A Grimm Warning (The Land of Stories, #3)(94)

The royals all looked to one another as her words touched each of them. They were surprised, impressed, and, most important, inspired by what Red said. They all took a step toward Goldilocks, united in the request.

“I do have pretty decent upper-body strength from cleaning my stepmother’s house every day,” Cinderella bragged.

“And we could use a break from being cooped up inside those carriages.” Snow White shrugged.

Goldilocks was impressed by their interest and withdrew her sword from its scabbard. “All right, then,” she said. “Your Majesties, each of you please find a large stick. The first thing I’m going to teach you is how to use a sword.”



Mother Goose stood on the grand balcony of the Fairy Palace and gazed at the stars in the night sky. She quietly prayed that wherever the twins and Lester were, they were succeeding in their efforts to recruit the armies. But most of all, she prayed that they were safe.

Emerelda rushed onto the balcony. “Mother Goose,” she said breathlessly. “It’s the Fairy Godmother, she’s awake.”

Mother Goose’s spirits soared so high she almost floated into the air. “For good?” she asked.

“From the looks of it, I would say only momentarily,” Emerelda said. “She seems extremely tired and she’s asking for you.”

Without wasting a second, Emerelda and Mother Goose ran to the Fairy Godmother’s chambers. Mother Goose kneeled by her bedside and took her hand into her own. Her eyes were open but very heavy, as if she had just awoken from a deep sleep and was about to fall into another.

“Hello there, my dear friend,” Mother Goose said softly to her.

“Emerelda, would you please give Mother Goose and me a moment alone?” the Fairy Godmother asked weakly.

Emerelda nodded and left the chambers.

“Mother Goose, I have something I need to ask of you before I go,” the Fairy Godmother said.

“Go? But where are you going?” Mother Goose laughed. “The Poconos? Martha’s Vineyard? Palm Springs?”

“You know where I’m going,” she said.

“I do,” Mother Goose said sadly. “But I was hoping there was still a chance you’d be sticking around. What is it that you need to ask me?”

The Fairy Godmother’s eyes grew heavier the more she tried to speak. “Over the years I have kept many secrets for you,” she said. “I’ve only asked you to keep one of mine, and I’m asking you to keep it even after I’m gone.”

Mother Goose knew what her friend was referring to without having to ask. “I assume you’re talking about the other heir,” she said.

“Yes,” the Fairy Godmother said with a deep breath. “If Alex hadn’t proven herself to be the true heir of magic, I wouldn’t be lying in this bed. Her compassion is both her greatest strength and her greatest weakness. If she ever knew there was another—if she ever found out who they are—she would be fooled the same way I was and it would destroy her.”

“I understand,” Mother Goose said. “You have my word: I will keep your secret and Alex will never know.”

The Fairy Godmother smiled at her oldest friend. “Thank you,” she said with relief. Her eyelids became too heavy to hold open and she drifted back into a very deep sleep. She slept even more peacefully than before, now that this had been addressed.

Mother Goose sighed and squeezed the Fairy Godmother’s hand. Keeping the Fairy Godmother’s secret would be the hardest challenge she would ever face.





CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO





TO THE CORE


In the middle of the night three villages in the south of the Eastern Kingdom found themselves under attack. Soldiers of the Grande Armée invaded the towns and robbed the villagers of all their supplies. The villagers themselves were imprisoned and taken back to the soldiers’ camp.

Only one village had the courage to stand up against the Armée and it was destroyed in the process. As far as the soldiers knew, not a single soul had survived the ruthless attack. When the enslaved villagers arrived at the camp, they were lined up and each given a shovel. Their only instructions were to dig.

“How far do they dig?” General Marquis asked the Masked Man. They watched the villagers work from the general’s comfortable tent.

“Until they hit magma,” the Masked Man said. He cradled the dragon egg in his hands and never let it out of his sight. “It shouldn’t take them very long to reach it. During the Dragon Age the Eastern Kingdom was consumed with volcanoes. Dragons laid their eggs in the magma because their offspring grew at rapid rates in the heat.”

“And what happens after the egg is placed in the magma?” the general asked with a sideways glance at him.

“I’ll let you know,” the Masked Man said, and held the egg even tighter. He was very tight-lipped, knowing his knowledge of dragons was the only thing keeping him alive.

“You’re smarter than you look,” the general said.

“General Marquis,” Colonel Baton called from the back of the tent. “We have finalized our plan of attack for tomorrow.”

The colonel and Capitaine De Lange were standing over the general’s desk. A large map of the fairy-tale world had been spread out across it with several flags and figurines placed in strategic clumps throughout the kingdoms.