by Dani Swanson
Don’t panic, I’m right down the hall!
Both fear and joy swirled around in Thea’s head- she had finally found Penelope, but how could she possibly save her without her magic? And how was she going to save herself? She stuck the note back into the little hole the mouse came out of, and slowly started to put the room back in order. She placed the chair so that it was facing the door, and calmly sat down in it – waiting for whatever was to come next for her.
It may have been hours, but it felt like forever that she sat there, blankly staring at the door, when she finally heard movement on the other side. She could smell the aroma of pasta and her stomach started to growl. She flexed her ab muscles, trying to get it to stop before whoever was on the other side would hear it – she didn’t want them to think that they had any sort of an advantage over her.
A small gnome who Thea recognized in an instant came through the door, delivering a platter of pasta, fruit and tea.
“Boog?!” Thea gasped as she stood up to her feet.
“Good afternoon, Miss Thea. Here is your lunch.” His voice was just as deep and grizzly as she had remembered it. The small man hobbled over to the table, setting down her food – all the while watching his feet as he shuffled out the door.
Thea was directly behind him, asking a thousand questions a second. “Stop! Where am I? What’s going on? What are you doing here?!” Her eyes were lowered, trying to catch the attention of the little dwarf, when her eyes met the stomach of a woman in a peacock blue dress. Her gaze went up to meet the eyes of her aunt. “Damn.” She cursed under her breath for she now knew her fears were true.
“Now Thea, is that anyway to greet someone?” Cricket smiled down on her. “Welcome to your new home.”
“My new home? You’re not going to keep me here. Where is my cat? And my friends?” Thea was losing the battle of controlling the emotion in her voice. “What have you done with them?”
“I haven’t hurt anyone – yet.” Cricket just smiled at Thea as she could see the anger rising in her face. “Those men that you were with are locked up together down the hall – such a waste, the big one has no magical qualities at all. I’m not sure why you would choose to associate yourself with someone like that. The little fire cat has his own fancy collar on and is being kept with all the other critters. Now that you won’t be busy trying to track down our organization any longer, you won’t be in the way of us gaining our power over the kingdoms again…..perhaps, I’ll even figure out a way for you to help.” Cricket was tracing one long fingernail down the cheek of her niece. “Perhaps you’ll want to join us – help out with the family business?” Cricket had raised eyebrows as she squeezed Thea’s cheeks with one hand. “Maybe then your mom would be proud of her little witch.”
Thea jerked her head back from Cricket’s grip and took a step back from her. “I’ll never become what you are! You’re horrible! And EVIL! I could never do what you do to others!” Thea was flicking her wrists, out of habit, trying to conjure a fireball as she shrieked at Cricket. These actions only made her aunt laugh, as Cricket made a turning motion with her hand, and Thea’s collar started to glow a bright green, sending electric shocks though her skin – knocking her down to her knees. Immediately, Thea was unable to speak as she pulled at the collar.
Cricket clicked her tongue as she wagged a finger back and forth in front of Thea’s face. “That is no way for you to act. You are judging me, without even knowing anything about what I am doing….and you think I’m evil? I’m just taking what I deserve. Why should other people have more magic, or be more beautiful than I am? Why should some witches like your grandmother or the elves, be able to live for hundreds of years without growing old, when the rest of us are stuck in these shells that break down, and die? Why don’t I deserve that?”
Thea had made it back up to her feet, breathing hard as she was pulling the collar away from the burns on her neck. “That’s what makes us all unique, is that we’re all different. Even different witches have different abilities. If we were all the same, you still wouldn’t have powers that are greater than anyone else’s.” Thea was glaring at the witch, trying to see what she could do to get past Cricket to escape.
“Those words come easy from a witch who stole all of her mother’s power. It’s a shame that you don’t know how strong you really are Thea, but then again, we couldn’t let you run around knowing how strong you really are. I found that memory erasing charm just in time.” Thea’s expression hardened as she glared at her aunt. “When Lilly couldn’t exstract your soul, I knew I had to do something to stop you. Mother thought she was stopping us, but she forgets how smart I am.”
“I wouldn’t have hurt you or my mother! You’re my family!”
“Funny, you’re my family, and I didn’t have any problems putting a stop to you.” With the tone of Cricket’s voice, Thea could tell that she was speaking the truth. Thea realized that regardless of their relation by blood, Cricket had no feelings toward her. “Your mother feels the same way toward you too. We both want complete power.”
“From my understanding of it, Cricket, my mother thinks I’m the reason she lost her powers, and that I was out to get her. From what I’ve been told, I just wanted my mother. I’m a good person, Cricket, I wouldn’t have done anything to hurt you.”
“Even if it meant that we would have been getting away with hurting other people? And how do you know you really were a good person? From the memories that other people gave to you? Stories that you heard over the last few years? I doubt any of them truly knew you. Or if any of them understood what you, and you alone, can do. Really, me giving you that confusion charm was more beneficial to you than anything.”
Thea started to rub her temples as her headache was back in full force. When she was captured, they must have taken her bag and all of her arrowroot tonic.
“That is one of the unfortunate side effects – those headaches will never really go away.” Cricket walked over to her and placed her hands on Thea’s temples. Instantly, the pounding in her head stopped as Cricket backed away.
“You’re a healer too?” Thea questioned in disbelief as she watched Cricket spit a bit of black bile into the corner.
“You didn’t think you were the only one, did you? You had to get it from somewhere.” Cricket crossed her arms as she leaned against the wall.
“I guess I never really thought of it like that. I didn’t realize that powers were passed down.”
“Our powers really don’t make us special, Thea, it’s about mixing them together to create the right combination for the ultimate power.” Thea could hear some excitement in her voice when she started to explain her thought process to Thea. “Some families are shape shifters – like being able to become the Grimalkin – some are healers – some can talk to animals, and some, like you, have so many levels to their abilities that it is like they are almost the perfect witch. Do you know how old your grandmother truly is?” Cricket only paused for a moment but didn’t really wait for any type of response from Thea. “She’s over 400 years old. She knows how to keep herself youthful and alive! She may look to be in her seventies, but she’s been around for more lifetimes than the rest of us combined.”
Cricket had walked over to the mirror and was examining her wrinkles in the mirror – pulling her skin tight around her eyes and then letting it go. “Well, she’s not the only one who has figured out how to do it. The answer is souls. Eating the souls of the humans will keep me young forever! I almost had everything I wanted, before you showed up at the Kingdom of Owls and took it all away from me…” Her voice no longer had excitement, but was cold, softly passing through Cricket’s lips. “I had a Kingdom, people who served my every whim, youth, riches…..and just like I told Celeste, you came and undid all of that.”
Thea was quiet as she watched her aunt move back across the room toward the door, fearful that she would get zapped again if she were to say anything to the witch.
“I can see it on your face that y
ou have something to say to me, go ahead and say it. I won’t hurt you this time.”
“You stole the kingdom from the king. You had him under a spell! You turned Lola into a squirrel and sent her off….thus stealing the riches and the souls of people who were innocent! On top of that, how many of the people who serve with you are actually doing so because they want to? How many are here because you’re blackmailing them or because they fear you?” Thea was doing her best to hold her emotions together, trying not to allow Cricket so to see how upset she really was.
“Most of the people who are part of the Circle of Owls feel the same way I do…They are tired of seeing others who don’t deserve their powers have so much control…or they have had things taken from them because they were too weak to stand up to those who were doing them wrong. I am their leader. I make sure they are getting everything that they want out of life.”
“What about someone like Lilly? You forced her to hurt other people…and her mother? You kept her locked up here for how many years? You have Lilly so messed up in the head that she doesn’t even know how old she is! She did nothing to you, yet you used her for your own gain…” Thea voice trailed off as she could see that Cricket was no longer amused by what Thea was saying.
“First of all, Lilly and her mother did things against their own coven. Violet was controlling the magic of her sister. How was that fair to my dear friend Fern? Lilly tried to burn down the entire market, should she be able to go on with her life without being held responsible for that?”
“That’s not what happened at all. Have you actually spoken to Lilly about all of that?”
“Now see Thea, you weren’t there to witness what happened, and even if you were, you don’t remember. You have a perception of what happened, not the facts.”
“Neither do you! And your punishments that you think you’re giving are just benefitting you! Using Lilly to hurt others is just to benefit you!”
“Again niece, that is your perception of what is happening. The population is too large, Lilly was just too much of a ticking time bomb that couldn’t be left out amongst the general population, and Violet was repressing her coven and stopping needed progress. You’ll learn the truth and start to understand that I’m really the hero in all of this, and not the villain you are painting me to be.” She looked at her watch and motioned for Thea to eat the food at the table. “I really must be going, but we will continue this conversation later. I will teach you about the good the Circle of Owls is doing, and you’ll be part of the family again.”
Thea opened her mouth to speak but Cricket was already gone through the door and had locked Thea inside of her room.
“Perception.” Thea kept muttering to herself before she moved the chair over to eat the food Boog had left for her.
“I’ll show her perception.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Agatha had made herself at home, back with the Circle of Owls. She had changed into some clothes that were a little more comfortable for her style and wrapped her fiery hair into a tight bun on top of her head. She had reacquainted herself with her friends in the circle, and finally made her way to their new meeting room. It wasn’t as grand as the old circle, but it was still a large room. Someone had enchanted the old sunroom to be large enough to seat over 300 creatures in it: with chairs stacked to the ceiling and the windows were only one-way reflections so they could see out onto Monkey Tree Village, but no one could see in.
Agatha looked around the room until she saw a seat next to the Imp Witch. “Hello dear Sorgin, how are you doing today?” Agatha sat down with both legs folded under her as she smiled at the silver-haired witch.
“You decided to be part of the Circle again? Something is different about you….you smell different…..” Sorgin warily was examining Agatha through her glasses.
“I no longer have to choose between my sister and the circle, Sorgin. I am at peace with it, and I will do what I want now to make myself strong. Robin is not going to hold me back any longer.”
“Where is your sister? She wasn’t with the rest of them when we captured her friends.”
“She’s dead.” Her voice had no emotion to it as she adjusted her legs out from under her. “I don’t have to worry about her being in the way any longer.”
“That’s why you smell different!” The imp witch leaned in and took a long whiff of Agatha’s hair. “You absorbed your sister! You finally have her powers!” Sorgin dropped her voice down to a low whisper and looked around to ensure that no one was paying attention to their conversation. “How did you do it? Does Cricket know?”
Agatha playfully returned Sorgin’s smile and she responded and said, “I’m not telling you, and no she doesn’t.”
Sorgin’s expression soured as she backed away from Agatha. “After all I’ve done for you, and you can’t share with me how you figured out how to do it.”
“What have you done for me, that I haven’t already repaid you for?”
“I kept your sister for you, while you joined the Circle of Owls. I didn’t tell anyone that I had her locked up for you, so you could figure out how to steal her magic.”
“And in return I gave you Thea, and you didn’t do anything right with her.”
“She was broken when you brought her to me! What am I supposed to do with a witch that doesn’t know how to use her magic?”
“More than you did with her!” Agatha chuckled as she leaned her head to touch the head of Sorgin. “You silly old witch! You just wanted both of them for your collection anyways! I gave you exactly what you wanted – we both won in that situation.”
Sorgin smiled as she sweetly patted Agatha on her arm. “I suppose that’s true. You didn’t have to help them with cutting off my head though…” She adjusted the scarf she had tied around her neck to hide her scar.
“If I didn’t help them, Robin would have gotten away, or they would have taken my head too. Unlike you, my head wouldn’t have stayed alive being detached from my body.”
“That is true I suppose.” Sorgin smirked as she adjusted her glasses and fiddled with the skull on top of her walking stick. Agatha was always mesmerized always by the skull and swore that she once saw it wink at her.
“Is that real?” Agatha changed the subject as she was watching the eye sockets on the walking stick’s skull. “Of course, it is, why am I asking that, the better question is, who was it?”
Sorgin’s chipper demeanor quickly changed as she spun the stick around to look at the skull herself. “My brother.”
“I thought Imps were immortal, how did he end up like that?” Agatha questioned as she watched her eyes.
“I’m not telling….” Sorgin said in a mocking tone back to Agatha.
“Fair enough.” Agatha laughed as she settled back in her seat, watching the other members fill into the room. “It is good to see you though, Sorgin. I’ve missed you. What has dear old Cricket been up to while I’ve been gone?”
Sorgin sweetly hooked pinky fingers with Agatha as they sat and watched the room.
“Still trying to figure out how to be the ultimate witch, while making it seem like she’s helping everyone else take over whatever it is that they want to do. The same thing that she was doing before.” Sorgin’s eyes were sad as she looked down at the skull on her staff.
“Don’t you think she was doing that though? Everyone has gained power where they wanted it. She taught the elves how to overpower the fairies in the north. She taught a lot of us how to have more power. She taught the trolls and the dwarfs how to get more riches and how to get out from underground.”
“She’s smart, but all she has done is given people the knowledge they needed to achieve their goals. Her power is truly minimal if you pay attention to what she is doing. You’re probably a more powerful witch than she ever will be.”
“Well I am now.” Agatha smirked.
“Even before you stole your sister’s powers.” Sorgin chuckled. “She’s just really good at talking people into doin
g what she needs them to do. She’s just a healer with mud trolls. She can do a little bit of the Ether…but not enough to control anything.” Sorgin scowled.
“If that’s how you see her, why do you still follow her? I’ve seen you turn into a dragon! You could just eat her and then take over the circle.”
Sorgin raised her eyebrow with a smile. “I could…but she has that natural charm that the others just flock to. I would have to make way too many deals and trick these people to do what I wanted. Besides, she gives me the power to collect whatever I want to. I have my chateau back. I’m really not in need for all of that power that she thirsts for. I have everything I need.”
“Then why are you still here? What is the point of you being in the Circle? She took away your power of the Circle when she lost the Kingdom of Owls….what’s in it for you?”
There was a long pause as Sorgin watched the room. She saw elves, fairies, dwarfs, witches, humans, and even a giant making their way into the enchanted hall, all of them with their own hopes and dreams of being successful, and all of them ready to do what their leader would have them do now that they have lost everything they thought they had before.
“I feel too invested in her. I need to stick around and see what happens next.” Sorgin said with a smile. “Lilly has the ability to control a lot of people just by looking them in the eye. Thea can control almost all of the powers of a supreme witch, and Penelope is the strongest out of all of them, with the experience and knowledge of being an old bat like me. If she figures out the knowledge that Penelope has on how to take people’s powers, she’ll combine the three of them and rule the universe. If that happens I want to be on her good side.” Sorgin said with a wink as she rested her hands-on top of the skull walking stick. “She may not be the strongest witch there ever was, but she has the passion and the drive to get what she wants. She’ll get there again.” Sorgin tried to hide her emotions from Agatha; Sorgin didn’t need any of the others to know that Cricket had already stolen her powers.