rom the top of Matt's tower, Jade watched them vanish. She felt strangely sad at Kat's disappearance. Jade could barely admit it to herself in her current state of mind, but the little faerie had been the first friend she'd ever really had. And all her sport was gone now. Jade was feeling petulant. She went in search of Matt.

***

Kat met Marc and Mab in Marc's house, and told them all that had happened in the human realms. And then Mab told Kat of her cousin's death and subsequent imprisonment, and Marc told Kat of his plans to overthrow the throne.
"But wait," said Kat. "I don't understand. This woman - she is human?"
"Yes," replied Mab. "A sorceress."
"But she would not live without your cousin's soul at her throat?"
"No," corrected Mab. "She would not be able to hold her glamour without it."
"Well, why don't we just take it off her?"
"We can't get close enough."
Kat looked at them both for a long moment. Then Marc began to grin.
"Of course," he said. "It's perfect!"
"I have to report to her immediately... are all your people in position, Marc?"
"Jus' awaitin' t' signal, dorling," he said, slipping into wide brogue.
"Marvellous," said Kat. "I will go and make my report to Anne-Marie then."

***

"Your majesty," said Kat as she approached the throne. "I bring news from the human realms."
Anne-Marie gestured for Kat to approach her, which Kat did.
"The Prophet has fallen," Kat reported sadly. This time, Kat was paying close attention, and noticed the flicker of pleasure in Anne-Marie's eyes as she heard the news. "She accepted a magickal necklace from Matt, and is now ensorcelled by him."
"If she is ensorcelled, is it still free will?" asked Anne-Marie, carefully.
"Indeed, my Queen," Kat replied. "For Matt dropped the necklace into her hand, and rather than dropping it, or handing it back, she was tempted by power, and placed the necklace around her neck. In this way, she is lost to good."
"That is truly sorrowful news," lied Anne-Marie.
"There is more, my Queen. The Goddess was understandably distressed by this. As you probably already know, due to your direct linking with the Goddess, she has decided to completely close the gate of Magick to the human realms."
There was no denying the flicker of panic that crossed Anne-Marie's face.
"I do know," Anne-Marie lied again, "however I would appreciate it if you would elaborate for the members of my court, as I have not told them the news."
And so Kat elaborated, explaining what that would mean for the human realms - the cessation of faith and magick as they knew it. Anne-Marie managed to control her panic, but only barely.
"Is there anything else, Kat?" Anne-Marie asked when Kat had completed her tale.
"Yes, your Majesty, there is one more thing."
"And what is that?"
"I released Queen Mab."
Saying these four words, Kat leaped forward and ripped the necklace from Anne-Marie's neck. At that moment the doors blew open with a bang, and Mab strode into her throne room, wings spread, brooking no arguments to her right to rule. At the same moment, Anne-Marie began changing shape, reverting back to her usual human form.
"Be gone, foul sorceress!" commanded Mab, and all the magicks of Faery came at her call, lifting the sorceress and spinning her around. The sorceress tried to gather her thoughts, but the violent spinning and whirling colours distracted her too much, and she couldn't focus. Mab changed the magick, and the sorceress began to change shape. By the time Mab had finished, the only thing left of the sorceress was a small wooden doll.
"Put that in the magickal storage room," Mab commanded, and two sprites instantly leaped to do her bidding.
"Does anyone gainsay my right to my throne?" Mab demanded of the assembled crowd.
Nobody made a sound, and Mab strode to her throne, and sat down, wings spread.
"Majesty," said Kat, kneeling down before her and proclaiming fealty.
Her act was followed by everyone else in the throne room, with only two exceptions.
"Accepted," granted Mab. "Marc, arrest those few."
Marc gave the signal, and his men instantly arrested those who had actively helped Anne-Marie to wrest the throne from their queen. Kat stood up, and Mab smiled at her.
"Thank you, my dear."
"It was a pleasure, my Queen."
At that moment, Kat heard her name called, in summons, and was pulled from the throne room to Jade's side.

***

Jade sat in her new room, waiting for Kat to appear. Matt had been too busy for her, and so she'd fallen back on Kat, again. The light shimmered and Kat appeared.
"Hello, Jade," said Kat, coolly.
"Kat," replied Jade. "Will you put this on, please?"
Kat looked at the black collar in distaste.
"I will not."
"I am lonely, Kat."
"You have chosen your path, Jade. I will not remain with you while you wear that necklace."
"This? This is the only reason you won't stay?"
Jade reached up to stroke the necklace. She considered taking it off, but decided she'd rather have the power.
"I'm sorry, Kat, but I simply can't take it off right now."
"You only have 10 hours left, Jade. Its power over you grows every minute."
"Unfortunately, I can't let you leave, either," Jade continued. "That's why I called you here."
"Why?"
"Because here, you must stay and talk to me. The walls of this room are strengthened with iron. You came in because I summoned you. You can't get out, unless someone equally powerful summons you out. You must stay and talk to me."
"I will not," Kat repeated. "I will not talk to you, or have anything to do with you, while you wear that necklace."
"You do not have a choice. I have you held here."
Kat realised it was true. She couldn't leave the room. But, Kat thought, she didn't have to talk to her either.
"You have 10 hours, Jade," Kat said. "The Goddess has closed the gate to magick through the mortal world. Your power will dwindle with every passing hour. By the time 24 hours have passed you will have no power left. You have 10 hours to reverse the process. This is your final chance to keep magick alive."
Then Kat closed her mouth, and vowed that it would remain that way.

***

"I'm not going to be able to draw?"
"Oh, you'll still be able to draw. Only it will be like that," Kat pointed to the crumpled paper on the floor. "Or worse," she added casually.
Jade was distressed. She loved drawing, it was all that had kept her sane through her childhood. She reached for her necklace and fumbled with the chain. Matt had proved that he didn't care about her. She paused, and turned to Kat.

"You lied to me, though."
"I did?" asked Kat, surprised.
"Yes. You said you hadn't been west often before."
Kat started at her for a long moment.
"I had to lie to you, Jade. You didn't accept me in my true form."
"That's not true!" she exclaimed.
Kat closed her eyes for a moment, and entered Jade's mind, then carefully released the memories she'd hidden in the corners of Jade's mind. A few moments later, they returned to their correct places in Jade's mind, and her eyes grew wide.
"I would not have lied to you if there had been another way."
Suddenly, things made a lot more sense.
"There is such thing as magic," Jade realised aloud.
"Yes."
"And I have it."
"Yes. You are the child of the goddess. The Prophet. It is your destiny to use your talent to predict the future."
Jade thought for a while.
"My drawings?"
"Yes."
"This necklace is a perversion, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"I want to take it off."
"Then do so."
"I think... we'll need it."
Kat smiled, catching Jade's wave-length, and smiled. There was 8 hours left.

Standing outside on the hill with Jade, Kat smiled. Matt's tower was little more than rubble now, and they were waiting for him to appear. He didn't disappoint them.
"What are you *doing*?!" he screamed, his face red in fury.
"Entertaining myself with this power you have given me," said Jade sweetly. "The same sort of fun I used to destroy the mage's guild. And you know the most curious thing?"
"What?" Matt's teeth were grinding together he was so furious.
"All this magick has *your* power signature on it."
Matt's face instantly paled and he almost fainted with the implication. Kat and Jade laughed, and Kat transported them to Kithern.
A moment later, 25 gold and silver robed mages surrounded Matt. He hadn't even began stammering an explanation when they bound him, and mercilessly burned the power out of him.

"Lexcie is in there," said Jade quietly.
"Aye, he is."
"He still has a part to play."
"Does he?"
"Yes. Will you bring him here?"
"Yes, prophet."
Kat vanished, and a moment later, returned with Lexcie.
"Was there anyone else in there?"
"I released all the fae, and they've gone home. Only Lexcie's mages."
Jade nodded once, and bent Matt's power to destroying the tower. Lexcie cried out once as the tower crumbled, but was silent by the time it was nothing but sand and crumpled metal. Then Jade turned to Lexcie, and removed the necklace, placing it on the ground.
"The power that destroyed your tower resides completely in that necklace," Jade told him. "If you don't destroy it, I will give it to someone else who can use it to destroy you."
Furious, Lexcie bent his will upon Matt's necklace, willing it to be destroyed. After a long struggle, there was a bright flash and Matt's power lashed out. The necklace was no longer, but neither was Lexcie's power. Matt's necklace had burned out Lexcie's power as surely as the mages had burned out Matt's. Lexcie sagged against the ground.
"Hear this," said Jade softly. "Your power is no more. Your arcane arts will no longer work. You are now a priest of the goddess. You will spread the word."
Weeping, Lexcie bowed his head, and Kat and Jade vanished again.

***

"I do not understand why you did not destroy Lexcie," said Lomeldur in confusion.
"It was necessary that he destroy the necklace. Nobody else was powerful enough to do it. And he has been converted. He will spread the word of the goddess."
"She has opened the gates again?"
"No," said Kat. "She doesn't want things to go the way they were. She is leaving them at the stage they are now. The mages will have lost their destructive power now, but there is still some small magick in the world. It was probably the best outcome we could have had."
Mab, Lomeldur, Marc, Lomithiel, Kat and Jade stood in silence for a while.
"There was, however, one good outcome of all of this."
"What's that?" asked Jade.
Mab smiled.
"Faery has a prophet again."
"You mean... I get to stay here?"
"But of course you do!" laughed Kat. "Besides... I'm not getting married without you there!"
Jade burst into tears.
"You're getting married?"
"Yes. Lomeldur asked me this afternoon. I have accepted. Why are you crying?"
Jade laughed. "That is wonderful! I'm so happy! I finally have a place where I am at home, accepted for who and what I am."
"What do you predict, prophet?" teased Mab with a smile.
"Many years of joy and happiness," smiled Jade through happy tears.