Violet Wings

  Lily was paying no attention to Beryl; she focused on Zircon and Wolframite. Her voice sweetened. "I hope you will allow me to perform one more spell? I can easily determine whether another wand exists upon these premises." She gave a charming smile.

  Wolframite scratched his nose. Zircon frowned.

  "The expenditure of radia will be mine, of course," Lily

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  continued, "and if Zaria turns out to be innocent, I will be more than glad."

  Both genies nodded gravely at that.

  "For my part, I believe it is important to determine the truth," said Zircon.

  "Agreed," Wolframite rasped.

  "Wait!" Beryl stepped forward, her orange wings quivering. "I will not allow--"

  "It's all right, Beryl," I said quickly. "Let them."

  Beryl looked at me, dread in her face. I nodded at her, trying to tell her with my eyes that she had nothing to fear. She sank onto the nearest perch. "Very well," she said.

  Lily infused to the halfway mark. Level 50. "Cerch nos es vonden," she said, waving her wand in a circle.

  Four chimes began to sound. One came from Zircon's direction, another from Wolframite, a third from Beryl, and a fourth--not as loud as the others--from the shelf where Sam's stylus lay. The chimes were not in harmony at all; the sound of them together hurt my ears.

  "Four chimes," Zircon said. "My wand, Wolframite's wand, Miss Danburite's wand, and Zaria's wand."

  Lily swished her own wand forcefully. The chimes stopped.

  Her face showed nothing. "Congratulations, Zaria," she said, faint sarcasm in her voice. "Evidently you are simply what you appear to be--an innocent fourteen-year-old fairy, more dutiful than most." Her eyes found mine. "It appears I must hunt down the one who attacked me."

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  "Apologies, Miss Tourmaline," Zircon said. "I hope you understand that this was entirely necessary."

  "Perhaps," said Beryl. She rose slowly from her perch. Her eyes looked sunken and sad. "But given the accusations made against Zaria, she ought to be assigned to a different mentor." There was a wheeze in her voice I had never heard before.

  Thank you, Beryl! I looked at her gratefully.

  "Oh no, I would not dream of abandoning Zaria," Lily replied.

  "But--" I said.

  Wolframite put a blotchy hand on my shoulder. "It is quite an honor to be mentored by Councilor Morganite." The expression in his beady garnet eyes was completely sincere. "She made an error tonight, accusing you--but the error was understandable. She was attacked."

  "But--"

  He pressed more heavily on my shoulder. "Youth is impetuous," he said. "You are young, with rich stores of radia. Everything pointed to you."

  How could I get them to understand what Lily had done, without revealing that I had tricked them?

  Beryl helped me again by saying, "Leona Bloodstone meets with her mentor in FOOM chambers. Zaria is due the same treatment."

  Wolframite finally took his hand from my shoulder. He raised an eyebrow at Zircon, who nodded. "There would be

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  no harm in changing the location of mentoring sessions."

  Lily smiled earnestly, her pearly eyes glistening. "Then I shall expect you, Zaria, at the FOOM dome at nine tomorrow morning."

  After giving their formal apologies, the councilors left.

  As soon as they did, Beryl drew her wand. She waved it, saying, "Lygos nos vindage el dm. "She dropped onto the nearest perch. "That will keep sound from escaping. If someone is listening outside, they will not be able to hear a thing, but if anyone knocks, we will know it."

  The councilors' visit must have upset her even more than I had guessed. Beryl was not in the habit of spending radia.

  I sank onto another perch. "Thank you," I said, "for not telling them I left."

  Beryl heaved a deep sigh. "I need to know. What happened today?"

  I looked at Sam's stylus still lying on the shelf where Lily had left it. I didn't reply.

  "Zaria. Your wand did not reveal either the reconstruction or transport spells I taught you."

  I stared at her through a fog of distrust. She had helped me tonight. But I didn't believe she would forgive me if she knew all the laws I had broken.

  "I beg you to tell me the truth," she said.

  "Then tell me the truth. Tell me why you never go to Earth

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  and why you despise humans. And what Lily did to you'.'

  Beryl looked down at her hands. "Earth is dangerous," she answered. "Humans are treacherous. Fey folk have done so much for them. As you know, it was fairies and genies who taught humans to tell time and build dwellings . . . not to mention the untold numbers of magical gifts we have given to human children. But are they grateful? Not in the least."

  "You don't know if they're grateful or not," I said. "How could they show us gratitude if we don't let them see us?"

  "When they see us, they want only to catch us. They are not to be trusted."

  Not all of them are the same, I thought. "Why do you say Lily is diabolical?"

  Beryl's wings sagged. There was a long pause. "I suppose I always knew this day would come," she said. "And always hoped it would never arrive."

  "What day?"

  "The day I tell you about Lily, and about your parents."

  A thrill of hope traveled from my heart to the tips of my wings. Would Beryl really unveil the secrets hanging over my life? I was afraid of breaking the fragile moment, so I tried not to look too eager as she gathered herself.

  "I have waited until now to talk to you because Lily Morganite has been holding something over me," she began.

  "Something?"

  "Yes, but I believe you are old enough to understand."

  And then, unbelievably, a knock sounded. A tap on our

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  door that turned into loud battering when we didn't answer.

  Beryl cast up her eyes. "What now?" She infused her wand and pointed it. "Lygos nuy."

  "Zaria!" someone called. "Zaria, are you there? Open up. . Please!"

  It was Leona's voice.

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  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  FAIRIES OR GENIES WHO HAVE LEVEL 7 MAGIC OR ABOVE HAVE THE ABILITY TO READ THE NATURE OF A HUMAN. ONCE HIGHLY VALUED, THIS SKILL IS SELDOM PRACTICED ANYMORE, BECAUSE IT USES RADIA, AND FEY FOLK HAVE GROWN CAUTIOUS ABOUT SAVING THEIR DWINDLING RESERVES. SPENDING RADIA ON HUMAN

  CHILDREN IS NOW CONSIDERED EXTRAVAGANT

  UNLESS USED TO FULFILL THE BASIC OBLIGATIONS OF A FAIRY GODMOTHER OR GENIE GODFATHER.

  NOWADAYS, MANY LEVEL 7 FEY FOLK ARE WITHOUT INSTRUCTION ON HOW TO ACCOMPLISH READING A HUMAN'S NATURE.

  --Orville Gold, genie historian of Feyland

  The instant I opened the door, Leona grabbed my arm. "You have to come with me," she said.

  I pulled back. "Not now. I can't."

  Her eyes, puffy and frantic, fixed on my face. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Zaree, I wouldn't ask, but I can't trust anyone but you." Her silver wings rippled.

  Leona wasn't easily shaken. Something terrible must have

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  happened. But this was the very worst moment for her to ask me to leave.

  "But, Leona, I--"

  Beryl rose from her perch. "Leona? Is something amiss?"

  Leona controlled her wings. "It's nothing, Miss Danburite. But I wondered if Zaria could visit me?"

  Beryl hardly hesitated before giving her permission. She looked relieved. It didn't surprise me--now, she would be able to put off talking with me.

  "Beryl," I said. "Promise me that when I come back--"

  "I promise, Zaria. I will still be here when you return."

  Beryl had never broken her word to me, but what if she changed her mind this time?

  "Wait." She hurried over with Sam's stylus. "Your wand."

  I jammed it into a pocket of my gown and flew out with Leona.

  The sun was low on the horizon, and beams of light
struck the tourmalines embedded in our roof. Thankfully, the curious fey folk who had hovered outside were gone.

  "Where are we going?" I asked as Leona and I soared into the air.

  "Earth," she declared, flying faster.

  "Earth! We can't." I pushed to keep up with her.

  What might Lily Morganite be doing this very minute? She might still be discussing things with Zircon and Wolframite. But 'what if she had gone to a viewing booth? She seemed to have a strange understanding of me. It was

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  almost as if she knew what I would do before I did it. What if she guessed I'd end up on Earth again tonight? How much worse could things become?

  Leona turned a grim face. "You can do an invisibility spell. I'll teach you how."

  "I don't have my wand."

  "Yes, you do. Beryl gave it to you. I saw her."

  "Leona, I've been wanting to find you, but you're always surrounded. I--"

  "Thank Oberon, that disgusting mob from the city can't follow me into Galena or to Earth," Leona said bitterly. "You were right about avoiding them, Zaree. I wish I could turn to shadow like you."

  "Leona, listen to me."

  But she streaked on, forcing me to use all my strength to keep up. Soon she touched down beside the Zinnia Portal. The orange and yellow flowers glowed like a cluster of jewels.

  "The invisibility spell," she said, panting. "Infuse your wand and say--"

  "Verita sil nos mertos elemen."

  She squinted at me. "You know the spell?"

  "Yes, I found my mother's spellbook."

  "Good! Hurry."

  "Leona, I'm trying to tell you," I whispered. "I don't have my wand. The one Beryl handed me is a fake."

  She looked as if someone had bound her wings and taken all her radia. "No," she said. "That can't be true."

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  It s true.

  "A fake? Why? Was your wand stolen, too?"

  "Stolen? No, I ..." Stopping, I stared at her. Suddenly her frenzy made sense. "Your wand was stolen?"

  She shook back her hair. "You can never tell anyone."

  "Of course not."

  Her eyes watered. "You're a true friend."

  I made a quick decision: much as I feared getting caught on Earth again by Lily, Leona was more important. "We'll get your wand back," I said. "Follow me." I glanced left and right to be sure no one was near before I stepped through the portal.

  On the other side, golden fire trimmed a bank of purple clouds in Earth's sky, while streamers of light lit the outlines of trees on the ridge. I flew up the slope to the grove that held the blue spruce, Leona right behind me. I knelt to dig.

  "What are you doing?" Leona said as she dropped to her knees beside me.

  "Shh." I scrabbled in the dirt. When I pulled my little stylus free, warmth and strength flowed through me, reviving me, restoring my sense of hope. I felt half-giddy with the joy of being reunited with the fullness of my magic.

  "What is your wand doing here?" Leona cried.

  "Shh!" Infusing, I tapped her head. "Verita sil nos mertos elemen."

  She disappeared. Her disembodied voice thanked me.

  I repeated the spell on myself. "Where are we going?"

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  "Wait. Zaree, why was your wand on Earth?"

  "I'll tell you later. Where's your wand?"

  "Jason Court," said Leona in a brittle, angry voice.

  "He stole your wand?" I gasped. "How?"

  "It doesn't matter."

  "But how will we find it?"

  "The moment I realized it was missing, I went into Oberon City to find a viewing booth. I had to go to an old broken-down station beside the Malachite Towers, and I had to flatter the attendant before he would let me in. Total humiliation. The scope was blurry, too. But now I know where Jason is."

  Hurriedly, I smoothed dirt over my mother's spellbook, wishing I could bring it along. My fear of Lily rose up again. What if she had seen us here?

  I infused my wand and touched it to the ground. "You are protected," I said softly, wishing I knew a better spell.

  I felt magic moving out of me into the earth and hoped it would be enough.

  "What did you say?" Leona asked.

  "Let's go get your wand," I answered.

  I held on to Leona's sash as we flew over the human town.

  "The brick house below," she said, after we'd gone several miles.

  We touched down. "I'm going to renew the spell for both of us," I whispered.

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  She waited while I said the words. I looked at my watch. Two minutes past seven o'clock.

  The house we approached wasn't far from Sam's, but it was much larger, shaped like a great heavy box. An iron balustrade marked a stone stairway leading to wide wooden doors. I followed the soft rustling of Leona's wings to the entrance.

  "Upandos zinnia," I heard her say. It surprised me, somehow, that the humble zinnia would be Leona's favorite seed.

  The doors swung open, giving plenty of space for our wings. An expanse of polished flagstones in the entryway led into the house.

  "Go left," Leona hissed.

  I turned, gliding carefully down a hallway. I could hear Leona ahead of me counting doors under her breath. We passed three, and then she stopped.

  "Here," she whispered, turning the doorknob.

  I darted through after her. But when I saw who was in the room, I almost lost my balance.

  Surely that was Sam standing with his back to an enormous window? No other human could have that same shock of fiery hair and those same gold-toned eyes. What was he doing with the thief who had stolen a fey wand?

  Jason stood across from Sam, a big smirk on his handsome face. A massive bed stood in one corner, big enough to sleep five. Clothes were strewn across the carpets. Shelves on one

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  wall held books, trophies, and dozens of other items I didn't recognize.

  Jason almost collided with me as he kicked the door shut. He turned back to Sam. "I keep telling you, I'm not the one who hacked your phone," he said.

  Sam frowned. He shoved his hands in his pockets.

  Jason folded his arms across his chest. "But now I've seen something strange--and it wasn't on my phone. It was for real."

  "What are you talking about?" Sam's frown deepened.

  "I was out by Coyote Ridge and saw this girl all dressed up like a fairy. Wings and everything. Great costume. And dude, she's a female magician, better than David Blaine. I don't know how, but she did a disappearing act. All for me."

  "For you".

  "And before she vanished, she kissed me. "Jason raised his eyebrows.

  Involuntarily I floated backward, almost bumping into the wall. Leona Bloodstone had kissed a human?

  "Kissed you," Sam said. "Right."

  I knew as surely as if he'd spoken the thought aloud that Sam believed Jason was talking about me. I wanted to scream.

  "It's true." Jason grinned. "And I can prove it."

  "Right," Sam said again.

  Jason opened a wooden drawer and lifted out Leona's wand. "Look at this," he said, holding it up.

  In that room made by humans, the fey wand glistened

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  with otherworldly light. It looked wrong to see Jason's hand gripping its winding tracery of gold and silver.

  Sam stared. "She gave that to you?"

  "Nah. I took it." Jason brushed the filigree.

  The wand jerked out of his hand and disappeared. Jason jumped back, banging into the wall. "What the--?"

  "Pyt verucca," I heard Leona say.

  An ugly wart appeared on Jason's nose. It was slightly off center, large and red with black hairs growing out of it.

  Leona's wing bumped mine. The door opened and I heard the swish of her skirts as she left.

  Sam stared at Jason. He put up a hand as if to protect himself. "Zaria?" he whispered.

  He thought I had put a wart on his friend's nose!

  I glanced a
t my watch. Less than a minute before the invisibility spell expired. I rushed from the room, down the hall, and out the front door to Leona.

  "Verita sil nos mertos elemen," she said, tapping my head. "Let's go."

  "How long?" I asked her.

  "It's a ten-minute spell, remember?"

  "I mean, how long will the boy have that wart?"

  "It's not long-lasting." She sounded impatient. "I'm only teaching him a lesson."

  I took a look behind us. Sam appeared in the doorway alone, lamplight striking his red hair and shadowing his face.

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  On the way back to the portal, Leona was silent. She didn't ask why my wand had been on Earth; she didn't ask anything at all. Only the quiet rhythm of her wings told me she was still there.

  I guessed that she was embarrassed because Jason had said she kissed him. I wanted to ask her if it was true--and if it was, what it was like. But I couldn't quite get the words out.

  When we passed the grove on the hillside, I didn't stop to bury my wand again. I would take my chances bringing it back. I didn't want to leave the spellbook, either, but I also didn't want to try to hide it in Feyland.

  Our invisibility wore off just after we crossed back through the portal. Leona's wings shimmered eerily in the twilight as we flew over Galena Falls.

  "Thank you for coming with me, Zaree," she said. "I never want to be without my wand again."

  I shivered. "Neither do I."

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  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  DILIGENT STUDENTS OF THE ANNALS OF MAGIC MAY GLEAN IMPORTANT BITS OF KNOWLEDGE IF THEY are patient enough to sift through the many passages that are either woefully unclear or downright irrelevant. the volume suffers from a style of writing that seems designed to mislead the reader.

  --Orville Gold, genie historian of Feyland

  The thought of the wart on Jason's nose and Sam whispering my name was disturbing, but Beryl's promise to tell me about my parents and Lily helped put what had happened on Earth out of my mind. I was so eager to hear what Beryl had to say, I almost bruised my wings dashing into the house.

  It was not a happy homecoming.

  Beryl was crumpled in the shabby old perch beside the far wall. Patched cushions supported her wings. She didn't even try to rise when she saw me.

  "Beryl?" I approached hesitantly and hovered beside her.