Later that evening, Amy left her room and went downstairs to Elias' study. She knocked on the door, timidly, and Elias responded, "Come in." She pushed the door open slowly and found him sitting at his desk writing a letter. "Ah, Miss Bloom, have a seat." he said, putting his quill down and indicated at an armchair in front of his desk. "Have you reached a decision?" he asked after she sat down. "Please call me Amy." "Have you reached a decision, Amy?" Elias asked, smiling warmly. "Yes, Elias, I've decided to stay. There's nothing left for me in the Human world. I had no family, no friends, no home. Here, I at least have a bed to sleep in and food to eat." "Wonderful!" Elias said, clapping his hands together. "I'll tell Silky to prepare a feast for dinner. In the meantime, I would like you to have this." he said and opened a drawer. He pulled out a velvet box and lifted the lid. Amy gasped when he pulled out a green jade pendant. "This is for me?" she asked. "That's right. I want you to wear this amulet at all times. It'll protect you while you're in the realm of the Fae. There are many malicious creatures who wish to do you harm, kidnap you or even kill you." "Because I'm a Sleigh Beggy?" "Correct. You're either a priceless treasure, a threat or a tasty snack depending on the Fae. To me however, you are my student. Now come, let me give you a tour of your new home." he said and rose to his feet. After dinner, Elias returned to his study while Amy helped Silky with the dishes. As Silky put the last dish in the cupboard, a flash of lightning lit up the kitchen. "Looks like we're in for a storm." Amy said as Silky began rushing around the house shutting windows.
Amy returned to her room and shut her own window. As she pulled the sash to shut the curtains, a large shape caught her eye on the ground below. She pressed her face against the glass, trying to get a better look. When another fork of lightning lit up the sky, she saw a large black wolf running across the field. "Is that a werewolf?" she asked aloud as the beast ran into the forest beyond the field. At a quarter to midnight, Amy pulled a raincoat over her pajamas and snuck downstairs. Down the hall, she could see Elias' office door ajar and warm light spilling out. She quietly pulled open the front door and ventured out into the night. By then, the rain had slowed to a drizzle as she crossed through the garden and climbed over the stone wall separating Elias' property from the field. "Oh good. You came." Midna said when Amy reached the middle of the field. "Come along now, sweetie. There's something I want to show you." Midna said and started flying toward the forest. "Um Midna? I saw a wolf going into the forest earlier. Will we run into it?" "Oh I doubt it, honey. The forest is pretty big." "Are there werewolves in Arcadia?" "Oh yes. We call them Lycans. There're also vampires, leshens, banshees, goblins, centaurs...all sorts of things really." When they reached the edge of the forest, Amy hesitated. "Scared?" Midna asked, hovering a few feet in front of Amy. "A little." she confessed. "The one you should really be afraid of is Elias. He's not all that he appears to be." "What do you mean?" Amy asked, concerned. "That's all I'm going to say for now." Midna teased. "Now come, it's not much farther."
It wasn't long before they reached a gnarled old tree in a clearing. "Here we are." Midna sang. "Where are we?" "This is the entrance to the Faerie Kingdom. Now come along." Midna said, grabbing Amy's arm and started to pull her forward. "Not lost are you?" said a familiar voice above their heads. Amy looked up and gasped when she saw Elias standing on one of the branches, staring down at them. "Elias!" she squealed as he leapt from the branch and landed gracefully in front of them. "What are you doing, Amy?" he asked, somehow seeming taller and larger as he loomed over them. "Dammit, Thorn, how did you find us?" Midna shrieked, stamping her tiny foot in midair. "You forget, my dear Midna, I have spies everywhere in the forest. Now, back to the matter at hand, what are you doing here, Amy?" "I'm sorry, Elias. Midna asked me to meet her at midnight and she told me not to tell you." "I see. Didn't I warn you about such malicious creatures? And yet you still wander off? In the middle of the night?" Amy hung her head in shame. "I suppose you'll send me back to the Human realm." she mumbled. "Of course not." Elias sighed. "I'm just trying to keep you safe. I don't think you fully grasp what it means to be a Sleigh Beggy. But you will, soon enough. And as for you..." he said, now rounding on Midna. "I don't want to see you anywhere near the estate for a long time." he said sternly. "The Queen will hear about this." Midna said darkly and disappeared into an opening in the tree trunk. "Come now, let's go home." he said and put a gentle hand on Amy's shoulder. "So how did you find me?" she asked as Elias helped her over the stone wall. "That amulet I gave you has a tracking device in it. I had a feeling Midna was up to something when she came by this afternoon. I'm glad to see my feeling was correct." He opened the front door and Silky appeared immediately carrying two mugs of hot cocoa on a silver tray. "Were you worried about us?" Elias asked, patting Silky's head. She blushed and nodded. "Well thank you, Silky. Your gesture is very much appreciated. I guess we have time for a quick mug of hot cocoa before bed." he said as they took their mugs and went into the parlor.
