Well, I am, Lunis replied. I need that vanity. I really want Roxy to like me.
Sophia laughed at this. You’re ridiculous, Lun.
The spell to contain the green goo would require a lot of magic and drain Sophia’s reserves. For that reason, she had to get it right the first time around. She wouldn’t get another shot, and she was out of time, backing up to the open front door and standing on the threshold. If Stan made it out of the school, it would destroy the campus and the building. Sophia couldn’t allow that to happen. Fairy Godmother College was a sacred place for her.
After drawing in a breath, Sophia concentrated and created the spell that would hopefully save the school and hold the deadly substance until she could get rid of it altogether.
She twirled her hand, and at first, nothing happened. Deflating with sudden defeat, Sophia felt crushed by the weight of her current situation. Then the goo that had oozed forward and rolled like a wave froze.
It worked, she exclaimed to Lunis in her head.
I don’t think it did, he muttered, sounding preoccupied. I cashed in my caps, but I still don’t think I have enough wood to craft the vanity. Poor Roxy.
Lunis, Sophia nearly yelled. I meant the spell to contain Stan. I think it worked.
Huh? He sounded confused. Stan? You mean Molly? Good news. Hopefully, next time it won’t take you so long to get my hints.
You could have told me, she complained.
The blue dragon laughed. Now, where would the fun be in that?
Sophia shook her head as she studied the green sludge, ensuring that she’d contained it. When she’d decided that she had, she made a portal for Roya Lane, anxious to get this stuff off her as quickly as possible. Even if the chi of the dragon protected her, she didn’t want to chance exposure for long.
Chapter Eight
Sophia was in such a rush to be rid of the toxic goo that she nearly ran straight into King Rudolf Sweetwater upon stepping out of the portal onto Roya Lane. When she moved to the right to get around the fae, he did the same thing. She swerved to the left and Rudolf copied the movement as if doing an impromptu dance.
Laughing, Rudolf said, “Well, I didn’t know you knew how to tango.”
She gritted her teeth and shook her head. “Can you get out of my way? I have to get to the Rose Apothecary.”
“That’s where I’m headed.” Rudolf’s eyes brightened. “I have to check on the Heals Pills inventory. The elixir is selling like hot pants.”
Although she was in a hurry, Sophia felt obligated to correct Rudolf. “It’s hotcakes.”
“What’s hotcakes?”
“The expression is, selling like hotcakes,” Sophia explained.
Rudolf frowned. “That doesn’t make any sense. Who would want hotcakes when you can have tight shorts? And also, if you do go and eat all those hotcakes, then you’re not going to fit into your hot pants. Have you thought about that?”
Sophia’s eyes widened in disbelief that the conversation with Rudolf had taken such an immediate strange and confusing turn. “Look, I have to hurry to the Rose Apothecary. I have toxic sludge in my pocket.”
“Is that the smell of death scent I picked up radiating from your cloak pocket? I thought you’d hadn’t washed your jeans in a while.”
“Yeah, I guess that the bottle I have Stan in might not completely seal the odor away.”
“I once put a Stan in a bottle,” Rudolf imparted. “He was a genie and had a real temper.” The fae threw up his hands and broke into the character of Stan the genie. “Let me out of this bottle, Rudolf. If you don’t, then when I get out of here, I’m going to murder you slowly!”
“Why wouldn’t you let him out?” Sophia had to ask although she knew she needed to hurry to the Rose Apothecary.
“Don’t you know that after a genie grants your wishes the only way for him to secure his freedom is to murder the one he serves?”
“So he was going to murder you regardless, then?”
“Yeah, but he thought the threat of my slow death would entice me to let him out.” Rudolf shook his head and clicked his tongue. “Joke’s on him because I threw his bottle into the middle of the ocean where he’ll sleep with the clams.”
Sophia closed her eyes for half a beat, again feeling obligated to correct the dimwitted king. “You mean, sleep with the fish.”
“No, of course I mean sleep with the clams,” Rudolf stated. “Why do you think the phrase is crappy as a clam? It’s because they’re all groggy from sleeping all the time.”
Sophia scratched her head and tried to understand how Rudolf had gotten so much in life wrong but still became king of a race. “It’s happy as a clam.”
Rudolf laughed. “That’s funny. Have you seen clams? They look like aliens. There’s no way they could be happy.”
“Why did you throw the genie’s bottle into the ocean?” Sophia asked.
“Well, genies will work and work until they escape their bottles,” Rudolf stated. “If Stan got out, it was lights out for me. That’s why many get rid of their bottles after their wishes are complete. It’s safer that way.”
Sophia nodded. “Makes sense. Then someone else can find the genie and get their wishes granted. However, no one will find your Stan at the bottom of the ocean.”
“The important point was that Stan wouldn’t find me.”
“That’s pretty smart.” Sophia surprised herself by using smart to describe Rudolf. “However, why couldn’t you make one of your wishes that he couldn’t murder you?”
“It violates the genie protocol in Section 1, 126, Part B of the amendment,” Rudolf stated matter-of-factly, then blinked at her. “How do you not know this stuff?”
“What’s more confusing is how you do, but common English phrases have escaped you.”
“Well, I am sharp as a diamond.” Rudolf smiled.
“Tack,” Sophia corrected. “The phrase is sharp as a tack.”
He gave her a look of disappointment. “Dear Sophia. Tacks aren’t really sharp. Diamonds now, those babies can cut through the ten inches of reinforced steel that’s protecting the largest diamond in the world.”
“That’s oddly specific,” Sophia replied. “So you used a diamond to cut through this steel to get to another diamond? That’s ironic.”
“Regardless of your political views on the matter, it worked,” Rudolf said triumphantly.
“You do know what the word ‘ironic’ means?” Sophia shook her head. “Never mind. Why am I asking?”
“Anywho,” Rudolf sang. “Yeah, then I got the diamond and imagine my surprise when I found Stan’s genie bottle in the vault.”
“What did you wish for?”
“Well, I already had the largest diamond in the world so what do you think?” Rudolf replied.
Sophia took a moment to think like Rudolf, which sort of hurt her head. “You asked for the second, didn’t you?”
He nodded as his smile fell away.
“It was the diamond that you used to cut into the vault, wasn’t it?”
He nodded again. “Imagine my disappointment when Stan simply leaned over and picked up my other diamond and handed it to me.”