Chapter 32
32
I t took some time for Anna to emerge from the fog caused by the flood of memories. The images brought on some profound realizations. Iris and the others were right. It was her fault. It was because of her that the spring had been robbed. By… by… pirates…
It was her last spark of magic that had manipulated her memories and embedded her in a world in which she could forget everything.
"Anemone?"
A soft voice called to her from the shadows and a woman slowly emerged from the blackness. It was Calla in human form.
Anna stood up with difficulty. Everything hurt, whether from the spell or the pain the memories had caused, she didn't know. "Why didn't you tell me the truth when you met me in Linnenberg? Why did you tell me your name was Elena?"
"You were confused. You couldn't remember anything, not even me. I wanted to know if you were still — or rather, again — in love with the captain. When I saw your eyes light up at the mention of him, I didn't dare confide in you."
"But I've been searching for the truth for a long time. For a way to save the fairies and make up for my mistake. I'm even guiltier than Iris and Margerite said. Calla, how am I ever going to make this up to you?"
"By saving the fairies."
Frowning, Anna raised her head. "How am I supposed to do that?"
"Do you know why the pool is empty and not filled with fairy dust?"
Her shoulders sagged further. "The pirates stole everything."
Calla shook her head. "That's not it. When you fell from the sky, you lost faith in yourself. Do you remember? Your wings disintegrated and you turned into a human without magical powers."
Anna nodded. Everything had come back to her.
"I flew after you back then, but I couldn't catch you because you fell so quickly. I feared the worst as I approached the ground, but you weren't there. I searched everywhere for you and couldn't find your body anywhere. But what was just as bad was that the loss of your belief in yourself caused the source to dry up."
"I'm sorry, what? How can that be?"
"Only when you believe in magic can it flow."
Anna frowned again. Was the fairies' magic bound to them? To every single fairy, perhaps? "What are you trying to tell me?"
"You can make up for the mistakes you made back then by really and truly believing in yourself."
A tear formed in her eye but she blinked it away. The burden was heavy, the realization, the fear, the shame… "How am I supposed to do that with all this guilt weighing on me?"
"You've come a long way. You remember being a fairy, you feel it, and you believe it. So, you have to rely on that trust."
How could she rely on that trust and at the same time, her belief in Chris… Was he truly the bad guy? Had he taken advantage of her? She remembered his eyes, his hands, his body on hers. Sorrow threatened to overwhelm her and her heart ached — no, it was bleeding and trying to stop beating. It dripped and melted, dissolving inside her as if it had lost all its purpose. But that wasn't allowed. She had an important task to fulfill that she could not shy away from. If Calla knew a way to make the spring bubble, she had to do everything she could to make it happen.
"How can I do it?"
"Close your eyes and trust yourself! But most of all, forgive yourself for what happened back then! Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, everyone trusts the wrong person sometimes. You have to learn a lesson from this, but you can't hide behind the guilt and grief forever. Step back into the light, Anemone, and give us fairies new strength!"
Calla's words did something to her. She listened in amazement, and a pulse moved through her arms and legs that hadn't been there before. Warmth and… some form of light.
"Forgive yourself, Anemone! I did, long ago."
Her words were a balm, and Anna wanted to believe her. She closed her eyes and felt inside herself again. She sensed the wings she'd had in her memories, relived the moments when she had flapped them, and trusted that they belonged to her.
A tingling sensation spread through her, growing stronger and stronger until it filled her entire body and was as much a part of her as her heart. Her fingertips began to glow and she felt something strange on her back. Strange and familiar at the same time, as if it had never been any different.
Then she felt them.
Wings.
Wings so big, they almost dragged on the ground. At the same time, she felt her body growing smaller. Her strength swelled, and her energy grew and grew as if she were stronger than before in her small form. Maybe she was. Hadn't Margerite explained that the magical powers were more powerful in fairy form?
When she opened her eyes, Calla had assumed her fairy form and was standing before her. They both looked at each other at eye level. That had to mean… she had succeeded.
Anna looked down at herself. The leaf dress had shrunk with her, as had the necklace with the sun-shaped pendant, which dangled over her dress. Only the large pirate boots lay uselessly on the ground. She stood barefoot on the rocks, looking at her fingers, their tips tingling, and peering over her shoulder. When she saw the magnificent wings, tears welled up in her eyes. She heard a noise growing louder and louder. Was it shock? Or from the happiness at being herself again?
The sound, however, didn't come from inside her — no, it was coming from the basin. Calla fluttered excitedly toward it. Without thinking about whether she could or not, Anna jumped into the air, flapped her wings hard, and glided over to the source. The feeling was indescribable. Joy flooded her, true bliss. She marveled at the pool in awe, its interior sparkling in all colors.
"How…?"
Calla balanced on the edge of the bowl and jumped into the air. "You did it, Anemone! The spring bubbles again. Your trust has brought our magic back."
Anna stared in disbelief at the hole in the wall that had been empty the last time she'd visited the cave but where a powerful stream of glittering dust now poured out, landing in the stone basin.
The spring was bubbling again and the fate of the fairies changed.
Anna was overjoyed and for a moment forgot about the grief and guilt, which was why she didn't notice the dark shadow behind her.
"No, you did it, Calla!"
Anna turned, startled. Who had spoken? At that moment, an iron cage closed around her. When she saw the familiar eyes light up, she couldn't believe it. They had laid a trap for her and Anna had fallen right into it…