The polite response stunned the fairies.
“Did he just say ‘thank you’?” Dash whispered.
“I did,” Carobee said. “Thank you for that chocolate. The candy was very good.”
The fairies all shared a surprised look. Now they were even more confused. A polite dragon? Now, why would a polite dragon be melting candy throughout Sugar Valley?
“Is your name Carobee?” Cocoa bravely asked.
Carobee nodded his large head. “How did you know?” he said.
“Raina practically memorized the Fairy Code Book,” Dash blurted out, pointing to the Gummy Fairy. “And she carries the book every-where.”
“Dash!” Raina exclaimed, very embarrassed. “I don’t think that Carobee wants to hear all about that.”
Sitting up, Carobee nodded again. “I do,” he said. “You mean I’m in your book? What does the book say about me?”
Raina blushed. “Not much, unfortunately,” she said.
Carobee swung his tail around to make room for the fairies. “How did you find me here?” he asked.
The fairies all shared a look again. This was not the greeting they had expected!
“Well,” Berry said, “we followed the melted candy trail.”
“There have been lots of reports of melted sugar around Sugar Valley,” Raina added. “And the trail from Sprinkle Sands Beach led us here to the Candy Cliffs.”
“We thought goblins were haunting Sugar Valley,” Dash explained.
“Goblins?” Carobee said. He hung his head. “Oh, fierce fires,” he said, sighing. “I didn’t mean to make such a mess.”
“It would be hard to miss the gooey mess,” Dash said. Then her hand flew up to her mouth. Sometimes her minty nature caused her to say things without thinking first! The dragon had the saddest look in his eyes. Dash felt terrible for her comment.
Melli flew closer to the gentle dragon. “Are you looking for something?”
There was a long pause. The fairies weren’t sure what Carobee would say. Finally the dragon lifted his head.
“I’m lost,” he said. “I am from the Meringue Mountains, and I can’t seem to find my cave. This is the closest place I’ve found, but it’s still not home. And I can’t seem to make my candy here. I didn’t mean to melt the candy in your Sugar Valley.”
The fairies suddenly understood. There were no mean, scary goblins. Here was a scared, lost creature . . . and they all wanted to help.
CHAPTER
13
Sweet Help
The fairies settled in closer to the friendly, sweet dragon.
“I wasn’t sure where I was the other day,” he explained. “The candy looked very different from home. There were no mounds of sugar on the shore.”
Raina tapped her finger to her chin. This was all making sense to her. Carobee had landed on the shores of Gummy Forest and Black Licorice Swamp by mistake. Those places had different candy crops than the dragon’s homeland. The shores of Meringue Island were known for mounds of soft white sugar along the shore. The fairies there whipped the sugar to make meringue with special wands. If Raina’s hunch was right, plain sugar was what Carobee was searching for to make his candy.
“But Meringue Island is right over there,” Dash said. She stood up and pointed out to the Vanilla Sea. When she did, she realized that there was still a heavy haze on the horizon and she couldn’t see the island. “Well, it was there,” she said, confused.
“We could barely see Meringue Island when we were in the sailboat,” Berry added.
“This is the first time I’ve been away from home,” Carobee said. He flopped his head down on his front legs. “And now I can’t find my way back. Even Nillie tried to help me, but she couldn’t.”
Melli’s wings froze. “Did you just say ‘Nillie’?” she gasped.
“Yes,” Carobee replied. “She tried to help, but she couldn’t see through the fog either.”
“We can help you,” Cocoa said, full of confidence.
“Wait,” Melli said, holding up her hand. “Did everyone hear Carobee mention Nillie?”
Carobee lifted his head. “Do you know Nillie?” he asked.
“Oh, no,” Dash said, shaking her head. “And we don’t want to meet her anytime soon.”
Berry jumped up. “You shouldn’t say that,” she snapped. “Nillie tried to help Carobee, so she can’t be all that sour.”
“She’s not sour at all,” Carobee said. “She’s a sweetheart.”
“For real?” Melli asked, her brown eyes wide.
“Yes,” Raina said. “You see? You can’t believe all those tall tales you hear from the fairies.” She turned to Carobee. “We have a map and a compass, and we can get you safely home.”
The dragon flapped his tail to the side. “I wouldn’t be able to fit on a fairy boat,” he said. “It’s no use.”
The fairies all looked to Raina. She smiled. “We could ride on your back, Carobee. With us helping you, you’ll be home in a peppermint flash.”
Dash clapped her hands. “What a great idea!” she exclaimed. “How fast can you fly?” Once again Dash saw the looks on her friends’ faces. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “I just have never flown on a dragon’s back before.”
Carobee put his head back down on the ground. “Well, unless I can find something to eat, I won’t be doing any flying. I don’t have enough energy to fly anymore.”
“Oh, that’s sour,” Berry said. “Maybe there’s something we can do.” She looked over at the princess’s candy basket. The basket seemed a little too small to hold anything large enough to fill a dragon’s stomach.
“What kind of candy do you make?” Dash asked. “We’re all Candy Fairies, you know.”
“Carobee needs plain sugar,” Raina said.
“Yes,” Carobee said. “This rock candy doesn’t work. And no place that I’ve been to has the same sugar as home.”
The fairy friends all shared a worried look. They knew what it felt like to be far from home and not have all the usual comforts. At least they had brought candy with them and had their own magic to create more.
“On Meringue Island there are mounds of sugar along the shoreline for dragons to blow on and whip up cotton candy,” Raina explained to her friends.
“We don’t have scary, mischievous goblins,” Melli said. “We have a lost, hungry dragon.”
Dash grinned. “We can help you with the hungry part,” she told Carobee. “I’m hungry all the time.”
“Sure as sugar,” Melli added.
All the fairies nodded enthusiastically.
Raina stood up and walked in front of Carobee. “I have a plan,” she said happily. “A sugar-tastic cure for this gooey problem!”
For the first time Carobee’s eyes were filled with hope. “Really?” he asked.
“Pure sugar,” Raina told him. “I think we might have some plain sugar in the basket.”
Melli searched the basket and pulled out a small sack of royal white sugar. She grinned as she held up the bag. Princess Lolli had given them a little extra—just in case. “I bet if we all concentrate, we can make more for Carobee,” she said.
“Let’s try,” Berry said.
Raina dumped the sugar on the ground in front of Carobee. The fairies all held hands and closed their eyes. Each of them fluttered her wings and thought sweet thoughts. In seconds there was a large mound of sugar!
“Sweet sands!” Carobee exclaimed. “How did you do that?”
“A little sweetness,” Raina said, “always helps.” She smiled at her friends.
Carobee stood up. He stretched his wide lavender wings. “You’ll need to stay back,” he said.
The fairies flew back up to the rock above the cave. Then Carobee blew a stream of hot air, whipping the sugar into a circle. As the hot air moved the sugar around, the sugar started to look more like cotton candy, not plain sugar.
“You did it!” the fairies cried.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do this witho
ut all of you,” he said. “I never meant to melt your candy. My fire is supposed to be used to create candy, not melt candy.” His long tongue reached out for a gulp of cotton candy. “This is the best cotton candy I’ve ever had.” He licked his lips.
“Can I try some?” Dash asked.
“Yes, please,” Carobee said. “Take some! With each bite I taste slightly different flavors. There’s a hint of rainbow, fruit, and caramel.” He took another bite. “Even some chocolate and mint!”
The fairies all grinned as they feasted on the cotton candy with their new friend. Only Raina looked a little concerned. She hoped they would be able to find Meringue Island in the dense fog.
CHAPTER
14
Secret of the Sea
Berry saw Raina staring at the map and flew up behind her. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m trying to chart out a path for us,” she said. “I want to make sure Carobee gets home. He seems really homesick.”
Over her shoulder Berry saw Carobee and Dash eating cotton candy. “He looks happier now,” she commented. “I think he was just lonely.”
“At least we all have one another,” Raina said. “I’m glad we all came on this journey together.”
“Sure as sugar!” Berry said. She put her arm around Raina. “Don’t worry, we’ll be able to guide him home.”
“But we do have to fly over the Vanilla Sea,” Raina said. “Even for a dragon Carobee’s size that can be pretty sticky.”
“We’ll be all right,” Berry assured her. “We’ve done a pretty sweet job so far.”
“You can say that again!” Dash exclaimed. Her lips were stained with a rainbow of cotton candy. She flew closer to her friends. “Carobee’s candy is the best!”
Melli stroked Carobee’s long snout. “Are you ready to go home?” she asked.
“Only if you promise to come visit me,” the dragon replied. “You are the sweetest friends I’ve ever had.”
The fairies all smiled.
“Come on,” Raina said, rolling up the map. “Let’s get going. The winds don’t seem so bad right now.”
The fairies flew up to Carobee’s back and grabbed hold of him.
“Wait!” Berry cried. “We have the black licorice rope that Mogu gave us in the royal candy basket. We can use that as rope to help steer Carobee.”
“And to hold on,” Raina added. She looked down. Carobee was very big when he stood up, and she was far from the ground.
“So mint!” Dash exclaimed. “We are going to soar over the sea!” She sat up straight and grabbed the licorice rope that Berry tossed her.
After Berry had tied the rope around Carobee, she checked to see if the dragon was feeling all right. “If we want you to go left, we’ll tug gently that way.” She motioned for Dash to pull the rope. “And if we want to go right, we’ll pull the other way.”
Carobee nodded. “Good plan,” he said. “Everyone holding on?”
“We’re ready,” Melli said, though she didn’t say how nervous she was about flying over the Vanilla Sea.
The dragon gave a roar and took a running leap. The five fairies all gasped as Carobee sailed off the cliff. His wide lavender wings spread out, and he soared out into the sky above the Vanilla Sea. Dash held the licorice reins in her hands and followed the route that Raina had charted. Even though she couldn’t see very clearly through the fog, she knew Raina’s map charting and Berry’s compass would keep them on course.
“Wow,” Berry said, looking around. “This is higher than I’ve ever flown.”
“This is sugar-tacular,” Raina added. “Everything looks so small from up here.”
Suddenly Carobee took a nosedive. He was speeding straight down to the sea!
Melli held on tightly to the slippery licorice rope. “Hot caramel!” she cried. “What is going on?”
Carobee turned his head. “I see Nillie down there,” he said. “I want you all to meet her.”
“Meet Nillie?” Mellie gasped. “Are you nuts?”
Raina shot Melli a look. “If she is a friend of Carobee’s, then she’s bound to be a friend of ours.”
Swooping down, Carobee landed smoothly on the sea’s surface. The water was a little choppy so the fairies held on tightly.
“There she is!” Carobee shouted as he came to a stop.
The fairies all looked into the water.
Melli’s mouth flew open.
Dash just pointed.
And Cocoa, Berry, and Raina were also speechless.
“She’s no sea serpent!” Melli finally managed to say.
Carobee laughed. “Is that why you were all afraid?” he asked. “You thought those fairy tales about Nillie were true?”
The five fairies all nodded . . . shamefully. In the water next to Carobee was a beautiful pink sea horse. She had a rainbow mane and long dark eyelashes surrounding her big sea-blue eyes.
“Hello,” Nillie said.
“I’d like you to meet my friends,” Carobee said to Nillie. “They are helping me find my home.”
The lovely sea horse bowed her head. “A sweet pleasure,” she said.
The fairies were all too shocked to say a word. A long moment passed before Raina spoke up. “I’m sorry,” she said. “We’re just so surprised to see you . . . um, I mean meet you.”
Nillie titled her head back and laughed. Her laughter was like a gentle wind. “I’m sure this is surprising to you,” she said. “I’ve long been a secret of the sea. Ever since I started to rule the Vanilla Sea, I have found that creatures leave us alone here if fairy tales of a sea serpent are told. This keeps the turtles and other sea life safe.”
The fairies were still silent. They were so taken with Nillie’s beauty and gentle voice.
“I saw how you looked after the turtles,” she said. “Thank you for your kindness.”
“They were very sweet,” Melli said softly. “It was our pleasure.”
“I am sorry that you had a rocky start to your journey,” Nillie said. “But I wasn’t sure of you or what your plans were in the sea. There have been some greedy, salty trolls in the past. And sometimes even fairies seeking new candy.” She looked over at Carobee. “But I see now that you were here to help.”
“We’re glad we got the real story,” Raina told her. “There were many fairies in Sugar Valley who thought there was a goblin haunting Sugar Cove and the crops at home.” She patted Carobee. “But now we understand that Carobee didn’t mean any harm. He didn’t mean to melt any candy crops. He was just lost and scared.”
“Sure as sugar, he’s no goblin!” Dash blurted out.
Nillie laughed. “No, Carobee is the sweetest,” she said. Then her expression grew serious. “But now that you’ve learned my true identity, you must promise not to tell anyone.”
The fairies all exchanged a look.
“Except please do tell Princess Lolli that I send my sweetest regards,” the sea horse added with a smile. “I have long admired her.”
“You and Princess Lolli know each other?” Melli asked.
“Of course,” Berry said. “Princess Lolli knows everyone.”
“And she is a true, pure friend,” Nillie added. “Now I will send Sprinkle and Bean to fetch your sailboat. They will deliver the boat safely to the shores of Meringue Island and then guide you home. They know the sea better than anyone.”
Sprinkle and Bean poked their heads through the water’s surface. The two small sea horses were just as beautiful as Nillie.
“These are my twin babies,” Nillie said. “You can trust them.”
“Thank you,” Raina said.
“Your secret is safe with us,” Melli told her.
“Sure as sugar,” Cocoa added.
Nillie smiled, nodded to Carobee, and dove back into the water. The five fairies all grinned at one another.
“Let’s get Carobee home!” Dash said, taking the licorice reins in her hands.
“Sounds good to me!” Carobee said. He flapped his
wide wings and set off toward Meringue Island.
CHAPTER
15
Home Sweet Home
Carobee’s large wings spread open as the dragon flew through the fog. With the fairies guiding him with a compass, he was sure to find Meringue Island.
“Stay to the left,” Raina advised. She kept checking the compass. “Good thing the N arrow is a bright lime green,” she whispered to Berry.
“We wouldn’t have been able to see it if the compass wasn’t so bright!”
“This is so mint!” Dash exclaimed. She was loving the speed of this flight.
“Too bad you can’t see,” Carobee said. “The view is beautiful when there isn’t so much fog.”
“All I see is fog.” Berry sighed. “I hope we can see a little of Meringue Island!”
“I see the beach!” Carobee shouted. He soared over the waves and right up onto the beach. His passengers all flew off and stood on the mounds of sugar.
Berry gasped. “Wow. This is unbelievable.” She turned around and saw mounds of fine white sugar everywhere. With the clear blue Vanilla Sea lapping at the shore, it was one of the sweetest sights she had ever seen.
“Thank you,” Carobee said. “I never would have gotten back home without you—and your compass.”
Suddenly the fairies felt sad. They didn’t want to say good-bye to their new friend. Each one flew up to Carobee’s head and gave him a hug.
“Promise that one day you will come back and see me?” Carobee asked. “I would love to show you all the parts of the island.” He turned to Berry. “And I could take you to the best clothes stores!”
Berry laughed. “You’ve got a deal,” she said, grinning. “I’m glad we got you back home. Now you can make cotton candy again.”
“And we don’t have goblins in Sugar Valley!” Melli said, laughing.
Just then Sprinkle and Bean surfaced near the shore with the sailboat in tow.
“I think that is our ride,” Raina said. “Goodbye, Carobee. I hope to see you again soon.”
“Yes,” Carobee said. He turned his head, and a blast of hot air came out of his large mouth. When he faced the fairies again, he was holding a rainbow bouquet of cotton candy. “In each of your favorite flavors,” he said. “Chocolate, fruit, rainbow, mint, and caramel.”
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