T H I R T E E N

REE CALCULATED that they’d left Fairy Haven four days ago. It would be a miracle if a dozen fairies hadn’t drowned by now.

Rani thought about what would happen if they returned without a wand. Everyone would have to find a new home. They might have to emigrate to the mainland.

“Ree, darling…” Vidia flew backwards in front of the four fairies, holding the wand.

They lunged at her, but she sped off, so fast that they knew what her wish had been.

Wand madness returned.

“Dearheart…Queen Ree…Queen Clarion…” Vidia hovered a foot away. “Tell me how to reverse my command.”

“Give me the wand,” Ree said sternly.

“First tell me, sweet.”

“When Rani dives with the wand, I’ll tell you.”

“Now, or no wand.”

Ree shook her head.

“Tink, love, you tell me. I need to fix myself.”

Tink said nothing.

“Rani—”

“—honey. I won’t tell you.”

“Ree, sugarplum, if the wand goes to Soop, can I still reverse my wish?”

Ree had never before lied to a subject. “Yes.”

Vidia gave her the wand. “If you lied, Your Majesty, love, I’ll haul you to the sun and throw you in.”

The fairies turned the carrier. Vidia joined them at the cord, and the five began to fly. But the questers and Terence could only cling to the cord in terror while Vidia zoomed along. When they were halfway across the sea, she heard their shouts. She stopped while they flew into the carrier.

Then she pulled them all, flying so fast the air felt like knives against their faces.

Vidia flew around the globe and over the mainland. She set off across the sea in a new direction.

Tink was imagining new kinds of pots—pots that could cook away from the stove, frying pans that wouldn’t need oil, pots that would know when food was cooked. Ree was thinking of bringing the Giant Shimmering fairies to Fairy Haven to work for the Never fairies. Rani thought of turning herself into a dolphin for a day.

Terence looked from Tink to the wand in Ree’s lap. Soon they’d be in Never Land. The wand would be lost to him forever, and with it his chance to have Tink’s love. He leaned forward, as if he were going to speak to Ree, and in a graceful, gentle gesture, took the wand. “Make Tink…”

She turned to him, startled.

“…like me, like me…romantically.” He waved the wand.

For a split second, Tink thought of Peter and his clamshell. She raised her hand to pull her bangs, but her hand stopped, and she smiled at Terence.

Terence saw her change her mind, go from the irritation she really felt to the happiness she had to feel. He didn’t know whether to be glad or sad. Tink liked him. But was she still Tink?

Vidia slowed to the speed of an ordinary fast flier. “Loves, I can’t find Never Land.”

“It doesn’t want the wand,” Ree said.

Tink wondered if she’d ever see her pots again. “I’m glad you’re here,” she told Terence.

“I’m glad, too.” He added, “We haven’t tried fairy dust.” He took a handful of dust out of the sack. “Look through it as I go.” He flew around the carrier, trailing a stream of dust.

The others squinted into it, hoping to see the island on the horizon. They didn’t, although they did glimpse a spire of Tutupia’s castle on the mainland.

“I’ll dive into the water with the wand,” Rani said. “Maybe Never Land will think it’s gone. I’ll stay under for half an hour.”

“Dearheart, you think Never Land will simply—”

“—appear? Maybe.”

No one could think of anything better to try. Rani took the wand.

“Don’t lose it, sweet—”

“—heart. I won’t.”

Tink would have told her to take care, but she was smiling into Terence’s brown eyes.

Rani dived.

Vidia rose high above the balloon carrier to catch the first sight of Never Land.

Ree felt her mind clear. It was easier to think with the wand underwater. She said, “I wanted to enslave the Shimmerers.”

Tink felt the madness lift, too. “I broke Peter, and I’m broken.” She tucked her arm through Terence’s. “But I don’t want to be mended.”

Terence found the courage to touch Tink’s ponytail, which was exactly as soft and springy as he’d imagined.

“I wish I could unshrink the hawks,” Ree said.

Tink remembered her ideas for new pots. Pots were perfect just as they were. “I don’t want to make more wishes.”

Ree said, “If the wand were awake—”

“It’s asleep?” Terence said.

Ree nodded. “If it were awake, we’d be safe.”

“Why?” Terence asked.

“Because it wouldn’t obey us,” Tink said. “We could make wishes, and it wouldn’t listen. And if we could make it obey, we could make it reverse our mistakes.”

Luckily, Vidia was too far off to hear this.

“So wake it up.” Terence thought Tink could do anything.

Tink wondered if she could. She’d been able to feel its sleep.

“But,” Ree told him, “Tutupia said it could do things to us if it were awake. She said it might be mischievous. And some wands don’t have kind hearts.”

“Tink can tame it and fix its heart. Then it will be safe for Soop.”

“It’s not safe now,” Ree said.

Tink tugged gently at Terence’s ear. “I’m not a Great Wandy.” But it would be the most thrilling thing to try.

Ree said, “You could make it reverse our wishes.”

“Except Terence’s,” Tink said.

He said nothing, feeling torn in two.

Ree said, “Mother Dove would want every wish reversed, if the wand were awake.”

They knew that was true.

“Then I’d reverse Terence’s,” Tink said. “It wouldn’t make any difference. I’d feel the same.”

He knew she wouldn’t. She hadn’t cared about him before. Now she’d hate him for meddling with her feelings.

“Tink, try when Rani comes back,” Ree said. “Then maybe Never Land really will come.”

Underwater, Rani swam in a circle, holding the wand, mad as ever. A school of herring passed a few yards away. Below her, she saw an orange sea fan, as big and full of branches as an apple tree.

She could stay in the water now endlessly. She could create a race of water fairies. They could live in this very sea fan, practicing their talents and being snobby about mermaids.

But they wouldn’t have Mother Dove. Rani knew she couldn’t wand up an underwater Mother Dove.

Oh! A shark! Using her talent, Rani made the water around her solid. The shark would bump its nose if it came close.

But it barreled by.

Rani treaded water, feeling silly for hiding to fool Never Land. Never Land had never been fooled before.

What if she didn’t try to fool it? What if she really gave up the wand? She could summon Soop and make sure they were friends. Rani could leave the wand with her. Then Never Land would appear and let its fairies in.

“Bring…” She hesitated. Before she gave the wand away, she could make Fairy Haven safe forever. No more hurricanes. No more floods. No more risk to Mother Dove or to any of them. No more disasters. No more anger. No more sadness. Only happy fairies working happily on their talents. Only happy Mother Dove, cooing happily.

She raised the wand.