Lily's Magic by: Elsbeth Braden learns that his grandmother's stories might be true.

Chapter 2

Braden had already disappeared into the woods when the two black dogs leaped over the fence and crossed the field. Lily knew it was only a matter of time before he was captured. There was no escape once these hounds had your scent. They were the Cw’n Annwn, the heralds of death. “Stop, you stupid dogs.” Lily spun on one wing and threw what power she had at the beasts to no avail. She threw her power again tearing up the ground but the hounds continued their charge.

Turning back around Lily could see that the underbrush of the forest was now slowing her new friend down. The white haired pixie began to panic. She didn’t know what to do. Maybe she could change him into something that the Cw’n Annwn would ignore. What it didn’t matter, something anything to change his scent. Without stopping, Lily closed her eyes and with all her might threw her most potent magic at Braden. The young boy took three more steps than collapsed.

The two hounds crashed through the forest underbrush but came to a halt when reaching Braden. Sniffing around the unconscious child for a few seconds, the pair immediately headed off deeper into the forest. Dizzy Lily could barely fly, looking down she could see what she had done. Braden’s red hair was now long, down to his waist and all the features that she once recognized as a boy were gone. “Well, she did say bring ‘him’ back.” Lily then dropped like a rock to the forest floor, her magic spent.

Braden’s eyes opened wide finding himself standing in his grandmother’s home in Ireland. The sun was just coming up and through the windows the lush green land was spread out before him. “This isn’t possible.” Opening the door instead of ending up on the landing, the young boy found himself walking into the kitchen.

“This must be a dream.”

“Almost, child, you are on the borders of Tá­r na ná“g.” A young woman stood in the center of the kitchen. She wore a blue and black Leine Mna a traditional Irish dress. Like Braden, her hair was red like fire.

The boy stopped for a moment but when she smiled, he knew the identity of this familiar looking woman. “Gran!” Throwing himself into her arms, he began to cry. Even if this was a dream, he could see and touch her again. He had lost so much this year, so many people he had loved. To be able to see one of them again was such joy.

“Buachaill á³g á‰ireannach.” She held him close. Little Irish boy, she often called him that.

Stepping back eyes wide he said. “Tá­r na ná“g, did I die?” Was he talking to his grandmother in the land of the dead? Her stories of the undying lands came back to him.

She cupped his cheeks with both hands. “No, your life is still strong, full of potential.”

“Why am I here?”

“Come let us take a walk.” The kitchen door opened and the pair passed through ending up on a grassy meadow.

“It’s pretty.” He said looking around; the green seemed to go on forever. “Oh Gran, guess what, I met a Pixie; her name is Lily.”

Alexandra Magrath smiled at her grandchild. “Do you remember playing with them when you were younger?”

“I did?”

“Yes, you used to love playing with your Fae cousins.”

Fae cousins? “But daddy never mentioned them.” Braden was sure he couldn’t see them but sometime his father had a distant look. “But you could see them, Gran.”

“Of course, I’m Cailleach Feasa as was my mother and her mother before her. We are of the old blood, child. Our roots go all the way back to the Tuatha Dé Danann.” She said proudly.

A light suddenly went off in Braden’s head. “You’re a Witch.”

His grandmother laughed. “Well yes, that’s what they call us now although our family is a little more complicated.”

“So that’s what she meant by the old blood.” Lily had asked in the bathroom at school. Well at least she might now get in trouble now. “So boys can’t be Cailleach Feasa.”

“No.” She smiled sadly.

“Oh. Gran why am I here, I was running from something.”

“Because things have changed, become less clear. You will have choices presented before you very soon.” Braden’s grandmother smiled sadly. “I wish I could be there for you.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I know.”

“Is this real?” Braden spun around the land was unearthly and dream like. Speaking to his grandmother didn’t seem possible either.

“Does it matter?”

“No.” Braden leaned over and hugged his grandmother. Still it was all a little confusing when he tried to remember. There were shadows chasing him. “Gran I have to go back, daddy might be in danger.”

“Then go my Cailá­n á¡lainn.

He laughed. “Gran, I can’t be a beautiful little girl, I’m a boy.”

The smell of fresh fallen leaves assaulted Braden’s nostrils. Panicked he raised his head; the sun was getting ready to set, throwing unsettling shadows over the forest. “Lily.” He whispered into the darkness. Trying to unsuccessfully pull his hair away from his face, he thought. “What’s with the hair?”

Then the dream came back to him. His Gran had called him a Cailá­n á¡lainn, a beautiful little girl. It took only moments for him to realize how true his grandmother’s words were. “Lily, what have you done to me?” She cried out this was not right. Braden did dress in his sister’s clothes but did he really want to be a girl? One part of her was excited at the prospect, the other was absolutely terrified. Tears ran down her face as she tried to come to terms with the magic that had been cast on her. She could not see going forward in life as a girl without her mother and sister to teach her how. “Lily, I don’t know how to be a girl.”

Braden then became concerned. “Where are you, Lily?” The hounds that attacked them, did they hurt her friend. Scrambling on the ground, she looked for some signs. “Lily.” She screamed in a fierce whisper. A slight movement in the leaves caught her attention.

The Pixie lay on the ground. “Lily, please wake up.” She cupped her in her hands. Suddenly the young girl felt a pull from inside herself then a tingle. The white haired pixie began to move. “Lily, thank goodness, you’re awake.”

“Braden, is that you?” A melodious sounding voice broke through the fuzziness of her head. Lily noticed that the red haired girl that held her in her hands was very pretty.

“I think so, though I’m not exactly Braden anymore.” She shrugged.

“What about the Cw’n Annwn?” Lily sat up. She noticed that sun had almost gone down; it must have been several hours since the hounds hunted for the boy, well now girl.

“You mean those dogs.” She shivered. “I don’t know. I only woke up a little while ago.”

“I’m so sorry I did this to you, I didn’t know how to stop them.” Lily looked up tears running down her face. “I’ve messed everything up…as usual.”

Braden smiled sadly. “I’ll admit I sort of freaked when I woke up.”

Lily cringed. The Pixie could see that Braden had been crying. “I’m not sure if I can change you back…maybe Xera.” As their clans Keeper of Names, she wielded great magical powers. The Pixie understood now that she might have ruined the boy’s life.

Braden shook her head this was not the time. Even if the choice was given to her right now, she wasn’t ready to decide. “No, it’s OK; actually I would prefer if I stayed this way at least for now. Please.”

“But you were a boy.”

“Yes.”

“But you don’t mind being a girl?”

“Not at all.” Braden looked away that was not exactly true. She just didn’t know what she wanted to do. “It’s sort of been my wish, though I never thought it would really happen.” Was that even true anymore?

Lily didn’t understand. She could tell that the young human girl was struggling, confused. Perhaps what she said was mostly true. “So I didn’t mess up?”

“No you did great; you saved me, after all. Still I think this might be a little complicated to explain to my daddy.” She giggled.

Lily looked at her friend then her eyes went wide. “You said your mother wasn’t a Witch. Right?”

Braden shrugged. “Well, I’m not sure of anything anymore but I don’t think so.” She of course remembered her dream but it was just that a dream wasn’t it? “My Gran was said to have the Sight. She used to see things that no one else could see.”

“I think you might be a Witch, with some training, a powerful one at that.” Lily stared at her friend for a couple of seconds.

Gran had said that no boy could be a Cailleach Feasa. Was that one of the choices she had spoken about? “Me, really?”

Lily nodded.

The young girl looked thoughtful. “Let’s worry about that another time. I need to find out what happened to my daddy. If Mrs. Stiles did anything to him...” She couldn’t finish her sentence.

“Ok Braden, let’s go get him but we must be very careful.” Lily was terrified. She was sure that creature was a Hag called ‘Black Mary’ a powerful member of the Unseelie Court. The Pixie wanted to run to the others but she couldn’t leave Braden behind. Her job was to stay by the young girl’s side. She also knew her new friend wasn’t going anywhere until she was sure her father was safe.

“Let’s go, and Lily, please call me Breyana.” So her grandmother said only a girl could be a Cailleach Feasa so be it. If that’s what it took to save her father then she could live with it. That creature would find that she was not someone who was just going to give up.

Moving through the forest was proving difficult. Holding her pants up with one hand, the young girl had to stop every few minutes as her shoes kept slipping off her feet. “Should have worn a belt.”

“You know Breyana if you want I can change your clothes.” Lily wiggled her fingers a little.

The young girl looked up at the hovering Pixie for a moment. “Lily, please don’t take this the wrong way. I love you like a sister but can we hold off on casting any more magic on me today.”

Pain flashed through Lily’s eyes for a brief moment then she nodded. The two girls stared at one another for a second then they began to giggle. Lily flew straight down and hugged Breyana by the neck. The young girl comforted her friend. “Besides there are plenty of things for me to wear at home; what’s funny, most of Molly’s clothes are going to be a little too big on me. I’ll have to go into the back of the closet for the older stuff.”

Slipping back into the house Breyana was nervous. Was that creature waiting for her or did it run away when its true nature was discovered. From how Lily was acting, she was sure that the creature hadn’t run away. The front door was wide open, immediately telling her that something was wrong.

“Breyana, don’t go in there. Let me get my friends.” Lily pleaded. She couldn’t tell if anyone was at home but the Hag’s magic was very powerful. The creature could be standing in the center of the hallway and they wouldn’t know until it was too late.

“I need to see if he is here Lily. I have to know.” Her father was all that she had left of her family. If he was also taken away from her, no she couldn’t think that. He had to be alive. Setting her shoes quietly down in the hallway, Breyana whispered into the darkness. “Daddy.” Not finding her father in the living room, she quietly walked upstairs to discover the rest of the house empty.

“Your father isn’t here, Breyana.” Lily hovered nearby.

“I know but where is he?” Did he end up calling an ambulance? Of course if he did then he would have written a message. Not finding one on the dining room table she walked into the kitchen and found a small white piece of paper attached to the refrigerator. As she read the beautifully written note a chill ran down her spine.

Dearest Braden,

Dorothy Stiles

Anger and despair fueled her heart “Oh Lily, she has my dad. What are we to do?”

Authors Notes: A special thanks to djkauf for a little elvish editing. Thanks to all for reading! - Elsbeth