Lynn was screaming for at least twenty seconds before she realized she wasn’t the only one. A hushed hissing had joined her own shrill cries and she finally looked down to find a bright green—

“Snake!” She jumped away and promptly fell over, as whatever had attached itself to her leg was still there.

“Ow!” A voice said, smooth and melodic. “It’s rude to trip over someone. And to step on them.”

Covered in sand and still shedding glitter, Lynn turned her head slowly to peer at the owner of the voice. The snake had a petulant look on its face as it attempted to pull away from her, instead only managing to tighten its hold around her ankle.

“Excuse me,” she said in her most diplomatic tone. “By any chance are you…a talking snake?”

The snake seemed genuinely surprised by the question and glanced down at itself, as if taking stock of its scales. “Oh good. For a moment I thought I had been turned into something else.” It finally glanced back up and Lynn was surprised to notice it had very pretty pinkish colored eyes. “Yes, I’m a talking snake. What are you?”

Sitting up, Lynn dusted some of the sand off. “I’m a fairy godmother in training. My name’s Lynn. What’s yours?”

It was eyeing the glitter in fasciation as it replied. “Veronika.”

Ah, a girl snake. “What a lovely name. I’ve never met a talking snake before.” Lynn said, brushing more sand and glitter off her clothes. “I believe your…ahem, tail, is stuck to my ankle.”

Veronika finally managed to draw her gaze from the glitter covering the sand. “So it is. I thought I was grabbing a root to pull myself out of the sand. My apologies.”

How polite! “It’s no trouble. May I ask…what were you doing in the sand?”

Veronika was already unwinding her body from Lynn’s ankle. “I was taking a nap, young lady. It’s important to stay well rested when traveling.”

“Oh? Where are you traveling?” Finally free, Lynn located her compass nearby and dusted the sand off its smooth surface.

“To see my family. Most snakes hail from the vast deserts of the south. I, however, prefer to live in a place where sand doesn’t stick to my scales.”

“Understandable. I’m heading for the capital of the coastal kingdom,” Lynn said, gesturing to the castle spires in the distance. “Perhaps we’ll meet again.”

The snake’s pink eyes widened. “You’re going there? But that’s where…”

“Hmm?” Lynn checked the compass and the map. “Is something wrong?”

Veronika studied her for a long moment. “Do you need help finding the way?” Lynn briefly wondered how anyone could get lost when the destination was already in sight, but she let the comment slide past.

Lynn shook her head, smile firmly fixed in place. “A kind old man gave me this compass and I have a map.” And I can see the castle in the distance.

“I’m going this way too,” Veronika said, slithering across the sand to pause next to Lynn. She inclined her green head toward her. “May I?”

I think she could be a good influence on Ogden. “Of course.” She stayed very still as Veronika slithered up her leg, wound around her waist and up her arm to settle on her shoulders. Luckily, she wasn’t a very large snake, otherwise the weight might have been too much.

“Am I too heavy?” Veronika whispered and Lynn swore the scales around her face were tinged pink. “I’ve been dieting.”

“No, no!” She really didn’t want to think about what Veronika ate. “Is it this way?” At the snake’s nod, she started walking.

“What were you going to say before?” Lynn asked. “About the coastal kingdom.”

“Oh, well, I’ve been there a few times. It’s a lovely place, it’s just…” She trailed off.

“Yes?”

“There have been rumors lately of a…witch.” She said the last word in the same hushed tone Odis had used. Are those from the south truly so terrified of magic?

“Not all witches are bad,” Lynn said, wiping her brow and wishing she had a parasol of her own.

“No, but this one is,” Veronika said quietly. “Can’t you use your magic to help with the heat?”

Lynn shook her head. “I could, but that’s not what a fairy godmother is for. I’m here to take my exam and the more I help other people, the higher my score, but I lose points if I help myself.” She glanced at the bracelet around her wrist. Everything I do is being watched and measured.

“That’s not going to help if you run into the witch,” Veronika said. “I’ve heard she’s a nasty piece of work.”

Lynn had heard her own share of stories about witches and wizards gone bad, but she had never been one to think that a magic user could completely turn to the dark side. Magic was meant to be beautiful and life-affirming, not dangerous and deadly. It seemed to her that the witch was probably just a misunderstood hermit and that things would be put to rights soon enough.

If only.