The Magical Match

by E. D. Baker

  When Cory learned that she wasn’t needed for any other marriage preparations that day, she returned to the room she’d slept in to work on the song. Both the music and the lyrics had been in the back of her mind ever since she got up that morning, and she couldn’t wait to get her new ideas down on leaf. It was a good song—she could feel it. It might even be her best so far. But then, it was a topic that she knew a lot about, without ever consciously learning it.

  Cory got busy right away. She had a lot to do before morning. Not only did she have to finish the song, but she’d have to make copies for all the members of Zephyr. It would have been a lot easier if they could have rehearsed her new song at least once!

  CHAPTER

  11

  Although the goblins had returned Cory’s bridesmaid’s dress without even the hint of a stain, goblin tradition demanded that she wear another shapeless sheath with a pair of short pants underneath, this time in lime green. Apparently, the goblins had decided that was the color of the Fleuren household, because Deidre was wearing the same color.

  No one had told Cory where the wedding was going to be held, but she assumed it would be in another cave in the warren. She was surprised when they paraded down the length of the corridor to a door that opened onto a lovely forest glade. They didn’t have to walk far before they came to a large clearing that was already filled with goblins.

  “Prugilla invited two hundred and seventeen goblins,” Scoota told her. “Your mother invited her friends from the Tooth Fairy Guild, plus her family.”

  “That’s a lot of goblins,” Cory said as she looked around the clearing. When she was younger, she’d been terrified of goblins. But after getting to know Natinia Blunk and Officer Deeds, she’d learned that goblins were people, too. Even so, seeing so many in one place was a little disconcerting. It also felt odd to be one of the tallest people there. Very few goblins stood over five feet tall.

  “Actually, this is considered to be a small wedding,” said Scoota. “We’re using one of the minor clearings for it. We hold all our weddings outside. It’s a lot easier to clean up afterward. Now, you and your grandmother have to come with me. You’ll see your mother again in a little while.”

  Cory and Deidre followed Scoota through the crowd of goblins to the middle of the clearing. Quince was already there and she shouted when she saw Cory. “We thought something awful had happened to you!” Quince cried as she came running and threw her arms around Cory. “We looked everywhere! I thought Blue was going to go on a rampage, until we got the message from your mother saying that you were all right. Even then I was afraid he was going to do something drastic.”

  “It was awful at first,” Cory told her. “But then I met Scoota and she explained everything to me. Is Blue here?”

  Quince nodded. “He’s with Micah and your grandfather. They’re on the other side of this circle. Do you have any idea what we’re supposed to do next?”

  “None at all,” Cory said, seeing an older female goblin approaching. “But I think they’re about to tell us.”

  The goblin stopped and pointed to Deidre. “You, stand here,” she said. “Now all of you ladies get behind her.”

  At first Cory thought that the goblin meant just her and Quince, but when she turned around she saw that Scoota and all the other female goblins who had been in the enclave with them were also getting in line.

  “Good,” said the older goblin as she walked to the side. “Now face this way and lie down on your stomachs.”

  “What?” Quince squeaked. “I’m wearing my best dress. I’m not lying on the ground in this!”

  Scoota and all the other goblins were already starting to lie down. Even Deidre was on her knees and about to stretch out. “I think you have to,” Cory whispered to Quince. “It must be part of the ceremony.”

  “I’d better not get grass stains on this dress!” Quince said as she lay down beside Cory.

  “If you do, I’m sure the goblins can get them out!” Cory told her.

  “This is so weird!” said Quince.

  Cory laughed. “This is nothing compared to what my grandmother and I have been through!”

  “Quiet, you two!” ordered Deidre. “I want to hear what they’re saying.”

  “I’m explaining this for the sake of the newcomers,” announced an old male goblin. “I know everyone else is familiar with what comes next.”

  A ripple of laughter ran through the crowd and more than one goblin nodded.

  “All right, groom on bride’s side, bride on groom’s side,” the old goblin continued. “Let’s get this wedding started!”

  Scoota and the other female goblins shifted around as if to get more comfortable. When Cory raised her head and peeked over her grandmother, she saw Wilburton Deeds walking toward them wearing loose pants, a shapeless shirt in bright yellow, and nothing on his big, lumpy feet that were two different sizes. She was sure he was going to stop when he reached Deidre, but he kept walking, stepping on Cory’s grandmother. Deidre went “Ooof!” but didn’t say anything, then he was stepping on Cory. She grimaced as his foot pressed her into the grass, then he was onto Quince, who gasped. No one moved until he had reached the end of the line. When the old goblin clapped once, they all stood up and brushed themselves off.

  “What the heck was that?” Quince whispered to Cory.

  “Just the beginning, I’m afraid,” Cory whispered back.

  “It’s supposed to show that the couple has the support of both families,” Scoota told them.

  Wilburton was walking behind the females to the front of the line when a group of male goblins tackled him. Although he struggled against them, Cory didn’t think he was trying too hard, and actually saw him laughing. While some goblins held him down, others tied his legs together with a rope. One of the goblins had brought a sack that he held open for the others. Each of the goblins reached in and pulled out a fish. Gathering around the groom, they began to beat the soles of his feet with the fish and didn’t stop until the fish were falling apart in their hands. When the goblins finally untied him and let him up, Wilburton’s legs were covered with fish blood and scales.

  “I’m glad they didn’t do that before he walked on us,” Quince whispered to Cory.

  “Now comes the fun part,” Scoota said as the female goblins in their group started walking toward the center of the circle.

  Cory and Quince joined them just as Delphinium showed up wearing a bright yellow shift and holding a huge bouquet of flowers. The old male goblin stood next to her while the females formed a circle around them. “Now what?” Cory asked Scoota.

  “This is the Bridesmaid’s Blockade,” Scoota told her. “We have to keep Wilburton from reaching Delphinium.”

  “How do we do that?” asked Quince.

  “However you can,” said Scoota. “I have a good left hook, but my mother prefers kicking.”

  Stunned, Cory turned to look at her. “We’re supposed to fight him?”

  “You will if you want to stop him,” said Scoota. “He’s going to try to drown Delphinium next.”

  “What?” cried Cory. “Then he’s not getting near my mother!”

  “That’s the spirit!” crowed Scoota. “Watch out! He’s looking for a weak spot in the circle and he’s coming this way.”

  Cory turned toward Wilburton. He was walking around the circle, eyeing the line of females as if appraising their possible strengths and weaknesses. The females backed up until they were shoulder to shoulder, leaving no space in between.

  Cory braced herself. She’d never physically fought anyone before, and had no idea what to do, but she wasn’t going to let Wilburton get anywhere near her mother. When she glanced at Quince, her friend was holding her hands stiffly in front of her.

  “I’ve got this,” said Quince. “I took self-defense classes last year. There’s no way he’s getting past me!”

  Wilburton stopped in front of Cory and Quince, and grinned. “Perfect!” he said, and lunged at them. Quince whacked
him across the nose, which seemed to surprise him. He was raising his arms to block her when Cory kicked him in the shins and Deidre clapped his ears with both hands. As he staggered to the left, Scoota punched him in the jaw. And then the female goblins next to her pounced on him, pummeling him until he backed away.

  “You can do it!” a goblin male in the crowd shouted.

  All the males started shouting encouragement to Wilburton as he circled the females. Cory didn’t see what he did next, but she could tell from the shouting and the way the circle moved that he was attacking again. The females beat him back three times. The next time he attacked he was close enough that Cory could see him. When one goblin tried to punch him, he moved under her blow and kicked her legs out from under her. She fell, taking down the two females next to her.

  In an instant, Wilburton jumped over her and ran to Delphinium. Scooping her up, he held her high and shouted in triumph, “She’s mine!”

  The male goblins roared, which Cory thought was a truly frightening sound. She expected them to do something, but instead the old goblin began to talk to Delphinium and Wilburton in words that Cory couldn’t quite make out.

  “What’s he saying?” she asked Scoota.

  “He’s speaking in ancient Goblinese. It’s something about how the next thing they do will be a real test of their love. He just wished them both good luck. And there they go! Wilburton is going to try to drown her.”

  “That’s for real?” asked Quince. “I thought you said that just to make us fight him.”

  “No, it’s for real, all right,” said Scoota. “See! He’s carrying her to the lake.”

  The big circle of goblins opened up to let Wilburton through. As he ran past, they all started to follow him, but not one of them tried to stop him.

  “We can’t let him do this!” Cory cried. “Why isn’t anyone doing anything?”

  Scoota shrugged. “It’s part of the ceremony. If he truly loves her, she’ll be fine.”

  “I need to get there. I need to stop him!” Cory cried, trying to push her way through the crowd.

  Scoota grabbed her from behind. “Don’t, Cory. He’s not going to hurt your mother. I’ve seen how much he loves her. This just proves it to everyone else. You have to let them do this if the goblins are ever going to consider them truly married.”

  “Your mother had to know what she was getting into when she agreed to a traditional goblin wedding, Cory,” said Quince. “She’s not the type of person to go into this blindly.”

  Cory nodded. “You’re right about that,” she replied. “But I still want to make sure she’s all right.”

  “Then let’s go,” Scoota said, and took Quince and Cory by the hands. Crying, “Make way!” so that the crowd parted to let them pass, she ran with them through the goblins, and past the trees surrounding the lake.

  When they finally caught sight of the bride and groom, Wilburton was tying rocks to Delphinium’s legs. Cory gasped when she saw what he was doing.

  “He’s really serious about this,” said Quince.

  “He has to be,” Scoota told her. “It’s part of the ceremony.”

  Cory didn’t care about the ceremony or what a bunch of goblins thought about her mother’s marriage. She wasn’t going to let this happen. Letting go of Scoota’s hand, she dashed to the water’s edge, but by then Wilburton had already set Delphinium in a small boat and was rowing her into the lake.

  Cory could swim, but not very well. Certainly not well enough to catch up with Wilburton, who was rowing with long, powerful strokes. As Cory paced up and down along the shore, the rest of the wedding guests arrived and gathered to watch what happened next. Deidre, Quince, and Scoota had just come to stand beside Cory when Wilburton set down the oars, picked up Delphinium, and kissed her. Then with one fluid motion, he tossed her into the lake.

  “No!” Cory cried as her mother sank into the water, the rocks tied to her legs dragging her down.

  “He has to rescue her now,” Scoota told her. “When they come up, if she’s still alive, they’re good and truly married.”

  “Then why isn’t he going in after her?” wailed Cory.

  “He has to count to make sure she’s had time to reach the bottom. This is a very deep lake. Ah, there he goes. He’ll have her back up before you know it.”

  Cory was too worried to stand still. She started pacing back and forth, anxiously watching the water. Blue was standing next to Quince and Scoota when she returned to where they were standing. She ran into his arms when she saw him, then they both watched the water together.

  Suddenly, with a whoosh and a shower of water, bride and groom popped to the surface. Even while Wilburton was dragging Delphinium to the boat, Cory could see that her mother was trying to swim on her own.

  “She’s all right!” Cory told Blue as tears of relief glistened in her eyes.

  A cheer went up from everyone on the shore. “Like I said,” Scoota shouted at Cory. “She’s alive, so they’re now well and truly married!”

  Blue pulled Cory closer and kissed her. “Congratulations!” he said. “You have a new stepfather.”

  Cory laughed and said, “Yes, I suppose I do.”

  “We have to do one last thing before we celebrate,” Scoota said. “It’s time for the wife-carrying competition. Wife or girlfriend, I should say. It’s an obstacle course and this one is supposed to be the best one ever. My boyfriend helped design it. I’ll see you later. I have to go find him.”

  “And I’m going to look for Micah,” said Quince as she turned and walked off.

  “Finally, we get to do something together,” Blue declared. “Where do you suppose this thing starts?”

  “Follow the crowd,” said Cory. “I’m sure they know where to go.”

  “When you disappeared from Quince and Micah’s wedding reception like that, I was really worried about you,” Blue said as they walked. “I was going a little crazy when that note came from your mother. I was sure one of the guilds had done something to you.”

  “I thought a guild was behind it, too, up until I met Scoota,” said Cory. “She’s the goblin girl who told us about the wife-carrying competition. She’s actually very nice.”

  “I want to hear all about everything,” Blue told her.

  “You will,” said Cory. “But first we have an obstacle course to conquer and a whole lot of celebrating to do!”

  CHAPTER

  12

  The goblins had set up the beginning of the obstacle course partway around the lake. Cory thought it was complete chaos as husbands found their wives and boyfriends found their girlfriends, but it really didn’t take very long before everyone was ready. Only the children and the elderly were allowed to sit this out, so Cory wondered how some of the smaller males were going to carry the larger females.

  The bride and groom were in the front. When Wilburton hiked Delphinium onto his back, the other goblins grabbed their partners, too. Cory realized just how strong goblins were when she saw how easily even the smallest adult males picked up the females. Some carried their partners on their backs, while others slung them over their shoulders as if they were sacks of fertilizer.

  Blue squatted down so Cory could climb onto his back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him as he grabbed her legs and stood up. Cory was grateful that the goblins had given her short pants to wear under the dress.

  “There are three rules!” shouted the old male goblin. “One, no part of the female must touch the ground from the time you start running to the end of the race. If she does touch the ground, you are disqualified. Rule two, follow the orange markings on the ground to each obstacle. You may not skip an obstacle. There will be spotters along the route to make sure you take on each one. And the third and final rule, there are no other rules! Anything goes! May the best goblin win!”

  Although Wilburton started out in the lead, other goblins soon passed him. Blue and Cory were near the back of the pack, so it took them a while to reach the first ob
stacle. Cory thought the ten-foot-tall, thirty-foot-wide log wall looked daunting, but the goblins swarmed up and over it with the females clinging to their necks. For some reason, she could hear a lot of shouting from the other side.

  “Hold on tight!” Blue said when he was close enough.

  Cory wrapped her legs around Blue and held her breath as he ran at the wall and jumped, catching the top with his fingers. He pulled them to the top, and was about to drop to the ground on the other side when they both spotted the enormous patch of pricker bushes planted at the bottom. Cory saw at least a dozen goblin couples caught in the bushes, struggling to get out.

  Two goblin couples reached the top right after Blue and Cory. The goblin with long, dangling ears and an equally long nose was turning around to climb down the other side, when the goblin next to him reached over and pushed him. The long-eared goblin and his partner fell, shrieking, into the pricker bushes. When the goblin who had pushed him looked at Blue, Cory said, “Don’t even think it!” while Blue growled and showed his teeth.

  The goblin showed his teeth in a fierce grimace, too, but he backed away before climbing down the wall.

  “Ready?” Blue asked Cory.

  “Go for it,” Cory replied.

  Holding on to the top while he positioned himself, Blue let go as he pushed off from the wall with his legs, flinging them past the bushes and the goblins. He landed on his feet with his knees bent, then stood and glanced back at Cory.

  “Are you all right?” he asked as she readjusted herself on his back.

  “Never better,” she said. “What’s next?”

  Blue started running again, following the goblins in front of him. They were jogging through a forest when he had to stop suddenly. The goblins who had made the course had woven vines between the trees ahead. A mass of goblins were crawling through, trying to find big enough openings.