He leaped onto the balcony railing, making it creak beneath his weight, and lifted his head in a roar.
Gasps and shrieks went up from the crowd. The people nearest the balcony backed up, knocking into those behind them. Several people cowered, covering their heads with their hands. Some near the street fled out of the courtyard.
Others stood firm, glowering at the king. “It’s definitely the princess,” a man behind Hudson called out. “Or King Vaygran wouldn’t be threatening us.”
People around him shouted their agreement.
Charlotte still stood silently, her dark eyes watching the crowd. Only Hudson noticed that the ropes around her ankles were slack. The squirrel had managed to bite through them.
King Vaygran scowled down at the crowd. “All of you, go back to your homes. This is over.”
The instruction didn’t apply to Hudson. The soldiers tightened their grip on him. One gave Hudson a vicious pull forward.
A voice in the back of the courtyard yelled, “This is not over!”
Despite the soldiers tugging him, Hudson turned hopefully to the voice. He recognized it. Mr. Fantasmo had come.
The wizard rode on a silver unicorn—Cecil. Instead of the corduroy pants and Hawaiian shirts Hudson was used to seeing him wear, Mr. Fantasmo had on a shimmering blue robe. He held his wand outstretched and pointed at the balcony. “Release the princess now!”
King Vaygran’s eyes narrowed. “Traitor,” he growled, then motioned to Nepharo. “Kill him.”
The dragon leaped into the sky, wings flapping in great, angry beats. A screech blasted from his mouth, so loud and shrill the air shuddered with the sound of it. He soared toward Mr. Fantasmo, claws outstretched.
Mr. Fantasmo pointed his wand at the dragon and yelled, “Downdraft!”
Hudson realized why Mr. Fantasmo had said these words. A four-leaf clover protected Nepharo from other wizards’ spells, but Mr. Fantasmo could still cast a spell on the air around the dragon.
Sparks shot from the end of Fantasmo’s wand, swirling around the dragon like a fireworks explosion. Nepharo tumbled, careening downward, wings flailing.
The people beneath the dragon screamed and pushed at one another to get away. Right before crashing, Nepharo righted himself, let out an enraged shriek, and rushed upward into the sky. With a beat of his wings, he shot toward Mr. Fantasmo again. Flames flickered in his widening mouth.
Cecil reared, his horn raised and glistening, sharp as a knife. The dragon pulled away to keep his distance from the unicorn, then breathed a stream of fire at them.
Mr. Fantasmo aimed his wand and shouted, “Extinguish!”
The fire dissolved into a cloud of smoke, covering the area so completely Hudson couldn’t see the unicorn or rider.
The soldiers tightened their grip on Hudson. All around them, people jostled and shoved through the crowd. Some were getting away from the fighting. Others made their way to the castle doors. Hopefully to help Charlotte.
One of the soldiers holding on to Hudson pushed a couple of people standing in the way. “Let us through!”
No one paid attention to them.
Hudson planted his feet and twisted his arms, trying to break free from the soldiers’ grip. He needed to get away. He needed to get to the balcony to help Charlotte.
Three dark shapes streaked by overhead. It took Hudson a second to realize what they were. Charlotte’s eagle and falcon had joined the fray, and another bird was with them. A pale brown falcon. Somehow Hudson knew it was the princess’s pet falcon. Wherever it had been, it had recognized its owner and had come to help her. They zoomed toward the castle, trying to get to her.
Harpy eagles chased after them, tailing so closely the birds didn’t dare land. Instead, they swooped back and forth around the balcony, nearly knocking into King Vaygran. He covered his head with one hand and waved the other madly at them.
Charlotte still stood exactly where she had been. Why hadn’t she run away, now that her feet were unbound? She was moving her shoulders, probably working to free the ropes around her wrists. He couldn’t tell if the squirrel was still there, gnawing away at them.
The soldiers yanked Hudson a few more feet toward the castle. He dug his feet in, checking over his shoulder on Mr. Fantasmo. As the smoke cleared in the back of the courtyard, not one but two unicorns took shape in front of the royalty trees. Nigel stood at the back of the courtyard now, too, and another person rode on his back.
Hudson stared at the sight. It couldn’t be. And yet the image remained the same. The man had short-cropped brown hair, a wide nose like Hudson’s, and a muscled build. A Marine build. His dad was sitting on Nigel’s back. His dad. How had he gotten here?
Mr. Brown had never used the sword from his Marines dress uniform, but he held it now, pointing it at the dragon.
“You come any closer,” he called in his soft Texas drawl, “and we’ll be having some dragon shish kebab.”
Hudson gaped at his father, stunned. Amazed. Afraid. Could his dad fend off a dragon, even with Mr. Fantasmo’s help? Hudson wanted to call out to him but didn’t dare. It would be dangerous to distract his father while he was fighting Nepharo.
Hudson yanked at the soldiers’ grip again, this time finding added strength. His father was here. He and Mr. Fantasmo had come to help, and Hudson wasn’t about to let a pair of soldiers drag him away to a dungeon somewhere.
He wrenched one arm free, then tugged the other free, too. Before either of the soldiers could grab him, he darted away into the crowd and the smoke.
He had one moment of indecision. Did he go to help his father or Charlotte?
Charlotte.
His father would want him to help her first.
Hudson headed in that direction, not sure how best to get to the balcony. There were some men gathered around the castle doors, and by the looks of it, they were having a yelling match with one of the guards stationed there. Was there another way he could make it to her? Could he scale the castle wall? Maybe it would be easier to climb the gallows and use the rope to swing himself over.
He noticed, vaguely, that people were developing faint red spots, the telltale sign of boils. With everything else going on, no one seemed to notice or care—yet.
Charlotte stood in the same place on the balcony, arms tugging at her ropes. King Vaygran crouched nearby, batting at a falcon that zoomed around him. It was quickly followed by the larger harpy eagle. “Where are the rest of my wizards?” he screamed.
An especially loud dragon roar drew Hudson’s attention back to the fight behind him. The dragon lunged downward, his red coloring making him look like a smudge of blood against the sky. With outstretched claws, he streaked toward Hudson’s dad.
Hudson watched, frozen, a silent No! on his lips.
Nigel reared, kicking his front hooves upward and swinging his horn threateningly. His gold mane glowed bright and hot, burning like fire.
Again, the dragon pulled away, but not fast enough. Mr. Brown arced his sword, and with a flash of silver and a loud crack, it slashed through a claw, severing it. The dragon screeched in pain and whipped his scaly tail into Mr. Brown. The blow knocked him off the unicorn and toppled the sword from his hand.
The dragon turned, ready to dive down and strike. Mr. Fantasmo held both arms aloft and shouted, “Whirlwind!”
Dirt, leaves, and bits of grass twirled upward, spinning faster and faster. The dragon growled and snapped his jaws, flying higher to avoid the whirlwind’s reach.
Mr. Brown grabbed his sword again, took hold of Nigel’s mane, and pulled himself onto the unicorn.
Hudson turned back to the castle and pushed that way again. He needed to help Charlotte.
Her hands were free now, and the squirrel climbed to her shoulder, chittering proudly. Charlotte tugged the gag off her mouth and took a step toward the crowd. “People of Logos!” she called. “I am the princess!”
King Vaygran straightened, ignoring the swooping birds for the first time. “
Silence!”
His face twisted with such rage, Hudson knew he would do something horrible to Charlotte—stab her or throw her off the balcony. Hudson reached into his leather bag, looking for something to throw. His fingers curled around the jar of hope.
He wound his arm back and hurled the bottle at the king. It flew through the air, spinning, until it smashed into King Vaygran’s shoulder.
The king gripped his shoulder and swung around to see what had hit him. Charlotte moved away from him but didn’t run inside the castle as Hudson had expected. She might be able to get away if she went inside. She knew her way around, knew secret passages.
He searched his bag for something else to throw and found the metal box of Valentine’s candy.
Charlotte went to the railing, her hand held out toward the back of the courtyard. “I need my scepter! I’m ready for it now!”
At first, Hudson thought she was talking to Mr. Fantasmo. Did he have her scepter? With the whirlwind swirling near him, he probably couldn’t hear Charlotte.
But her eyes were fixed on her tree. It was no longer shedding leaves or wilting. The branches stood tall and straight, new leaves already budding and stretching. A large white blossom grew in the middle of the tree. No, not white—crystal—a diamond as big as a doorknob. Sunlight hit its sides and sent flickers of colors shimmering outward.
The leaves at the base of the crystal peeled away, and Hudson realized it wasn’t a flower at all. It was the top of a scepter. It had been inside Charlotte’s tree all along.
She reached out, beckoning the scepter to come to her.
King Vaygran strode toward her again. Hudson wound his arm back and threw the metal box of Valentine’s candy as hard as he could. It whirred toward the balcony, hitting King Vaygran smack in the middle of his forehead. His head snapped back, and he stumbled and fell backward.
Ah, love was good.
Charlotte’s scepter arced through the air, flying across the courtyard until it landed in her hand. Immediately, the crystal glowed blue and bright like the tip of a flame.
She pointed the scepter at the dragon, who was flapping his wings and snapping at the whirlwind. “Return to your true form!”
A blaze of light hit the dragon and wrapped around him. He shrank, his colors fading, and then his scales fell away like dry leaves in a storm. He flailed in the air on ever-dwindling wings and then sank to the ground, a man again.
Charlotte turned back to King Vaygran. He trembled at the sight of the scepter in her hand and scooted away from her.
She pointed the scepter at the discarded rope lying on the floor. “Tie him.”
The silver ropes quivered to life and slithered over to the king, no longer ropes but silver snakes that hissed angrily.
“Stop!” he yelled, and tried to knock them away. Some of the pieces wound around his ankles, biting their tails to bind him. Others wriggled up his legs, slid across his torso, and made their way to his wrists. He slapped at them uselessly.
“I never hurt you,” he cried. “I sent you away for your own good! You couldn’t rule. You were just a child.”
She didn’t lower her scepter. “I’m not just a child anymore.”
King Vaygran struck a snake that was twining around his arm. “I did it to protect you!” Instead of falling off, the snake bit the king’s finger, then wound around his hand. Other snakes made their way—clinging, squeezing—until they bound the king’s arms, too.
“I’ll protect you the same way you protected me,” Charlotte told him. “With banishment.”
A crowd had gathered underneath the balcony again, and they let out a cheer.
Charlotte, it was clear, was back in power.
She pointed her scepter upward, using it to turn the harpy eagles into bursts of confetti. Hudson turned away from the castle and made his way across the courtyard toward his father.
While Mr. Fantasmo tied Nepharo with silver cords, Hudson’s father looked out over the crowd, searching. His eyes connected with Hudson’s, and relief washed over his face. He grinned broadly and held his arms open.
Hudson weaved around people who were heading to the balcony. More and more had joined the throng, pouring in from the streets of Grammaria. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to see what was happening at the castle.
At last, Hudson broke free from the crowd and ran the last few steps. He wrapped his arms around his dad, holding him tightly. The hug felt warm and reassuring. It felt like home. Neither let go for a long time.
Finally, Hudson asked, “How did you get here?”
“That’s quite a story.” Mr. Brown stepped away from Hudson, checking him over for injuries. “I flew home to Houston early to surprise everyone. Bonnie said you’d gone off to some enchanted land with Charlotte, but I figured you were just teasing her. I went over to Charlotte’s house to haul you home and unenchant you. When I got there, Mr. Fantasmo was packing a bag, ready to go after the two of you. It took me about ten seconds to realize you were in real danger.”
“Oh,” Hudson said. “Sorry about that.”
“I insisted on coming with Fantasmo, and ever since, we’ve been running all over Logos searching for you.” Mr. Brown patted Hudson on the shoulder. “I’m proud of what you did today, of the way you helped Charlotte.” The smile stayed fixed on his face. “That doesn’t mean you’re not grounded for the next month, because you are.” He kept patting Hudson’s shoulder. “Really, really grounded.”
18
MR. FANTASMO AND Mr. Brown thanked the unicorns profusely for their help. Profusely in this case meaning that Mr. Brown made them honorary Marines, and Mr. Fantasmo waved his wand and gave them wings.
“As I promised,” Mr. Fantasmo told them, “I won’t zap you around Logos again. You can fly out of Grammaria and avoid the crowds that way. The wings will disappear when you land in the Forest of Possibilities.”
Cecil opened his wings to examine his silver feathers. “I don’t think I’ll land for a bit. I’ll try my hand at being a Pegasus.”
Nigel spanned his own wings, sweeping them up and down. “Tell the princess we’re glad she’s returned. She’ll be a much better ruler than that sour fellow.”
Cecil swished his tail in agreement. “I suppose this means we’ll be legal again.” Under his breath, he added, “Pity. I made a rather good bandit.”
The unicorns turned to go, and their hooves clacked against the courtyard stones.
“Thank you!” Hudson called after them. “We couldn’t have done it without you!”
Nigel looked over his shoulder and nickered approvingly. “Farewell Fantasmo, Hudson, and Hud.”
He turned back to Cecil, and the two unicorns trotted a few steps before leaping upward. Their silver and gold wings sliced through the air, lifting them into the sky.
Mr. Brown shook his head as he watched them go. “The unicorns called me Hud the entire day. They said it would be insulting to call me anything else.”
Hudson smiled and tried to explain. “Names are important here. And changeable.”
While Mr. Fantasmo directed the soldiers to take Nepharo to the dungeons, Hudson and Mr. Brown made their way toward the balcony. Charlotte was addressing the people, answering their questions. While they walked, Hudson related how he and Charlotte had looked for the princess in the Tower of Backwords and afterward been caught by Nepharo’s men.
Hudson’s father made unhappy grumbling noises during the story, as though he wanted to knock some soldiers’ heads together—or maybe just knock Hudson’s and Charlotte’s heads together for tromping off into danger.
Hudson had just gotten to the part where he’d tricked the soldiers with the troll curse when a woman in the crowd called out to Charlotte, “Your Highness, when we demanded your release, King Vaygran’s wizard must have cursed us with boils.” She held up her arms to show her spots. “Please, Your Majesty, make the wizard reverse the spell!”
Charlotte nodded at the woman. “Don’t worry. I know how to cure you all.”
Her gaze swept over the crowd until she found Hudson. She motioned to him. “Come here and throw me the mirror.”
The crowd around Hudson parted, making room for his father and him to reach the balcony. As Hudson walked, he remembered various PE softball games where Charlotte had loitered in the outfield, paying more attention to the grass at her feet than the ball whizzing toward her. “Are you sure you want me to throw this? No offense, Charlotte, but I’ve seen you catch.”
She arched an eyebrow at him, looking imperial. “Trust me. Throw it.”
Hudson sighed, hoping troll mirrors didn’t break easily, and lobbed it to her as gently as he could.
Charlotte pointed her scepter at the flying mirror, and instead of continuing to soar, it slowed and floated gently into her outstretched hand. “I accept this mirror from you, knowing its magical properties.”
She tapped the mirror with her scepter, and it vanished from her hand. Immediately, the boils that covered everyone’s skin vanished, too.
The crowd gave Charlotte another round of applause. One of the soldiers, perhaps because he was worried about retribution, shouted, “Long live the princess!”
The other soldiers joined in the cheer, and the rest of the crowd followed until Hudson was sure the whole city could hear the chant. Charlotte smiled at them, a happy, reassuring smile.
As though the crowd had agreed upon it beforehand, everyone began singing the Logosian national anthem.
The anthem turned out to be nine verses long. Hudson supposed that was inevitable in a country where people loved words. While the people sang, Charlotte ordered some of the soldiers to take King Vaygran to the dungeon until she arranged for his banishment. They carried him off during the fourth chorus.