by Jaclyn Weist
I opened my eyes and smiled. “Okay, I think that does it.”
“That was awesome. I could see the shields coming down around us.” Jared’s eyes danced.
“Probably because of your ring.” I sat down at the little table where I usually had breakfast. “Shoot. I forgot paper.”
“No problem.” Jared pointed at the desk, and a scroll and pen appeared. “I might have been practicing last night.”
I stared at him. “What happened to not using magic so you could save it up?”
He laughed. “What happened to letting me go first into the castle, not climbing the Blarney Castle walls, and so on? I finally understand why you had to do all those things. The magic—or luck—kinda screams at you to use it. And don’t worry—I was careful. I just wanted to know that I could use it if it came down to it.”
It was hard to argue with that logic. I’d done plenty of things I shouldn’t have with my luck. “Fine. Okay, so let’s name some of the people who might do well. I was thinking Ethan or Eoin.”
Jared nodded. “Both of those would be good. Ethan helped with getting rid of Oona, and Eoin has helped us more than anyone else. Except Louie, but I’m putting my foot down with him.”
“Fair enough, although I think Ethan was actually worse than him. That Galan guy has been helped out a lot. What about him?” I wrote their names on the paper.
“I like him. He helped Adam with situating everyone around the castle for the battle.”
I looked up in surprise. “Really? I didn’t know that.”
“You were busy. Apparently, this guy was a general in the Black Forest once upon a time. He was only here to visit family and got stuck.”
“Wow. Okay, so he’s a possibility.” I added him to the list. “What about actual fairies? Like August and April?”
Jared stared at the paper. “They were annoying at times, but they did a lot to help us. I think they’d be great. Although, April’s a little unconventional, and August is a little overbearing.”
“Which means they’d balance each other out, right?” I wrote them down as well. “I just realized they’re the first couple we’ve written down. Of course, the only other couple I know is Louie and Patrika, and you already said that won’t work.”
“We can write them down, but I don’t think anyone will go for it.”
My grip on the pen tightened. It still bugged me that no one here liked the leprechauns. “I know. But they still deserve a shot as well.”
Jared turned the paper around so he could look at what we had so far. “Okay, we have elves, dwarves, fairies, and leprechauns. And a reformed dark man. We have no dwarves. There’s that naiad who guards the portal. Of course, if she was queen, we’d have to find another guard …”
I went through the creatures I’d met since I got here. “Donella? She might be good. I’d suggest Colin and Alleya, but they’re only fourteen, and he already turned down being king in Atlantis.”
“Really? Why?”
I shrugged. “He never said. Anyway, that would put another human in charge—well, half-human, so I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
Jared shook his head. “I’m thinking we’ll keep him off. There’s Cam, though. He won every event he was in.”
“Oh, right. He’ll work.” I added his name and avoided Jared’s gaze because I knew I was blushing. Darn Atlantian good looks. “What about dwarves?”
“From what I understand, they already left. They were embarrassed by their actions, and decided to withdraw. That makes it easier on us. Except I feel bad not having at least one on the list.”
I frowned. “How did I miss that? I’d say we should add someone, but I didn’t get to know them at all. Let’s go with what we have. It’s going to be hard enough as it is. Oh, Puck. I need to add him.”
Jared looked down through the list again. “I would think April and August are the most qualified, but mostly because they’re fairies. But they do lead well.”
“I know. Ugh, this is hard. Why couldn’t Oona and Jakob have a kid? Then we could just pass it on to him or her.” I stood and stretched. We’d been here for what felt like hours, but we were no closer than before.
“Actually, I think we have a pretty good list. Let’s go take care of O’Malley and watch these people. Then you can make your decision.” He rolled up the scroll and handed it to me.
I shoved the scroll into my boot. “I like that idea. Let’s go . . . Hi.”
Jared stood right in front of me and took me in his arms. “Everyone is locked out. It’s just you and me.”
My breath caught in my throat. He was right, and it was tempting, and I . . . I couldn’t think. I turned off my mind and allowed myself to enjoy his kisses. Until I felt a pounding somewhere in the recesses of my brain. I pushed the feeling away, but it became more insistent.
I groaned and gently nudged Jared away. It took everything I had to turn from him and stumble to the door. I couldn’t figure out why the door wouldn’t open until I remembered the spells I’d put on them. Spells that would take away luck. Suddenly, I was fully aware of my surroundings. I wiped away the spells and pulled the door open to find Beth and Adam leaning against the wall, looking exhausted. I felt bad taking their luck, but we’d needed the privacy. They stood, looking a little dazed.
“Took you long enough. Hey . . .” Beth looked between the two of us, and her eyes grew wide. “Oh boy. Sorry for interrupting.”
“I’m not.” Adam pushed his way between me and Jared and slapped a book onto the table. “We found the ring, but that’s not all.”
I glanced over at Jared and noticed how messy his hair was. Which meant mine was a mess too. My face burned as I hurried over to the table. “What else was there?”
Adam flipped through the book and pointed at a picture. “That.”
Merlin stood there holding a staff in one hand and what looked like a small wand in the other. The ring was on the hand holding his staff, and even in the black-and-white photo, the stones gleamed.
“So what exactly did you want us to see? We already knew it was Merlin’s.”
Beth pointed to the wand. “That. When Merlin hid the ring here, he also did something with the wand. No one knows where it went.”
Something about the wand seemed familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I’d seen it before. “So, what does this mean?”
“Well, think about it. If he put his magic into the ring, the wand could possibly have the same amount of power. We figure if you can get ahold of both of them, you might be able to pass it on to the new queen without having to die. We hope.”
Jared took the book and scanned the pages. “Looks like it could be anywhere. Merlin was in England, Wales, Scotland . . . I doubt it’s here, though. He would have kept them separate.”
“Scotland!” I jumped and grabbed the book from him. “I know where this is.”
I ran over to the side of my bed and grabbed my bag from the floor. There had to be a pamphlet . . . I dumped everything out, showering the bed with pamphlets, postcards, and useless electronics. Holyrood, places in Amsterdam, and France. I threw them down in frustration. Mom must have had the pamphlets from the castles.
“What are you looking for?” Beth sorted through the stuff and picked up a pamphlet from France.
“We went to two different castles in Scotland. Holyrood—” I picked up the pamphlet. “And Edinburgh Castle. They have the crown jewels in the tower there—right where they found them after they were lost for over a hundred years. Except that along with the jewels they also found a wand. No one knows where that wand came from.”
Wait—I’d taken pictures, and then found out afterward that I wasn’t supposed to. I grabbed my phone and sent electricity through it, hoping I didn’t fry it. A wisp of smoke trailed from the side, but it powered on. The minute or two that it took to load felt like an eternity, but I was finally able to get into my photos.
“There.” I went back over to the table and set the phone next to the p
icture in the book. “What do you think?”
Beth, Jared, and Adam crowded around the pictures. Their gasps were enough to tell me I was right. We’d just solved the mystery of a wand that had appeared out of nowhere two centuries before.
MEGAN
We decided to wait until morning to talk to Louie about what we’d found out. We had no idea how we would get to Scotland, considering that we were trapped. But I figured if the fish could do it, so could we.
I tossed and turned all night, knowing I was missing something that was right in front of me. But the fact remained that it did no good to leave until we took care of O’Malley and found the new heir for my crown. Eoin kept coming to mind, but he needed a queen. I wanted something to help bring the leprechauns into a better light, and that was the best way I knew how.
When morning came, I rolled out of bed and stumbled to my bathroom to shower. I wanted to go to the library on my own and do some research. The book Adam and Beth had found only had a little information about Merlin, and I was dying to know more.
Beth snored as I tiptoed past her and out the door. Servants went about their business cleaning the castle, but none of my friends seemed to be awake yet. It took a few tries, but I finally found the library. I was expecting something huge, where it would be hard to find things, but it contained only a few books. It was mostly scrolls that lined the walls, and the majority of them were yellowed with age. Searching would be easier than I thought.
That was until I tried to read them. Most of it was in Latin, and that wasn’t a language taught in my school. Pictures would have to do. I searched through book after book, trying to find something that Beth and Adam had missed. I found the same picture of Merlin a few more times, and it was confirmed that he’d been to this castle once or twice in his lifetime, but there was nothing about a connection with Edinburgh Castle. I knew the wands were the same. I just needed to know if it was worth going after it. The ring had power, but would the wand? Maybe. And even if it did, I had no idea how to make the two work together to help me survive.
I slammed the book shut. Nothing. There just wasn’t enough known about him. I needed someone who was old enough to know him, but it had been centuries since Merlin had disappeared. That much was confirmed over and over again.
There was the naiad lady, but I didn’t know her well enough to go to her. I had no idea how old Louie was, but considering how fast Eoin had aged, Louie probably wasn’t all that old either. Same with April and her friends. Although, she was a fairy, so she might know the lore. And she’d been able to pick out the imp when we saw it in the book at the library.
“Hey, April? Are you around here?”
April appeared, rubbing her eyes. Her hair was up in curlers, and she wore a nightgown. “Yeah?”
“Oh, sorry. I forgot it was still early. I have a few questions for you.” I smiled as she yawned big enough that it knocked her over.
“One sec.” She disappeared and came back. This time, she was dressed in her usual T-shirt and jeans. Her curlers were gone, leaving wild ringlets flying out in every direction. “Okay, what did you need?”
I opened the book back up to the picture of Merlin. “Do you know anything about him?”
She flew over and landed on the book. “Of course. That’s Myrddin. He used to come here all the time.”
“Myrddin? Don’t you mean Merlin?” I pointed out his name in the book.
She waved her hand dismissively. “That’s what humans call him.”
“And you know him? That’s so cool.” I turned to the picture with his wand and ring. “Have you ever seen either of these?”
April knelt down on the book. “Isn’t that Jared’s ring?”
I put my fingers to my lips and nodded. “No one can know that, but yes, Jared’s wearing it. We found it in a cave here. But have you seen the wand?”
She looked up at me and cocked her head to the side. “Why are you suddenly so curious about him? You’ve never mentioned him before.”
“Adam thinks that these two relics might have enough magic together to help me pass on my crown without me having to die.”
Her eyes filled with tears as she looked away. “I’d hoped … never mind.”
“April, you know I can’t stay here. Maddie and William need me. But that doesn’t mean I won’t come back and visit.” As much as I hated being trapped here, I’d grown to love the people—at least the ones who weren’t trying to kill me—and I knew I’d be back. As long as I was alive.
April looked up at me with bright eyes. “Really? You promise?”
“Of course. And besides, you came to see me all the time, remember? So that won’t be any different.” She came even when I didn’t need a guard, so I figured she wouldn’t stay away.
She finally smiled as she wiped her tears. “It just won’t be the same, though.”
I laughed. “April, have you ever known me to stay out of trouble? I’m sure there will be plenty for you to do. Now, I need you to think. Have you seen this wand before?”
She shook her head. “No. He didn’t start coming here until after he’d faked his death in the human world. This was the first time I’d even seen that ring.”
“He faked his death? Does that mean he’s still alive?” My heart pounded. Merlin was a legend.
“Who knows? He hasn’t been here for a century or more.” She pulled out her fingernail polish.
Whoa. So that meant … “Are you trying to tell me you’re over a century old?”
“Well, yeah. Most of us are. There are younger fairies, but they stay hidden away until they’re old enough to wield their magic safely.”
“Where are they?”
She lifted an eyebrow. “They wouldn’t be hidden if I told you, would they? I’m sorry, but since you’re not actually a fairy, I can’t tell you. If a human sees them before they’re of age, they will turn to stone. Unless they’re the next queen. Those fairies are stronger than the rest.”
“Wait—what? So there’s a fairy who’s supposed to be the next queen? Why didn’t you just tell me that in the first place? I’ve been stressing out for weeks for nothing?” I wanted to pull my hair out in frustration.
“Oh, no. You totally had to stress out. There hasn’t been a new queen born for a long time. That’s why Oona was queen for forever. No one came to take her place, so she got all old and crotchety.”
The hope I’d felt died just as fast as it had come. I dropped my head onto my arms. “Ugh, this is never going to end. Can I just make you fairy queen and be done with it?”
April laughed hysterically. When I looked up, she was rolling on the book, tears pouring down her face. It continued long enough that I picked up another book and looked through it.
“It wasn’t that funny,” I muttered. I really thought she would make a good queen, and she had actually been my first pick after Eoin.
“Yes, it was. I can’t be queen. I was made your guard as punishment for messing up so many times in training. Besides, you either need to pick from one of the factions that have come, or wait until the next fairy queen is born.”
“So, Eoin’s out too? And Ethan?” I mentally checked them off my list. That didn’t leave many.
“A leprechaun? I don’t think so. No one would go for that. Ever.” The look of disgust on her face was almost comical.
I would have laughed, but I was too upset. “Never mind. I’ll go find answers elsewhere.”
“No, wait. I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just that they’re part of the reason no queen has been born for so long. Something happened, and leprechauns were born instead of royalty. And they’ve been a curse ever since.”
“Right. I need to go find the others.” I left the room and nearly ran into Louie. “Oh, hey. I was just going to find you. What’s wrong?”
Louie glanced between me and April before speaking. “O’Malley has struck again. The fairy beds are gone.”
I had to grab April out of the air as she fell to the floor. Her
sobs echoed through the hallways as servants ran for the back of the castle.
“Fairy beds?”
Louie glared. “April just told you about them. It’s where the young fairies were being kept. And they’re now gone.”
I sank to the floor in shock. The loss of so many young fairies was a huge blow to the kingdom, and it was all my fault.
“No. You will not sit here while others mourn. It is time for you to act quickly. You cannot allow him to terrorize this kingdom any longer.”
I looked up at Louie, tears running down my cheeks. “He keeps disappearing on us. How are we supposed to stop him? Grab on to him and go wherever he does?”
“Hit him where it hurts the worst. And I suggest you do it soon.” He snapped his fingers and disappeared.
I held April up to my mouth and whispered softly. “I need you to be strong. Go help the other fairies. I need to stop this.”
She nodded and picked herself up. “Do it. And make him pay.”
As April flew away, I stormed toward my room, this time not caring to control my anger. Jared, Beth, and Adam were at the table discussing plans when I walked in. They jumped up, eyes wide.
“Whoa, Megan. We know it’s bad, but you’re kinda destroying the tile.” Beth pointed down at the floor.
“I don’t care. Adam, get the army ready. I plan to have everything ready in twenty minutes. Or less.” I grabbed my sword and left, heading for the front of the castle.
“Megan, wait,” Beth called from behind me. “Hey, stop. You can’t just jump into something like this. He just proved he’s willing to do anything.”
“I know. And I count on it.” I turned to her and waited for Jared to catch up. “Once I make my move, he’s going to be here and ready to fight. Trust me. No matter what I do, just trust me. If I die, I want Eoin to take over. He’s the youngest here.”
