Josephine peered curiously at the blue-haired sprite clinging to the window of the caboose. She had not seen one before, but her parents had, and a small part of her never believed them. "What do you mean when you say 'armed'?" she asked Halburt.

He pointed a stubby finger at a pair of fully-loaded sacks hanging from the sprite's neck, causing its shoulders to hunch. "See those bags? Those be full of pixie dust."

"But you said it was a sprite," she reminded him.

"It is. You can tell by them buggy eyes. But sprites don't make magic dust. That's a pixie's job. This one's just makin' the delivery."

"What do you think it's up to?" Brigit leaned on the window sill, pressing her forehead to the glass. "Please, don't tell me the caboose is going to start flying."

"Pixie dust has many uses, and flyin' be one of them. But two bags ain't enough to lift Miss Daffodil."

SPLAT!

Another sprite slammed into the window behind Charlotte, and she shot out of her chair like a cannonball. "Cloaks and daggers!" she shouted as she eyeballed the new arrival. "What about four bags of pixie dust?"

"Daffodil's a hefty gal. She can handle four."

SPLAT! SPLAT!

Two more sprites, dazed but fully armed, landed against the window like black-eyed insects. They all seemed highly resistant to injury.

"Now, we could have a problem." Halburt walked over and directed his yellow light on them. "That be eight bags, if my countin's right."

"What about the protective shield you were talking about? That should protect us, right?" Josephine felt less and less confident about Halburt's experience as a conductor as he assaulted her with the high beam on his forehead.

"The shield is just a reverse magnet. It repels energy, so these hooligans won't stay long. But pixie dust sticks. If they want to derail us, they got the tools to do it."

"I'm getting the wand," Charlotte said as she yanked her suitcase open.

Brigit raised her index finger, letting a couple of sparks escape. "Let's blast 'em off."

"Not inside the caboose, Brigit," Josephine warned.

Halburt tugged on the hem of Brigit's shirt, coaxing her away from the window. "Yer sister be right. Shootin' at them windows won't do nothin' but set the cushions alight. We gotta think of another way and quick."

POP!

Behind Charlotte, an explosion of sparkles coated the outside of the window, and the sprite vanished into the dark, leaving shimmering green dust clinging to the glass.

"Oh, no! Pixie dust!" Brigit cried. "Hey! There goes another one!" She pointed at a sprite who was swinging both sacks over its head like nun-chucks. "We gotta stop him!

POP!

A second storm of magic dust exploded against the glass, and the caboose tipped to one side, sending suitcases sliding across the floor. Halburt whooped as he grabbed his stool before it toppled over. Then he flashed his light in Brigit's face, making her blink. 

"How good is yer aim, lass?"

"I thought you said blasting them would make it worse!" Josephine yelled, disregarding politeness to make room for panic.

Halburt swiveled his head lamp toward Josephine. "I didn't say it would be worse, just not ideal. If young Brigit has confidence in her shootin', maybe she can scare 'em off."

While Halburt was making his case, the two remaining sprites clamored up the windows and disappeared over the roof.

"They're getting away." Brigit staggered across the unsteady car to join Charlotte at the window. "Can they get inside?"

"Well...?" Halburt glanced up at the rectangular vent in the ceiling, and his worried expression had Josephine's palm buzzing with nervous energy. "I should probably set something straight before anybody starts shootin'. Sprites be fast as lightnin'."

"No problem. I practice on flying bugs all the time," Brigit said.

"Sprites ain't like bugs. They got brains and can outsmart a human without even tryin'."

"I don't think Brigit should be the one throwing spells inside the caboose," Josephine said. "This calls for an experienced caster."

Brigit gave Josephine her best scowl. "Just because you got your mark this year doesn't make you an expert at throwing spells."

"You're only twelve, and you still use your finger. They won't let you get away with that at your initiation."

The caboose shuddered down the tracks, wheels squealing with a threatening hiss – still, Brigit continued arguing. "You keep forgetting that I was born with these skills, and you had to wait thirteen years to start practicing. Besides, I don't need a bunch of pointy-headed witches to tell me I can aim straight."

The tinkle of metal drew everyone's attention to the ceiling as the two sprites tumbled out of the vent. They wrestled with each other mid-flight then crashed landed on the floral loveseat.

"I've got 'em!" Brigit said, a glint in her eyes as she released a stunning spell from her finger. It hit the back of the couch with a–CRACK!–leaving a ring of singed fabric just inches from Charlotte's open suitcase. This was followed by a–POP!–as both sacks of pixie dust busted open, dispersing the sparkly powder into the air.

The sprite jumped for the vent, flapping wildly to get away, and the screeching wheels suddenly fell silent as the caboose lifted off the track.

"We're in the air! What do we do?" Charlotte snatched Zinnia and tucked her under one arm as she held tightly to the wand.

"Hold on!" Halburt said, bearing down on a lever with all his might while the caboose swooped and jerked behind the train like a florescent green kite. Josephine grabbed Brigit's hand as they braced themselves against a chair, and she recited a quick prayer, asking for protection.

Halburt grappled for a small metal door on the control panel and pried it open. Inside was a single black button, and he mashed it with a fisted hand. The caboose rattled and shook as it settled back on the track, and the shrill cry of the wheels returned. A comforting sound next to the silence.

"That should hold her," Halburt said. "Where be the last little buggar?"

Josephine had seen the blue-haired sprite land in Zinnia's chair, and she pointed to the tiny body huddled on the bench, shivering as it clutched the bags to its chest. "Which spell should we use on it? We don't want to bust open those bags." She glanced down at her mark, which bristled with electric current. She needed to calm down before she called on her magic, but what kind of spell would be best?

SPLASH!

A column of water arced over Josephine's shoulder and pummeled the sprite where it sat. Josephine quickly turned to Brigit, who had her finger in the air. "I was going to handle it, Brigit."

"You were taking too long."

"You drowned it!" Zinnia broke away from Charlotte to run for the sprite, and Josephine snatched Zinnia by her coat sleeve.

"Don't touch it, Zinnia! He still armed."

"A wet sprite be as harmless as a house spider." Halburt directed his lamp at the chair as he walked up to the sprite, who was slumped and semi-conscious. Then he plucked the bags from the sprite's limp clutches, pinching them carefully between two fingers. "These be worthless now, too."

"What about the dust that's all over the caboose?" Brigit asked.

"Nothin' a little house keepin' can't fix. And we be through Undine Pass, so our way be clear. But gettin' through the train station without attractin' attention might be a trick. We're glowin' like a lightnin' bug at a garden party."

As Halburt delivered his prophetic news, Zinnia sat next to the sprite, stretching her finger toward its soggy wings. "You'll be all right, little sprite," she whispered.

"Be careful, Zinnia. We don't know what it's capable of," Josephine warned her.

"Shh. Your voice is scaring him, Jo." Zinnia hovered like a mother hen, while the sprite peered up through black eyes that were two sizes too big.

Charlotte returned the wand to her suitcase and removed a bar of chocolate. She unwrapped it and pushed two squares into her mouth. "I can see where this is going," she said as she chewed. "So, what are you going to name him, Zinny?"

"Don't encourage her, Charlotte," Josephine said as she dropped heavily into her chair.

"Sprites don't usually bite, unless they be provoked," Halburt said. "If yer nice and gentle, the little fella might learn to trust ya."

Josephine raised her eyebrows at Halburt. "How can you say that when we were just attacked by a whole pack of them?"

Halburt clicked his tongue. "Let me give ya a little lesson in magic flyin' folk." He pulled on a lever, bringing the lamps back on, then he removed his miner's hat and sat down on his stool. "Fairies be the best at behavin' themselves. You won't see a fairy gettin' involved in trouble like this. Pixies like to frolic and make merry. That's why they fiddle with the magic dust, but they only frolic with their own kind. Now sprites and brownies have the most curious natures, and they been known to keep the company of any kind of folk. Which brings us to this evenin's attack. No doubt, these sprites found themselves in the company of some unfriendlies. Then, before they could protest, they were hitched up with bags of pixie dust and catapulted at Miss Daffodil here. I figure their experience was just as unpleasant as ours."

"Are you saying the sprites that attacked us were forced into it?" Brigit said.

Halburt nodded. "I been knowin' a few sprites in my day. They won't get involved unless they're threatened, or if they like ya. And if they like ya, you'll find no better companion. That is, if you can tolerate their mischief-makin' ways." He gestured his head toward Zinnia. "Jes' look at yer sister there. She's got the gift of the little folks."

Upon hearing her name, Zinnia gazed up through a curtain of red curls, and Josephine released a long sigh when she saw the sprite shivering inside Zinnia's cupped hands. Josephine was too exhausted to argue the point that getting attached to a flying mischief-maker was a bad idea, so she let it ride for now, although she knew full well the argument she faced at the end of the line would be far more difficult.