by Sonia Parin
“What?”
Luna gave her head a vigorous shake. “Focus. We have to save her. I know what you’re thinking. I left her side. I’m supposed to be her loyal feline companion, always watching her back, ready to pounce on anyone who dares to make an attempt on her life. Yes, you heard right. And, what did I do? Yes, I left her. I don’t have the time to explain the intricacies of making an executive decision while under extreme pressure. Needless to say, I needed to get the ingredients back to save Rebel and to get you to come with me to save Lexie. So, are you going through the door or do I have to…”
Luna moved with the speed of light. Landing behind him, she bit him.
Jonathan lunged forward and went through the door.
Licking her paw, Luna took a couple of steps back and made a run for it. Disappearing through the small fairy tale door, she landed on Jonathan’s head.
“Where are we?” Jonathan whispered. “I can’t see anything.”
“The Crone’s realm. Surely, you’ve always known this existed on the other side of that door.”
“Knowing it and seeing it… or rather, not seeing it is another matter,” he said.
“Right. We have to stick to the path. I’m not making that mistake again. Long story. The Crone’s cottage should come into view soon.”
Jonathan stood up and tried to get his bearings.
“There’s no use. You won’t be able to see anything until we get closer to the cottage. Just follow my voice.” Luna leaped off him and sauntered on ahead of him.
“Wait.”
“I’m right here. And, for the record, I did not abandon my post. Did I already mention that? I had to confront a horde of fierce dwarves and then, as I made my getaway, I nearly became garden compost when a bunch of gnomes took exception to me trampling through their garden. Oh, and did I mention the gold? Sorry if I didn’t but I had a long, perilous journey and had to trek through hostile territory. If you see a bag of gold, don’t get any ideas. It’s mine. It’s all mine.” She continued chatting, all the while keeping an eye out for Trouble. “Frankly, I’m surprised you didn’t know something had happened. As the High Chair’s chronicler of all her deeds and or misdeeds, I thought you were supposed to see everything.”
Only when he looked into the book, Jonathan thought.
“Oh, I see.”
Frowning, Jonathan growled, “Get out of my head.”
Luna chortled and hummed a tune loud enough for Jonathan to hear her. “Just so you know, we’re being watched,” she purred. “I suspect it’s the Crone’s fairy. Her name is Trouble and she lives up to her name.”
“Are you going to tell me what happened to Lexie?”
“It wasn’t my fault,” Luna whined. “I thought we were taking it all nice and easy, making sure we didn’t put a foot wrong, and then… Well, I don’t wish to point fingers, but she got careless and went all gung-ho on me. Before I could stop her, she took a bite of the apple. Then the dwarves came and they put her in a glass casket and chased me away telling me to come back tomorrow for the viewing, whatever that means. I trudged as far as I could but, in the end, I had to cut loose the dead weight and relinquish my hold on the gold. If you see a bag of gold, don’t get any ideas because it’s all mine. Have I already said that? In case I haven’t, the gold is mine. Although, I’m sure those gnomes have found it all by now.” Luna tilted her head. “Maybe not. I left most of it out on the road and I suspect they don’t venture beyond the Crone’s garden.”
Jonathan shook his head. “I hope you realize none of what you’ve said so far makes sense.”
Luna couldn’t help sounding like a petulant child defending her stance when she said, “We had to go through the door into the Crone’s realm to get ingredients for Rebel who is sick. Along the way, we got caught up in some sort of fairy tale web of deceit. They wanted us to play out some sort of script without a script and then Lexie took a bite of the apple. And the gold is mine. Which part didn’t you understand?”
“All right. Calm down.” Jonathan squinted and thought he saw a light weaving between the trees. “Shouldn’t we be going faster?”
“We need to tread with care,” Luna warned. “The Crone has a volatile temper. Once we get out on the road, we can pick up our pace. I’m running on empty but I can push myself.” Luna looked over her shoulder. “Or, you could carry me. Actually, that’s a better idea.”
“Back up. Why did you say Lexie is dead?”
“Because she is. I think. I can’t be sure because this is the Crone’s realm and strange things happen here. What is real might not actually be real.”
Jonathan tried to swallow but something lodged in his throat. Lexie had to be alive. He couldn’t trust his senses because he didn’t think he could separate them from what he wanted. If she had died, he would have known it…
A low thrum came from the woods. Darkness surrounded him but he could still see a faint light up ahead.
When he heard Luna yelp, he rushed toward her and scooped her up just as the bright light whizzed over her head.
Luna broke free and clambered up to his head where he could feel her taking a swipe at the light.
“Luna, cut it out,” he said and broke off into a run. He could feel the path beneath his feet but he had no idea if he had to go in a straight line or not...
“She started it.”
Up ahead, he could make out a few shapes. Trees and shrubs. And he could now see the path. When they reached a clearing, he glanced over his shoulder and saw the light emerging from the dark forest, coming at them like a projectile.
“I guess that’s Trouble.” Despite thinking he’d outrun her, the fairy sped by them and came to a swift stop a few feet ahead of them. He had limited experience with fairies. This one looked angry. But he couldn’t afford to back down so he surged ahead.
She didn’t give him a chance to get closer. Moving backward, she kept her distance, her wings fluttering so quickly he almost couldn’t see them.
“You are in so much trouble, cat,” the fairy said. “All the gnomes have come down with a severe case of gold fever. There isn’t a single one left to tend to the Crone’s garden. She is mightily upset and she knows you’re responsible.”
Luna blew the fairy a raspberry.
Jonathan wiped his hand across his face. “Did you have to do that?”
“Sorry, but I had to do it before she did.”
The fairy flew right up to Jonathan, stopping only an inch away from his nose. “Who are you?”
“I’m an O’Connor.” To his surprise, the fairy backed away.
“We heard the cat deserted her post,” Trouble taunted.
Luna took a swipe at Trouble and spat out, “I did not.”
Seeing the path ahead diverging, Jonathan growled. “Which way?”
“To the left. We don’t want to go to the Crone’s cottage,” Luna said. “And try to run fast. We need to ditch the fairy. Trouble won’t go beyond the path and onto the road.”
Jonathan picked up his pace.
Trouble swerved out of his way and then gave chase. “The Crone knows you’re here,” Trouble warned. “There’ll be hell to pay if she catches you.”
“Told you she can’t be trusted,” Luna growled. “She’s a tattletale.”
Trouble cannoned toward Luna. “I am seriously thinking of taking up the High Chair’s offer. Won’t that be fun? It’ll be two fairies against you. Oh, that’s right, you abandoned her. So, I guess that means you’re out of a job.”
“Who told you?” Luna growled.
Jonathan tried to ignore the ache pressing against his chest. Lexie would be fine. She had to be.
“Over there,” Luna said. “I see the road ahead. Keep an eye out for my gold.”
“I think we have other priorities,” Jonathan grunted.
The fairy flew up to his nose. “I can get you there quicker, O’Connor.”
“Whatever you do, don’t listen to her,” Luna hissed. “She can’t be trusted.”
“Give me ten good reasons why I can’t trust her,” he said.
Before Luna could answer, the fairy dug inside her pouch and scattered a handful of fairy dust on them. “Be there now!”
“What—” Everything went dark. He could hear Luna yelping and digging her claws into his shoulders. He felt as though his body had been lifted and flung across space. Then, light exploded around him and he landed so hard, Luna was hurled off him.
“I’m fine,” she said. “Thank you for asking.”
Jonathan dusted himself off and straightened. “Where are we?”
“It looks like the apple orchard. Which begs the question… How did Trouble know?” Luna launched into a sprint up and down the road. “Where is she? I left her here.”
Jonathan looked around. “You said there were dwarves.”
“A lot of them,” Luna said. “And one of them wanted to steal my gold.”
“And you were caught in a fairy tale.”
“That’s about the gist of it,” Luna purred and told him about Lexie biting the apple.
Jonathan strode up to the trestle table. There were two apples with a sign saying one would kill and the other would heal.
“Don’t touch the apples,” Luna warned him.
“It might be the only way,” Jonathan mused. He brushed his hand across his chin. “If anything happens to me, go back and get Random O’Rourke.” Jonathan grabbed both apples and shoved one in each pocket. “Come on. She must be here somewhere…”
They followed the meandering path through the apple orchard with Luna continuing to give a disjointed account of the perilous journey she had undertaken with Lexie as well as the hazards she’d faced when she’d returned.
“I see you are not impressed,” she remarked. “Well, let me tell you, we came close to being stomped on by a giant and then we had a lucky escape down the beanstalk. Fortunately, Lexie had the foresight to use the fairy dust to reduce an axe to size so she could chop down the beanstalk. Otherwise, the giant might have followed us down. As far as I’m concerned, I saved the gnomes from having their garden trampled on by a giant. If they corner us, you should try to back me up and grab the gold. They’re bound to have found it by now.”
“I thought you said Lexie cut the beanstalk.”
“Lexie. Me. We’re joined at the hip. Well, not right now. Obviously. But if she hadn’t had the idea, I can assure you, it would have come to me. That’s how well we work together. I even finish her sentences… sometimes.” Luna stopped, raised her head and then took off, sprinting out of sight.
“Hey, where are you going?”
She scurried back and leaped up onto Jonathan’s shoulder. “She’s up ahead.”
Jonathan broke off into a run.
As they drew closer, Jonathan caught sight of a casket. “What on earth is that?”
“Oh, that… That’s a glass casket. You can blame the dwarves for that.”
When they reached it, Jonathan pressed his hands against the glass and looked down at Lexie. “She looks fast asleep.”
Luna leaped up onto the casket and scratched the glass. “Can you hear her snoring? If she’s only asleep, then she’ll be snoring. Trust me. She snores. Well, not exactly, but I always hear a sort of gurgling sound.”
Jonathan inspected the casket. Finding a latch on the side, he drew the top open. His hand dropped to his side. His fingers clenched and unclenched. Drawing in a breath, he reached in to touch her cheek.
Cold.
“Well?” Luna demanded. “Is she or isn’t she dead?”
He couldn’t answer. There had to be a way to fix this. Magic ruled the Crone’s realm. Everything else would be irrelevant.
Stepping back, he drew an apple out of his pocket. After a few moments of deliberation, he looked at Luna. “If anything goes wrong, use the other apple.”
Luna’s mouth opened.
Before she could say anything, Jonathan took a bite of the apple.
Chapter Fifteen
Wrong fairy tale
He didn’t feel any different…
Jonathan took another bite and tried to remember the last time he’d tasted such a juicy apple.
Luna watched him with intense curiosity, her eyes not blinking.
He gave a small pensive nod. “I think it’s safe to say this apple is not poisoned.”
“Give it another minute,” Luna suggested and waited the length of a short breath to ask, “Well? How are you feeling now? Are you dying?”
Jonathan drew out the other apple from his pocket and sniffed it.
“I take exception to that,” Luna grumbled. “I applied my superior senses to both apples and they both had the same smell. And don’t you dare suggest my skills are not on par with other cats. I’m magical so it goes without saying but I’ll say it anyway.” Her whiskers twitched. “I’m never wrong. No other cat compares to me. I am infallible.”
He shook his head. “You must have missed something.”
Rolling her eyes, Luna taunted him, “There’s only one way to find out. Eat the other apple.”
Jonathan tossed the poisoned apple in his hand.
Digging inside his back pocket, he drew out a pocket knife and sliced off a piece of the good apple. The wedge looked fresh and juicy enough to make his mouth water.
One will kill you. One will heal you.
What were the chances…?
“It’s worth a try,” he said and placed the small piece of apple between Lexie’s pale lips.
They both stepped back to watch, their silence becoming more somber by the second.
Luna said, “Worth a try. What else do you have up your sleeve?”
Jonathan forced himself to breathe. This couldn’t be happening. Lexie couldn’t die here, not like this. His heart gave a hard thump against his chest. Stabbing his fingers through his hair, he swirled around.
He had to do something.
Tipping his head back, he growled into the bright day.
He had sensed her power awakening. He’d felt its purity. She couldn’t be gone. Nothing could have prepared him for this.
“I think you’re in denial,” Luna purred. “It’s part of the grieving process.” Luna took a tentative step toward him and placed her paw on his boot. “In case you can’t feel it, I’m trying to offer you some comfort. I don’t know if it works through thick leather.” She brushed her cheek against his leg. “Do you feel better now?”
“No,” he growled.
“Perhaps we could try the Crone.” Luna jumped back. “Actually, why didn’t I think of that before?”
Jonathan looked around him. “How far is her cottage from here?”
“A fair distance. It’s near the entrance.” Luna turned and looked into the distance. “They say the journey back always feels shorter. It didn’t feel that way to me. Then again, I had been carrying a heavy load. All that sparkly gold…”
The sound of whistling had them both turning in every direction.
“It’s the dwarves,” Luna whispered. “They’re probably here because they think you ate the poisoned apple. Quick. Look alive. They might be small and pudgy but they’re surprisingly swift.”
The dwarves marched in a single file, their whistling softening as they neared the casket. One by one, they took off their caps and held them against their chests.
Luna hissed.
“Stand down, Luna. We need to get information out of them.” Jonathan approached them. “Who’s in charge?”
The dwarves all looked at one another and then six of them took a step back.
“I guess that’s you,” Jonathan said. He hitched his thumb over his shoulder toward the casket. “What can you tell me about that.”
The dwarf brushed his hand along his white beard and gave a sorrowful shake of his head. “Nasty business. We haven’t seen the likes of it since Sleeping Beauty. Luckily Prince Charming came to her rescue and, from what we understand, they are now living happily ever after. Although… We haven’t heard
from them. Not in a very long time and that can be long here. Longer than anywhere else. If there is somewhere else. We’ve heard rumors… Are you from somewhere else?”
“I think they’re stuck in their own fairy tale,” Luna whispered. “I doubt you’ll get any sense out of them. Shoo them away. We’ll figure this out. Listen, I already have a bright idea. You could try kissing her.”
One of the dwarves shook his head. “That only works if he’s Prince Charming.”
“Don’t listen to him. What are you waiting for?” Luna asked. “It’s smooching time. Pucker up and kiss her.”
Jonathan raked his fingers through his hair. “Where’s the evil witch? There’s always one in the story so she has to be around somewhere.”
The dwarves looked confused. “Story?”
Luna pranced up to the dwarf. “Brace yourselves, this might come as a shock,” Luna said. “None of you are real.”
They all blinked at Luna. One scratched his head and murmured something to the one standing next to him.
“He has a point. Who are you to tell us we’re not real. You’re a talking cat. If anyone or anything is not real, it would have to be you.”
“Back to the evil witch,” Jonathan said. “How do we find her?”
The dwarf shrugged. “She’s around somewhere.”
Jonathan frowned. “Wait a minute. It’s not Sleeping Beauty. There are seven of you. It’s Snow White. She’s the one who ate the poisoned apple.”
All the dwarves tilted their heads in thought. “That does sound familiar.” The dwarves nodded. “And you say there’s an evil witch?”
“Actually, it might be an evil queen.” Although, there might have been a witch too, Jonathan thought. “She might know how to reverse the spell.” It had to be a spell. They were in a magical realm…
That seemed to confuse the dwarves even more. “She ate the poisoned apple. The cat might be right. You need to kiss her.”
“There’s no harm in trying,” Luna said.
“Who put the apples on the table?” Jonathan asked.
“They must have some sort of props department,” Luna suggested. “Oh, that reminds me. I didn’t tell you about the fairy we encountered in the land of the Giant.”
