The Phoenix and the Witch

CHAPTER TWO-2

WHICH WAS HOW THEY found themselves on the path leading to the grandfather tree as the sky was darkening to twilight on a cold winter's night. They'd texted to let their parents know where they were, since time moved so differently in Summerland. They always ran the risk of arriving back in their designated time and place days after they'd left and they didn't want their parents to worry about where they were. Cat and Evelyn arrived at the base of the tree and waited until the landscape changed. The tree transformed first, with the trunk elongating as they watched. Then a hole appeared at the base, growing bigger as they approached. Initially they had to crouch to get through, but the tunnel under the tree enlarged as they walked until they emerged into a verdant paradise, with flowers, long grass, and birds singing in the summer tree branches around them.

As always, Cat felt a sense of peace fill her, full of wonder at the beauty and warmth of the fairy glade. Sometimes, she felt she could happily live in this clearing forever, forgetting the struggles of daily life. She knew this was a feeling she needed to guard against, since it had been known to cause humans to get lost and never go home. As they warmed themselves in the glow of a sun that they'd never seen, Cat heard a little boy laughing at them from behind a tree trunk, then watched as he darted out to stand before them.

"Hello, Sir Robin. Thank you for meeting with us this fine day. Mr. Grayson said you've spoken with him and gifted us with a trip to your land?"

Cat bowed low, speaking as respectfully as she could. Her father always impressed upon her how powerful and important Robin was, even though he appeared in the form of a rascally eight-year-old nut-brown boy with dark brown almond shaped eyes and unruly, curly hair.

Evelyn bowed as well, although with a little less obvious respect. Her relationship with Robin was different, more personal. Since walking with her in her dreams the year before and helping her remain sane and emotionally intact, she'd considered Robin to be her special friend and protector. Cat wasn't sure exactly how, but she knew that there was something precious about the relationship, deeper than the usual connection one would expect between a mentor and student. She supposed it had something to do with all those hours spent in the horror dreamscape before Mr. Grayson had shown Evelyn how to control them, but hadn't wanted to ask her. It seemed private and she knew that if Evelyn had wanted to talk about it, she would have done so already.

Robin twinkled at the girls, his dimpled cheeks and shiny white teeth glinting before he spoke.

"Hello, my lovelies! I'm happy to see you on such a beautiful Summerland day. What brings you here?"

Evelyn smiled before she spoke, sounding almost bashful.

"We're thrilled about the idea of a trip to Scotland, but I'm not sure if I can afford to go. It's a lot of money, and well," said Evelyn, her voice faltering slightly before she continued. "I just don't have the resources to pay for it."

Robin looked at her, strangely serious yet with a compassionate expression Cat couldn't remember ever seeing on his face before.

"My dear, never fear. I wouldn't ask you to go if I didn't think you could. I've anticipated that you may hit this snag, as money is a such a very human problem. And so I have planned for it."

As Cat watched, she noticed Robin was holding small bag. She'd never seen him carry anything before. As Robin held the bag out to Evelyn, she felt her mouth drop open.

"No way!" Cat gasped.

Evelyn almost shrieked as she held the heavy bag, having opened it to see it full to the top with coins and papers. As she pulled one out, Cat noted that it was a British pound and smiled.

"Why Robin, that is so kind of you to provide for us. How can we thank you?"

Cat waited for him to answer and wasn't disappointed with his response.

"Why, you can beat back the darkness again, of course! This particular foe has blighted my land for centuries and now the time is coming where it will try to rise and create more havoc. I wish to have it gone, permanently, before this happens, and so I shall entrust you to this mission."

Evelyn and Cat both nodded, still stunned by the bag of money in front of them, but not surprised to hear the reason for its presence.

"Thank you, Robin," said Cat. "We shall do our best to aid you in this mission. This will help a lot, with our very human problems, of course."

Evelyn bowed her head in thanks, accepting the bag and tucking it into her backpack, then looping her straps back over her shoulder. Cat noticed her stumble a little under the new weight.

Robin beamed at them again, springing at Evelyn and giving her a quick and unexpected peck on the cheek before he bounced away, calling over his shoulder before he disappeared.

"Take care, lovelies. I will see you soon."

Then he was gone, bounded away to wherever it was he went in between cryptic visits with the girls. They looked at each other, Evelyn absently rubbing her cheek in amusement before she pulled out the bag again, opening it so they could both examine it's contents. They sighed.

"So, how much do you think is in there?" Cat asked.

Evelyn shrugged. "No idea. Probably not enough to cover everything, but like you said, I'm sure the plane tickets are part of the 'scholarship', so I'd imagine it's just enough to get us by. Robin's very predictable that way."

Evelyn smiled down at the bag and patted it fondly. "Such a silly boy. I could just squeeze him!"

Cat laughed at her friend's affectionate look.

"Well, he's gone now, so we should get home as well. We can plan the rest of the trip later."

Evelyn nodded and headed back to the tree. "Yes, let's go. I need to tell my mom about everything."

Cat took a breath, thinking about the day's events.

"Yeah, I've got a lot of filling in to do at home for my parents too."

They took a last look around, before going back through to the cooler, darker human world, the tree closing like a door behind them.

"No way!" Vanessa practically shrieked into the phone later that night.

"You get to take English in Scotland? What the hell? How did I miss that opportunity?"

Cat smiled, lying upside down on her bed, wearing her cozy pjs while she did homework and talked to her sister. She'd been texting Vanessa, as their mother had finally caved in and allowed Cat to have her own cell phone for grade twelve, considering that she'd saved the world and now had a driver's license. Vanessa had promptly called her after Cat had mentioned a study abroad program. Now they'd been talking for twenty minutes, with a lot of high pitched, extremely excited noises coming from Cat's very jealous big sister.

"Yes, it looks like it!" said Cat. "It's only supposed to be for six weeks, right after the end of the first semester. So I've still got an entire month before we leave, but it sounds amazing, based on the information I've been able to find on the program. Mom is really excited too. It's like she thinks I'm artistic or something. She's too busy being proud and calling all of our distant relatives to brag to ask me about the details. I think Dad suspects it's a bit of a ruse, but he just gave me a list of places I need to visit, based on ancestors and stuff. If I don't visit a few specific castles he'll be pretty upset."

Vanessa laughed. "That sounds about right. Well, listen. Tell me when the dates are and I'll see how I can make it over there. I'm guessing you'll need all of us if we're fighting another big bad evil again. I'll rearrange my schedule and take time off when you guys are there. And of course, I'll definitely tell Mai everything."

"That would be wonderful, Vanessa. I've missed you guys so much! I hope everything works out so that you can come too."

The girls talked for a bit longer, Vanessa doing the lion's share as usual. Nothing new was going on for the girls outside of the trip, so once Cat's information was exhausted, Vanessa said goodbye, leaving Cat to sit on her bed, lost in her thoughts again.

One thought remained clear to her throughout all the excitement. The fantastic trip to the land of her ancestors was all part of what would likely be a very dangerous experience. They may not all come out of it in one piece. Her excitement thus tempered, Cat turned out her light, drifting off into sleep after mulling over the day's events in her head and dreaming of a far away place.