Selene was a beautiful, fairy godmother-like fairy. She wore a long, green cloak, a dark green cape pinned up with a purple heart, and green shoes. Her hair was in a bun, and she held a purple wand that changed from a wand to a cane. Her wings were small and purple, but they were a good size for her.
Mary Alice's jaw dropped. She could not believe what she was looking at. There were no such things as fairies. Mary Alice knew that, yet a fairy stood directly before her.
For a long time, she and Selene stared at one another.
Eventually, Selene broke the silence. "What are you doing staring at me? We need to help Tracey!"
"Oh, right," Mary Alice stuttered. At Selene's command, she dragged the unconscious Tracey to his feet.
"The alicorn will carry him," Selene said.
"Right. The alicorn." Sweat trickled down Mary Alice's face. She lifted her arm and rubbed it.
Monkey soon appeared beside her. He grabbed the back of Tracey's shirt. Along with Selene, he hoisted him onto his back.
Together, the fairy and alicorn wandered away from the still-shocked Mary Alice.
Selene took everybody to a second river in the forest. That one was called the River of Life. The one Tracey saw when he, Monkey, and Mary Alice ran into the forest was the River of Death. The River of Death was where the dragon's den was.
Unlike it, the River of Life was calm and clear. It had a few small waterfalls that poured over rocks. A canopy of green trees surrounded it, as well as a few logs and rocks.
Woodland creatures, such as chipmunks, birds, and squirrels, saw the unusual visitors. All of them rested on a few tree branches and watched the scene.
Selene pulled Tracey off Monkey. She helped him onto the ground and propped his back against a rock. Instantly, she tended to his wound.
With a flick of her hand, a bucket with a rag in it appeared beside her. She handed it to Mary Alice and ordered her to put some water in it.
Mary Alice did. She dipped the bucket in the river until it was halfway full. Then she returned to Selene and Tracey.
Monkey was thirsty, so he stopped to have a water break.
"Thank you," Selene said. She took the bucket from Mary Alice and turned back to Tracey. "Now, dear, just to warn you, this may be a bit alarming."
"You mean even more alarming than having a fairy standing directly next to you?" Mary Alice wanted to know.
"Yes," Selene replied.
"Why are we even here?" asked Mary Alice. "Shouldn't we be taking him to a hospital?"
"He can't go to a human hospital."
"What in the name of heck are you talking about?"
Selene didn't answer Mary Alice that time around. Before doing anything, she pulled the dragon claw out of Tracey's shoulder. He didn't even flinch. "There we go," Selene said. "I thought it was just a superficial wound." She examined the dragon claw from top to bottom.
In a sarcastic voice, Mary Alice asked, "Superficial? How is that wound superficial? Look how much blood he's losing!"
"It's not blood. It's magic," Selene explained. "Magic can take on many forms, my dear. In the Human World, it disguises itself as blood. So, while it may look like Tracey is losing a lot of blood, he's really not. It's mostly just magic. Now, promise me you won't scream." With that, the wise, old fairy pulled her rag out of her bucket and set it down on Tracey's shoulder.
A few seconds later, his body glowed, and he transformed into a merman. His tail hit Mary Alice, nearly knocking her off her feet.
"What in the name of heck?" she yelped. "No! No! What sort of cheap trick is this?"
"It's not a trick," Selene explained. "Tracey is a Fairy of Whales. That's a magical being who comes from a mermaid/merman background, but one of their parents is fae, or a fairy."
"So, you're saying he's a magical being?" Mary Alice ran her fingers through her hair as she tried to let the information sink in. "I mean, I knew he was a prince, but this? This is a whole other story!"
"Yes, he is a prince," Selene said with a nod. "Tracey is the prince of Atlantica, an underwater kingdom in Nova Scotia."
"Oh, my God!" Mary Alice cried.
"Please, dear, I know you're confused, but we have to help him," Selene added. "Dragons are magical beings. They don't feast on blood, but magic. Therefore, when they attack another magical being, they rob them of their magic. Magic is a lot like blood. Magical beings cannot lose too much, or they die. In this case, the magic is in the dragon's spit."
"Ugh, gross!" Mary Alice felt like she was about to throw up. "Now I know you're not crazy, lady! You're just insane."
"I am Selene, the wisest, oldest fairy in the world. It is my duty to protect Tracey," Selene said in an annoyed voice. "We need to act fast." She rubbed her hand on top of Tracey's head. The dragon spit had dried up, causing his hair to turn hard and dry.
Looking at Mary Alice, Selene continued: "If we're going to save Tracey, then one of us has to cross the River of Death. Across it is the dragon's den. That person needs to collect an appropriate amount of spit. When they return, I will rub it on Tracey's wound, and that should help his magic level return to base level."
"Someone needs to collect the dragon's spit?" Mary Alice said in a sarcastic voice. "Oh, you're hilarious! Next thing I know, you're going to ask me to take his magic back from the dragon!"
Selene raised her eyebrows and gave the young woman a funny look.
***
"Why did I even ask?" Mary Alice asked a little later. "First, it turns out one of the helpers this week is a Fairy of Whales, and now I have to face a dragon." She and Monkey were making their way through the forest, pushing their way past bushes and vines. Mary Alice held Selene's bucket. Just as she feared, the so-called fairy told her and Monkey to travel to the dragon's den and have her spit into the bucket. She apparently lived on the other side of the River of Death. Selene said the river was close to where Monkey, Tracey, and Mary Alice entered the forest.
Mary Alice and Monkey walked side by side.
Mary Alice looked the horse in the eye and said, "`Sup. So, you're an alicorn, huh? Out of all the horses in the barn, and you're an alicorn."
Monkey huffed. It sounded like he was chuckling. He rubbed his feet on the ground and took off at a full sprint. He wanted to show off in front of Mary Alice, but his horn hit a tree.
"What are you doing?" Mary Alice asked.
Monkey pulled on his horn as hard as he could. Eventually, it slid out of the tree trunk.
"If you're a so-called alicorn, then where are your wings?" said Mary Alice.
Instantly, Monkey's face drooped. Terrifying memories flashed through his head. He saw the dragon ripping his wings off his body. How much longer could he keep up the horse act before he completely lost his mind?
Mary Alice walked by him, talking to herself. "I'm just a girl who wants to enjoy horse camp. And now look what's happened. I've been pulled into a modern fairytale. The boy of my dreams is a merman, and this freaking horse beside me is an alicorn." Unfortunately, she was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't see that she and Monkey had reached the River of Death.
It was strange. From a distance, the river looked like any other river: calm and clear. Up close, though, it was a whole other story. The water was almost pitch-black and in one of the darkest parts of the forest. It was incredibly powerful. Skeletons of humans and animals, the dragon's victims, had been laid to rest in the water and riverbed. Across the river was the cluster of trees. It was a favorite spot for the forest's crows. And beyond the trees was the dragon's den.
All Mary Alice could do was let out an anxious chuckle. Then, between her teeth, she said, "I am so dead."