“But the goal is for her to meet the new Gwynn?”

“Or the new Arawn, preferably one or the other, the choice dependent on the side.”

I shook my head. “Okay, you lost me.”

“For the Tylwyth Teg, the goal is for a new Matilda to meet her Gwynn, but not her Arawn, because that restarts the original scenario. Likewise for the Cwn Annwn.”

“So she meets one and . . . There are babies involved here, aren’t there?”

She laughed. “Only if you want them, which I think you do not. No, the only requirement is the bond. Of course, the stronger the bond, the more likely they can woo the girl to their side, so they would not object to babies.”

“Well, they aren’t getting them. If Gabriel is the new Gwynn, and we’re friends, that’s it, then, right? The bond is there. My mission accomplished.”

“There’s more to it than that—the fate that awaits the Tylwyth Teg if you don’t actually choose them.”

She settled onto the ground as the sun rose again. I sat in front of her.

“Fate?”

“Extinction.”

“You mean . . . wiped out?”

“For this settlement, yes. It happens. Nothing lasts forever. There are other Tylwyth Teg and Cwn Annwn, other groups. Fewer and fewer. Our time is past, yet we are stubborn. But what keeps fae alive is limited, and it dwindles as the world is consumed by what passes for progress.”

“And what keeps fae alive? Wait. Ley lines, correct? Cainsville is built on a ley line.”

She laughed, the sound tinkling. “Ley lines are a human invention. What sustains us are three of the four elements. Air, water, earth. The other—fire—kills. But the first three keep us alive, so long as they are pure and untainted. Tell me, what is a ley line?”

“A geographical alignment. Streams combining with mountain ridges and such.”

“In broader terms, then, it is a mixing of elements, such as water and rock. Humans had an inkling of the truth there, though they overcomplicated the matter. For fae, the ideal habitat is one that combines as many elements of nature as possible. Rock, rich earth, water, forest, meadow . . .”

“Like Cainsville,” I said. “Bounded on one side by river, another by marsh, the third by rocky ground. Surrounded by field and forest. The Cwn Annwn use that forest, other forests, too. They’re more nomadic. Less bound to territory. Still, both govern land valuable to other fae. And as remaining woodlands are developed, Cainsville becomes more valuable, and threats emerge.”

“They do. Even as we speak. Those others grow bolder, knowing you’re here. Yet even here, the land dies. It cannot avoid contamination—air, earth, and water. You can cleanse and renew it, and give them the power to resist those threats.”

“Hopefully not with my blood, scattered over the land.”