“No lies detected,” Zoe says. “But I think you got more pissed when we sampled your pot from the kitchen.”

The hedge witch gapes at her. “When did you swipe pot from my cupboards?”

Zoe scans the circle, clenching her teeth. “Oops.” She sinks in her seat.

“I haven’t finished,” I say. “Jenny Hansen, the mother of the baby who was kidnapped in the Celestial Gardens, stopped by Mystic Sage one day. She was down in the dumps about her infant Daniel because he hadn’t been the same since his return. If she didn’t have DNA identification, she would have sworn he wasn’t her child. She told me the other two kidnapped children were having behavioral problems at school, and their parents didn’t know how to handle them.”

“That’s disconcerting,” Tyler says. “They’re probably changelings then.”

“The evidence appears to suggest that,” Archie adds. “But Gwyn has more to tell you.”

“I also sensed magic residue at Ashley’s apartment early on and witnessed the energy hovering around her son, Aidan. I even wonder if she stole him from a human and made up the story about her dead husband. Recently, I ran into her on the trail in North Basin Creek Park. She was alone and coming from the bog side. When I mentioned it to Jeff, he seemed befuddled by the news.”

“But we checked out the pond,” Tanner says. “We noticed nothing out of the ordinary there. And why would a fairy hold up there, anyway?”

“True,” Archie replies. “But some Tylwyth Teg fairies live in the water. Gwyn went back there again and observed unusual flashes of energy above the pond, glimmering with a silver hue.”

“If that’s true,” Agnes says. “Then those kids are majorly fucked. They’ll never return. From what I know of the Tylwyth Teg, they can exist under there forever. And we have no way to go in there to rescue them.”

“Agnes, you’re the oldest and most experienced here,” Trinity asks. “Are there any spells that would shield from drowning? Give one of us enough time to rescue them?”

“I don’t fucking know,” Agnes replies. “We didn’t find any like that in my library of grimoires, although we have many left. I’m a fucking hedge witch. We don’t do water. I don’t even know how to swim, and at my age, I’d probably drown, anyway.”

Leslie pats her partner’s hand. “None of us expect you to risk your life, dear. This is a job for the younger witches.”

She scowls. “Oh, so now I’m too fucking old?”

“Well, it’s kinda difficult to deny that, Agnes,” Spence says. “But if we could find a spell, I’m down. I can hold my breath forever. Remember, I grew up near the beach in California. I may not even need an incantation. I’m willing to try. Anything for Ronnie and Derek’s baby.”

Shane raises his hand. “Let’s focus, everyone. It may not come to that. First, we decide how to confront her. She is likely to flee, and then we’ll be up the creek without a paddle in the deepest shit we’ve ever encountered. We will never discover where she’s hiding the children, including baby Luna.”

“The solution is to ask her directly,” Elijah says. “We’ll have to invite her to someone’s home, where we’ll be waiting for her. Ready to stop her from fleeing.”

For the next few minutes, we throw ideas back and forth, most of which require her to come to us as a group. We’re losing time.

“May I offer a suggestion?” I ask. “Since I have a close relationship with Ashley, let me approach her. I could question Jeff first. But that would be risky if she has some sort of fairy power over him. I should go to her alone and ask her directly. Appeal to her motherly feelings. I’m a mom, and she looks up to me. I’ll tell her we aren’t angry, but she needs to return the children to their parents.”

Trinity nods. “Sounds like a plan to me. Since there is a slight risk we could expose ourselves to another Unremarkable, we must vote. Should Gwyn confront Ashley Lewis?”

Every single hand raises. The decision is final. I will confront Ashley and hope for the best. For Ronnie’s sake, I cannot fail.

Our coven leader shakes a finger at me. “Gwyn, we are counting are you. When will you go to her?”

“Right away. The longer we wait, the more difficult it will be. I’ll keep you informed.” I scan the circle. “Be on the ready. If she flees, we’ll have to go after her using the spells we have at our disposal. Wing it, like the hedge witch.”

“So, I’m not too fucking old after all,” Agnes says, sarcasm lacing her voice.

“We’ll need everyone,” Archie adds. “Ronnie can’t help, so we’re not at full capacity as a coven.”

“But we have three ancestral witches,” Tyler says. “And all the young ones have attained the third level in their magic skills. We’re stronger than ever before. We can do this.”

Skye stands with her arms crossed, a look of bewilderment on her face.

“You don’t appear convinced,” I say. “Can’t our magic fight that of one Tylwyth Teg fairy? She isn’t a Tuatha Dé.”

She taps her chin. “I don’t understand why no one has mentioned the fact that Jeff Williams has brown hair. Don’t Tylwyth Teg fairies favor blond males? Why did she choose him?”

“I didn’t even consider that,” I say, biting my lower lip. “But Luna doesn’t have pure blond hair either, and Ashley snatched her from her bassinet. Jeff’s hair is on the lighter side. Some might call it dirty blond. But does it have to be pure? We know the lore but not the reality of their realm.”

“It’s the sole element of contradiction,” Leslie says. “And time is of the essence.”

“I wholeheartedly agree.” Trinity takes a cleansing breath and locks eyes with me. “Gwyn, this all rests on you. Don’t fuck it up.”

Shane pulls on his whiskers. “Aren’t we forgetting something? If we’re correct, what do we do about her? After retrieving the children, we can’t allow a Tylwyth Teg to remain in our world.”

“One step at a time, Shane,” Trinity replies. “One fucking step at a time.”

We disband, and Archie walks me to my car. The icy air sends a chill down my spine—or is my intuition finally sending confirmation of my assessment concerning Ashley? The coven stands huddled on the porch in the distance. They’ll remain at the Pumpkin House awaiting my report, prepared to fight for the children of Bearsden, and Luna, one of our own. Tyler mouths the words, “You got this, Mom.”

I get into the driver’s seat of my Prius and Archie shuts the door. I push the button to lower my window.

“Should I wait outside Roots of the Earth? In case she takes off running?” he asks.

“No. She may detect your magic in the area and could feel threatened. This is one time I have to fight alone—for Ronnie and Luna.”

“Would having the dirk in your possession convince her to comply?”

“She’d take off for sure. I have to appeal to her motherly side.”

“Aye. I have faith in you, Gwyn. If anyone can convince her to bring back the children, you can. Good luck, my love.”

I stand in front of Ashley’s apartment, considering what to say to her. I have but one chance to convince her to return the children to their parents. The last time I confronted a fairy here, I killed him with Archie’s dirk. Now, I must fight with words. I tap on the door, waiting for a minute or two before it swings in.

Ashley gapes at me. “Gwyn? Why are you here? It’s late.”

“Yeah. I know, but something terrible has happened. I thought you should know.”

“Oh. Is Jeff hurt? Please, tell me.”

I shake my head. “No. He’s fine. I mean, I think he’s OK. I haven’t seen him since my last shift at Mystic Sage.”

“Come in.” She glances at Aidan, who’s sitting in the toy corner wearing pajamas. “He had a nightmare, so I’m letting him preoccupy himself for a few minutes before I put him back to bed. We can talk on the sofa.”

When I sit down, Ashley chooses the cushion at the other end. I hesitate for a moment, staring at Aidan. I examine his blond hair and fair features. Who are his actual parents, and where did she snatch him from? He must have been a baby.

“What’s so urgent you couldn’t wait until the morning?” she asks.