A Grimm Warning (The Land of Stories, #3)(109)

“What forgotten army?” Alex asked. Her head was spinning trying to recall a kingdom or territory they hadn’t counted.

“The citizens!” Xanthous exclaimed. “I’ve never seen anything like it! As soon as the Grande Armée and their recruited criminals crossed into the Charming Kingdom, all the average civilians left their homes to join the army in the fight! And it didn’t just happen in the Charming Kingdom; I’ve heard word from Skylene, Rosette, Tangerina, and Coral—the same thing happened in the other kingdoms as well!”

“That’s awesome!” Conner said with a celebratory fist pump.

It sounded too good to be true and Alex wanted to get all the facts straight before she got her hopes up. “Wait a second. You’re telling me the majority of the Grande Armée has been wiped out and we still have half of the Happily Ever After Assembly armies in hiding waiting to reappear?”

“Yes!” Xanthous nodded.

“So that means we outnumber them now! And by a lot!” Conner happily concluded.

“We do!” Xanthous said, and picked up both the twins and whirled them around the cottage. “We just might win this war after all!”

The twins were so happy to hear this they hollered and jumped around the cottage. Their celebration was cut short when Alex remembered there may have been more than just soldiers at stake.

“Xanthous, the war isn’t over yet,” she said. “There is a chance the Grande Armée has obtained a dragon egg! We still need to rally every last soldier we can and get to the Fairy Kingdom before the Armée does! I bet they’re planning to strike it last!”

“But that’s impossible,” Xanthous said. “Dragons have been extinct for hundreds and hundreds of years.”

“I’m afraid it’s very possible,” Hagetta said. “I’ve never seen one myself but there have been rumors among the witch community for a very long time that one or two were preserved.”

Xanthous sighed and the flames on his head and shoulders went low as he thought about it. “Then let’s not waste another minute,” he said. “Alex, it’s time for the signal. Let’s get back to the Fairy Kingdom—it should only take the kingdoms’ armies a day or two to meet us there.”

“No, that’s not good enough,” Conner said. “We need a way to get all these men to the Fairy Palace now. As soon as the general hears his units have been defeated he’ll want to strike again soon.”

“But you can’t get thousands and thousands of men to the same place at one time,” Xanthous said. “There isn’t a flying ship or a secret path large enough.”

Alex went very quiet and thought to herself. “It’ll have to be a spell—possibly the biggest act of magic ever done in the history of the fairy-tale world,” she said. “The signal has to alert all the soldiers and transport them to the Fairy Kingdom at the same time.”

“But who or what is that powerful?” Conner said. “I don’t think Grandma or the Enchantress could pull off something like that.”

Xanthous and Alex looked at each other but neither of them had an answer or an idea. Alex thought back to her magic lessons with her grandmother—if Alex could just visualize something well enough, she knew she could make it happen. But what could she possibly visualize that would accomplish this?

Hagetta cleared her throat. “If I were you, I would use the night sky as an ally,” she said. “During times of trouble, most people look to the stars for guidance.”

It was exactly what Alex needed to hear. Her eyes grew and she looked up to the cottage ceiling as the idea came to her. She imagined it perfectly, as if she were seeing it projected on the ceiling above her. “I know what the spell has to be!” she said. “I’m going to need help, but I think it’s crazy enough to work!”

“You’ve never let us down before,” Xanthous said.

His words were encouraging and Alex needed encouragement now more than ever. “Xanthous, I want you to collect all the fairies stationed throughout the kingdoms and meet us back in the Fairy Kingdom,” Alex said. “Conner and Lester, you’ll come with me.”

Xanthous bowed to Alex and Conner. “I’ll see you there.” He burst into bright shimmering sparks and disappeared into thin air.

“Where are we going?” Conner asked, but before she could answer, Alex raced out of the cottage and onto the grassy lawn outside. Conner and Lester quickly followed her out and Hagetta watched from the doorway.

Alex climbed onto Lester’s back and took his reins. She gestured for Conner to do the same and this time he sat behind her on the goose.

“Lester, I want you to fly as high into the sky as you possibly can,” she instructed him, and he nodded eagerly.

“So what are you going to do?” Conner asked Alex. “This might be the single most important spell you’ll ever cast in your life—no pressure or anything!”

Alex looked over her shoulder with a twinkle in her eye. “It’s not what I’m going to do, it’s what we’re going to do.”

“Huh? What am I supposed to do?” Conner asked.

“You’ll see,” Alex said with a mischievous grin. “All right, Lester, let’s go!”

Lester spread his enormous wings and lunged forward. The twins waved back to Hagetta as he soared into the sky.