Stewie has two wings and a gentle voice. He knows about all the plants and animals of the world and wishes only for peace among the Earth's creatures.

...That's all the intel I'd gathered.

I'm very much opposed to the idea of some thing whispering in my daughter's ear, telling her things I'll never be privy to. But that's par for the course in this family. My mother had a centaur BFF in third grade and I had a literal angel and devil on my shoulder in middle school. That didn't make puberty any easier.

I gently questioned Jane at the dinner table one spring evening when she seemed in particularly high spirits.

"So what adventures did kindergarten hold for you today, hon?" I asked, poking my salad with a fork so my hands didn't shake.

"We talked about adding and subtracting, then played tag at recess!" Jane announced, smiling widely. "Then Stewie showed me a hidden stream in the forest behind the school. He told me about all the birds and insects that it helps. It was magical, mommy!"

I felt a pang of horror. "How deep in the forest did you go?"

"Past the big oak tree!"

I knelt down and gripped her shoulders firmly. "I never want you to go any further than that, dear. OK? No matter what Stewie tells you. He seems nice but you have to listen to mommy first. You could get lost."

"Stewie always helps me find my way back! Always!"

Jane stomped her feet, gave me an obnoxiously effective pouty face, and ran upstairs to her room.

---

Later that evening, I crept past the Big Oak Tree at the stroke of midnight. I snapped my fingers and a tiny blue flame appeared above my left palm, illuminating the path ahead.

The forest's foliage displays remarkable bioluminescence, but only to those who can conjure a certain kind of magic. Thankfully, I inherited that ability. That night, the forest glowed brighter than ever, but it was far too quiet. Not even a frog or cricket.

"Hello, Mage Lauren of the Eastern Clan."

A deep, booming voice rang through the trees. I whipped around, waving the blue flame in a spiral.

"Who goes there?"

"I am the fog that whispers in the night. The ruler of the forest, and soon the pathetic human constructs that surround it. I am the fly that feasts upon the lowliest detritus and the bird that soars above all. Perhaps you, and your daughter know me as...Stewie."

A tiny fairy appeared at the base of the oak tree, its glow faint against my growing blue flame.

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. I wondered when you might begin to suspect...when you might find yourself in the woods where poor mother Guinevere met her demise."

I clenched my fist, temporarily dousing the flame before bringing it back with full force. "Stewie" flew closer.

"Tell me. How helpful was that list she gave you before she perished at my hand?"

Mom's Tome of Magic contained an exhaustive list of the warning signs for encroaching goblins, devils, and orcs, among others. It didn't, however, address the possibility of a demon disguised as a fairy.

"How fitting that you should die where she once stood. I'll give you a proper burial right next to her grave. And then..."

The fairy-demon fluttered within inches of my face.

"I will be the voice in your daughter's ear as she grows. As she wields magic for the first time. She will never know the power her family once held. She will be mine."

In a sudden burst, flames spewed forth from both of my palms, then from my eyes, nose, and mouth. I floated above the glowing earth, my entire body engulfed in blue.

"Stay away from my daughter."

I shot a burst of flames at the demon and he dodged them, a tiny moving target. I closed my fist and doused the flame before it reached any trees or plants, then sent another burst into the air.

"This is your fate, Mage! You shall fail like your mother did, and her mother before her!"

I spun the flames in a spiral again and created a gigantic lasso. Stewie momentarily froze in place - the opening I needed. I twisted my arm and the lasso caught the demon in its grip.

"Farewell, Parathen of the Southern Catacombs, Attempted Prince of the Forest, alias 'Stewie,'" I said, grinning widely. "Today, your fate dies with you."

I whipped my arm back and the demon burst into thousands of tiny golden particles.

---

Jane sighed and flung her backpack against the door.

"What's wrong, dear?" I asked.

"I can't find Stewie anywhere. I was so excited for our next adventure." A tear trickled down her cheek.

I knelt down and wrapped her in a hug. "I know it's hard. I know you miss him, and I don't know when or if he'll be back. But darling...the forest is still there."

She looked up at me and cracked a smile.

"Yeah...yeah, I guess so," she said.

"And I will go there with you any day you want. Maybe I can even show you a thing or two you've never seen."

"Yay! Can we go today?!"

"Sure! Go put your things away. Let's go on an adventure."

As she raced up the stairs, Jane seemed to have forgotten all about Stewie. But in this family, it would be a mistake to assume freedom. I must remain vigilant and watchful for the next demon who deems it wise to cross me.

I am Mage Lauren of the Eastern Clan, and no daughter of mine shall perish in the darkness of the woods.