The Last Fairy Godmother: Wishless

Chapter

One

Max flew through the Middle Forest, low to the ground, barely feeling the thin, prickly vines and slender branches slapping against her arms and face. No matter how hard she tried to forget them, Ms. March’s words rang in her ears. Her chest tightened, and she exhaled, trying to hold back tears.

Not everyone can be a hero, Maxima. Just because your mother was one doesn’t mean you’ll be able to do the things she did, Ms. March had said in that shrill voice of hers.

Each consonant prickled Max. Vowels rolled around and banged into her thoughts as she ascended blindly above the forest before diving, arms at her sides. Her large wings, sheer with a touch of purple shimmer, paused in their beating as she glided through a thicket of trees.

What does she know? She’s not the last fairy godmother—I am, Max said aloud as hurt bloomed throughout her. Her face grew warm as a renegade tear slipped down her cheek.

How could Ms. March have said those words in front of her classmates—and on the day of the Winged Ceremony!

Max hovered above the ground to catch her breath before her feet sank into the moist, dark earth. Although she was the same size as a twelve-year-old human, she could also transform and become much smaller when needed. Right now, she wanted to disappear, or at least become small enough to be unnoticeable. A wobbly sigh escaped. Stay focused, she reminded herself. You’re out here for a reason.

As she pondered her task, a metallic glint momentarily blinded her as it bounced off the trees, playing hide-and-seek with the sun’s rays. It was a shiny object, in the hand of a young boy. Before Max could figure it out, something hard crashed into her back and sent her sprawling.

Oomph! Max rolled over, wiping away a face full of leaves, and found her friend Ari hovering above her, rubbing her own forehead.

Max tugged Ari’s shirt to pull her down behind the bushes as she looked again for the source of light.

Ow! Why did you stop? Ari’s brown skin shone with sweat as she tried to catch her breath.

Max clapped her hand across Ari’s mouth to silence her and nodded toward the strange boy, not more than fifty feet away.

The day before, Max had finally found the egg. It was no easy feat; she had been searching for months, but dragons were excellent hiders with their precious nests. Max would have taken it then, but a mama dragon had been circling above, a lick of fire at the ready should Max get too close.

Now she was running out of time, trying to retrieve the egg an hour before the Winged Ceremony. The event was only the most important day in a twelve-year-old fairy’s life, and it would begin soon, but this was the only time she could sneak away.

She watched the boy as he poked around the bushes that hid the egg. Her egg! It was the second-to-last ingredient she needed from her secret list of items to make her own wish come true. The last item, a rare snow flower, wouldn’t bloom for another two weeks.

The dragon’s egg and snow flower would help her cast a spell to discover the truth about what had happened to her parents. The dark magic would allow her to access the ancestors in the shadow realm, which could be used as a meeting place between the living and the dead. Finally, she would be able to see and speak to her mom and dad and maybe even hug them. Hopefully.

She didn’t dare breathe a word of her plan to anyone. It went against everything she was ever taught. Although fairies weren’t supposed to use their magic for themselves, ever since she’d heard about the conjuring spell, it was all she could think about. It would allow her to see her parents, and she wanted that more than anything in the world. Even though it broke every rule in the book, she had to do it. Who would understand? She didn’t understand it herself. She only knew that there was a yawning hole inside her, and only two people could help her close it.

Are you following me? Max half whispered, half hissed.

Ari pried Max’s sweaty fingers off her mouth, one by one, before swatting them away. No.

Max stared at her. Ari shifted from one foot to the other, her wings opening and closing. Instead of her usual Tooth Fairy outfit of a plain white shirt and silver skirt, Ari had dressed up for the Winged Ceremony in a sparkly dress the brilliant shade of bright stars. It reflected the colors around it when caressed by sunlight.

OK, yes. Ari swept her long braids out of her face and huffed. But only because you’re not supposed to go into the Deadwoods alone.

Max paused. She knew most fairies didn’t venture outside their fortress because magic didn’t work in the Deadwoods. Her mission was important and to get the egg, there was no avoiding the stretch of rotting trees with dark, thick canopies of decaying leaves that erased the sun.

I don’t need any help, she said with the slightest quiver in her voice.

You always say that, but you don’t know! You know we can’t fly or use our magic when we’re in the Deadwoods. What if something happens?

A low whistle interrupted them and Max snapped her head to look at the boy. He had pulled back the shrub’s branches and seemed in awe of the baby-blue shell with golden flecks that danced. Max’s breath caught in her throat. She, too, thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She figured the boy was a dragon slayer, as a sword hung from a woven sheath on his back. He hailed from the land of Valisa, most likely. No one in Katonia had swords, not even the spotters in the tower that guarded the perimeter. No one ever got close enough for the spotters to need them.

She held her breath and watched him circle the bush, whistling softly. The boy was wiry like he spent his days running through the forest; his clothes hung off him as though they were hand-me-downs handed down too soon. His face was a study of concentration. She had never seen him before; not that she would have. The Katonian fortress where she lived wasn’t exactly welcoming of outsiders, with its imposing moat of snapping alligators and impenetrable walls, and it wasn’t like she was allowed off the grounds unless she was on assignment.

What are you doing here? The ceremony will start soon. We have to go! Ari pleaded.

I’m not stopping you. No one told you to follow me.

Max squinted at the position of the sun. Half past noon. If they didn’t leave soon, they’d be late. Of all days, this was not the one to dabble in tardiness. It would jeopardize the last seven years of her training. Her grandfather, who was also the headmaster of her school, would be furious. Although, lately, he seemed to have only one mood: grouchy. Max felt like she couldn’t do anything without him snapping at her. She missed the days when he would regale her at bedtime with adventure-laden stories from his youth.

Ari shifted; the sharp crack of a branch broke the stillness, ruffling the feathers of nesting birds, making them squawk a reprimand. The crisp sound echoed and bounced off the towering trees. Whipping his head around, like a wolf zeroing in on its prey, the boy seemed to look directly at them. Max held her breath as her heart raced in her chest, threatening to break through her skin and bones and keep going. He turned away. She exhaled. Ari wiped her forehead in relief. The tiny gold bell on her charm bracelet tinkled, breaking the restored silence.

Who’s there? the boy questioned. He pulled his sword from its sheath. The brightly polished metal reflected the sun’s rays and sent them streaking across the trees.

You and that blasted bracelet, Max whispered through clenched teeth.

Her heart continued to race, making a deafening staccato boom in her ears. She flicked her wrist and startled the boy when she suddenly appeared in front of him. She flitted around him in a smaller form before transforming into her regular size without her wings. They stood facing each other, eye to eye. She could feel his gaze sweeping over her appearance, taking note of her sun-kissed brown skin and the six cornrows meeting atop her head, wrapped into a bun. Max knew he wasn’t a threat; she had the gift of flight on her side. She wanted the egg, and the only thing separating her from it was this boy.

A Katonian fairy, he said, relaxing his grip on his sword. What are you doing so far from your fortress?

"I’m Maxima Burbettin, fairy godmother of Katonia, and I’m on official business. Not that it’s any of your business. Who are you?"

The boy put his sword back into its sheath and eyed her warily. Fairy godmother, eh? What wishes can you give me?

I asked, who are you?

Go home. Unless you’re here to put some food in my stomach and gold in my pocket, I have no use for you.

He turned his back to her and started poking around in the bushes. Indignation surged through her veins. She flexed her hands.

I order you to stop! She winced, hating the way her voice sounded high and tinny instead of foreboding and mysterious like she’d practiced.

I don’t take orders from fairies, he said, continuing his search.

Max, we have to go! Ari called from her hiding space.

Two of you, eh? You should be more careful. Fairies like you would bring in a nice bag of silver, the boy said over his shoulder.

You think we would let ourselves be captured by some simpleminded slayer? Max said. She’d read the manual.

Page 19, Field Guide for Young Fairies:

Dragon Slayers: Uncouth and unkempt, silver and gold rule them. Slayers have no value for life, beast nor man.

Ari left her hiding place and materialized next to Max. Her dark eyes darted around, seeking out shadows. Not exactly the picture of confidence. Max elbowed her and cleared her own throat. The boy just laughed. He prodded the egg with his foot.

Leave it be! Max said.

Paying her no attention, he unfurled a burlap sack attached to his belt. Without thinking, Max conjured a gust of wind, sweeping the bag from his hand and dislodging the sword from its sheath, sending both out of arm’s reach.

You blasted fairy! the slayer exploded. Give them back!

Leave the egg alone! Max said.

The boy had turned to charge but Max flicked her wrist and froze him in place. She chewed on her bottom lip, knowing how much trouble she could get into using her magic outside her assigned duties.

What have you done? Unleash me from your magic! he howled, his face contorted with anger, the rest of him unable to move.

Be quiet before I freeze your mouth, Max bluffed. She edged past to put herself between him and the egg.

Ari gasped. Maxima, what are you doing? We haven’t been winged. You can’t use magic out here! She flew in circles, her wings, large and gossamer-thin with a hint of purple sparkle, beating silently. I shouldn’t have come with you. Nothing good ever comes out of your silly ideas.

You weren’t invited!

That’s not the point!

Hey, you fairies! the slayer tried to interrupt.

Why are you always spying on me? I didn’t ask you to come. I’m fine on my own! said Max.

I wasn’t spying! Ari retorted.

Hey! he shouted again.

What? Max and Ari yelled as they turned to him.

The acrid smell of burnt earth and ancient decay stung Max’s nose as a suffocating breeze singed the hairs on the back of her neck. A cacophony of cawing crows erupted, blotting the sun with a black cloud of wings, screeching as they took flight. The earth trembled beneath her feet, and she heard the unmistakable sounds: Th-thump. Th-thump. Th-thump. Th-thump. It could only mean one thing . . . a dragon.

Max dashed under the bush and scooped up the blue pearl, surprised by its warmth and heft. She wouldn’t let that slayer sell it or eat it, or whatever slayers did with eggs. She needed this one and wouldn’t let any harm come to it while it was in her care. All she needed was a few drops of the membrane from the egg. Once the whelp hatched, she would return it to its mama, safe and sound. The Winged Ceremony was starting soon. She wouldn’t have to worry about being late if a protective mama dragon found them first.

She grabbed Ari’s arm and yelled, Fly!

As they crashed through the forest, they heard the slayer call to them. Hey! he cried. What about me?

Chapter

Two

Max and Ari flew through the Middle Forest, staying low to the ground as a winged beast tracked them from the air. When Max felt she had a good enough head start, she unfroze the boy. Max saw him grab his sword and sack. He chased after them as the heavy steps of another dragon drew closer.

Stories—Max didn’t know how true—told of fairies entering the Deadwoods, never to be seen again. The Middle Forest wasn’t much better. At least there she could use simple magic as a fairy, but she couldn’t transport herself back home. Durminthius, a wicked warlock who had been banished to Dyspar—the land where all fairies sent unwanted items and people—had cursed the forest by making it tricky to navigate if one didn’t know spells or traffic in magical charms. Ever since he had made his captors disappear, Max’s father among them, no one knew which of the four lands of the realm he was hiding in. The threat of his return always weighed in the back of everyone’s thoughts.

The minute they crossed into the Deadwoods, Max’s body burned from the inside out as though her nerve endings were on fire. Then, a chilling numbness set in, and she plummeted to the ground like a stone. Ari, who had been flying alongside her, also fell. Limbs stiff and uncoordinated, Max groped for the egg and almost cried tears of relief when she saw it was uncracked. She grabbed the egg with one hand and