The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Fairyland 1)

“Fairy gold,” interrupted Manythanks. “It lies about, waiting for a Fairy to pick it up on her way to the human world. You must have had some gnome ointment gobbed on you or you wouldn’t be able to see it at all. Some things any old ravished child can see. Some things are only meant for locals.”

“Yes, Betsy … she showed me Rupert, but then she threw that stuff at me, too.” September clutched her sceptre a little tighter.

“She must have taken a shine to you. I assume Rupert was very terrible and frightening? A good scare will knock your eyeballs sideways enough to see a few brownies. But not enough for Fairy gold and other things besides. Else playing tricks on tourists would not be half as fun.” The wairwulf sighed heavily. He had little wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. “But there’s rationing these days, and gnomestuff is precious. Have you got any left?” Manythanks peered at her eyes and sighed in disappointment. September did not like being examined so closely.

“I’m very hungry, Sir Wulf,” she whispered hopefully. “Is that soup?”

“Don’t you dare!” breathed Goodbye. “It’s our spell, and you can’t have any.”

September brightened a little. This was what she had come for: witches and spells and wairwulves. “What sort of spell?”

All three looked at her as though she had asked what color a carrot is.

“We’re witches,” said Hello.

Manythanks pointed meaningfully at his hat.

“But witches do all kinds of spells—”

“That’s sorceresses,” corrected Goodbye.

“And magic—”

“That’s wizards,” sighed Hello.

“And they change people into things—”

“That’s thaumaturgists,” huffed Manythanks.

“And make people do things—”

“Enchantresses,” sneered Goodbye.

“And they do curses and hexes—”

“Stregas,” hissed both sisters.

“And change into owls and cats—”

“Brujas,” growled Manythanks.

“Well … what do witches do, then?” September refused to feel foolish. It was hard enough for a human to get into Fairyland. True stories must be nearly impossible to get out.

“We look into the future,” grinned Goodbye. “And we help it along.”

“Why do you need lizards and buttons for that? And such nice clothes?”

“Look who’s a witch now?” mocked Hello, snapping her book shut. “What could you know about it? The future is a messy, motley business, little girl.”

“We have to dress well,” whispered Goodbye, “or the future will not take us seriously.”

Manythanks put his hands out to his wives. “She’s just a child. We were once children. She knows nothing of the future. Be kind. We can afford to be kind to this one when there is so much ahead of her.” Manythanks reached into his pocket and took out a fat bundle wrapped in wax. He unwrapped it corner by corner, slowly, as if revealing the vanished dove at the end of a magic trick.

Inside was a thick slice of deeply red cake, so moist it wet the paper, slathered with rich red icing. It glowed in the slight gloam of the seaside. The wairwulf bent down to her, the black tails of his suit whipping in the wind, and offered it, balanced delicately on one flat hand.

September tried not to snatch it too fast. She swallowed it in three wulfish bites, so starving was she. But hadn’t the Green Wind said something about eating Fairy food? Well, reasoned September, this isn’t the same thing at all. It’s witch food.

“I don’t suppose,?