Indigo Magic (17 page)

‘The fey must be as inane as history proclaims,’ said the yellow one. ‘The king himself bestows the one wish upon a
fairy
, and she behaves as if she has been harmed. He agrees to give Nectara elixir to a
fairy
, and she does nothing but weep.’

The orange troll took a step forward and bent to peer in my face. ‘The one wish has never before been given to one of the fey,’ he said.

‘One wish?’ I asked faintly. I wanted so badly to leave here. To fly. What had they done to my wings? Would I ever take to the skies again?

‘His Majesty gave you a wish, Zaria Tourmaline. A true wish, at a time of your choosing, certainly granted,’ the troll answered, straightening up.

He can do that?
I thought about using the wish immediately, wishing to fly. I’d soar away and take Meteor with me.

‘It is a great honour,’ the troll told me coldly.

‘This wish,’ Meteor said. ‘Please tell us how it can be used?’

The orange troll spoke. ‘It must be a wish of your heart, fairy – a wish spoken aloud. It cannot be ordered by another unless you agree.’ Bending close to me again, his face was sombre. ‘
One
wish, and one only.’

A wish of my choosing,
certainly granted
. This was magic greater than my own. How often had I dreamed of what I would do if I could have any wish? I’d wish for my family to be with me.

The yellow troll broke in, his voice harsh. ‘Some things are forbidden, Zaria Tourmaline. Your wish cannot pass through portals or cross worlds, and it cannot bring back the dead.’

I looked at him, fear running through my wings. How many of my innermost thoughts could he read? Or was he telling me my family was dead?

I must decide carefully which words would bring my family to me. If they lived.

But the troll was still talking. ‘You can use your wish in
any
land of Tirfeyne except one.’ Black eyes stared me down. ‘Troll Country,’ he said. ‘Do you understand?’

I fought back from the dream of reuniting with my family, back to where I was – in the palace of the trolls.

‘Yes,’ I answered bleakly. ‘I understand.’

Would they let us go now? Although Meteor and I had left Feyland only the night before, it seemed a long time since we’d been home. I felt I would fade like a wilted sonnia flower if I didn’t get back there soon – if I didn’t see the rooftops glinting like medallions, didn’t see the fey skies glowing, or the great Gateway to Galena arching high and wide. I needed to be there, even though the gateway’s magic was gone and the skies had darkened and the portals were closed.

‘We will escort you to the border.’ The orange troll calmly lifted me.

I tried to keep my dignity. ‘We could transport, and save you the trip.’

The troll began walking. ‘You overestimate your powers.’

Before I could reply or look round for Meteor, a thick mist covered my mind.

Troll magic
.

They brought us to the spot from which they’d taken us – the place at the edges of gremlin territory. They removed the blurry haze they’d placed over our minds and set us on our feet. I didn’t know how it was
done
; I heard no spells, saw no gestures or wands.

Daylight showed we were on the edge of an enormous swampland filled with putch. It stretched into the distance like a squishy lake.

The orange troll handed me a small, plain sack tied with string. I could feel the shape of a slender jar inside it.

‘Nectara,’ he said. ‘Do not lose it.’

The yellow troll thrust a larger sack into my free hand. ‘Dried sonnia. By order of the king.’

I wavered, my wings gummy and limp, my legs wobbly. Ignoring me, the trolls turned and left. I watched them walk away with their smooth, rolling gait.

Carefully I set down the sonnia to stash the Nectara in my pocket where the aevum derk had been. Slowly I picked up the sonnia and held it in both hands. ‘Why would the trolls give us food?’

‘I don’t know,’ Meteor said. ‘But they took my biscuits.’

It was true; the human-made backpack he’d been wearing when we entered Troll Country was missing now.

I tried to stuff the sack of sonnia into one of my pockets, but it was too large. Meteor offered to carry it, and it fitted easily into a pocket of his robe. Then he tested his ability to fly but couldn’t lift off the ground; all he could manage was short, awkward hops. I tried my wings, but they wouldn’t unfurl.

‘Troll magic,’ Meteor said. ‘Worse than anything.’

‘Much worse,’ I agreed.

‘Being in that palace was like wearing iron boots on my feet and an iron helmet on my head.’

‘They can walk through the hallways of our minds, can’t they?’ I said. ‘That’s how they knew all about me.’

Meteor nodded glumly. ‘I didn’t know that about them before – and I wish I didn’t know it now. I hope this visit to Troll Country doesn’t mean they can invade our thoughts at whim from now on.’

I hoped not too. ‘Meteor, I didn’t thank you. If it hadn’t been for you, I would have used every last bit of my radia trying to fight the king. Thank you.’

‘Of course. Zaria, I would—’

‘My Feynere magic had no effect on the trolls. None! And I don’t dare check my watch to see how much I lost.’ I held up my wrist. ‘Will you?’

Meteor’s touch was gentle as he circled my wrist with a hand and then opened the cover on my crystal watch. He looked, then pressed his lips together as he closed it again. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘How much?’ I whispered.

Swallowing, he looked at me miserably. ‘Another five million.’

Heedless of the slimy putch, I sank to the ground. A few weeks ago, I had registered full Violet. Ten million radia, a fortune by any measure. And now, there was less than three and a half million of that left.

Meteor sat in the squelching putch at my side and did
his
best to console me. He reminded me that we had gained the Nectara elixir, something that had seemed impossible. We were free to leave Troll Country, something that he had feared would never happen. And we needed to get back to Feyland, where Leona and Andalonus might be waiting for us.

Finally he scooped me into his arms and held me, telling me he would have done the same if he were a Feynere; that the magic of trolls scared him more than anything he had ever read or imagined; that he would have tried anything to get out of their enchantments.

‘Really?’ I asked. ‘You would have done the same?’

‘The very same.’

‘I’m so tired, Meteor.’

‘I’ll help you. Let’s at least get away from the border.’

A drizzly fog was rolling in, concealing the landscape as we turned towards gremlin territory. Still unable to fly, we were forced to walk. Meteor stomped ahead, thumping the ground to create a path for me. My skirts were coated with slime and clung to my legs, slowing me.

There was no marker as we left Troll Country, no magical alarm. But the plant-life changed from putch to thorny plants, and when we left the swamp, I heard Meteor give a big sigh. ‘Look!’ He rose enough to clear the stickers covering the ground. ‘Try your wings again, Zaria.’

This time they opened. Finally I could fly, though not well. Meteor helped me, holding my hand as we flew on.

‘Meteor, I want to use my wish,’ I said.

‘To find your family. I know.’

‘You don’t
know
.’

‘Zaria, we’ve been friends since before your family …’ His voice trailed off.

‘They didn’t die!’

‘According to
Laz
, they didn’t. But how many times has he lied to you?’

‘If he’s right and they’re alive, I have to find out, don’t I?’

Meteor turned in mid air and caught me by the shoulders. ‘
If
.’

‘You think they’re dead.’

‘I hope they’re alive.’ His eyes were soft.

I thought it over again. ‘Maybe
I
could wish to be wherever my family is, instead of wishing they were next to me.’

He shook his head. ‘Whether you go to them or they come to you, if they’re in glacier cloth, even your Feynere powers won’t be enough to free them. Remember, only the one who casts the glacier spell can reverse it.’

I hated thinking what it would mean to
find
my family but be unable to free them. ‘Maybe that isn’t true. Maybe I wouldn’t have to get Lily to agree.’

‘And if it is true? Or what if you use the trolls’ wish and it lands you in a trap?’ He was frowning with worry. ‘And what if your family’s hidden somewhere on Earth? The
trolls
said your wish cannot cross worlds – so you would use it up for nothing.’

I looked at the desolate rocks and stickers below. ‘One wish,’ I said. ‘If only the trolls had given me two.’

Meteor’s hands tightened on my shoulders. ‘Zaria, remember what the King of the Trolls said about why he would let you keep the comet dust?
The outcome will determine whether fey magic will endure or sink into nothingness
.’ He lifted his eyebrows.

‘You want me to use the wish for Feyland,’ I said bitterly.

He nodded, letting me go. ‘I’m so sorry, Zaria, but suppose what he said is true? There’s no question that fey magic has been dwindling steadily for two hundred years. No one knows why – and no one wants to speak of it, not even members of the council – including my father.’

‘Of course not,’ I said even more bitterly. ‘What have the councillors ever done to help Feyland?’

‘So who will?’

Sighing, I looked back at the mist covering Troll Country. I should have asked the king more questions.
What do you mean, sink into nothingness? How much time do we have to save the magic? How do we get into the sapphire stronghold? What are your plans for the aevum derk?

Too late for that now. I hoped it wasn’t too late for everything else.

My eyes stung as if I’d rubbed them with prickers. ‘All right. I don’t have to use the wish right away. I’ll wait.’

Meteor didn’t say I was doing the right thing. He didn’t say anything at all, and I could have kissed him for it.

‘We have our magic back,’ I said, taking his hand again. ‘We should transport home.’

‘Allow me.
Transera nos
.’

F
AIRIES AND GENIES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN FASCINATED BY TIME: WHAT IT IS AND HOW IT OPERATES
. I
T HAS BEEN SAID THAT SOME AMONG THE
A
NCIENTS MASTERED TIME TO SUCH AN EXTENT THAT THEY COULD STEP OUTSIDE OF IT AT WILL
. T
HIS MAY BE TRUE, FOR HOW ELSE COULD THE SPELLS UPON
A
NSHIELD
I
SLAND BE EXPLAINED
?
A
ND SADLY, BY WHAT OTHER MEANS COULD THE GLACIER SPELL HAVE BEEN DEVISED
?

Orville Gold, genie historian of Feyland

WHEN WE LANDED
in my mother’s room, I heard a horrendous noise, and saw Leona and Andalonus huddled on the floor with their hands over their ears.

‘That sounds like gremlins!’ I screamed.

Leona pointed to the window.

Meteor and I hurried to look out. The scene below showed pandemonium, worse than the day Lily had brought her gnomes. Much worse.

A great horde of gremlins was jumping up and down in front of my home, their long fingers outstretched, their mouths open so wide I could see down their throats. As I
watched
, a big group of them – adults and children both – threw themselves against my door. When they hit the magic barrier the house shivered and they fell back, shrieking piercingly. But as soon as they retreated, more gremlins attacked.

I clapped my hands over my ears to shut out their keening cries. The gremlins must believe I had more biscuits – but how had they found where I lived? I didn’t think they had even noticed me – only the biscuits I carried.

Even more shocking, it wasn’t only gremlins gathered outside. Above and behind them hovered fairies and genies, all covering their ears. When the gremlins quieted for an instant, I could hear angry shouts: ‘Zaria! Help! Let us in!’

Many were fey folk I knew. Fairies and genies who had been my classmates. Their parents. Those who lived in Galena.

Another swell of screeches crashed the barrier. Impatiently I drew my wand. ‘Block the sound from outside.’

The silence was a terrible relief.

Andalonus rose from the floor to hug me. ‘You’ve saved my ears from death.’

‘Thank you, Zaree,’ Leona said. ‘We were going mad.’

‘What’s going on?’ I asked. ‘Why are all those fey folk asking for help – from me?’

Leona answered. ‘Gremlins have raided every other
home
in Galena, breaking everything from clocks to stoves to toys from Earth. Who knows what they’re doing in Oberon City. No one can stop them, they’re everywhere. I tried using magic on them, even the statue spell. Nothing works. And yours is the only place free of them.’

‘The only place? No.’

‘Yes,’ she went on. ‘And that crowd out there is angry at me too, Zaree. They believe we Violet fairies should go around Feyland and repair the durable spells. When they saw me with Andalonus out in Galena, they charged me, screaming and crying.’

Andalonus nodded gloomily. ‘True. They said you were hoarding your magic.’

Leona flicked her fingers at the window. ‘I tried to tell them, Zaree – that we’re only fourteen, and
we
didn’t let the durable spells slip.
We
didn’t steal the magic tax that was supposed to go to the durable spells. Lily Morganite did!’

Out of the window, close to the front of the crowd, I could see my old classmate Portia Peridot, her green wings fluttering. Next to her was Cora. I caught sight of Tuck Lodestone too, and others I knew. Some were with their parents, but not Tuck. Maybe, just maybe, Magistria Lodestone was off to Anshield Island to let the royals know about the chaos; maybe, just maybe, the rest of the council was there too.

‘Please, Zaria,’ Andalonus said. ‘Let them in – the fairies and genies.’

‘Have any of them tried to get through?’ I asked.
Do any of them care about me?

‘They run into your shield.’