“Oh, Liam …” I began, anguished that I couldn’t give him what he wanted from me, but then my voice froze in my throat as I saw what lay below us. Green meadows starred with wildflowers of every imaginable color rolled down into a valley split by a broad river. Mountains rose on the other side of the river, each range a different hue of indigo, violet and blue, shading away to palest pearl and dove grey. The mountains looked as if the sun was setting over them, but there was no sun. The rest of the valley was filled with honey gold light.

“It reminds me of a painting by one of the Hudson River School painters,” I said as we ambled down the sloping hill. On either side were thick woods. I sensed that they were full of creatures watching our progress, but I only saw the flicker of movement and, once, the silhouette of deer antlers against the ridge behind us.

“The Hudson runs along a rift between worlds,” Liam said. “Often you are looking into Faerie when you look across the river – as those painters found. Come on. The undines are by the river. Their sisters have come to greet them.”

As we walked down the hill the honey-colored light seemed to roll down with us, like a golden tide. The entire valley was drenched with it; I could almost taste it – a honeysuckle nectar.

“Aelvesgold,” Liam said. “The original substance of Faerie, the building block of all magic.”

“Elves?” I asked. “Are there elves, too? I don’t think I’ve met any yet …”

Liam looked alarmed. “Let’s hope it stays that way. The elves were banished long ago when they tried to take over Faerie and enslave humanity. Some say they were destroyed, but others that they changed into monsters.”

I was going to ask Liam to elaborate, but the undines had spotted us and several were running up the hill, a long-legged red-haired one in the lead, loping like a filly straight for me. Upon reaching us, she flung her arms around me in a bone-crunching hug. I smelled raspberry on her breath.

“You saved me!” she said out loud.

“We saved each other,” I said.

She gave me a smile so warm that I wasn’t even scared by her sharp, pointy teeth. Then she twirled around, her long hair fanning out in a brilliant red-gold wave. Her green eyes flashed when she faced me again.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

She tilted her head and I could hear her thoughts flickering. Undines didn’t have names until they reached Faerie, I realized. Then she grinned, her sharp teeth glittering in the sunlight.

“Raspberry!” she announced, clearly proud of herself.

I laughed. “That’s the perfect name for you. I’m Callie. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

She giggled and twirled again, then started pulling me toward the crowd on the riverbank. I gave Liam a questioning look, but he was busy fending off the attentions of a giggling pair of undines. Liam might miss me after I was gone, I reflected as Raspberry pulled me toward her companions, but he’d hardly be lonely.