“An expert, you say?” said Prince Vanus.
“Someone who knows what they are doing,” replied Father.
Prince Vanus nodded. “There is a platoon of fairies keeping an eye on the magical disturbances in the Savannah Empire. I could send their General over with a few trusted Lieutenants to help out with the spriggan situation.”
My brows drew together. Something about that situation seemed familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on what.
“Stop delaying and bring these experts.” Father advanced on the smaller male.
Prince Vanus stepped back and hit his calves on the seat opposite. He lowered his head and glanced up at Father with an expression far too innocent and vulnerable for a powerful high fairy. Father bared his teeth, making Prince Vanus clutch at his chest. I narrowed my eyes. This was the biggest pretense at timidity, and Father was falling for it.
Prince Vanus wrung his hands. “Are you quite sure you wish to have fairy assistance in this matter?”
Scowling, Father towered over Prince Vanus. “Yes.”
“As you wish.” The fairy clicked his fingers and disappeared in a flash of light.
Sitting in his place was a trio of larger-than-average bluebirds. The one on the left had a grey breast, the other was as blue as his plumage. But the bird in the middle had a breast as red as rubies.
My heart skipped several beats. “Mother!”
“Alba?” She flew over to me and perched on my shoulder. “What brings us together? Is everything all right?”
Father clenched his fists and raised his head to the skies. “Vanus, come back here, now. I asked for soldiers, not spies!”
I wrapped my hand around Mother’s feathery, little body and picked her off my shoulder. “Uncle Orel, Uncle Rouen!”
The two males chirped their greetings. They weren’t really blood relatives, but I’d known them my entire life. Uncle Orel was to be betrothed to Mother before she mated with Father, and Uncle Rouen was the doctor of Mother’s platoon. While she took care of me, they would visit us in Mount Bluebeard and keep us up to date with what was going on in the realm of the fairies.
Uncle Orel transformed into a gray-haired male with young, handsome features. Like Mother, he was a mixture of high and low fairy, although he didn’t come from a royal bloodline.
Mother flew out of my palm, and Uncle Orel wrapped me in a tight hug. “Prince Vanus said you’d disguised yourself as a boy to become a dragon warrior, but he didn’t mention how much you looked like the twins.”
As soon as he released me, Uncle Rouen wrapped his arms around me and placed a kiss on my cheek. He was even shorter than me and with long, blonde hair a similar shade to my enchanted form.
Uncle Rouen stepped back, and Father stared with his brows raised at my collar, where Mother had settled, as though waiting for her to transform. She tossed her head and chirped.
“You are the expert in spriggans?” Father asked.
“Did someone speak?” Mother gave her wings a ruffle and nestled further into the collar of my flying jacket.
I rolled my eyes. She had to be particularly irritated with Father if she wouldn’t speak to him directly. Prince Vanus had probably told her about the quadruplets.
“We’ve been monitoring the magical activity in the Savannah Empire,” said Uncle Orel. “Something’s been brewing there for the past few months, but we haven’t detected spriggans.”
“One of them has been getting King Magnar to do his bidding,” I replied.
“We did notice some unusual magical activity,” said Mother. “But it was mostly artifacts. The spriggans have been careful not to use their magic around us.”
“This is why we need warriors!” snarled Father.
“Why do you wear a disguise, Alba?” asked Mother. “I’ve heard you’ve already bonded with a dragon. Surely that qualifies you for the academy.”
“It’s easier this way,” I replied.
“Vanus,” Father snarled.
There was no response. Hopefully, Prince Vanus had authorized Mother to send for fairy warriors when the time came. Although she was an excellent swordswoman, she wouldn’t be able to fight the spriggans, as she had no magical power and could only wield basic weapons.
While the witches flew the carriage back through the wards and into Mount Fornax, I updated Mother and her lieutenants on the situation with King Magnar and the spriggans. The carriage landed in the reception courtyard, and Uncles Orel and Rouen stepped out.
Father paused at the door. “Will you not acknowledge your mate?”
“No,” replied Mother. “Leave, so I can hug my daughter in peace.”
With a snarl, Father stepped out of the carriage and turned around, fists clenched, back stiff. I stared after him. Did he expect Mother to be pleased to see him?
Slender arms wrapped around my neck, engulfing me with the sweet scent of wildflowers. “Alba,” Mother crooned. “I’ve missed you.”
Throat thickening with all the words I’d longed to share during our absence, I closed my eyes tight and hugged back with as much fervor. Before leaving for the Magical Militia, we hadn’t been parted for more than a few hours. Not seeing her for months had been like losing a piece of my heart.
I drew back and stared into her watery, obsidian eyes, and my chest tightened. Curls the color of dark chocolate tumbled down to her shoulders, framing high cheekbones, a pert nose, and a smile so heartbreakingly similar to Aunt Cendrilla’s.
In my smallest voice, I asked, “Why did you leave?”
“Her Majesty recalled me for duty.” Mother brushed a lock of hair off my face. “She gave me seventeen years to raise you. It was my time to return.”
“Oh.” A weight lifted off my chest. Her letter had said as much, but I’d thought Mother had decided that I wasn’t enough. “What’s going on with Father?”
“He has Cendrilla now,” she replied.
My brows drew together. “That doesn’t mean you can’t say hello.”
She gave me another tight hug before transforming into a bluebird and perching on my shoulder. “You’ll understand when you’re older. Come on, I’ve got to gather information for Her Majesty.”
I opened the door of the carriage and stepped out into the sun-drenched courtyard. Mother flew off my shoulder and nestled into the collar of Father’s shirt. Father reached into his collar, wrapped his hand around Mother’s ruffling form, and gave her a kiss on her feathered, blue head. Then he headed toward the royal suite with her nestled in the palm of his hand.
I shook my head. Now that I had friends of my own, their antics no longer hurt so much. And as much as I wanted to find how long Mother would irritate Father until she transformed and kissed him back, there were far more pressing situations than my parents’ strange relationship.
It was time for me to meet my friends and form a plan to save Evolene.
Chapter 13
Master Jesper paced up and down the middle of the laboratory, clasping its hands behind its back. The table rested on the side of the room with a replica of the area of the capital containing the palace and Magical Militia headquarters. Next to it sat the snowman squash, covered in dragon scales. It looked like Fyrian had been correct about the way dragons absorbed atmospheric magic as half the avatar’s buttons glowed with power.
Opposite, Stafford and Niger sat on a cot, leaving a three-foot space for me. My best friend’s face was the color of ash, and he clasped his hands together so tight, his knuckles were white.
I let the door click shut behind me. “Sorry I’m late.”
The troll gestured at the cot. “Sit, sit. You’ll update us later on what level of assistance the fairies offered the Prince Regent.”
The whole underside of the table contained a huge tank housing a fish as long as my arm but with a wide, bulbous head consisting of round eyes on the side of its face that shone like lamplights. In between these eyes sat a smiling mouth of prominent lips that reminded me of a shallow V. Instead of scales, f
inger-long spikes dotted its entire body.
“What is that thing?” asked Fyrian. “It looks poisonous.”
“I’m not sure it's for eating.” I turned to Master Jesper. “What’s that fish doing here?”
The troll shooed me to the cot. “All will be explained in good time. Sit. Cadet Perrault is eager to hear of our combined plans.”
“All right.” I lowered myself into the space between my friends and leaned into Niger’s side. He wrapped an arm around my back, resting his hand on my hip.
Stafford sniffled, and I slipped my hand over his. He relaxed a little and let our fingers intertwine.
Master Jesper reached into its robes and pulled out a medium sized staff. Unlike the types it usually carried, this one had a golden nib with a tiny crystal at the end. “Now that we have a quorum, it is time to begin. Cadet Griffon, will you explain to Cadet Perrault your plan to distract the witches to allow Cadet Bluford to escape Mount Fornax undetected?”
Niger updated Stafford, and I told the others about Muti and his classmates. “They know they’re going to be diversions, but they think they’ll be riding with Fyrian and me.”
Master Jesper gave me an encouraging nod. “Wonderful subterfuge. With so many riders causing havoc, the security witches will never think to look out for another rescue party.”
Stafford frowned. “If Niger’s making a big show of escaping with Fyrian and those other cadets, does that mean you’ll ride Flavo Fumi, then?”
I was about to admit that I hadn’t thought that far when Master Jesper waggled its finger. “Another rider passing the wards on the back of a dragon at the same time will arouse suspicion,” replied Master Jesper. “Madam Maritimus is a very clever witch with an excellent magical monitoring system.”
“What about the underground passageways we found last time?” I asked.
“By the Dead Wood?” asked Niger.
“Yes.”
Master Jesper hummed its approval. “The glacier wolves would be happy to transport you through the wards. With enough lupine pellets, they should get us to the capital in good time.”
Stafford shot to his feet and rolled his shoulders. “All right, but how are we going to get through the Magical Militia’s walls?”
Master Jesper turned to the table and pointed at the model of the Magical Militia. “My original plan was to burrow under the compound to reach Evolene.”
“It would have to be a deep tunnel.” I covered my mouth with my hand to hide my disappointment. Tunnels were fine for getting under shallow wards like the one the alchemists used to section off the burning hut. But the Magical Militia was almost as deep as Mount Fornax was high. “Their prison is far underground.”
Stafford’s shoulders sagged. “It took forever for us to go down the stairs. One troll won’t be able to dig a tunnel without eventually getting caught.”
“The depth of the prison is a mere illusion.” Master Jesper flicked its staff, making the model of the Militia headquarters rise three feet above the table. Three levels appeared directly beneath the building.
I leaned forward, clutching the edge of the cot. “That can’t be right. When I was a cadet there, we ran laps in a space six levels beneath the ground.”
With a flash of magic from Master Jesper’s slender staff, another level appeared, not underneath the third level, but at its side. “I took the liberty of casting a tongue-tying spell on the doors so the three of you can never repeat what you see outside this group. This configuration is necessary because the bedrock at this level cannot be penetrated by magic.”
More and more levels appeared horizontally to the third level, stretching out beyond the walls. My jaw dropped. This had to be a huge security risk. Anyone able to dig three stories underground could access one of the levels outside the wards and just climb up the stairs to get at the witches.
Niger scratched his head. “Then the prison is located somewhere else in the capital?”
“Indeed,” replied Master Jesper.
Stafford punched a fist into the air. “That’s why you thought you could burrow into the prison!”
The troll preened. “I discovered the odd configuration on one of my many escape attempts.”
I nodded. If anyone knew how the witches had set up the prison, it would be Master Jesper. But if it had been caught escaping, it wouldn’t be so easy to get into the bottom level where they kept Evolene. I cleared my throat. “The Magical Militia’s wards have to stretch further than its walls, then.”
With another flick of the wand, land appeared above the horizontal levels of the headquarters, revealing landmarks such as the Ogre Senate, the Perrault Orphanage, and the Capital Market. The final level of the headquarters stretched out to sea.
A fist of shock seized my chest, squeezing all the breath from my lungs in a single rush.
Niger hissed through his teeth.
Stafford’s legs buckled, and he slumped down on the cot.
“Don’t panic, children,” said Master Jesper. “My original plan was to burrow under the seabed and retrieve Madam Evolene.”
“How?” I gasped out. “Everyone knows trolls are scared of water and don’t float. You’ll drown.”
Master Jesper smiled. “We will tolerate water to reach our aims. Did you know I once traversed over the Frozen Sea with an injured Queen Cendrilla on my back?”
I glanced at Stafford. Normally, a statement like that would make his eyes gleam and prompt questions about his Auntie Rilla, but he bowed his head. “Won’t a magical bubble pop under the Cursed Sea?”
Niger grunted. “He is right. They do not call it that for nothing.”
“That’s why I developed Pisces Pila.” Master Jesper spread its arms wide. “An inflatable cetacean whose outer skin is impervious to magic!”
“A balloon fish.” Stafford’s voice was flat. “They just fill up with water.”
Master Jesper tapped the glass of the under-table tank, and the fish bowed its head, revealing a blowhole. “On the contrary, Cadet Perrault. Pisces Pila will filter the water out, leaving only breathable air.”
I exhaled a long breath and blinked hard. If Master Jesper believed this modified balloon fish could transport it through the Cursed Sea, I had no arguments. This was the troll who had developed the largomorphus rex, after all.
“I trust Jesper,” said Fyrian. “Those rabbits are the most delicious creatures I’ve ever eaten, and if you shake the kits out of their pouch, there’s plenty more for the next meal.”
I ignored Fyrian’s enthusiastic ravings about the oversized rabbits and focused on Master Jesper. “If you burrow into Evolene’s cell, won’t it fill with seawater?”
“There are water-stop enchantments to prevent that from happening,” it replied.
“Surely the witches will surround the prison with wards,” said Niger. “It cannot be as simple as burrowing through the seafloor, pulling Evolene out, and replacing her with an avatar.”
Master Jesper hummed. “I thought of a way to overpower the wards, but I’ll need the help of Cadets Bluford and Perrault.”
“Why not Bluford and Griffon?” asked Niger.
“Because the drogott team is notorious for its late nights, and those who participate in the mission must be at their brightest and most alert in the morning.”
Niger rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled. “Well, in that case—”
The lights turned off, making the balloon fish glow like candlelight.
I stiffened. “What’s wrong?”
“Someone’s eavesdropping from outside.” Master Jesper turned the lights back on and pointed the crystal tip of its staff to the floor. Something that resembled black tar spread across the polished sandstone and seeped under the door.
“Eep!” said a little voice from outside the laboratory.
I curled my lip. Master Jesper had caught the eavesdropper.
The door flew open, revealing an empty hallway save for two white footprints in the tar. My brows drew toget
her. From their petite size, it couldn’t be Muti, eager to get updates on the plan to rescue Evolene. As a spy, Mother couldn’t help snooping about, but she usually did it in her bluebird form. Besides, her feet were as large as mine, and this pair belonged to someone at least half a foot shorter than us.
I clenched my teeth. Had the Witch General sent one of her lieutenants to spy on us?
“I have cast a puppet enchantment on the space outside the door,” said Master Jesper. “It’s perfectly harmless, but until you reveal yourself, I control all your movements including breathing.”
With a few flicks of the troll’s small staff, the eavesdropper rolled a witch’s staff on the floor, confirming my suspicions. I stiffened. What if it was one of the nasty pair who had goaded the Witch General into arresting Evolene?
White magic flashed, revealing a small, pink-haired figure with the most slappable face in the Known World.
I leaped to my feet, hand over my parched sword. “Roseate.”
Fyrian growled into our bond. “That wretch!”
“You!” shouted Stafford.
Master Jesper tilted its head to the side. “Who is she?”
“A witch who has caused us nothing but trouble since we met.” My hands clenched into fists. “She locked my friend and me in a cargo with King hornets and tried to get the other witches to capture me and use my blood to cure a plague.”
Fyrian clacked her teeth. “And now she’s going to tell the Witch General about your plan to infiltrate her prison.”
“Master Jesper,” cried Stafford. “You have to erase her memories, or Evolene will die!”
I punched my fist into the palm of my hand. “I’ll hold her down. You have to do this. She’s vindictive enough to get Evolene killed.”
Roseate raised her hands in the air. “I’m here to help, not to spy!”
“You ruined our time with Evolene at the Magical Militia just for fun,” said Stafford. “Because of you, we couldn’t gather any clues.”
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