CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The bright but not warm afternoon sun hung low over the Third Kingdom. Underneath the tall tree-like beanstalks in the notorious forest, however, it may as well have been night. No light leaked through to the ground beneath the stalks, whose high canopy was perpetually covered in a thick blanket of clouds.
Acrotis walked quietly across the soft earth of the forest floor. Although the smell of the forest was not pleasant, her bare feet were grateful for the relief of the cool soil. After walking, sometimes snatching a ride on a passing wagon, nonstop for almost two whole days, her thin shoes meant for palace wear had been torn to shreds. She was starved, thirsty, and fatigued but not disheartened in the least. She knew that she was closer now with every step; closer to the Northern Lands and to the army of the Troll King Burly, whom she was going to warn of the Guardian and Virginia's pathetic plans. Then she would be rid of them, and all the Kingdoms, forever! She smiled and her step quickened, even as she tripped on the torn hem of her once beautiful blue dress.
Suddenly she heard a noise. Halting her jogging pace, Acrotis lifted her head to listen better. The sound was coming from above her. It was of scratching and scraping, as if someone was trying to climb down a beanstalk from up high. As she listened more intently, she heard hushed voices along with the other sounds of climbing. Deep, gruff voices mingled with high, piercing ones, all obviously trying to whisper in their own pitch. And then gradually there were more scraping sounds, and more voices, until it seemed that there were thousands of people clinging to the beanstalks above her who were about to descend.
A few seconds later, she found that all this was indeed happening. As Acrotis watched, giants appeared out of the clouds, clutching onto the beanstalks for dear life and inching their way down as carefully as possible. Soon flocks of flying elves came flitting down gradually, sometimes stopping to rest by grabbing a beanstalk with their tiny arms and hanging there. After the giants and intermingled with the elves came the trolls and Sasquash, distinguishable from each other only because the Sasquash were taller and more hairy, though both species of creatures were unquestionably ugly. In the semi-darkness, they looked like so many demons coming down into the underworld.
Acrotis could barely contain her excitement. Finding the troll army had certainly not proved as difficult as she had thought it would! She had never considered that they would be hiding in the giants' land, but it did seem like a very practical solution. The army had been camped in the Northern Lands up until a very few days ago, she guessed, and then had secretly moved to the beanstalk forest. Then they had climbed to the giants' part of the sky (which had always been quite removed from Welkin's part) and stayed there so that they would be near to their holographic camp but undetected. That way, if the Kingdom armies planned a surprise attack, which they undoubtedly would, the trolls' army would be close to their fake camp, but of course not in it, when they came. Then when the Kingdom army stormed the camp, they would have them right where they wanted them: stuck in the valley with no means of escape. It was a good plan, Acrotis thought, one that didn't seem worthy of a troll's mind. She was very glad they had thought of it, though - she had not been looking forward to hiking all the way up to the Northern Lands.
She spotted Burly the Troll King as soon as he stepped off a particularly thick beanstalk and onto the ground. He wore an uncanny amount of leather, more than all the rest of his troll minions, if that seemed possible. The King was completely decked out from head to foot in weaponry ; several horribly twisted pieces of metal hung from a chain at his neck, five differently- sized knives were unsheathed and attached to his belt , and welded to his thick black leather gloves were short iron spikes. All he had to do was shake someone's hand to cause them serious bodily harm, and Acrotis was sure he liked it that way. Next to him and all the other monsters surrounding her, Acrotis looked desperately pale and fragile.
Your majesty! she cried suddenly, disturbing the hushed mood of the group. She realized too late that they were all trying to make as little noise as possible, for fear of alerting any scouts of the Kingdoms that might be lurking around. Acrotis cringed as every head turned toward her with scornful eyes.
I'm sorry, she whispered to everyone. Trying to ignore their piercing stares, she ran over to King Burly. He was staring at her, too, obviously surprised. Acrotis only hoped that he was pleasantly surprised, but something told her this was not so.
Who are you? he spat in an angry whisper, flexing his hands in their deadly gloves for emphasis.
Acrotis paused. How was she going to tell him that she was of a race of people who lived in the clouds and were about to destroy him using the forces of weather? She should have thought about how she was going to phrase herself before, but now it was too late. She would just tell him the whole truth.
My name is Acrotis, your majesty, she began. I am, or was, from a place called Welkin, a city in the clouds. But I was exiled, and now I have come to you to help you win your war and gain revenge for myself.
She stopped, but Burly gave her no response, except for the deepening of his frown. Most of the creatures around were watching them now. Some had stopped their descent from the beanstalks to stay quiet and listen. Increasingly nervous, Acrotis hurriedly continued.
The people in Welkin are very powerful. More powerful than any of the armies of the Kingdoms, and more powerful than you.
Now the King stiffened, and there were angry whispers among the people/ animals in the trees.
They are planning to destroy you, and when they find out when you are attacking and where, they will kill you all.
Several seconds of silence followed this weighted statement. Then suddenly, to Acrotis's surprise and dismay, the forest rang with Burly's harsh laughter. The rest of the army hesitantly joined in.
You mean to tell me, the troll said between snickers, that our army, the greatest army on the face of this earth, is about to be defeated by your imaginary people in the clouds? He grinned widely, showing his rotting teeth. Go suck an elf.
Acrotis cried in distress. It's true! They have a Seer, Virginia's son, who is telling them all your secret -
Acrotis found herself on the ground so fast she didn't know what had happened, until she reached up to her face and her hand came away bloody.
Now I know you are lying, King Burly hissed at her, bringing his spiked glove back down to his side again. All his minions in the stalks and on the ground cried in outrage and slinked closer to where she lay in pain.
Virginia is the witch because of whom this war started, I'll have you kindly remember, he sneered, breathing on her threateningly. She's the one who killed my powerful father and our mighty Queen! If you are telling me, and this entire army, that a piece of refuse she calls her son could possibly be a Seer, the creatures surrounding her laughed menacingly, then there is nothing else to be assumed except that you have sympathized with her and her wretched family.
You're wrong! Acrotis shouted, eyes wide. I hate them as much as you do! That's exactly why I'm telling you all -
No, I don't think so, Burly said with satisfaction. I think, no, I know, that you are a spy come to play the part of a helpless little girl (which you obviously are anyway) to rob the Trolls' of their right for eternal victory and glory. He narrowed his eyes at her and raised his spiked hand. I will tell you right now that I am not going to let you succeed.
Acrotis was smart enough to realize that there was no point in protesting. They were all blood thirsty, caught up in the excitement of the coming battle. Nothing she said anymore would get through to them at all. The wound in her cheek, sliced by the spikes on the Troll King's hand, still stung like it was on fire. When Burly's upraised hand came down on her again, she had every intention of dodging it and running for all she was worth, although that probably would not get her very far anyway. She was completely surrounded with monsters ready to kill her without hesitation.
But the blow did not come. Instead, as Acrotis stared at Burly with panic evident on her fair face and her muscles tensed to sprint away, the King's hand came slowly to his own neck. His thick fingers closed around a strangely shaped bone attached to a strand of leather, which he brought slowly to his lips.
The sound that the whistle created was unlike any Acrotis had heard before. It was a high, mournful wailing sound like a banshee would make. But there was more power wove into it, as though if someone didn't know any better they would be compelled to stand up and follow the noise until they found the source.
In the seconds following the lone note played by the whistle, Acrotis again heard something coming down from the sky above the beanstalk forest. This time, however, it was not the sounds of climbing. It was the air being stirred by the wing beats of many huge animals coming down into the darkness.
She knew it was the dragons before she saw them. Along with that realization came fear like she had never known, the rare kind of gripping fear that only the doomed can experience.
The red dragons landed on the ground on all sides of her, where the rest of the army had hurriedly made room for them. They were surprisingly quiet on their huge wings, the size of which knocked the breath out of everyone present, even those who had seen them many times before. They filled up the cramped space between the beanstalks like elephants would fill an apartment building. Smoke and flame billowed from their nostrils and singed anyone foolish enough to stay too close. Blood red scales flowed up and down their backs and through their whip like tails. But what Acrotis noticed was their dinosaur-like teeth and claws, appallingly sharp and big... and close.
Now you will see how Burly the Troll King handles his enemies, the brute said in a voice that would have been a gleeful shout if the situation allowed, but instead was a strained whisper. He smiled wildly and motioned toward Acrotis as he turned to the dragons. Eat her.
Acrotis tried to rise to her feet, but she tripped backwards over a root sticking up out of the ground, which gave the creatures in the trees more opportunity to jeer at her and cheer the dragons on. She couldn't have run far anyway, and deep down she knew it, but desperately she knew nothing but the need for escape. This time, however, escape was not possible.
All she could think with her frenzied mind was that she had failed. Hundreds of years of work, and it will end in this!
The scream was caught in her throat as twenty hungry titans circled and ultimately consumed the once-powerful woman who had finally met her match.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

In Welkin, there was complete and utter turmoil. The city had less than half an hour to prepare the storm of the millennium and set it loose on the greatest and most evil threat ever to plague the Kingdoms. Tempers were running high.
Where's Tony? Wolf asked Virginia with more than a little exasperation in his voice. I haven't seen him for hours.
I don't know, Virginia answered, scanning the huge expanse of rolling clouds that was the area between the edge of the city and the beginning of battle stations'. But he had better show up soon because he has Patrick and I want to be with him when this storm starts. The last time I saw them was in Lorelei's house.
Wolf sighed. I'd better go back and get him. You know he'll never come out of that place on his own if there's danger outside.
Virginia was going to protest to this attack on her father, but she realized that it was very true and said nothing. You might as well.
A few minutes later, after a frantic search for the right house, Wolf found Tony, Patrick and Nicholas the elf sitting at a table inside and talking. He ran in and broke up the party, with a frown at Tony who just gave him a sly grin.
What could you possibly be smiling about... Wolf asked him incredulously when he was still grinning later as they walked back toward Virginia. Nicholas had flown off somewhere in the other direction. ... when the fate of all the Kingdoms rests right now on a crazy old man, and we could all quite possibly be killed, and.... Cripes, stop it, you're scaring me!
But Tony kept right on smiling, and the only thing that finally wiped the smirk off his face was Virginia's expression when they reached her.
We have to hurry, she said urgently as they approached, taking Patrick from Wolf's arms. They're about to start....
Half walking and half running, the four started for battle stations, and the almost - invisible city completely disappeared behind them. Virginia couldn't see more than a few feet in front or to any side of her, but she kept her eyes ahead and tried not to think that she could get lost again. Lorelei had assured her that all she had to do to get to battle stations was walk in a straight line away from the edge of city. Virginia didn't know anything about what the battle stations actually were, but she just hoped she could find them anyway.
Gradually she began to realize that the cloud was thinning. From her earlier walk when she had lost herself in the clouds and found the spot where she could look out over the Kingdoms, she recognized that there was more light coming through the mist than normal.
she ordered Wolf and Tony. Holding Patrick tightly, Virginia inched through the haze. All at once she was no longer standing in the cloud, but at the very edge of the clear force field that made it possible for them to walk. When she looked down she could see, for miles below where she was standing, the green of the Kingdoms and blue of the sea. It looked very much like she was standing on nothing at all, over the land so far below. She sucked in her breath slowly and took a large step backwards. Patrick's eyes widened and he clutched his mother in fear.
What is it? Wolf asked. He and Tony came closer and joined her at the end of the cloud.
Tony whistled in surprise. I didn't know we were that high up.
Virginia didn't answer. She was looking across to the clouds parallel to the one they were on. What she saw surprised her almost as much as suddenly finding herself standing on nothing at all over miles of empty space.
It was, she supposed, the battle stations, but it was not what she had been expecting. Scattered all over the sky, for almost as far as her eyes could see, there were hundreds of little puffy white clouds. The clouds were lined up in straight rows, diagonally back and forth, each one carefully spaced. And on each cloud was a person. Men and women, old and young, hundreds of people on hundreds of clouds. The women wore long white dresses like Lorelei's, and the men wore white garments covered by cloaks. It was difficult to differentiate between person and cloud.
So that's where everyone in the city was this whole time, Wolf said. They were camped out here.
And now it's time for them to work, Virginia added. But the sky is still blue. We're not too late.
The sky was blue. From so high up, it was a deeply rich blue, and the sun was shining almost blindingly bright. It was hard to imagine what was about to happen.
Virginia could see that far away, at the front of all the people and where they were turned toward, stood the only figure that was cloaked in brown. Even from such a long distance, she recognized him as the Guardian. He looked stronger and taller than she had ever seen him before, ready to lead his people into battle. Next to him was a single woman standing on her own cloud. The woman looked up and saw Virginia, Wolf, Tony and Patrick, and started moving toward them on her cloud. The way she rode on it made Virginia think of a flying carpet. Lorelei swooped up gracefully to where they were standing at the edge of the force field and stood with her arms crossed. She looked at them, raised her eyebrows, and frowned.
I really don't know what to do with you, she said in an irritated tone. Before, whenever we've had the Seers here during a storm they've stayed in the city, where it was safe. She stared at them pointedly, but when none of them, not even Tony, made any move to leave back for the city, she sighed and went on.
Fine. If you really must see this, I guess I'll have to put up a temporary force field around all of you. Humans (including half-wolves) simply cannot be in a cloud during a thunderstorm without protection. Certainly not during a storm that's as bad as this one is going to be. Lorelei looked at them again for a moment, and suddenly her tone softened as her eyes rested on baby Patrick. Don't worry, she said, allowing herself a smile. It will all be over soon.
With that, she raised her hands into an arch and spoke a few strange words. The next second, Virginia found herself and her family in a transparent dome that she could see out of clearly. When she touched the surface, however, the substance swirled and twisted but did not break, and snapped back to its original form with a sound like splashing water. She knew that nothing could penetrate the dome, and that they couldn't escape either.
Tony called after Lorelei just before she sped away on her cloud again. How will we breathe? We'll run out of air!
You have breathing rings, she called, rolled her eyes, and headed off in the direction of the Guardian again.
Virginia had almost forgotten about the golden breathing ring on her finger. Quickly she checked Patrick's hands for one, and found a tiny ring there on his right ring finger. He must have had one anyway, she thought, because no human could breathe in the high altitude air without a ring.
Lorelei moved again to her place beside the Guardian. From the bubble, Virginia could see them conversing with each other. Then the Guardian turned to his people, who were waiting patiently and began to speak. The four observers in the bubble could hear him clearly. Strangely, the force field dome did not block the sound at all.
People of Welkin, he shouted, his voice somehow made louder so that the ones on clouds in the far back, thousands of feet away, could hear him, The time is now.
In total unison, the hundreds of people raised their hands. The power in that movement was phenomenal. Virginia was grateful for her dome of protection. Any one of those people could change so much with their powers, could alter the lives of many. Luckily they knew how to use their powers for good, but still they were frightening, all together in one place, about to let loose their magic and storm upon the world....

The horse stirred nervously beneath him and kicked at the ground. Not for the first time that day, Wendell wondered about the accountability of his steed. It was a horse he had not ridden before, a beautiful jet black one that was supposedly one of the strongest in Rapunzel's possession. But, perhaps that was a bad point, too, the simple fact that it belonged to Queen Rapunzel. He would certainly not be riding one of her horses, if only he had not volunteered his own favorite horse to the scout who had been sent ahead, bragging that it was the fastest in the Kingdoms. Wendell, sadly enough, had not a single extra horse to spare amongst his whole army, which left him in the piteous position of having to ask to borrow one, and Rapunzel was the first to have volunteered her service. Well, he would make the best of it anyway.
An alarmingly large fly buzzed across his face. As he swatted it away, Wendell's hand bumped into his nose. He groaned and looked down in shame. Almost, for half a second, he had forgotten about the unspeakable humility known as his nose. It was still long and stretched out by the lie he had told in Pinocchio's town. Every time Wendell chanced to look in a mirror, he gritted his teeth and walked on staring at the floor. Hardly anyone had said a thing, but he saw how they all gave him more than a passing glance, and looked at each and smiled when he walked by. What was it with him and magic curses that caused him to become so nauseating? First he was a dog and now... the nose problem. After this war was finished he would be able to take some of the antidote from the trolls, if such a thing existed; he wasn't sure it did. And that was only if he managed to live through the war, of course, which in itself was more than questionable.
P He was sitting on his horse at the very front and center of the army. That meant that he would have the privilege of being the very first soldier into battle. Oh, joy, rapture! he thought. But in truth he was proud to be able to lead his Kingdom, and all the Kingdoms, into the most important battle they had ever known.
The scout returned, riding Wendell's own horse. Enviously, he watched it gallop gracefully down the hillside to where the entire army stood silently in the valley. When the scout reached him, Wendell immediately noticed the expression on his young face, excitement and courage and terror all rolled into one. He supposed it was the same expression that could be read on his own face at that moment. The scout nodded, an effort to say that the troll camp was still in the valley, and that they had to face them. There was no turning back now.
Slowly but surely, in the heat that had baked the earth all day and was just now beginning to ebb, in the blinding light of the setting sun, the army made its way up the hillside. An occasional breeze whipped the soldier's hair and cooled their faces, but overall the air was still and the sky blue, except in places where it was painted by the setting sun. There was hardly a cloud in the sky, save for a few puffy white ones hovering on the horizon.
Presently Wendell gave the two generals on his right and left the signal to break off into separate groups. Each group went to a different side of the field, north, south, east and west. It took a few minutes for everyone to get into position. When they finally did, Wendell found himself in an unlucky position at the front of the section to the east of the field. The brilliantly bright setting sun was shining directly in his eyes. He tipped the rim of his helmet further down over his face to block the light. The black horse was for once standing still as Wendell gripped the reins, silent like all the rest of the army.
This is it, then, King Wendell murmured under his breath. He turned around in the saddle to look back at his army, and imagined how many of them were going to live to see the next day.
Prompted by a single motion of his arm, Wendell's army followed him over the crest of the hill and down the slope into the valley where the trolls were waiting. In unison they let out a cry that could be heard miles and miles away, so that people in villages nearby looked up from their work and wondered what all the noise was about. They ran onto the field from all four sides with spears and swords upraised, and didn't even notice at first when the trolls, giants, Sasquash, and pixies didn't do so much as blink an eye.
Wendell, being one of the first on the field, was also one of the first to realize what was happening. He and the other generals on horseback exchanged bewildered glances.
Wendell cried to the men, and the other generals repeated the order. Everyone froze and looked around incredulously. They were walking right through the enemy. It was like a field full of ghosts.
Wendell's midnight-black horse trotted through an ugly Sasquash and a fairy flew right into his eyes. Wendell had no idea what was happening, but he knew it wasn't good. Somehow, in a way he wasn't quite sure of, they had been tricked.
The king heard a noise like strong wind and looked up. What he saw along the edge of the field on the crests of the hills nearly made him fall off his horse. The red dragons hovered there, beating their insanely huge wings against the air and waving their long tails behind them so they made sounds like cracking whips. Their savage eyes gazed fearlessly, hungrily at the aghast soldiers. Even though Wendell knew that the trolls had dragons, he had no idea that they were going to look like this. The gold dragons were still waiting behind so they could come later as a second wave of troops (that plan was being torn into a million pieces), but even when they came, Wendell was having doubts that they were a match for these evil monsters.
Before anyone in the Kingdoms' army in the valley could do so much as catch their breath, the trolls, giants, Sasquash, and pixies appeared under the dragons with maniacal grins on all their faces.
At this point, three things happened at once. First: All the soldiers in the valley lost any shred of hope they had had for winning. Second: The hologram that was walking through the soldiers flickered and died. And, finally, third: An enormous bolt of lightning illuminated the sky, followed instantly by a deafening thunderclap.
Everyone, Kingdom soldiers, troll soldiers, and dragons alike, looked up. The sky that had without question been a perfect, bright blue only moments before was now blanketed by dark, ominous storm clouds. A cold winterish wind, even though it was late summer, swept through the valley and chilled the soldiers to the bone. This was almost more perplexing than the holographic army, Wendell thought.
Suddenly, as thunder roared against their ears, a second lightning bolt split the sky. This time it touched the ground at the top of the corner of one of the hills. But it didn't stop there. The living bolt of electricity started to move across the top of the mountain, and in its wake there stood a fifty - foot high wall of... of something that was clear and shimmered like water. The lightning, making a frightening crackling sound, continued along the crest of the hills until it had completely walled in Wendell and his army with the strange barrier. Then it started to close up the top of the huge box it had made to hold them by spiraling around the top until it created a dome. Then the freakish lightning disappeared, and everyone blinked a couple of times to make sure they were actually seeing what they thought they were seeing. The Kingdoms' army was now cut off and protected from the trolls' army and dragons by the strange water like substance, but they could still hear and see everything that was going on outside. The trolls, Sasquash, giants, elves, and dragons had recovered from their shock and were now trying angrily to break through the transparent wall to their enemy, but nothing they tried worked. The giants kicked it, the trolls stabbed it, and the dragons flamed it, but the wall simply twisted and reformed itself under their vicious attack.
Wendell and all the others in the valley didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Apparently they had been saved, but by whom and for how long? They could do nothing but wait and see.
They didn't have to wait long. Several seconds later, the rain began. It started as few drops that splashed against the roof and sides of their clear shelter, seeming to become a part of the water- like substance but actually running off it and down to the troll army's feet. Quickly those few drops turned into a heavy downpour, and the smiles of the soldiers inside the dome grew wider as everyone outside started to curse and howl in fury.
It was unbelievable how fast the rain came down. In only three minutes, the troll army was up to its knees in rainwater (except, of course, for the giants). The elves and dragons had to land because of the powerfully strong wind, and because the air was practically a wall of falling water that was impossible to fly through. After another minute when the rain came down with even more force, they decided that something had to be done or they would all drown. So, they all ran back toward the beanstalk forest as fast as their legs (or wings) could carry them, planning supposedly to climb up the stalks and go back where they came from.
Now Wendell and his army were officially rejoicing, as the water level outside the dome climbed to over their heads. It was the most powerful flood the Kingdoms had ever seen, and probably would ever see again.
And then another huge bolt of lightning came down, and over the tops of the hills they could see it reach into the beanstalk forest, which was stretching now into the dark storm clouds. Seconds later, smoke started to rise from the forest and soon after full-fledged flames appeared. Impossibly, in the torrential downpour, when everything outside under the sky was soaking wet and utterly opposed to fire, the home of the trolls, the beanstalk forest and the Third Kingdom, was burning to the ground.
Wendell simply stared. In a matter of seconds and in some remarkably unusual way, the war had just been won.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

For several terrifying seconds, Virginia wasn't sure if she was alive or dead. All she could see was blackness, and all there was to be heard was the distant rumblings of thunder. She soon realized, though, that everything was dark because her eyes were squeezed shut, and once they were open she relaxed quite a bit. Still, it was dark, but above could be seen stars and a half-full moon.
She was still safe inside the clear dome, and Patrick was curled up in her arms, whimpering. As Virginia hugged him tightly, she saw that Wolf and Tony's faces were pale with wide eyes and Tony was taking deep breaths. She supposed that she looked much the same.
I guess it's over, Wolf said. His voice sounded strange as he broke the silence that always prevails after a storm.
Apparently, it was over, but the results of what the people in Welkin had done were everywhere. First of all, when Virginia dared to glance down, she could see that they were certainly not in the same place as they had been when the storm started. All Virginia could see below was blackness, specked here and there by white, but not the white of fires or lamps; white like the crests of waves. They had been blown all the way to the ocean by the tremendous winds from the storm. But was it the Great Northern Sea, or the Great Southern one, or another body of water altogether? Far away to one side a strip of land could be seen reflecting the moonlight, but it was much too dark and too distant to determine what Kingdom it was.
And the straight, orderly rows of people that had been near Virginia before the storm started were no more. Now they were scattered all over the sky, each person standing on his or her own cloud. If it was daytime, they could have been seen far away in the distance, many of them clustered near the land, and beyond where the eye could reach some of them were still working. It would be a while before each and every person was back in Welkin safe and sound. In fact, where was Welkin? Did it even exist anymore, or had it been torn to pieces by the wind like every other cloud in the sky?
Virginia, Wolf, Tony, and Patrick themselves were sitting in their dome on a cloud barely big enough for them. Where the rest of the huge cloud they had been on before had gone, no one could tell. None of them had been overly aware of their surroundings during the storm. They had all tried to block out the deafening thunder and the lightning that struck their own small dome more than once. They had all wished to be safe back in Welkin at the time, but now that Welkin's fate was unsure, they were glad that they had decided against staying in the city. And Virginia, for one, was glad that no matter what happened, they were together. After so much time spent away from Patrick, she still didn't feel afraid of much now that they were all together again.
And yet... the dark, churning waves so far below didn't do much as far as lifting their spirits. In fact, it was downright scary.
Tony piped up nervously, How are we planning on getting back to... anywhere?
Good question, Wolf said miserably, peering out over the side of the cloud. I wish I knew the answer. He kicked the side of the dome in exasperation, but it didn't yield to his angry foot.
There's nothing to do but wait until Lorelei comes back for us, Virginia said. We can't get out of this dome thing, and even if we could, where would we go? Nowhere, of course, but the thought weighed heavily on all their minds: What if Lorelei didn't come back?
I'm hungry, Wolf mumbled, but resigned himself to staring out the watery surface of the dome. Tony rubbed his eyes, stretched out his legs, leaned back against the side of the bubble and crossed his arms across his chest. Virginia, after watching them both for a couple seconds and sighing, situated Patrick in her lap and started rocking him gently to sleep. He had stopped whimpering and was now yawning. It was difficult to tell what time of night it was, but in any case they were all tired. Patrick's yawning became contagious and in a short time Virginia was fast asleep.
When she woke much later it was light again, and the sun was beginning to climb to the top of the sky. She had fallen over onto Wolf's shoulder during the night, and Tony was spread out on the floor. The morning sun was starting to beat down on their backs and heat them up very quickly. It was a relief from the cool night air but Virginia was afraid that they would bake in the direct sun later in the day. The dome offered little or no protection. She decided to worry about it later, though. Patrick and Tony were still sleeping, but Wolf was awake, staring out over the ocean. When he noticed Virginia looking at him, he smiled.
he whispered, pointing to a spot on the ocean close but far below them. Virginia sat up and did as she was told. Jumping gracefully, with the bright sun shining off their backs, was a pod of dolphins. They were hard to see because they were so far away, but the sleek, beautiful bodies were unmistakable. Virginia grinned. There was something about dolphins that always made her happy.
Keep watching, Wolf ordered. She did, but all she could see were the leaping dolphins. A few seconds later, though, something else caught her eye. Near the edge of the group there was a creature other than a dolphin swimming along, and even from so far away she recognized a mermaid.
she breathed, watching the beautiful sight. The mermaid hung onto one of the dolphins' backs and they swam together like one being. They continued to leap and jump with the sun shining around them until suddenly the whole group dived along with the mermaid and they were gone.
Virginia turned away with something like awe. That was beautiful.
Wolf agreed. And it also means that we're above the Northern Sea. That type of mermaid, the same kind that helped us, only live here in the North. I think that means we're closer to Wendell, too.
Virginia nodded. But that wouldn't help them if they didn't get out of their bubble in the sky first.
They sat in silence for a while. In a short time, Tony woke up. It seemed to take him several seconds to realize where he was, and when he did his face fell. Patrick woke also, and Wolf started to play with him to keep both of them occupied. Virginia stared at the land. It looked like it had gotten farther away during the night, and it probably had. She knew there was a light wind, as she could see it stirring the waves so far below. It was moving them away, too.
It seemed like hours they sat there, with the sun beating down on them. Virginia, for one, was getting thirsty, watching the water of the ocean and having nothing to drink herself. She felt like she was stranded in a desert, instead of stranded over an ocean. She was beginning to wonder vaguely at how the two were so different and yet alike, and thinking that if something didn't happen soon they were all going to die of boredom if not thirst, when she noticed two somethings at once.
One was Lorelei, speeding toward their cloud at a breakneck pace, and trailing behind her the Guardian. And the other was.... Dragons!
They were flying to them from the increasingly distant land, and they were a sight to behold. Four gigantic dragons, beating their scaly wings against the air in defiance, as if they refused to believe that creatures as big as they didn't normally take flight. The armored plates on their tails and bodies shimmered in the sunlight, shimmered gold. Their teeth and claws were clean, sharp, and larger than life. But even more amazing and frightening than all this were their eyes, deep and intelligent, eyes that if you stared into them too long you could get lost forever. Virginia watched them come closer with not so much fear as a profound respect.
The Gold dragons, Lorelei, and the Guardian all reached their dome at about the same time. The entire bubble that Virginia, Wolf, Tony, and Patrick were in was the size of one dragon's clawed hand. The dragon that was apparently in charge hovered closest to the dome and in front of the others. Lorelei and the Guardian hovered on the other side.
Lorelei was very white and she trembled as she lifted a hand and spoke a few magic words to drop the dome of protection, and the four inside it gratefully stood up. She never took an eye off the dragons, though, and her other hand held the Guardian's. After several silently tense seconds during which the dragons continued to beat their wings and let puffs of smoke escape from their nostrils and showed no signs of wishing to speak, if they even could, the Guardian addressed the head dragon in a small but steady voice.
What do you mean by this, Tamun-Ra?
Virginia started and looked at the Guardian incredulously. You know him? she couldn't help but ask.
Yes, Virginia, the dragon called Tamun-Ra spoke. Now Virginia really started, not only because the dragon knew her name, but because his voice was so overpowering it made her stop and catch her breath.
We know each other very well, and have for a long time, Tamun-Ra told her, but looked at the Guardian, who looked straight back with blank eyes. And what I mean by this, by coming here, Guardian, is to take these weary travelers home.
You cannot. The Guardian did not hesitate, and his voice was unwavering. They must not leave here.
Tamun-Ra sighed, and the warm rushing air from his sigh almost blew the four on the cloud into the ocean hundreds of feet below. Please, Guardian. We all appreciate what you have done for us and we are forever in you debt. But you must be reasonable. The King wants his friends home.
You think I fear the King? the old man demanded. I could kill him, and you, with a wave of my hand.
No one doubts that, the dragon said with a low rumble in his throat. But -
And you think I want your debt? he went on. There is nothing you can give me that I couldn't get myself. But these people cannot leave here. They know too much. They would spew the secret of Welkin and the White Mirror all over the Kingdoms, and that is one thing I would not be able to prevent - all manner of creatures coming up here and asking for our powers when I don't want to or couldn't give them anything.... they would ruin our peaceful life here.
Again, Virginia blurted out, But we wouldn't! We would never let anyone know if you didn't want us to tell!
How can I believe you? the Guardian asked, fixing her with his stare.
There was a pause, and Tamun- Ra said, Can't you Hear it?
The Guardian froze.
Hear what? Tony started to say, but Wolf elbowed him. Virginia was staring at the Guardian, and Patrick... Patrick was grinning.
All at once, Virginia knew what he was listening for. For something in the future, the not to distant future, that would tell him that if he let them go they wouldn't ruin his people's lives. He went into a trance, the same kind that Patrick had fallen into when he Saw for Virginia. But the Guardian came out of his stupor right away.
the dragon asked as the old man blinked.
My powers are leaving me, I've told you that already, he said, but he looked at the ground while he said it.
Wolf pursued him.
The Guardian narrowed his eyes and frowned. All I heard was silence. But then, as Virginia let her hopes drop, he looked up at her and confessed, Your silence.
Tamun-Ra smiled, showing all his ferocious teeth. This means they can go free.
Not quite, Lorelei spoke up for the first time. She was now trembling even more violently, but she didn't back down as the dragons turned their eyes on her.
We want you to tell us something, Lorelei said to the dragons, without glancing at Virginia, who stood fuming at being held up any longer.
We will try, Tamun-Ra said.
It was the Guardian who spoke. Where is my daughter?
The dragon's wings beat more slowly for a moment, and he dropped several feet. She is dead. I'm sorry.
The Guardian staggered, and Lorelei dropped to her knees on the cloud, but stared straight ahead at something only she could see.
The Red dragons. She was going to warn them of your attack, but they killed her instead. There was nothing we could do.
A tear made its way slowly down Lorelei's cheek. Oh, Acrotis. I feel so terrible.
Virginia blinked. Acrotis... the Guardian's daughter? And something the girl had said a long time ago to Lorelei, when they had first come through the White Mirror, stood out in Virginia's memory.
This isn't the warm welcome I expected... from my sister.
Virginia's head spun. Acrotis was dead, in any case. She didn't know if that made her more relieved than sad, or the other way around. Maybe she never would know.
The Guardian and Lorelei still looked shocked, but the Guardian managed to wave an old, gnarled hand at them and said,
Virginia looked at Wolf, who held Patrick, and at Tony, who didn't seem to understand anything that was going on. Then she looked back at the Guardian and Lorelei. May we tell King Wendell, at least, what you have done for him?
he answered. I'd like him to know.
Wolf handed Patrick to Virginia, stepped toward him, and took his hand. Thank you for saving the Nine Kingdoms.
The old man sighed. We do what we must.
Wolf nodded and stepped back. Then he looked up at the dragons. I guess we'll be riding on you? he asked with more than a hint of eagerness.
Tamun-Ra said they would, and positioned himself in such way so that Wolf could clamor up on his back. Tony climbed onto a second one without much hesitation, which was surprising after the scene he had made with the flying carpets. Virginia refused to let the fourth dragon take Patrick by himself, so they both rode together on the particularly big one. Of course, all of them could have fit onto one, but they were riding in style.
Virginia felt bad to leave Lorelei and the Guardian like they were, but not bad enough to postpone getting back to earth any longer. They would soon come to terms with it, she knew.
With a wave goodbye, the dragons and their riders launched themselves into the sky, and sped off down toward the ocean.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

King Wendell swallowed hard as he looked at himself in the mirror and smoothed down his neat blond hair nervously. In less than half an hour he was going to have to appear in front of the Council of the Nine Kingdoms and perhaps several hundred onlookers. He had been asked to explain to them exactly what had happened yesterday on the battlefield, why they had somehow won the war without any of the soldiers coming away with so much as a scratch, and why the beanstalk forest had burned to the ground while it was simultaneously being flooded.
Well, actually, they didn't expect him to answer that last question. After all, floods and lightning were a part of nature, no matter how strangely appropriate their timing, there simply was no explanation for that. But then, Wendell wondered for the thousandth time in utter confusion, what in the fairying forest were those invisible-lightning-dome things?
Wendell had learned later what had been happening all over the Kingdoms while the storm was raging around his army and the trolls'. Once the rain started, it came down non-stop, sheets of water cascading down from the sky, but the clouds were centered directly over Wendell's army and the forest, and nowhere else. People in these towns claimed to have been working under blue skies. When they heard thunder and looked up, however, they could see huge storm clouds looming over the beanstalk forest and land close to it, and the next second a wave as big as a mountain was rushing toward the farms and villages. All the water coming from the sky that wasn't flooding the beanstalk forest was headed straight for unsuspecting and very frightened people who could do nothing but watch.
But, as soon as they could blink, the people found themselves, their villages, and their farms being surrounded by lightning, lightning that did not quickly strike the ground and disappear, but moved across the earth tracing a path around their houses and themselves. In the lightning's wake was a watery, transparent shield that could hardly be seen but could not be broken. And just as the wave hit the lightning bolts finished their circles and disappeared, leaving the people safe and sound inside their strange shelters. The wave continued, not harming any person in its path, until it reached the river not far away. The river swelled and downstream Rivertown was forced to make sure the water didn't overcome its banks. But no one was harmed, thanks solely to the very mysterious invisible-lightning-domes, as everyone immediately called them. They disappeared as the last trickles of water either seeped into the ground or flowed in the river, and minutes after the onset of the flood in the valley near Wendell's troops (who, of course, were also protected by a dome) and the wave that threatened everyone for miles around, the land was almost dry and the sun was shining brightly again.
Better yet, the beanstalk forest and the only home the trolls and giants could call their own was gone. It had been burned to the ground by an angry bolt of lightning with a different purpose than dome making, and all that was left was a large field of black ashes and the twisted roots of once mighty beanstalks. The fire, as mysterious as the domes, put itself out once it reached the borders of the forest.
Wendell's army had marched back to the Fourth Kingdom in a daze. Many of them had left that morning prepared to never see the rising sun again. They had been expecting to be defeated. Now, though.... what had happened? They had won, that was for sure. But they were confused. And when they arrived home and told everyone they met what had happened, all the Nine Kingdoms became just as baffled. And now, they had all asked Wendell, their King, to explain it to them. Wendell didn't have any answers. And to make it even worse, Tamun-Ra, the leader of the gold dragons, and three of his friends had left without so much as a word to Wendell. They were probably insulted, Wendell thought, that they had come all the way to the Fourth Kingdom to help them, and now it was for nothing. But there wasn't anything he could do about that.
Wendell glanced at a clock hanging on his bedroom wall. Ten more minutes. He adjusted his crown and stared at his long-nosed reflection disparagingly. He didn't have the slightest idea what he was going to say to the Council and all the people.
I'll just tell them the truth, he thought. But what was the truth?
He turned away and started walking toward the door, heading for the balcony where he was going to speak. As he passed the Truth Mirror that the Dwarves had given him at his coronation (it was working again now; the Dwarves at Dragon Mountain had finally fixed the Mirrors after the shut-down), he noticed something in his reflection that made him a little less self-conscious, at least... his nose was normal sized. When he reached up to touch his face, however, it was still a couple inches longer than it should have been. Wendell sighed and walked out the door.
When he reached the balcony, the King timidly peered out of the curtain shielding him from the view of the courtyard. The Council of the Nine Kingdoms sat in a row up front, all of them looking anxious for Wendell to arrive. Behind them stood a huge crowd of onlookers, each with a different bemused expression on his or her face. Wendell's heart sank. He wondered how he ever got in this position, but there was so much to think about that he just closed his eyes and shook his head. One of the guards standing near him tapped him on the shoulder and said quietly that it was time for him to go out there. Easy for you to say, thought Wendell wretchedly. But there was no use waiting.
He stepped out onto the balcony, and was instantly bombarded with a rush of cheering and applause. Blinking, Wendell walked out to the railing and paused to look up at the clear, blue sky before he had to completely humiliate himself. He saw something there he didn't expect.
Soaring down from the heavens, like four mammoth eagles caught on the wind, were the dragons. They were flying toward Wendell's castle from the north at an amazing pace. Their presence alone surprised the King and everyone else in the courtyard who had begun to look up and stare, but then he noticed what was riding on the dragons' backs, and Wendell almost jumped for joy. Tony, Wolf, Virginia, and best of all baby Patrick were clinging to the dragons with the wind whipping back their hair and their eyelids plastered to their faces. They were alive!
In seconds the dragons reached the courtyard. The people screamed as the wind form the dragons' wings sent them tumbling over each other. The dragons' riders were dropped off on the balcony, and one by one the huge animals swooped off to light on a different turret of the castle to watch.
Virginia brushed herself and the baby off and then laughed at the shocked expression on Wendell's face. She handed Patrick to him, and then Wendell laughed too, trying not to cry, in fact. He had been so worried about them for such a long time. He had heard nothing from them at all since they had separated at the edge of the beanstalk forest days ago.
Where have you...? How did you...? Wendell stuttered as he hugged the baby, who gave him a big sloppy kiss/lick.
Can we tell you inside? Wolf asked quietly, looking pointedly at the astonished crowd, which was now picking itself up. Some people were staring fixedly at the dragons perched on the towers like enormous gargoyles, others were gaping at the people on the balcony, and many were just screaming. The public had not been informed that dragons were part of their army. The Council sat in front of them and tried to calm everyone down. Wendell hurriedly waved to the crowd with the hand that wasn't holding Patrick and herded Virginia, Wolf, and Tony inside.
The guards inside were also too surprised to do anything about Wendell's quick get-away, so the five of them made their way without hindrance to the King's chambers. There Virginia and Wolf sat themselves down on a couch, Tony fell into a big armchair, and Wendell stood speechless with Patrick giggling as he tried on his crown.
So, are you glad we're alive? Tony joked. He could certainly tell by Wendell's face that he was glad to see them.
Wendell managed after several attempts to say something. There were so many questions, he didn't know where to begin.
After you left us at the beanstalk forest? Wolf said, thinking. Let's see...
They took turns telling Wendell the whole story. He sat down and listened silently, his eyes getting wider at many points. When they told him about the Loch Ness monster guarding the White Mirror and planning to smash it if there was any news of a disappearance, Wendell immediately sent for a messenger nymph to tell the Mermaid queen that she needn't worry anymore. Virginia stopped him, though, and told him not to say anything too specific. She began to explain about their promise.
He listened to the rest of their tale without interrupting, except for the occasional sharp intake of breath. But when they got to the part about Acrotis's death, his shoulders sagged. Watching his expression, Virginia remembered the kiss on the cheek Acrotis had given him the last time they saw him. She wondered if maybe... then shuddered. No. She sighed. If things had only been different!
After they finished telling Wendell every incredible thing that had happened to them, he shook his head and sat back in his large armchair. Virginia, Wolf, and Tony waited patiently for him to digest it all and waited for his response.
No wonder, he said softly to himself after several seconds, and shook his head again.
Virginia asked, sitting forward.
I was thinking, no wonder it was raining so much here and in Man Hat In. It was the Guardian's doing; he was trying to get rainwater into the Traveling Mirror, then lure you into the Kingdoms by causing the power outage, so that he could take Patrick and then draw you to the White Mirror and Welkin. It makes sense, in an absurd sort of way.
They considered that for a moment. Tony raised his eyebrows and said, That means they have power over our world's weather, too.
Virginia looked at Wolf. Do you think that has anything to do with the stars being the same in both dimensions?
He shrugged. It might. But I doubt the Guardian or anyone up there in his city has any influence on the stars. I think they're a little out of their league.
Everyone nodded. In a way, it was a relief to know that some things just couldn't be controlled.
Wendell stood up and handed Patrick, now sleeping, to Wolf. They had been talking for a quarter of an hour. Tony got up and went over to look out the window.
What are all those people doing in your courtyard? Virginia finally asked Wendell.
The king closed his eyes and bit his tongue hard as he remembered. I was supposed to be telling them what it was that happened yesterday on the battlefield. Now I actually know, but I can't tell them, or anyone else. What am going to do?
Wolf piped up, not being entirely sympathetic of Wendell's predicament, We still have no idea where the trolls and their army went.
Wendell opened his eyes suddenly and grabbed at his hair. You're right! Where in the Nine Kingdoms could they be? They must be found!
I wouldn't worry about it too much, Virginia comforted him. They're certainly in no position to be planning another attack. I would say they're taken care of for good. The beanstalk forest is destroyed, and since that's where they were hiding in the first place they'll have no where to go now.
Except to the Northern lands, Wolf said. And that's where the red dragons live. I'm sure they won't make life easy for the trolls, Sasquash, giants, or elves now. Knowing all of them, if all those species try to live together in one place, they'll start fighting each other in no time at all. They'll wipe themselves out.
You're right, or I sure hope you are, Wendell said, his shoulders sagging in relief. At least that's what I'm going to tell all the people outside.
Tony, who had been silent through the last part of the conversation, suddenly stood up very straight as he was staring out the window. A wide grin began to spread across his face.
What is -? Wendell demanded, but before he could say another word something, a small, round, greenish something, shot in through the window, knocked down a lamp, a vase, almost decapitated Virginia (who screamed), and flew smack! - into the far wall of the room.
Wendell and Wolf were stunned for several seconds, but Tony hurried over to the mysterious speeding object. It had slid down the wall after impact and now lay in a crumbled heap on the floor. The rest of them hurried over, just as a small bearded and smiling face was emerging from the folds of dirty green fabric.
Wolf said incredulously.
the sprite exclaimed happily in his unique speech, as though his presence there was not at all strange or unexpected.
What is a filthy pixie doing in my palace? Wendell roared. He was not pleased that an enemy, no matter how small, had dared enter his own bedroom.
Calm yourself, Virginia ordered him, although she too was looking at the bruised but delighted fairy like he had three heads.
I don't think you'll consider him so filthy, Tony said, grinning, after you see what's he's brought for you.
As everyone watched, Nicholas the pixie picked himself up, brushed off his tattered clothes with his tiny hands, straitened his lopsided cap, and flapped his spidery wings until he had climbed to Wendell's eye level. Not for half a second did he stop smiling like he had just bagged a magic fish. They could see that he was lugging something along with him, and he hid it under his cloak. Whatever it was, it couldn't have been bigger or heavier than a large peanut, but that was plenty for the delicate creature to carry.
Wendell frowned at the pixie, but looked him straight in the golden eyes nonetheless. His frown deepened when Nicholas laid a tiny hand on the King's oversized nose. Then, to Wendell's utter humiliation, the fairy hoisted himself onto his nose and sat on it like it was a park bench. Still he was smiling, but Wendell would fix that.
Looking at him cross-eyed, Wendell ordered, Remove yourself this instant or I swear by the seven dwarves I will smack you right back to wherever you came from.
At that Nicholas just laughed. But just as Wendell was raising his hand, he said loudly, Would yu rather I be removn' meself from yur nose, or.... In the blink of an eye, Nicholas reached inside his coat, pulled out a vial of a purple liquid, opened it, and poured it all over Wendell's nose. In a split second, without any flashes or bangs but certainly with an effect, the pixie wasn't sitting on anything at all. ....the other way
Wendell joyously reached up to his face. With a cry of elation he felt not two inches of extra nose, but a beautifully normal one. He would have embraced Nicholas very tightly if it wasn't for the fact that he would break all the bones in his body. The king was speechless, but the pixie understood. He hovered by Wendell's face and beamed.
Virginia was extremely amused by all of this. How did you manage to get that? she asked, laughing.
Well, it was eesy, really, Nicholas boasted. All them trolls was out fightn', so thir pa-lace was just bout deserted. Nobody be noticn' tiny leetle me sneakn' in and out of thir dungeon where theys keeps all them potions locked up. It was hard to find s'actly the right one, but I did be figuren' it out in the end. Then I draaged it all the ways back here, just so I could be's helpn' this here kingy. Yu like it, kingy?
Wendell didn't look like he had caught half of that, but he nodded and conveyed his heartfelt thanks.
Wolf looked over at Tony, who had his arms crossed and just shrugged at him. But Wolf said, Oh, you don't fool me. This was your idea, wasn't it? This is what you couldn't stop grinning about all the way back in Welkin when Nicholas left.
Tony shrugged again, and smiled. I didn't want to steal any of Nicholas's credit since he's obviously enjoying it, but yes, it was my idea.
How sweet of you, dad, Virginia said, still laughing. Patrick was waking up in Wolf's arms, and when he saw everyone laughing and noticed his favorite play toy zipping around by Wendell's face, he shrieked for joy.
Virginia looked around the room at each of them, and for the first time in a long time felt truly contented and complete.
Would you call this a happy ending? she inquired pleasantly of no one in particular.
Wolf said, putting his arm around her. And now I think it's time to go home.
Maybe I should go with you guys, Tony suggested slyly, glancing at Wendell. But the King would here none of it. In fact, he looked slightly alarmed.
I think not! You have to finish my bouncing castle, and I expect it done in a month! I want my courtyard cleaned up as soon as possible.
All right, all right, Tony said with a smile. Virginia had the idea that he never had any intentions of leaving at all. Maybe Nicholas could help me with finishing up the work, you think? He looked at the pixie, sitting on a lampshade, imploringly.
I woodn't be mindn' that at all! Nicholas said, looking very flattered at being offered this opportunity.
As you were saying, Wolf, Virginia said as she took Patrick, Time to go home.
King Wendell chuckled, and maybe next time you come to the Kingdoms, you'll have a more relaxing stay.

EPILOGUE

The trip through the Mirror went as normal as any, despite Virginia's fears that for some reason it might not. She couldn't stop thinking over and over again of Patrick being torn from her arms again, but nothing of the sort happened. She, Wolf, and the baby arrived in Central Park without so much as a scratch, even after all their adventures. Patrick himself did feel a bit squished. However, that was probably because of how tightly Virginia had been holding him.
It was a clear, bright day when they arrived home again, much the opposite of how the weather had been when they left. The people in Welkin were in good spirits again, Virginia supposed.
The power was back on in New York City, and it seemed like it had been that way for a while. They had been gone for almost a week, and the thought weighed heavily on Virginia and Wolf's minds that they had a lot of catching up to do. For that moment, however, they decided to take a stroll.
They wandered through the park, and then, instead of heading home, they made their way more toward lower Manhattan. It was a beautiful day for walking, and although they thought they should have been tired after all their adventures, they weren't at all. They savored being back in the city, even Wolf, who had been growing rather fond of it. They pasted tall buildings, busy people, wonderful smells, and everything good that a person can relate to a city. Before they even knew it, they had wandered down to a spot where they could see the water, and the buildings reflected on it.
Two buildings stood out from the rest, two giants who cast their reflections on the water shimmering in the sun. And may be she was more tired than she thought, or maybe she just wasn't thinking straight at all, but she could have sworn that she saw not two skyscrapers, but a castle on the water. A beautiful castle that reached into the clouds, and really did scrape the sky, and touched heaven. Then she blinked, and it was gone.

THE END