While not actually dead, Bíbor was dangerously close. She was squirming in deep darkness, lost in the grip of heavy fever dreams. It was already early dawn when she finally came to her senses. Her torso was covered with thick bandages coated with herbs. There was a searing pain in her back, but despite that, she still tried to sit up. But a voice cautioned her not to do so. Bíbor was surrounded by hundreds of twirling creatures in an unknown dark place. She was not scared. Instead, she immediately realised that this must have been the Kingdom of Snakes. The only thing she could not wrap her head around was how she ended up here. She glimpsed at a young boy in the dimness. His face was lit by the small fire burning in front of him. He held a basket full of herbs in one hand and a jug of fresh water in the other. He looked familiar even though this was her first time seeing him. 

"I'm making you an elixir. It will soon be ready."– he hissed. 

Bíbor turned to her side with difficulty just so she could see him better. There was no question he was that little snake that she saved earlier. 

"What happened?"– she finally gathered her strength to speak.

"You got injured, but luckily, we found you in time."

"No. What happened to the others?"

"They were taken by the humans."

"What?"– she sat up, but the snakes immediately pushed her back down –"You say that they were all kidnapped?"

"That's correct."

"All of them?"

"Yes."

Bíbor covered her face with her hands. She tried to calm down, but that seemed to be impossible. Her first thought was returning to the fairy realm and bringing backup. But as soon as the snakes told her that the humans had drained the lake and the next passage home was seven days of walking away, she backed down. She didn't have that much time. 

According to the little snake, the humans took the fairies into a highly guarded castle. She had no chance alone, but sitting still was out of the question. She looked for her dagger but couldn't find it. She gritted her teeth, scrambled to her feet, and prepared to leave unarmed, compelled by the absence of better options. But a sea of snakes blocked her way. 

"Let me pass! You already paid me back your debt by saving my life."

"What's the point of doing so when the next thing you do is ride to your demise? Lay down, and I will tell you how to save your friends."

Bíbor mistrustfully obeyed and lay on the moss-coated bed. The child then gave her the now-finished and steaming elixir, and began to speak. 

Based on his words, the gate is the only way to enter the castle. There, everyone is inspected upon entry and even exit. But if Bíbor could mingle with the merchants and servants, she could pass with a group. Hearing this, the fairy raised an eyebrow. With her red hair, anyone could tell she was not human from afar. The idea seemed impossible, but then the little snake told her about a magical cloak. It had the ability to hide its wearer from unwelcome attention. Then he proceeded to tell her where to find it. The cloak was located half a day's walk away, and it was in the possession of an old witch. 

The job seemed easy enough for Bíbor, but the little snake made her realise that even if she could obtain the cloak, it wouldn't be enough for her to free the prisoners. There are at least a hundred soldiers on patrol day and night. If she wanted to be able to break through them while escaping, she would need a weapon. An excellent one. The strongest blade in the human realm that the child knew of was an outstanding sword. It could make its bearer a hundred times stronger. Luckily, it wasn't even that far away, just about a day's walk from the witch's house. But it was in the possession of a miser mayor. He was notorious all over the land. It wouldn't be easy to get the sword from him. 

As soon as these words left his mouth, Bíbor was ready to go, but the boy still had much to say. He gestured to her to lay back down, then continued. 

Let's say she succeeds with all the previous steps and gets all the fairies out of the castle. Then what? They have no chance of running away on their feet. The soldiers would catch up to them in no time. To avoid that, they must leave the human realm as soon as possible. And to do that, they're going to need táltos steeds*. With their help, they could fly straight back to the fairy realm. Bíbor looked at him with an expression of disbelief. Where would they find a whole group of them in the human realm? But the little snake had already given her an answer before she could voice the question. A herd's owner died recently. She could try her luck with them. 

When the boy finished, the sea of snakes that covered the ground left, and the corridor to the aboveground was finally free. Bíbor did not feel pain any more thanks to the elixir, so she did not hesitate. She thanked the snake for his help and then set off on her journey.

* Táltos steeds are mythological horses in Hungarian folklore. Their attributes change from story to story. They often possess more than four feet, eat ember, and breathe fire. Some of them can fly while some are just insanely strong. In folktales, they usually help the hero to reach their goal.