Zaria Fierce and the Dragon Keeper's Golden Shoes Read online

  Zaria laughed. “So you want me to be a Hallmark card?”

  He pulled a face. “No, I meant, if Koll thrives on anger, hate, loathing, grief and the like…”

  “We’re here,” Geirr said, as they stopped in front of Hector’s room.

  “I’ll just pop in for a minute and grab money from Hector’s bag,” Zaria said.

  She hurried inside, and using the light from the hallway located the bag. When she unlatched the flap, a small mutinous face popped out of it, startling her. It was Madam Brown, the blue-skinned brownie that aided Hector, and would be the first to assist Hart when they rescued him.

  Truly exceptional brownies went by the titles Master Brown and Madam Brown to indicate their level of care-giving. Madam Brown was currently travel-size, but could transform to her normal height at a moment’s notice. Zaria didn’t relish the idea of the riled creature returning to her full height, even if it was only a meter or so.

  “You should not be sneaking into the Stag Lord’s bag,” Madam Brown squeaked, crossing her arms. “You tis being a bad girl.”

  “Hi, Madam Brown,” Zaria said. “Hector said he still might have some dwarf currency. Do you know where it is?”

  Madam Brown’s beady eyes regarded her suspiciously. “The Stag Lord sent you, did he?”

  Zaria nodded. “He’s stuck in the receiving chamber with the dwarf king. Can you help? I don’t know what I’m looking for.”

  “I know where tis at,” she said, turning and diving into the contents of the bag.

  Madam Brown tossed things helter-skelter as she wiggled her way to the bottom of the bag. The further she dug, the more of a nest she built, until with a small warlike cry, she snatched something Zaria couldn’t see. Madam Brown held it aloft. It was a small, nondescript, burgundy velvet pouch with a snap closure.

  “Thank you so much, Madam Brown,” Zaria said, reaching for it.

  Madam Brown snatched it back, narrowing her eyes. “I know how many rubies tis in here, missy. Don’t think you can spend all of it. How many did the Stag Lord say you could have?”

  “He… uh… he didn’t say, he just said he had some money left over, and I could use it,” Zaria hedged.

  Madam Brown huffed. “Tis foolish to give you all of these,” she said and opened the bag. “Hold out your hands.”

  Zaria did as she was told, and the brownie dumped out a small handful. Six tiny rubies glittered in the palm of her hand. She hoped it was enough to buy the mirror. “Thanks, Madam Brown.”

  She gave a curt nod, and adjusted the cap on her head. “Be off now; I would like to sort. I made a mess.”

  Zaria scrambled away, rejoining the others at the door. “I have some money,” she said, showing them the rubies. “Do you think it’s enough?”

  Aleks shrugged. “How should I know?”

  Christoffer laughed and took the rubies from Zaria. “From the looks of Granny’s place she’ll be more than happy to have whatever we can offer.”

  “After you, mate,” Filip said, waving Aleks ahead. “You know we don’t have a head for these intricate crisscrossing hallways.”

  One of Aleks’ changeling powers was the ability to navigate anywhere. His inner compass could always find what he was looking for, whether or not he had intimate experience with an area. The city-state of Jerndor was just one example. He’d helped them out of sticky situations before with his incredible gift.

  To Zaria and the others, the endless stacked stone hallways looked the same, but Aleks could picture the city in his mind, as if he were looking at a map. He would be able to lead them directly to the open courtyard of the shopping district with its tinkling fountain.

  The guards followed them every step of the way, silent observers. Their presence caused many of the dwarves they passed in the early morning to look in askance at the group. One mother even hurried her two children in the opposite direction to avoid them.

  Zaria looked with longing at the bookstore, Small and Tall Tales, as they passed it. Aleks had stopped her from exploring yesterday to take her and Christoffer to the Hidden Gem, which was close by. They slid past the Seven Dwarves Diner and skipped around the corner. There, on the right, was the Hidden Gem.

  The shop’s signage might have matched the look and feel of others in the shopping district, but the rest of it was a shambles. Small windows were so heavily smudged, one couldn’t see into them. The front door was scuffed at the bottom and creaked on its hinges when it opened. Dust covered every object and shelf.

  One of their guards sneezed when the door opened, so they volunteered to stay outside the shop. The boys ignored them and entered the Hidden Gem. Zaria gave a small nod and hurried after her friends.

  “Hello again, dearies,” said the ethereal shopkeeper from the shadows.

  The old dwarf woman, known to them as Granny, shuffled into view. She was draped in layers of shawls and wore a small brown apron. One of her shawls was stuck in her apron strings. At seeing them, she clapped her hands in delight.

  “Are you here for the seven-league boot? I’m afraid to tell you that I sold it to a young giant fellow. He didn’t even need it to be resized. Can you imagine? My foot was lost in that shoe, but it fit him perfectly. As soon as I saw that, I told him it was fate. Mr. Overwhelming agreed, so he bought it, and I’m afraid you’re just out of luck, dearies.”

  Zaria assured her, “We didn’t come back for the boot, Granny.”

  “We came for the mirror,” said Aleks, pressing forward. “May we see it?”

  Granny nodded, freeing her shawl and resettling it around her shoulders. “It’s around here somewhere. It couldn’t have gone far, but magical items can be tricky. You never know where they’re hiding.”

  “What does it look like?” Filip asked, stepping through the shelves and peering at the contents.

  “It’s an antique silver mirror with fancy floral filigree-work,” Zaria shared.

  “Say that again in guy-speak,” Geirr said, rolling his eyes. He went in the opposite direction of Filip.

  “It’s practically black and has small flowers all over it,” Christoffer said, joining him.

  Zaria stuck her tongue out at them both and followed Aleks toward the front of the store to start the search. It seemed impossible. Knickknacks decorated every square inch of available space. Knowing the mirror had been moved recently, Zaria tried to keep an eye out for objects that weren’t dusty.

  The morning passed slowly as the group worked their way through the cluttered shelves and surfaces. Granny had long ago retired to her stool by the hearth and was dozing, her spectacles slipping off the bridge of her nose. Her knitting lay forgotten in her lap, one needle precariously close to slipping away and unraveling her next shawl.

  “Eureka!” Christoffer exclaimed. “Found it.”

  Granny startled awake, and the needle fell to the floor with a clatter. “Hm? What is it, dear ones?”

  Zaria poked her head around a dusty tasseled lampshade. Christoffer stood up from his crouching position near a rocking horse. He waved the handheld mirror at her. She smiled in relief. They had indeed found it. Aleks swooped in and took it from him.

  Their changeling friend held it every which way, peering into it intently. He even tapped it with his finger. When nothing happened he pointed it at Granny. “How do I get this to work?”

  She looked up from retrieving her knitting needle and motioned him forward. “Darling boy, bring it over here so I can examine it. I’ll tell you as soon as I can remember.”

  He handed it to her.

  “Hmm-mm. Yes, yes, quite extraordinary,” Granny said, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. She angled the mirror toward the fire. “Now, how did that young clockmaker say this worked again?”

  “A clockmaker?” Aleks asked, peering over Granny’s shoulder.

  “Oh yes, such a gentleman he was, too. He fixed my little coo-coo over there free of charge.”

  “Why would a clockmaker have need of a magic mirror?”
Geirr asked, leaning against the crowded countertop.

  Granny smiled, “He worked for an ogre, if I recall. The mirror was one of the things in the orge’s possession. I’m not sure he said how he came by it.”

  “You bought stolen goods?” Geirr said, arching a disapproving brow at her.

  “Oh no,” Granny chortled. “I could never. I have a nose for that sort of thing.” She tapped her nose as if to prove it. “Aha! Do you see this, dearie?” she asked Aleks, pointing to where the handle tapered.

  Aleks nodded, watching intently. Granny squeezed it, and the sides compressed. When it clicked, she released the mechanism and handed it over with a creaky smile. The mirror’s face was a swirling vortex of silver and cerulean strands of light.

  “Well go on, dearie. Give it a go.”

  Chapter Two: The Summer Deception

  He held the mirror with both hands, and locked eyes with Zaria. “Here goes nothing,” he said, and then looking at the mirror spoke his grandmother’s name.

  “Always wise, to call upon one’s grandmother,” Granny said approvingly.

  The vortex smoothed. Lights took on pattern and shape as the mirror panned aerially over Norwegian scenery. It zoomed and focused tighter on its target, narrowing down on a small cottage in the woods. Aleks’ grandmother appeared bloated and misshapen as if they were viewing her from a nearby object, like a spoon.

  “Grams?” Aleks called out questioningly.

  The old woman startled, dropping her cup. It spilled its contents everywhere as it shattered. She looked around the room.

  “Grams,” Aleks repeated.

  “Aleks, is that you?” she exclaimed. Their view shifted a little as she picked up whatever object they could see her through and brought it closer. “How come your image is on the side of my teapot?”

  “Is there a nearby mirror, Grams?” he asked her. “Maybe the magic will refocus so we can see each other better.”

  “Okay, young man, but you have some serious explaining to do.”

  Zaria watched as the mirror shifted in a blur of light to a perfectly clear reflection of Aleks’ grandmother. The woman had short spikey white hair, a pair of red frames situated on her nose, and slightly pointy ears like her grandson, from which she wore dangling pearl earrings. She had on a navy blue long-sleeved blouse with a yellow, red, and black floral pattern collar and a lightweight mustard yellow sweater. Her arms were crossed as she stared at Aleks, who began to squirm under her intense gaze.

  He gave her a sheepish wave. “Hi.”

  “Don’t you hi, me, mister. Where are you?”

  “How much trouble are we in, Grams?” he asked, avoiding her question.

  She raised an eyebrow. “You want to know if your parents are aware that you’ve all disappeared?”

  “So, they have noticed,” he said, his expression falling. “Damn.”

  “Of course they noticed,” Ava said, rolling her eyes. “They’re your parents.”

  He cringed. “How much trouble are we in?”

  “It depends,” she said. “Look at me, Aleks Didrick Mickelsen, and tell me the truth. Where are you?”

  He looked her in the eyes and said, “We’re in Jerndor.”

  “Dwarves? Well, that’s better than with fairies. I was worried.”

  Wisely, Aleks chose to remain silent about the fact that they had been in fey territory just days before, or how, because of the fey, they had had to turn off the stargazer, which was why their parents knew they weren’t home. As soon as the stargazer shut down, humans in Fredrikstad resumed the normal time stream. The only humans Zaria and the others were concerned about though were their parents. Was their summer adventure about to come to an abrupt close?

  Aleks’ grandmother grew larger as she leaned in and peered at them with one eye. “Is everyone all right? Is that Zaria?”

  Zaria waved. “Hi Grandma Mickelsen, yes, we’re all right.”

  “Call me Ava or Grams,” she said, stepping back. “Grandma is so formal. Now, when are you returning?”

  Aleks licked his lips, hesitating. “We’re still working on some things over here, Grams. I need for you to cover for us. Can you do that?”

  She harrumphed. “What do you think I’ve been doing for the past few days? Christoffer’s parents were the worst to settle down.”

  “What did you tell them?” Christoffer asked, crowding next to Aleks. “Please tell me you told them something good.”

  Ava gave him a hard look. “You’re all very fortunate that it is summertime, and you don’t have school. I simply implied to everyone that they had given permission for you all to stay here at my cottage for the rest of vacation.”

  “And they bought that?” Geirr asked, incredulous. “I can’t believe my mom would let me go that long without babysitting my little brother Torlak.”

  “Yeah,” Filip said, shaking his head. “No way would my mum let that go. She wanted me to pal around with Collin now that he’s back from Uni. She even chased me down the street!”

  “Your mother was only slightly less troublesome than the Johansens,” Ava confirmed. “However, I managed to persuade all of your parents that it was true and that to disturb us before the break ended was ill advised.”

  “How did you explain why we haven’t called?” Zaria asked.

  “I told them that I had instituted a no technology policy, so I could keep you youngsters unplugged, outdoors, and exploring. Your mother, Merry, was delighted to hear it – your father, too, surprisingly. The only real question they had was if you had enough books to read. I said you did, but then, they wanted you to write letters and mail them.”

  “I’m not sure that’s possible,” Zaria hedged.

  Ava laughed. “Of course it isn’t. The nearest post office is all the way in town. I told Merry that my home was quite remote, which has the added benefit of being true. You’re all off the hook as far as contacting your parents, but you better keep in touch with me. I expect a call from you, Aleks, every day or every other day.”

  He nodded. “Thanks, Grams,” he said with relief.

  “I mean it now,” Ava warned. “Stay safe. Keep in touch and, whatever you do, don’t forget you have to be back here before school starts mid-August.”

  “We’ll be there,” Aleks promised.

  “Good,” she said. “As long as none of your parents get in a car and drive out here to retrieve any of you, this story will hold.”

  “Thanks again, Grams. You’re the best,” Aleks said.

  “Oh I know that,” she said, with humor. “Good-bye, Aleks. Now, how do you turn this thing off? Is there a magic word?”

  Aleks laughed and gave a little wave. “I think that’s on me. I’m signing off now.”

  He ended the mirror call by squeezing the tapered handle again, waiting for it to click. The mirror’s surface instantly blanked. Ava disappeared, and once more the mirror was a normal unassuming object, obediently reflecting Aleks and the rest of the Hidden Gem.

  “I’m glad that worked,” Filip said. “Christoffer, you had me worried that it wouldn’t.”

  “How much for the mirror?” Zaria asked.

  Granny’s sweet, benign, expression turned sharp and calculating. “Well, dearie,” she said, plucking it from Aleks’ hands. “Such a useful object is worth practically any price. It is clear now to me just how valuable the mirror really is. I couldn’t part with it for anything less than eight rubies and two sapphires.”

  Zaria narrowed her eyes at the old dwarf. “It is not worth that, and you know it. Why, we had to spend hours locating it! Surely, if the mirror were valuable, you would have known right where it was.”

  “Just admit it,” Christoffer added. “You didn’t think it would work, did you?”

  Granny cast them a baleful look. She shifted her shawls and moved behind the counter. “I might be willing to let it go for eight rubies.”

  “I’ll give you five rubies,” Zaria offered.

  “Seven,” Granny countered.<
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  “Six,” Zaria said, revealing the gems.

  “Deal,” said Granny, holding out her hand.

  Zaria dropped the rubies into her hand. When Granny had finished inspecting them, she gave them a Cheshire smile, put them into her apron pocket, and patted once to ensure they were secure.

  “Lovely doing business with you, dearies,” she said. “Come back any time. I always have a few hidden gems tucked away for the right customers.”

  “Thank you,” Zaria said, as Aleks took the mirror and put it into his back pocket.

  Exiting the shop, the group wound their way through the bustling streets avoiding clusters of dwarves and the occasional foreigner. The foreigners were easy to spot, being taller than the dwarves surrounding them, the only exception being a brownie slipping through the crowds. Their guard escort trotted dutifully behind them. The one in the rear looked bored.

  “Ava is awesome,” Christoffer said, slapping Aleks on the back. “I totally owe her one.”

  “We all do,” Aleks agreed. “Now that our summer deception is in play, what next?”

  “It’s lunchtime,” said Zaria. “We should find Hector, grab something to eat, and go rescue Hart. He doesn’t have much time.”

  Over lunch, Hector examined the mirror. He harrumphed and grunted, as he held it first one way and the next, while absently shoveling food into his mouth. He handed it back to Aleks.

  “It’s certainly magical, but it’s not like anything I’ve encountered before. It doesn’t feel like it belongs to the witch in the woods. It’s old though, and very powerful. You say you used it to contact your grandmother?”

  Aleks nodded, stowing the mirror away in his bag. “She’s covering for us with our parents – told them that she had picked us up with their permission to hang out in the forest with her until school started.”

  “Have you used it to contact anyone else?” he asked.

  “Like who?” Christoffer asked. “Our parents would be more than a little alarmed to see us showing up in reflective surfaces. We might cause an accident, like one of them driving off the road or something.”