‘Your cap? Tell them,’ I said to Laz, rising from the perch. Well, I tried to rise, but Tumble clung so tightly to my waist, I lost my balance and fell back onto the pillows. Gently, I unfastened his arms, putting the mended clock into his hands. Clutching it, he scooted back, almost disappearing in the worn cushions.
‘Laz’s cap is magic,’ Meteor told Leona. ‘It protects him from all enchantments.’
Laz bowed again, mockingly. Even when he bent far forward, the cap remained on his head. ‘Including Feynere enchantments,’ he said. ‘And all it cost me was a hand of cards.’
Leona flew at the smuggler, grabbing the brim of his hat. She gave it a tug but it didn’t move. She tugged harder. The hat stayed fixed to Laz’s stringy hair.
He clicked his tongue. ‘Careful, my temperamental fairy. This cap can only change hands voluntarily – much like one of the ingredients of aevia ray.’
Leona looked at me in disbelief. ‘You told him about aevia ray?’
‘He guessed.’
She brandished her wand at Laz. ‘Give me that cap.’
The smuggler chuckled gratingly. ‘No.’
Leona infused fully. Level 200 magic, twice as much as the highest-level fairies and genies in Feyland!
‘Wait, Leona,’ I cried.
Her eyes changed from silver to hard grey as she aimed her wand at Laz. ‘Resvera den!’ The breaking spell – with more power behind it than anyone had ever used.
The cap should have fallen from Laz’s head. Not only that, it should have been turned to dust. Instead, it transformed, changing from battered to jaunty. Even the shabby feather perked up.
Panting, Leona lowered her wand.
Laz grinned. ‘Thank you, my lovely. You just gave me some of your power.’ He swept her a bow.
‘G-gave you power?’ Leona sputtered.
‘Absorbed by my cap.’ Laz brushed his feather. ‘A convenient feature, considering the company.’
A jolt shook the walls. I glowered at Laz. ‘Did you use the front door? Everyone out there will think I’ve let you in on purpose.’
‘Of course I didn’t. I used a window on the first floor. As I told you before, Zaria, gremlins are pesky thieves.’ He pointed a languid finger at Tumble. ‘And although no doubt many in the crowd are angry that I got in when they couldn’t, everyone saw him walk in. Trust me, gremlins are far more hated just now than I am.’
I turned to look at the little gremlin. He bounded up from his perch and raced across the room with the clock, setting it in its place on the mantel. While he was close to the hearth, I shivered with fear for his safety. What if Lily suddenly appeared there again?
I held out my hands to him, and he darted over and leaped into my arms. The little rascal was grinning and patting my face. Only those who love me may enter this house as long as I’m alive. I smiled fondly back at Tumble.
‘Zaria?’ Laz said. ‘How did the gremlin get in?’
‘How much is the answer worth to you?’ I said spitefully. I didn’t like the way his eyes slid from me to Tumble and back again.
Tumble wriggled, so I set him down. Something streaked between me and Laz, and I heard a crinkling sound. When Laz lunged for the gremlin at his feet, I leaped in the smuggler’s way. He caught hold of my arm. I shook him off, trying my best to look dangerous.
Tumble appeared just out of reach, holding a paper sack with grease stains on its side. He pulled out a thick biscuit. ‘Snicker doodle,’ he burbled.
‘I warned you, they’re pesky thieves!’ Laz made another grab for the gremlin.
‘Biscuit for Zaree,’ Tumble said, beaming, and offered it to me.
I gaped at him. We all did. Every one of us stood perfectly still, our mouths hanging open, Laz’s the widest.
Finally Meteor nudged me, and I reached out. The little gremlin turned his hand over and dropped the biscuit into mine. ‘Thank you,’ I breathed. ‘Thank you!’ I carefully transferred the biscuit to Meteor before hugging Tumble. ‘All the rest of our biscuits belong to you,’ I told him.
‘To me.’ He grinned. ‘And Zaree!’ He held out another.
‘You eat it,’ I said, smiling.
He chomped down, cooing delightedly, sprinkling crumbs all over the dilapidated rug.
Chapter Thirty-six
TO ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING OF GREATNESS, IT IS OFTEN NECESSARY TO PROCEED WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT THE OUTCOME WILL BE. HISTORY TEACHES US THAT THE UNEXPECTED IS FILLED WITH MAGIC OF ITS OWN, AND NOT ONE OF US CAN PREDICT THE EVENTS OF OUR LIVES. ALL OF US LOOK BACK IN WONDER, PERPLEXED AND ASTONISHED BY THE EVENTS WE HAVE WITNESSED.
Orville Gold, genie historian of Feyland
I WAS SO happy about Tumble’s gift, even the sight of Laz still hovering in my circle of friends couldn’t irritate me – at least not unbearably.
‘We have all the ingredients except one?’ I asked.
‘You got the Nectara?’ Laz seemed truly awestruck. ‘But the trolls captured you!’ His gravelly voice rose an octave. ‘When I heard a rumour you’d escaped, I came straight here. How did you get away, let alone steal Nectara?’
‘A rumour? Who could have told you?’ Meteor was glaring at the smuggler. ‘Did you even try to rescue us from the trolls?’
‘Of course not,’ Laz answered. ‘I may be many things, my fine young genie, but a fool is not one of them – and it would take a very great fool for that. Believe me, I was more than happy to be left behind when they took you away, though why they would capture such a small—’ He stopped, and rubbed his face with his knuckles, looking grim. ‘Feynere,’ he said. ‘They know, don’t they?’
‘Yes,’ I answered.
‘What did they want for the Nectara, Zaria?’
But I wasn’t going to tell him.
‘Tell me you didn’t give aevum derk to the trolls.’
When I didn’t answer, he nodded. ‘So that’s how you got away.’ He looked completely different now: not lazy or careless, not angry or amused. Instead, he looked tired. Very tired. He shook his head and yanked on his cap. ‘Nothing to be done about it now.’
‘Thank you,’ Meteor said sarcastically. ‘Without your wisdom, we would never have guessed that much.’
Laz gave him a baleful grin. ‘One day, you’ll seek my help but won’t find it.’
I sighed, hoping to avoid a quarrel between them. ‘Let’s go up to the first storey and decide what to do about finding the thing cherished by leprechauns.’ I hoped my friends would remember why my mother’s room would be a safer place to talk about the last ingredient for aevia ray. The blackened ashes in the centre of the hearth should remind them.
‘Yes,’ Leona said. ‘Laz can stay here and watch the gremlin.’
‘Not likely.’ Laz was himself again, his tone baiting, his cap tilted at an arrogant angle. ‘You need me.’
‘What for?’ I asked.
‘I have the final ingredient.’
‘Of course you do,’ Leona said scornfully.
‘Upstairs,’ I said. ‘We’ll discuss it there.’ I didn’t like the idea of Laz in my mother’s room, but short of asking Meteor to jab him with the poker we’d never get rid of him.
Leona turned to lead the way. Tumble bounded over to me, shedding biscuit crumbs. He tugged on my arm, pointing to the highest perch. There lay Andalonus, sound asleep.
Of course. The aftermath of dancing with the pixies.
He was so groggy, it took both Meteor and Laz to get him off the perch. They carried him up to my mother’s nest, where he sank into deep sleep again in an instant. Leona flopped down next to him, yawning.
‘Don’t worry,’ she said before I could ask. ‘I won’t go to sleep. Yet.’
I took a quick peek outside. The crowd was just as large, but now it was mostly fey folk. The gremlins must have got tired of flinging themselves at an invisible wall, and left. Not so the fairies and genies. There were more of them now, watching the door with cold fury.
Chapter Thirty-seven
ON EARTH,
THERE ARE SKILLED HUMAN SURGEONS WHO CAN MEND DIRE INJURIES. IN THIS REGARD, HUMANS HAVE FAR SURPASSED FEY MAGIC, FOR ON TIRFEYNE, HEALING SPELLS DO NOT EXIST.
AS CHILDREN, FAIRIES AND GENIES ARE CAREFULLY NURTURED IN GALENA SO THAT NO INJURY MAY BEFALL THEM. LAWS AGAINST HARMING ONE ANOTHER ARE STRICT, FOR THOUGH MINOR INJURIES WILL HEAL FOR US JUST AS THEY DO FOR HUMANS, WE HAVE NO ENCHANTMENTS THAT CAN MEND A BROKEN WING OR RESTORE A SIGHTLESS EYE.
THERE ARE ONLY TWO HEALERS IN FEYLAND: SONNIA FLOWERS AND TIME. SOMETIMES, NEITHER IS ENOUGH.
Orville Gold, genie historian of Feyland
TUMBLE CURLED UP beside me on the window seat and fell asleep with a half-eaten ginger snap in his sticky fingers. His snores were much louder than I would have expected from someone so small, but they were somehow soothing.
‘Lovely room,’ Laz commented, leaning against a wall. ‘Wonderful tile work.’ He reached inside his genie robe with the air of a hero and pulled out a foil packet that had obviously been made on Earth. ‘Something cherished by leprechauns. My best mocha, a blend of coffee and cocoa.’ He tossed it to Meteor. ‘I call it Le MoCo.’
Meteor caught the packet, but his eyebrows drew together. ‘Coffee and cocoa? You think this is an ingredient for aevia ray?’
‘Leprechauns will offer to scrub the floor with their beards for a chance at one sip of that brew. They cherish it.’
Meteor hurled the packet, and it struck the wall before smacking against the floor. ‘The recipe for aevia ray goes back four thousand years! It’s not going to list a combination of roasted beans you smuggled here from Earth last week.’
Laz scooped up the packet. ‘Would you rather guess what leprechauns might have fancied four thousand years ago? If you know anything about enchantments, you should know they adapt to the situation at hand.’
‘I’d rather not take your word for what leprechauns cherish,’ Meteor answered.
Laz gave a conceited shrug. ‘I have more experience with leprechauns than any genie alive.’
‘More experience cheating them, lying to them, and tricking them,’ I said, remembering Meechem handing over his cap.
‘No one forces them to join my games.’
Leona rose out of the nest and pointed at Laz. ‘I can think of something much more likely to be cherished by leprechauns than your coffee and cocoa. That cap on your head! Why don’t you offer us that?’
An infuriating grin spread over his face. ‘The leprechauns don’t even remember what makes it special, so how could they cherish it?’ He stroked the feather. ‘But I’m willing to strike a bargain, Zaria Tourmaline. If Le MoCo doesn’t work for the spell, I’ll throw in the cap.’
We all looked at him doubtfully. Leona sniffed.
Grabbing my hand, Laz slapped the foil packet into it. ‘LeMoCo, Zaria.’
I rubbed the smooth foil with my thumb. Could it possibly work? ‘What if you’re wrong? We can’t waste the other ingredients testing your mixture.’
‘It could taint the entire spell,’ Meteor said.
Laz smiled too broadly. ‘Make up a small batch. I’ll volunteer to test it.’
‘We can’t test it,’ I told him. ‘The King of the Trolls made me promise that if we make aevia ray, we’ll turn it over to King Oberon and Queen Velleron.’
His smile evaporated. ‘And you agreed?’
‘What?’ Leona cried. ‘We’re taking the aevia ray to the royals? But—’
‘The trolls said they’d hold her to her word,’ Meteor interrupted. ‘And troll magic is much worse than all our fears about it.’
‘Delightful,’ Laz muttered. ‘Better by the minute.’
‘They wouldn’t give her the Nectara without her promise!’ Meteor looked as if he’d like to change Laz into a crock of fermented putch.
‘So, if we succeed in making aevia ray, we’re taking it to Anshield Island,’ I said flatly.
‘Well, you can’t go through all the trouble of busting into the sapphire stronghold unless you know you have something valuable, can you?’ Laz put on a high, whiny voice. ‘Your Majesties, I’ve brought you a magnificent gift of aevia ray – except I don’t actually know it’s aevia ray. It might be some leftover biscuit crumbs mixed with dust, but I hope you’ll like it.’ He pretended to grovel in front of an imaginary king and queen.
He’d made his point. ‘All right,’ I said, fuming. ‘We’ll test it. But not on you, Laz. Andalonus was born a Red. We’ll test the aevia ray on him.’
Laz took on a crafty look. ‘Each of us should try a pinch. It’s not as if the troll king will ever find out. We could swear each other to secrecy.’
How tempting it was to accept his idea! If our ingredients turned into aevia ray, we’d have plenty. We could give Andalonus vast reserves, and also bring back all the magic my friends and I had used. We could set some aside for my family.
I let myself imagine, but then shook my head. ‘The trolls would know. Besides, I pledged my word.’
‘In a moment of weakness,’ Laz said. ‘Under duress.’
‘Doesn’t matter,’ Meteor replied. ‘Zaria’s word is good.’
‘That’s why we trust her,’ Leona said.
I looked at my friends. How lucky I was. They weren’t controlled by greed. They cared about me. And about Feyland.
I floated up enough to look down on Laz. ‘You’re right, the mix should be tested. But one genie will be enough. Andalonus has a better right to it than you.’
‘Then I withdraw my offer of Le MoCo.’
Leona laughed. ‘Blackmail?’
Laz spoke directly to me. ‘Aren’t you the good fairy who wants to help your precious Feyland?’ he said, as if Feyland had nothing to do with him; as if he didn’t live there too. ‘You’re running out of time, Zaria Tourmaline. Durable spells failing, Galena teeming with malicious gremlins, Lily Morganite flaunting her powers in the open—’
‘Stop,’ Meteor interrupted. ‘You’ve said enough.’
‘I’m doing you a favour,’ Laz said solemnly. ‘Any test will be risky. Not everyone would volunteer.’
What a trog.
‘But if it turns out to be aevia ray,’ Leona said, ‘you don’t deserve to have it.’
I didn’t like it either. ‘What do you think, Meteor?’
Scowling, he said, ‘Make a very small batch. Test it on Laz – and be done with him.’
Laz bowed. ‘I pledge to make myself scarce afterwards.’
I floated towards Leona and touched wing tips. ‘All right?’
Her eyes were the colour of lead, but she agreed.
‘Then,’ I said, looking from one to the next, ‘let’s do this.’
Chapter Thirty-eight
SMUGGLERS HAVE BEEN STUDIED TO SOME EXTENT BY SEVERAL HISTORIANS, BUT THEIR CODE OF BEHAVIOUR FOLLOWS NO DISCERNIBLE PATTERN. THEY ARE GREEDIER THAN GREMLINS, PERSUASIVE AS PIXIES, AND MORE UNPREDICTABLE THAN TROLLS.
Orville Gold, genie historian of Feyland
I WAS FULL of misgivings. If we succeeded in making aevia ray, would a greedy smuggler like Laz be satisfied with ‘a pinch’? Wouldn’t he try to get control of all he could – one way or another?
I wished he would leave while we mixed the ingredients, but one look at his stubbly jaw told me I’d never persuade him to get out. Curse him and his leprechaun cap!
Leona didn’t know him as well as I did. She told him to ‘get lost’ and then yelled in his face when he wouldn’t listen. Laz hovered, lazily grinning, ignoring what she said. Meteor didn’t try any more than I did; instead he woke Andalonus and told him what had happened.
Tumble slept through it all.
It was an uneasy gathering when we all came together. Meteor, the one who knew the actual spell for aevia ray from beginning to end, took charge. He began by telling me to fetch a crystal cup and a silver spoon. ‘Anything that holds the aevia ray must be made of pure crystal, like our watches.’
I went downstairs and brought out my mother’s crystal teacup, a cup that had lived in the b
ack of the cupboard since the day she disappeared. How long ago it seemed now. Even the meeting with my friends in the sonnia field seemed far back in time, as if ten eras had come and gone since then.
I reached for the cup, remembering the way my mother had held it – firmly, yet with gentleness. Her way of drinking tea was one of the few things I could clearly recall about her. I bowed my head for a moment, overcome with missing her.
Rummaging a little more, I found a small crystal flask and used magic to clean it. Then I took up a silver spoon and returned to the others.
Meteor took the items, nodding approval. He directed everyone except the napping gremlin to sit in a circle. The spiral pattern of the tiles on the floor would help us cast the complicated spell, he said.
I lowered myself to a spot on the gleaming tiles. Laz ended up on my left and Meteor on my right. Andalonus was next to Laz on the other side, and Leona between Meteor and Andalonus.
Meteor placed the teacup in the centre of our circle. ‘There are five of us,’ he said, ‘so we’ll each look after one of the ingredients.’ He brought out the biscuit Tumble had bestowed on me.
I pulled the trolls’ present from my pocket and gave it to Leona. ‘Nectara.’
Opening the sack, she withdrew a slender jar with a screw-top lid. It appeared to be plain glass made on Earth. The liquid inside was perfectly clear. ‘Looks like water,’ she said. ‘Did the trolls trick you?’
Did they?
I turned to Laz. ‘Is it supposed to be clear?’
‘Don’t know. It appears you’ll have to trust the trolls.’
How dare he blather on to me about trust?
‘I don’t know of any tests for Nectara, so all we can do is try it,’ Meteor said. ‘The elixir goes in first,’ he told Leona. ‘Just a drop.’
With steady hands, she unscrewed the lid and allowed a drip to fall into the cup.