Free Must Be Magic by Lani Aames Page B

suggested.
    “’Twould
take all night, I fear. Besides, some of it’s not my place to tell. I’ll be
brief as I can. The Troll, Tredje, and I were sent to prevent Prince Myghal
from taking y—”
    “Prince?”
Kerry interrupted. “Myghal never told me he was a prince. Prince of what?”
    “Prince of Pixieland, a part of
the Faerie Realm.”
    “Pixieland?”
Kerry’s tone rose in disbelief. “Myghal has to be over six feet tall. Trust me,
there’s nothing pixie about him.”
    Gomit’s
gnarled face split into a grin. “Aye, but his royal highness is indeed Prince
of the Pixies. The old Prince, Myghal’s father, died over three months ago.
Myghal, being his only child, inherited the title. And the responsibilities.
Unlike most royalty in your human realm, rulers actually rule their domains in
the Faerie Realm.”
    “I
see.” Then Kerry shook her head. “No, I don’t really see at all. I’m supposed
to believe this, but if it were coming from someone other than one of my garden
Gnomes, I’d have called the police already.”
    “Nay,
Lady. Your humble servant isn’t one of your statues come to life. My home is
far away from here.”
    “Right.
Okay. Let’s get back to Myghal. You say he’s been kidnapped. By a Troll.” Kerry
couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of her mouth.
    “Aye. The Faerie King sent word
that Prince Myghal was to be stopped from bringing you to the Faerie Realm
before the Equinox at all cost. Tredje tried once to kidnap you, but—”
    “Tredje?”
    “Aye.
Tredje the Troll.”
    “Of
course. And the Equinox is…” Kerry pulled her desk calendar closer. “Tomorrow.
Why would Myghal need to take me to the Faerie Realm before the Equinox?”
    Gomit squirmed in his seat and
ducked his head. “I couldn’t say, Lady. But the Gnomes and Trolls and some
other Faerie Realm folk who live in your world are expected to do King Norfe’s
bidding even though we consider ourselves independent from the Faerie Realm.”
    The little Gnome’s tale was
getting more and more complicated, and Kerry’s suspension of disbelief was
wearing thin. This had to be some trick? But who would be playing it on her?
And why? April Fool’s was another two weeks away.
    “I don’t mean to be rude, but
could you please not get into Mother Goose’s political agendas.” She said it
with a smile, but she felt as if she was being had. Possibly by Myghal himself.
He’d been dressed like a Leprechaun, after all. Strike that. In light of what
Myghal had told her and Gomit had just confirmed, Myghal had been dressed like
a Pixie. No wonder he’d had no interest in the contest across the street.
    “Aye, Lady Kerry. As I said, instructions
came from King Norfe to stop Prince Myghal from taking you into the Faerie
Realm at all cost. The Trolls sent Tredje, and our leader, General Gorgicz,
sent me. What the Trolls don’t know is that we Gnomes have been in service to
the Pixies since longer than any of us can remember. We are bound by honor to
serve the Pixies before the Faeries. The allegiance goes back so far that even
our Elders don’t remember why, but we believe the Pixie Prince at that time did
a great deed for the Gnomes, and we are obligated to repay the kindness until
the end of time.”
    “I understand,” Kerry said. The
quiet dignity of the homely little Gnome touched her deeply.
    “Then
you understand why I joined with Tredje, just to upset his plans and help in my
small way. I’ve managed to convince Tredje that I’m dim-witted and clumsy so he
hasn’t relied on me too much.” Gomit sighed heavily. “I daresay a Pixie Prince
has helped them out a time or two, but Trolls have no honor.”
    While
part of her found his tale ludicrous, another part of her was beginning to
believe. The little man sitting in a chair in front of her was not merely a
midget in a Gnome costume. His features were unlike anything she’d ever seen on
a human being. Yellow eyes, nose, mouth, and jaw were