by Sonia Parin
“Are you done?” Jonathan’s mouth set into a grim line. “Earlier… Before you came through the door, I went down to my inner sanctum and worked on your chronicle. I saw you walking along this road.”
“This road.” Lexie stabbed her finger at the ground.
“A road. I saw you entering the orchard. At the time, I didn’t know what it meant. Then, later in the day, Luna came bounding through the door and… Well, I’m here now. I had no idea the others were plotting against you. They might have blocked me or plotted in secrecy.”
“What about Cat and Mirabelle?” Would her cousins go along with the Coven? Lexie chortled. “Mirabelle is a stickler for rules. She’s bound to side with the Coven. Which means I’m done for.”
Jonathan curled his fingers around her arm. “You don’t know that for sure. For all we know, your cousins might be trying to help you as we speak, working behind the scenes in an effort to find a way to rescue you.”
Lexie took a hard swallow. “It just hit me. I ate a poisoned apple. Someone tried to have me killed.”
Jonathan released her and sighed. “I’m baffled by that. Although… we had the antidote right there.”
“Yes, but if you hadn’t come, then I’d still be dead.”
“This is a fairy tale realm,” he said. “I think the condition might have been temporary.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Lexie scooped in a deep breath. She couldn’t believe her mom would agree to anything that would put her in danger. “What am I wearing?”
Jonathan’s eyebrows quirked up.
“Get your mind out of the gutter. You know what I mean.”
“The chainmail dress your mom gave you.”
Visible only to her so-called inner circle. If someone in a position of power wanted her imprisoned and vulnerable, they would have done something about her impregnable clothing.
“Priscilla said something interesting,” Jonathan mused. “You’re writing a different story. I think you might have more say about what happens than you think.”
“Oh, yeah? You think I can conjure a door?”
He shrugged. “There’s no harm in trying. You command the elements.”
She did but half the time she had no idea what to do with them.
They caught up to Luna and Priscilla. To Lexie’s surprise, they appeared to be chatting like a couple of old friends.
“If you’re serious about coming back with us,” Luna said, “you might want to provide some value to the group. I’m thinking of putting together a circus act. What can you do?”
“I thought you didn’t like me,” Priscilla said.
“I’m sure I’ll get over it. I’ve already had to adjust to living with one fairy. What’s one more? I hope you won’t mind sleeping in a soap dish and living in a cramped apartment.”
“What’s an apartment?” Priscilla asked.
Luna laughed. “Well, it’s not a forest. In fact, there are a couple of spindly trees on the sidewalk but if you want a lot of trees, you’ll have to go to Central Park and Lexie rarely ventures out of the Village. Also, it gets really cold in winter. How do you feel about hibernating?”
“Why doesn’t she live in a forest?”
“Because she’s a city witch and I’m a city feline companion. By the way, being her feline companion makes me the highest-ranking member of her support group. So, don’t get any ideas. I am irreplaceable.”
“Until a better option comes along,” Priscilla said. “Can you make a troll shrink?”
Luna’s tail lowered. She walked on, dragging it along, her little shoulders slumped. She could not have looked more dejected. Lexie hurried her step, scooped her up and settled her on her shoulder.
“Some food would be good, O’Connor,” Priscilla said.
“Coming right up.” Jonathan scratched his head and laughed. “I said that with so much confidence.”
“Did you hear how she spoke to Jonathan?” Luna whispered. “Shrinking the troll down to size and saving the day has gone to her head and she thinks she can replace me.”
Lexie gave her a soothing scratch on the head. Looking into the distance, she narrowed her gaze. “I think I see something.” She stretched her arm out and pointed. “It’s a stall by the side of the road. I could do with a juicy burger and fries. Oh, and some coffee. I can’t remember the last coffee I had and yet I’m sure that was only a few hours ago. I don’t even know what time it is.”
“Time?” Priscilla asked. “What is time?”
“It marks a moment,” Luna said. “Before, now… afterward. You know, the past, the present and the future.”
Priscilla gave it some thought. “It’s always now here. We live in the present and the past is also the present. So is the future.”
Luna pressed her cheek against Lexie’s. “She has an opinion about everything.”
They stepped up to the table laden with several dishes. Luna studied each bowl and when she saw one with fish, she leaped off Lexie’s shoulder and fell face first into it.
“You might want to see if it’s safe to eat first,” Lexie urged.
Luna looked up from the now empty bowl. “Sorry, did you say something?”
“Never mind.” Lexie turned to Jonathan. “Did you do this?”
He scratched his head. “Yeah, I think so.”
Lexie picked up a coffee mug and smelled the coffee. Taking a sip, she sighed with appreciation. “You did well, Jonathan.”
She watched Luna sitting on the edge of the table. She appeared to be on the verge of saying something to Priscilla who was nibbling on a blueberry.
Jonathan picked up a burger and, after studying it for a moment, he took a tentative bite. When he finished eating, he said, “If Trouble could swish us from the Crone’s cottage to the apple orchard…”
“Swish?” Lexie asked.
“One moment we were there, and the next, we’d landed in the orchard. Yeah, we sort of swished. Anyhow, maybe Priscilla could do the same and send us all to the Crone’s cottage.”
They all looked at Priscilla.
“What now? Do I have something between my teeth?”
“Can you take us all to the Crone’s cottage?” Lexie asked.
Priscilla gave a small shrug. “Of course.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
A way home
Luna lowered her head and purred deeply. “All this time spent wandering around aimlessly and crestfallen, you could have put us out of our misery.”
Priscilla shrugged. “You only needed to ask.”
“You might have offered.”
“Wait a minute,” Lexie said. “What happens if you do send us back?”
“I can’t predict the future,” Priscilla said.
“That’s not what I meant. Will you get into trouble with your Fairy Queen for helping us?”
“Yes, of course. She’ll have my wings plucked.”
“Do they grow back?” Luna asked.
“No, that’s pretty much the end for a fairy.”
Luna tilted her head. “Are you lying so we all feel sorry for you and beg you to come back with us?”
Priscilla looked anywhere but at Luna.
Luna sat back on her haunches. “She’s playing the pity card.”
“Fine, I might have exaggerated a bit. The Queen hardly knows I exist.” Priscilla set her blueberry down. “Are you all ready?”
Lexie straightened. “No. Wait.” She set her coffee down and strolled away. After taking several paces, she stopped in the middle of the road and gazed into the distance.
She could command the elements and the elements were a part of everything. It stood to reason, everything should bend to her will.
The thought settled in her mind.
Pointing at the road, her voice firmed and she said, “Yes, in theory, this road could bend to my will.”
“Lexie,” Jonathan called out to her. “What are you doing?”
“They fear me,” Lexie said under her breath.
“I think I’ll give them something to be really afraid of.” She had no idea where the words came from. Yes, she’d spoken them, but her tone had acquired a depth of certainty she had never before felt, not even when she’d been absolutely sure about something.
Had the essence inside her awakened again? Had it ever left her?
She raised her hand because her instinct told her to do so. When she raised her other hand, something happened. The scenery in front of her became hazy as if someone had changed the focus.
“What’s going on?” Jonathan whispered.
The road swayed. It almost looked liquid or made of jello.
“Are you taking note of this?” Luna asked Jonathan.
“Words fail me,” he said.
Lexie would have stopped to reassess and decide if she should continue with the experiment but she became caught up with the sensation of feeling her inner essence shining and taking over; the same power she had felt when she’d called on the elements to bring the serial killer to her.
The trees swayed, shifted and faded while other trees appeared.
“I recognize those trees,” Luna said. “I saw them on my way back to the Crone’s cottage.”
Again, the trees swayed, shifted… shimmered and were then replaced by other trees.
The sky changed right along with the rest of the scenery.
“This looks really familiar,” Luna murmured.
Lexie didn’t need to turn around to know Luna’s lips were quivering slightly. Luna didn’t come straight out and say it, but her eyes had widened as she searched for her bags of gold. While Lexie’s attention remained fixed on everything in front of her, she could also see everything around her.
“That’s the path leading to the Crone’s cottage,” Luna said, her voice filled with awe.
Lexie took a step back and studied the scenery in front of her. It looked real. Now to test it, she thought and stepped forward.
She reached the edge of the road they were standing on and teetered slightly. One more step and she would know if it had worked.
She lifted her foot. Before she could take the deciding step, Luna sped by her.
“It’s real,” Luna said. “And if it’s real, then I can find my gold. I’ll catch up with you.” She took off along the road Lexie had conjured, her nose to the ground.
Jonathan approached, his steps tentative. “I don’t like the look of this.”
“What’s wrong?” Lexie asked. “Are you afraid you’ll fall off the edge of the world? Where’s your trust?”
A gust of cackling laughter drifted toward them. Lexie stood still and tried to pinpoint where the laughter came from.
“I think the Crone knows you’re here.” He looked down at the road and, with a shrug, Jonathan took a decisive step. “I’m all in.”
“That’s the spirit.”
Priscilla hesitated. Hovering over the threshold, she looked behind her.
“You don’t have to come with us,” Lexie said. “I wouldn’t want you to get into trouble.”
“But how else will I know how your story ends?” Giving a firm nod, Priscilla whizzed by them.
Lexie realized everyone had stepped onto the road she had conjured while she still remained on the other side. She’d done it. She’d found their way home. But would there be repercussions?
No one had warned her not to use her powers. On the contrary, she’d received nothing but encouragement. Especially from Cat, Mirabelle and her mom.
She caught up to Jonathan and Priscilla. Everything looked the way it should look and she didn’t feel any different.
Jonathan turned and gave her a brisk smile. “For someone so reluctant to embrace her heritage, you have come a long way.”
“Yes and somehow I’m still landing on my butt.” The cackling drifted toward them again. “I hope the Crone is not laughing at my expense.” Or worse, celebrating her success in… What? Containing her? “We should keep our eyes peeled open for Trouble. She’s bound to be hovering around.”
Jonathan grinned. “She’s wary of me. The moment I mentioned my name, she backed away.”
“Should I ask?”
He looked at her for a long moment. “Okay. You kept a straight face so that probably means you were serious. Sorry, I have no idea why Trouble would feel threatened by an O’Connor.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I wish I knew, but I’m coming to terms with the fact that I will most likely remain in the dark. I think I’m starting to understand how you’ve been feeling all along.”
Lexie scanned the surrounding landscape. Everything appeared to be just as she’d seen it the first time. “What are the chances I created some sort of alternative universe?” Sensing Luna, she turned and saw her feline companion bounding toward them.
“Don’t ask,” Luna said and jumped into Lexie’s arms. “Please, just hold me. And, no, I really don’t want to talk about losing my gold. It’s all gone. What did I miss? Oh, look. There’s the path to the Crone’s cottage.”
“Are you sure?” Lexie asked.
“Quite sure. Look at the flower beds. You can still see where I flattened them.”
“Flattened them?” Lexie asked.
“I know we were warned to stay on the path but I succumbed to a state of panic. As far as I knew, you were dead.” Luna curled up into a tight ball and started huffing. “I believe I am suffering from post-traumatic stress. You have no idea what went on. I had to do battle with the dwarves and then I had to confront the gnomes who wanted to chop off my tail…”
Lexie gave her a scratch between the ears. “There, there. You’re safe now.” Narrowing her gaze, she finally saw the Crone’s cottage. The cackling hadn’t subsided. Instead, it had become louder.
Jonathan cleared his throat. “Have you given any thought to what you’ll say to the Crone?”
Lexie just wanted to go home. “I’ll get the ginger first. Then, I need to get us all back home. I suspect I won’t get the answers I’m looking for from her.”
“There’s someone coming,” Priscilla said.
Luna lifted her head. “Why is she here?”
“She wants to see how the story ends.”
“Oh,” she said, her tone disinterested. Luna leaned her head on Lexie’s arm. “I think that’s a gnome.”
The little gnome walked toward them, his red cap slightly askew. When he saw them, he veered off the path and disappeared into the flower beds. Moments later, another gnome appeared. Seeing them, he veered off the path and disappeared into the garden.
“Which way?” Jonathan asked.
The path ahead of them diverged. One led toward the Crone’s cottage and the other toward the dark forest and their destination. Looking in that direction, Lexie saw Trouble hovering near the pond.
Luna giggled. “It looks as if she’s holding court. She’s surrounded by gnomes.”
They stopped to listen.
Trouble snapped, “Next.”
A gnome stepped up, drew his cap off and said, “I am a dedicated worker…”
“I think Trouble is recruiting new gnomes,” Luna purred.
The gnome continued, “I heard there was an opening for a garden gnome because the last gnome came down with a bout of gold fever. Are the rumors true? Is there gold in them hills?”
Trouble scowled at the gnome. “For the last time, no. There is no gold. Anyone who came here looking for gold, leave now. We are only hiring garden gnomes serious about their work.”
More than half the gnomes turned around and left.
“It looks like Trouble has her hands full. We should leave her to it.” Lexie turned toward the Crone’s cottage and her cackling.
She set Luna down and, deciding to play it safe, she crouched slightly and headed for the window. Once there, she peered inside.
The Crone sat on her chair and, to Lexie’s surprise, she had a TV on. Swinging away, Lexie plastered her back to the wall and pressed her hand to her mouth to stop herself from laughing.
“Wh
at?” Jonathan mouthed.
Staying low, Lexie hurried toward him and whispered, “You’ll never believe why the Crone is laughing.”
Luna leaped up and settled on her shoulder. “So, you’ll tell us. Right? That’s the way it usually works.”
“She’s watching I Love Lucy.”
“The Crone?” Jonathan whispered. “Watching TV? How did she get it?”
“What do you mean?” Lexie asked.
“The Crone put an embargo on anything from our side. Her intention has always been to maintain the purity of her realm,” Jonathan explained.
Her eyebrows drew downward. “Hang on. I’ve been in that room a few times and I never noticed a TV. So, it’s something new.”
Luna flicked her tail. “She sold you out for a TV. That’s my guess.” Turning to Priscilla, she added, “We like playing guessing games. It’s how we usually get to the bottom of the truth. In fact, it’s how we got you to confess to being a foot soldier and collaborating to keep the High Chair imprisoned in this realm.”
Lexie swung toward the cottage. “I guess I have the element of surprise on my side. I’m going to catch her in the act. You guys stay here.”
“As your loyal feline companion, I feel I should object and disobey you. Where you go, I go.”
Jonathan cleared his throat. “I’m your scribe. I need to get all the details of the encounter right.”
“And I’m the Fairy Tale Fairy and… I’m sure I can weave a new fairy tale out of this.”
“Fine. But stay back.” Lexie squared her shoulders and made her way inside with the others following a couple of steps behind.
The Crone’s cackling hadn’t eased up. A good sign, Lexie thought. Then again, the Crone could be using her laughter as camouflage.
Lexie braced herself for the encounter. When she stepped inside the sitting room, she found the Crone still seated and still captivated by the TV show.
“I see you have made your way back, Mackenzie.”
“Surprised?” Lexie asked.
“Not really. I told the others it wouldn’t work.” The Crone rose to her full height and turned to face her.
