by Sarah Noffke
“Bravo,” Mae Ling approved, clapping her hands. “Sophia would definitely attract attention in that. Roses last much longer for clothes than other types of flowers, although time restrictions would still apply.” She turned, centering her attention on another girl—this one with a ponytail and a nervous expression. “Now, Nicole, our Cinderella is going to need some help to attend this party. I’ll leave it up to you to figure that out.”
Nicole stepped forward, tapping her finger to her chin as she thought. “First she’ll need transportation.”
Mae Ling nodded. “That’s right.”
Nicole glanced around before pointing at a nearby log. It morphed into a car with a wooden panel on the side.
“Very good,” Mae Ling commented.
Nicole stayed focused as she pointed to one of the mice. It shot up at once, transforming into a short man with a round belly and a mouse-like face. He looked at the car and smiled before turning to face Sophia.
“You ordered an Uber?”
She grinned in reply.
“Lastly, no party is complete without a wingwoman,” Nicole stated, pointing to the squirrel. The animal shifted until it took the form of a young woman with brown hair and a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“Who wants to party?” the lady asked.
No one answered, but the applause from the class confirmed Nicole had done what she was supposed to.
“Good work,” Mae Ling declared. “You will break into groups and practice shifting animals into little helpers. I’ll be back shortly to monitor your progress. For now, it appears my charge requires my assistance.”
Chapter Fourteen
Daylight streamed through the branches and leaves overhead, creating dancing shadows on the ground as the wind swept through the trees.
Sophia ambled beside Mae Ling, enjoying the grounds of Happily Ever After College. Things weren’t overly manicured. The flowers grew tall in the beds around the trees, and woodland creatures hopped around, not at all nervous about the two magicians strolling by.
“So is a fairy godmother’s job mostly as a matchmaker?” Sophia asked, enjoying the fresh breeze on her cheeks.
“For the most part,” Mae Ling answered. “Our jobs are to assist. There’s no better way to do that than with love. However, with Cinderellas like you, I offer a lot more than just help with romance, so it depends. A fairy godmother’s job is diverse and always changing, depending on our charge or the world around us or the future.”
Sophia nodded. “Well, I don’t need any help with romance at the moment.”
Mae Ling gave her a knowing expression. “I realize that. You’re in a good place there, but you have many other areas where you could use help.”
“Yes,” Sophia affirmed. Knowing how things worked with her fairy godmother, she told her about the disappearance of the magicians, Trin Currante, and Ainsley and Hiker. Even if Mae Ling knew her problems, she could only help Sophia if she was asked for help.
The small woman was quiet for a long moment after Sophia had run through everything. The expression she gave her made her worry.
Sophia sighed. “You can’t help me, can you?”
“I can’t help you with everything,” Mae Ling answered finally. “The thing about life is we rarely have all the answers at once. Usually, we get them one at a time. One answer leads to another and then another. That’s why solving our problems is important. It leads to more information.”
“Okay, so do you have anything you can help me with?”
“I can’t tell you how to solve your mystery with the disappearing magicians,” Mae Ling explained, disappointment in her voice.
Sophia nodded, deflating slightly. “I understand. I think I have it too easy having people like you who can offer me insights into my problems.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say there’s anything easy about your predicament. Please remember you have a fairy godmother for help because of the scope of your problems and how far-reaching they tend to be.”
That made Sophia feel marginally better.
“What I can tell you is the only person who can help you find the disappearing magicians is Trin Currante,” Mae Ling continued.
Sophia halted suddenly, not having expected that. “Say what?”
“I realize it must be frustrating to you that I can tell you some answers but not others,” Mae Ling said sympathetically. “You are exposed to others who can ‘see’ things, so I’m sure you realize sometimes we can see some things and not others.”
Sophia nodded, remembering a recent conversation with Liv. Apparently, Father Time could see future events, but not entirely. They changed so frequently that as soon as he saw something, it began to shift, making his vision not entirely accurate. “I get that things aren’t straightforward in this world.”
“You are quite mature for your age,” Mae Ling observed.
“So, I was right to go after Trin Currante, then?” Sophia asked, grateful to have the affirmation.
Mae Ling nodded. “Yes, your instincts are very good on this matter. She isn’t what she seems.”
Sophia watched as two hummingbirds spiraled in the air, playing or fighting she couldn’t really tell. After a long pause, she pulled her attention away. “How do I find Trin Currante?”
“I can’t tell you that, but I can tell you that you have other resources who will know better than me.”
Sophia thought for a moment before the answer occurred to her. “Mortimer,” she guessed.
Mae Ling nodded in reply. “I can help you with the Ainsley situation since heartache is part of my specialty, but I can’t help you yet.”
“I heard heartbreak can’t really be fixed. Is that true?” Sophia inquired.
“Yes and no,” Mae Ling told her. “There is no magic cure for heartbreak, just like there’s no spell that can cause it. Heartbreak is a result of real interactions, failed expectations, and actions that hurt others. To fix it takes the same efforts that caused it. People have to talk, fall back in love and work for it. There are no shortcuts to mending the heart.”
“That makes sense,” Sophia said. “So, I have to help Ainsley and Hiker genuinely deal with their problems?”
“It’s the only way,” Mae Ling agreed. “Although once they are past that point, I will try and have solutions for you to continue to fix things. Mending hearts is just the first part.”
Sophia nodded. She knew what Mae Ling meant. After that huge obstacle, then she’d have to find the cure to actually fix Ainsley and restore her memories. One thing at a time, though, she decided.
Mae Ling turned back to the group of students in the distance turning bunny rabbits into supportive colleagues and thoughtful friends and sighed. “I must get back to my class. I fear they aren’t thinking outside the box.”
Sophia didn’t know what she meant since the students seemed to be turning various animals into different types of people. “I think you’ve done very well with them.”
Mae Ling shook her head. “I’ve taught them what to do, and they are using old protocols to solve things. Remember, dear, sometimes we have to break out of how we used to do things to find the right solution.”
Sophia nodded, not really knowing what her fairy godmother was referring to. “Okay, well, thanks for your help.”
“On this occasion,” Mae Ling began. “I don’t think I was much help. I can offer you some advice about the trip you take next.”
Sophia only offered her a confused expression.
“We all like gifts,” Mae Ling hinted. “The one you’re visiting next for answers likes things that are named after his race.”
Chapter Fifteen
It was nice to have a friend who was privy to so much, Sophia thought as she stepped through the portal onto Roya Lane, intent on visiting Mortimer. First, she had to make a stop, though.
She didn’t have to think too hard to know who Mae Ling was referring to when she offered her last bit of advice, so she didn’t have to think long about where t
o get him a gift.
Brownies apparently liked brownies and the treats named for them. She suspected the Crying Cat Bakery would have suitable options she could get for Mortimer. At the very least, the experience at the magical bakery would offer a laugh, a scare, and possibly a headache.
Sophia headed for the bakery straight away, keeping her head down as she strode through the busy lane. When she entered the bakery, she expected to find Lee leaning against the counter, sharpening a blade or licking blood off it. To her surprise, the assassin-baker was sitting at one of the tables along the windows, her face screwed up with confusion as she leaned over a mound of paperwork.
“Are you doing your taxes?” Sophia joked, expecting Lee to look up when she entered.
Instead, the assassin’s gaze stayed trained on the papers in front of her. “No,” she groaned.
“Oh, is it an assassin contract?” she joked.
Lee did look up then, a frustrated expression on her face. “What kind of assassin has a contract? Like I need a paper trail linking me to murders.” She shook her head. “It’s weird you know nothing about assassins.”
“Not as weird as you’d think since the whole idea goes against pretty much everything I believe in,” Sophia argued.
“You do agree some people need to die?” Lee asked.
Sophia shook her head. “I believe that’s you putting words in my mouth.”
Lee sighed. “Okay, so you have killed before, right?”
Sophia nodded.
“It was kill or be killed, right?” Lee questioned.
“Yeah, but I don’t think your job and mine are the same,” Sophia stated.
Lee nodded and picked up a pen. She wrote on a piece of paper that seemed to be a list of names. Under the last one, she wrote Sophia Beaufont.
“Why did you just put my name there?”
Lee waved this off. “Just reminding myself who I need to get Christmas gifts for.”
“It’s June,” Sophia argued.
“Never can start too early,” Lee told her.
Sophia dismissed this and pointed to the pile of paperwork. “What is all this?”
“Oh, it’s one thing or another,” Lee muttered. “Insurance stuff. Citizen BS. Then there are bank forms. I went to go get help, but I’d apparently already been helped once that day, so the teller told me I had to come back tomorrow.”
Sophia couldn’t help but laugh. “You can only be helped once a day?”
“Apparently,” Lee answered. “So now I’m stuck having to fill out a Form 129, which to the best of my knowledge isn’t in English.”
Sophia glanced at the top form. The first line read, Did your nonreturnable outgoings for the first half of the year exceed your deductions for the quarterly VAT return?
“Oh, dear, that’s like rocket science there.”
Lee nodded, pushing the papers away. “Is it any wonder I want to kill people for a living?”
Sophia pressed her eyes shut for a half-beat. “It really is better for us if you don’t tell me what you do for a living repeatedly.”
“I’m a baker,” Lee agreed. “I feed people sugar and lard laced with MSG. That’s how I kill people. Duh.”
Deciding it was better to move on, Sophia turned her attention to the case of pastries and baked goods. “I need a brownie. Do you have any?”
“Of course I do,” Lee said matter-of-factly. “You can have it for a tiny little price.”
Sophia almost laughed. “Do you need me to recover a katana from the depths of hell?”
Lee’s eyes widened. “That’s right. You haven’t delivered on the last thing. Man, this brownie is going to cost you.”
“How much?” Sophia asked, realizing she didn’t have any money.
Pointing to the paperwork, Lee said, “You have to fill out and file my Section 49 form and then renew my registration for the assassin association.”
Sophia shook her head. “I’m not doing any of that.”
“It was worth a shot.” Lee trudged to the other side of the bakery counter and began grabbing various pastries and putting them into a paper bag. “I did learn some information that will help you to get my katana. Have you figured out how to get Zac Efron, a magic compass, or the magical chewing gum?”
“Strangely,” Sophia began, “I have solutions to everything but kidnapping Zac Efron.”
“Do you need to borrow my ski mask?” Lee wanted to know.
Sophia shook her head. “I don’t believe in sharing such things, but don’t worry about it. I’ll make good on my end of the bargain.”
“I know, because you like your kneecaps.”
Sophia realized she’d made the strangest friends, and she was okay with this. “You have a lead for me on the katana?”
“Yeah, but since you don’t have Zac yet, I’ll wait,” Lee stated. “That gives me time to firm up the location since I need to check the word of a drunken gnome who might have just been telling me what I wanted to hear.”
“Why would he do that?”
Lee shrugged. “That’s what people do sometimes when being held at knifepoint.”
“Imagine that,” Sophia said as she took the small white bag of brownies from Lee. “What do I owe you for this?”
“A lifetime of servitude,” she answered.
Sophia halted, obvious hesitation in her movements.
Lee shook her head. “I mean, nothing. Just return when you have everything in place for the katana mission. Then I’ll have more information. I feel that you and I have entered into a beautiful partnership. I give you poisoned goods, and in return, you do illegal things for me.”
“What?” Sophia questioned at once, looking down at the bag of pastries.
“Huh?” Lee replied. “Nothing. I was just saying how great it is to work with someone who owes me big favors.”
Sophia shook her head. She had better keep her enemies close and her friends closer—because they scared the hell out of her.
Chapter Sixteen
Red bricks stretched the length of the block in front of Sophia. She didn’t know how she knew the exact spot where the magical door to the brownie official office was located, but somehow she did.
When she spoke her name and title, the small door appeared in front of her, welcoming her to the office.
After crawling through the small door, she found herself in the usual reception area. This time Mortimer’s wife and children weren’t hanging out in the space. It was strangely quiet, which gave Sophia pause.
“Mortimer?” she called quietly.
The head of the brownies slipped out of the back office, looking over his shoulder nervously. When he affirmed everything was okay, he turned his attention forward and tiptoed down the hallway in Sophia’s direction.
She gave him an uncertain expression when he stopped in front of her. “Everything okay?”
Cautiously, he glanced back over his shoulder again. “Everything is…stressful. When I’m stressed, then the family is. Pricilla hasn’t been sleeping well at all lately, which means the children haven’t. I finally got them all to take a nap.”
“Oh,” Sophia whispered. “What’s going on that everyone is so stressed?”
He sighed. “Well, the upset between mortals and the House of Fourteen has put a strain on many households worldwide. You see, mortals do best when they work in conjunction with magicians. Before Warrior Beaufont fixed things, mortals weren’t as happy, which made our job as brownies much more complicated. Then things got easier. Now they are back to how they were. Anyway, the family feels my stress and what can I say, that’s the way it goes.”
He combed his hands through his thinning hair on the top of his head.
“Are you okay?” Sophia asked, feeling bad for coming to him with her problems. If she could fix the problems with the House of Fourteen, she hoped it would make life easier for him.
“I’ll be fine,” he answered. “I don’t need to sleep. A bit of something…” He sniffed the air, his eyes
widening as his gaze fell to the white bag in her hand. “That isn’t…”
Holding the bag of brownies out, Sophia said, “It is.”
The little guy looked overwhelmed with sudden emotion. His bottom lip quivered, and tears welled in his eyes. He shook his head, his long ears nearly hitting him in the face. “How did you know, Sophia Beaufont, dragonrider for the Dragon Elite? The one thing I really needed was a brownie. That’s the best way to recharge us when we’re down.”
Sophia smiled inwardly. Of course, Mae Ling knew this and sent Sophia with exactly what she needed to endear herself more to the brownie.
A groan rolled out of his mouth as he grabbed for the brownie. “It’s still warm. How is it still warm?”
Sophia didn’t know since she’d watched Lee take it out of the case. “I’m guessing magic is in play.”
He smiled wide as he took a bite. “Cryin’ ‘at ‘akery makes da bessssst.”
“Yes, they do,” Sophia affirmed, having gotten the gist of what he was trying to say.
Mortimer licked his fingers, his eyes closed like he was having a religious experience. “That. Was. Perfect.”
Sophia could hardly believe it, but the brownie had downed the entire brownie in record time. He rolled up the bag, tucking it under his arm.
“The rest will come in handy later,” he said, waving her over to the seating area next to the receptionist's desk.
“Mortimer, are you going to be okay?” She was worried about the little fella.
“It’s lovely of you to be concerned about me, S. Beaufont.” The color was returning to his face, and his eyes were shining brightly once more. “I’ve weathered many storms with the mortal world, and I have every hope I’ll get through this one, especially because you’re on the case.”
“I guess you know that’s why I’m here, then?” Sophia asked.
He nodded. “I figured one of the Beaufont sisters would be by for information on the disappearance of the magicians.”
