A Grimm Warning (The Land of Stories, #3)(91)

“You want my army?” Trollbella asked. She looked up at him questioningly. Even her Butterboy might have overstepped his boundaries with this request.

“Yes, but there’s an even bigger reason why we need it,” Conner said.

“Trollbella, an army of thousands of men has invaded this world and they plan on taking over—” Alex tried to explain, but Trollbella interrupted her.

“Hush, fairy girl!” the troll queen demanded. “This has nothing to do with you. Keep your wand out of our business!”

Alex rolled her eyes and gestured to her brother to explain the rest. Conner quickly told her about the Grande Armée and how they needed the troblins’ help to stop them. His explanation may not have captivated the troll queen but it sparked the interest of all the other creatures around.

“I’ll go!” said one of the rowing goblins.

“That sounds terrific!” an eavesdropping troll said from one of the forts nearby.

“I’m not even in the army but I’ll help you fight!” said a desperate goblin.

“Me too!” said another troll.

The twins were so excited to see their enthusiasm. Life on a floating city must have been really dull if the idea of war sounded intriguing.

Trollbella squinted and crossed her arms as she thought about it. “But still, an army in exchange for a broken heart seems like a pretty steep deal,” she said.

Without missing a beat, Conner clutched his chest and fell to the deck in pain. “Oh my broken heart! It hurts so much! Oh the pain, the miserable pain!” he screamed.

“Your heart is on the other side of your chest, Conner,” Alex whispered down at him and he quickly made the correction.

Tears formed in Trollbella’s eyes at the sight of her Butterboy in pain she had caused him. “Oh no, Butterboy!” she said, and rushed to his side. “If my army will help ease your pain, then my army you shall have!”

Conner quickly sat up, completely fine. “Thank goodness,” he said. “I really appreciate it! Now we need to gather up your army and fill them in on our plan as soon as possible.”

Queen Trollbella got to her feet to address the rowers aboard her boat. “Take us to the army fort at once, troblins!” she ordered. “My Butterboy needs to speak with our army and start his healing process.”

The troll and goblin rowers turned the boat completely around and headed in the direction of the army float. Alex gestured for Lester to follow the boat, and helped Conner to his feet.

“Nice going,” she whispered in his ear.

“Thanks,” Conner said, but his face fell into a pout.

“What’s wrong?” she said. “We recruited the troblin army and it was easier than either of us expected!”

“I know,” Conner said sadly. “I just can’t believe Trollbella picked that troll over me.”





CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE





FROM THE ASHES


The secret path weaved through the countryside, crossed rivers without bridges, and climbed over mountains that roads had never been built on as the carriages traveled through the kingdoms. Jack and Goldilocks were very attentive to the land surrounding them and so far they hadn’t encountered any problems during their covert tour. However peaceful the land outside the carriages was, though, the inside of the third carriage was another story.

Red had managed to bite her tongue since they left the Fairy Kingdom. She and Little Bo hadn’t said a word the entire trip and the others stayed just as silent, afraid any conversation might send the two into a vicious argument. Instead, as if they were watching a tennis match, Froggy, Bree, and Emmerich watched Red and Little Bo exchange spiteful looks back and forth.

The silence finally became too much for Red and she tried speaking to Little Bo as diplomatically as she could.

“So, Little Bo,” Red said. “Have you enjoyed being queen of my kingdom—excuse me—your kingdom?”

“Yes” was all Little Bo replied. She stared at Red stoically and didn’t look away, as if Red was playing a childish game she didn’t want to participate in.

The others in the carriage traded uncomfortable looks. It was inevitable that this conversation would end in disaster.

“Good to hear,” Red lied through a clenched jaw. “Have you fulfilled all the promises you made to the people during the election?”

“Almost,” Little Bo said, and still her stoic expression didn’t fade.

“Wonderful,” Red peeped. “And how are the House of Progress representatives?”

“They were all replaced with actual representatives from the village,” Little Bo informed her.

Red couldn’t help but let a high-pitched snicker escape her mouth. The others relaxed a bit seeing her so amused—perhaps there was a chance they could be civil to each other.

“Well, they had it coming,” she said. “And what about the castle? Have you grown accustomed to it yet? I’m sure it took some time getting used to it compared to that farmhouse you lived in before.”

“I still live at my farm, actually,” Little Bo said.

Red suddenly gagged as if she had swallowed a bug. “Do you?” she asked, trying her best to remain calm. “Then why did you ask me to move out of it?”