Chapter 23

Cory was cleaning the kitchen the next morning when someone knocked on the front door. After all the things that had happened over the last few days, she was reluctant to answer it, especially when she peeked out the window and saw Doris Dumpty standing there looking furious. Certain that she was going to get another blistering rebuke, she was surprised when she opened the door and Mrs. Dumpty’s expression softened.

“I’ve come to apologize,” said Doris. “I was just so angry, but then I learned the truth and I, well, I had something else to deal with before I came to see you. Humpty, tell Miss Cory what you told me.”

The little boy had been hiding behind his mother. He peeked out now, his cheeks pink and his expression grave. “I told a fib,” he said, his lips quivering. “I let the mice go on purpose, and then I pretended that I didn’t see them, but I really did.”

Mrs. Dumpty’s lips were pressed into thin lines when she nodded. “He told me only after I had sent a message to an exterminator. It seems he wanted to keep the mice and was afraid you wouldn’t let him if he asked. I certainly wouldn’t have, but I have to say, since he started taking care of them, he has been very good and has not tried to climb anything higher than his seat at the kitchen table. He’s very good with the mice and he’s begged his father and me to let them stay. I told him he had to apologize to you and ask for your permission. He understands that they are really your mice and that you might say no, especially considering the misunderstanding. Isn’t that right, Humpty?”

The little boy wrapped his arms around his middle and looked so sad when he nodded that Cory didn’t have the heart to say no. “Yes, you may keep them, Humpty,” she said, “provided you promise not to lie anymore and you will take very good care of the mice.”

Humpty’s face lit up like the sun breaking through on a cloudy day. “I promise! I named them already. Their names are Squeaks, Fuzzy, and Cheese. I named him Cheese ’cause he likes to eat it as much as I do.”

“I think those are very good names,” said Cory.

“I must apologize for something else,” Mrs. Dumpty said. “Before Humpty told me what he had done, a woman came by. She wasn’t very pleasant and was actually quite nosy, asking questions about you and your work habits. I’m sorry to say that I was still angry and told her some things that I later regretted. I have no problem with your work, and I … Let me see, yes, here it is. This is for you.” She took a small bag jingling with coins from her purse and handed it to Cory. “That’s your pay for the last day you babysat Humpty, plus a little extra for putting up with all of this nonsense.”

“Uh, thank you,” Cory told her.

“If there is ever anything I can do for you, just let me know,” Mrs. Humpty added.

The woman was about to turn away when Cory spoke up. “Actually, there is something you could do for me, provided your husband is Randal Jehosephat Dumpty, the judge.”

“He is,” Mrs. Dumpty said slowly. “What did you need?”

“I’ve been having a problem with the Tooth Fairy Guild,” said Cory. “I quit recently and they’ve been hounding me ever since.”

Doris Dumpty listened with increasing interest while Cory told her about all the trouble the guild had inflicted on her after she quit. “So, would you be able to talk to your husband? Apparently, he has let the guilds do whatever they want, but if you let him know what they were really up to, he might change his mind.”

“I’ll talk to him, all right,” said Mrs. Dumpty. “That’s outrageous! No one should be able to get away with such nastiness.” Turning to her son, she reached for his hand. “Now come along, Humpty. We have a lot to do before we go home. Your father’s office will be our first stop.”

Cory was glad that Mrs. Dumpty had come by, especially when she saw how much the woman had given her. It was more than twice as many coins as she owed Cory. Even the payment for babysitting was money Cory had never thought she’d see.

Singing to herself, Cory went back to work cleaning. She was throwing a party in two days and had lots to do to get ready. After finishing in the kitchen, she started on the main room. Armed with a soapstone, water, and a scrub brush, she was cleaning the mantel around the bird nest when her mother burst into the house. Delphinium froze when she saw Cory and said, “What are you doing? Shouldn’t you be resting in bed after your ordeal?”

“I guess I don’t have to ask if you know what happened to me, do I, Mother?” Cory said, setting down the scrub brush. “But then you did warn me. You knew the TFG was going to kidnap me and shut me in a box and rip my fairy abilities from me. They even took my wings!”

“Really, Cory, don’t be so dramatic. I’m sure the guild didn’t—”

“That’s exactly what they did! I can’t believe my own mother let them.”

“I warned you that you couldn’t just walk away!”

“You warned me, but you never tried to help me. Grandfather said that—”

“Your grandfather!” Delphinium said, practically spitting the words. “Mary Mary told me that Lionel had come to see her. She was taken completely unaware and is furious that I didn’t tell her that he’s a demigod. How was I to know that you would drag him into this, after I tried so hard to shield you from him?”

“You weren’t shielding me! You were protecting your pride. He told you something you didn’t want to hear and he was right. You were the one at fault, not Grandfather!”

“How dare you!”

“I dare a lot after what I’ve been through, and I don’t think you have any right to barge into my home and … Why did you come here, anyway?”

“For the same reason I came by yesterday and the day before, knocking on your door until your neighbors came to see what was wrong. I thought you were in bed, hiding from the world. I was worried about you. Most fairies would be traumatized if they were stripped of their abilities, but you seem to be fine. I thought you needed me. I see that I was wrong.”

“How can you let the TFG try to ruin my life, and think I want your help afterward?”

“You’re my daughter! I came to take you home where you belong. This isn’t your house; it’s your uncle’s and you’ve imposed on him long enough.”

“That’s just it. He doesn’t think I’m imposing. We’re family and we act like it. Please leave now, Mother. I don’t live with you anymore and I’m never coming back.”

Delphinium stared at her, her mouth opening and closing like a fish’s. Finally, she turned on her heel, stomped from the house, and slammed the door behind her.

“Well, that was unpleasant,” Cory told Noodles, who was sniffing at the door. “I can only imagine what she would have done if I’d told her I was the new Cupid. To be honest, I hope she never finds out. There are very few people who I want to tell, and she’s not one of them!”

Cory left for Marjorie’s house a short time later. She had contacted her to say that she and some friends were stopping by, but hadn’t said what they planned to do. After two failed attempts to get rid of the spiders, she didn’t want to get Marjorie’s hopes up again.

Only a few minutes after she arrived, Olot and Chancy showed up with the cart full of instruments. Cory had told Olot about the spiders and he wanted to see them. Chancy didn’t like spiders and wasn’t sure she wanted to go inside, but finally did when Marjorie assured her that they didn’t bite people.

“I don’t see any webs,” Chancy said, hesitating at the door.

“They aren’t web-building spiders,” said Marjorie. “This kind of spider goes looking for its prey.”

Chancy shuddered. “I’m not sure, but I think that might be worse.”

She carried Olot’s lute in while Cory and Olot managed the drums. Fortunately, they didn’t see any spiders then. It wasn’t until Cory was setting up her drums that the first spider emerged. It was a smaller one, only as long as Cory’s little finger. Chancy didn’t notice it as she went outside to get something Olot had left on the cart. The next time Cory looked up, a dozen spiders were crawling over her drums and most of them were bigger than her fist.

“You might want to tell Chancy to stay outside,” Cory told Olot.

“Good idea,” he said as a spider climbed onto his shoe. He had to shake his foot to get the spider off and he didn’t look as intrigued by the creatures when he left the room.

Olot was still outside when Skippy arrived. Perky came next, then Daisy and Cheeble showed up. Cory opened all the doors before they began to practice and noticed that Chancy had stayed outside. Soon after they started their first song, Marjorie went out as well. The music had been loud in Olot’s cave and in the restaurants. In Marjorie’s little house, it was almost deafening.

At first the noise made the spiders agitated. They skittered off Cory’s drums and out from under the chairs, fell from the fairy lights on the walls, and tumbled off the table. Some collapsed onto the floor, drawing their legs close to their bodies as if they were in pain. Others ran in circles making a high-pitched noise that sounded like “Ick! Ick! Ick!”

“Play louder,” Cory shouted to her bandmates.

They did, playing as loudly as they could. The spiders started to run out the doors, just a few at first, then more and more until a steady stream fled the house. Cory thought she heard Chancy scream once, but when Olot looked out the window and continued to play, Cory didn’t even pause. Before the first song was done, she was fairly sure all the spiders were gone, but they kept playing until they had rehearsed as long as usual.

Cory was packing up her drums when Marjorie came to see her. “I’ve looked everywhere, but I can’t find a single spider. I think they’re all gone! I don’t know if you could see out the window; a flock of crows got a lot of them. The rest ran to the forest down the street. Thank you so much! I thought I’d never get rid of them. How did you ever think of this?”

“I remembered how they hadn’t liked the birds’ screeching when I tried to get rid of the spiders last time. Then at our last rehearsal, our playing was so loud it made my headache worse. I could imagine what it would do to the spiders.”

“I’m glad you did!” said Marjorie. “I love my little house and I didn’t really want to sell it.”

Daisy joined them then, saying, “I don’t know how you could stand living with those spiders! They were huge and scary and they watched you wherever you went.”

“At least they didn’t bite me,” said Marjorie. “I would have left then and never come back if they had. Excuse me. I have to thank your friends.”

“Well, that was an experience I never hope to repeat, but at least we were able to help Marjorie,” Daisy told Cory.

“Finally!” Cory exclaimed. “I’ve tried and tried to get rid of those spiders. I’m glad something worked.”

“You really do want to help people, don’t you?” said Daisy. “You’re not just saying it without meaning it, like some people do. I know you were trying to help me when you told me about Tom Tom, and I appreciate it. I thought about what you said, and broke up with Tom Tom the next day.”

“How did he take it?” Cory asked.

“He was mad, but he’ll get over it,” said Daisy. “They all do.”

That afternoon, Cory sat at the kitchen table with an ink stick and a fresh leaf to think about the love matches for her friends and clients. She could see the images of Marjorie and Jack Nimble as clearly as if they were standing in front of her. She recognized Priscilla Hood’s match, but the matches for the others were strangers to her. Even so, she knew she would recognize them if she saw them. After making a list of who she wanted to invite, she made lists of what she wanted to cook, and what she needed to buy at the market. She sent a message to Olot and all the members of the band, inviting them to the dinner and asking them to play that night. Her uncle had already said that he’d help her cook, but she wanted him to enjoy the party, too, so she arranged to have Josef, the young man at Perfect Pastry, come help. The rest of the afternoon flew by as she wrote and sent out her invitations.

Cory spent the next two days getting ready. By the night of the party, she was so excited that she couldn’t sit still. It was light out when Josef arrived. Then her neighbors showed up and Cory was glad to see that neither Wanita nor Salazar had brought their pets and that the twins were both in their human forms. Only minutes after she greeted the first arrivals, Marjorie was there along with Daisy and Priscilla. Mary Lambkin walked in the door just as Lionel Feathering stepped onto the porch. Cory introduced the other guests to her grandfather, omitting his title, then returned to the door to greet the next arrivals.

Nearly everyone was there when Lionel took Cory aside. “How is everything going? You look a little nervous.”

“Everything’s fine,” said Cory. “It’s just that, well, someone isn’t here yet, and I really had hoped that he’d come.”

“If you’re talking about Johnny Blue, I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”

“How did you know about Johnny?” she asked.

“I have my sources,” he said with a mischievous grin.

“Uncle Micah?” she said, glancing toward the kitchen, where her uncle was checking on the cooking food.

“He may have told me a few things,” her grandfather replied. “When I realized that this Johnny Blue might be the one you were not telling me about at breakfast the other day, it occurred to me that it was important he attend your party. I spoke with Johnny Blue’s captain. The man agreed to send Johnny to your party to watch for suspicious characters.”

“How did you get him to do that?” asked Cory.

“I am on the FLEA board, remember? I haven’t been very active lately, but I’ve decided to change that. The board is looking into the guilds’ activities against their members now.”

“Do you know Judge Randal Jehosephat Dumpty? Johnny told me that he’s been keeping the guilds from being prosecuted. I spoke with his wife and she is going to ask him to stop. I don’t know if that will do any good, but it might if you used your influence, too.”

“I’ll take care of it,” he said. “Between your friends and my work on the board, the guilds are going to have to answer for what they do very soon.” He glanced at the doorway when someone else walked in. “Say, is that the young man?”

Cory turned and saw Johnny. Her face lit up even as she felt her grandfather give her a small push and said, “Go see your young man while I ask if your uncle needs any help.”

Cory nodded and swallowed hard. She was partway across the room when Mary Lambkin waylaid her to talk about another date. When Cory looked up, Johnny was deep in conversation with Cheeble, who was gesturing and talking in an excited voice. She was going over to join them when she saw the three pigs standing in a corner looking forlorn.

“Come with me,” she told them, and led the pigs to her neighbor. “Wanita, I’d like you to meet some friends of mine, Alphonse, Bertie, and Roger. Gentlepigs, Wanita is one of my neighbors. She has a wild boar living at her house.”

The pigs ears perked with interest. Wanita looked intrigued to meet pigs who stood on their hind legs and could actually talk to her. The witch told them about her boar, then asked if they liked living in town. When Cory left them, they were telling Wanita about the wolf and the boy named Tom Tom who had kidnapped Roger.

Cory found Johnny Blue standing beside the mantel eyeing the bird in its nest. He looked pleased when she first walked up, then his eyes became wary as if remembering their last meeting.

“I’m happy to see that you look well,” Johnny said. “I heard about the kidnapping from the guys on the squad the day after it happened. You didn’t tell me—”

“I couldn’t tell you,” Cory said, her words tumbling over his. “It happened so fast and then my grandfather was there and I had so much to think about and I thought you—”

“I came to see you as soon as I heard, but you weren’t here. Then I came by the next day and you were out again. And then when you didn’t send me a message, I thought that maybe …” Johnny’s voice trailed off and he looked away.

“Maybe what?” asked Cory.

“Maybe you didn’t want to see me because I’d let you down. I’d said that I would keep an eye on Tom Tom, but then he was one of the people who kidnapped you, wasn’t he? I don’t blame you for being angry with me. I failed you when all I wanted to do was protect you.”

“You couldn’t have stopped him. He came with two other men on a flying carpet! I don’t blame you for anything. I was gone because I was working out some things and I didn’t send you a message because I thought you didn’t want to see me. After I said what I did, I thought I’d hurt your feelings so badly that you didn’t want to have anything more to do with me.”

“That wasn’t it at all!” Johnny told her, taking Cory’s hand in his.

Her stomach lurched and her head felt woozy, like when you stand up too suddenly, but she squeezed his hand and felt unreasonably pleased when he squeezed back.

“Sure, I felt awful when you told me not to touch you. Then I thought about it and I knew that there had to be more to it,” said Johnny. “I care about you too much to just walk away. You aren’t going to get rid of me that easily!”

“I don’t ever want to get rid of you!” Cory said.

People began to form a line by the table set up at one end of the room; Josef and Micah had brought out the food and everyone seemed eager to serve themselves.

“I should go see what else there is to do,” Cory said, giving Johnny’s hand one last squeeze before she let go. “I want to talk to you again later.”

“I’ll be here,” he said with a grin.

Cory was busy for a while then, making sure that there were enough serving spoons and napkins, cleaning up juice that Skippy spilled and finding salt for Olot and water for Salazar. She was refilling platters when the band began to play old songs that didn’t need a drummer. When Micah took a platter from her and sent her out to join the band, she wiped her hands on a napkin and hurried to her drums. They played newer songs then, most of which the band had written. Everyone loved “Morning Mist” and swore that it made them feel as if they were really there.

When her grandfather heard this, he smiled and nodded. The moment they stopped to take a break, he gestured to her, pointing to the door and the front porch. “Do you get that reaction to your music often?” he asked once they were alone.

“To our new songs,” said Cory. “The ones we wrote together.”

“Have you had a hand in writing these particular songs?” he asked.

Cory nodded. “Every one. I wrote most of ‘Morning Mist’ and ‘Thunder’s Clap.’ Why do you ask?”

“I thought I detected a hint of power!” said her grandfather. “Apparently, some of your demigod abilities were coming through even when you had your fairy traits. When you wrote your music, you poured your heart and your emotions into each piece. Your demigod side evoked those same emotions in the audience. That’s why everyone says they feel as if they’re there.”

“Really!” said Cory. “I just thought our playing had gotten better.”

“You do play very well,” her grandfather said with a grin. “I’m sure that’s part of it, too! Have you tried your bow yet? You said you were going to use it at your party.”

“And I will,” said Cory. She peeked through the doorway into the house and spotted Marjorie talking to Daisy. “I suppose that now would be as good a time as any. If you’ll excuse me …”

The other members of the band were still playing when Cory invited Marjorie to join her on the porch. On their way out, she stopped and spoke to Jack Nimble. Marjorie gave Cory a questioning glance with a raised eyebrow when Jack began to follow them.

“You’ll understand in a minute,” said Cory.

Once they’d stepped onto the porch, Cory closed the door behind them. “I know you two went out on a date together and it didn’t work out, but you really are meant for each other,” Cory told them.

Jack looked surprised and shook his head; Marjorie looked exasperated. “I told you it wouldn’t work,” she said to Cory.

“Oh, but it will!” said Cory. Bow, Cory thought, holding out her hands. Suddenly, time seemed to stand still. Her bow appeared in one hand, her quiver in the other. They weren’t the same as those she’d used for practice. Instead, this bow was silver with a golden string, the quiver was made of soft white leather, and the arrows were silver with gold fletching and fine writing on the shaft. Moving with the ease of practice, Cory drew out the arrow with “Marjorie Theresa Muffet” written on the shaft and placed it in her bow. Imagining a target over her friend’s heart, she took aim and … hesitated.

This was a lot different from shooting at targets. She’d never actually shot a person before! What if these really weren’t magical arrows, but regular arrows that could hurt her friend. A shot like this could kill her, especially at such close range. Cory bit her lip and lowered the arrow. Then, as if he were standing beside her, she could hear her grandfather’s voice in her head. “Without a Cupid there will be less love in the world.” Although Marjorie had never actually said it, Cory knew that the one thing that her friend wanted most was love and this might be the only way she would ever find it.

Taking a deep breath, Cory pulled back the bowstring, aimed the arrow at Marjorie, and let the arrow fly. A shimmer of gold puffed from Marjorie’s chest, but she didn’t move or even blink. Satisfied that the arrow was doing what it was supposed to do, Cory drew the second arrow from the quiver. “Jack Benjamin Nimble” was written on the arrow. Taking careful aim, she shot Jack in the heart without a moment’s hesitation. Once again there was a puff of gold, only this time Marjorie and Jack began to glow until a bright light suffused them both.

From the time Cory had thought bow to the time the light faded from around Jack and Marjorie, nothing had moved except Cory—not Jack or Marjorie, the leaves on the trees, or the squirrel watching from the railing. The noise of the party inside the house had grown silent as had the normal sounds of the night outside. Now, however, as bow and quiver disappeared, the light around the couple faded away, and sound and movement returned.

Both Marjorie and Jack stood stunned for a moment, then, as if a puppeteer had pulled their strings, they turned to face each other. “I think I was wrong about you,” Marjorie whispered, looking into Jack’s eyes.

“We were meant to be together!” he said, reaching for her hand.

Cory smiled to herself as she went back inside the house, leaving Jack and Marjorie alone on the porch. She slipped through the crowded room to the kitchen to bring out more food, stopping to talk to Josef on the way. When she returned to the main room a few minutes later, she saw that Marjorie and Jack were huddled in a corner, gazing into each other’s eyes, so she began looking for Priscilla Hood. She found Priscilla talking to Selene and Felice about their favorite kinds of fur.

“Pardon me for interrupting,” she told the girls, “but I need to talk to Priscilla.”

“That’s all right,” said Felice. “Selene and I are going to get more of that lovely smoked fish.”

“What did you want to talk about?” Priscilla asked as Cory led her to the porch.

“Your love life,” said Cory. “Oh, good. Here he is.”

Josef had followed them out the door just as Cory had told him to. He was offering a tray of fruit juice to Priscilla when Cory thought bow. It took her less than a minute to shoot them both. This time the couple wandered off the porch and into the yard, leaving Cory behind.

Too excited by what she had done, Cory couldn’t bring herself to go back in the house. She took a seat on one of the chairs, wishing there was someone else she could help fall in love that very night, and knowing that the two couples she had just helped were the only ones she’d “seen” together. True, she had “seen” her other friends with the loves they were meant to find, but the people they were with were strangers to her and she would have to locate them first before she could bring the couples together.

Cory was sitting by herself, enjoying the night air and thinking about what she should do over the next few days, when the door opened and Johnny Blue came out.

“There you are!” he said, crossing the porch. “I was talking to your uncle when it occurred to me that the only person I really wanted to be talking to was you, and I couldn’t find you anywhere. Then one of those girls with the cat eyes told me you were out here. You’re probably going to have to put out more of that fish, by the way. The girl and her sister ate it all.”

Cory laughed and got to her feet. “I’m not surprised. I should have set out more. When I invited them they told me that the only things they eat are fish and vegetables. Listen, I know I said I wanted to talk to you later, but I think we’ve talked enough. My grandfather told me something that I think I should check out for myself.” Walking up to Johnny, she took his head between her hands and pulled him closer. Then, standing on tiptoe, she tilted her head and pressed her lips to his.

The moment their lips met, Cory knew that everything was going to change. Instead of feeling ill, she felt warm and wonderful inside. Her heart began beating faster, matching the beat of his heart as he took her in his arms and pulled her close. He picked her up to hold her even closer as the kiss grew longer and deeper. As her world filled with thoughts of Johnny Blue and nothing else, Cory would have been happy if the kiss had never ended. This was her true love, the person she was meant to be with for the rest of her life.

Then, suddenly, someone else was on the porch and an angry voice was grating at her. “Well, isn’t this a pretty sight! Little Miss Busybody has a boyfriend! And it’s the Boogie Man! Why am I not surprised? I know she told my girlfriend to dump me, but were you in on it, too?”

Johnny Blue set Cory down and stepped in front of her in a protective gesture that she thought was very sweet. Peeking from behind Johnny, she caught a glimpse of Tom Tom and the angry look on his face. She was very glad that Johnny was there.

“I was looking for you,” Johnny Blue snarled at Tom Tom, who backed up half a step.

A low-throated growl made Cory peek again. Tom Tom had brought a wolf with him and it looked like the same animal that had tried to blow down the house.

“You can’t kidnap someone and get away with it,” Johnny said, taking a step toward Tom Tom.

“I was doing what I was ordered to do!” Tom Tom shouted.

The door opened and people from the party spilled onto the porch. Although Olot and Lionel were the first, Selene and Felice pushed their way to the front to eye Tom Tom and the wolf. Wanita followed them, a look of anticipation on her face.

Although Cory couldn’t see him in the crowd, Roger must have been there as well because he suddenly squealed, “That’s them! That’s Tom Tom, who kidnapped me, and the wolf that blew down my house!” The sound of pig’s trotters scrabbling on the porch floor told Cory that Roger had run back inside.

Wanita’s mouth spread into a creepy smile that Cory hoped was never aimed at her. “So you’re the ones who like to harass the small and defenseless?” Wanita said to Tom Tom and the wolf. “I know the cure for that!”

With a wave of her arm and a few muttered words, Wanita turned the young man and the wolf into cute little pigs, smaller than Alphonse and his brothers.

“We haven’t chased anyone in a long time, sister,” Felice said to Selene.

The air shimmered around the girls. In an instant, two leopards stood in their place, one black and the other spotted. The spotted leopard screamed, a chilling sound that made the creatures in the nearby forest grow silent. Squealing, the two little pigs tumbled off the porch and darted across the lawn. The leopards turned to look at each other before taking off after the pigs.

“Are those girls going to eat them?” asked Johnny. “I planned to arrest Tom Tom for vandalism, if nothing else.”

“The twins told me that they don’t eat meat, remember?” Cory told him. “And I have a feeling that the Fey Law Enforcement Agency is about to ensure that Tom Tom will answer for all the things he’s done.”

“Pardon me for interrupting,” said Wanita. “But I just wanted to tell you that that bit of magic takes care of the favor I owed you. I have to say, this has been the best party ever!” Turning around, the witch headed back inside with the rest of Cory’s guests trailing behind her.

“Yes, it has,” Johnny Blue said to Cory as he gathered her into his arms again.