figure drops a crucial parcel, which a young boy named Tash retrieves. Inside is Chloe, a baby with a special mark, destined to combat dark magic. Fast forward ten years, and Chloeâs curiosity leads her to explore places, despite Tashâs warnings. As she uncovers hidden dangers and helps free captives, including a powerful fairy, her true role begins to surface. Meanwhile, Tash faces his own battles against dark forces. With Chloeâs powers slowly awakening, the stakes grow higher. Will she fulfill her destiny and confront the approaching evil? The journey has only just begun.
In a forest, a mysterious figure drops a crucial parcel, which a young boy named Tash retrieves. Inside is Chloe, a baby with a special mark, destined to combat dark magic. Fast forward ten years, and Chloeâs curiosity leads her to explore places, despite Tashâs warnings. As she uncovers hidden dangers and helps free captives, including a powerful fairy, her true role begins to surface. Meanwhile, Tash faces his own battles against dark forces. With Chloeâs powers slowly awakening, the stakes grow higher. Will she fulfill her destiny and confront the approaching evil? The journey has only just begun.
A shadowy figure carrying a small parcel runs frantically through the night forest through sheets of rain. Stepping clumsily into puddles he searches for a path in blasts of light streaming from a fierce battle overhead. Wails and screams echo admidst the sound of dragon wings and fire, causing the figure to run faster. The forest ignites in light and dark contrasts as the fighting crashes violently to a crescendo, then stops. The forest is suddenly pitch black and eerily silent. A shot of lightening shocks him to losing his grip and the parcel drops and rolls in the mud. He feels around for the parcel but, when he recognizes the loud, slow, flapping sound of the wings of a large fire-breathing dragon growing closer, he runs off.
The dragon uses his fire to light the ground in search of something. As it nears, a pair of young hands gently pull the parcel into the shadows.
Tash, a native boy about five years old, bolts through the darkness with the parcel clutched carefully under his arm.Making sure he is unseen, he quietly enters a camoflagued door in a treetrunk. Running down a familar tunnel, he finally climbs steps and exits out another door entering his secret hideaway. Now that he is safe, he takes a long breath, and unwraps the parcel revealing a toddler with large eyeglasses and a toothless grin. Tash brushes a little mud from her hair and is startled to discover a red birthmark on her neck.
âIâve seen that...somewhere,â he whispers, searching through his belongings. He finds a tattered page that had been torn from a book and compares the mark.
âItâs a match.â He looks back at the paper and mumbles to himself, âWhosoever bears this mark is of great importance to the realmâŚâ
Gazing softly at the wiggly girl he tells her, âYouâre the one. When you grow up, youâll be able to break the evil spells on this place.â Then he pauses and says solemnly, âIf you fail Hagla, the wicked witch of the Heatherworld will take over.â
The toddler is more interested in the feather dangling from his hair.
Tash tickles her tummy, âI guess Iâll have to keep an eye on you.â
CHAPTER 1
10 YEARS LATER
That morning started out like the others. I knew I wasnât supposed to fly over the town, but I liked watching people come out of their houses and open their stores. The warm smell of fresh baked bread and apple-cinnamon tarts smelled like home â or at least what I imagined a real home would be like. I knew better than to let anyone see me, Tashuhunka had warned me, many times. Penstemon was a quaint village with cozy cottages, blossoming flower baskets and cobblestone streets nestled in the rolling hills of the northern tip of Delaware, U.S. The founders, legend has it, had stowed away on a ship, The Half Moon, which was bound for Asia, but when the captain got lost and ended up in Delaware, they made the best of it. The townspeople had forgotten the tragedy that occurred after losing their epic battle and more importantly, what came before it. If I had known then what I know now... well, isnât that what people always say when something has gone terribly wrong?
I flew high enough to be taken for a bird and in fact, so high that my shadow normally did not touch the ground until I passed over the Palace of Penstemon. The fairy castle towered over the cozy town of Penstemon, Penstemon forest, a lovely pond, and way off, on the far side - a trailer park village called Bladderwhack.
That day, however, I didnât make it past the bakery. I was compelled by the intoxicating fragrance of cinnamon and warm baked goodness. Within moments I had climbed in through the back window of the bakery and opened the door behind the counter, just enough to peek inside.
The baker, Mrs. B, which was short for Baglesnitch, was outside on the patio, wiping dew off the tops of cafe tables.
I donât know how long I crouched behind the display case. The glass was steamy from the warmth of muffins and sweet-smelling breads. I was mesmerized. Thankfully, the DING of an oven timer woke me up.
I placed two dollars and change by the cash register, then picked up a potholder and reached for the oven door. The sound of footsteps crept toward me.
âIs someone there?â Mrs. B said glancing my way. I darted for the back window. The money I left by the cash register, and the two missing muffins, caught her eye. I snuck out just in time. Or so I thought. Tash caught me. He was red-faced and huffing so much his exhales steamed up the chilly air around him.
âHow many times have I warned you not to go to town without me?â Tash seemed to always be angry back then.
âI got you one.â
He yanked me out the window and straight up into the sky.
Tash, his real name was Tashuhunka, but who has time to say all that? I called him Tash. Anyway, he took care of me in those days. Kind of like a mad dad, even though he was only a few years older than me. He had the most beautiful, angular wings that fell behind him like a cape and his shiny black hair was tied back and decorated with a single eagle feather. He was the last living member of his tribe.
He never stayed mad at me for very long. It was like anger was a disguise. He never did anything to hurt me. The opposite in fact. He was my protector. All it ever took was a wide smile to bring the sparkle back in his eyes.
We stopped above the clouds, using them for cover from the town.
âFly above me,â he huffed, lightening up a little when I placed a warm muffin in his hand. We flew in unison barely making a shadow on the rooftops. Townspeople below, greeted each other politely as they went about their business. âI donât see what is so dangerous.â
âRules are made for a reason,â Tash warned.
Tash was extra cautious as we glided over the guards of Penstemon Palace. We zig-zagged so our shadow combined with dark crevices in the architecture. As soon as we reached Penstemon Forest I split off, gliding lower through the trees.
I was told that flying through the forest was more dangerous than flying over the town. I didnât see how. Below, the woods were so thick with trees and bushes that I had swerve to avoid them. Okay, so maybe I did fly too fast, especially for a girl my age. I was seven then. About seven, I guess. It was a game to me. I liked watching my shadow flicker in the filtered sunlight and changing levels, flying high and low, staying in shadows and playing with the light â being invisible.
Traveling over the pond was my least favorite part. I was goofy looking. The Indian-style that Tash braided my hair in made me look like a boy. My clothes were, well, his. Tailored for me, but nothing like the beautiful designer dresses all the girls in Penstemon wore. But the worst of it was my glasses. I was the only person in the realm who wore glasses and they were much too large for my face. I didnât really mind. I mean, I like being able to see. I just didnât want to look at myself in the glistening reflection of the pond. So, I normally flew backwards, toes first, disrupting the surface of the water with a ripple that resembled a fun house mirror. Sometimes I crashed on the beach on the other side, but I learned to roll out of it.
I always took a deep breath before I flew to the top of the rocky hill on the southern tip of the pond. It was like I was gathering my courage. This edge of the forest bordered a hellish place known as the Heatherworld. The lands were protected by a force-field dome keeping what was inside the dome from getting out. The force field kept us from getting in too, although it didnât have to. No one in their right mind would even try it. The atmospheric disturbance of the force field reflected the sunrise, making it pretty in sharp contrast to the barren landscape inside. Crows and dragons circled above the rock and bone filled valley where an eerie, twisted castle spiraled up from the center.
âWhat are you doing? Do you have a death wish today?â Tash was genuinely angry. So much that his voice cracked.
âI told you to stay away from here. How many times do I have to warn you?â
âWhatâs the harm? You said yourself they canât get out.â
âTheyâll see you.â âSo?â
I was drawn to it. I never told him that, and I knew better than to get too close. From inside the force field dome, a disheveled, underfed crow eyed me as if I was dinner. Tash pulled me back into the woods but as he did, I couldnât take my eyes off the Twisted Castle. It was creepy. Every day that I flew by it, chills went up my spine. Still, every day, I snuck up to look at it. I couldnât help it. It was like it was calling to me.
Little did I know the real mystery wasnât the Twisted Castle, it was what lived beneath it.
CHAPTER 2
A crashing rock narrowly missed the head of LB,
a small four-year old boy, as he jumped over a lava stream between craggy stalagmite formations running from a ferocious dragon-like lizard intent on catching its breakfast.
This was the Mantlerealm. Thousands of feet below the deathly surface of the Heatherworld, it was an unlikely place to find anyone, especially a child.
LB evaded the beast with skill not normal for one so young. He was scared but determined. The beast leapt at him glaring viciously and opened its enormous warted, snarling jaws.
LB raced, avoiding lava springs that splattered into a lava river that snaked around boulders. The lavaâs fiery mantle reflected off of gems, shimmering veins of gold crystals and shiny rocks, that lit the tunnel with a yellow-orange glow. The menacing creatureâs massive feet cracked the ground as it chased its prey. LB glanced back at the charging beast, then grinned.
Jayce, a confident-looking boy about eight-years old, swooped in on an oversized winged skateboard, a âskatewingâ, flying hard and fast to catch LB first.
Jayce swung to avoid a rock formation, then snatched LB in the middle of a 360, just before the beastâs teeth clamped down on him.
LB laid flat, clinging to the board as Jayce circled to exit with the beast chasing them through lava unscathed. Jayce surfed the air like a wave, peddling to flap the wings, then gliding and spiraling to avoid the beast. He was in a foul mood.
âThe tunnel is a secret,â he said irritably.
âIâm sorry Jayce,â LB said nervously. âI wanted to go home.â
âWe all do,â Jayce scowled. âBut weâll do it together. You know her rule. If one escapes the rest of us are toast.â
The beast was gaining on them. Jayce jumped onto its back and swung a knotted rope under its jaw. He pulled back hard, lifting its head up, then twisted it sideways, knocking it out. The beast tumbled to a stop, slamming Jayce into the wall.
Jayce pried himself loose, then ran ahead of the skate-wing, leapt off a rock and somersaulted, landing lightly, back on his board. He gasped at the sight of greenish light shining in from ahead then aimed for a ledge near the ceiling, just before it.
âGet back to the cave,â he whispered urgently to LB. âIâll deal with the witch.
LB jumped onto the ledge landing without making a sound, pushed open a hidden rock door, then scrambled through it.
Jayce swallowed his feeling of dread and flew forward doing a triple spiral before buzzing a squadron of heavily armed Oddizen guards. He stopped abruptly when Hagla, the wicked witch of the Heatherworld, turned the corner in a chariot flown by her two favorite dragons. This was not the first time he found himself face to flame-tip with these thugs. The Black Dragon and Zenuvius were the largest and most feared of the witchâs mercenary dragons.
Jayce never let his fear show. Especially with Zenuvius. The rivalry between them was interesting to Zenuvius and from past run ins, Jayce had convinced himself that courage, even if he was faking it, was what kept him alive. Not even the dragon chief had authority to kill any of the boys, but Jayce knew an accident by the hagâs fave pet would be forgiven.
Zenuvius and the Black Dragon landed and closed in on him menacingly as the Oddizens - mystical creatures born or created from combined species - swarmed around Jayce pointing their weapons at him. Jayce stood still, as if he knew this routine.
Hagla was viciously delighted.
âJayson, why is it that you are the only boy who ever tries to escape?â She cackled. Even petrified, Jayceâs charisma shined.
âThe only thing Iâm trying to escape is being that Oddizenâs breakfast,â he replied cockily.
The witch got out of her carriage and slithered to him.
âYou donât think I know you cover for the little ones?â Hagla gleamed. âFinding it difficult to keep them in line?â
âYouâve got a lot of rules to remember.â Jayce was trying hard to conceal his hatred of her because he knew all that would do is put him in more trouble. She did have many rules and penalties for breaking them. Inflicting pain on others is what she lived for, and today Jayce had given her an extra treat.
âI think I can help you with that,â Hagla smiled. She plucked a hair from his head and studied it. Then she looked deep into his eyes as if she was searching his soul. After a tense moment she put the hair into a velvet pouch and climbed back into her carriage. âIt is time to put an end to your mischief.â
âTake him to the tower,â she bellowed to the guards.
The next thing Jayce saw was a huge fist in his face.
âNo. There must be another way,â a hushed voice said with urgency. It startled me. The words seemed to hang in the air. I will never forget that afternoon. My life changed. I had been playing with bunnies in a flowery grassy meadow...what? Hey, I was seven. When I returned to our camp, Tash was sitting by the stream, dreamwalking. Up until then, I had only seen him do it at night. He had his back to me, but I could tell by the way he was swaying...and the fact that he didnât hear me come up behind him, that he was deep into it.
Tashuhunka was a mighty Indian even at age twelve. His black-veined wings, and strong, regal stance, made him seem commanding. But this day was different. He was slumped over. Tash never slumped.
He heard my last step and straightened up.
âHowâs your grandfather?â I asked. Tashâs grandfather was his spirit guide.
âYou do know heâs dead?â
I had never seen him in such a serious mood. He didnât even turn around when he said it.
âNothing ever really dies,â I said softly as I knelt beside him. âWhat did he tell you today?â
Tashâs face was wet with tears.
âWhatâs wrong?â
He got up without looking at me and hurriedly packed my things into a satchel.
âI found you a new place to live,â Tash said sharply.
âWhy canât I stay with you?â
He looked at me with such sad eyes. Then, looking up, he noticed the position of the sun in the sky. âItâs time. Theyâre coming,â he said solemnly.
âWho?â
âTell them you are the girl from the letter.â
âBut you were going to help me find my parents?â
âWe donât always get what we want, Chloe,â he snarled. âYour parents are not searching for you.â
âYes, they are.â I snarled back.
âThink about it. If they are alive, they know who you are.â
I must have looked confused because he answered my question before I asked it.
âYou are the only orphan in Penstemon and the only one who wears big eyeglasses.â
âYou think my glasses are too big?â
âWhy do you always twist my words?â he huffed and stomped toward a meadow.
We were never great at communicating. But honestly, arguing about nothing was better than admitting the truth. Tash was right. My parents HAD to know where I was. Maybe not the secret camp where Tash and I livedâit was camouflaged pretty wellâbut I had gone to town occasionally for the annual town parties where there were so many people you could get lost in the crowd. So, some people knew me. I wanted to think my parents were alive... just not about why they hadnât looked for me.
The sound of the birds scattering away startled me back to reality. Tash was glaring at me with his mouth open like, WHAT?
âYouâre daydreaming again. Donât daydream in the middle of a conversation. People will think youâre an idiot.â
âWhat people?â
He suddenly became very serious.
A kind-looking man, Pops, and his daughter Tip, a girl with short red hair from my class, walked toward us in the distance. Tash moved quickly into the shadows of the trees. He always stayed out of sight when people were around.
âWhat are they doing here?â I didnât really want to know. My stomach turned over and I felt sick.
âI wrote them a letter, or you did. I signed your name. You like her, right? Tip.â
âYes, but.â
âChloe, it has to be this way.â
âBut I live here.â
âNot any more. Go on,â he said sternly.
âNo,â I clung to him. âYou are my home.â
He softened up and held me tightly.
âIt is time to grow up,â Tash whispered. âItâs okay, I will always protect you.â Then, he let me go.
I didnât look at him again. I couldnât. I didnât want him to see me cry. I knew he thought this was best for me. He was my best friend, but I wasnât a little kid anymore. I was a girl and he was a boy. I thought that he cared for me too much and that is why he found me a new home.
I had no idea how clueless I was.
Jayce gasped quietly in pain when he pulled the lever on the hand-made shower in the cave that was his bedroom. The small dark cavern was lit by a lantern that sat next to a makeshift bed on a dirt floor. He cringed when the water hit his skin, then clenched his teeth, and washed the blood off in silence.
Just outside, LB ran past, dodging dirty-faced boys as he scurried through small caverns of a larger cave that was lit by handmade lanterns.
âHeâs here,â LB whispered excitedly.
Two older boys, Beav, big and wide, and Leo, a blond surfer type, shuffled in around a large boulder that sheltered the main cavern from the entrance to the cave. Exhausted and sweaty, the boys dropped mining tools into a metal box and took their heavy shoes off. LBâs words perked them up.
âHeâs here.â
In an offshoot cavern, water dripped from the ceiling in a slow-flowing waterfall. Boys stood in a puddle under it, barefoot but in clothes, washing themselves. Run-off from the shower was diverted through screens that funneled the water into a shallow channel about the size of a pipe that was carved into the stone floor.
LB grinned wide at Parker, age seven, who looked like a monster showering with his goggles on and his hair askew.
Next to him, Max, about five, bare-chested with angular, masculine translucent wings, laid his shirt on a rock to dry. Max shook his head and his hair POOFED into a loosely curled afro much too big for his skinny frame. He flicked his wings and they tucked in, disappearing under the skin on his back.
Hushed excitement passed between boys who stopped what they were doing when they heard LB, then they rushed to the center cavern and sat expectantly.
Max and Parker sat down in the front next to Beav and Leo as LB grabbed Grimly â a big-eyed bug about the size of his hand. When he tapped its butt, Grimly glowed a warm yellow. LB handed him to Max who put the bug into a lantern in front of him, and then, they waited.
In the dark offshoot cave that was his room, Jayce sat on his bed using a hand-held mirror to see a wound on his forehead. He pulled his hair over it when Tash entered.
âYou canât keep taking their beatings for them.â
âTheyâre kids,â Jayce pretended he didnât hurt as badly as he did. âSo are you.â
âYou want to switch places... any timeâs fine with me.â âYou know I would,â Tash said sincerely.
âYeah, I know.â
âWhereâs the aloe I brought?â Tash asked.
Jayce nodded to the bed behind him. âThatâs the last of it.â
Tash picked up the salve and smeared it gently on the wounds on Jayceâs back. Jayce tried not to cringe from the sting but, couldnât help it.
âWhatâs that?â
Jayce shifted his body trying to conceal a book that was lying on his pillow. He dreaded the lecture he was about to get from his over-protective friend.
âNothinâ. Just a book.â
âYou stole from the witch?â
âShe took something from me,â Jayce grunted with hushed anger.
LB entered excitedly catching Jayce off-guard. Tash leaned into the light, shielding him nonchalantly while Jayce picked up a shirt to hide his wounds from LB. Still, the boy caught a glimpse.
âDo you hurt?â he asked with concern.
âIâm fine,â Jayce lied, smiling. âTash is going to tell you a long one today.â
Tash understood the cue. âI brought oranges,â he told LB with a grin. âWill you pass them out for me?â
âYou bet!â LB exclaimed and he ran out to get them.
Tash picked up bandages of cloth and carefully helped Jayce wrap his hands. âWeâve got to get you guys out of here.â
âItâs no use,â Jayceâs out-of-character pessimism caught Tash by surprise.
âYouâre giving up?â
âNo. Iâm giving in,â Jayce said angrily. He was so scared he was seething. âWeâll wait for the prophecy.â
Something had switched in him. He put fingerless work gloves on to hide his bandages and opened and closed his bloodied fist, straining to control the pain.
âWe will get out of here,â he mumbled. âWe will plan and train and when Chloe comes for us, weâll be ready.â
Tash had never seen him more angry or determined. âWhat happened? What did Hagla take from you?â
âShe cursed me.â Jayce glared.
Tash was alarmed.
âShe took me to the castle and made a dark faery spell with a strand of my hair, and sealed it with a strap from my pants. Now, one wrong move and Iâm done.â Jayce exhaled hard with frustration. âThereâs gotta be something in that book on how to reverse the spell.â
âThe bookâs on magic? You know magic doesnât work down here.â
âHers does. I thought I could learn to use it, but I can barely make out the handwriting.â
âHandwritten? You mean this is a journal?â Tash gasped and very carefully picked it up. âJayce. This is the seal of Lord Darkshadow.â
âWhoâs that?â
âHe was the leader of the dark faeries and pretty much all things evil. You think Haglaâs bad, Lord Darkshadow was a million times worse.â
âWas?â
âHe was murdered.â
âBy who? The witch?â
âDunno.â Tash leafed through the pages cautiously. âThis is dangerous stuff. You canât mess with black magic. It will turn you.â
âWhat does it matter?â Jayce snatched the book from Tash and slid it under his blanket. âThe hagâs got me now. Weâre never getting out. I canât do anything to disobey her.â
âExcept steal a journal of the darkest spells on the planet.â Tash is suddenly suspicious. âShe knows everything that goes on in the Twisted Castle.â
âYou think she wanted me to have it? What, to turn me?â Jayce becomes pale. Tash had never seen him so desperate.
âWeâll think of something, okay?â Tash said softly. âYeah, well think fast. Iâm freaking out here.â
âNo kiddinâ.â
Outside, in the main cavern, the boys gasped with gleeful whispers when Tash walked into their circle.
âYou guys ready for Bingo?â he teased. Maxâs jaw dropped.
âWhat? No.â
That made everyone laugh, including the bug. Tash glanced at four boys standing guard and put his finger to his lips. The other boys quieted immediately.
âYou know the story we want to hear,â LB whispered.
âThe evil one and her quest for the throne,â Parker added excitedly.
Tash took a master storyteller stance and began.
âDragonfire lit up the night sky. Light Fairies and their fairydragons had battled Hagla, the wicked witch of the Heatherworld and her mercenary dragon army into the wee hours just before dawn.â
The boys closed their eyes and imagined short blasts of light flashing in the night sky over Penstemon Palace and its colorful town as fire-breathing dragons violently thrashed at smaller fairydragons and elderfairies.
âHagla had blackmailed the thirteen members of the Ancient Council into making her next in line for Emperor Drescilâs throne. She had discovered a secret about them and thought it would be enough to get her the crown. But Emperor Drescil broke with tradition and chose a different heir. When a spy told her, the witch had a fit. She snapped the reins of her open carriage â pulled by two of the mightiest fire-breathing dragons on earth â and blazed to Fairydom Castle in Scotland to find out if the rumor was true.â
Tash crouched down and leaned in for effect.
âPeople ran for cover when Zenuvius melted the royal gates with his flame and then pulled her carriage right up to the castle doors. Members of Fairydom Court were too afraid to look at her. It was a well-known fact that Hagla delighted in zapping people into crinkly black bugs, so they looked down, not saying a word as she blasted by them toward the Emperor. Drescil was unafraid. He looked the hag right in the eyes, and boldly told her that in accordance with the Laws of the Royal League she was disqualified due to her use of black magic.â
âThen he zapped her out on her boney butt,â LB said laughing. His giggle was infectious.
Parker shushed them and Tash continued.
âBut the witch came back. One of the ancients told her that she could have the title if the young heir willfully gave up his claim.â
Jayce walked gingerly to the circle. Tash looked the boys in the eyes, catching their gaze as Jayce slowly sat down next to him.
âProblem was, Drescil and his Royal Secret Service, the RSS, had kept the childâs identity so secret that no one, not the parents, not even the heir himself knew who the lucky guy was.â He paused for dramatic effect.
âHagla did the unthinkable. She broke into Fairydomâs private Royal Library, which at the time, was the most highly guarded vault on earth. Disguised as Judith, the Supreme Fairy and Guardian of the Light, she tricked the minions into giving her the sacred golden scroll that
named the young emperor-to-be. Even the evil hag gasped at its significance when she held it in her crinkled, clammy hands. This little heir, when they came of age and passed the challenges would be given all of Emperor Drescilâs power and wisdom, and one day reign over all realms and mystical creatures on earth. But,â Tash continues with emphasis, âa tiny minion, so small the hag had overlooked him, saw the witchâs ugly true reflection in a mirror and alerted the guards. RSS agents rushed in but with one flick of her finger the witchâs black magic knocked them out cold. She zapped the minion into a black bug then opened the scroll. She had what she came for. She read the name of the province where the heir lived. PENSTEMON. The town of Penstemon shared a border with her own lands. She wondered if the Ancients had a made it easy for her or, if Drescil had actually found a regal match in the spirit of a child here. Fortunately, just before she could read the name of the heir...someone sneezed on the scroll and the ink ran together.â
âThatâs my favorite part,â LB laughed as he held his knees and rocked back and forth. âShhh,â Tash warned. He looked back at the boy standing guard by the boulder. The boy nodded it was clear.
âSo, the witch didnât know who the lucky little guy was,â Tash continued with hushed enthusiasm. âShe zapped out in a dark magical dust cloud just as the Royal Secret Service arrived with reinforcements. The Emperor knew she wouldnât stop there. He sent Judith to warn the fairies of Penstemon that Hagla was on her way home to start a war and he even sent RSS operatives to help them fight, but they were doomed from the start. The witch had been diverting fairy dust for months and she had recruited the most vicious mercenary dragons in the world for her army. Fairydragons were no match for them and without magic the good fairies couldnât defend themselves. They were dropping like flies. Penstemonâs King Kenneth organized the ground forces while Queen Rose supervised the rescue medical teams who picked up the injured and brought them to the makeshift hospital they had set up in the palace courtyard. The good fairies put up a valiant effort, but it wasnât long before there were only two creatures left to defend against Hagla and her army. Judith, and her loyal friend Hal, who was now the last Fairydragon. Hagla and Judith blasted each other with magic so powerful it shook the sky.â
Tashuhunka straightened up, flaring his masculine wings, powerfully raised his arms for dramatic effect, then imitated Haglaâs high-pitched crackly voice.
ââTell me the name of the boy, Judith or I will destroy this town and everyone in it.â Hagla bellowed. Judith sang back, âI will find out what hold you have over the ancients, Hagla, and I will stop you. You will never rule Fairydom.â Judith blasted her. Hagla pretended she was hurt and used Judithâs pause of empathy to snatch her wand. Then she popped Judith into a cage.â
Tash became more animated, hopping on top of a rock for effect as he imitated the characters.
âYouâre such a sap,â the witch cackled. âSave your pity for yourself, doll-face, youâre trapped like a bird. Zenuvius, take over. Akasha, Seurillilious, come with me.â
âHal hovered on top of Judithâs cage, and said, âTouch one hair on her head and Iâll mortalize ya.ââ
âYeah? You and what army?â Tash slurred sinisterly with a Russian accent imitating Zenuvius. âLook around you, Fairydragon. You lose.â
Tash raised his voice for Judithâs whisper, âHal, stay with the boys.â That made Hagla laugh, he said. âStay with the boys Hal. HA! Honey, stick a fork in him, heâs done. My dragons will eat him for breakfast. Tell me the name of the heir Judith. You know Iâll find him. Then all creatures will bow down to me.â Judith sang her last words, âYou canât win, Hagla. Good always prevails in fairytales.â Hagla sneered, âYou do notice youâre in a cage dear? I win. Say bye-bye.ââ
A shadow shifted behind Tash.
âHal raged. Zenuvius took one look at him and flamed Halâs head. Hal snooted, âYou know they make medicine for acid reflux these days.â The comedian wanna-be was half the size of the carnivorous mercenary, and with tiny, little fairywings, but he moved fast, like a boxer. Zenuvius couldnât keep up, mostly because he was laughing too hard.â
A large figure stepped silently from the shadows into the light. It was Hal, the last fairydragon, creeping up on Tash. His hot breath in Tashâs ear made him jump.
âAHH!â Tash covered his scream with his hand then shook his head at Hal.
âThere is no need to use both tiny and little in the same sentence. Especially in describing my wings,â Hal huffed.
Tash grinned at him.
âJayce was the first to get nabbed.â Tash tossed a sly glance at Jayce needling his friend. âHis screams echoed in the night as the Zenuvius carried him away from his room above Mrs. Bâs bakery.â
âLike I was the only one screaming that night. Besides, I was what, four?â
âWill you guys get on with it?â LB huffed impatiently.
âYou know this story,â Jayce laughed.
âYeah, but heâs getting to the best part,â LB replied. He closed his eyes, imagining as Tash retold the story.
âHal, surrounded by a crowd of mercenary dragons, watched helplessly as Judith was whisked away into the dark mist. Ickadorus, Icky for short â a tiny orange and yellow dragon with a size complex, noticed Halâs wings. âA dragon named Hal? Whereâs the flair in that? Itâs one syllable. And what the heck are those things? Why even my wings are bigger than yours. Zenuvius bellowed, âNo wonder the fairies lose. You have sissy girlie fairy wings.ââ
âYes,â Hal huffed, âBut they look so much better under a coat, less of a hump.â
The boys laughed as silently as they could.
âZenuvius let Hal live, obviously,â Tash said solemnly, âbut he was helpless to stop them. All he could do is watch as the dragon squads took all the boys away from their homes. Meanwhile, in the Palace of Penstemon, Prince Peter was smuggled out by RSS agents. A Royal escort lead by Lt. Knockins, a two-headed frog gentleman, an Oddizen to be sure, snuck in from a secret door in the fireplace.â
LB opened his eyes.
âThatâs when you found Chloe,â he said.
âYes. The dragon squad spotted me in the town. I lost them in the forest. Thatâs when I saw Chloe tumbling down a muddy bank.â
âTashâs grandfather predicted it,â Jayce interrupted. âAre you telling this story or am I?â Tash miffed.
âIâll take it from here.â Jayce and Tash were best friends, but both wanted to be leader.
LB, Max, Parker, Beav and Leo huddled close to the lantern, waiting. Other boys were strewn about on the dirt floor of the cave, listening, half-asleep.
Jayce lowered his voice ominously. âIt was a rainy night. There hadnât been a storm like that in the history of the world. Baby Chloe sat in Tashâs teepee as he shuffled through pages trying to read in flashes of lightning.â
âHey, I wasnât that lame. I had a flashlight.â
âOkay, whatever. Anyway, according to the ancient prophecies, one fairy would have the power break the witchâs evil spells and free us. Had Tashuhunka found THAT fairy? She had the mark on her neck his grandfather had told him about. The crest of Fairydom, no less. Tash made a solemn vow, to himself, right then, to protect her from that point on. He found a family of bunnies to take her in.â Jayce stared at Tash disapprovingly. âBunnies? I still donât get it. That was the best you could do?â
Tash straightened up, defending himself.
âNo one would look for her there. The dragon squads were going door to door. People hadnât forgotten yet. Besides, the bunnies were warm and fluffy.â
âOk-aay,â Jayce rolled his eyes.
âHow does he know his grandfather? His whole tribe is dead.â Max asked bluntly.
âMax, Iâm right here.â
âTashâs grandfather was a great medicine man,â Jayce whispered dramatically.
âCan you teach us to dreamwalk?â LB asked.
âI taught Jayce. I guess if he can learn it anyone can.â Tash laughed. Jayce smirked at him.
âWhy do you hide in the woods?â Beav asked.
Jayce answered for Tash. âSo Haglaâs spies donât catch him and toss him in here with us.
âWhatâs legendary?â Max inquired.
âHe stays out of sight,â Parker said matter-of-factly. âPeople think heâs a myth. Only a few, besides us, have ever seen him.â
âWhy didnât Chloeâs parents come and get her?â Leo asked thoughtfully.
âThey might have been killed in the battle,â Parker says.
âDo you know who the heir to the emperorâs throne is?â Beav interrupted.
âI donât even think he knows,â Tash replied.
âIs it Chloe?â LB asked.
âDoubtful. It could be one of you guys.â
âNo way itâs you, Beav,â Max teased.
âYou think youâre Drescilâs pick?â Beav bellowed.
âYouâre both dreaming,â Parker reminded them. âPeterâs the one that got away. RSS snuck him out through the secret door in the fireplace.â
âYeah, that two headed frog Oddizen. Man, I would love to see that dude! Leo quiffs.
The boys laugh.
They were getting too loud. Jayce interrupted. âDo you want to hear the rest of this story or not?â âWe want Tash to tell it,â LB mumbled.
âFine.â
Tash grinned, then, used his hands to emulate magic.
âHagla cast three spells,â he said eerily. âFirst, she erased all memory of the boys. Images of happy children vanished before their parentsâ eyes. Parkerâs parents watched in wonder as his bedroom changed into a den with a TV and a crafts area. As soon as his dad laid eyes on the remote it was over, Parker who? Beavâs parents were ecstatic over the new power lawn mower the witch made from his big wheel and Leoâs dad forgot he was even carrying Leoâs skateboard and butt pads when they disappeared.â
Tash looked around, hopeful his teasing had lightened the reality of it. LB was trying so hard not to laugh that he had turned completely red and looked about to explode. Finally, he couldnât contain it.
âAHH-ah-ah!â he blurted. âButt-pads!â
Leo surprised him with a shove that knocked him over.
LB grinned at Leo and snickered in a really low voice. âButt-pads,â he giggled at Leo teasingly.
Tash continued. âPops opened the cupboard drawer that was LBâs bed, put a loaf of bread inside and thought nothing more about it. Mrs. B started her successful bakery the day Jayceâs photo was replaced with a blue ribbon for the worldâs best bagels. But the happiest moment was when Maxâs mom found his room had changed into a new walk-in closet.â
âHey, my momâs got taste,â Max gloated proudly. âSheâs gotta have a place to put all her âthis n thatâ, you know?â
âBy morning, the town and you guys had disappeared from the world.â Tash said solemnly. âWords about that night, the boys or the war would be heard as jibberish and instantly forgotten. Hagla had stolen all the fairy dust and her spell made magic of any substance without it, useless. Then, the town was sealed off and forgotten. No one in, and no one out. The only good thing was that Judith cast a force-field spell over Haglaâs land before she was captured. When the hag went home, she and her army were trapped inside. Never to bother anyone in Penstemon or outside her lands, again.â
âWhereâs Judith now?â Leo wondered.
âI wish I knew.â
âHowâs Chloe? When is she coming to get us?â Being the littlest, LB was the most optimistic of the group. He yawned and then laid down to hear the rest of the story.
âChloe moved to a new home in Bladderwhack,â Tash told them stiffly, not looking forward to getting back to an empty camp.
Max was shocked. Not in a good way.
âBladderwhack? The trailerpark? How uncool is that?â
Tash stood up. If he stayed much longer it would be dangerous for him. âThe point is sheâs safe. Sheâll come into her powers soon.â
âAnd then that old witch will get whatâs cominâ.â LB imagined a superhero version of Chloe whacking Hagla around the mines with super strength and lasers shooting from her eyes. âAnd weâll all go home.â
âSure, LB.â Jayce said softly, covering him with a patchwork blanket. âJust like you said.â
First, we meet Tash, or Tashuhunka, a young Indian boy who lives in the woods. He has been orphaned by his tribe. When we meet him, he is rescuing a very important package.
The package contains toddler Chloe who wears glasses. Tash takes her in, caring for her, and low-key training her. Tash and Chloe live in the woods just outside Penstemon Village which mysteriously has no boys and nobody knows what boys are.
Penstemon Village is ruled by Queen Rose and King Kenneth who also have a son named Prince Peter. They live in a fairy castle. But there is another castle, Twisted Castle, where evil Hagla has been banished and trapped. Twisted Castle exists within Heatherworld, but below Heatherworld is Mantlerealm. Hagla has captives in Mantlerealm who she forces to mine. Among her captives are Jayce, Leo, Beav, LB, Max, and Parker.
And did I mention that all these characters are fairies? Bishop has created a fantasy world that blends with modern day. Penstemon Village has a trailer park named Bladderwhack where Pops, Tip, and Darling all live. Yep, they are fairies, too.
But there arenât just fairies in this blended world. Evil Hagla has hench-dragons named Zenuvius and Black Dragon. They help keep the mining boys in line in Mantlerealm. And then there are the Oddizensâblended creatures, some of which were created, while others were just born that way. They also help keep order down in Mantlerealm.
Pillywiggin: The Lost Shadow Boys by Debbie Bishop is the second book in a series. I wonder if I have missed a few things by not having read the first book first. Bishop is good at writing the action and adventure scenes, describing step by step so that you have a good visual and can follow the action. However, sometimes I had trouble following the dialogue scenes when there were more than two characters involved. Perhaps Pops, Tip, and Darling were developed in the first book because I did not feel like I knew them as well as the other characters.
Overall, I think this is an interesting take on fantasy world-building, combining modern concepts such as trailer parks with fairies, dragons, and castles. I would put this as a middle-grade to young adult level read as there is kissing, and there are parents and middle schoolers who would rather not read about kissing. If you like fairies and dragons and action, then it is worth a read.
I was given advanced access to this book via Reedsy Discovery and this is my honest and unbiased review.