Ever After High: The Unfairest Of Them All Part 9

Boys and woodland creatures were quick to help Apple White, but the pixies were unaffected by her genetic damsel-in-distress trait. Perhaps they didnat speak her language.

Apple knew someone who surely spoke theirs.

aGala, sweetie, do you think you could find Ashlynn Ella?a Apple asked.

As soon as her snow fox was out of sight, Apple began to have doubts. The Evil Queen said they must do this alone. But here she was asking Ashlynn for help. And for that matter, the Mad Hatter had helped, too. Had she already damaged the spell?

Then again, what did adonat ask for helpa really mean? Was Raven supposed to get all the ingredients herself? Or was Apple? She could feel herself spiraling into a series of questions that she wouldnat be able to answer. This was exactly why things needed to remain on script.

Sheas evil, Apple reminded herself. You can listen to what she suggests but donat have to do exactly what she says.

Apple did not have long to fret. Ashlynn was already returning with Gala. Her long strawberry blond hair was loose but for a braid encircling her head like a headband. She wore mint and coral, her presence bringing a bouquet of bright colors into the forest shadows.

aWow, that was fast!a said Apple.

aI was nearby waiting fora someoneaa Ashlynn cleared her throat. aGala said you needed my help?a aYes, I need to make will oa the wisps tea fora somethingaa Apple also cleared her throat. Apparently, they both had secrets. aAnd I was wonderinga"a aPixies!a said Ashlynn.

One of the pixie coaches yodeled, and the two teams flew off the court and straight to Ashlynn, buzzing around her, tidying her hair, giving her tiny kisses on the tip of her nose and ears. Ashlynn giggled. They jabbered in high voices Apple couldnat understand any more than she could understand the buzz of a honeybee, but Ashlynn had no trouble.

aItas so good to see you all, too. Whoas winning today? Really? Wouldnat that give the blue team three straight wins? I see, how fascinating. Yes, Iam sure the green team has an excellent chance. I see you recruited two new whisperers. Oh my, now donat tell me that, you know my fondness for moths. Yes, of course Iall let you get back to the game, I was just wondering, do you have a spare wisp my dear friend Apple could have?a There was indeed a spare wisp wandering just out of bounds behind a willow tree. Several pixies from both teams whispered it over to Apple. She thanked them and held the glowing thing in her hands. It tickled her palm like a static-electric feather. Before it could disappear, Apple removed a gold ring from her pinkie and threaded some of the wisp through it. The Mad Hatteras book had said only metal would ground the wisp in Ever After until it could be brewed.

The pixies returned to their game, and Ashlynn watched them for a few moments, cheering moves Apple didnat quite catch.

aI should go,a said Ashlynn. aI have to, uh, meet that someone.a aThanks, Ashlynn!a Apple had just left behind the shadow of the forest when another shadow cast her in shade. She looked up to see an elephant-sized dragon.

aNevermore!a said Apple. aWhat a pleasant surprise. Will you go find Raven? She could probably use some help.a The dragon snorted and flew off.

Apple felt the will oa the wisp vibrate in her hand, as if it had caught a breeze in Faerie and would have pa.s.sed over if not for the little gold ring anchoring it in Ever After. Apple began to run. She needed to get that wisp into a teapot and tackle the next riddle.

This was going to be a long day. But, for Maddieas sake, would it be long enough?

MADDIE SAT ALONE IN THE TEA SHOP kitchen, feeding tiny pieces of cheese to her dormouse, Earl Grey. It was unclear if she could hear the Narrator or not.

Of course I can, Narrator. I am mad, after all.

Okay, Ia uh, Iam not supposed to talk to you, you know, but I just feel so bad about whatas happening, especially witha"

Achoo!

Bless you. Donat tell me you have a cold on top of everything else?

No, itas just that theyare sending me to Neverland, and you know how piratesa aha aha Achoo! Pirates make me sneeze. Iam pretty sure I developed an allergy to them on Yester Day. Now even the thought ofa"Achoo!a"of pirates makes me sniffly and itchy and p.r.o.ne to bursts of air exploding out my nostrils.

Oh dear. There are a lot of pirates in Neverland.

Yeaha Iall get used to them eventually, right? I am sorry that my dad is losing his tea shop. And most of all about leaving my best friend till The End Raven Queena but sheas too busy to spend my last day together, so maybe she doesnat really mind that Iam going away.

Oh, Maddie, I wish I could share with you everything I know.

I wish I could share with you some of this lovely charm blossom tea paired with raspberry preserves on a warm baguette. You know, baguette almost rhymes with p-p-pira"Achoo!

THE CROWN OF TERROR PAST.

THE Sh.e.l.l INSIDE STILL LASTS.

THE ITEM YOU SEEK, A TOY OF THE WEAK.

MAJESTY DOWNED, RUN AGROUND IN TOWN.

TO ECHO NOW NAUGHT BUT HAPPY SOUNDS.

RAVEN WALKED ALL OVER BOOK END. The riddle said, arun aground in town,a and in that she hoped it was literal. Book End was the only town around. She snooped through narrow alleys where so little sunlight filtered between the roofs that the fairy streetlamps stayed on all day. She jogged through residential areas with town houses fit so tightly together they resembled books on a shelf. She stalked open streets lined with pumpkin houses, giant shoe houses, and crooked houses at the end of crooked paths. And all the while Raven repeated the riddle to herself, but nothing caught her eye.

The only place she didnat wander was Book Endas Main Street, where the Mad Hatteras Haberdashery & Tea Shoppe sat mostly empty and totally sad. Raven couldnat bear to see Maddie again and not say, or think, a word.

Usually she and Maddie would hang out together on a weekend like today, chatting over late breakfast and tea and then going shopping or heading to the Enchanted Forest and hanging with Nevermore and picking flowers and other ingredients for teas.

And now, she just didnat know. Maybe she was evil after all, if doing what she thought was right only ended up making people suffer.

No, she thought stubbornly. This wasnat her fault. All she had wanted was to choose her own life, her own destiny. Raven sighed. She couldnat be blamed for everything getting out of control, right? Was it her fault that people saw what she did anda"

Never mind! Solve the cursed riddle for Maddie. She needs you now.

What the hex was a acrown of terror pasta? An actual crown? No. Crowns were never really crowns in riddles. They were always hats, or kings or queens, or things that sit on top of stuff.

Raven heard laughter echoing down an alley. Little kid laughter. That counted as ahappy sounds,a so she followed it to the playground.

She found a bench and sat. It was one of those candy benches that had become popular in parks a few years back. Raven remembered that her dad let her eat an entire peppermint armrest from a park bench near their castle. This one was old, though. All the good bits had been eaten off or were now so calcified that youad break your teeth if you tried. She adjusted, and her skirt stuck a bit.

The playground had the standard castle play set, with a candy-cane climbing pole that everyone licked on the way down. Raven was amazed now that shead never gotten sick doing that, or sprained her tongue or something. There were a giant boot playhouse, a slide that looked like a tongue lolling out of an ogreas head, a small merry-go-round spinning all around a mulberry bush, a mini gla.s.s tower kids could save one another from (or save themselves, as Raven used to when she was little).

In the center was a huge climbing dome, only this one wasnat a spiderweb shape like normal, it was molded to look like the skull of a dragon. She walked up to the play skull and touched it. Shead lived with her mother long enough to be able to recognize the feel of actual bone. This skull was the real deal.

Raven laughed out loud, and a couple of parents nearby eyed her warily. She ignored them and did a little happy dance.

aThatas the Evil Queenas daughter,a she heard someone whisper.

Let them whisper all they wanted. Shead solved the riddle! The acrowna was the head, the aterrora was the dragon, the ash.e.l.la the skull. And the children were using it as a atoy.a But Ravenas giddy feeling turned into a cringe when she took a step back and realized it would take a team of horses to pull it free. Besides, how could she get it up to her room unseen? Let alone fit it through the door. She needed help, and that was exactly what her mother had said she shouldnat have.

Just then Nevermore flapped down on her leathery wings and landed next to her. Even though she was in her more polite large-dog-size, parents scattered, screaming.

aThe Evil Queenas daughter!a someone yelled. aAnd her evil dragon minion!a aWoofie,a came a small, excited voice from somewhere near her knee. A tiny girl, probably no older than two, had toddled up to Nevermore. She had her hand out, and Nevermore nuzzled it. aWoofie,a the girl said again, giggling.

aAzure!a called a voice.

Cedar Wood came running up. She was smiling, the wood of her face supple and full of movement. Her face and arms were a warm brown and showed the delicate curves of wood grain, and her dark brown hair was full of wavy curls. She wore her casual day-off clothesa"lederhosen overall shorts with a paint-splattered T-s.h.i.+rt beneath.

aHi, Raven!a said Cedar.

aHey, Cedar,a said Raven.

aHow funny. When I heard all the screaming, I actually thought, aI wonder if Ravenas nearby.a a Cedaras smile recarved itself into mortification. aSorry! Not that youare always making people scream in terror or anythinga though you do sometimes, I canat tell a lie. Um, shutting up.a aWoofie,a said the little girl.

aWhoas this?a Raven asked.

aLittle Boy Blueas daughter. Sorry if sheas mauling Nevermore. Sheas kind of obsessed with dragons.a Cedar took Azureas hand. aEverything thatas happening with Maddie really huffs and puffs, you know? If I had a stomach, Iad be sick to it. Iam going to go over to her shop this afternoon as soon as Iam done babysitting Azure and help them pack. Will you be there?a Raven shook her head. She was afraid if she talked about Maddie, shead cry. Cedar must have noticed, because she gave her a hug.

aI know you, Raven Queen,a she said, pulling back to look at her. aAnd I know that if you arenat with Maddie today itas because youare trying to figure out a way to save her.a Raven pressed her lips together.

aItas okay. You donat have to say a word,a said Cedar. aI know spells sometimes require secretsa"especially from someone like me who canat help blabbing!a aCedar, can I ask you something? Is all this, all the bad stuff happening with Maddie and everyone angry and the food fight and the Treasurya"is it my fault? Because I didnat sign the book?a Cedar frowned. She was cursed to always tell the truth, and Raven feared whatever shead say next wasnat something Raven wanted to hear. Cedar opened her mouth.

aNever mind,a Raven said quickly, suddenly desperate to change the subject. aSo, um, youare creative.a aWhat?a Cedar asked, tugging Azure away from one of the pokier parts of Nevermore.

aYouare a painter and artist, so you, like, think outside the dungeon. Can I talk something through with you?a aSure,a Cedar said. aIs it okay if,a she finished, pointing to Azure, who had climbed her way up to Nevermoreas back and was waving her arms.

aFwy, Woofie! Fwy!a she shouted.

aOh, thatas totally fine,a Raven said to Cedar, and then, to Nevermore, aUm, donat fly.a The dragon huffed and sat, curling her tail around herself like a cat.

aSo I have this really big thing that I need to move from the village to my dorm room, but people canat really know about it. Any ideas?a Cedar looked at her out of the corner of her eye. aThis has nothing to do with Maddie and some spell to save her, right? Right. Iam not asking. So how big is it?a aLike.a Raven looked around, trying to find something as big as the dragon skull that wasnat actually the dragon skull. She gave up. aAs big as that play set there.a aThat is big. Well, okay, Iam just going to start saying stuff out loud. Itas how I work with my art. Try stuff out till I find something that works. Um, you could take it apart.a Raven opened her mouth to say how that wasnat possible, but Cedar just kept going.

aAnd take it in piece by piece and rea.s.semble it. You could disguise it as a giant and roll it in on wheels, you could hire a giant to carry it, you could magic zap it into a marshmallow and carry it there. You could, um, shoot it out of a catapult, turn it into a flying machine, have Nevermore carry it for you, find a hidden relic that stops time and use it to stop time and then take your time to move it in whatever way you wanted, pour a Shrinking Potion on it (and then an Embiggen Potion after you move it), teleport it, dig a wis.h.i.+ng well under it, talk to it and see if it will walk there on its ownaa aThatas good!a Raven blurted, holding up her hands to stop Cedar at the same moment that Azure toppled off Nevermore. The little girl landed directly in Ravenas arms, giggling.

aEnough dragon tumbling for you,a Cedar said, taking the little girl from Raven. aIs that good? I can do morea"a aThat was plenty,a Raven said. aThank you.a aNo problem,a Cedar said. aMaybe Iall see you at the shop later? And if not, I know whatever youare doing for Maddie, youare doing all you can.a Cedar carried Azure off to the vine swings, while the little girl called, aWoofie, Woofie!a aWell, aWoofie,a a Raven said to the dragon, adid anything Cedar saya"a Raven was interrupted by the sounds of screaming.

Nevermore had transformed into her full, terrifying size, crus.h.i.+ng the bench she was perched on.

aNevermore!a Raven shouted.

The dragon popped back to small size, and instantly everyone stopped screaming.

aCedar suggested you could carry it,a Raven said. aWhen youare big, youad be strong enough to pull it out, but thereas still the problem of how to get it through the normal-sized window of my normal-sized room.a The dragon enlarged again, the nearby crowd picking up its scream right where it left it. Her suddenly huge wings knocked Raven over. Nevermore helped her up with the nudge of a horned nostril, and then instantly shrank down. Everyone stopped screaming.

Again, Nevermore popped big. The crowd screamed. Nevermore shrank small. The crowd sucked in a gaspy breath, preparing for the next scream.

Raven giggled. aThatas just mean. Youare scaring them out of their minds.a She gave her pet dragon a tight hug, hoping to keep her from popping huge again, but also because she just needed a hug right then. aJust stay small for now, okay?a Nevermore chuffed a puff of warm air into Ravenas neck. Raven pulled back and looked into Nevermoreas eyes.

aWere you trying to tell me something with all that small and then big stuff?a Her dragon just stared at her. Raven really wished she could speak dragon. aWe need to shrink that skull, donat we? Just like Cedar said. Except we donat have a Shrinking Potion. Or an Embiggen one.a Raven had the magic within her to do the size changing, but a spell backfiring in a playground might accidentally turn a child into a toad, or a toad into a child. Ravenas mind spun and finally stopped on a thought.

aYouare a dragon, and that skull is made of the same stuff you are,a Raven said. aDo you think if you shrank yourself while holding onto the skull, you could be the Shrinking Potion?a Nevermore huffed again and took to the air, as large as an elephanta"an iridescent black, scaly, leather-winged, and dagger-clawed elephant. Such an airborne monstrosity would fuel the nightmares of all the townspeople for weeks. They screamed, of course. The dragon landed on the skull and in a twinkle shrank to a more manageable size. And so had the skull.

Raven jumped in the air. aYou did it! You blessed beast of terror you!a Nevermore dipped low in the air, careening to one side, the shrunken skull in her talons. Her wings beat furiously and she stopped before cras.h.i.+ng into the ground.

aDo you think you can fly it back to my room?a The dragon bobbed her head and was off. Raven watched her soar away and felt her shoulders relax.

aUm, excuse me?a she heard a small voice behind her say. She turned to find a little boy in short purple pants and a puffy hat. aWhy did that dragon steal our jungle gym?a Children were edging toward the big, empty hole where the skull had been.

aOh,a Raven said. She hadnat thought through the whole stealing-from-little-kids part. Her mother would be so proud.

aIall have her bring it back,a said Raven. aI just need to borrow it for a bit.a aWill the dragon come back, too?a the boy asked, eyes big as a kittenas.

aWoofie!a Azure struggled out of Cedaras arms and came running back. When no dragon appeared, her nose sniffled like a bunnyas and then the tears came.

aDo you think Azure could play with Nevermore?a Cedar asked. aIt would make her day.a Raven brightened. aOh! Yes, that would be totally wicked! It might be kind of amazing for her, too, you know, getting to play with kids who actually want her around. Itas not easy when everyone thinks youare evil all the time when you really mean no harm and donat want to hurta"a Raven stopped, embarra.s.sed Cedar might think she was talking about herself.

Cedar smiled. aI think the screaming was mostly parents. The kids thought she was fairy cool. Except for the part where she took their jungle gym, of course.a aWoofie!a Azure shouted, insistent.

aRight, Iall hurry,a said Raven. aUm, better stand back.a Raven had wasted too much time already solving her first riddle. The sun had pa.s.sed its zenith and was sliding down into afternoon. It would take forever to walk back to her dorm.

Besides, if she did something spectacular, maybe the kids would think she was cooler than she was scary, like Nevermore. Time to risk a little spell.

She whispered the words, pointed at her own feet, and let the magical energy zip down her arms and out her fingers.

She was airborne before she realized it had worked. Sort of. Shead been hoping for a temporary flight spell. But, nope, shead catapulted herself.

Raven would have screamed if shead been able to suck a breath from the fierce wind rus.h.i.+ng at her face. She shot out of Book End, zooming over the Troll Bridge. Ahead, the Ever After High castle was looming larger and larger. There was the open door on her dorm room balcony. And around it, a whole lot of hard, unforgiving wall.

Raven cursed herself for trying to show off. Fitting that she would end like a bug smashed on a hybrid carriage winds.h.i.+eld.

BIG TO THE SMALL.

IT GROWS ON ALL.

SMALL TO THE BIG.

ONE THREAD OF A WIG.

UNWANTED AND PLUCKED.

IT DROPS IN THE MUCK.

THE BEANSTALK WAS A COLOR OF GREEN that made Apple wish for sungla.s.ses: so green it almost sparkled. And so alive it never stopped growing. She could actually see the stem (thick as a hundred tree trunks) slowly twisting, the enormous, broad leaves almost imperceptibly lengthening from the stem, uncurling themselves, and turning toward the sun. A kind of whispery noise emanated from it, the sounds of growth, but it seemed to Apple that the Beanstalk was quietly singing to itself.

aOne thread of a wigaa Apple repeated to herself. It had to be a hair. A big hair. The hair of a giant. And the surest place to find a giant was at the top of the Beanstalk.

Apple gulped. Shead climbed Jackas Beanstalk before with Briar. But, still, even wearing the climbing harness shead borrowed from Briaras dorm room, that was one intimidating vegetable.

Only when she was near enough to touch the lower leaves did Apple notice the makes.h.i.+ft barricade surrounding the Beanstalkas base. Two ogres sat in folding chairs in the shade of a tent-sized leaf, quietly munching from bags that read: Apple started to pull back one of the barricades.

aNope,a said one of the ogres.