The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell (28 page)

“Alex, are you crazy?” Conner said. “We’ve got a tear. Let’s get out of here!”

“We’re the only people in the world who this fairy has,” Alex said. “We’re going to be good people and help her out.”

Conner grunted with frustration. “Helping this fairy isn’t going to take away bad memories you have from school, Alex.”

Alex ignored him and followed Trix down the path. Conner followed, sulking the entire way.

They traveled deeper into the Fairy Kingdom. Everything in the distance seemed to sparkle. They thought it was a mirage at first, but the closer they got, they saw that the trees, the grass, and the path all shined and shimmered in the sunlight.

“What’s up with all the glitter?” Conner asked.

“I don’t think it’s glitter; I think it’s magic,” Alex said.

They reached the heart of the kingdom and were completely bewildered by what they saw. It was like they were standing in a gigantic tropical garden with large, colorful flowers of all shapes and species. There were weeping willows over small ponds and vines that grew across the ground and up the trees. There were beautiful bridges over many streams and ponds.

There were fairies everywhere. Many flew around in the air, some just hovered above the ground, and some walked on smaller paths adjacent to the one the twins were on. They were all different shapes and sizes and colors. Some were taller than Alex and Conner, some were as small as Trix, and some didn’t seem even to be solid, but rather made from pure light.

There were just as many male fairies as there were female. Some of the fairies wore gowns, others’ clothes were made entirely from plant materials, and some wore nothing at all. Many had made miniature homes in the branches of the trees or in mushrooms on the ground, and there were fairies who even lived underwater with colorful fish.

Something about this place made Alex feel as if everything were right in the world. It gave her more hope, excitement, and happiness with every step she took. It was paradise.

“Have you ever seen something so beautiful in your entire life?” Alex asked her brother.

“Not too shabby,” Conner said.

“The Fairy Council operates in the Fairy Palace. It’s just up ahead,” Trix said, and gestured the twins to follow her over a pond. They, of course, took a bridge.

They walked toward a palace made entirely out of golden arches and pillars. It was completely open: There were no more than two walls to line each room, and all the windows were tall with no glass. When you lived in a
place as beautiful as this, who would want to keep out the environment?

Trix took the twins to the center of the palace, into a long room with many seats facing the front.

“This would be the perfect place for a wedding!” Alex said.

At the front of the room were seven fairies Alex and Conner’s size. They looked like a living rainbow: Each was dressed in a specific color, and they stood behind podiums positioned over an arch.

“That’s the Fairy Council,” Trix said. “That’s Rosette, the red fairy, Tangerina, the orange fairy, Xanthous, the yellow fairy, Emerelda, the green fairy—she’s mostly in charge—Skylene, the blue fairy, Violetta, the purple fairy, and Coral, the pink fairy.”

Rosette was short and plump and had very rosy cheeks. Tangerina was stylish and wore her orange hair in a large beehive with actual bees flying around it. Xanthous was male; he wore a shiny suit, and parts of him were ablaze. Emerelda was tall and beautiful; she was black, and wore a long, emerald dress that matched her eyes and jewelry. Skylene was very pale and had hair the color of the sky and flowing robes the color of the sea. Violetta was the oldest and had grayish-purple hair. Coral was the youngest, no more than a few years older than the twins in appearance, and wore a simple pink dress and had a pair of pink wings on her back.

There were two empty seats on either side of the podiums.

“Who sits there?” Alex asked Trix.

“The Fairy Godmother sits on the left and Mother Goose sits on the right,” Trix said. “They complete the Fairy Council, although they’re rarely here. They’re always traveling around the kingdoms helping people.”

“Is that you, Trix?” Emerelda asked.

“Yes, I’m here,” Trix peeped nervously, and flew to the front of the podiums.

“You’re late. Please come forward,” Emerelda said. She was gracious but authoritative, someone the twins would definitely want in their corner during an altercation. “Trix, do you know why you’ve been called before the Fairy Council?”

Trix shamefully nodded her head. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Being a fairy requires a strong sense of responsibility,” Tangerina said. “Responsibility you haven’t shown.”

Trix nodded some more, her eyes swelling with tears. “I know,” she squeaked.

“Unfortunately, we can’t let your actions go unpunished,” Violetta said.

“We need to make an example of you, to reinforce the number one rule of being a fairy,” Rosette said.

“To never, under any circumstance, use your magic harmfully against another person, place, or thing,” Xanthous said.

“Unfortunately, there’s only one thing for us to do,” Skylene said.

“We have to banish you from the Fairy Kingdom,” Coral said.

Trix covered her eyes and wept harder than she had all day. “I understand,” she said through her sobs.

“Whoa whoa whoa!”
Conner yelled from the back. “Hold on! Are you kidding me?”

He promptly walked to the front of the room and stood next to the spot where Trix was hovering.

“Conner!” Alex said, and tried to grab him, but was too late.

“Are you seriously going to ban her for making one little mistake?” Conner asked the council with his hands on his hips.

There was whispering and murmuring among them. They were appalled that someone would so openly question their judgment.

“Please don’t try to help me!” Trix whispered to Conner.

“Young man, who do you think you are?” Xanthous said.

“Well, I’m just a kid, but even I can tell you that your ruling is ridiculous,” Conner said.

They all gasped except for Emerelda, who kept her calm and imposing demeanor. Alex slapped an open palm against her forehead.

“How dare you!” Tangerina said, and the bees swirling around her hair grew mad and flew faster around her head.

“You are out of line!” Violetta said.

“How disrespectful!” Coral said.

“How rude!” Skylene said.

Emerelda was the only member of the assembly to remain silent. She studied Conner with her emerald eyes.

“Silence,” Emerelda ordered. She raised a hand, and all her fellow assembly fairies went quiet. “Let the boy speak. I want to hear what he has to say. Go ahead, young man.”

Conner wasn’t sure if this was a trick or not, but he didn’t hold back.

“Listen, I’m not a fairy—thank God—and I’m not perfect, either. I try to be the best person or the best student possible, but every once in a while I slip up—I forget a homework assignment, or I fall asleep in class. My best effort isn’t as good as someone else’s might be, and no one should have the right to scold or punish me or publicly humiliate me for it!” Conner said.

“Trix knew what the rules were, and she still committed an offense against one of her peers,” Rosette said.

“No one can be perfect,” Conner said. “And from what I hear, the guy had it coming! Where is his trial? Why isn’t he here? Why do I always get detention for sleeping when it’s ancient Mesopotamia that should be punished for being so boring?”

The council continued to be outraged by this outburst. Many members didn’t want to tolerate it and tried to leave.

“I hear what the child is saying,” Emerelda said.

“But we can’t just pardon Trix. We’re the Fairy Council; it wouldn’t send a good message to the rest of the kingdoms,” Tangerina said.

“Look, orange lady,” Conner said, “in the last week, my sister and I have almost been eaten by a witch, narrowly missed being attacked by a pack of wolves, were almost killed by a possessive bridge troll, survived a burning castle, and barely escaped a life of enslavement in the Troll and Goblin Territory! If you ask me, you’ve got bigger problems than a fairy turning a jerk’s wings into leaves. Looks to me like you busy yourselves with stupid little things so you feel like you’re doing something, when in reality you can’t handle what’s really going on out there!”

The council went silent and all the members appeared to become very concerned.

“Enslavement?” Skylene asked. “You mean the trolls and goblins are still kidnapping and enslaving people?”

“Yes!” Conner said. “There were dozens of us down there! We really could have used your help, but I guess you were too busy slapping fairies’ wrists for playing pranks on one another.”

Although they held their stoic expressions, the council was secretly ashamed of themselves. Conner was right. They eyed one another for a moment before Emerelda broke the silence.

“On behalf of this council, I hereby forgive Trix for her crimes,” Emerelda said. “Xanthous, Skylene, and Tangerina, I say we pay a visit to the Troll King and the Goblin King immediately. And furthermore, let this be a lesson. To all of us.”

Xanthous, Skylene, and Tangerina nodded, and then disappeared into thin air with a
pop!

“Thank you, Mr….?” Emerelda said.

“Wishington,” Conner said. “Conner Wishington.”

Emerelda smiled, and then disappeared with the others.

Trix flew up to Conner’s face and gave him a huge hug. “That’s the bravest and nicest thing anyone has ever done for me!” Trix said.

Conner looked back at his sister. She was beaming with pride; she was so proud of her brother. It was a look Conner rarely got to see.

“You know, helping a fairy isn’t going to take away any unhappy memories from school,” Alex told him when she joined Conner and Trix near the podiums.

Conner slyly grinned. “I had to say something. I would have regretted it if I hadn’t.”

The remaining Fairy Council fairies began to leave. Some simply walked off, and others disappeared into thin air, leaving behind sparks or bubbles as they went. Coral was searching the room for something and patting her lap as she went.

“Here, Fisher! Where are you, Fisher?” Coral said.

A fish with four legs ran past Alex and Conner and jumped up into Coral’s arms.

“There you are!” Coral said. “It’s just about time for your lunch!”

Alex and Conner looked at each other, confused, each wondering if the other had just seen it, too.

“Is that what I think it is?” Conner asked.

“I think so,” Alex said.

Coral was just about to leave when the twins stopped her.

“Excuse me,” Alex said. “Where did you get your fish?”

“Oh, Fisher?” Coral said. “I dropped a wand in a lake once and granted him a wish after he swam down and got it for me. He wished for legs, silly thing, so he could play with some boy who lived in a village nearby. The boy ended up dying, sadly, so Fisher came to live with me.”

Coral’s wings began to flap, and she flew away with her pet fish.

“So that
was
what we thought it was,” Conner said.

“Yes,” said Alex, her head spinning with questions. “That was the Walking Fish from Dad’s story!”

T
here was blood everywhere. White feathers and bits of wood covered the ground. A driver had been transporting a cart full of geese into the Northern Kingdom when the Big Bad Wolf Pack attacked. The only thing that remained in one piece was the green, floppy hat the driver had been wearing.

The wolves were spread out under the trees, chewing on the bones of their victims. Malumclaw jerked his head up and stared into the trees. Someone was coming; he
could smell them. Whoever this person was, their scent made him anxious.

“We’ve got company,” Malumclaw growled. All the wolves jumped to their feet, ready to attack again if they had to. But they were no match for who was approaching.

A dark, hooded figure slowly moved through the trees and up to the wolves. It stood fearlessly in front of them for a moment before unveiling itself.

“Hello, Malumclaw,” said the Evil Queen.