Keelie watched as dwarves poured out of a tear in the Earth, legs pumping, mouths open in fear. They were smoky and their clothes singed, as if they were fleeing a fire in the tunnel behind them. The dwarves scattered as something exploded out of the fissure.
What the-a volcano? Molten lava shot up like a geyser of fire. A bright fireball hurled itself high into the sky and Keelie drew back as if it would burn her. This was no volcano. No, it looked like a dragon.
Dragons couldn"t be real, Keelie told herself. Although, why not? Her uncle was a unicorn, and Raven was dating a unicorn. She"d seen all kinds of creatures.
As she watched the tiny scene, the fireball arced up, then seemed to be on a trajectory headed straight to her. It was coming closer and closer.
"Is that a dragon?"
Queen Vania sat back down in her chair and closed her eyes. "This is worse than I thought. She"s awake and we are all doomed." She opened her eyes again and glared at Keelie. "If you hadn"t pushed all of the solar energy I was sending to you into the Earth, then both rifts would have been repaired."
Keelie couldn"t believe what she was hearing. "Excuse me? You were the one that asked me to help you."
"I a.s.sumed you were the answer. Apparently, the human DNA in your blood messed things up."
"You don"t know that. And you didn"t give me any instructions. I did the best I could, and you-" Keelie couldn"t finish her argument.
A shimmer formed and Salaca materialized, wearing fresh clothes and looking worried. "I know you didn"t want to be disturbed, but I think your presence is needed to deal with a problem. Several little problems." He sneered, reminding Keelie a lot of Elia.
Queen Vania lifted her head and peered at her subject with gla.s.sy eyes. "What?"
"You have several"-Salaca cleared his throat as if he had a hairball hung on the back of his tonsils-"dwarves who would like to speak to you immediately."
"Dwarves? Here?" Queen Vania seemed shocked by the very idea. Keelie wondered if she"d ever said the word "dwarves" before.
"Yes, and they"re being very loud. Saying if they do not have an immediate audience with you, they"re going to bring their wrought iron garden furniture and redecorate the Great Hall, and hope we all break out in hives."
"Send them off. They are not welcome, and I"m too distraught." Queen Vania waved her hand with a go-away gesture. "This mongrel has destroyed everything."
Great. Now Keelie was back to being a mongrel. One of the few things upon which the fae and elves would agree.
"They"re not going to go away. Smoke is billowing off their caps, and they"re angry. One of them said he lost his beard because of the fairy magic that blasted through Underthe-Hill."
Keelie turned her attention back to the scrying stone and the approaching fireball. The dragon looked angry.
Fala shimmered into the room, as beautifully dressed as his friend and just as frightened. "Your Majesty, a dragon has been sighted." Apparently, dragons weren"t a daily occurrence.
Vania sighed. "Show her in when she appears."
Keelie rose to her feet and dusted her hands off in an attempt to get the blood moving. Having a global mindmeld with the forests of the world had kind of left her limbs numb; she needed to walk around and get some blood circulating.
The queen stood up and jabbed a finger at Keelie. "You will explain to the dwarves and the dragon what you did when you pushed the magic into the Earth."
"Don"t blame me. You sent me to the Mother Tree, and she told me to do it."
"Well, it didn"t work, and now I have Ermentrude, awake and angry and headed this way. I don"t like to deal with dragons." The queen snapped her fingers and her throne appeared behind her.
"Ermentrude the Dragon? You are kidding." It sounded like a kiddy picture book.
Salaca"s face darkened and his lips trembled. "You"ve awakened our doom, mongrel."
Keelie wanted to kick the fairy, but he looked so scared that she almost felt sorry for him. So far, the dragon hadn"t done anything but fly out of the Earth and scorch some dwarves. They didn"t even seem too hurt. Ermentrude must be really tough if the queen was so affected. She wondered how the dragon"s presence would change the situation.
"We"re going to have to do this again, so you can"t leave until we find a solution to the rifts in Gaia"s Dome and the Earth," Vania said as she rose, smoothing down her dress. She snapped her fingers, and her throne was replaced by a mirror that shimmered into existence. Her hair formed into a smooth chignon, and she immediately glowed as if she"d just returned from a full day at the spa.
Keelie felt wilted on the inside and out. She didn"t want to remain in Fairy any longer. She simply wanted to leave, have a hot shower, and get some hot cocoa. Snuggling up to Sean would be even better, and if Elia stayed in her own room, it would be a definite possibility.
"Are you ready to explain yourself to Ermentrude?" Queen Vania glared at Keelie.
"But I didn"t do anything..."
Before Keelie could finish her sentence, the queen rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers, and next thing Keelie knew, she was back in the Great Hall, where the fairy partygoers still wore their masks. The dancing had stopped and the fae stood in groups, whispering and staring at several dwarves in singed clothes who were huddled together to the left side of the queen"s throne. A smoky scent lingered in the air, like burning leaves in a backyard.
The dwarves looked like football players planning their next play, and from the angry expressions on their faces, a quarterback sack was on the menu. Or maybe it would be a fairy queen tackle. Take her down.
Sean and Elia were standing at the edge of the crowd. Elia seemed to be counting the candles in the immense floating chandelier, but Sean paced, his forehead crinkled with exasperation. Keelie knew the look and the impatient pacing; he was on the edge, ready to take action. Knot was in front of the throne, sharpening his claws on the queen"s rug. Bits of fur floated like dust motes around Coyote, who was scratching his ear vigorously with a back paw.
Sean lifted his head and his eyes met Keelie"s. Relief and irritation spread across his handsome features. He took a step toward her, but she shook her head. Queen Vania wasn"t finished. The fairy queen glimmered into being, lounging on her throne. At her side were Fala and Salaca, still look ing nervous. Their quick eyes took in the room, and they relaxed and glanced at each other.
Uh oh. They were up to something.
The dwarves nodded at each other in unison. They had their plan. They surged forward toward the queen"s throne.
A smile broke out on Fala"s face, and then he guffawed. "You fellows still here? Not here to cause problems are you, little lords?"
Salaca joined in the laughter. "Little Lords." Fala grinned.
One of the dwarf lords pushed himself out of the middle of the group. "Is this how you offer hospitality to your guests? You insult them?"
Queen Vania waved her hand toward them. "Let them come forward."
The spokesdwarf had a singed hat and his tunic still smoldered. Keelie felt bad. For a moment she allowed herself to gloat at the power that had forced the dragon out of sleep, then forced attention back to the dwarves.
The queen bowed her head slightly. "King Gneiss. What can I do for you?"
Keelie was taken aback. This smoky person was a king? She"d have to ask Sir Davey. Although come to think of it, maybe he"d yell at her first.
"You can explain why a blazing fireball of fairy magic surged through Under-the-Hill and crisped me and my men as we were in the Crystal Caves."
Queen Vania arched an eyebrow. "What were you doing in the Crystal Caves? That area is off-limits to all, including the dwarves."
King Gneiss bl.u.s.tered.
A dwarf with a leather messenger bag over his broad shoulder stumbled forward. He pushed his sagging gla.s.ses back up his nose. "My Queen, the magical readings in the Crystal Caves have been off-center for a few days, and we were checking them. It was all purely scientific."
King Gneiss gestured toward the dwarf. "My geologist declared an emergency, a severe threat to Under-the-Hill."
"Then why didn"t you let me know there were problems in the Crystal Caves and Under-the-Hill? I might have been able to help."
King Gneiss snorted.
Fala stepped forward and pointed his crossbow at the King of the Dwarves. "You dare insult the queen."
"Put your weapon away," Queen Vania said in a calm but firm tone. "Let the dwarves speak."
"That"s better." King Gneiss glowered at Fala.
Everyone seemed to be on a short fuse, and with tempers flaring, Keelie figured it wouldn"t be much longer before there was an explosion of dwarves and fairy knights battling it out.
"I want to know what happened. What was the source of the power that surged through Under-the-Hill?"
Uh-oh! Keelie swallowed.
Queen Vania pointed at Keelie. "This is the unique girl whose hybrid blood gives her the ability to wield fairy, Earth, and nature magic. She harnessed the solar energy and pushed it down into the Earth to heal the rift."
King Gneiss turned to Keelie and studied her. "You"re the gal Jadwyn, er, Davey, talks about."
"You know Sir Davey?" Keelie asked, attempting to hide the surprise in her voice. She didn"t want to insult the dwarves.
"He"s my nephew."
"His uncle is the King of the Dwarves? He never said."
The king nodded approvingly. "It"s as well. He"s chosen the path of a merchant, selling our wares, and he"s made a good life."
"He"s my Earth magic teacher," Keelie added.
Queen Vania sighed. "Are we through with our mutual admiration? Might I propose we sit down and discuss this in my council chambers?"
Keelie looked up at the queen. Council chambers sounded very official and serious.
Suddenly, the air grew hot. Flames coiled underneath the Great Hall"s doors and a loud and furious roar echoed all around, making the fae cover their ears.
Everyone rushed toward the queen"s throne as she created a shield of ice to protect them. She turned to Keelie and King Gneiss. "It seems as if Ermentrude has joined us."
Through the shield of ice, Keelie saw the doors bang open as Ermentrude the dragon entered the room, her goatlike eyes taking everything in. She had to be twenty feet long. Wow! Keelie had never seen a dragon before. Consider her impressed.
Vania inhaled and leaned close to Keelie. "Show the utmost respect, and nod when she asks you a question. Dragons always like to be right."
"What if I don"t agree with her?" Keelie asked. "The fae don"t lie, and I don"t either. I have principles."
"Let"s just say principles can get you roasted." Queen Vania nodded and smiled at her unwelcome dragon guest.
"Enough said." Keelie put her trembling hands behind her back.
The dragon reared back onto her ma.s.sive haunches and swatted at the floating chandelier, which spun, tinkling, to the other side of the ballroom. Her scales clattered against the polished floor and Keelie felt as if all her internal organs had liquefied. Ermentrude"s sheer size was overwhelming, and she filled the room with the heavy and distinct smell of brimstone and charcoal.
King Gneiss stepped forward, his thumbs hooked into his pockets. "About time you came out of yer hidey hole, ye of wizened windbag. Why don"t you do something about ?" yer snoring.
Was the dwarf king stupid? You didn"t call a dragon an old wizened windbag.
"You pitiful excuse for a king, how dare you call me an old wizened windbag. It"s a wonder I can sleep with that nonstop digging and hammering that goes on in the mountain." Ermentrude"s voice shook the room.
The dwarf placed his hands on his hips. The dragon lowered her head until she was face-to-face with this dwarf with a death wish. Then there was a loud bang, and smoke. Keelie launched herself to the floor. She was expecting roaring and flames, and she didn"t want to be in the crossfire of a dragon"s fiery breath.
Instead, she heard laughter. When she lifted her head, she was astonished to see that the red-scaled dragon had vanished. In its place was a middle-aged woman wearing a red gypsy skirt and white peasant blouse. She had long red hair pinned up in a messy bun, and gold jewelry dripped from her ears, neck, and wrists in a tangle of styles and lengths.
"Gneiss, it"s good to see you again, of friend," the dragon woman said in a sandpapery voice. She sounded like a chain smoker.
"It is good to see you as well, but I wish it was under better circ.u.mstances." King Gneiss frowned at the avidly eavesdropping crowd of fae and lowered his voice. "I have felt a major shift in the magnetic energy in the Earth."
"The core is spinning faster," the dragon boomed. Her face darkened. "Many of my dragon brethren in different parts of the world have felt it, too. What happened? Who pushed the strong magic mixed with the solar energy deep into the Earth?"
King Gneiss pointed to Queen Vania and Keelie.
Keelie was still processing the concept that there were dragons all over the world. She saw King Gneiss" stubby finger pointed right at her and gulped.
Queen Vania stood and motioned with a hand. The ice shield disappeared, leaving Keelie and the queen exposed. Keelie wanted to leap behind the throne. The red-headed woman was a freakin" dragon. If she was mad at you, then you were barbecue.
The dragon woman strode toward them, leaning on a crystal-topped cane carved with exquisite quicksilver dragons that looked almost alive as they glinted in the candlelight. Behind her, Keelie saw Sean skirt the crowd, hand on his sword, trying to keep Ermentrude in sight. What was he up to? Unnecessary heroics would only get him killed, and she now felt anxious on top of terrified.
"I should"ve know you were behind this, Vania, but I felt the power of another." The woman turned her fiery gaze upon Keelie. "Was that you, girl?" She thumped her cane on the floor.
Keelie jumped, and even the queen jumped a little.
Keelie couldn"t lie. "Yes. I pushed the magic down into the Earth in an attempt to knit it back together. Maybe things didn"t go as they should have."
She couldn"t believe she"d said that in front of this woman, who looked almost as threatening as the dragon she"d been only minutes earlier.
Ermentrude pointed a long-fingernailed hand at Keelie. "I heard about you from my daughter. She said to keep an eye on you. Now, I understand."
Keelie didn"t know any dragon children, but she didn"t ask. One never wanted to upset a dragon.
Queen Vania cleared her throat. "Mayhaps, Ermentrude, you would like to refresh yourself before you return to your caverns?"
Ermentrude lifted her head and leveled her gaze at Queen Vania. Then she smiled, as if she"d discovered something secret about the queen of the fairies that no one else could see.
King Gneiss stepped forward. "You"re more than welcome to stay with the dwarves."
"I thank you for your kind invitation, but I think I would like to visit the elves of the Northwoods," Ermentrude said. "I have an old friend who has been feeling under the weather."
That must mean Lord Norzan, Keelie figured. He was the only elf she could think of who would ever befriend a dragon.
Murmurs traveled through the Great Hall, and Keelie overheard Fala and Salaca whispering to one another. "The dragon would rather stay with the elves than with the fairies. Ermentrude is getting old."
The dragon narrowed her red-gold eyebrows. "Queen Vania, I take insult when members of your court whisper about me behind my back."
Queen Vania turned an angry glower toward Fala and Salaca, who grew suddenly quiet. Keelie tried to repress a smile. It was good to see the two ego-driven fae have their comeuppance.