Zally's Book Read Free Page B

a map to help them on their travels, too
.
    â€”Zally Guevara
    I closed my eyes and pictured what I had already seen in Aventurine. Then, dipping the peacock quill back into the ink, I drew a map at the bottom of the page of the meadow, the willow trees, the stream, the forest, and the fairy glade. The ink dried instantly. A moment later, more details surfaced in the margins, and my silver lines were filled with brilliant colors until the page looked like an illuminated book from the Middle Ages.
    A breeze blew in and ruffled the pages of the book again. It opened to a dream written in Abuelita’s handwriting….

    The pages fluttered, and
The Book of Dreams
closed with a thump. I was still in a bit of a daze when a new question occurred to me. “Abuelita said that we’re of the Inocentes Lineage of fairy godmothers—women who help innocents. That’s not what I wrote about in
The Book of Dreams
, though. What does making maps have to do with helping innocents?”
    Queen Patchouli motioned for me to stand; then she led me down a new path. It looked like it was made of crystal shards, but it was soft against my bare feet.
    The fairy queen considered my question before answering. “You will be helping fairy-godmothers-in-training who come after you to find their way when they go on their quests. It is a special gift that you have. No one has mapped Aventurine before. But mapping is not the only ability you will develop on your quest. Simply by going, you will learn many skills you need for helping innocents.”
    â€œQuest?” I asked. “What do you mean?”
    â€œYou will soon find out,” said the queen.
    â€œAnd what exactly
is
an innocent?” I asked. “How can I tell if someone is innocent?”
    Queen Patchouli tilted her head. The tiny bells on her earrings tinkled. “The fairy godmothers of the Inocentes Lineage are not asked to judge who is goodand who is evil so much as they are expected to help those who are in need—especially those who cannot help themselves. You will learn to recognize innocents, and you will be drawn to those who most need your help.”
    Â¡Ay, mira!
That seemed like a lot to expect. I mean, I was just barely thirteen, and I thought working in our bakery was too much responsibility sometimes.
    â€œWe are here. You must get ready now,” the fairy queen said, glancing down at my bare feet. She made a swirling motion with one hand.
    A circle of grass sprang up, like water spraying from a fountain. But instead of falling back down as water would, the ring of grass—almost ten feet high—stayed in place, swaying in the faint breeze. From the edge of the grass circle all the way to my feet, a pathway of springy soft moss, dotted with white flowers, grew in just a few seconds.
    â€œTake your bag,” Queen Patchouli said. “Everything that you need will be in there.”
    Picking up my bag from the ground, I felt for the cacao pod family talisman inside. It was still there. Then I walked down the path and used both hands to separate the stalks of grass at the edge of the circle so I could look inside. The circle was hollow. It formed atiny roofless room, like a changing room in a store—only alive. I stepped in, admiring the wildflowers that carpeted the ground. There was nothing else in the room.
    I slipped the bag off my shoulder, and something sprang out of it. I dropped the bag and backed away. The something looked like a leafless tree branch. It hovered at the same height as the grass of the circle. It started to thicken and become more rectangular; then it elongated in several directions. Little flaps of wood unfolded with a clatter, until a wooden wardrobe stood before me.
    Yes, I said
wardrobe
. The dark wood at the base was carved with flowers. From the top of the wardrobe, a sun with a carved face smiled down at me. I was still a bit spooked by the jack-in-the-box trick, so I was very careful when