“I don’t believe you,” Conner said. “What kind of magic could do such a thing?”
“Actually, it’s an interesting story,” Morina said. “You see, years and years ago, the Snow Queen and the Sea Witch discovered the Otherworld around the same time as the fairies. While the late Fairy Godmother and the Fairy Council traveled back and forth spreading stories and granting wishes in the Otherworld, the witches got together and formed a plan to conquer it. The Snow Queen and the Sea Witch weren’t powerful enough to do it on their own, so they cursed little Ezmia with dust made from the glass of an evil magic mirror. It got in Ezmia’s eyes and lungs and cursed her to feel anger, sorrow, and jealousy tenfold—turning her into the Enchantress we remember today. The Snow Queen and the Sea Witch were planning to use Ezmia as a weapon against the Otherworld—but sadly, Ezmia perished before they had the chance. Once the Enchantress was dead, the Snow Queen and the Sea Witch set their sights on Alex. After a couple of attempts to curse her, they realized how much stronger she was than Ezmia. It took over ten times the amount of dust for the curse to even stick.”
“That’s why Alex destroyed the Witches’ Brew and attacked the Fairy Council!” Conner said, understanding for the first time. “She wasn’t having difficulty controlling her powers because she was overwhelmed—she was being cursed!”
“Such a good little detective,” the witch said. “Luckily, the Snow Queen and the Sea Witch learned from their mistakes with Ezmia. This time, they hexed the dust so they’d have total control over whoever ingested it. Now your sister, one of the most powerful fairies ever to grace the known worlds, is a creature of rage, torment, and despair.”
Conner and his friends were livid. They fought against the metal bars restraining them, but it was no use.
“You still won’t win!” he shouted. “It’s going to take much more than my sister and a bunch of witches to take over the Otherworld! We have armies and weapons you can’t even dream of! They’ll wipe you out the moment you step outside this library!”
Morina rolled her eyes as if she had heard this spiel multiple times.
“Oh yes, I know all about those,” she said. “Unfortunately for you, I’ve planned accordingly. You see, the other witches have no idea what kind of world they’re about to walk into. The Otherworld was vastly different when the Snow Queen and the Sea Witch first discovered it—they don’t realize how advanced it’s become. The witches and your sister are merely pawns in my plan to weaken the armies of this world. Once they’ve been wounded, my own army will arrive and finish them off.”
“What army?” Conner asked.
The witch threw her head back and roared with laughter. “Don’t tell me you haven’t figured that part out yet,” she said.
Goldilocks gasped. “Conner, she’s talking about the Literary Army! She’s going to bring them through the bridge, too! That’s why they were lingering around the Northern Palace—it wasn’t a scare tactic, they were waiting for her!”
Of all the possibilities Conner had predicted over the last week, this outcome had completely escaped him. Apparently, they wouldn’t need to travel into the fairy-tale world after all—the Literary Army was coming to them.
“It’s still not enough to defeat the Otherworld!” Conner said. “Both sides will just keep fighting until there’s nothing left!”
“And perhaps that’s been my plan all along,” Morina said. “The fairies have been turned into stone, soon all the witches will be slaughtered, the armies of the Otherworld will be defeated, and the Literary Army will be destroyed in the process. That leaves both worlds entirely defenseless and ready for new leadership—leadership from someone like me.”
Conner glared at her with the most hateful gaze he had ever sent anyone in his life. He couldn’t believe one person was capable of so much manipulation.
“Millions of innocent people are going to die because of you, and there won’t be a drop of blood on your hands,” he said. “I’d say you’re a monster, but that’s not fair to monsters.”
Morina was tickled by that notion, and a sinister smile spread across her face. “I may not be the most powerful enemy you’ve made, but I’m certainly the smartest—and that makes me the scariest of them all,” she said.
A small clock over the entryway struck midnight, and the Rose Main Reading Room began to vibrate.
“Well, it’s been such a thrill catching up, but I’m afraid you’ll all have to be quiet now,” Morina said. “I don’t want you spilling any secrets to our guests.”
The witch snapped her fingers, and the metal bars confining them snaked around their mouths. Conner and his friends looked at one another in panic, but there was nothing they could do. Whether they liked it or not, the bridge between worlds was about to appear.
What started off as a light rumbling sensation quickly escalated into a thunderous tremor. The room shook so violently that the windows shattered and the walls began to crack. The chandeliers swung like wrecking balls before crashing to the floor. The tables slid and slammed into one another like bumper cars, and many of the bookshelves collapsed.
Suddenly, an enormous ghostly orb descended from the ceiling. It glided through the air and landed at the far end of the room. The orb stretched into a wide oval and gained color and depth, as if invisible paintbrushes were painting it. With every passing second, the image of a vast forest became clearer and clearer. Soon the image was so vibrant it didn’t look like a painting of a forest, but a doorway to one.
The witches of the fairy-tale world peered through the opening and took their first steps into the Otherworld. Arboris, Tarantulene, Serpentina, Charcoaline, and Rat Mary led the charge and were followed by hundreds of other grotesque women. Some flew into the library on broomsticks, some galloped with hooved feet, and some crawled inside on all fours.
A wave of salty seawater spilled into the library and swirled around the room like a living serpent. The Sea Witch rode the wave into the Otherworld perched on her coral sleigh, which was pulled by a school of sharks. A sudden chill filled the air, and the Snow Queen emerged through the bridge aboard a sleigh pulled by two ferocious polar bears.
“Your Excellencies,” Morina said with a shallow bow. “I’m so glad you’ve both successfully made it through the bridge. Just as promised, I have found the Bailey girl and cursed her with the dust from the magic mirror. With her power at our disposal, the Otherworld will be ours in no time.”
The Snow Queen and the Sea Witch were shocked that Morina had pulled it off.
“Well done, Morina,” the Sea Witch said. “I have to admit, we’re pleasantly surprised by your competence.”