A darkness had spread over the land; a darkness which nothing could penetrate. Not Janus with his wings that let out a fiery glow, wings that were pointed with tips as sharp as the blade of a sword; not even Oberon himself, whose wings were so blindingly white that to look on them caused the fairies to shield their eyes. Since that terrible night when the babies had been taken the darkness had descended not only over the land, but in the hearts of the people themselves.

Because of Tatiana, Mab, the queen of the Kingdom of Fairy had been forced to use magic to protect herself. Because of Tatiana only one feather stood on the battlements of the castle and as a result, the power of the kingdom was sorely depleted.

Nobody in the kingdom suspected how Tatiana felt, not even Janus her husband. He remembered the day she sat and watched Mab as she created spells to manifest the beautiful flowers that grew around the castle. The other fairies were delighted and began to add their own species to complement them.

‘Trivial!’ Tatiana scoffed under her breath.

‘Trivial?’ The fairy Lottie had heard her.

‘Trivial?’ Tatiana repeated. ‘I can create flowers that are just as beautiful; even better than Mabs!’ The fairy Lottie frowned and moved away from her. Tatiana was definitely a little unsettling lately. Mab saw her sister watching intently and called, ‘Come Tatiana, come join us in the garden.’

Tatiana shrugged and turned her back.

‘Ignore her Mab,’ Oberon her husband told her.

‘I don’t know what’s got into Tatiana lately,’ Mab sighed. ‘It is very strange, but since I told her we are to have a child, she has been acting very strangely.’

‘Perhaps she is jealous.’

‘No, I don’t think so. Janus told me that Tatiana has no desire to have a child at present.’

‘Mm … perhaps Janus knows what’s wrong with her.’

‘Perhaps.’

Janus constantly blamed himself for not taking his wife seriously. He remembered the day she had told him of her desire to be queen.

‘To be queen? Are you mad?’

So that was the reason for her strange behavior lately.

‘I can work magic as well as Mab can,’ she told him.

‘Well, you are certainly able to work magic, but …’

Tatiana narrowed her eyes. ‘You think I am mad? Mab sits in her beautiful castle, surrounded by helpers and attendants. Everywhere she goes, everyone bows down in front of her. While I can work magic as well as she can, I am destined to live in her shadow, simply because I am the younger sister! Not only that,’ she added, ‘When Mab has her child it will eventually become king or queen of the Kingdom of Fairy. I have no hope of the throne!’

Janus looked at her in dismay. ‘But why do you want to be queen? You live in a beautiful castle. You have everything you want and you have me!’

‘I want to be Queen of the Kingdom of Fairy!’

Mab too remembered the dreadful months when Tatiana had continually challenged her in feats of magic; the last one almost cost Mab her life. On that dreadful day Tatiana had tried to make Mab use her powers unnecessarily, to the point where she was almost totally drained of energy. Luckily, it had all backfired on Tatiana as she had also been drained of energy. Oberon had warned Mab many times about Tatiana, but she had ignored him, not wanting to believe her sister was out to ruin her.

If only I had listened to Oberon, the coloured feathers would be still on the battlements, she cried to herself constantly. If only I had listened to Oberon, the babies would not have been taken. She sat back and let her mind wander to happier days; days when the coloured feathers had stood proudly in the battlements of the castle.

The Kingdom of Fairy which Mab and her husband, Oberon ruled, was prosperous. The harvest was abundant and best of all, their people were happy. Fairies of all shapes and sizes flitted in and out of the castle constantly, creating beautiful coloured hues. Because of Tatiana, the halls of the castle were strangely quiet. Mab thought with affection about the fairy folk that made up her kingdom, especially the fairy cooks. They prepared all the delicate foods that only fairies partook of; food that was cooked with much love and melted in one’s mouth leaving one with feelings of peace and tranquillity. Even now, she could almost taste Lottie’s special sugared cakes on the tip of her tongue.

Mab sighed. Poor Lottie had been taken to Gloomia that terrible night when the Glooms had raided. She wondered how she was faring in that dreadful place. Then she remembered Tatiana again and shuddered. The day she had challenged her right to the throne still haunted her.

When Mab realized that she and Oberon were expecting their first child, the Kingdom of Fairy was agog. The Mage, Odin had predicted that this first born of Mab and Oberon would be a very gifted child.

‘Not only that,’ Odin announced to the fairies, ‘there will be five other children born on the very same day who will also display special gifts. These children will each be born on a colored ray, making up the colors of the rainbow. Six more colored feathers will appear on the castle battlements to complement Mab’s violet one,’ he explained. ‘With the seven colors of the rainbow displayed on the battlements, the kingdom is ensured of protection!’

‘No! I will not let this happen!’ Tatiana screamed to Janus. Mab will not have this child!’

‘Tatiana …’ he began in dismay. His wife seemed to distance herself from him more each day. She spent hours in the caves in the mountains mixing up brews in a huge cauldron and practicing spells. ‘Tatiana, return to the castle, I implore you!’

‘Janus my love, it won’t be long now. Soon I will be Queen.’

‘You have gone mad!’ he told her in disbelief.

‘Go away Janus,’ she said in annoyance, and then watched as he made his way back down

the mountain side. I do believe he is going to warn Mab, she told herself angrily.

‘Your Majesty, I have something very grave to tell you,’ he began.

‘It is about Tatiana, isn’t it Janus?’ Mab said softly.

‘You know?’

Mab nodded sorrowfully. ‘Yes, I am aware of what she is planning. But she forgets that I am very powerful. It is one of the reasons I am queen you know. I am aware that she means to harm me and my unborn child; but I will not allow it to happen!’

‘You fool, Janus!’ a voice screamed from the back of the long throne room.

‘Tatiana!’

Tatiana stood there in her beautiful shimmering silver gown that matched her beautiful silver wings to perfection. Her black hair hung free to her waist and to Janus she had never looked so beautiful or so terrifying. However, when he looked into her fairy eyes, they were full of madness and hate.

‘I followed you,’ she shouted in anger. ‘I knew you would try and warn Mab! Now you leave me no choice!’

In her right hand, Tatiana had a silver wand which she pointed towards Janus. Mab simply raised her left hand and put a shield of protective light around him. Then standing up very straight and tall, she said in a commanding voice, ‘No! Your magic will not work to destroy someone who is loyal to me!’

Tatiana angrily dropped her wand and turned to face Mab. Raising both the palms of her hands towards her, she screamed, ‘Now you and your child will die! The throne is rightfully mine!’ Then she began to chant, using words that were so ancient that no one in the Kingdom of

Fairy had heard them for centuries. Mab felt herself teeter a little, and then with sudden resolve, she raised her arms above her head and pointed them towards the sky.

By the power invested in me, I now revoke the words that my sister is directing at me and my unborn child. I call on the light and power of the colored feathers for protection. I now declare that all the words my sister is cursing me with will be returned to her. May they find the heart where they truly belong!

As Mab spoke, a tremendous surge of colored light filled the room, taking Tatiana by surprise. Janus shielded his eyes. Tatiana stopped chanting and looked in horror as Mab directed

the light towards her. ‘No – no!’ she screamed.

As the light hit her, Tatiana continued to scream. Her silver dress began to burn, then hung in rags on her body. She put her hands over her eyes to shield them from the glare of the light. When the light finally receded, Mab slumped to the ground. Tatiana took her hands away from her face and Janus gasped in horror.

‘My hands!’ Tatiana cried in shock. Her hands were like those of a very, very old woman – gnarled and twisted. Then she gazed at what remained of her beautiful luxurious hair which had fallen out and now lay scattered around her. Seeing Janus’ shocked face, she got to her feet and ran quickly out of the throne room to look in a mirror. The sight that greeted her was one of a toothless old hag with withered skin and matted greying hair. Her beautiful silver wings were now burnt out twigs. Tatiana’s screams of terror could be heard all over the castle.

Later, Mab cried with Oberon. ‘You only sent her what she wished upon you!’ Oberon reminded her.

Mab jolted herself out of her reverie. She shuddered at what might have happened that day, but it was no use dwelling on the past; there was work to be done.

     In the days after the confrontation with Mab, Tatiana had retreated once more to the caves in the mountains. Without the aid of her precious wings, she was unable to fly. Here in the caves, she set about enchanting a broom which would enable her to do so. She spoke out loudly to herself constantly. You haven’t seen the end of me yet, Mab, she said over and over. Night after night she sat in the caves going over spells, and then cancelling them. None of them seemed to be working the way she wanted them to. With the help of her crystal ball, she was able to look into the castle. Seeing Mab so beautiful, happy and carefree made her even angrier.

‘Tatiana!’

‘Go away Janus!’ she shouted, shielding her eyes from the bright sunshine. She had ceased to think about Janus. He was unimportant to her now.

‘Leave her alone. We can do nothing for her at present,’ Mab advised him.

The months passed and Tatiana saw and spoke to nobody and continued to live a hermit-like existence formulating and discarding plans of revenge. She had no desire to travel in the light of day and only hunted at night, feasting on moths and small animals. She had totally lost her taste for fairy food. One moonless night an idea came to her. The Glooms! She would go to Gloomia and enlist the aid of Drabon, the ruler of the Glooms! Yes, why hadn’t she thought of it earlier? For the next few days, she looked into her crystal ball into the land of Gloomia, familiarizing herself with its inhabitants and their customs. Slowly her plans began to take shape.

On the next full moon, she flung a dark cloak about her. With her crystal ball safely wedged in the large pocket, she mounted her broom.

‘To Gloomia!’ she cried.

When the outline of the dark fortress of the Glooms came into view, she cried out in delight. Pointing her broom towards the fortress she suddenly heard the howling of many wolves. Unknown to Tatiana, thousands of Glooms were perched on the tree-tops below her. Suddenly, they took flight with loud shrieking noises, heading straight towards her.

‘What the …?’

Many claws were grasping her broom and directing it down towards the ground. She fought in vain to ward them off, but the more she fought, the more they shrieked in delight. The jolt she experienced while hitting the ground caused Tatiana to pass out. When she regained consciousness, she found a pair of burnt-out coal black eyes were peering at her.

‘What is it?’ the owner of the dreadful eyes said.

‘A hag, Ratbonia, just an old hag!’ her companion said carelessly. ‘You can dispose of it if you like!’

Oh, Oh, it’s Drabon! I’ve found Drabon! Tatiana tried to struggle to her feet. ‘No – wait! I… I have a proposition for you that you may be very interested in,’ she told him weakly. She felt in her pocket to see if her crystal ball was still in one piece. Thankfully, it had survived. Her back hurt terribly as she sat up. I must do a spell to remedy that she told herself.

‘A proposition? What on earth would an old hag like you have to say that would be remotely interesting to me?’ Drabon said scornfully.

‘I think you will be very interested when you hear that my name is Tatiana, the sister of Mab, Queen of the Kingdom of Fairy!’ she said smugly.

‘The Kingdom of Fairy?’

Both Ratbonia and Drabon pricked up their ears.

‘But you don’t look like a fairy,’ Drabon said suspiciously.

Then Tatiana began to tell her story of how Mab had turned her from a beautiful fairy into an old hag and that now she had a plan for revenge that would also benefit the Glooms.

‘Why would anyone want to look like a fairy?’ asked Ratbonia.

‘The plan – tell me the plan!’ Drabon demanded.

‘Well,’ began Tatiana. ‘Mab is about to give birth to a child. Not only that, but five other fairies in the kingdom are due to give birth around the same time.’

‘So there will be six new babies in the Kingdom of Fairy, what of it?’ asked Ratbonia.

She was clearly bored now. Tatiana ignored her.

‘These six children will have exemplary gifts. They are the future of the Kingdom of

Fairy!’ she announced. ‘They will all be born on a coloured ray; one for each color of the rainbow. Mab herself is the seventh! So,’ Tatiana continued, ‘when the children are born, the Kingdom of Fairy will be guarded by seven coloured feathers on the battlements of the castle; not just one!’ Drabon and Ratbonia pricked up their ears again.

‘We need to kill them all and then we will be in control of the kingdom – simple,’ said Ratbonia quickly.

‘Not so fast, my stupid one!’ replied Drabon.

‘No, indeed. Not so fast,’ agreed Tatiana.

‘What do you suggest then?’ asked Drabon peering closely in Tatiana’s eyes. Tatiana shuffled back a bit. His eyes were unsettling even for her.

‘My plan,’ she said, ‘is to kidnap the babies as soon as they are born and take them to the Land of Mortals. Once there, they can be exchanged for mortal babies. The mortal babies can then be brought here to Gloomia for you to care for and educate until they are old enough to challenge Mab in the Kingdom of Fairy. I suggest you enchant the children in order to raise them in the ways of the Glooms, and then reverse the spell when they come into their power as they grow up. Then Mab, Oberon and the other fairy parents will think that it is their own child that has come back to them, when in reality they are only mortals.’

‘It is brilliant!’ Drabon agreed.

‘Then,’ continued Tatiana, ‘because the mortal children have been raised in the way of the Glooms, they will begin to wreak havoc in the Kingdom of Fairy!’

‘Why not just steal six babies from the Land of Mortals and kill the fairy babies?’ suggested Ratbonia. ‘Because oh, stupid one,’ Drabon said in exasperation. ‘In order to take a child from the Land of Mortals, a fairy child has to be left in its place. Otherwise, it is impossible to cross them over!’

‘Oh. So the real fairy children will be in the Land of Mortals and will never know they are really fairy children!’ Ratbonia clapped her hands in delight. ‘Exactly!’ agreed Tatiana.

‘I like it more and more!’ Drabon was pleased now. ‘You may join us in Gloomia this very night!’ he said. ‘We need someone with a mind like yours!’

Tatiana gave a dreadful, toothless grin.

‘But your name is so awful!’ Ratbonia complained. ‘I simply can’t live around someone with a name like Tatiana – it needs to be changed.’

‘What do you suggest brainless one?’ asked Drabon.

‘Something like … like … Scow … Scowla! Yes Scowla! That would suit her very well!’ Ratbonia said proudly.

‘So be it! Scowla it is!’ announced Drabon.

And that is how Tatiana, once the beautiful sister of Queen Mab became Scowla, the chief advisor to Drabon, ruler of the Glooms.

     While Tatiana now known as Scowla, plotted with Drabon and Ratbonia in the land of Gloomia, the Kingdom of Fairy was rejoicing. Mab had given birth to a little girl and as the Mage Odin had predicted, five other fairies had each given birth to a child on that very day. These were the children, who according to Odin’s prophecies were each born on a coloured ray; children who were endowed with special gifts that would manifest as they grew.

Much feasting and merriment was taking place as Mab and Oberon stood on the battlements of the castle and held up their tiny daughter for the people to see. Alongside them, were the five other fairy parents. A loud cheer went over the countryside as the people saluted the new babies which were to be the future of the Kingdom of Fairy.

In front of the huge crowd of fairies assembled at the base of the castle, the Mage turned to each child in turn.

‘Aurora – come forward!’ he commanded the beautiful fairy dressed in a brilliant red dress. Aurora and her husband stepped forward holding their small baby boy. Odin directed his golden orb towards the baby saying, ‘This boy child has been endowed with exceptional physical strength! Step into the light of the orb!’ Aurora and her husband stepped into the light beam emanating from the golden orb. As they did so, a beautiful red feather appeared on the battlements of the castle.

‘Come Arabella,’ the Mage commanded, directing the fairy in the shimmering gown of yellow to step into the light beam with her husband and small son.

‘This child has the gift of invisibility!’ he declared, as a brilliant yellow feather appeared next to the others on the battlements.

Then the fairy Esmeralda came forward into the light beam with her husband and small daughter. ‘She has the power of healing,’ Odin smiled as the green feather appeared on the battlements. The fairy Isabella and her husband eagerly stepped into the light beam holding their small daughter. ‘She has the power of the mind; a very powerful child!’ they were told as the orange feather appeared. When the fairy Lottie and her husband stepped into the light beam holding their small daughter, the Mage gave them a gentle smile. Lottie was his favorite fairy.

‘Your child has the ability to communicate with animals!’ he told the elated parents as the blue feather appeared on the battlements.

Then it was Queen Mab’s turn. As she stepped into the light beam with Oberon holding their daughter, the crowd gave a roar of approval.

‘This child has the ability to shape change. She is a shape shifter!’ Odin told them as the last feather of indigo stood beside Mab’s violet one. Seven feathers now stood on the battlements of the castle; seven feathers of the rainbow; the seven feathers of power. The babies had not yet been named. In accordance with tradition, the naming would not take place until Midsummer’s Eve. As the parents talked excitedly about the futures of their special children, they were totally unaware that far away in the land of Gloomia, Scowla plotted with Drabon and Ratbonia. In front of her crystal ball in the fortress of Gloomia on Midsummer’s Eve, she pointed out the whereabouts of each of the babies they were to steal.

‘The babies are in the castle under the care of nursemaids,’ she told them. She peered once more into the crystal ball and found Mab and the fairies in the forest celebrating.

‘They are waiting until midnight, when the babies will be brought to them for naming. You need to get them while they are still in the castle. That way, Mab won’t be expecting trouble and won’t be warned in time to use her magic!’ Ah … so Lottie has also given birth to a special child, she thought to herself. ‘Make sure you get the cook, Lottie too,’ she told Drabon and Ratbonia, pointing to the fairy in her crystal ball. ‘I am sick to death of cooking for the Whorls! And remember, the fairy babies must be unharmed and quickly taken to the Land of Mortals to be exchanged. We may need them as bargaining power in the future!’

Drabon made a mental note of it. He considered Scowla a lot smarter than Ratbonia. Ratbonia would never have come up with an idea like Scowla’s. If Scowla had said the fairy, Lottie was a brilliant cook, who was he to argue? He had commissioned six of his most trusted Whorls with the task of stealing the babies. ‘Take a good look at the cook,’ he instructed Ratbonia. ‘Make sure you grab her!’

Ratbonia looked in disdain at the image of the fairy, Lottie in the crystal ball. ‘She’s revolting!’ she shuddered.

‘It will be so simple,’ Scowla told them. ‘The Kingdom of Fairy has no army.’

‘Yes, yes, so simple,’ Ratbonia nodded. ‘With no army they won’t be able to chase us to Gloomia, will they?’

‘The fairies have no hope against our Whorls,’ Drabon agreed with her. Then he assembled his huge army, the Whorls of Gloom, who were crouched on the treetops outside the fortress. ‘Prepare the torches!’ he shouted to them. ‘Prepare the torches! Burn what you can – kill what you can!’

‘Burn! Kill!’ the Whorls echoed.

‘Are you with us Scowla?’ Drabon was anxious to get started. She shook her head. ‘No, I am not ready to face Mab yet!’

‘Suit yourself,’ Drabon shrugged. ‘To the Kingdom of Fairy! To the Kingdom of Fairy!’ he shouted excitedly. ‘To the Kingdom of Fairy! To the Kingdom of Fairy!’ Ratbonia echoed. She couldn’t wait to get her claws into some fairies.

Alone in the fortress, Scowla smiled her toothless grin as she heard the flapping of wings which signaled that the raid was about to begin.

‘Are you ready?’ Drabon shouted. In reply the huge army of Whorls rose into the sky with dreadful shrieks and headed towards the Kingdom of Fairy. Leading them were Drabon’s T to Z group of Goblins. These were brainless goblins who acted out orders without question. They were viscous warriors who went in for the kill; most of the time, getting killed themselves!

They were also joined by the N to P group who were basically used as slaves. Not being very bright, they did all the dirty jobs that nobody else wanted to do. As long as they received their share of the kill from a hunt, they were happy.

The inhabitants of the Kingdom of Fairy were taken completely unawares. Dressed in their finest clothes, they were preparing to dance and sing together, and then share a sumptuous feast. Later, the six new babies would be summoned for the naming ceremony. It was in the middle of this feast, which was occurring in the moonlight on long tables under the candlelit trees, that the Glooms struck.

While Drabon’s six especially chosen Whorls raided the castle and kidnapped the babies, the rest of his army descended on the fairies in the forest. Fairies scattered in all directions. Ratbonia had managed to scoop up a few fairies in her claws, tear their wings and then drop them from a great height as they were trying to escape. Tiring quickly of this activity, she headed for the fields to claim some animals.

‘Leave the animals, you idiot – get the cook – the cook!’ screamed Drabon.

‘Oh – the cook – yes!’

Ratbonia dropped the small animal she had begun eating. Without bothering to wipe the fresh blood off her mouth, she headed back to the scattered fairies. She recognized the cook, Lottie hurriedly making her way back to the castle with her husband to collect her baby girl.

‘Not so fast,’ Ratbonia grinned, swooping the poor fairy up in her claws and carrying her kicking and screaming over the treetops towards Gloomia as her husband looked on helplessly.

Drabon set fire to the first tree, and then the Whorls followed his example, torching many fine trees and dwellings outside the castle walls.

‘The babies – the babies!’ Mab shrieked, placing a protective shield around Oberon and the fairy fathers, urging them to return quickly to the castle. ‘Hurry, hurry!’ Then she turned and raised her arms, calling on her power. Suddenly, the air around the forest clearing began to shimmer. A huge ball of protective light surrounded the fairies.

Drabon, Ratbonia and the Whorls stopped in mid-air. Angrily, they clawed the space around the fairies.

‘The queen has put a protective shield around her fairies,’ Drabon called to his Whorls in frustration. ‘No matter, we have the babies! To Gloomia, To Gloomia!’ he shouted to them. ‘Don’t forget, we have the cook! Ratbonia told him in satisfaction.

As Drabon, Ratbonia and the Whorls took to the sky, Mab made her way quickly towards the castle. Oberon was sitting with his head in his hands. ‘We are too late! We are too late!’ the fathers of the babies said over and over. They had arrived just in time to see Drabon’s especially chosen Whorls rising up in the air with the babies in their claws.

‘No!’ screamed Mab. ‘No!’

The Whorls headed out into the night with the still sleeping babies. Eventually, they came to a clearing where Drabon awaited them. Most of the babies were now crying loudly. Drabon was not overly fond of crying babies, so with a flick of his wrist, he threw a silencing spell over them. ‘Quick, we have no time to waste!’ he told his helpers urgently.

‘Couldn’t we just keep one?’ his head Whorl, Oblong asked with a grin. Oblong was a particularly devious goblin. Unfortunately, he was cross-eyed and when he looked at someone, they were never quite sure if he was looking at them or not. Everyone knew not to upset him as he had a very nasty temper and on occasions had done much damage to friend and foe alike.

‘This one looks so tasty!’ he drooled over the baby closest to him. ‘Fool! Unless we exchange these babies with mortal ones, we do not have a hope of taking over the Kingdom of Fairy in the future!’

Oblong’s grin disappeared quickly as he tried to focus his eyes. ‘Of course my Master, of course!’

Drabon then summoned his six especially chosen goblins from the A to E group who would be taking the fairy babies to the Land of Mortals to exchange them for mortal babies. Abductor, Abandon, Abuse, Abscond, Abstract and Acid from this group were the slyest and most treacherous, but also the most talented group of goblins. They were the cleverest, the nastiest and the most deceptive. Brilliant thieves, they never got caught and did quite well making minor spells, usually directed at each other out of spite. If Drabon needed anything of importance to be done, these were the goblins of his choice.

He instructed Oblong and his helpers to hand the babies to the goblins. The goblin, Abuse, peered into the eyes of the baby he had been given. The baby quickly closed his eyes. Abuse scowled. Drabon reminded him that the child was to be quickly taken to the Land of Mortals and exchanged, unharmed.

‘Of course, My Master, of course,’ Abuse lowered his eyes. He did not want to risk upsetting Drabon. He was in the top group of goblins who received many favors. Drabon directed the six goblins to face the moon, while holding the babies in their arms. Then stretching out his large bat wings, he began his special spell which could only be performed on Midsummer’s Eve. He spat on his long spindly claws until they were dripping, then he began to claw the air in front of him. To the Land of Mortals – To the Land of Mortals he spat at them, flicking the drool from his claws towards the six goblins holding the babies, until one by one, they disappeared from sight.

As dawn broke, an eerie glow began to emanate over the Kingdom of Fairy. One by one, the six colored feathers which stood for each of the babies slowly disappeared from the battlements of the castle, until there was only one standing – Queen Mab’s violet feather.