Ms. Anna’s room was on the second floor. It looked innocent enough, with floral wallpaper, dark wood furniture, framed nature prints, and a large window looking out on the trees and river. A silver laptop sat on a small wooden desk in the corner.
Gulk took one step through the doorway and gagged. “Stinks like elf farts and magic.”
Wings buzzed as a group of pix dropped Ms. Anna’s bound body onto the neatly-made bed. Tamora started to sit at the desk, then caught herself. She turned to Ms. Anna. “Are there any traps or spells on that computer? If anything hurts me, the goblins have my permission to eat you.”
Ms. Anna sighed, then nodded. The pix dragged her to the desk, where she pointed her nose toward a small twig sitting behind the laptop.
“Probably a memory spell,” said Vernors. “Get too close, and you forget what you were doing. It’d protect her composter—her copulator—whatever that thing is, but it wouldn’t hurt anyone or raise folks’ suspicions.”
“How do you get rid of it?” asked Tamora.
Pukwuk shoved Tamora aside and slammed her bread knife down, cutting the twig in two. Wisps of smoke rose from the ends. The goblin blinked and stared at the twig. “What happened?”
“Crude, but that ought to do it,” said Vernors.
Pukwuk studied the knife in her hand. “Did Pukwuk just fight twig?”
“Yes,” said Tamora. “And you won. Thank you.”
“Pukwuk, slayer of twigs!” The goblin sniffed and wandered into the hallway. “Strange palace. Where are we? Stinks like magic.”
“Someone keep an eye on Pukwuk so she doesn’t run out into traffic or pick a fight with a toilet or anything.” Tamora turned on the laptop. The password Karina had given worked perfectly, and it didn’t take long for Tamora to find the files she was expecting. In addition to the Dragon’s War IV expansion pack, she found a pdf of violin sheet music and an mp3 file marked Mozart Remix. “Karina, didn’t you say Kevin liked to listen to classical music?”
“That’s right.”
Vernors walked across the desk to peer at the laptop screen. She waved a hand in front of it, then poked one of the icons with her finger. “How the blazes do you work this magic window?”
“It’s not magic,” Tamora said. “I just opened her Recent Documents menu. Ms. Anna sent Andre the game patch. She must have added her melody to this Mozart file for Kevin. Lizzy plays the violin, so she got the sheet music. Once they listened to these songs, they were primed for the second half of the spell.”
Tamora plugged her Dad’s earbuds into the laptop, then looked over her shoulder at Ms. Anna. “I wonder if that same music will work on an elf.”
Ms. Anna started to twist and squirm.
Goblins piled onto the bed to hold Ms. Anna in place. Tamora brought the laptop over. Vernors shoved the earbuds into Ms. Anna’s ears.
“Let’s find out,” Tamora said, and double-clicked the first mp3.
* * *
There was only one way to test if the magic had worked. Mac climbed into the truck and reached behind the passenger seat to retrieve the flute.
Karina grimaced as she took it. “What happened to this?”
“You probably don’t want to know,” said Tamora. “I’m sorry. I tried to clean it.”
“I can’t believe Ms. A did all this. We trusted her.”
“I know.” Tamora turned toward her father. He lay half-submerged in the bushes next to the porch. Every wisp of hair was a long, perfectly-formed sliver of glass. Some of it had broken in the fall, but he was otherwise intact. “We’re going to fix this, Dad.”
His eyes were open. He’d raised one hand to shield his face. The other was thrust into the bush to break his fall. Was he conscious? Could he see and hear what went on around him?
“What if Karina can’t control her?” Mac asked.
“I can do this.” Karina sounded calmer than Tamora had ever heard. She ran her fingers over the instrument. “I can hear its song. Ms. Anna used it, but this is my flute, and it wants to be played.”
Tamora clutched the knife they’d taken from Ms. Anna. The wood was warm to the touch, while the blade was cold as a flagpole in midwinter. She half-expected it to frost over.
“You should stay here,” Karina said softly. “You heard the soundtrack Ms. Anna made for Andre. You’d be vulnerable too. Mac, would you come with me?”
He nodded.
Karina squeezed Tamora’s shoulder. “You and Mac and Mr. Carter saved me.”
“Gulk helped,” the goblin piped up.
“Yes.” Karina smiled. “It’s my turn now. We’ll save him. I promise.”
Tamora watched them go inside.
“Elves all bad.” Gulk looked down at her father, and his body slumped. “Kill goblins. Kill pix. Kill humans.”
“They can’t all be evil,” Tamora sat and hugged her knees to her chest. “Aren’t there any elves who don’t want war? You left your world to get away. Where are the elves who did the same?”
“Probably killed by other stupid elves.”
She sniffed. “I’m sorry, Dad. I just wanted to help my friends.”
“And goblins?” added Gulk.
That earned a sad, quiet chuckle. “That’s what I said. My friends.”
Gulk’s eyes grew wide. “Good queen.”
“Yeah, right.” Tamora snorted. “You and Mac had to rescue me at the zoo, remember? I can’t do magic. I don’t know how to open the portal and get you home…”
“Stupid queen.” Gulk waved his arms. “Gulk doesn’t want to go home. No pup tarts in Bansa.”
“Why me, Gulk? Why would you want a human as queen of the goblins?”
“Goblins too greedy. Elves too…elf.”
“So let Karina be queen. Or Mac. He knows more about this stuff than I do. He’d make a good queen.”
“Stupid queen,” Gulk said again. “Queen isn’t smartest. Queen isn’t best fighter. Queen isn’t magic. Queen is protector. Queen Tamora protected loud tiny dogs from goblins. Protected house and brother from goblins, with giant fluffy scary dog. Protected goblins and pix from dragon.”
“I didn’t protect my father.”
“Can’t protect everyone.” Gulk shrugged. “Still good queen. Maybe protect him later.”
She nodded, simultaneously warmed and frightened by the goblin’s words. He believed she would protect them. What if he was wrong?
Footsteps saved her from having to find an answer. Karina stepped out, gripping her flute in both hands. She swayed on her feet. Tamora jumped to catch her arm. At the same time, a pair of pix swooped to grab her shoulders.
“I think it worked.” Karina giggled. “I played the theme from the Flintstones. We’d been practicing it in band. I told Ms. Anna to cooperate with whatever you, Mac, or I say.”
And then she collapsed.
* * *
Two pix set Karina on the couch in the living room, where she began to snore. After making sure she was all right, Tamora and Mac headed upstairs to Ms. Anna’s room.
“What happened to Karina? Why did she pass out?” Tamora peeled away just enough of the duct tape to allow Ms. Anna to answer.
“Magic drains the strength of the caster. The girl can’t be expected to perform at the same level as an elf. But for a human, she’s done quite well. Her willpower is impressive, particularly given her lack of training. I’m proud of her.”
Ms. Anna seemed fully cooperative, courtesy of Karina’s magic, but Tamora didn’t trust her. Judging from the number of weapons pointed in Ms. Anna’s direction, neither did anyone else.
“She’ll be all right?” asked Mac, rocking in place.
“Strength of will is like any other muscle. Overuse it, and you need rest to recover. She’ll be fine.”
Tamora raised Ms. Anna’s knife. “Is this the key to the portal?”
“Stab the blade into the trunk of the tree and cut downward. It will hold the gateway open so long as the blade remains lodged in the wood. Remove it, and the portal is instantly sealed.”
“Gulk said time passes faster in Bansa,” said Tamora. “That Andre and the others had been there for a year, even though they only disappeared a few weeks ago. What happens when we step through?”
“Nothing, so long as the portal remains open.” When nobody spoke, Ms. Anna sighed. “Imagine two rivers flowing next to one another, separated by a wall. One river flows quickly, the other slowly. Break a hole in that wall, and water rushes through, swirling and chaotic on both sides.”
“What does that mean?” asked Tamora.
“It means while the portal is open, the passage of time on either side should…equalize, more or less. Depending on the eddies and currents.”
“Then we’ll have to be quick. How do I use this knife to help my Dad—and everyone else you transformed to glass?”
“The counterspells take a great deal of time, and are beyond the abilities of your small human mind. I could eventually restore them, if you freed me from my bonds.”
“Not gonna happen,” said Vernors, whose bow remained drawn.
“A wise precaution,” Ms. Anna agreed. “The simpler way to reverse the effects is to destroy the instrument used to create them. Break the knife, and its spells dissolve.”
Tamora turned the knife over, examining the razor-sharp line of the blade. She wanted to smash it with her bat right there. “But if I break it, we can’t open the portal.”
The elf smiled. “That’s true.”
“What about the flute? You used it on Andre and the others. If we destroy it—”
“The humans’ wills and souls will once again be their own.”
“And yours,” said Mac.
“We could destroy the flute now,” said Vernors. “Break the spell on your friends in our world—”
“While they’re surrounded by elves?” Tamora shook her head. “They’d be killed.”
“They’ll be killed anyway,” said Ms. Anna.
Mac set his iPad on the desk and moaned, smacking his head repeatedly into his hands.
Gulk inched closer to Tamora. “Why is human fighting himself?”
“He’s upset.” Mac hadn’t done this in years. When he was much younger, he’d occasionally bang his head against walls and furniture when he was overwhelmed. “Mac, do you want to go downstairs with Karina? It will be quieter.”
He shook his head hard.
“Would you rather stay with Dad while I go to the willow and—”
He moaned and shook his head again, more violently this time.
“Mac wants to stay with Queen Tamora,” said Gulk.
This time, Mac nodded.
“You can’t stop what’s going to happen.” Ms. Anna looked directly at Tamora, as if the two of them were alone in the room. “No more than a pix could stop a speeding truck on the highway. You’ll be nothing but a smear on the windshield. You’ve done well to overpower me, but I’m one elf. Your friends are guarded by our warriors, under the eye of our queen. You’ll be slaughtered.”
“You know, even when you’re enchanted, you’re still a jerk,” said Tamora.
“The flute doesn’t change the nature of the one affected.”
“I dunno about that,” said Vernors. “I wager if we smack you about the head with it enough times, we could change your nature.”
Tamora shook her head. “No. Nothing that could damage the flute. And we still need her help.” To Ms. Anna, she said, “You must have a way of communicating with your queen.”
“Naturally.”
“I need you to summon her to the other side of the portal. With the humans.”
Ms. Anna laughed. “Summon the queen? Your overestimation of my influence is flattering, child.”
“Tell her the goblins and the pix are planning to launch an attack from this side of the portal,” pressed Tamora. “That they have human allies and human weapons.”
The laughter stopped. “That could work,” Ms. Anna admitted. “But what do you intend to do once they’ve gathered?”
Her stomach was knotted so tight she thought she might throw up, and her muscles were cramped with the effort to stop herself from shaking, but she did her best to match the elf’s breezy confidence. “I’ll fill you in once we’re done.”
Ms. Anna chuckled. “You don’t want to share your plans in front of the elf?”
“Nope.” She looked around. “I need two pix here to watch over my Dad, and two more inside to guard Karina. The rest of you, please follow me. Oh, someone needs to carry Ms. Anna.”
Mac got to his feet and joined Tamora, taking her hand in his. His palm was as sweaty as hers, but she didn’t care. The anxious twitches and jerks of his body traveled through his hand and up her arm.
The red willow was as they’d left it. A heavy comforter covered the two glass goblins at the base of the tree. Vernors and another pix dumped Ms. Anna in the dirt, hard enough to make Tamora wince.
“What do you need to send your message?” Tamora asked.
“Stab the knife into the tree, and let me grasp the handle.”
“Not bloody likely,” said Vernors.
“Either we trust Karina’s magic, or we don’t.” Tamora stepped onto roots as thick as her thighs and reached up to press the tip of the knife into a gouge in the bark. The willow’s branches rustled, though there was no wind. Not in this world, at least. She pushed harder. To the blue blade, the wood was soft as peanut butter. The cut breathed cool air over Tamora’s hand, sending goosebumps crawling along her skin as she sank the blade to the hilt. “Bring her.”
The pix carried Ms. Anna to the tree. Pukwuk used her knife to cut some of the duct tape. From the elf’s sudden cursing, she cut a little of Ms. Anna as well.
Bows and blades tracked Ms. Anna’s movements as she reached up to grasp the knife. She closed her eyes. Her lips moved softly, though her words were too quiet to hear. No more than a minute later, she turned away. “It’s done.”
“How long until they arrive?”
“My queen has remained close to the portal, ever since she realized her enemies were using it to escape. Half an hour, at most.”
“Are you ready for this, lass?” asked Vernors.
“Honestly? No.” She was about to walk into another world, to face people who would happily kill her. How could anyone be ready for that?
“Even if you save your friends, you’ll only make things worse,” said Ms. Anna. “The war will drag on. More will die on both sides.”
Tamora adjusted her helmet. Her roller derby gear felt laughably inadequate for what she was about to do. “What would it take to stop the war?”
“You can’t. My queen and her former consort will never stop.”
“She’s right, lass,” said Vernors. “Don’t let her mess with your head. You can’t win this war. The battle, maybe. You focus on saving your friends while you’re in our world, you hear?”
Another world… A world of goblins and pix and elves and dragons and magic and so much more. “What was it like?” she whispered. “The first time you left Bansa and entered our world.”
“Dark,” said Gulk.
Vernors snorted. “It changes you. Shows how much more there is, how small you truly are.”
“Pix all small,” Pukwuk pointed out.
Vernors closed her eyes. “Starflight, give me patience.”
“When do we go?” asked Mac.
Tamora looked at his iPad. Even if it worked in Bansa, there was a good chance the portal’s magic would have no effect on its software, meaning he wouldn’t be able to communicate with anyone else.
“No.” He jabbed his screen again, visibly struggling to write. “You’re not doing this alone.”
She swallowed hard. “All right.”
“I’m going too.” Karina Lord walked wearily through the trees, supported in part by a fluttering pix on her shoulder. “My brother’s on the other side of that portal.”
Tamora nodded, unable to speak. She wanted to tell them to stay here where it was safe, to insist she could do this alone, but they were right. She walked over and offered Karina her arm for support. Mac did the same on the other side.
“By all means,” said Ms. Anna. “Walk to your death, if that’s what you choose.”
“Me too!” Gulk swallowed and stepped close to Tamora. “Walk to death with Queen Tamora!”
“And Pukwuk!” Pukwuk cried.
“Daft as dirt,” muttered Vernors. “I’ll accompany you as well. A queen should have at least one escort smart enough not to spit into the wind.”
“You don’t have to,” said Tamora. “I’m not planning to fight.”
“Then you’re the only one,” said Vernors.
Tamora turned to the remaining pix and goblins. “If anyone but us comes back through the portal, close it and get away. Destroy the knife and the flute.”
“You heard her.” Vernors jabbed a finger at a fat pix in a Pepsi can. “You’re Second Bow now, so you’re in charge until I get back.”
Tamora stepped to the tree and grabbed the knife. Chips of bark fell away as she cut downward, but for the most part, the tree appeared unharmed. The knife wasn’t really cutting the wood so much as it was pushing it inward, drawing a groove down the center of the trunk. That groove continued to grow until, with a loud cracking sound, a portion of the tree split into a narrow passageway.
She brought the knife as low as she could. Roots twitched and dug into the earth like fingers, pulling the doorway wider. Light the color of campfires and sunsets spilled through from the other side.
“It’s ready,” said Ms. Anna.
“All right.” Tamora reached back to grab Karina’s hand, stepped carefully along the roots, and left her world behind.