Fairy Bad Day(64)
Emma shook her head. “You know, you three are the worst evil fairies in the world.”
“See, I told you this would happen.” Rupert glared at his fellow fairies before narrowing his tiny eyes and staring at Emma and Curtis. “And for the record, just because we’re helping you doesn’t mean we like you guys. We’re still hard-core bad.”
“You’d rather read gossip blogs and watch movies,” Curtis pointed out, causing Rupert to sigh.
“Okay, fine. The truth is that we’re just regular, extremely stylish, paranormal beings, but if you two know what’s good for you, you’ll keep it to yourself,” Rupert conceded.
“Now,” Trevor said as he nodded toward the other fairies, who were still hovering by the ceiling, looking down on them all with interest. “If you want the three of us to help you, we need to make it look like you are forcing us against our will because if word gets out that we helped you guys . . . well, let’s just say that things might not be so pleasant.”
“Fine.” Emma rose to her feet and held the nail file up before saying in a loud voice so that the other fairies who were looking on from up by the ceiling could hear her. “Okay, try anything funny and it’s a long slow death.”
“Nice.” Rupert nodded in approval and pretended to shudder in fear while Curtis retrieved his crutches. “Now go to the escalators and head down to the food court.”
“The food court?” Emma blinked in surprise. “That’s where I followed you on Saturday and almost got blown up. What’s going on?”
“This is the person who is going to save us from our dark brother?” Trevor didn’t look impressed as he flew around in spirals. “Because I don’t mean to be negative but I think we might be in trouble.”
“Just answer the question,” Emma retorted as she waved the nail file at him.
“I thought you would’ve figured it out by now,” Gilbert said in a low voice as he checked to see if the other fairies were following. They weren’t.
“Figured out what?” Emma asked as they crossed the faux-marble floor of the food court and tried to ignore the competing smells of burgers and fried chicken.
“That the explosion was caused by our dark brother breaking through from the Gate of Linaria. The first time he got through, it was thanks to an earthquake that managed to jolt the gate open, but this time apparently he had a hundred warlocks conjure up a spell to let him come back through. It took years—not to mention a lot of dieting, since the gate is only open for three seconds and let’s just say that our dark brothers aren’t always the slimmest of creatures. Comes from all the bones they insist on eating.”
Emma stopped and stared at them in horror as Curtis narrowed his eyes at the fairies.
“Are you seriously trying to tell me that the Gate of Linaria is down at the food court?” he asked.
“Well, yeah. I mean it moves around a lot but right now that’s where it is. Anyway, you’re here now, so our job is done.”
“Hang on, we still don’t know what the soul box looks like,” Curtis said. “Or if it’s even there.”
“Just wave the key in the air and it will appear. It’s not usually visible to the human eye but the key will reveal it. You do have a key, don’t you?”
“Yes, we have the key,” Emma confirmed, still trying to get her mind around the fact that they were about to go and see the Gate of Linaria.
“Good. Oh, and there’s one more thing. Once you release the darkhel’s soul, it will still take another twenty-four hours before he’s banished back to the other side of the gate.”
“What?” Curtis didn’t look impressed. “Who makes up these ridiculous rules? Why won’t it just be banished right away?”
“Okay, do you really want a lecture on elemental banishing or do you just want to accept that what I’m telling you is true?” Gilbert had lost his worried look as he fluttered his wings in an annoyed fashion and folded his tiny arms in front of him. “Because if you want a lecture, I can give you a lecture.”
“We don’t want the lecture.” Emma quickly put up her hands to stop him from talking any more than was strictly necessary. “Besides, we’ve already fought this creature twice. I’m sure we can contain it for one more day,” she said, but the fairy made a clicking noise with his tongue.
“Slayer-girl,” Gilbert said with dead seriousness, “what you fought was a shadow. A creature that was only at half strength. When his soul returns, he’ll be like nothing you’ve ever fought before. Besides, before he couldn’t fight for very long without having to go off and restore his power, but now, let’s just say that having his soul back is like giving him a turbo-powered booster to work with.”
Emma felt her eyes widen. “Please tell me that you’re joking.”
Rupert and Trevor shook their heads. “Gilbert is a darkhel expert. If he is says our dark brother will come back stronger once it regains its soul, then that’s what will happen.”
“It’s true,” Gilbert acknowledged, puffing out his chest.
Emma tried to contain her panic. Her two meetings with the giant fairy had been the toughest fights of her life, and the thought of having to face it again, when it was supersized with soul-induced über-powers, was hardly something to look forward to. Especially since the creature couldn’t be killed.