A Grimm Warning (The Land of Stories, #3)(112)

“That was one heck of a spell, Alex!” Conner said. He was a little dizzy from the journey himself.

Alex looked around their new surroundings and a big smile came to her face. “We did it, Conner! We brought the armies here!” she said, and gave her brother a giant hug.

“It looks like the Grande Armée beat us, though.” He pointed ahead of them.

All the pride in their accomplishment drained away when they saw the Fairy Council standing in front of the Grande Armée at the edge of the gardens. To their absolute horror, they saw the Armée had captured the kings and queens and their friends, too, and they felt sick to their stomachs.

“They have everyone from the secret path!” Conner shrieked.

“How is that possible?” Alex gasped. “Someone must have betrayed us! The only people who could have found them were the people who saw them embark on the secret path!”

The Armée soldiers quickly got to their feet and aimed their rifles and cannons, not just at the Fairy Council, but at everyone they surrounded in the gardens.

“I think that’s a mystery we’ll have to save for later,” Conner said.

“You two come up with a plan and take cover! I’ll hold them off for as long as I can!” Emerelda yelled at the twins over her shoulder.

“Fire!” General Marquis demanded as he got to his feet. “Kill them! Kill them all!”

Emerelda raised her hands and the gardens and palace were surrounded with a thick sheet of emerald light. The sheet acted as a temporary force field against the firing cannons and rifles. It took every last bit of Emerelda’s strength to conjure it.

“Hurry!” Emerelda grunted. “I can’t hold it for very long!”

Alex couldn’t think—she was in a state of shock knowing one of their own had told the Grande Armée about the secret path. Conner didn’t wait to consult with his sister; he jumped off Lester’s back and began instructing the soldiers and the fairies around them. They had to strategize as quickly as possible.

“All right, men, I know I’m half your age and size but listen to me!” he shouted. “I want all of you to line the edge of the gardens and don’t let the Grande Armée through. The soldiers from the Northern Kingdom will guard the north side with Skylene. The Charming Kingdom army will protect the south side with Xanthous. The Eastern Kingdom army will protect the east side with Tangerina. The Corner Kingdom army will take the west side with the soldiers from the Bo Peep Republic. We cannot let them get to the Fairy Palace.”

The armies were hesitant to take orders from a fourteen-year-old boy.

“What? Did I stutter?” Conner asked.

“You heard the boy!” Sir Lampton said, coming to Conner’s rescue. “Let’s surround the gardens!”

The armies followed Lampton’s lead and separated into the directions Conner had instructed. Conner felt a tug on his shirt. He turned around and saw Queen Trollbella standing behind him.

“What about us, Butterboy?” she asked, and batted her eyelashes. “What do you want the Troblin Army to do?”

“Trollbella? Who invited you to this war?” Conner asked hysterically.

“I couldn’t stay home while my troblins came and had all the fun, so I joined my own army,” she said, and then pulled him down closer to whisper in his ear. “I also couldn’t let my Gator go to war by himself—he would miss me too much.”

Trollbella blew a kiss to Gator, who stood a few feet away, and he gulped—the relationship he had never agreed to had gotten way out of hand. Conner eyed the anxious Troblin Army around him and thought of the perfect assignment.

“Rosette! Violetta! Coral!” he called to the remaining fairies. “Before the Elf Empire was attacked, they agreed to help us—we have more than enough men here but since they didn’t arrive with us I assume it means they’re still fighting the Grande Armée in their own territory. I want the three of you to take as many troblins as possible to the Elf Empire and help them.”

Rosette couldn’t stop herself from shaking her head at his request. “You want us to help the elves? But they would be outraged if we showed up—”

“They can file a complaint later!” Conner said. “We’ve got to get rid of all these guys no matter how many bridges we burn!”

Rosette, Coral, and Violetta shrugged and agreed to the task.

“All right, troblins, everyone grab hands and hold on tightly,” Coral instructed.

The Troblin Army joined hands and formed three groups, one around each fairy. They slowly disappeared into sparkling clouds of colorful dust as they traveled to the Elf Empire. Trollbella had joined hands with them, too, but Conner grabbed her and Gator out of the group before they disappeared with the others.

“Not you, Trollbella!” Conner said. “I want you, Gator, and the remaining troblins to wait by the Fairy Palace. It’ll be safest there.”

Trollbella looked at him like it was the sweetest thing anyone had ever told her. “Even during war, my safety is your biggest concern,” she said. “I feel your love like a warm blanket over my body, Butter—”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah—just go!” Conner pushed her and Gator toward the palace.

“Everyone take cover!” Emerelda screamed. She couldn’t hold off the bullets and the cannons anymore and collapsed to her knees. The sheet of emerald light faded as quickly as it had appeared. The armies of the Happily Ever After Assembly took cover behind trees and boulders as they moved to their positions between the Grande Armée and the gardens.