All's Fairy in Love and War (Avalon: Web of Magic #8) (6 page)

M
OLLY, HEATHER, AND
Tiffany bowed as Rae clapped her hands. “Good reading, fairies! That’s it for today, everyone. Be here bright and early tomorrow for a final check before the show.”

“O’ me face,” Musso cried, face down on the floor. “The queen is coming, I lost the princess, and soon the war will be upon us.”

“Keep quiet,” Adriane said firmly. She, Emily, and Ozzie were sitting on the squirming hobgoblin as they watched the actors leave the auditorium.

After his wild display of spell casting, the mages had managed to wrangle Musso off stage and the dress rehearsal had continued with another actor standing in for Kara.

“Where’s Adam?” Adriane asked, searching for the tall donkey.

“He went home,” Emily answered. “He doesn’t seem to think anything’s wrong.”

“Oh, great.”

“I’ve got to find a portal!” Musso wailed desperately.

“I thought you told us you were renowned magic trackers,” Adriane scowled.

“
Going
to be.”

Emily sent a wave of calming magic over the hysterical hobgoblin. “We’ll let you up if you promise not to use any more magic.”

“Okay, fine,” Musso agreed.

“What did you do to Adam, anyway?” Ozzie demanded.

“I don’t know,” he answered, absently fingering the glowing vials on his utility belt. “Some kind of shape changing spell. They’re all labeled in Spider.”

“How do we find our friend?” Emily asked.

“The porta-portal is tuned to the princess’s unicorn jewel,” Musso explained. “You’ll just have to wait until it opens again.”

“What do we do now?” Adriane asked, running out of patience. “We can’t goblin-sit all night!”

“Hobgoblin,” Musso interjected.

Emily and Adriane’s jewels suddenly flared to life.

“
Emily! Adriane!”
Tweek’s loud voice blasted in their minds.

“We’re here, Tweek. What is it?” Emily asked.

“You’ve got to get over here, now!”
the Fairimental yelled.
“This might be our only chance to get Kara home!”

“What’s going on?” Adriane asked.

“
Unless my calculations are wrong, and they never are, the portal is going to reopen in Kara’s closet precisely sometime tonight!”
Tweek cried.
“Hurry!”

K
ARA WAS FLOATING
. Long, golden hair swirled around her head as she bobbed gently upon a sea of night. Stars winked faintly, falling in and out of focus.

“Still trying to play with your magic,” a familiar voice chided.

The stars pulsed and formed a shifting kaleidoscope. Though fragmented, Kara could make out two figures. They were draped in long dark cloaks, cowls covering their heads.

One was large, an unnatural bulk shifting beneath the robes; the other was tall and lithe, her long, silver hair streaked with jagged lighting.

“How did you find me?” Kara croaked as she tried to crawl away. A shiver ran down her spine.

“My dear girl.” The voice was calming, engulfing, drawing her in. “You so underestimate your power. It is like a beacon.”

Kara reached for the twinkling lights, but it was like trying to grasp smoke.

“There's so much more to magic than talking to cute animals, isn't there?”

Kara flashed on Lyra, melting away. Her fault. She didn’t deserve magic.

“So many willing to risk everything for a taste of your power,” the Dark Sorceress said softly. “Everyone uses the blazing star.”

Kara could almost feel the cold breath in her ear.

“Until there is nothing left.”

Soon Lyra would be nothing. Kara struggled to move.

“Don’t you worry your pretty little head. We’re going to help you.”

Above her, the light blossomed, forming an exquisite flower. Kara struggled to reach its spreading petals—

“Just as you will help us.”

—and opened her eyes, disoriented. Her heart pounded. Where was she? She was safe at home, dreaming, in her own comfy bed! Relieved, she smiled and rolled onto her back. And looked up, startled. Twined tree branches, golden and shimmering like sunlight, lined the ceiling. This wasn't her room at all.

Urgent whispers broke her jumbled thoughts. Someone was in here with her.

“What if it’s a sleep spell?” a chirpy voice asked worriedly.

“Oh no! That could last a hundred years!” another voice, this one high-pitched, exclaimed.

“That’s absurd! She’s not enchanted,” a third voice countered.

“I think she’s up!”

“Someone go look.”

“No way. I’m not messing with that fairy dragon.”

Kara lifted her head from a lavender-scented silken pillow. Her eyes found Goldie patrolling the foot of the big bed, marching back and forth.

“Goldie,” Kara rasped.

Startled, the d-fly squeaked and leaped. “Kaaraa!” Goldie dove, clasping her wings around Kara’s neck in a tight embrace.

“I’m so happy to see you,” Kara said, hugging her little friend tight.

Kara noticed the walls and floor were made of the same interwoven trees as the ceiling. Here and there lush bluebells and foxgloves peeked between the golden bark, brightening the room with rainbow-hued petals. Thick rugs in vibrant colors covered the floor.

“Goldie, what happened?” Kara asked. “What am I doing here?”

“I told you it wasn’t a sleep spell,” a voice whispered.

“Who’s there?” Kara demanded, instinctively grabbing her unicorn jewel. She swung her feet to the floor and carefully stood up, surveying the room. But no one else was there.

She walked to the open double windows. Outside, the moon was rising, casting a silver sheen over the magnificent fairy gardens. She must have been out for hours. She remembered now. She was stuck in the Fairy Realms, and had failed to bond with the fire stallion. The Fairy Realms would go to war, possibly destroy each other—and the worlds she loved—and Lyra would melt into nothing.

“Look at that jewel!”

Kara went rigid. The voices were louder now, closer. Goldie fluttered above her shoulder, jeweled eyes scanning the room.

A large oak vanity table carved from an entire tree grew straight up from the floor. A chair sat before it, facing an oval mirror ringed with purple heather. Kara caught her reflection and grimaced. The girl staring back at her was a mess! She was covered in dust and grime. Her hair was matted in a tangle of knots. Her Fairy Queen costume was ripped and filthy.

“Stop squirting me, Whiffle!”

“Oh, I can't stand it!” another voice whispered loudly. “I’m delirious with excitement.”

Kara rubbed her eyes. The voices seemed to be coming from the top of the vanity table. Was she still dreaming?

An odd assortment of accessories lined the top of the vanity below the mirror: a jade green brush, a silver comb with long handle, a gold clamshell mirror, and a quivering white powder puff.

“For a second there I thought
they
were talking,” she muttered to Goldie, shaking her head at the ridiculous idea.

Goldie nodded.

Or not.

Suddenly the big white powder puff launched itself from the vanity and flew at Kara’s face in a sparkly white cloud.

“Ahhhh!” Kara ducked. The powder puff collided in midair with Goldie.

“Eeeeeek!” the mini screamed, furiously flapping sparkly powder-coated wings as she and the powder puff plummeted downward. Goldie landed on the puffball, releasing a lushly scented cloud. Kara watched in amazement as the powder puff wriggled like an excited puppy.

“Bad Puffdoggie!” a voice scolded.

Now who said that?

Kara gaped in disbelief. The silver comb walked across the dresser on two legs formed by its long handle! Glowering at the shaggy powder puff, the comb cleared its throat and took a deep bow. “A thousand apologies, Princess, and allow me to say I am shocked by this most unseemly behavior.”

“Whoa, what are you?” Kara blurted.

“We are designed to serve the Fairy Princess,” the silver comb said proudly. “My name is Angelo.”

“What if that’s not her?” the clamshell mirror wailed, and snapped shut.

“Of course it’s she, Mirabelle!” the green brush shouted at the mirror, exasperated.

“Well, yeah, I guess I am, that is…” the blazing star stammered, twirling the diamond bright unicorn jewel between her fingers. “My name is Kara, and this is Goldie.”

“We’ve been waiting one hundred and twenty-five years to serve a Fairy Princess! I’m so happy I could cry!” Mirabelle started bawling.

An atomizer spray bottle shaped like a skunk shuffled along the table. “I am Whiffle, and I shall make you smell divine.” The glass skunk squirted an amazingly lush perfume from his nose.

The brush pushed the atomizer away, hopping up and down on her handle. “Can’t you see the princess needs immediate attention?”

“Skirmish, calm down,” the mirror sighed. “That’s why we’re here.”

Kara self-consciously ran fingers through her tangled tresses. “It’s been, like, hours since I even brushed my hair.”

The accessories gasped in horror.

“Tell me about it,” she said.

“This is no way to welcome our new princess!” Angelo scolded the others, trying to move them back in an orderly line. “Forgive them for not following protocol, Princess Kara, but Queen Selinda ordered us into service on such short notice.”

Puffdoggie hopped up and down excitedly, sending sparkling powder flying.

Oh, this is great, Kara thought. Locked away in a tree house with a bunch of enchanted toiletries! Could things get any stranger?

Thwap! Bonk!

Without warning, a scraggly, bespectacled flying creature zoomed through the open window, smacked into the far wall, and landed in a crumpled heap on the floor.

“Ow.”

“Oh!” Kara rushed over and kneeled by the creature. “Are you all right?”

It looked vaguely like an owl, with a combination of dark gray fur and moss green feathers. Long floppy ears drooped forward, half-covering luminous yellow eyes.

Goldie immediately stepped between it and Kara.

The bird straightened his small glasses. Dazed yellow eyes wobbled and then focused sharply on the dragonfly. “You are the Fairy Princess Kara?” he demanded querulously.

Goldie pointed at Kara.

“Oh.” The bird reached into a leather shoulder pouch and withdrew a rolled-up piece of black parchment tied with a dark purple ribbon. “I had to try three windows before I found this one!” the creature huffed, struggling to his feet and handing Kara the scroll.

“Thank you, um…” Kara began. “Who are you?”

“Alwyn, Secret Fairy Air Delivery, Second Division,” the creature supplied, then continued his complaints. “Royal deliveries are most difficult. You never know what kind of fairy guards are out there!”

“Would you like something to drink?” Kara gestured to a table on the opposite side of the room, piled high with brightly colored fruits and a large bowl of sparkling purple liquid.

“Don’t mind if I do,” Alwyn grumbled, heaving himself into the air. He landed with a giant splash in the middle of the punch bowl and sighed happily. “Ooo, that feels good.”

The enchanted accessories gathered around as Kara slipped the ribbon off the parchment and carefully unrolled it. Glowing purple and silver calligraphy shimmered from the black paper:

MIDNIGHT MASQUERADE FAIRY RAVE TONIGHT AT THE FAERY ISLE - BY INVITATION ONLY

“A party!” Skirmish shrieked, falling off the table in her excitement.

“That’s no ordinary party, it’s a fairy rave!” Whiffle cried eagerly.

“Yaaaay!” The toiletries all jumped up and down, Puffdoggy joyfully releasing clouds of powder.

“Who sent this?” Kara asked the strange bird.

“Turn it over,” Alwyn answered, floating on his back and gargling.

Kara flipped the invitation over. On the back was a hand written note:
If you want to help Lyra, meet me at the rave. The Forest Prince.

The Forest Prince. He’d saved her life, but everyone at the Fairy Ring had called him a thief. Could she trust him? And a secret midnight rave didn’t sound exactly aboveboard. Still, if he could really tell her how to help Lyra…

Alwyn hauled himself out of the bowl and leaped to the windowsill. “Back to work—I still have many more invitations to deliver. Your ride will pick you up at eleven-thirty sharp.” With that, the bird fell out the window and dropped like a stone. “Ahhh, wet wing, wet wing!”

“Wait!” Kara cried, running to the window as the gray and green creature careened crookedly across the fairy gardens. She turned, stomped back, and flopped face down on the bed.

“Are you going?” Mirabelle asked excitedly, her small round mirror face flashing.

“Look at me,” Kara cried into the pillow. “How can I possibly go to a party?”

Angelo and Skirmish leaped onto the bed and began inspecting the princess up and down.

“Hmmm, yes, this is a challenge,” Angelo concluded, and snapped to attention. “Puffdoggie, prepare the princess’s bath at once!”

The powder puff bounced into an adjoining room. Kara heard water filling a tub.

“I can’t wear this,” Kara groaned, “and I don’t have anything else.” She flopped backward on the bed. Her beautiful dress was ruined.

“If you will please follow me, Princess.” Angelo jumped off the bed and walked to a golden door in the left corner of the room.

“A Fairy Princess closet?” Kara could totally go for that. There were bound to be dozens of gorgeous gowns in there.

She flounced over and flung the door open excitedly.

“It’s empty!” she wailed, looking inside the vacant, white-walled closet.

“Well, of course it is,” Skirmish said. “Step inside and tell it what you want.”

“No way!” Kara walked inside, Goldie chirping excitedly on her shoulder.

The closet expanded, instantly surrounding them with gleaming walls. The rest of her bedroom disappeared, leaving only she, Goldie, and the enchanted accessories in a bright white void.

Kara cleared her throat and said, “I want a costume.”

In a burst of twinkles, a black and white cow costume appeared and rotated slowly in midair.

“Tee heep,” Goldie chuckled.

“Not
that
kind of costume!” Kara said.

Mirabelle snapped open and closed. “The princess needs beautiful dresses!”

The cow costume disappeared, and dozens of glittering ball gowns of various designs and colors twirled before her wide eyes. This was more like it.

“No, no, no! Be gone!” Skirmish commanded.

The rows of dresses vanished, and Kara frowned, dismayed.

“She needs something different, something that will make her really stand out in a crowd!” the brush continued.

Another burst of twinkles morphed into an outrageous orange sequined suit with a pair of stilts.

Kara and Goldie looked at each other and shook their heads dismissively.

Angelo clapped his feet. “Something in a more classic style!”

A drab dress of dark blue with a high collar and straight skirt rotated in the air.

“Much better,” the comb said happily. “Elegant and understated.”

“And boring,” Kara commented. It was time she took things into her own hands, now that she saw how this worked. Standing in the center of the closet, she called out, “I need a ball gown in violet silk, with an embroidered bodice, long sleeves, and a dropped A-line skirt.”