by Perdita Finn
“You have the brain of a snow worm,” muttered Jackie.
What she didn’t know was that Crystal and her friends were hard at work with Baba Yaga to save the Snow King and remove the shard of mirror from his eye. They were in the witch’s office surrounded by jars containing everything from webbed wings to crawling spiders.
Briar was concerned. “So there’s no magical eyewash to remove the evil glass from the Snow King’s eye?”
Baba Yaga considered the idea. “Intriguing. Come to think of it, there might be a countercurse in the ancient scroll of Deep Magic. But the last known copy was in the Library of Elders.”
“Wasn’t that, like, totally destroyed a thousand years ago by the giants of Beanstalk High after we beat them at bookball?” Ashlynn remembered.
“Well, yes,” said Crystal thoughtfully. “But anything that has been decimated can be re-created. At least temporarily. Right, Farrah? Can you do one more glamour spell? Pretty please? It’s a big one.”
“I like a challenge!” Farrah said. “Let’s conjure up some answers. To the library! Or the place where it was!”
Baba Yaga poured a dark brown liquid from her cauldron into a row of mugs. “Cocoa, anyone?”
Briar glanced at the jars of spiders behind her. “Sorry, Madam Baba Yaga. Gotta go!”
They had no time to lose if they were going to save the Snow King!
CHAPTER 16
The Ice Beast
Rosabella was worried about Daring. She went up to his dorm room and knocked on his door. “Daring, I really need to see you,” she called.
“Rosabella?” he answered, his voice strangely gruff. “There’s nothing new or unusual going on with me. Hahaha!” He didn’t invite her in.
“Open the door,” she told him. But he didn’t. She pushed against the door, but something was holding it shut—a large, white paw. Rosabella pushed harder, and all of a sudden the door flew open. Daring was on his bed, under the covers, his face buried in a book.
“What are you doing?” Rosabella asked suspiciously.
“Catching up on homework,” mumbled Daring. “Oops, my quill fell under the bed.” He rolled between the mattress and the wall and disappeared under his bed. When he reappeared, he was wrapped even tighter in his comforter.
“Brrr,” he said. “Still so cold.”
“Drop the comforter, Daring,” Rosabella ordered. “I can see the fur on your toes.”
“Those are just my new fuzzy slippers,” he protested.
“Let me see you.” She yanked off the comforter and gasped. Daring was completely transformed into an ice beast.
“Don’t look at me,” he begged. “I’m hideous.”
Rosabella shrugged. “No. You’re still you.”
“I don’t know who I am anymore,” he said, sobbing. “Without my looks, I’m nothing. Nothing.”
“It’s not the end of the world,” said Rosabella gently. “I know you want to be a prince, but maybe you’re a beast.”
“No one wants to be a beast!” Daring cried.
“Um, my dad is a beast,” Rosabella reminded him.
Daring’s cries turned into coughs, and his coughing turned into choking—and a large, white fuzz ball emerged from his mouth. Daring stared at it.
“It’s a hair ball,” explained Rosabella.
Daring was horrified. “Prince Charming does. Not. Get. Hair balls!”
“You put all your focus on the outside,” said Rosabella, “instead of what’s on the inside. Maybe all this fur has something to do with your destiny.”
“It’s okay.” Daring sighed, trying to pull himself together. “I’m still handsome, just in a furry kind of way.” He opened the door of his room bravely. “I have nothing to hide.”
“You sure you want to do that?” Rosabella asked as Daring headed down the hallway. She trailed after him nervously.
“What’s new, girls?” said Daring the Beast, strutting up to a crew of students standing around their ice-covered lockers.
They gasped. They screamed. They tittered.
“It’s me—Daring,” he said. “I’ve still got it, right?”
Madeline Hatter shook her head. “That’s a face only a mama bandersnatch could love.”
“Daring, what happened to you?” Apple exclaimed a she came down the hall. “You’re a beast!”
Daring was crushed. “No,” he protested. “It’s a phase.”
No one knew what to say.
“You think I’m a joke, don’t you?” he said, upset. “Don’t judge me!” He scurried down the hallway, bawling huge ice-beast tears that froze in midair. The Snow King’s curse was causing trouble for everyone.
CHAPTER 17
Left Out in the Cold
Faybelle Thorne was scrubbing another tower. She was covered in ice. She was grumbling. She didn’t see the three mob fairies coming until they were up close.
“We were sent by the Fairy Mobfather,” the biggest one said out of the corner of his mouth. “Maybe you need a little… ‘sumpin sumpin’… ya know?”
“Yes!” exclaimed Faybelle. What a relief! “You got my message. Fableous. Do you do castle restoration?”
“You betcha,” another of the mobsters said, chuckling. “No mess too big!”
“Then get cracking!” said Faybelle. “I’ve been working my wings off all day.”
The head mobster took a look at the grime-covered castle. “Sure ya have, doll.”
“Just so we have an understanding,” added the third mobster. “We provide valuable services, right? We solve your problem, you owe us.”
Faybelle nodded. She just wanted to get inside and get warm! “Deal! What-ever-after. I need a breather.”
Faybelle wasn’t even inside before the mob fairies were done. The castle gleamed in the snow. There wasn’t a speck of dirt anywhere. It was glorious. Faybelle was stunned.
“Okay, kid,” said the head mobster. “Take a look.”
“You’re done?” Faybelle couldn’t believe it.
“Yeah, yeah,” apologized the third mobster. “Sorry about the wait.”
“Fairy, fairy impressive,” enthused Faybelle.
“Thanks, doll.” The mobster grinned and handed her a slip of paper. “Here’s your bill.”
Faybelle read it. She read it again. It couldn’t be true! “Two hundred years of service! That’s an ever after long time!”
The mob fairy shrugged. “We give you our time, you give us yours. That was our agreement. You nodded.” He looked to his fellow mobsters. “She nodded, right?”
“Did I?” Faybelle gulped. “So what kind of service would I be doing for the next two hundred years?”
“A little bit of this. A little bit of that. Mostly hard labor.”
“She’s not gonna be a problem, is she?” whispered one of the mobsters to the other.
Faybelle was terrified. “There’s got to be another way!”
But the mobsters didn’t think so.
CHAPTER 18
Library Illusion
Crystal and her friends hurried through windy corridors toward the site of the long-lost library. Maybe there they would find the cure for the curse. They wound their way down a twisting staircase until they came to an enormous door with human-looking arms encircling it.
“The Library of Elders,” announced Briar, awestruck.
Ashlynn tried to turn the door handle. It was locked. She sighed. “We can’t catch a break.”
“I’ve got this,” said Blondie Lockes. “Locks are my thing. It’s even in my name!”
She began picking the lock expertly. In a matter of minutes the doors flung open, revealing nothing beyond them but empty sky—and a dizzying drop to the ground. One step meant certain death.
Farrah rolled up the sparkly sleeves of her gown and got her wand ready. This was a big job, but she could do it. “One conjured library, coming right up!” She pointed her wand at the empty space. Sparkling energy swirled in the sky. “Look beyond the library door,
and what was there before, restore!”
She shut her eyes tight, concentrating on the spell, and the olden room slowly materialized. Row upon dusty row of ancient books. Paneled walls. A marble floor. A ticking grandfather clock. Even the cobwebs.
Briar Beauty had just one concern. “Farrah, I hope your Goodfairy magic can hold our weight.”
“Spelltacular!” Crystal said. But she was worried. Was Farrah up for this?
“I need to stay here to hold the spell,” said Farrah, her eyes still shut. “You’d better hurry.” Whatever she was doing, it was hard.
The girls knew their time was limited; they had until noon to find the ancient scroll of Deep Magic. If they didn’t get back to Farrah before then, the conjured library would disappear and they would fall to their doom. They stepped onto the marble floor. It felt solid beneath their feet—for now.
“Over here,” called Blondie, who was already exploring the narrow aisles of books.
The girls sped over to her. She was standing at a dead end, but she’d discovered a locked secret passage. There had to be a switch of some kind to open it, and the girls began a mad hunt to find it. They tugged on the nose of a nearby statue. They pulled different books off the shelves. Blondie found the switch hidden beneath the globe—and the vault opened.
It was filled with dusty scrolls. Which one was Deep Magic? They didn’t have time to check them all.
“The Lazy Mud Prince,” read Briar. “Glad he doesn’t go to Ever After High.”
Ashlynn picked up a scroll. “The Slippery Slippers. I don’t think I’d want a pair of those.”
Crystal stopped in her tracks. Across the vault, a scroll was unrolling all by itself—as if it had heard the girls talking about what they were looking for. “That must be the scroll of Deep Magic!”
The girls gathered around it. Blondie filmed it with her MirrorPhone.
“This explains how the Evil Queen’s mirror was made,” said Briar. “Magic mirror glass is forged by goblins out of molten-hot evil pixie dust.”
“Exposure to particles of magic mirror glass,” Ashlynn continued, “can cause Kindness Blindness. That sounds like what has happened to your parents.”
“But does it talk about a cure?” asked Crystal, looking over the scroll herself.
As if in answer to her words, four roses magically appeared on the parchment.
“Aha!” exclaimed Crystal. “Only the bouquet of the four Royal Roses of the Seasons has the power to undo the Kindness Blindness curse. An aromatherapy cure!”
“Talk about a strong perfume,” said Briar.
“These aren’t just any roses,” Crystal explained. “Each is one of a kind, and there’s one for each season. They’re enchanted.” She studied the scroll again. There was some kind of riddle appearing under the picture of the four roses. “Spring’s Rose stands out, all alone. Summer’s Rose wears a disguise. The Rose of Fall hides in the crowd. The Rose of Winter’s found inside.”
“So we need to make a superpowered bouquet,” Ashlynn decided. “Where are the roses?”
“They’re royal property. Each one is at a different fairytale castle.”
Blondie grinned excitedly. “You know what this means? Road trip!”
“But what castles are they at?” Crystal worried. “Ever After has so many.”
The scroll was showing a series of different images. Blondie tried to capture each one with her camera.
“That’s Beauty and the Beast’s castle,” Blondie realized. “Rosabella’s palace.”
“Look!” pointed Ashlynn. “My castle, too! And, Briar, that’s your place.”
Another castle was shimmering into view as the clock began to chime. It was just seconds from noon! There was no time left.
“Hurry!” Farrah called from far away. “I can’t make this magic much longer.”
Ashlynn peered at the scroll, but the magic was already fading. They hadn’t seen the last castle!
Bong! Bong! Bong! The grandfather clock was tolling down the seconds. In an instant the library would disappear.
“Three out of four ain’t bad,” said Blondie. The vault began to shake. Books were falling all around them. Shelves were disappearing. The floor was breaking apart. “We gotta get outta here. Now!”
The girls raced as fast as they could toward the door. Bong! Bong! Bong!
“We’ve lost track of time,” moaned Farrah. She was trying with all her might to maintain the magic.
“Farrah, stay strong,” begged Blondie when she reached her friend’s side.
“Aaargh! I can’t beat the clock!” the fairy cried.
Ashlynn leaped through thin air toward Farrah. She landed with a thud on the solid floor. The other girls followed in the nick of time—all except Crystal. “Crystal, jump!” Ashlynn urged her friend.
But Crystal was frozen with terror. “My pixies always help me when I’m in trouble.”
“Your pixies aren’t here,” answered Ashlynn.
“Jump!” screamed Blondie.
Crystal shut her eyes and leaped into the air just as the final bit of marble floor vanished beneath her feet. She flew through the air, reached toward her friends—and was just able to grip the edge of the door with her fingers. She was dangling above the terrible drop.
“Hold on!” begged Ashlynn as the girls struggled to pull their friend to safety.
The doors slammed shut. They’d made it.
Crystal was exhilarated. She’d done it! “Farrah, you are amazing! That was close!”
It certainly was! The girls hugged one another, trembling and laughing at the same time.
CHAPTER 19
Curse Curing
Blondie began reporting on the incident as soon as she had caught her breath. “Crashing through magic ruins for a death-defying jump that was just right, Crystal and her rescue team are about to embark on an epic quest to find a top secret magical… thing… and end this wicked winter. Stay tuned and stay toasty!”
Faybelle, watching the MirrorCast, had a sudden inspiration. “Whatever they are after sounds pretty important. I bet it would be worth a lot to the right fairies.”
Meanwhile, Daring the Beast was trying to get in touch with Apple. He was throwing ice cubes at her dorm-room window. But when Apple opened the window, he accidentally bonked her in the head with one of his ice cubes.
“Hey! Do you mind?” she yelled before noticing who was throwing the ice cubes. “Daring?”
He looked up at her. His big, black nose was wet. His white fur was dingy. He’d never looked so sad. “I need a friend.”
Daring climbed up to Apple’s balcony, to Apple’s surprise.
“Thanks, Apple,” he said softly. “I know I must be hard to look at in this furry condition.”
“No, I’m sorry,” Apple said. “For what I said in the hall. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
Daring rubbed his face with his paw. “I’m sure this is just a temporary thing. I’ll be gorgeous again.”
Apple smiled sadly at him. “Or maybe our story is not what you thought it was. When I was in enchanted sleep, it didn’t wake me. There was no magic.”
“I can do better!” Daring promised. “Can I get a re-do?” He puckered up his polar-bear lips.
“You think if I let you kiss me again, you’ll be my prince? I’m not even in peril right now.”
“But I am!” blurted out Daring. “If we’re meant to be together, maybe your kiss can save me.”
Apple petted him softly. “It’s worth a try.”
She closed her eyes and waited. Daring the Beast slobbered her cheek like an overeager puppy. Nothing happened. Poor Daring.
Crystal, Ashlynn, Briar, and Blondie went up to Rosabella’s room to ask her about the Spring Rose and found her sitting with Daring the Beast. He was crying.
“The kiss was that bad?” Rosabella asked Daring.
“I’m a beast! My life is over!” he wailed.
Amazed, Crystal and her friends stared at him.<
br />
“What the hex?” exclaimed Ashlynn.
“What? You’ve never seen a cursed guy before?” Daring sobbed.
“It’s Daring, you guys,” explained Rosabella.
“That’s new news.” Blondie was delighted.
“Well, curses have been going around lately,” realized Crystal.
The girls explained their quest for the four roses to Rosabella, and that they thought the Spring Rose would be at her castle.
“So, Rosabella,” Briar asked, “are your folks okay with uninvited house guests?”
“Sure!” answered Rosabella. “That’s pretty much how they met. I’d love to show you my home. Especially if a rose from there can cure curses. There’s a huge rose garden. In fact, I know exactly where to start.” She looked up at Daring. “Hey, why don’t you come with us?”
He grinned. “You had me at cures curses!” His whiskers twitched happily.
“Just make yourself useful and don’t be a royal pain,” Rosabella said playfully.
He nodded—and his whiskers twitched happily again.
Rosabella blushed. But she had no idea why.
CHAPTER 20
Dashing Through the Snow
The girls were in front of the school, getting ready to leave on their quest. Their bags were packed and loaded onto Daring the Beast’s back.
“I hate making myself useful,” he complained.
From behind some snow sculptures, Faybelle was watching the preparations. She made a quick call to the Fairy Mob. “Okay, mob fairies, I have a proposal,” she said in a hushed voice. “If I can get you something hextremely valuable, will you let me out of my debt?”
“I dunno. Whatcha got?” asked the head mobster.
“We don’t really negotia-menate,” added his buddy.
“How about a magic cure to the most ancient evil curse ever after?” Faybelle told them.
“We’re listening,” said the mobster. “You have three days. Or we double your duty.”
