He tensed, turning toward his mother, Queen Raelda, who charged down the main building’s front steps, looking angry as a thundercloud.
“Is this any way to welcome the princess?” the stout green woman demanded. “Princess Kara, we are honored to have you here.” Raelda curtsied formally, making Kara uneasy.
“The honor is mine, Your Highness,” Kara returned with a bow, not knowing what else to do.
“So, you have decided to continue on your quest.” Raelda guided Kara up the grand stone steps leading to the castle’s enormous wooden doors. Torches lit the cavernous castle entryway.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good, good, you have guts. I like guts.”
Goblins paused in their duties to nod respectfully to their queen, some even smiling shyly at the blazing star. Kara smiled back, amazed. She didn’t feel anything but curiosity from the goblin folk here.
Lorren lumbered behind, trying to keep up. “I am taking Princess Kara to see Tangoo.”
“Terrible business with that horse,” Raelda fretted. “Frankly we had our doubts Tangoo could pull this off. Firementals are so unpredictable.”
“Queen Raelda, thank you for helping Lyra,” Kara said to the queen. “She means more to me than anything. I’m very grateful to you.”
Raelda’s eyes softened. “I am familiar with familiars.” She eyed Goldie, raising an eyebrow as the fairy dragon grinned. “The fact that you are here, ready to keep trying, shows me what you are truly made of, Princess.”
She stopped and looked Kara directly in the eye. “But make no mistake. I will do what I must to save my kingdom.” Then she turned and walked away. “Good luck. May the magic be with you.”
“This way, Princess.” Lorren led Kara to an elevator door on the right end of the entry hall. “Impressive, you did good,” he said, smiling.
“You think?”
“You’re still here.” Lorren whisked Kara into the elevator and pulled the winch. Gears turned noisily as the car rose.
“How is Lyra?” Kara asked.
“I won’t lie to you,” Lorren said slowly, watching the elevator rise up the tower. “You had better prepare yourself.”
Kara swallowed the lump in her throat.
The elevator opened before a large bronze door.
“Welcome to the goblin laboratory, Princess,” he said, flinging the door wide.
Kara stared in amazement at the incredible round room. A domed ceiling flooded light through several skylights. Shelves built into the stone walls held countless vials and bottles of colored liquids. Metal instruments, scales, and mysterious twisted objects were scattered about next to smoking cauldrons. Along one section of rounded wall, sunlight reflected off dozens of immense magic mirrors at least fifteen feet high, dazzling Kara’s eyes.
Something clattered among a pile of crystals and lenses. “Lorren!” a girl’s voice called out. “You’ve got to see this!”
Blinking away the mirror’s light, Kara saw a young goblin girl rising from the far side of a wooden table. Her skin was light green, and she wore a long smock covered in splotches of colors. She lifted a pair of protective goggles back onto hair black as midnight, pulled into a tight bun. She had been working on a strange hand mirror whose silver frame was adorned with two metal antennae. “Oh.” She stopped when she saw Kara. Her green skin blushed purple.
“Princess Kara, this is Tasha, Tangoo’s assistant,” Lorren said.
Goldie squeaked, insulted.
“And Goldie, the wonder dragon,” he added.
Tasha bent into a low, clumsy bow and stammered, “An honor, Your Magnificent Wonder Highness.”
“Please, just call me Kara,” she said and smiled. The goblin girl seemed about her age, Kara noticed. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Tasha stood, self-consciously wiping the smudges from her smock.
“Look at all these spells Tasha made all by herself,” Lorren proclaimed, proudly pointing to a rack of shelves neatly stacked with labeled vials. “What are you working on now, a love spell?” he teased.
Tasha flushed purple again. “I finished those in my first year of training.”
“Ah, those things never work, anyway,” Lorren laughed.
“How would you know?” Tasha asked slyly.
“Funny. Where’s Tangoo?” Lorren surveyed the cluttered laboratory.
“He’s checking the mirrors for the princess’s ride,” the goblin girl said, and looked at Kara. “I’m so sorry about your friend. I’ve been keeping her as cool as possible.” Tasha gestured to an enormous tank sunk into the floor. It was filled with a pool of shimmering quicksilver, with a strange lump in the middle. Kara gasped. The lump was Lyra’s head and broad shoulders! The cat’s blurred features were a melted mockery of her once beautiful face.
“Lyra,” she sobbed, kneeling by the tank. She didn’t need a sorcerer to tell her that Lyra’s time was running out fast.
“Yes, it certainly is a shame,” a cool voice echoed across the room.
The trio whirled around, startled to find Tangoo standing right behind them.
“Master Tangoo!” Tasha cried.
“Tangoo, Princess Kara is here,” Lorren announced.
“I can see that, Prince Lorren.” The sorcerer smiled thinly, looking down his hawk nose at Kara. “Princess, you did not fare so well with the Firemental horse.”
That’s an understatement, thought Kara.
“But, I am happy to say, you look ready to ride now,” he continued.
“If I get the crystal, it can save Lyra?” Kara asked anxiously.
“The crystal of the Fairy Realms certainly has the power to bring the cat back,” Tangoo assured her.
“If her unicorn jewel enchanted the cat in the first place, why can’t the princess undo the spell herself?” Lorren asked suspiciously.
Yeah, why hadn’t she thought of that? Kara asked herself.
Tangoo’s sharp eyes darkened. “Well, my obstinate yet positive young prince, if the princess were a magic master, that might be possible, otherwise—” he waved his slender fingers. “Good-bye kitty.”
Lorren’s brow furrowed.
Kara’s heart sank as she fought to stay strong. “How can I find the stallion?”
“It will not be easy,” the sorcerer warned. “Firementals are most difficult to harness. That spell took months to conjure. But it cannot hold. The creature will dissolve back to fire.”
“Oh no! How long have we got?” Kara asked, frightened.
“The horse may have already reverted to fire.” He tapped his goatee with a slender, green finger. “However, if you were to find the Blue Rose, that would give the Firemental enough magic to stay in its stallion form, long enough for you to ride the mirrors.”
“The Blue Rose! An ancient talisman that holds powerful elemental magic!” Tasha cried, reciting her schooling perfectly.
“Quite right, my eager-eared apprentice,” Tangoo praised.
Tasha beamed.
“The Blue Rose is a myth,” Lorren said dismissively. “Everyone knows that.”
“I beg to differ, my inexperienced but pigheaded prince,” Tangoo countered. “I know where it is hidden.”
“Where?” all three asked.
“In the lair of the Spider Witch.”
Kara frowned. That didn’t sound good at all.
“Oh, don’t worry, Princess,” Tasha reassured her. “The Spider Witch is locked away in the fairy prison known as the Otherworlds.”
“The Blue Rose fuels elemental magic,” Tangoo continued. “If you were to get the rose, the horse would come to you. It is the only way for it to survive.”
“How do you know all this stuff?” Lorren asked.
The sorcerer arched an eyebrow. Kara caught a spark of anger in his eyes, but it dimmed quickly. “My plucky but pimply prince, I was an expert in elemental magic long before you were a little goblet.”
“But you’ll have to be careful,” Tasha told Kara, her pointy ears twi
tching. “The Blue Rose is entwined on the same vine with an identical rose, which is extremely deadly to elemental magic.”
“How do I tell them apart?” Kara asked.
“The Fairy Rhyme—every young sorcerer learns it in Spellology 101.” Tasha cleared her throat and chanted, “The roses are blue, but only one can be true. The flower with the power is the bloom with the fume. The bud that’s a dud seems a rose to the nose. Get it?”
“Got it,” Kara affirmed.
“Good.”
Tangoo smiled. “I have located a mirror in the Spider Witch’s castle.”
“Are you sure about this?” Lorren asked. “The Spider Witch might have left traps.”
“These are dangerous times,” the sorcerer replied.
“I’m going with her,” Lorren declared.
“Prince Lorren.” Tangoo’s thin lips stretched into a frown as he studied the prince and the sword strapped to his side. “I thought you hated mirror jumping.”
“I… uh… I’ll live.”
“Yes, astral plane jumping can turn one’s stomach.” Tangoo tapped his goatee thoughtfully. “I think I have something that will make the jump a bit less disorienting.”
“Okay, let’s do it.” Kara nodded.
“Tasha,” Tangoo said, handing her a slip of parchment. “Prepare a mirror with these coordinates.”
“Yes, Master Tangoo.” Tasha walked up to a sleek gray mirror. She adjusted nearly invisible knobs and buttons along its edges.
Like a little hawk, Goldie watched the tall sorcerer reach up to a row of vials.
“Thanks, Tasha,” Lorren said.
Tasha blushed. “All ready.”
“See you on the other side,” Lorren said to Kara.
“One sec, I want to let my friends know what’s going on. Get me Emily, Goldie.”
Goldie flew to Kara’s ear and dialed in Fiona.
“Kara?” Emily said.
“No time to chat,” Kara explained quickly. “I’m going after a piece of magic that can help me find the fire horse.”
“We’ve rounded up a stand-in for you,” Emily giggled. “She’s very pretty.”
Tangoo walked toward Lorren. “I think you’ll really love this spell, Prince Lorren,” the sorcerer chuckled.
Twinkly magic flew from the sorcerer’s outstretched hands.
“Save room at the cast party,” Kara said. “I’m coming home soo—”
Goldie squawked and leaped, intercepting the spell meant for Lorren. A bright flash surrounded Goldie, knocking the d-fly off balance and sending the mini plummeting through the mirror.
“Goldie!” Kara screamed, flashing on Lyra’s horrible enchantment.
She reached out to grab the mini and fell head over heels into the mirror’s murky blackness.
“THIS IS NEVER going to work.” Adriane stood backstage in the school auditorium, looking uncertainly at Emily.
A blond wig adorned with a sparkling tiara covered Adriane’s black hair. Her usual jeans and pullover had been replaced by a pink dress that poofed out in a mass of shining taffeta. Glittering rhinestone bracelets and a star-tipped fairy wand completed the transformation.
Emily tried to keep a straight face as she straightened the tiara. “You look like Tinkerbelle.”
“Pinkerbelle,” Ozzie corrected, breathing on his ferret stone and polishing it with the hem of Adriane’s dress.
“She owes me big time for this!” Adriane groused, stomping her hiking boots to straighten the dress.
“All you have to do is read this part.” Emily pointed to the Fairy Queen Titania’s lines. “Ozzie’s magic will do the rest.”
“Blah.” Fred leaned over Adriane’s puffy pink shoulder, head drooped.
“I agree,” Adriane said, then noticed that Fred’s usually bright blue eyes were dulled and listless. “Hey, what’s wrong, Fred?”
“Tummeee, Adriee,” the blue mini complained.
Fiona’s, Barney’s, and Blaze’s little heads lolled out of Emily’s backpack.
“Aw, you guys eat something that upset your tummies?” Emily gently ran her rainbow gem over the dragonflies.
Four little heads nodded.
“Bad spell,” Musso pronounced, looking into Fiona’s half-closed eyes.
“What?” Emily asked.
“They absorbed a bad spell. I ate an ice-cream spell once. It was so sweet, I passed out.”
“What did you do now, Musso?” Adriane demanded.
“It wasn’t me,” Musso protested.
Fiona flapped her ruby wings. “Goldeee, Emee.”
“Goldie sent the spell?” Emily quickly placed her ear to Fiona’s belly. It rumbled like a backfiring car.
“Call forwarding,” Barney explained.
Fred’s blue jeweled eyes suddenly started spinning wildly. Blaze started jiggling and glowing. Fiona’s red hide flashed as Blaze’s orange body blinked brightly.
“Ten minutes, peoples!” Rae hollered, clapping her hands. Student actors scurried about, straightening togas, wings, and crowns.
“Testing, one, two, pink shoe—” Adriane’s voice came out squeaky and high pitched.
“Gah!” Ozzie sputtered. “Needs some minor magical modulation.” He shook the stone and scrunched his whiskers in concentration.
“Check, test one, Prada,” Adriane spoke—in Kara’s voice! “Is it working?”
“Kara! You’re back!”
Adriane was startled by the sound of Heather’s voice. The red-haired girl eyed Kara closely. “Say, you sure you’re all right? You look taller.”
Adriane waved her magic wand and bonked Heather on the head. “Fly free, Fairy Codfish!”
“Cobweb! Geez, what’s with you?” the red-haired girl scurried back to the other fairies.
Adriane shrugged.
Ozzie smiled. “Not bad. A ventriloquist mage.”
Kyle ambled by, wearing a green-feathered Robin Hood hat and clutching his Shakespearean insult book. His eyes fell on Adriane and widened. “Thou reeky, plume-plucked pignut of a sister! I didn’t see you leave for school this morning!”
“Be gone, flap-mouthed varlot!” Adriane bellowed, her voice a deep bass tone.
“Gah!”
“All hail the drama queen.” Kyle strolled onstage, narrowly avoiding Rae. The director charged into the Fairy Ring set, tugging on a chartreuse velvet gown, her Shakespeare Day costume.
The warrior grimaced and nearly bumped into Molly and Tiffany as they scurried by, making some last-minute adjustments to their sparkling makeup and glittering costumes.
“K, why didn’t you pick up your phone last night?” Tiffany demanded. “We were totally worried about you.”
The warrior’s voice peeped like a chipmunk. “I, like, needed my beauty rest.”
“I love your color contacts!” Molly grinned, looking into Adriane’s dark eyes.
“If you ask me, everyone is acting weird,” Heather exclaimed.
“Hee-Hawlo, ladies!” Adam shuffled by, combing his donkey ears.
“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” Barney was sparkling like a Christmas tree.
“It’s getting stronger!” Musso fretted, dancing from foot to foot.
Rae marched backstage, critically eyeing her actors’ costumes. Her steely eyes bugged out when she saw Adriane. “Our Fairy Queen hath returned, and in a new dress!”
“Yeah, K, why’d you ditch the old costume?” Tiffany asked.
“It, like, totally wasn’t pink enough,” Adriane hissed in a voice like Darth Vader. “Excuse me.” She glared daggers at Ozzie and stomped toward the ferret.
“Gak!” In the shadows, Ozzie smacked his ferret stone furiously. “Er, Emily, I could use some help here.”
But Emily’s attention was on Barney, who suddenly shuddered in her arms.
“Fred, are you all right?” Adriane forgot about the flabbergasted ferret as she held Fred.
The blue dragonfly belched like a trombone, barfing magic all over Adriane and covering her with s
prinkly twinkles.
“Scooz meme.” Fred dove into Emily’s backpack, feeling better.
The warrior’s eyes went hazy as she tottered and knocked into Adam.
“Heehaw, you’re all blue!”
Blue light surrounded the warrior in a shimmering halo as she gazed at the dreamy donkey.
“Peoples, peoples, what is going on now?” Rae cried, marching over to look at Adriane’s glowing head.
“BLaaaPHHHf!” Fiona tumbled in the air and hurled, sending azure twinkles smacking into Rae’s frizzy head. Rae careened backwards and fell onto Kyle.
“Some professionalism, please!” Rae’s eyes glazed over as she tried to disentangle herself from the sandy-haired boy. “Ooo, baby!” She stared at Kyle, a giddy smile suddenly plastered on her face.
“Whoa!” Kyle jumped to his feet and stumbled away from Rae.
“Come back, thou dreamiest of hunks!” the director cried. “Let me pledge my eternal love!”
“Kara, what is with you?” the fairies shuttled over.
“BAArrrFFF!” Barney and Blaze both tossed up the sour spell.
Molly, Tiffany, and Heather shrieked as clouds of twinkly bits covered them in a dazzling shower of popping lights.
“The dragons picked up a love bug.” Musso observed Heather, Tiffany, and Molly, their eyes glazed over in ecstasy. “Those fairies will fall in love with the first—oop.”
The three girls were advancing straight toward Musso, their shining eyes locked on him.
“Those are the cutest ears I ever saw!”
“He’s so totally cute.”
“I saw him first.”
“No way!”
“Ak!”
“Oh, no.” Emily frantically stuffed the d-flies in her backpack before anyone saw them. She tried to catch Adriane’s eye, but the warrior was completely ignoring her. Adriane’s total attention was riveted on a very confused donkey. Adam shuffled across stage, Adriane draped over him like a cloak.
“Don’t ever leave me, my hairy Romeo.”
The four minis peeked out from Emily’s backpack as students started filing into the auditorium for the performance.
“Help!” Kyle yelled, Rae chasing him.
“Help!” Musso ran the other way, three fairies bounding and leaping after him.
“Heeelp-Haw!” Adam ran into the auditorium, plowing through crowds of students. Adriane hurdled over the seats, hot on his tail. She landed on the donkey’s back, wrestling Adam to the ground.
All's Fairy in Love and War (Avalon: Web of Magic #8) Page 9