A Grimm Warning (The Land of Stories, #3)(72)

“Good heavens, no,” Mother Goose said. “I’m trying to tell you you’re saving her. You’re giving your grandmother the freedom to pass on, and that’s a right every living creature deserves when it’s their time to go.”

It was a very hard thing for Alex to hear. Had she known that with every lesson or test she passed she was getting closer to losing her grandmother, Alex would have given it all up in a heartbeat. But she also knew that was the last thing her grandmother would have wanted.

“How much time do we have left with her?” Alex asked. “Will she wake up before she goes?”

“It’s hard to say,” Emerelda said. “There’s always a chance. She could very well pull through this and live for another hundred years—it all depends on how much magic she has left in her. But given the information she shared with Mother Goose, we think it’s very unlikely.”

“And that’s why Froggy turned into a frog again,” Alex said, starting to make sense of it all. “As she dies some of her magic starts to die with her, so her most recent spells and enchantments will slowly start to fade and wear off.”

“Correct,” Emerelda said. “And it’s our job to make sure the work she put into this world never fades away completely.”

Alex gently touched the side of her grandmother’s face. She was such an extraordinary woman; she wouldn’t be surprised if there was still a bit of magic in her somewhere.

“Froggy, I’d be more than happy to change you back into a man,” Alex said. “It may take me a couple tries but I think I can do it.”

Froggy was touched by the gesture, especially given the situation, but he surprised the whole room with his answer. “No, that’s all right,” he said. “Red, my darling, I hope you can understand this but I’ve thought it over and decided to stay a frog.”

They all were shocked to hear this, especially Red.

“What are you saying?” Red asked. “What would make you come to that conclusion?”

“Because no matter how many times I become a man I always change back into a frog,” he explained. “I think the universe is trying to tell me something. And although I put on a good show, each transformation is more exhausting than the last. Constantly having to re-train yourself to walk and to eat and to function takes a heavy toll. I’d much rather just choose one form and stick with it, and it appears being a frog is what’s meant to be.”

Red tried her absolute best to take this news well, but after so recently losing her throne she couldn’t put on a brave face.

“Forgive me,” Red said, blinking back tears. “I don’t mean to look as disappointed as I do. Charlie, you stood by me even as I lost my kingdom—I know I can support you through something as trivial as this—it’s just going to take some getting used to, I suppose. Please excuse me; I’m going to get some fresh air.”

Red left the Fairy Godmother’s chambers intact but once she was out the door they heard her burst into tears. Alex gently placed her grandmother’s hand on the bed and rose to leave.

“I need some air, too,” Alex said.

“I’ll walk out with you,” Mother Goose said.

“I’ll stay with the Fairy Godmother,” Emerelda said.

“Me too,” Froggy said, and took Alex’s seat.

As Alex walked with Mother Goose through the halls of the Fairy Palace she could tell the news about her grandmother had spread. Every fairy who passed looked at her somberly, expressing sympathy and respect as she walked by.

“This is going to be so hard to get through without my brother,” Alex said. “I would give anything to have him here with me.”

Mother Goose’s eyes darted up and down the hall. When they reached a vacant part of the hall, she quickly pulled Alex behind a pillar and out of sight.

“Alex, I need to tell you something,” Mother Goose said. “It’s about your brother.”

“What is it?” Alex asked.

“When your grandmother first told me how she was feeling, I immediately contacted Conner,” she explained. “I didn’t tell him she was sick, but I sent him on a little errand for me—to check on something.”

“To check on what?” Alex asked.

“Froggy’s spell isn’t the only bit of your grandmother’s magic that might wear off,” she said. “The spell she cast to shut the portal between the worlds may fade away as well. And I asked Conner to check it out.”

A roller coaster of emotions ran through Alex’s body. Was it possible a bit of good news could come with this tragedy? After all, if the portal could be opened, she might see her brother again.

“How long until we know?” she asked.

“I’m still waiting to hear from him,” Mother Goose said. “Your grandmother’s magic may be fading, but as long as there’s the smallest bit left in her, there’s no way of telling which of her spells will stick. It could take weeks, months, or even years before we know about the portal.”

Red suddenly stormed down the hallway but stopped when she saw Alex and Mother Goose talking behind the pillar.

“Red, what’s wrong?” Mother Goose asked her. “Are you just sad about Charlie being pro-frog or has Clawdius swallowed one of the pixies again?”