by Sarah Noffke
“Oh, it’s nice to meet you,” Sophia said, taking her hand. “Are you named for the tree?”
Willow took off, her tall heels making a gentle clapping sound as she strode down the hallway lined with the rainbow runner. “Come along, S. Beaufont. I’ll show you to Professor Ling. She should be adjourning her class soon.” She pulled up her wrist and eyed a large watch that wasn’t at all normal. It didn’t have a short and a long hand or even numbers but rather strange symbols and glowing lights. “Yes, Samantha is going to dump her confection all over Kimberly’s head, ending the lesson early.” She pursed her lips and shook her head. “Those two won’t get along for another year, and it is really quite the disturbance, but there’s no helping it.”
“Wait, you know there’s going to be a conflict between two students, for the next year?” Sophia craned her neck to look into classrooms as they passed. It looked almost like a craft college. The first room they passed was full of canvases and art supplies and had paint splattered all over the walls. Another room was full of pottery wheels and vases of varying heights. One was filled with looms that had colorful yarn stretched across them and finished rugs and blankets draped in various corners.
“We know all sorts of things…well, we have strong hunches about them,” Willow explained. “There’s no way to know anything with certainty because free will is always changing the playing field. But we know how our various players usually respond with the bag of tricks their personality loans them and we can infer certain outcomes.”
Sophia’s stomach rumbled as they progressed to the far end of the hallway. The smell of sweets was so strong it was making her insanely hungry for a giant ice cream sundae or a frosted cupcake or milkshake. “Is there an ice cream parlor somewhere close by?”
Willow smiled, showing perfectly straight teeth that sparkled like a cartoon character’s. “There’s three on campus, as well as six bakeries, a confection shop, and an assortment of specialty sweet shops.”
“Oh, wow,” Sophia replied. “If you have that many dessert places, I can’t even imagine how many hamburger joints you have.”
Quite seriously, Willow said, “None. We have zero places that serve burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads, or the like.”
Sophia frowned. “Why is that?”
“We only have desserts,” Willow repeated.
“Why?” Sophia asked, curious by this reveal.
“It’s just part of the charm of being a fairy godmother.” She turned into a room and waved Sophia in with her. “Okay, it looks like the class is finishing up. I’ll leave you here until Professor Ling can attend to you.” She glanced at her strange watch-like device. “Looks like it will just be another minute.”
“Okay, thanks.” Sophia studied the classroom. It looked like one of those bakeries on reality television where multiple contestants have to make huge, complex cakes in a ridiculously short amount of time to win a prize. There were several workstations stocked with ingredients and mixers and bowls. At the front of the class, Sophia could hardly see Mae Ling, who was shorter than everyone who surrounded her. They held plates of desserts, apparently presenting them for their professor to judge.
“Oh, and S. Beaufont,” Willow called, grabbing Sophia’s attention away from the classroom activities.
“Yes?” Sophia inquired.
“I wasn’t named after the willow tree,” she disclosed as her large red earrings swayed back and forth. “It’s the other way around.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
For a full minute, Sophia couldn’t get the image of the earrings swaying like branches of a willow tree out of her mind. Even after the headmistress for Happily Ever After left, Sophia saw details of the woman in her mind vividly.
As a magician who grew up in the House of Fourteen, privy to all sorts of things, she still had no idea about this part of the magical world. It was chilling there were fairy godmothers who looked after certain people, and they had a college and only ate desserts. It made her wonder what else was out there she’d yet to learn about.
A disgruntled yell stole Sophia’s attention away from her trailing thoughts. She looked up to find a girl dumping a bowl of ingredients onto another girl’s head, producing loud gasps from the classmates gathered around them.
Mae Ling clapped her hands to disperse the gawkers. “Okay, we’re done for the day. Samantha, you’ve earned yourself ten hours of math problems.”
The grunt that followed was full of frustration. “Ten hours! But math will hamper my creative abilities. I’ll have to study twice as hard to counteract its effects.”
“Yes, it will,” Mae Ling said. “Maybe you’ll consider that the next time you attack one of your fellow colleagues.”
“But you knew I was going to do it,” Samantha complained. “Why couldn’t you stop me?”
Mae Ling sighed. “You’re in your second year, and you don’t know the answer to that?”
“Oh, Professor Ling,” a woman with long blonde hair said, holding her arm in the air.
“Yes, Joan. You want to answer this,” Mae Ling instructed.
“Yes,” Joan answered. “Your job and ours as fairy godmothers isn’t to intervene but rather to offer guidance. If we are doing our job, we will never have to stop things but rather provide guard rails.”
“That’s correct,” Mae Ling agreed. She threw her hands in the air, and pink and gold dust sprinkled down on Joan’s head. “My compliments.”
The woman smiled broadly, relishing the experience of being dusted with pixie dust or whatever it was. “Thank you!”
“Okay, I’ve got a godchild to deal with,” Mae Ling told them, her eyes locating Sophia at the back of the room. “Go on to lunch and try not to fill up on unnecessary stuff again, Megan.”
“Sorry,” the girl with confections in her hair said. “I’m still trying to get used to the idea I don’t need to drink water.”
Mae Ling shook her head. “It will just dilute your system. Instead, fill it full of sugar, dear.”
“Thanks,” the girl called as she charged past Sophia. The rest of the students did the same, some giving her curious glances as they passed. She tried not to stare back, but they were all so normal looking, despite the colorful uniforms. it was hard to believe they were magical fairy godmothers.
That seemed to be the way of Sophia’s strange world. Nothing fit into any preconceived notion. What she saw was unbelievable, and what she didn’t see was even stranger.
Chapter Twenty-Four
When all of the students had filed out of the room, Sophia smiled as Mae Ling approached, appearing much the same way she was at the nail salon. She was wearing a smock like usual, although this one was bright pink like that of the doors and uniforms. The old Asian woman’s face was smooth, and her black hair hung to her chin.
“You look very tired, dear,” Mae Ling said, studying her. “What have you had to eat today?”
Sophia had to think. “Not much. Some vegetables. Chicken. Maybe some rice.”
Mae Ling shook her head. “There’s part of the problem.” She went to a workstation filled with pastries and glanced around for something specific. “Oh, this will do nicely.”
Gingerly, she picked up a tray of assorted colored macaroons and carried it over to a high bar. “Please come have a seat and snack, and we’ll talk.”
Sophia did as she was told, even if there were a hundred questions running through her head, making her move at less than her normal speed.
“Go on then,” Mae Ling encouraged and waved her forward.
“Oh, thanks.” Sophia eyed the dessert.
“I do mean for you to eat these,” Mae Ling teased. “But I was referring to your budding questions. Ask away.”
Sophia giggled and picked up a pink macaroon. “Well, this school—”
“Happily Ever After,” Mae Ling interrupted.
“Yes, Happily Ever After, it’s quite interesting,” Sophia said.
“I figured you’d get a kick out of it.
” Mae Ling spoke proudly as she took a seat at the bar opposite of Sophia.
“You teach baking?” Sophia inquired. She bit into the cookie and immediately wondered why there weren’t trumpets to signal the moment she tasted the best thing in the world.
Mae Ling smiled at Sophia’s wide-eyed expression. “They are good, aren’t they?”
“Yes!” Sophia exclaimed and stuffed the rest of the macaroon in her mouth.
“I teach Baking 101, a skill all godmothers need to be exemplary at in order to fuel their magic and stay on top of their game,” Mae Ling explained.
“Wow, I never would have guessed,” Sophia said and took another macaroon, a mint green one this time.
“Well, you know well enough a magician’s magic is fueled by calories,” Mae Ling offered. “When you do a complex spell, it depletes your reserves. That’s why we are encouraged to load up on calorie-dense foods. It works well for godmothers.”
“What else do you teach?” Sophia asked and licked her fingertips, not wanting a single crumb to get away.
“I teach Beauty 101, 102, and 202,” Mae Ling answered. “We cover nails, skin, and hair in all of those classes.”
“Oh, the curriculum here is…different,” Sophia commented and hoped she didn’t sound offensive. She expected colleges to teach science, literature, and math, but she reasoned she’d never been to a school for fairies.
“We specialize in the creative arts as the main mode of business for our fairy godmothers,” Mae Ling explained. “All of our alumni must have a profession upon leaving. I chose to go into beauty, but each godmother gets to make their own choice.”
“So, being a fairy godmother isn’t your profession?” Sophia asked.
“Well, that would hardly pay the bills,” Mae Ling remarked with a laugh. “That’s more of a calling and has its own rewards. But I have to eat, and expensive chocolate requires money, so we teach our students how to be successful following creative endeavors. They become writers, artists, stylists, designers, bakers. You get the point.”
“And math is a punishment?” Sophia inquired. “Don’t you need math to run a business?”
“No, not if you have magic.” The old woman winked at her. “But yes, for our students, who are not allowed to use magic to complete their first few years of work, math is a punishment because it drains their creative vault, making their other studies much more difficult to complete.”
This was all too much for Sophia. She felt like she lived in an upside-down world, where you ate ice cream for breakfast and math was toxic, and creative pursuits were valued over practical ones. She liked that world very much. Alas, she hadn’t been elected to be a fairy godmother, but rather a dragonrider—which thankfully didn’t call for much math either.
“How is one chosen to be a fairy godmother?” Sophia asked.
“Willow makes those assignments,” Mae Ling explained. “It’s complex and probably along the lines of how dragonriders are chosen. I can’t really indulge much on that one, my dear.”
“Wow, that’s really fascinating.” Sophia took another macaroon.
“Yes, and Willow assigns fairy godmothers to their children, which was how I got you,” Mae Ling proclaimed. “And you’ve come to me today for help on a very special matter. So go on, dear.”
Sophia stopped chewing. “Wait, you don’t know why I’m here?”
“Of course I do, but it’s in the asking that the magic of our relationship begins,” Mae Ling told her. “That’s taught in Happily Ever After 101.”
Sophia grinned. “I haven’t taken that course.”
“Nor will you ever,” Mae Ling hummed.
Sophia finished her bite and wanted something to wash it down. Not a second later, a cold glass of milk materialized beside her plate of cookies. “Thank you,” she said, taking a sip and washing down all the delicious bits. She wiped her mouth and glanced up at the woman before her. “The reason I’m here is about Quiet.”
Mae Ling nodded immediately and held up her hand, pausing her. “To save Quiet, you must go to where silence is the most plentiful.”
Sophia shook her head. “No, I didn’t actually mean quiet as in the adjective. I meant as in the—”
“I understand,” Mae Ling cut in. “But your answer still has a riddle to it because otherwise, I get bored. I like to spice things up a bit.”
“Oh,” Sophia said, deflating. She loathed riddles.
Mae Ling waved her off. “Fine, no riddles. Go to Antarctica. It’s freaking cold there, and it’s quiet, and if you follow my directions, you’ll find an ice fortress. Fight your way through the elements and earn the loyalty of the queen within, and she will give you a magical herb. It will heal your friend Quiet.”
Sophia’s eyes darted one way and then the other. “Um, thanks, but can you just tell me how to fix the Castle so it can heal Quiet? That seems a bit easier than fighting a bunch of bad guys, which don’t get me wrong, is totally a normal Thursday for me and not something I’m shying away from. It’s just I’m not sure how long Quiet has and—”
Mae Ling touched her hand and interrupted Sophia. “Quiet has until you return with the antidote.”
“What?” Sophia questioned. “Antidote?”
“Why yes,” she answered. “The groundskeeper for the Gullington was poisoned.”
“By who?” Sophia asked.
“By those who want things,” Mae Ling responded simply.
Sophia shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
“Well, you might not for some time,” Mae Ling pronounced. She looked off like she saw something in the distance. “Yes, you definitely won’t understand for quite some time, you must still follow my directions to the letter. The Gullington will experience threats, but that shouldn’t be your concern. Stay and defend it, and things will get worse. Instead, you need to go and get the antidote to fix the problems. Never band-aid them.”
“How is fixing Quiet the solution?” Sophia asked. “Shouldn’t I fix the Gullington?”
Mae Ling released a long breath, suddenly looking tired. “I’m afraid there is no way to save the Gullington. You can only hope to help the groundskeeper. Then you can go from there. Maybe you relocate. Maybe you don’t. That’s yet to be seen.”
“I’m really confused.” Sophia scratched her head and then looked up. “But as you said, I’m going to remain confused for some time.”
Mae Ling smiled. “You’re starting to get it, my dear. That will make everything easier.” She held out her hand and a folded piece of paper appeared. “This has the coordinates for the ice fortress. The Queen will know why you’re there, but she won’t give you what you desire until you prove you’re worthy.”
Sophia took the piece of paper. Her stomach was uneasy, probably from all the sugar. “This queen, what does she rule over?”
“Wish I could tell you, but you’ve overstayed your welcome,” Mae Ling told her and snapped her fingers, sending Sophia through a portal back to the Gullington.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Given no warning about her departure from Happily Ever After, Sophia felt like she was waking from a dream when she fell through the portal into the area outside the Barrier. The grass crunched under her feet from the hard landing and her knees buckled, sending her face-first to the ground.
The abrupt landing was disorienting. When she’d regained her composure, she was still confused as she entered the Gullington, crossing through where the Barrier used to be.
Dragons streaked through the dark sky, fire streaming from their mouths and screams echoed from all over. Sophia spied figures running across the Expanse, their actions reeking of violence.
Sophia’s heart pounded in her chest. She took off toward the Pond on the other side of the Castle, where it seemed most of the action was. She didn’t understand what was happening in the Gullington. Yes, the Barrier was down, but she’d only left an hour prior. How could so much have changed already?
Mae Ling’s words came back to her
in a rush. Someone had poisoned Quiet, but that didn’t make any sense. They lived in a literal bubble inside the Gullington. Aside from when she got them Uber Eats, they didn’t eat out, and the last time had been some time ago. Sophia started to wonder as she ran if Quiet had somehow gotten outside the Barrier, but she remembered what Ainsley had told her about the groundskeeper.
While the shapeshifter couldn’t leave the Gullington for long periods of time because of what happened during the battle with Thad Reinhart—which she didn’t remember—Quiet couldn’t leave at all. He could venture to the perimeter but not too close according to the housekeeper, so it seemed unlikely he left and was poisoned. Sophia could automatically cross off the list that anyone inside the Gullington had poisoned the gnome. She might not know everything about her fellow dragonriders, but she knew they were good through and through.
Then it came back to Sophia. The dinner Ainsley had served to the group earlier that week had been too spicy for everyone but Quiet. What had the housekeeper told them?
“I got the spices from a new vendor at the market. I thought I’d experiment around with them,” Ainsley had said.
Was it possible a potential enemy of the Dragon Elite had given the spices to Ainsley? It was the only thing that made sense. But that wasn’t all Mae Ling had said of importance, Sophia thought as she doubled over in exhaustion still far from the fight. She didn’t know the last time she slept, and crossing the Expanse took time. It was miles wide, and her dragon was far. She would have to call him to her, but first, she had to remember what her fairy godmother had told her.
She thought back until she could practically taste the macaroons and smell the sweet aroma in the classroom at Happily Ever After College. Slowly the words she had just heard came back to her, and she stiffened. More than anything, she wanted to join the fight and help her friends to defend her home from whoever was attacking it. She wanted to protect her eggs. But she was told to trust Mae Ling for a reason, and her fairy godmother had been very clear: