A wish of my choosing, certainly granted. This was magic greater than my own. How often had I dreamed of what I would do if I could have any wish? I’d wish for my family to be with me.
The yellow troll broke in, his voice harsh. ‘Some things are forbidden, Zaria Tourmaline. Your wish cannot pass through portals or cross worlds, and it cannot bring back the dead.’
I looked at him, fear running through my wings. How many of my innermost thoughts could he read? Or was he telling me my family was dead?
I must decide carefully which words would bring my family to me. If they lived.
But the troll was still talking. ‘You can use your wish in any land of Tirfeyne except one.’ Black eyes stared me down. ‘Troll Country,’ he said. ‘Do you understand?’
I fought back from the dream of reuniting with my family, back to where I was – in the palace of the trolls.
‘Yes,’ I answered bleakly. ‘I understand.’
Would they let us go now? Although Meteor and I had left Feyland only the night before, it seemed a long time since we’d been home. I felt I would fade like a wilted sonnia flower if I didn’t get back there soon – if I didn’t see the rooftops glinting like medallions, didn’t see the fey skies glowing, or the great Gateway to Galena arching high and wide. I needed to be there, even though the gateway’s magic was gone and the skies had darkened and the portals were closed.
‘We will escort you to the border.’ The orange troll calmly lifted me.
I tried to keep my dignity. ‘We could transport, and save you the trip.’
The troll began walking. ‘You overestimate your powers.’
Before I could reply or look round for Meteor, a thick mist covered my mind.
Troll magic.
They brought us to the spot from which they’d taken us – the place at the edges of gremlin territory. They removed the blurry haze they’d placed over our minds and set us on our feet. I didn’t know how it was done; I heard no spells, saw no gestures or wands.
Daylight showed we were on the edge of an enormous swampland filled with putch. It stretched into the distance like a squishy lake.
The orange troll handed me a small, plain sack tied with string. I could feel the shape of a slender jar inside it.
‘Nectara,’ he said. ‘Do not lose it.’
The yellow troll thrust a larger sack into my free hand. ‘Dried sonnia. By order of the king.’
I wavered, my wings gummy and limp, my legs wobbly. Ignoring me, the trolls turned and left. I watched them walk away with their smooth, rolling gait.
Carefully I set down the sonnia to stash the Nectara in my pocket where the aevum derk had been. Slowly I picked up the sonnia and held it in both hands. ‘Why would the trolls give us food?’
‘I don’t know,’ Meteor said. ‘But they took my biscuits.’
It was true; the human-made backpack he’d been wearing when we entered Troll Country was missing now.
I tried to stuff the sack of sonnia into one of my pockets, but it was too large. Meteor offered to carry it, and it fitted easily into a pocket of his robe. Then he tested his ability to fly but couldn’t lift off the ground; all he could manage was short, awkward hops. I tried my wings, but they wouldn’t unfurl.
‘Troll magic,’ Meteor said. ‘Worse than anything.’
‘Much worse,’ I agreed.
‘Being in that palace was like wearing iron boots on my feet and an iron helmet on my head.’
‘They can walk through the hallways of our minds, can’t they?’ I said. ‘That’s how they knew all about me.’
Meteor nodded glumly. ‘I didn’t know that about them before – and I wish I didn’t know it now. I hope this visit to Troll Country doesn’t mean they can invade our thoughts at whim from now on.’
I hoped not too. ‘Meteor, I didn’t thank you. If it hadn’t been for you, I would have used every last bit of my radia trying to fight the king. Thank you.’
‘Of course. Zaria, I would—’
‘My Feynere magic had no effect on the trolls. None! And I don’t dare check my watch to see how much I lost.’ I held up my wrist. ‘Will you?’
Meteor’s touch was gentle as he circled my wrist with a hand and then opened the cover on my crystal watch. He looked, then pressed his lips together as he closed it again. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘How much?’ I whispered.
Swallowing, he looked at me miserably. ‘Another five million.’
Heedless of the slimy putch, I sank to the ground. A few weeks ago, I had registered full Violet. Ten million radia, a fortune by any measure. And now, there was less than three and a half million of that left.
Meteor sat in the squelching putch at my side and did his best to console me. He reminded me that we had gained the Nectara elixir, something that had seemed impossible. We were free to leave Troll Country, something that he had feared would never happen. And we needed to get back to Feyland, where Leona and Andalonus might be waiting for us.
Finally he scooped me into his arms and held me, telling me he would have done the same if he were a Feynere; that the magic of trolls scared him more than anything he had ever read or imagined; that he would have tried anything to get out of their enchantments.
‘Really?’ I asked. ‘You would have done the same?’
‘The very same.’
‘I’m so tired, Meteor.’
‘I’ll help you. Let’s at least get away from the border.’
A drizzly fog was rolling in, concealing the landscape as we turned towards gremlin territory. Still unable to fly, we were forced to walk. Meteor stomped ahead, thumping the ground to create a path for me. My skirts were coated with slime and clung to my legs, slowing me.
There was no marker as we left Troll Country, no magical alarm. But the plant-life changed from putch to thorny plants, and when we left the swamp, I heard Meteor give a big sigh. ‘Look!’ He rose enough to clear the stickers covering the ground. ‘Try your wings again, Zaria.’
This time they opened. Finally I could fly, though not well. Meteor helped me, holding my hand as we flew on.
‘Meteor, I want to use my wish,’ I said.
‘To find your family. I know.’
‘You don’t know.’
‘Zaria, we’ve been friends since before your family …’ His voice trailed off.
‘They didn’t die!’
‘According to Laz, they didn’t. But how many times has he lied to you?’
‘If he’s right and they’re alive, I have to find out, don’t I?’
Meteor turned in mid air and caught me by the shoulders. ‘If.’
‘You think they’re dead.’
‘I hope they’re alive.’ His eyes were soft.
I thought it over again. ‘Maybe I could wish to be wherever my family is, instead of wishing they were next to me.’
He shook his head. ‘Whether you go to them or they come to you, if they’re in glacier cloth, even your Feynere powers won’t be enough to free them. Remember, only the one who casts the glacier spell can reverse it.’
I hated thinking what it would mean to find my family but be unable to free them. ‘Maybe that isn’t true. Maybe I wouldn’t have to get Lily to agree.’
‘And if it is true? Or what if you use the trolls’ wish and it lands you in a trap?’ He was frowning with worry. ‘And what if your family’s hidden somewhere on Earth? The trolls said your wish cannot cross worlds – so you would use it up for nothing.’
I looked at the desolate rocks and stickers below. ‘One wish,’ I said. ‘If only the trolls had given me two.’
Meteor’s hands tightened on my shoulders. ‘Zaria, remember what the King of the Trolls said about why he would let you keep the comet dust? The outcome will determine whether fey magic will endure or sink into nothingness.’ He lifted his eyebrows.
‘You want me to use the wish for Feyland,’ I said bitterly.
He nodded, letting me go. ‘I’m so sorry, Zaria, but suppose w
hat he said is true? There’s no question that fey magic has been dwindling steadily for two hundred years. No one knows why – and no one wants to speak of it, not even members of the council – including my father.’
‘Of course not,’ I said even more bitterly. ‘What have the councillors ever done to help Feyland?’
‘So who will?’
Sighing, I looked back at the mist covering Troll Country. I should have asked the king more questions. What do you mean, sink into nothingness? How much time do we have to save the magic? How do we get into the sapphire stronghold? What are your plans for the aevum derk?
Too late for that now. I hoped it wasn’t too late for everything else.
My eyes stung as if I’d rubbed them with prickers. ‘All right. I don’t have to use the wish right away. I’ll wait.’
Meteor didn’t say I was doing the right thing. He didn’t say anything at all, and I could have kissed him for it.
‘We have our magic back,’ I said, taking his hand again. ‘We should transport home.’
‘Allow me. Transera nos.’
Chapter Thirty-four
FAIRIES AND GENIES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN FASCINATED BY TIME: WHAT IT IS AND HOW IT OPERATES. IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT SOME AMONG THE ANCIENTS MASTERED TIME TO SUCH AN EXTENT THAT THEY COULD STEP OUTSIDE OF IT AT WILL. THIS MAY BE TRUE, FOR HOW ELSE COULD THE SPELLS UPON ANSHIELD ISLAND BE EXPLAINED? AND SADLY, BY WHAT OTHER MEANS COULD THE GLACIER SPELL HAVE BEEN DEVISED?
Orville Gold, genie historian of Feyland
WHEN WE LANDED in my mother’s room, I heard a horrendous noise, and saw Leona and Andalonus huddled on the floor with their hands over their ears.
‘That sounds like gremlins!’ I screamed.
Leona pointed to the window.
Meteor and I hurried to look out. The scene below showed pandemonium, worse than the day Lily had brought her gnomes. Much worse.
A great horde of gremlins was jumping up and down in front of my home, their long fingers outstretched, their mouths open so wide I could see down their throats. As I watched, a big group of them – adults and children both – threw themselves against my door. When they hit the magic barrier the house shivered and they fell back, shrieking piercingly. But as soon as they retreated, more gremlins attacked.
I clapped my hands over my ears to shut out their keening cries. The gremlins must believe I had more biscuits – but how had they found where I lived? I didn’t think they had even noticed me – only the biscuits I carried.
Even more shocking, it wasn’t only gremlins gathered outside. Above and behind them hovered fairies and genies, all covering their ears. When the gremlins quieted for an instant, I could hear angry shouts: ‘Zaria! Help! Let us in!’
Many were fey folk I knew. Fairies and genies who had been my classmates. Their parents. Those who lived in Galena.
Another swell of screeches crashed the barrier. Impatiently I drew my wand. ‘Block the sound from outside.’
The silence was a terrible relief.
Andalonus rose from the floor to hug me. ‘You’ve saved my ears from death.’
‘Thank you, Zaree,’ Leona said. ‘We were going mad.’
‘What’s going on?’ I asked. ‘Why are all those fey folk asking for help – from me?’
Leona answered. ‘Gremlins have raided every other home in Galena, breaking everything from clocks to stoves to toys from Earth. Who knows what they’re doing in Oberon City. No one can stop them, they’re everywhere. I tried using magic on them, even the statue spell. Nothing works. And yours is the only place free of them.’
‘The only place? No.’
‘Yes,’ she went on. ‘And that crowd out there is angry at me too, Zaree. They believe we Violet fairies should go around Feyland and repair the durable spells. When they saw me with Andalonus out in Galena, they charged me, screaming and crying.’
Andalonus nodded gloomily. ‘True. They said you were hoarding your magic.’
Leona flicked her fingers at the window. ‘I tried to tell them, Zaree – that we’re only fourteen, and we didn’t let the durable spells slip. We didn’t steal the magic tax that was supposed to go to the durable spells. Lily Morganite did!’
Out of the window, close to the front of the crowd, I could see my old classmate Portia Peridot, her green wings fluttering. Next to her was Cora. I caught sight of Tuck Lodestone too, and others I knew. Some were with their parents, but not Tuck. Maybe, just maybe, Magistria Lodestone was off to Anshield Island to let the royals know about the chaos; maybe, just maybe, the rest of the council was there too.
‘Please, Zaria,’ Andalonus said. ‘Let them in – the fairies and genies.’
‘Have any of them tried to get through?’ I asked. Do any of them care about me?
‘They run into your shield.’
I rubbed my forehead with a tired hand. ‘If I lift it, the gremlins will come in too – and everyone else who wants to harm us.’ My friends watched as I turned my back on the window and collapsed into my mother’s nest. ‘I’d have to redo the whole enchantment. It used up tens of thousands of radia the first time.’
Andalonus twisted strands of his blue hair. ‘You’re watching out for your radia? At a time like this?’
‘She’s right.’ Turning from the window, Meteor wore a heavy frown. ‘There are hundreds of fairies and genies out there. How would she decide who gets to come in? They’re all in a panic.’ He looked at me. ‘Save your magic, Zaria. The gremlins won’t stay for ever.’ He faced Andalonus. ‘If those fey folk had any love for Zaria, they could open the door. It’s not her fault.’ He pulled the curtain shut.
Leona floated over to me. ‘It’s not that everyone hates you, Zaree. They haven’t all tried the door.’ She looked tired, I could see it now. As for Andalonus, he closed his eyes and sank onto the cushions of the window seat.
‘Did you get the pixie song?’ Meteor asked.
Nodding, Leona pointed at Andalonus. ‘Would you believe yes?’
‘You got the song!’ I touched a wing to Leona’s then flew to hug Andalonus. ‘Did you like dancing with the pixies?’
He groaned.
Leona explained. ‘He had to do a lot of singing and dancing while I hid and spied on him. The pixies almost carried him away for ever, but we got out with the song.’
I smiled at Andalonus. ‘My sympathies.’
‘And what about you?’ Leona asked. ‘Did you get the gremlin biscuit?’
Meteor snorted. ‘No,’ he answered, floating back to the window. ‘But we got the Nectara from the trolls.’ He pulled a corner of the curtain and peeked out. ‘Oberon’s Crown!’ he roared before Leona and Andalonus could react to our news. ‘Your protection is failing, Zaree. Gremlins are getting past it.’
‘What?’ I darted to the window in time to see a mob of gremlins hurl themselves against the barrier. None got through. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I saw a gremlin run right inside,’ he insisted.
‘Are you sure?’ Rushing to open the door, I listened at the landing, my friends crowding close behind.
We heard muffled clanking sounds and flew at high speed down to the hearth room.
A small gremlin was hunched in a corner holding my family clock. He’d already managed to open it, and his little hands were crammed inside its workings.
My family clock! I swooped in on the gremlin. How dare he! I made a grab for the clock, but he scuttled away, leaving me holding nothing but air.
‘Give that back!’ I screeched so loudly I could have been a gremlin myself.
Meteor, Leona and Andalonus each tried to snatch the clock. Meteor almost nabbed the gremlin’s shoulder, but no one else came anywhere near catching him.
‘How did you get in?’ Meteor yelled.
The creature leaped onto our lowest perch. All four of us converged on him. Squeezing the clock with both arms, he squeaked defiantly.
For the first time, I got a good look at his face. ‘Tumble? Why are you breaking my clock?’ r />
‘Already broken,’ he said in a piping voice. Scamp!
‘Give it to me,’ I ordered, extending my hand.
He hunched over it more closely. ‘Why can’t I fix it?’
‘Fix it?’ Meteor exclaimed.
‘Gremlins don’t fix things,’ Leona said.
Tumble stuck out his lower lip. ‘We know how,’ he said. ‘Not supposed to.’
What? I remembered how his fellow gremlins had booted him out of their game. Was he an outcast because he liked to fix things? ‘All right, then,’ I said. ‘Fix the clock.’
Tucking his feet under him, he set to work. I watched as he adjusted tiny gears with his nimble fingers. Every now and then he held the clock to his ear. Soon, an extra-wide grin split his face. Bending close, I heard a soft, even ticking.
‘You did it!’ I hugged the little imp and joined him on the perch.
But just then, Laz strolled in.
Chapter Thirty-five
FAIRIES AND GENIES ARE ENJOINED TO USE THEIR MAGIC WITH CARE, ALWAYS CONSIDERING, BEFORE CASTING A SPELL, WHAT ITS EFFECTS MAY BE. FOR IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT AN ENCHANTMENT OF BENEFIT TO ONE MAY WELL BE THE DOWNFALL OF ANOTHER.
Orville Gold, genie historian of Feyland
LAZ STILL WORE his backpack turned frontways. ‘Glad I could join you,’ he said caustically.
My friends were all staring at him, while his eyes moved lazily from one to another of us. ‘What? No words of welcome?’ he said. ‘Only seek me out when you’re in trouble? Which, by the way, you’re in now – if you haven’t noticed.’
‘Oberon’s Crown!’ Leona whirled on me. ‘The smuggler loves you?’
Amazed, I gazed at the lanky genie. Did he love me? Laz? Was it possible? But then my eyes went to the battered cap on his head. ‘Tell them about your cap, Laz,’ I hurried to say, afraid Leona had betrayed the secret of how my protections worked.
‘Yes, I have great fondness for Zaria,’ he told Leona, sneering. He wrinkled his nose. ‘Is that putch I smell?’
Glancing at my skirts, I saw just how bedraggled and filthy they were. There was definitely a stench coming from me – and, now that I noticed, from Meteor too. I whipped out my wand. ‘Clean clothes,’ I muttered, waving in the direction of us both, relieved when my gown freshened and so did Meteor’s robes. It was a wasteful use of magic, but at that moment saving time seemed more important.