Spelled by Betsy Schow

Author:Betsy Schow
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
Published: 2015-04-07T15:49:11+00:00

“Rule #68: When you’re afraid, hold your head high and whistle a happy tune. This remedy is also known to increase dwarf productivity by a multiple of seven.”

—Definitive Fairy-Tale Survival Guide, Volume 1

21

We’re Off to See the Wizard

“Time to greet the suns, Priestess,” a very chipper voice cut through the fog of slumber.

Prying my eyes open took some effort, but when I finally succeeded, Bob’s smiling face took up the whole door frame. Morning people should have to live in their own country or something and not bother the rest of us.

“Unh, need…more…sleep.” To say that I’d had a restless night would be a gross understatement. Between Rexi snoring and grunting in her sleep and me worrying that one of Griff’s cronies would do the volcano thing in my new room, I hadn’t actually had any peaceful rest.

“Apologies, Priestess, but my lord instructed me to wake you. He and the rude human are waiting for you.”

Rude human? He must mean Rexi. She wasn’t kicking me out of bed, so she must have already gotten up.

I stumbled to the door and shooed Bob away. “I’ll just change and be right there.” Luckily, the late queen and I were the same size—coincidence, not a sign. We certainly didn’t share the same taste in fashion. I threw on a blue gingham frock and headed out.

Rexi sauntered down the hallway, her knapsack bulging to capacity. “I’ve found all sorts of useful supplies around this dump, so I’m all ready to go.”

I quirked an eyebrow at her. “Where are you going?”

“We are going to go see your stalker wizard whether he wants the rest of us or not.”

I wasn’t particularly happy our plans had been changed without me. “I thought we were going to the spring somewhere over the rainbow?”

“Kato says without the help of the Emerald Sorceress…” Rexi trailed off.

“We’d never find it.” Kato came toward us from the other direction. Instead of continuing the thought, he stopped. “That dress.”

That’s all he said—then stared, making me self-conscious. “Is it okay if I wear this? It was just lying there, and my other one’s toast so…” I waited for him to say something.

He smiled, then quickly coughed. “It…suits you. If you don’t mind it being simple and used, you’re welcome to keep it.”

I couldn’t tell if that was a compliment or another dig. “Well, vintage is in this season, so it’ll do.”

“Yeesh,” Rexi groaned. “Just get to the whole homicidal rainbow sprite.”

“Excuse me?” I asked.

Kato straightened, turning royal know-it-all again. “The spring Verte wanted you to go to has special powers that might be able to undo the wish. But the spring is invisible. It moves so no one knows where it is, and it’s guarded by a sprite that uses deadly rainbow sorcery.”

If that was true, how did Verte ever expect me to be able to find it? “Are you sure?”

“I spent most of the night doing research,” Kato said. “I also poured through the chimera archives and found lots of references to a Book of Making.

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