by Todd Loyd
Loyalty to her, forever his vow.”
“This is a fitting story. Proud boy, so full of himself. We must cure you of this, my child,” says the Queen, whose self-righteous confidence fills the room.
“Simply wonderful, milady!” Victor exclaims.
Now Mason, too, is crying. He cannot help but grab the badge from his chest and place it into the waiting hand of the Queen, who looks down at the badge and cocks her head, studying the trinket.
The tough exterior Mason had long protected crashes down as he ambles back to the side of the others. As his body continues to move by no will of his own, he ponders, Serve the Queen? Never see my dad again? A thick knot balls up in his throat and more tears follow. Mason can still turn his head, and he looks back to see Amy with her eyes puffy and red, Jack standing with his mouth twisted and obviously furious, and Scotty weeping because of his own sentence.
Mason tells himself, You can fight this! Move! However, the spell that the witch has conjured keeps him still.
A sudden question crosses Mason's mind: Is this my fault? He realizes that he had insisted that the Queen proceed, but he reassures himself that they had all agreed. Plus, he thinks, It was Jack who insisted we finish the story. He's the one who beat us over the heads with those words.
As he wrestles with these thoughts in his need to blame someone else for the predicament, Mason is called back to the grim situation at hand as the Queen begins to speak again.
Chapter 133
“And now for our pretty little wanderer,” says the Queen with words full of fake kindness.
More than anything, Amy wants to reach out to Scotty and somehow comfort him. She tries desperately to say something, but the Queen's spell won't allow it, and her body moves toward the enchantress. Never in all her life has she been so scared, so terrified. Her sentence is next.
“Little Red, our wanderer, our damsel in distress
Tried so hard her own sins to confess.
Taking her key, she gives it away.
The key, now the witch's item to display.
She could not stand the sight of her own face,
For other women were beautiful, she longed to take their place.
She stayed in the wood to serve the lovely Queen,
Serving her daily, her palace to clean.”
A feeling of despair washes over Amy. Somehow, the Queen had known about her insecurity, and as if reinforcing the words, the Queen, in spite of her wickedness, seems to appear more beautiful to Amy. No other emotion can trump Amy's own feeling of worthlessness. The words the Queen had read seem to control the girl's actions.
Amy proceeds to set the stick before the Queen.
“What an excellent story, my Queen!” Victor exclaims, beaming with delight.
The Queen sets the stick down to her side after observing the item and says, “Amazing…such dull items, these keys.”
After her sentence has been read, Amy returns to her spot with the others. Her story is just as terrible as Mason's and her brother's, and her heart is hurting for them just as much as she feels hopeless for herself. Jack's story is next, and the thought of the boy makes things eternally worse for Amy. In spite of his deception, Amy's heart aches for Jack, and she asks herself, Why have I been so cruel to him? She wishes he could forgive her, and if she could speak, she would yell, “I'm sorry, Jack! Forgive me!”
Amy considers how after all these years she has let one mistake ruin everything and that now she will never have the chance to make things right.
Chapter 134
Jack knows his story is next, and his stomach does cartwheels.
The Queen examines all of the teens briefly and says, “To think we have been waiting all these years for these children. It is absolutely delicious.”
She is clearly savoring the moment. Then she suddenly stops and displays another wicked grin, adding, “Why, with all of the excitement I had not even noticed it before. Look, Victor. It seems the tailor has kept your belt safe.”
Jack is confused. He contemplates, Victor's belt? Wait…it's not Douglas Finch's bag?
Victor says, “I am glad they have kept it safe. It is my only reminder of the world I left behind before that glorious day I met you, my Queen.”
Jack realizes, Victor is Douglas Finch—the Douglas Finch! This truth makes Jack feel even sicker to his stomach. He considers how the whole night had been a trap, a game. The work belt they found had been deliberately placed, and the map with the note had been an elaborate hoax in order for these villains to get the book from the narrator. But why? Jack wonders.
As he's thinking hard about this, the haze begins to clear, and he angrily tries to yell.
“Ahh,” the Queen remarks, “the thief has some words for us, Victor. Perhaps he would like to thank us no doubt? Feel free. Speak.”
“You moved us through this world like pawns,” asserts Jack. Then he looks at Victor and says, “You're Douglas Finch. Why did you do this to us? Why are you helping her?”
The man does not answer. He simply breaks into a joyous chuckle, obviously pleased that at least one of them had solved the riddle.
Jack turns back to the Queen and tells her, “You couldn't find the keys yourself, but now you have your stupid keys, so let us go!”
“This child thinks he is wise beyond his years,” the Queen states proudly.
“You wanted access to the vault. Was that your goal? You want to control everyone; you want to change all of the stories!”
“Excellent! What a truly ingenious child. You see, my young thief, I am going to change this world for the better. For far too long we have been trapped here. I will burn the book, my book, and take control of this world. The narrator will no longer control my story, for the book will burn. Its existence will be wiped from memory. Then, those people represented in that vault will have no will of their own, for they do not know what is best for them. I will change their stories one at a time. Thank you—all of you! For years I have waited for you, and now I have won.”
The reality of the grand scheme hits Jack. They had done everything for her. They had shown her the way. They had taken the bait hook, line, and sinker.
He attempts to speak again, but a gentle wave of the Queen's hand forces his mouth to shut tight. Then his legs move forward under no power of his own. With her long finger, the Queen is begging him forward.
Jack thinks, “If only we had not taken the book from the narrator….”
The Queen clears her throat and then begins.
“The desperate thief would grow full of wrath.
He had been so sure he had taken the right path.
The key he had was useless to the boy,
So he adorned his Queen with her latest new toy.
Now lost in the wood, the boy had to survive.
Only his talent of theft would allow him to thrive.
Caught and imprisoned, convicted and tried
For his many sins that he choose to try and hide,
Imprisoned to pay for his life full of strife,
He died bitter and angry at his choices in life.”
Somehow, Jack knows that whatever the Queen had read would come true, but, still, he wonders, Is this my fate? His thoughts start to become cloudy and he can't think straight. He tells himself, Fight it, Jack! Stay here!” However, his body starts toward the backpack in order to retrieve the goose for the Queen. Unexpectedly, though, he suddenly stops as if his own will is confused, and he thinks, What is happening to me?
Chapter 135
From his vantage point, the wolf is engrossed in the events unfolding before him. One by one as the Queen reads the stories, he notices that the teens seem to fall under some sort of spell. A gnawing emotion eats at him, something he had not expected at all. It had hit him just as the Queen summoned Amy forward. Her fear, her obvious regret, and the emotions on her face—they drew out something that had long laid dormant in his soul. To his utter shock, he feels actual remorse, even sympathy, for the g
irl he had hunted with such vigor.
However, the sympathy is not exclusive to the girl. He feels guilt for the others as well. He knows the kids had actually saved him from the fire. When he had been inside the burning hut, he had blacked out, and when he woke, all he saw was the procession of kids leaving. The wolf recognizes that these brave kids had outwitted him. He considers how they had fought him with such tenacity, even here in this room, and in the room with the spider, one of them had actually taken care of the spider for him by using the shrinking potion. So, although it seems strange, he respects them, as a hero respects his rival. Now, as these kids are being imprisoned by the Queen, a realization hits him: they are prisoners now just like him.
Suddenly, it is all very clear to the wolf. Once he had awoken that night in the ride, it was the Queen who had instructed him to get the girl. How had he been so foolish? he thinks. She was using him to drive the teens to her. Also, while he had longed to eat the girl, his actions were being manipulated by the Queen.
He wonders, Did I act foolishly? Now that the Queen has deceived the teens, will she deceive me again? Will she truly give me the girl? No, probably not. But what can I do? The Queen can simply hex me. Still, now that the Queen no longer needs my services, she will dispose of me anyways.
The wolf decides that whatever he is going to do, he must do it quickly. He tells himself, It's now or never, and then springs into action. The wolf, in spite of his bad leg, launches himself at the Queen. The distance closes, and just as he is about to plow into her body, she turns. A look of disbelief flashes across the Queen's face. Then she slides to her left. In mid-jump, the wolf attempts to re-position his charge but can't properly manipulate himself with his injured leg.
“What are you doing?” screams the Queen. Just as the wolf passes her by, she mutters a spell.
The wolf howls, and all of his joints start becoming stiff. Before he loses complete control, though, he slings a wild paw into the air in an effort to scratch, maim, or inflict some injury. This misses the Queen, but one of his sharp claws does manage to spear a piece of paper, which rips away from the raised hand of the Queen. Then, after another moment, the paper is dislodged from the wolf's nail and wafts into the air.
The wolf lands with a thud inches from the crackling fire.
The Queen cries out in rage, “You fool!”
From the hard ground, the wolf watches as the paper, gently floating, comes to rest in the fire.
Chapter 136
As the entire bizarre scene plays out before Jack, who moments ago had been lulled into a dream like stupor, he is revived by the sudden action taking place and watches as the paper falls into the fire.
The Queen furiously screams at the wolf, “Vile creature! You will pay for your insolence!” Then she turns to her accomplice and says, “Victor, once we have disposed of the book, perhaps you can find an interesting method of repaying the beast?”
“With pleasure, your excellence!” replies Victor, standing behind the fire, a catlike grin across his face.
Jack is just able to make out his friends who are standing to his right. All of them are staring blankly at the wolf, who is lying on the floor, immobilized by a spell. Then an odd thing happens. As the paper, now in the fire, quickly wrinkles to ash, Jack finds that he is able to move his arm. So, he also attempts to wiggle a foot, and it responds.
The page, he thinks, it had to be the page! That's my story the wolf knocked free into the fire. Of course! The Queen said she would burn her book and be free from the words that bind her. This must be happening to me. But, what do I do now?
Acting cautiously, Jack decides to remain still for the moment, surmising that it will be better if the Queen doesn't realize he can move. He then waits for his chance to strike.
The Queen turns her attention to the agitated kids and confidently addresses the assembly, appearing to have regained her composure.
She says, “A page has been burnt. One of you should be free. Are you playing games with me, children? The time for games is over.” In a low voice, the Queen, without taking the time to cycle through the pages, begins another incantation in an effort to quickly imprison whoever was set free by the burning page.
Jack knows he has to act. He thinks, If only it was not solely up to me. I wish the narrator were here to help.Suddenly, the Queen's incantations stop. She seems distracted.
“I see I'm a little late for the party,” Jack hears someone say. He recognizes the voice and realizes it's the narrator's.
Chapter 137
The narrator approaches the witch, who is looking much more hideous than glamorous. She takes a few steps toward the man, erasing most of the distance between them. Her face is blood red, and the green aura surrounding her is burning brightly.
The Queen says, “You are too late! The prophecy is fulfilled. I have read the words of their stories! And I hold the book—my book!”
The narrator responds in a hushed voice, “You have no clue, my dear. You never did. You cannot change what has been set in motion.”
“But you are wrong. I hold the book! My book!” the Queen says with a cackle.
“When you entered the woods long ago, you thought you could change things then, but—”
“You will no longer control me,” the Queen admonishes.
“I never decided your fate. You made your own choices,” the narrator responds.
While trying to pay close attention to the words being exchanged, Jack can feel the rising heat from the fire. He's working on connecting the dots of their conversation with the information he already knows. Jack looks over behind the fire at Victor, or Douglas Finch, who is looking very concerned. A thought pops into Jack's head: Was the Queen just someone else who entered the woods?
“Quit trying to trick me, old man! I won't let you do that again. Your time has passed.”
Jack notices the witch has relaxed a little and figures she must feel confident that she has finally won.
Then the narrator's voice increases in volume, and he says, “You decided that your story would be about controlling others, so that is why you are trapped. You are no longer welcome here. Your last attempt at controlling your pawns has failed. I will take the book now.”
Like a child protecting a toy from another, she pulls the book to her side and holds it tightly with both hands.
The witch says, “No, you will not have it! It is mine. The prophecy foretold of this day, the day of my victory!”
Then, turning to the fire just a few yards away, she deliberately walks toward the flames.
Chapter 138
The Queen picks up her pace toward the fire, and the narrator is doing nothing to stop her.
Jack wonders what is going to happen and questions why the narrator isn't taking action. The fire is just to his left, and as the Queen nears it, Jack decides it's up to him and that he must get the book away from her. He hopes that as a result of her squabble with the narrator, the Queen has forgotten that one of them is free.
The Queen draws dangerously close to the fire. She casts a malicious look at the Narrator and then holds the book out in front of her with one hand while keeping the three remaining papers in the other.
“The book will burn,” the witch says. “You cannot stop—”
Jack launches into action. He grabs the book with both hands and pulls with all of his might. Alarmed by the sudden movement and attack of the boy, the Queen flails, and the papers containing the stories of the other teens fly upward. The inertia makes the Queen lunge forward, and she loses her grip on the book, which Jack now has in his clutches as he spins to the floor.
Off balance, the Queen trips into the fire. Immediately, she hops back out but not before the flames have licked at her robes. Before long, she is overpowered by her fiery attire: the green light that had once enveloped her is now a violent orange, red, and yellow blaze. A sudden rush of activity and chaos fills the room as Victor rushes to her aid.
“My Queen!” he calls out while
wildly patting at flames with his hands. The Queen is now a picture of panic—dancing, rolling, and jumping as the man beats at her body.
As a result of the chaotic situation, the Queen's holding spell is broken. Immediately, the wolf regains his feet, begins snarling, and looks wildly around the room: first at Amy, then at the narrator, and then at the Queen and Victor.
Meanwhile, the fire is still wrapped around the Queen, who cries out in pain as Victor continues his efforts to stifle it.
Jack was watching this from his vantage point on the ground, but his attention has been redirected to the snarling wolf with drooling teeth barred, and Jack sees that the creature is staring at Amy.
Chapter 139
In spite of his attempt to save the kids, the wolf still wants the girl. In fact, the impulse for her is actually stronger now than it had been earlier. Before, he had stood in obedience to the Queen, respecting her power, but with her presently being occupied by her predicament, he considers going after the girl. At the same time, though, he cannot resist the urge to feel empathy for the teens.
A voice in the wolf's head tells him, You could still have her. It is the shattered plate that he has reformed in his imagination.
The plate calls to him, You need her—I need her.
But the Queen, she was using us…it was she who—”
Forget that! You have no time for this. Do it now!
During this period of indecision, it is Jack who acts first. The wolf is surprised as the boy stands up, collects the papers in the air, and delivers them to the fire. The wolf watches him warily and realizes that he must strike now before the pages burn and the girl can run.
“You must fight the desire within you,” says the narrator to the wolf. “You, too, can start anew.”
“I must have the girl,” responds the wolf, instinctively barring his fangs for the old man to see.
“No, you must control the urge. This is not who you are.”