by Sonia Parin
If the fairy had any thoughts on the matter, she kept them to herself. “Hey, fairy,” Lexie called out.
“I have a proper name.”
“Yes, the Fairy Tale Fairy.”
“That’s my title.”
Lexie waited for her to reveal her real name. When she didn’t, she prompted her. “Well? What is it?”
“Priscilla.”
Luna’s mouth gaped open. “Priscilla? Oh, I’ll have to think about this. Let me see… Prissy? You know, some people have trouble pronouncing certain letters. Pissy.”
“Do you have a problem with my name, Lunatic?”
Luna took a swipe at her and nearly fell off Lexie’s shoulder.
Rolling her eyes, Lexie said, “Okay, Priscilla, what do you know about the owner of the Gingerbread House?”
“She’s an ill-tempered, ill-mannered witch who resents the role she’s been landed with.”
Someone else unhappy with their lot… “How much damage did the beanstalk do to her house?”
“Enough for her to put a bounty on your head,” the fairy said. “Wanted, dead or alive.”
“What is she offering as a reward?” Luna asked.
Lexie laughed. “Are you about to hand me over to the witch?”
“I’m a cat. It’s in my nature to be curious. My inbred loyalty prevents me from selling you out. I think I should change the subject. We had our last meal hours ago. Is there any chance we might stop for a picnic on the road?” Luna asked.
Lexie didn’t need food. She had anger and adrenaline to feed on. As well as a voracious need to right a wrong. She hadn’t turned into a killer and she resented anyone thinking she could be a threat.
Tapping into her thoughts, Luna murmured, “They don’t know that. You haven’t taken your vows.”
“Huh? What vows?”
“The incoming High Chair ones. You haven’t committed to your role.”
“Did you just make that up?” Lexie asked.
Luna scratched her ear. “I might have. Let me think…” She gave her head a vigorous shake. “Yes, I’m sure there are words that need to be spoken and they are only valid if you make your pledge in front of witnesses.”
“Words? What words? I don’t like public speaking.”
“Interesting. You’re happy to face an unknown menace but you are afraid of an audience.”
“What will they expect me to say?” Lexie pressed her hand to her heart. “Is there a script?”
“I could write a script,” Priscilla offered.
“Thank you. That’s helpful.”
“You don’t need a script,” Luna said. “You only need to throw in some words of wisdom, a pinch of self-sacrifice, a hint of avowal… something along the lines of ‘I shall never harm an innocent’ and they should, more or less, trust you. If you have delusions of grandeur or a masterplan to take over the world, I would leave that out. They don’t need to know everything.”
Lexie glanced over at Jonathan. “Did you know about this?”
He gave a small nod. “It’s a small ceremony. What with one thing and another, I guess it slipped my mind. Or maybe I just didn’t know about it until now. I seem to know a lot more now. What I used to know is meshing together with what I now know, so it’s difficult to say what I did know... There’s something to be said for getting in touch with… Well, with everyone.”
“I’m happy for you.” No one else had thought to tell her? Not even Octavia, who never missed a single detail or… or Mirabelle, who only thought about details and rules?
Luna lowered her head and murmured, “I think I see something up ahead. The fairy should have mentioned it. She’s flying in front of us. This goes to show she can’t be trusted.” Luna purred deeply. “Oh, my mistake. It’s only a tree swaying lightly in the breeze.”
While Luna grumbled about miscreants who couldn’t be trusted and argued with Priscilla, Jonathan talked about the marvels of acquiring universal O’Connor knowledge and Lexie… Lexie tried to imagine herself standing before the Coven and making her incoming High Chair pledge.
What would she say?
More to the point, would she ever have the opportunity to take her vows?
Chapter Twenty-Six
You really can’t hobble a fairy
Glancing at Jonathan, Lexie tried to remember what he’d said about warding the door at the pub.
The O’Rourke detectives couldn’t get through. Why?
Would he know if she asked? He’d been struggling with his new connection to the O’Connors, finding it difficult to understand it and explain it. At least, Lexie hadn’t seen him put up a fight. On the contrary. He seemed to be intrigued.
As far as she’d known, the O’Rourke detectives were the only ones equipped with the ability to handle difficult cases involving magic.
They were the good guys.
She had worked alongside several of them. Why would the O’Connors deem it necessary to prevent the O’Rourke detectives from entering the Crone’s realm?
Also, until recently, Jonathan had assumed he couldn’t go through it. Had he lied to her?
As her guardian, Jonathan had been charged with looking after Lexie. What would he do if the Coven Disciplinary Board found her guilty of a crime? Would he offer her asylum or would he hand her over?
Lexie took a deep swallow. She could only think of one way to find out for sure. Ask him…
“If we ever return home,” Luna mused, “I have decided I am going to be nicer to Rebel. Life is too uncertain to hold grudges. It takes too much effort and that, as you know, goes against my inner nature.” Luna flicked her tail in Lexie’s face. “Did you hear me?”
Lexie gave a distracted nod. “Yes.”
Peering down at her, Luna asked, “What will you do when and if we ever find our way home?”
Lexie took a moment to decide if Luna wanted to test her to see if she would turn into a rogue witch, seeking revenge on those who had wronged her.
“Yes,” Luna agreed. “You could easily turn into a villain. I’m sure most villains would claim to have been misunderstood and wrongfully accused. But I’m sure you were going to say something else. Do carry on.”
“The first thing I want to do is to take my boots off, flop on the couch and stay there for a week. Oh, and order pizza.”
“Will you be taking daily showers? I only ask because sometimes you seem to get to the middle of the day before you actually bathe. You know I am particular about personal hygiene and I do have a keen sense of smell. It tends to work against me, especially as we are living in a cramped apartment. I do hope Trouble doesn’t take you up on the offer to live with us. I’m not overly worried about Priscilla as I’m sure she has no intention of turning her back on her kind. In fact, I suspect she is only playing along. The moment you get a bright idea, she is bound to discourage you and lead you in the opposite direction. Mark my word, she will.”
Lexie glanced up at Luna. “I’ve just realized I can’t hear the thoughts that precede everything you let me hear.” And thank goodness for that, she thought, otherwise her head would explode.
“I’d like to hear what Jonathan plans to do but I believe we need to pay close attention to what’s coming up ahead. I think it’s a bridge.”
Priscilla slowed down and then hovered back to warn them, “We should proceed with extreme caution.”
“Why?” Lexie asked.
“Bridges can be dangerous,” Priscilla said, her voice carrying a hint of apprehension.
Lexie trawled through her memory of fairy tales but she couldn’t think of any with bridges. “Does anyone know any fairy tale stories with bridges?”
Priscilla cleared her throat. “Trolls live under bridges. They are hideous creatures, who are so territorial they eat anyone who tries to cross the bridge.”
Luna purred. “I suggest we send Priscilla on ahead. While the troll is feasting on her, we’ll hurry across the bridge. I know that sounds rather callous but she’s on a tight leash. I�
�m sure Jonathan can pull the string before the troll gobbles her up. We’ll just have to be quick on our feet. Yes, yes, I know. I just heard myself. In my defense, I try to avoid internalizing my opinions. As the saying goes, it’s better out than in.” Luna leaped off Lexie’s shoulder. “Fine, I’ll go first.”
Before Lexie could stop her, Luna took off sprinting along the road.
As they hurried after her, Lexie saw a dark shape emerge from under the bridge. Her hand tingled but she couldn’t risk using a fireball against the creature. Luna had now reached the bridge and appeared to be holding a conversation with the troll.
Lexie almost felt sorry for the troll.
To her surprise, Luna continued on her way, crossing the bridge while the troll remained on the bridge looking toward them.
Lexie held up her hand and said, “Stay here, I’ll go see what that’s all about.”
“You should be nice to the troll,” Luna mentally warned.
“What did you say to him?”
“That I’m too small and scrawny to eat but if he bided his time, someone else would come along with more meat in their bones. I guess that someone is you. I know how it sounds, but when he stops you, just tell him there is someone bigger than you right behind you and he’ll let you through. As it turns out, trolls are not very clever.”
“Luna?”
“Yes?”
“If I tell the troll the same story, the next person after me will be Jonathan.”
“Oh… I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I know, I’ll tell him to give the troll the same story about someone even bigger. I’m sure the troll will fall for it.”
Lexie knew Luna had the ability to allow anyone to hear her but the idea of passing the buck, so to speak, didn’t appeal.
“I promise it will work,” Luna said. “I remembered an obscure Norwegian story about three goats who wanted to cross a bridge but they couldn’t because a troll threatened to eat them.”
“What did the goats do?” Lexie asked.
Luna related the tale from the start and finally said, “The third goat gets on the bridge and is also stopped by the hungry troll who threatens to devour him. The goat challenges the troll and knocks him off the bridge with his horns. All three goats then live happily ever after.”
“Um… Luna. Jonathan doesn’t have horns.”
“Oh. I hadn’t thought of that. My apologies. I have been remiss in my duties. Although, strictly speaking, my duty is only to you. Do you think he might be able to tap into his newly found O’Connor helpline and ask for horns and while he’s at it, he might want to mention the gold I lost along the way?”
“Luna, that gold wasn’t ours to begin with. Give it up.” Lexie stabbed her fingers through her hair. “I guess I’ll have to tackle the troll myself.”
“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” Luna purred. “You’ve already clashed with the Giant and the cards and you destroyed the Gingerbread House.”
“I didn’t do it intentionally,” Lexie grumbled.
“Regardless,” Luna continued. “This will reflect poorly on you.”
Lexie snorted. “One more black mark against me won’t kill me.”
“Are you sure about that?” Luna asked. “It will be the third strike against you. Or is it the fourth strike?”
Thinking all her actions were justified, Lexie held her hand up and signaled to Jonathan. She needed to know he would remain at a safe distance until she cleared the way for them.
As she turned to face the troll, something whizzed past her.
Priscilla!
A second later, Jonathan ran by yelling, “I can’t stop her.”
“Jonathan,” Lexie shouted. “Let go of the string. Let go!”
He was either determined to hold on or unable to release the string.
Lexie had no option but to run after him. Instead, she stood, eyes wide, mouth gaping open, watching as Priscilla reached the bridge with Jonathan only a few steps behind her.
The troll swiped at the fairy a couple of times, but she danced away.
Lexie snapped out of it and broke into a run. Even from a distance, she could see the handful of fairy dust showering on the troll. Before she could reach the bridge, the troll went from tall and brawny to… Well, Lexie was actually too far away to see. Shrunk down to the height of a nickel in the blink of an eye, she guessed.
She slowed down and trotted toward the bridge. Then she finally caught sight of the troll. It still looked brawny. She heard it growl and wave its tiny, brawny fist at Priscilla, but he had been shrunk down to her size and she had the advantage of hovering out of his reach.
“Well done, Priscilla,” Lexie cheered.
Luna looked none too pleased. “Why didn’t she offer to help before I risked my neck crossing the bridge?”
“Let’s just count our lucky stars,” Lexie said and herded them across to safety. Looking back, she saw the troll jumping up and down, its brawny fists waving in the air.
“Is it permanent?” Lexie asked.
Priscilla shrugged. “No, it should wear off in a day or two.”
“That’s a relief. I’m sure trolls are essential to the ecosystem,” Luna grumbled, her tone sarcastic.
Exchanging a look with Jonathan, Lexie whispered, “Are you okay?”
He gave a casual shrug. “I’ve suffered worse humiliations.”
Luna pranced up to them. “I get the feeling Priscilla has been stringing you all along. Even now, I’m sure she could break free. So much for your ward.”
Jonathan huffed out a breath and let go of the string.
They all looked up, expecting to see Priscilla fly away.
Frowning, Priscilla asked, “What? Do I have something on my nose?”
Luna sprung forward. “Shoo. Shoo. Go away. You’re free.”
Crossing her arms, Priscilla blew her a raspberry. “I guess you’re stuck with me, cat.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
No end in sight
“On the bright side,” Luna purred, “the sun has come up. Although, I suspect it never went down. And on the not so bright side… Well, we have acquired a new traveling companion.” Luna put an extra bounce to her step and caught up to Priscilla. “I bet you can’t give me wings.”
Priscilla smiled at Luna. “I bet I can but I won’t.”
Once they’d crossed the bridge, the trees had thinned out, giving way to meadows overgrown with wild flowers.
Reaching a rise in the road, Lexie could see far into the distance. The meadows stretched in all directions but she knew that could change at any moment.
“Priscilla, you must know all the tales being lived out in this realm. What can you tell us about this place we’re in now?”
The fairy swirled around and then hovered in front of Lexie.
“This is all a blank page. I’ve never been this far afield. Expect the unexpected.”
Lexie had no way of knowing if the fairy told the truth or not. “Why are you still here?” Whatever power Jonathan had used to bind the fairy with the string had not worked, but she had pretended it had.
The fairy looked away and back again. “I’ve been leading a humdrum existence and then you came along. You’re writing your own story. I need to see how it ends.”
Could she take heart from that remark? If she could pave the way, the road they were on would lead them straight to the small fairy tale style door and to Jonathan’s pub.
“We still need to get the ginger. Why do I keep forgetting about the ginger?” One last ingredient and then they needed to focus all their attention on finding a way home.
And she would have to face the music...
Had she been sabotaging herself? Delaying their return home to avoid facing the powers that be?
“I already told you, the Crone has all the ingredients.”
Yes, but the Crone had chosen to withhold that information, forcing Lexie to trek out into the unknown.
She stopped and looked around.
&n
bsp; “What?” Jonathan asked.
“Give me ten good reasons why we should keep walking along this road? We don’t know where it leads. For all we know, we are going around in circles.”
Jonathan looked around and said, “There are no other roads.”
That they knew of, Lexie thought.
Priscilla had flown on ahead and had caught up to Luna. Lexie watched them for a moment. Luna had her nose in the air and Priscilla appeared to be looking away from Luna. They were trudging onward together but they might as well have been worlds apart.
Lexie turned to Jonathan. “Either I forgot to ask you or I did ask you and you chose not to answer. Earlier, you said the door in your inner sanctum is warded against the O’Rourkes so they can’t come through to the Crone’s realm. Why did the O’Connors do that?”
He opened his mouth to speak and then closed it.
“I guess I should have asked you to give me the first answer that came to you.” Now, he’d stopped to think about it and who knew what other thoughts he’d tapped into. Had the O’Connors told him to clam up?
“You’re safe here,” he finally said.
“What does that even mean? I’m actually stuck here. Sure, the O’Rourkes can’t get to me but that’s neither here nor there. They couldn’t capture me when I was home. Something is actually stopping them from using their powers on me.” In fact, she had been able to control them. Or rather, she’d been able to control Random O’Rourke, stopping him from even taking a single step toward her.
Heavens, he hadn’t even been able to use his commanding O’Rourke voice which always packed a punch. Lexie remembered the first time she’d heard it. She had been sent to Chelsea Manor to attend a feline extravaganza and Luna had gone missing. In her desperation to find her, Lexie had made the mistake of calling all the O’Rourke detectives.
“You’re my guardian so that means you’re on my side. You’re usually quick to know things ahead of time. Why didn’t you pick up on any of this and warn me? Wait… I’m going to answer for you. You did know about the Coven Disciplinary Board’s decision to take action against me and that’s why I’m here. You’re in collusion with the others.” Lexie took a step away from him and waited for him to deny her accusation.
