Worlds Collide (The Land of Stories #6)(56)
“I’d say we’re more than just acquainted,” Arthur said with a telling grin.
“Well, I was her first kiss,” Rook bragged.
“Well, I’ll be her last,” Arthur quipped.
Rook roared and charged toward Arthur, intending to tackle him. In one swift motion, Arthur threw Rook over his shoulder and pinned him to the ground under his boot.
“Boys, knock it off!” Merlin said. “We don’t have time for an adolescent love triangle—there are much bigger issues in this story.”
“Speaking of which, what the heck happened to the Fairy Palace?” Mother Goose said. “This place looks like New Year’s Eve at Pompeii! And the Fairy Council is as stiff on the outside as they were on the inside! Charlie, what’s going on in this world?”
Froggy let out a deep sigh. “It’s been attacked by an atrocious army of literary characters,” he explained. “The Wicked Witch from Oz, the Queen of Hearts from Wonderland, and Captain Hook from Neverland have joined forces and taken over the kingdoms! And recently, they’ve set their sights on the Otherworld. I’m on my way there to warn the twins the army is coming!”
“Then it wasn’t a dream,” Arthur said. “Alex really is in trouble! We’ve got to save her!”
“All right, all right, all right,” Mother Goose said. “Artie, you can say I told you so later—but right now we’ve got to get our keisters into the Otherworld and help the twins! Lead the way, Charlie—we’re coming with you!”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Froggy said. “But first, I need to loosen up the Fairy Council.”
“Good luck,” Mother Goose said with a snort. “I’ve been trying to loosen up those broads for centuries.”
Froggy hopped to the statues in the center of the destruction and placed two drops of Medusa’s tears in each of their eyes. Just like the people in the mine, the Fairy Council began to wiggle, shake, and crack. With seven bright, colorful blasts, the stone covering their bodies exploded and the council was finally free. The fairies looked around at their ruined home in shock. Emerelda, however, remained as stoic as ever. As if she had been deep in thought during her entire time as a statue, the leader of the Fairy Council emerged from the spell knowing exactly what needed to be done next.
“Alex,” Emerelda said sharply. “We need to find Alex.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
WORLDS COLLIDE
Within a few hours after the witches occupied Central Park, the number of US Marines under General Wilson’s command had doubled, and more were on their way from military bases around the country. The soldiers formed a line that stretched along Central Park’s six-mile perimeter, and snipers were repositioned on the balconies of penthouse apartments facing the park. There was no possible way anything could escape the park without going through the Marines—not that anything could get through Alex’s magic shield. They had only seen the shield disappear once all night, but it had been reinstated so quickly, the Marines thought it was wisest to keep their distance.
Unfortunately, General Wilson had positioned his soldiers in the wrong location. The witches still had several hours before their gingerbread army was finished baking. The real threat was approaching from behind the Marines—but by the time they saw it coming, it was already too late.
“Sir, I have good news!” a soldier reported to General Wilson.
“What is it?” the general asked.
“We’ve located Cornelia Grimm,” the soldier replied. “She should be here within the hour.”
“Thank you, Sergeant,” General Wilson said. “I want to be notified the minute she arrives.”
Suddenly, Fifth Avenue started to rumble with the power of an earthquake. The Marines searched the street to see what was causing the commotion but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. However, the soldiers felt the tremor grow stronger and stronger the closer they walked to the New York Public Library.
As they approached the library’s front steps, a thunderous explosion prompted all the Marines to dive to the ground. They looked up and saw a massive pirate ship burst out of the library’s roof and soar into the air. The ship was followed by swarms of winged creatures—monkeys, as far as they could tell. Once the sky was filled with the mysterious beasts, fleets of strangely shaped soldiers charged out of the library’s damaged entrance with their swords and staffs raised above their heads.
“General, we’re under attack—again!” shouted a Marine. “What are your orders, sir?”
General Wilson watched in total shock as the literary characters emerged from the library. Apparently the witches were just the prelude of a painfully long performance, and for the first time all night, the general doubted they’d make it to the curtain call.
“Sir, your orders?” the Marine asked again.
“Pray, Sergeant,” the general ordered. “At this point, it’s all we can do.”
As the sun rose over New York City, a floating procession of fictional proportions flew over northern New Jersey. An enormous spacecraft, a large blimp, a colorful jet, and a flying pirate ship transported Conner’s family, friends, and characters toward the Empire State.