The Truest Heart

  “I already have a new home for her,” said Cory. “I’m sorry it ended this way.”

  “So am I. That little dragon is really friendly and nice to have around. I’m sorry I can’t keep her. By the way, you set me up on a date with that girl, Goldilocks. I saw in the paper where she married Prince Rupert. She was nice, but not right for me. Any chance you know any other girls who might want to go out?”

  Cory closed her eyes and saw Jonas in her mind, but no one else appeared beside him. That didn’t mean she couldn’t set him up on a date, however. Daisy was between boyfriends, and it was about time she went out with a good person.

  “Actually, I think I do,” Cory told him. “I’ll see what I can arrange.”

  “Great!” Jonas said, his eyes lighting up. “I’ll get Shimmer. She’s taking a nap in the shed behind the house. I tried keeping her inside the house, but my dogs are terrified of her.”

  Cory understood why Jonas had put Shimmer in a shed when she saw that it was made of cement blocks. What was left of the burned door was standing open so that sunlight fell on the baby dragon sleeping in a pile of hay.

  “Shimmer!” Cory said, kneeling just outside the door. “I’m taking you with me.”

  The little dragon opened sleepy eyes and blinked. When she launched herself at Cory, Macks shouted and tried to grab Shimmer, but Cory hugged her, delighted that the dragon seemed so happy to see her.

  “She really belongs to you,” said Jonas. “She’s never been that happy to see me. Are you sure you can’t keep her yourself?”

  “I wish I could,” Cory said, and hugged the dragon a little harder.

  “You didn’t tell me that we were picking up a dragon,” Macks said as they walked to his solar cycle. “Where are we going to put her to get her home? You can’t put her in the compartment. There wouldn’t be enough air.”

  Cory was carrying the little dragon in her arms. “I hadn’t thought of that,” she said, scratching Shimmer’s head. “I rode the pedal-bus here and carried her in the basket, but she’s grown since then. She’s really smart, though. I wonder . . . Macks, go ahead and get on the cycle. I’ll be right there.”

  Setting Shimmer on the ground, Cory knelt beside her and said, “We’re going to my uncle’s house now. We want you to go with us, too. It’s a long way to fly, but I think you could make it. We’ll stop now and then so you can rest. Will you fly above the cycle and stay with us?”

  The little dragon didn’t say anything, but then Cory didn’t expect her to. She wasn’t a talking animal like Weegie, after all. However, Cory knew Shimmer was smarter than Noodles and maybe smarter than Weegie. If the two woodchucks could do all the things they did, surely the little dragon could follow her home.

  When Cory walked to the cycle, Shimmer ran along after her. She continued to run, crying, even after they started down the road.

  “Fly, Shimmer!” cried Cory. “I know you can do it!”

  Shimmer ran a few steps farther and stopped. She looked so pitiful that Cory was thinking about having Macks turn around when suddenly the little dragon launched herself into the air.

  “Come on, Shimmer!” Cory cried, and was delighted when the dragon began to follow them. Seeing a flying dragon was always a thrilling sight, but especially when it was exactly where you wanted it to be.

  It was midafternoon when they finally returned home. Cory called to Shimmer and the baby dragon flew straight to her, making happy little chirruping sounds. Wanita was struggling to drag a reluctant Boris home from the park when Cory started up the walk, carrying Shimmer. The little dragon puffed hot air at the boar, who sniffed and bolted for home, dragging Wanita behind him.

  “Showing the neighbors who’s boss, huh?” Cory said as she petted Shimmer.

  As soon as they were inside, Shimmer settled back in as if she’d never left. Cory gave her the dishes she’d used before and put her bed back in the kitchen, where it had gone when she first brought Shimmer home from Misty Falls. Tired from flying, the little dragon curled up on the bed while Cory fetched some books from the main room. It was time to make another match.

  Cory had seen her uncle’s match, but had no idea who the fairy was or where to find her. Like she often did when trying to find a fairy whose face she had seen, Cory started her search by going through her uncle’s collection of old yearbooks. If the fairy had gone to Junior Fey School, her picture should be there.

  Cory looked through the books page by page while Macks came in for a drink and left; Shimmer woke up, turned over, and went back to sleep; and Noodles scratched at the door to go out. She finally found the picture in a yearbook that was ten years older than her own. Quince Brookfield was eleven years younger than Micah.

  It helped to have a name to match the face, but Cory still had a lot to learn about the fairy. Quince had been a general education major, which meant that she hadn’t trained in any specific field. This made finding her a lot harder. Hoping to learn where Quince worked, Cory began going through the few lists that she had. One list included all the people who worked in the town government. Quince was not on the list. Some of the guilds had recently made public partial lists of guild members. Quince didn’t seem to be on any of those lists, either.

  Cory had just finished going through yet another list when Macks walked into the kitchen. “What are you doing?” he asked, peeking over her shoulder.

  “I’m looking for someone named Quince Brookfield,” said Cory. “But I haven’t had any luck so far. Have you ever heard of her?”

  Macks shook his head. “If you can’t find her in the usual places, she might have a nontraditional kind of job.”

  “I thought of that,” Cory said. “So how do I find her?”

  “I have no idea,” said Macks. “People in those kinds of jobs don’t usually have their names on lists.”

  Cory was still looking for Quince’s name when she realized that it was almost time to leave for rehearsal. After putting the papers away, she made a quick salad and was just getting out the dishes when Blue arrived. They ate after Macks left, and were soon on the road themselves. This time Cory wore a pack on her back that could hold the little dragon, which Shimmer really seemed to like.

  When they reached Olot’s cave, the ogre and his wife took to Shimmer right away. Olot declared that she could have the run of the cave, as long as she was a good girl, and Chancy showed her the bed she’d already made up. Shimmer was a big hit with all the band members, too, and Skippy’s girlfriends spent the entire rehearsal cooing over her and admiring her scales.

  When the band had finished practicing for the night, Olot said that he had an announcement. “As I’m sure you all know by now, our assistant, Dillert, was working against us at the last performance. Since then, I have looked into him more thoroughly, which I admit I should have done before hiring him. I learned that Dillert is an enforcer for the Flower Fairy Guild and not unaffiliated as he claimed when I met him.”

  “What does an enforcer do?” one of Skippy’s girlfriends called out.

  “He’s one of the people who do the guild’s secret dirty work,” said Olot. “That means he was exactly the kind of person that we didn’t want. Zephyr is once again looking for someone to fill Goldilocks’s position. This time we will look into the applicant thoroughly. If you know of anyone who might be suitable, please have him contact me.”

  “May I suggest that you consider hiring an ogre?” Blue said. “They have no guild affiliations; they are strong, hard workers; and you and I both know a number of good ogres who would do an excellent job.”

  “That’s true!” said Olot. “I should have thought of that myself. I’ll look into it right away. And that reminds me; I have one more announcement tonight. Although our regular venues aren’t hiring us now, we are getting a lot of requests from the ogre community. We were a big hit at Itchy Butt’s party and word has spread. Ogres aren’t afraid of the guilds, and are eager to have us perform at their events. I’m in negotiations with a number of ogres now
, and will let you know more at our next rehearsal. If you have any questions or comments, come see me.”

  While Cheeble, Skippy, and Perky crowded around Olot, vying to talk to him first, Daisy headed for the door. Cory hurried to stop her. “Before you go, I need to talk to you for just a minute. You don’t have a new boyfriend yet, do you?”

  “No, I don’t,” said Daisy. “And I don’t know if I ever will. My heart has been broken too many times. It may never heal.”

  “That’s too bad,” said Cory. “Because I know a very nice young man who I think you’d really like. He’s not a member of any guild so he wouldn’t have any ulterior motives, but if you aren’t interested . . .”

  “What’s his name?” Daisy asked, her pointed ears perking up.

  “Jonas McDonald. He owns his own farm and has his own house and—”

  “Is he a fairy?”

  “He’s a human, actually. You said you’d dated a human before,” said Cory.

  “I did, years ago. Some humans are very nice. What does he look like?”

  “Tall and handsome,” Cory told her.

  “All right then,” said Daisy. “I might as well jump back into the dating pond. When can you set it up?”

  “Would tomorrow be too soon?” asked Cory. “Your poor heart—”

  “Can handle it just fine,” said Daisy. “Send me a message as soon as you know where and when. I’ll be ready!”

  “That was easy,” Cory told Blue as Daisy started down the hall. “But then Daisy never has been happy unless she has a boyfriend.”

  “Uh-huh,” Blue said, looking distracted. “Listen, when we go outside, you stay in the doorway while I get the cycle and come back to pick you up. I don’t want to give the guilds a chance to get to you.”

  “Just be careful,” Cory said, seeing the concern in Blue’s eyes.

  “I will,” said Blue. “And you be ready to get on the cycle as fast as you can. There’s no telling what might be on this mountainside at night.”

  While Blue hurried to get the cycle, Cory stood in the doorway, peering out into the dark. The light from the hallway did little to illuminate the trees and underbrush just yards away. She jumped when she heard something in the branches overhead. Although she started to back into the cave, she wasn’t fast enough. A dark shape plunged from a branch and swooped down to grab Cory, sinking talons into her shoulders as it plucked her from the doorway and hauled her into the air. Pain shot through Cory as the creature tightened its grip.

  Cory screamed as she struggled. Looking up, she couldn’t see what was holding her until they were higher than the trees and the stars were twinkling above them. Even then the figure was indistinct, although Cory could just make out tattered wings and a woman’s face looking down at her. She could smell it now; the stench of harpy was enough to make her gag.

  She heard shouting below her, but she doubted her friends could help. The harpy started to fly over the mountainside, taking Cory farther from Blue and her bandmates. Suddenly, a rock whistled past her, hitting the harpy’s wing and making the creature miss a beat. The harpy flew higher, but she hadn’t gone far when another rock hit her in the jaw. Startled, the harpy shrieked and let go of Cory. Cory was too dazed to react as she began to tumble from the sky. It had just occurred to her that she could use her wings when she slammed into something that dipped, then lifted her up again. Breathless, Cory turned her head to see Blue’s worried face peering down at her.

  “You caught me!” she cried, throwing her arms around him.

  Blue nodded. “When I saw the harpy take you, I followed on my cycle. I’ve never pedaled so hard in my life! It’s a good thing harpies can’t fly very fast. Are you all right? Your shirt is wet and . . . Cory, you’re bleeding!”

  “I’ll be fine,” Cory assured him. “The harpy dug her talons into my shoulders.”

  “Is Cory all right?” Olot called, puffing as he ran up with Skippy close behind. “When I threw that rock, I didn’t think the harpy would drop her like that.”

  “She’s bleeding from the harpy’s talons. I’ve heard those things are filthy,” Blue told him.

  “Bring her back to the cave,” said Olot. “Chancy can take a look. She knows all about herbal medicine from her days in the wicked queen’s castle.”

  “Are you able to sit on the cycle?” Blue asked Cory. “I can get you there faster that way.”

  “I think so,” Cory said, although the pain was nearly as strong as when the harpy had been carrying her.

  Blue carried her to the cycle and set her down as if she were made of glass. She wrapped her arms around him and held on as best she could, but her arms were shaking and didn’t have much strength. When they reached the cave, Blue carried her inside and set her on the sofa.

  “What happened?” Chancy cried.

  Cory closed her eyes while Blue explained, and didn’t open them again until she felt Chancy peel back her shirt and start washing the wounds in her shoulders with warm water. “Here, drink this,” Blue told her, holding a cup to her lips.

  Cory did, although it tasted nasty.

  “I learned a lot about harpies when I worked in the wicked queen’s castle,” said Chancy as she dabbed at the wounds. “She had three in her palace guard. Nasty creatures, and very self-centered. They didn’t care that maids had to follow them around, cleaning up after them every minute of the day just so the castle wouldn’t reek. One of them scratched my friend Gloria by accident. I was the one to nurse Gloria back to health, so I know what I’m doing. I’m going to put some salve on these. It will sting at first, but then it should feel a whole lot better. The tonic you just drank will help keep you from getting an infection.”

  Cory nodded and closed her eyes again. She clenched her teeth as Chancy spread the salve. At first the salve just made the pain worse, but within seconds the pain faded to a dull ache.

  “Thank you,” she said as Chancy covered the wounds with salve-coated leaves.

  “You’re welcome,” Chancy told her. “You should be completely healed in a few days.”

  “Is she able to go home now, or should she stay here awhile?” Blue asked Chancy.

  “I want to go home,” Cory declared.

  When Chancy nodded, Blue slid his hands under Cory and picked her up. “I can walk, you know,” she told him.

  “Not until I get you home,” he said as he started toward the door.

  After carrying her to the cycle, he set her on the seat and put her helmet on for her. Moments later they were on their way down the path to the road that led around the mountainside.

  “So far, so good,” said Blue. “I know you’re hurting, but can you keep an eye on the trees? I have to look for holes in the road.”

  “At least the stars are out,” said Cory. “That should help a little bit and I—Watch out! There’s something coming toward the road from the right!”

  Blue pedaled faster, swerving to the left. Cory watched wide-eyed as a big creature covered with long, white fur thundered toward the road, no longer trying to be quiet. She could see its red eyes only yards away as it tore down the mountainside, reaching the road only moments after they’d passed by. It roared in frustration, and Cory could feel the road shake as it kept coming.

  Blue pedaled as fast as he could up and over a rise in the road. And then they were on the downhill slope and it felt as if they were flying. With Blue’s feet off the pedals, they glided down the mountainside, racing faster than the creature following them could run. When the road finally leveled off, they had left the creature far behind.

  “That was another Big Baddie, I suppose,” Cory said once they felt safe enough to slow down.

  “I caught just a glimpse, but I think that was a yeti,” Blue told her. “They live high in the snowy mountains to the north. I’ll send messages to Olot and the pigs when we get back to Micah’s. They should know what’s lurking around their caves. And you need to go straight to bed. You must be exhausted.”

  “I will,” Cor
y said, although she doubted the ache in her shoulders was going to make sleeping easy.

  CHAPTER

  13

  Cory slept better than she thought she would, and woke feeling nearly normal the next day. When she checked her wounds in the mirror, they looked as if they had almost healed. “How are you feeling?” Blue asked when she walked into the kitchen.

  “Great!” Cory said.

  “You should still take it easy today,” Blue told her.

  “I really don’t think I need to,” said Cory. “Look!”

  When she showed him one of her shoulders, even Blue had to admit that the salve had done its job.

  After a breakfast of toast and fruit juice, Cory arranged for Daisy and Jonas to have supper at Everything Leeks. She had just stepped outside when Weegie staggered up, saying, “My back is killing me! I think it might be broken. Did you see the size of the monster that stepped on me?”

  “I did,” Cory told her. “He was smaller than I am. And if your back was broken, you probably wouldn’t be able to move.”

  “All I want is a little sympathy,” grumbled Weegie. “Is that too much to ask? And that monster was bigger than you when he stepped on me! He shrank after your uncle turned all the lights on. Ooh! It hurts! I’m dying!”

  “Do you want to go to the doctor?” Cory asked. “I can send a message to get an appointment.”

  “If you think that would help,” Weegie said, sounding pitiful.

  Cory sighed. Having two woodchucks in the house wasn’t easy. It was even harder when one of them was so dramatic. Cory was able to get an appointment for Weegie, but they could take her only if she came right away. Although Blue offered to give her a ride on his way to work, Macks showed up before they stepped out the door.

  Cory had taken Noodles to see Dr. Dickory once before when the woodchuck had swallowed twine from Micah’s garden shed. She had taken the pedal-bus then and carried Noodles in the basket. This time she rode with Macks and had the woodchuck ride in a basket that the ogre strapped to the back of his cycle. The woodchuck wasn’t comfortable, but it was the best Cory could do.