Chapter 3

Clarion cleared her throat and forced herself to stare directly into Sunfrost's brilliant eyes. "We will consider your request and let you know our decision tomorrow morning. If the answer is no—"

"And it probably will be," Mary said under her breath.

Clarion continued. "Then you will still be invited to remain in Pixie Hollow, provided you use your talents for positive purposes."

Sunfrost snorted. "Why would you think otherwise, dear sister? Yes, I've had my little missteps in the past but that was a long time ago. There are so many new fairies that I'm sure have never even heard of me."

Clarion let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding as Sunfrost glided toward the exit. But then she stopped and turned.

"By the way, I can't understand why you are so protective of that second Tree since at least one of your fairies is an Alchemist. Do you realize how rare they are? None of the other colonies have any since it's a talent that appears to have died out ages ago. You could just have her grow yet another Tree. A dozen if you like."

She swept from the room.

Zarina! Clarion felt her blood instantly chill. Sunfrost didn't have to say it. If they refused to give her the Tree, she'd simply search for the "Alchemist," kidnap her, and force her to grow another.

Through the window, Clarion watched her sister fly off. She glided across Spring Valley, skimming just above the flowers. Fairies and sparrow men stopped their work to stare at her. With her frost-and-flame colored hair and ice-jeweled gown she was quite a sight. At least she wasn't causing any trouble…yet.

As soon as Sunfrost vanished from view, Clarion plucked a small shell from a hidden pocket in her gown and blew into it. A shrill whistle echoed about the chamber.

Viola appeared at the window seconds later. "Who would you like me to summon, Your Majesty?" she said with a bow.

"Zarina, please. Oh, and Fairy Gary. I'm afraid I'm going to keep you busy for the rest of the day, Viola, since there are several fairies and sparrow men I must talk to. But only a few at a time."

"Not a problem." Viola flew off in a swirl of pixie dust.

"You aren't honestly thinking of giving Sunfrost that extra Tree, are you?" said Mary. "You know she'll only use it for her own selfish purposes."

"That's why I must find out about that dust she had on her. Zarina's identity also must be kept a secret since Sunfrost could still use her even if she doesn't get her hands on that Tree. I plan to warn everyone about all of this. But discreetly, so Sunfrost doesn't catch on."

"Well, I ought to leave you to that," said Mary. "I've been away from Tinker's Nook far too long and left Tinker Bell in charge." She grimaced. "I'd almost rather deal with Sunfrost than find out what surprises I might be in for." She looked up at Clarion and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure you're going to be all right? If you need me to stay and—"

"I'll be fine, Mary, thanks." Warmth filled Clarion as she gazed down into Mary's concerned brown eyes. She clearly remembered Mary's Arrival, which occurred not long after hers and Sunfrost's. They'd been best friends from that first day, well before Clarion was queen. "But I do have a request. Everyone should be properly informed and I won't be able to talk to each individual fairy. Please let your tinkers know what is going on."

Mary nodded. "I will."

"And I'll talk to the Winter fairies, starting with Dewey," said Milori, once Mary was gone.

Clarion nodded. In order to get the second Tree away from the pirates, several fairies and sparrow men had flown all the way to Skull Rock. Using a shrinking dust Zarina concocted, they shrunk the Tree to the size of a weed, plucked it, and carried it back to Pixie Hollow. Periwinkle encased it in a frost globe to keep it safe. It was currently stored in Dewey's library.

Milori drew Clarion close and kissed her lips. Her heart raced as they reluctantly drew apart. "I promise I'll return this evening, at sunset."

A mixture of joy and grief battled within Clarion. She longed for Milori to stay by her side but knew he had to warn the fairies and sparrow men on his side of the border, as well as tend to other duties. A hollow ache filled her chest as she stood at the window, watching him depart. He effortlessly mounted his snowy owl and took off toward the Winter Woods. At least he would be back in a few hours. It wasn't like before.

Viola returned with Fairy Gary and Zarina moments later. Reminded of her duties, she took a deep breath and glided toward them.

"Is something wrong, Your Majesty?" asked Gary. Zarina, standing at his side, was unusually quiet. "Is that why this morning's meeting was cut short?"

Clarion nodded. "It's my twin sister, Sunfrost."

"She's back?" Gary scowled and crossed his arms over his broad chest. "What does she want this time?"

"You have a twin?" Zarina grinned. "Just like Tink and Peri? I never knew—"

"None of you newer Arrivals do but you are all soon to find out." She told her story, how Sunfrost had Arrived on the border and was therefore a mix of both worlds.

"But that's not all," Clarion continued. "She created a special dust, similar to our blue dust but made from the darkness of the new moon. She…." Clarion trailed off when Gary and Zarina exchanged worried looks.

"This is bad. Worse than bad," Gary mumbled, shaking his head.

Clarion felt as if an icy hand had a tight grip on her heart.

"I studied this in Dustology," Zarina said. "The gold dust that is created from new moon dust makes talents harmful, not helpful."

Clarion struggled to maintain her composure. "And what about any fairies formed from this tainted gold dust?"

"They would be pure evil." Gary's tone was harsh. "New moon dust is something that should never have been created."

"That's not all," said Clarion. "Sunfrost wishes to use your Pixie Dust Tree, Zarina, to create her own colony from this dust."

A ghost of a smile played about Zarina's lips. "Well, she'll never be able to find it."

Clarion felt fairly confident Zarina was right but she had to remain cautious. "That might be true, Zarina, but, even so, we still aren't completely safe. Since you are the only fairy in Pixie Hollow capable of growing Pixie Dust Trees, we must keep your identity hidden at all costs." Clarion's gaze flickered over Zarina's colorful outfit, made to resemble the different dusts she experimented with. She had exchanged her pirate dress for that several weeks after her return. "I'm afraid, for now, until I can convince Sunfrost to change her mind or leave Pixie Hollow, you must go back to working as a regular dust-keeper."

Zarina lowered her head in disappointment. "But what about my current project?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Pain gripped Clarion's chest. The broken wing cure. "I'm sorry but that will have to wait." She placed her fingers beneath Zarina's chin and gently lifted her face. Her large hazel eyes glistened with tears. "Your safety is more important. Please understand this is just temporary."

Zarina nodded. "I understand, Queen Clarion."

"Attagirl." Gary patted her back. "Poor Yvette will be happy for the extra help. She's been complaining about that elbow of hers. You stay here while I fetch you some dust-keeping clothes."

"We can't risk Sunfrost seeing you in that and figuring out you're the Alchemist," said Clarion as Gary hurried off.

He returned with a plain yellow tunic, brown leggings, and matching boots, an outfit similar to the one Zarina had worn when she was a regular dust-keeper. Clarion had Cinda show Zarina to a private room where she could change.

Clarion sighed. She was already exhausted and still had others to meet with. It was going to be a long day.

And it would be even longer if Sunfrost decided to cause trouble. Clarion tensed, knowing that was all too possible.