Spelled Read online

  “A what?”

  “Pardon?” the woman said distractedly.

  Rexi stopped staring at the pie and looked at the woman. “You called him something. I’ve just been calling him fur ball, but is there really a name for what he is? As in, there’s more than one of him out there?”

  “Fur ball,” the woman snorted in disdain, talking to me and ignoring Rexi entirely. I liked her already. “This noble creature is a chimera. Very rare and clannish. I’ve never heard of one this far from the mountains.” She looked me up and down with renewed interest. “You must tell me how you enchanted him. Slavery spell? Potion? Or did you somehow manage to smuggle out his egg before he was hatched?”

  I leaned in to talk to Black Crow, hoping to make her an offer she couldn’t refuse, considering her obvious interest in Kato. “You are Black Crow, right? I’ll make you a deal. If you share some of your food and drink with us, I’ll tell you all about my friend here.”

  She squinted into her thick glasses. “Do I know you? Have you attended one of my Spider’s Webinars or perhaps read my latest bog post on potions?”

  “Actually, I heard about you from the Queen of the Bumpkins.”

  “Hemlock?” Black Crow said.

  “Never caught her name.” In my head, I’d just been calling her “icky bug creature” or “queen of the cockroaches.”

  Rexi butt in to close the deal. “So, about that food?”

  Crow stepped back, and her eyes widened, getting even bigger, as if she was taking in the whole picture for the first time. “Oh. Oh, forgive me. I don’t get a lot of visitors and I’m not really good with social situations. Come in, come in.” Her hands flitted about, and she blinked rapidly. “You probably do need help. After all, you look terrible.”

  “Not good in social situations? You don’t say,” Rexi muttered.

  Black Crow didn’t act like she’d heard and waddled toward her home. I gave Rexi a look, warning her not to blow this. Kato did me one better and whacked her with his tail.

  Crow ushered us inside her home, apologizing for the nonexistent mess.

  We all took a seat at the little white dinette set—well, Kato sat under it, so big now that he lifted it up just a smidge—and I explained our chance encounter with the Bumpkins and how that led us to her door.

  “How odd,” she said, stirring a little honey into a gaudy pink-rose teacup before she handed it to me. “The rule of favor is broken, you say. I wonder how that happened.”

  The tea was sweet with just the slightest tang, like it had a little bite to it. At first my stomach protested the intrusion after being empty for so long. Then it was nice and happy, and it demanded more. It’s like that bedtime story If You Give a Princess Some Tea, She’ll Ask for a Cookie to Go with It.

  “I don’t suppose you have any chocolate wands, do you?” I asked when she refilled both mine and Rexi’s mugs.

  She blinked her big eyes behind her thick glasses. “Gracious, no. Why would I have a chocolate wand? They’d melt at the very first spell. Terrible thing to make a magical instrument out of. I do have a fine one made of wormwood if you’ve lost yours.” Her nose scrunched, and she looked me over again. “I didn’t take you for a practitioner.”

  “Foooood,” Rexi croaked, looking groggy and very near to passing out.

  Crow gave Rexi and me a piece of pie, then put the rest of the tin on the ground for Kato. I was fed, so it wasn’t worth explaining what a chocolate wand was and extolling its magically delicious virtues. She looked at me expectantly though. Like it was my turn to give up the goods.

  “I’m not a magic user. At least not on purpose.” I settled in and told my story, starting with the odd, porcelainlike child, the gift, and the wish. Things popped out of my mouth that I had no intention of saying—like my initial hatred of Kato, though he was kind of okay now. At least for a pet. Then I went on about the issues with my parents and how much I was beginning to hate rainbows. Soon, I couldn’t even remember what I was saying seconds after I said it.

  In my mouth, my tongue grew thick and slow. Pink spots danced across my vision, twirling and spinning.

  “’Scuze me. Can you point me to the little princess’s room?” I slurred.

  Crow gave me a friendly smile and patted my head. “Of course, dearie. It’s just down the hall. Take your time. I was just going to spell a pot and make a call.”

  Her hand made my head feel heavy(er). “Oh, thaz nize.” I got up and stepped over Rexi, who had slipped off her chair to the floor. That made me giggle.

  I ambled off in the direction Crow had pointed, and Kato wobbled behind. I placed a hand on the counter. “Why do I feel zo weird?”

  Kato whispered, “I dunno. I think we should go.”

  “Hey, tha rhymed. Thaz funny.” I broke into a fit of giggles again. “Wait, you can talk?”

  I stumbled back into the kitchen, wanting to share my new discovery with Black Crow since she seemed so interested in chimeras. I only made it a few steps before my feet fell off—or at least, I couldn’t feel them anymore.

  Ah well, the floor seemed like as good a place as any to take a nap—just ask Rexi.

  Black Crow was still on her spellphone, so she didn’t notice me. She probably wouldn’t mind, I thought as I yawned and closed my eyes.

  While I drifted off, my ears still worked. My brain couldn’t make much sense of it though.

  “You can have the girls. All I ask is to keep the chimera.”

  Thunder rumbled in the background, and a voice spoke that reminded me of broken glass.

  “Done.”

  “Rule #32: If you find yourself at the mercy of a wicked witch, sing a romantic ballad and wait for your prince charming to save the day.”

  —Definitive Fairy-Tale Survival Guide, Volume 1

  13

  Someday My Witch Will Come

  I woke up in a strange bed with a pounding headache. Ugh. Where was I, and who the spell had been using my head as a bongo?

  There was a really nasty taste in the back of my throat. A little drool came out of the corner of my mouth and dropped onto a needlepoint pillow that said, “As the Crow Flies.” I went to wipe the spittle from my cheek, but my hand wasn’t cooperating. That’s because it was tied to my other hand behind my back. A quick kick proved my ankles were tied too.

  I looked around the room for an explanation—like maybe there was an ocean of alligators on the floor and Black Crow was worried that I’d fall out of bed if I weren’t restrained.

  Yeah right.

  Didn’t see any alligators, just ugly pink floral carpeting. The whole room was decorated with girly pink and white furniture, and every square inch of it was covered in knickknacks and trophies—science fair awards, spelling bees, an Achievement in Alchemy crystal. Clearly, Black Crow was a bit of a brain. The walls were mostly bare, but I did see a nice plaque on the closest one: Hex Salesman of the Year. And under it was a picture of Black Crow shaking hands and accepting the plaque from none other than Griz, the Gray Witch.

  “Bedknobs and broomsticks. That pixing Bumpkin and his Grimm-glammed queen set me up.” I kicked the metal post with a clang of frustration at being so naive.

  I tried to calm myself down. Maybe I was wrong. Perhaps it was an honest mistake and the Bumpkins had really been trying to help. Then I remembered the look of knowing and retribution that Moony had given me—and how easily the queen had given me directions, even though I was trying to squish her children. What were her words again? Black Crow will take care of you.

  Yep, she was sure taking care of me all right.

  “How could I be so stupid? She probably pixie dusted the pie.”

  I thrashed around on the bed to get myself up.

  “Shhhh.”

  Now what? The shushing came from the sitting room off to the side of the bedroom. Trying to get a peek proved a little harder than I thought, considering I was trussed up like a solstice day game hen.

  Kato looked so calm, sitting there all nice
and comfy next to a glass armoire filled with potions. A large, plush pet bed lay next to his clawed feet. Where were his manacles? If Black Crow left him free, she must have thought she could trust him. I couldn’t help but notice he had a new fashion accessory—a hot-pink rhinestone collar.

  “Traitor,” I spat in disgust. “I was beginning to think that maybe you weren’t so bad. But no, she feeds you and now you’re her pet?”

  Kato huffed and repositioned himself. “Can you for once go beyond the obvious? Look…” He used his tail to bat one of the yarn balls that Crow had so thoughtfully provided for him. It flew toward me and hit an unseen barrier. Vaporized on contact.

  Huh. So he was a prisoner just like me.

  “Sorry,” I muttered. “But what was I supposed to think?” I hated being wrong—and yet lately, it happened so often. “In my defense, you are wearing a very nice collar with a medal hanging down.” Hopefully it said something stupid, like Fluffy or Spot. Would serve him right for taking on such a superior tone of voice with me again.

  Wait a minute.

  I raised myself up as high as I could to take a good look at Kato. “You talked just now. Am I still dusted?”

  “Yes, so go back to sleep.” His voice had a deep, gruff quality, but even as an animal, he sounded condescending.

  I liked him better when he couldn’t talk.

  “You know, for supposedly being a prince, you really lack a sense of finesse. Both your words and tail use force to get what you want. Maybe if you had tried a softer approach from the start, we wouldn’t be here now.”

  “Yes, things would be different if only I’d given you poetry and a mountain of shoes.” Kato did a very un-chimeralike eye roll. Then again, maybe chimeras did eye rolls all the time. How should I know? “In my domain, being soft will get you killed. Subjects respond to strength, not fine clothes and false pretty words.”

  “They also respond well to someone who bathes regularly,” I muttered, then, louder, “How come you can talk now? Was it something in the pie?”

  His tailed twitched and thumped against the glass case, rattling and clinking the potions together. “More than likely it was something in your wish that kept me from speaking until the spell matured.”

  “Well, now that you’ve mattered”— I tried to match his high and mighty tone—“maybe we can figure out a way to break that barrier.” I had a little experience with that sort of thing, though the dragon at the Emerald palace was not only prettier but much less violent than Crow’s see-through vaporizer.

  “Don’t worry. I already have a plan.” He put his head down and gnawed on something.

  I tried to straighten my back and crane my neck just enough to see what the spell Kato was doing. “That’s great. I don’t suppose you’d mind filling me in on said plan? Are you going to chew your way out? Or smack open a wall with your tail?”

  “I said…don’t worry about it. I don’t need anyone else’s help. I’ve got…it…under…control.” He struggled to break whatever he was chewing on free.

  A thought occurred to me—even with Kato talking, it was awfully quiet in here. “Hey, have you seen Rexi?”

  Kato growled around a full mouth. “Quit bothering me. I’m…mrph…busy.”

  I tried really hard not to feel like I was being dismissed. I failed miserably. Being home, being here…it was all the same. Every time I wanted to have a picnic or a girl day with my mom, I heard the same thing. Well, it was closer to, Come back later. I’m busy running every teeny tiny detail of everyone’s life. I’d known stepmothers that spent more time with family than the queen found for me. And if she’d let me, I probably could have helped—or at least not messed it up so badly that Verte couldn’t fix it after.

  “At last,” Kato said triumphantly, spitting a black piece of something out of his mouth. It was hard to tell from the angle and distance, but it looked like he’d gnawed off one of his black talons.

  I propped myself up again, high enough that he could see the full displeasure on my face. “So, let me get this straight. We’re being held prisoner, awaiting death, dismemberment, or torture by off-key show tunes, and you think the best plan is to give yourself a manicure?”

  We were completely pixed.

  Behind the white door, two voices sounded like they were getting closer.

  “Pretend to be asleep,” Kato instructed.

  Controlling little beast. Still, he didn’t have to tell me twice. My head hit the pillow an instant before the door swung open. I deepened my breaths to look more asleep—and to keep from hyperventilating. My eyes were mere slits, so that I could see just enough to move before death hit me.

  “I told you it was her. We’re agreed on the payment, then?” Black Crow stayed back in the door frame. Her robust shape barred the way to the exit even if my feet had been untied. She stood next to the Gray Witch.

  I lowered my lashes so she couldn’t see that I was awake.

  “Yes, yes. Five hundred and you can keep the bespelled ball of fur.” Griz’s voice was way too close for my liking. I could feel her breath on my cheek. In my mind, I envisioned her crouching low to look over her purchase—me.

  “He’s a chimera. Very ra—”

  “Spare me, Crow.”

  Silence, but the hot air stayed on my face.

  “Really, I expected more from the long-awaited Girl of Emerald. Maybe you’re just a simple child after all.”

  It was all I could do not to jump a foot in the air when a hand brushed the hair off my face.

  “So delicate,” Griz said softly into my ear. Something sharp pressed against my neck. “So fragile.”

  The pressure increased but pulled back suddenly at the introduction of a new sound. The first few bars from the Wrong Direction’s hit song, “My Spell’s What Makes You Beautiful,” came from somewhere close by.

  Saved by the spellphone, though I hadn’t taken either lady for a fan of Munchkin music. Apparently Griz was the one with the guilty pleasure, because she’s the one who answered.

  “What is it? I’m busy,” she said in clipped tones.

  I couldn’t hear the voice on the other end very clearly, but it sounded like they said, She’s awake.

  “Are you absolutely sure?” The seriousness of Griz’s voice indicated very bad things if the caller was not.

  Since Griz was no longer breathing on my neck, I took a chance and opened my eyes to slits again. She walked away from me and closer to the door, so I had no chance of hearing the mystery caller’s reply. Whatever it was, it satisfied Griz. She snapped the phone closed.

  “Something’s come up. Prepare me a spelled opal to use on the commoner, and I’ll send Tinman to collect everything. In the meantime, don’t you dare say a word to the wizard,” Griz informed Crow, her back to me. “I’ve seen him skulking around, and I won’t give him the chance to double-cross me again. He’s always had a soft spot for those infernal Emerald girls.” By the time she finished the statement, her voice had turned from thoughtful to bitter.

  “What’s so important about them?”

  “None of your concern. Just keep our little transaction confidential. It’s imperative that this blasted girl stays here and away from anything even remotely associated with Oz.” Griz walked to the door and pushed the heavy woman out of the way. “That meddling fool has a tendency to pop up where you least expect him.”

  Oz? I thought his name was Mick. Oz must be his magical specialty…or where he lived in his Ivory Tower. I never did catch what he was the wizard of…

  My thoughts froze when I caught a glimpse of something that changed everything.

  Before rushing out the front door, Griz grabbed a staff from the kitchen. An emerald staff.

  Verte’s emerald staff.

  Verte wasn’t coming. She would never be coming.

  “At the end of the day, it’s all about having the newest, latest, and greatest. Save your business today by spicing up old products with fresh ingredients.”

  —Orbes Magi
cal Business Magazine

  14

  Put a Spell on You

  With Griz gone, Black Crow headed back our way. Quickly, I shut my eyes.

  “No need to fuss on my account,” Crow clucked. “I can see from the tears on your face that you’re awake.”

  Since my hands were tied behind my back, I couldn’t wipe them off. Didn’t want to anyway. I reopened my eyes and glared at Black Crow, imagining what would happen if looks really could kill.

  “So, what’s on the agenda now? Painful death or more of your awful singing that makes me long for painful death?”

  Snark is a fabulous defense mechanism.

  Black Crow looked genuinely surprised and wounded at my comments. “You don’t have to be mean. I’m not evil or anything. I’ve been nice to you—fed you, took you in. I even used silk ropes.”

  “Which you used to gift wrap me for Griz.” I pulled on the ropes to give her a little demonstration. “Very thoughtful of you.”

  “Oh, you’re not a gift,” she said matter-of-factly, completely missing the point. “You’re merchandise.”

  And that was so much better.

  “I figure you owed me compensation for the loss of my business,” she continued, fidgeting with the pink ribbon on her dress.

  “How do you figure? I’ve never even met you,” I protested.

  “True, but your little wish has thrown off the balance of magic. None of my potions work correctly anymore. Forgetting hexes bring eternal knowledge. Glamour salves make the skin curdle like milk. You’ve ruined my reputation,” she sniffed.

  “How inconsiderate of me,” I said drily.

  “I know. So glad you understand.” Crow apparently wasn’t too familiar with sarcasm. She also seemed to unequivocally believe what she said: that she wasn’t being a bad person for handing me over to the mother of all evil. She was just conducting a simple business transaction. Righting a wrong. Since it was my wrong, I had to pay. In a delusional sort of way, it kind of made sense.