A Tale of Witchcraft...

by Chris Colfer

  Tangerina was appalled. “You did witchcraft?!” she asked.

  “Lucy, how could you?” Skylene reprimanded.

  “Forget the hocus-pocus and focus!” Lucy yelled. “Once I finished the exams, I had to participate in an Enrollment Ceremony. All my roommates had completed the ceremony before me, so I didn’t think it was a big deal. But now I know it was never an Enrollment Ceremony at all—it was a front for Mistress Mara to curse people! She didn’t start a school of witchcraft to help people—she opened Ravencrest to find someone to curse for her scheme! And I’m the first person it’s worked on! There, everything’s explained! Happy now?”

  After she was done explaining, Lucy turned back to the books and continued searching through the shelves. The fairies were flabbergasted by her account and didn’t know what comments to make or which questions to ask first.

  “This is insanity!” Xanthous said.

  “What kind of curse did Mistress Mara put on you?” Emerelda asked.

  “That’s what I’m trying to find out,” Lucy said. “And whatever it is, we’ve got to get rid of it before it puts Brystal and mankind in danger!”

  “But you don’t look cursed,” Skylene said.

  “No, you’ve never looked better,” Tangerina said. “No offense.”

  “That’s because my necklace hides all traces of witchcraft,” she said. “Mistress Mara gave it to me after the Enrollment Ceremony. She told me to keep the necklace on for a couple of days so the enchantment had a chance to settle in. But that was another fat lie! Mistress Mara didn’t want me to see how the curse was affecting me! Thank goodness my sixth sense for trouble kicked in! If you think I look different now, just wait until you see me without the necklace!”

  Lucy became frustrated as she scanned the shelves.

  “It’s got to be here somewhere!” she said. “I remember seeing it the very first time I was in this office! I was looking through Madame Weatherberry’s things while she was talking to my parents. It had such a strange title it immediately caught my—oh, here it is!”

  Lucy pulled an old book off the shelf and showed the title to her friends:

  SO, YOU’VE BEEN CURSED?

  A VICTIM’S GUIDE TO DARK MAGIC

  AND HOW TO STOP IT

  BY SHELTER BRIMCOCK

  Lucy placed the book on the tea table, and the others gathered around her. She vigorously flipped through the pages, and hundreds of disturbing descriptions and gruesome sketches flashed before their eyes.

  “There must be a thousand different curses in here!” Xanthous said.

  “How are you going to know which one is yours?” Skylene asked.

  “I know the side effects and I know the conditions it was cast under,” Lucy said. “Keep an eye out for anything about a moon, music, potion, or excessive bloating.”

  “Excessive bloating?” Tangerina asked.

  “Quit asking me questions and read!”

  As she combed through the book, the fairies read over her shoulder and pointed out curses with the similarities Lucy described.

  “Could it be a Nightmare Veil?” Emerelda asked. “It says, ‘A Nightmare Veil is a curse that heightens and prolongs someone’s nightmares. While they sleep, every second feels like a day, and whatever happens to their bodies in the dream happens to their bodies in real life. The curse is performed under a crescent moon and requires a pillow made of albino crow feathers.’”

  “No, the Enrollment Ceremony happened under a full moon.”

  “What about an Infinite Illness?” Tangerina asked. “‘An Infinite Illness is a curse that makes someone sick for decades. The person attracts germs and viruses from miles around, and they infect anyone who comes within a hundred yards of them.’ It says the curse requires them to drink a green potion that’s been coughed on by nine hundred senior citizens.”

  “No, the potion she gave me was purple.”

  “Do you think it’s the Never-Ending Moisture?” Skylene asked. “It says, ‘A Never-Ending Moisture makes someone’s undergarments constantly feel wet, causing them to chafe and prune for eternity.’ It says, ‘The person leaves a puddle on every surface they sit on and a foul smell follows them wherever they go. The curse is performed on an overcast day while the children’s song “Good-Bye, Rain” is played on a saxophone.’ Oh, I love that song!”

  “No—and I don’t see how that would help Mistress Mara’s plan.”

  “What about a Shadow Beast?” Xanthous pointed out. “‘A Shadow Beast is an entity that enhances a witch or warlock’s powers for one, usually very dark, enchantment. The Shadow Beast is grown inside a host like a parasite, and the longer it stays inside them, the more powerful it becomes. To create a Shadow Beast, a witch or warlock must present the host with a potion made from the blood of a hundred different animals. They must drink it directly under a full moon while the percussion of a heartbeat is played. It takes a Shadow Beast twenty hours to reach its full form, and if it isn’t removed before then, the host will die.’”

  “That’s it!” Lucy gasped. “That’s definitely the curse she put me under!”

  “What time did you drink the potion?” Emerelda asked.

  “I’m not sure what the exact time was—I think it was around midnight.”

  “Then you only have a couple of minutes left before it kills you!” Tangerina said. “It’s five minutes to eight o’clock!”

  “Xanthous, does the book say how to get rid of a Shadow Beast?” Lucy asked.

  “I’m looking, I’m looking,” Xanthous said. “Yes, found it! It says, ‘Expelling a Shadow Beast is not as complicated as producing one’—well, that’s lucky—‘but it comes with its own difficulties’—never mind, spoke too soon. ‘First, the host must be placed in a Circle of Purity’—which is a circle of salt, white sage, crystals, and candles. ‘Second, the host must be surrounded by a group of loved ones. The loved ones must join hands and chant the phrases Beast be seen, beast be wrong! Beast be free, beast be gone! until the entity emerges.’ That’s all there is!”

  “I’ll make the crystals!” Emerelda said.

  “I’ll make the candles!” Tangerina said.

  “I’ll run to the kitchen and get the salt and the sage!” Skylene said.

  The fairies split up to complete the tasks. Emerelda hurried to the snack tray on the desk and transformed the fruit and cheeses into crystals. Tangerina’s bees flew out of her hair and used their honey to create a dozen beeswax candles. Xanthous and Lucy pushed the glass furniture to the side of the room and made an empty space in the center of the office. Skylene dashed to the kitchen and returned with an armful of sage and seasonings.

  “Everyone ready?” Lucy asked the room.

  “I’ve got crystals!” Emerelda said.

  “I’ve got candles!” Tangerina said.

  “And I’ve got the white sage and salt!” Skylene said. “I also brought pepper and rosemary, just in case!”

  Lucy stood in the center of the room while the others made a circle around her with the supplies. Once the circle was complete and all the candles were lit, the fairies held hands—but Tangerina was hesitant to join.

  “Come on, Tangerina!” Skylene said. “Lucy needs loved ones to expel the curse!”

  “I’m not sure I qualify,” Tangerina said. “Love is a really strong word.”

  “Oh, shut up and find something to love!” Lucy shouted. “We only have a minute left!”

  Tangerina rolled her eyes and reluctantly joined them.

  “Okay, I’m going to remove my necklace and expose the curse,” Lucy said. “What you’re about to see is very disturbing, but whatever happens, keep repeating the chant until the Shadow Beast is gone!”

  Lucy took a deep breath and slowly removed the necklace. As soon as the accessory was over her head, Lucy’s hair turned back into white feathers, her appearance faded into its regular features, and her body expanded to its normal size. However, Lucy’s body then surpassed her original height and weight and kept
growing. Her black cloak started to stretch and her striped tights started to rip as Lucy blew up like an enormous balloon.

  The fairies were shocked as Lucy swelled before their eyes. They could hear something growling inside her, and occasionally, the face of a ferocious creature would poke out from under her skin and snarl at them.

  Lucy never stopped growing and the fairies worried she might explode. After a few seconds, Lucy was too big to stand on her feet and she fell backward. She bounced into the high ceiling and then ricocheted off the walls, knocking books and potions off the shelves as she went. The swans ran for their lives as Lucy bounced around them. The fairies chased after her and rolled her back into the Circle of Purity, but it was hard to keep her in place.

  “We’ll begin the chant on three,” Emerelda said. “Ready? One… two…”

  “Wait!” Lucy exclaimed, and the room went dead silent. “I’ve been thinking, maybe what we’re doing is wrong? Maybe we should just leave the Shadow Beast inside me?”

  “Whaaat?” Tangerina asked.

  “You’re joking, right?” Skylene asked.

  “No, I’m being serious,” Lucy professed. “I mean, the world is filled with people who have only dreamed of having Shadow Beasts, and here I am trying to get rid of mine. What if I regret this decision later? What if this is my last chance to have a Shadow Beast?”

  The fairies couldn’t believe what they were hearing.

  “I think she hit her head while she was bouncing,” Xanthous told the others.

  “Lucy, if we don’t get rid of the Shadow Beast, it’s going to kill you!” Emerelda said.

  “But who says my life is more important?” Lucy asked. “What if the universe has bigger plans for the Shadow Beast than it does for me? It’s my own fault for going to the Ravencrest School of Witchcraft. I knew it was dangerous, I knew something might happen to me, but I went anyway. Why should the Shadow Beast be punished for my mistakes?”

  “Lucy, you sound ridiculous!” Tangerina said. “You shouldn’t throw your whole life away just because you made one mistake!”

  “I agree,” Skylene said. “Besides, you aren’t ready to raise a Shadow Beast! You can barely take care of yourself!”

  Lucy tried to roll out of the Circle of Purity but her friends wouldn’t let her.

  “No, let me go!” she said. “This is my life and I’ve made my decision! I’m going to keep the Shadow Beast and suffer the consequences!”

  The fairies were floored by her abrupt change of heart. They looked to one another with wide, bewildered eyes, but no one could explain what was happening. Xanthous had a feeling Lucy’s feelings weren’t genuine. He retrieved the copy of So, You’ve Been Cursed? and reread the section about the Shadow Beast.

  “Listen to this!” he said. “‘Never trust anything a host says while they’re carrying a Shadow Beast. The entity plays tricks on its host’s mind, making them believe they want to die for it, so the Shadow Beast will grow to its full size.’ That’s the Shadow Beast talking—not Lucy!”

  “Then let’s get this thing out of her before she knits it a sweater!” Tangerina yelled.

  “Thirty seconds until eight o’clock!” Skylene cried.

  “Quick! Start the chant!” Emerelda instructed.

  The fairies grabbed hands and recited the chant in unison.

  “Beast be seen, beast be wrong! Beast be free, beast be gone!”

  For the first time since she removed the necklace, Lucy’s body stopped expanding. The Shadow Beast started to howl from inside her, like it was trying to drown out the sound of the chant. The fairies raised their voices so the chant wasn’t silenced.

  “Beast be seen, beast be wrong! Beast be free, beast be gone!”

  Lucy’s body started to twitch and shake, as if the Shadow Beast was trying to find somewhere to hide within her. There were only ten seconds until eight o’clock, so the fairies repeated the chant as loudly and as quickly as they could.

  “BEAST BE SEEN, BEAST BE WRONG! BEAST BE FREE, BEAST BE GONE!”

  Suddenly, a dark vapor erupted out of Lucy’s mouth. The blast was so powerful it knocked all the fairies to the floor. As the Shadow Beast was expelled, Lucy’s body deflated and she shrank to her original size. The Shadow Beast whirled around the office like a black cloud, taking the forms of different carnivores as it moved. It smashed through the glass furniture as a bear, it terrorized the swans as a wolf, and it trampled over the bookshelves as a lion. The Shadow Beast leaped off the walls as a frog and then glided through the broken window as an eagle. The fairies ran after it, but by the time they reached the window, the Shadow Beast was out of their grasp. It soared through the sky and disappeared into the eastern horizon.

  “Lucy, are you okay?” Xanthous asked as he helped her to her feet.

  “My mouth tastes like a wet dog smells—but I’ll live,” she said.

  “Oh my gosh! The Shadow Beast turned your hair into feathers!” Skylene cried.

  Lucy pretended she was surprised. “No way!” she said. “That’s totally what happened!”

  “Look! The Shadow Beast is getting away!” Emerelda said.

  “Where’s it going?” Tangerina asked.

  “It must be headed back to Mistress Mara!” Lucy said. “Come on! We’ve got to get to Ravencrest before she uses it!”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  THE RIGHTEOUS REVEAL

  The Righteous Brotherhood took Brystal away from the Fairy Territory and led her into the Southern Kingdom. They traveled for hours and the clan kept their weapons aimed at her the entire time. Brystal had no idea where they were taking her or what they were planning to do with her, but she didn’t care. She didn’t ask any questions, she didn’t keep track of time, and she didn’t even look up from the ground as they moved. Wherever they were going, whatever they did, Brystal knew it would all be over soon.

  Brystal assumed the Brotherhood was taking her back to Chariot Hills. She imagined a theatrical arrest was waiting for her in the town square. She imagined Maximus would use the event to publicly condemn his father’s “killer” and preach about the “dangerous nature” of the magical community. Brystal knew she wouldn’t have a chance to defend herself—she’d probably be executed without a trial—she just hoped her peaceful surrender would make the Southern Kingdom think twice about the lies Maximus was spreading.

  As the night turned into the early morning, Brystal realized her assumption was wrong. The smell of salt filled the air, and instead of Chariot Hill’s cobblestone roads, sand appeared under Brystal’s feet. She looked up for the first time since they had left the Fairy Territory and saw the South Sea ahead—the Brotherhood was taking her back to the fortress!

  Brystal didn’t understand the reasoning behind the decision. If Maximus’s goal was to make Brystal a public enemy, why would the clan take her somewhere so secretive? How would it benefit them to keep her hidden?

  The clan walked Brystal across the drawbridge and into the spacious courtyard at the center of the fortress. When they arrived, the Righteous King was waiting for them on the platform, and he held a loaded crossbow. The High Commander bowed before the Righteous King, and the rest of the Brotherhood followed.

  “She surrendered willingly, my lord, just as you promised,” the High Commander said.

  “We should have never questioned you!” a clansman declared.

  “Forgive us for doubting you!” said another.

  “You have our eternal allegiance!”

  “Long live the Righteous King! Long live the Righteous King! Long live the Righteous King!” the clan chanted.

  As the Brotherhood showered the Righteous King with gratitude, Brystal noticed he wasn’t alone on the platform. Five people were lying in a pile behind the Righteous King, and each of them was as white as snow and as stiff as stone. Brystal recognized the pale faces—they were Maximus’s sons, Triumph, Conquer, Victory, Score, and Marvel. She impulsively ran to help them and none of the clansmen tried to stop her. Brystal cl
imbed onto the platform and knelt at the princes’ side, but unfortunately, there was nothing she could do—all five princes were dead!

  Just like their grandfather, there was no obvious sign of what had killed them, but each prince’s right wrist was covered in ashy fingerprints.

  “You monster!” Brystal yelled. “How could you kill your own children?”

  “Look closer,” the Righteous King said. “There’s more to this story.”

  Confused, Brystal turned back to the princes and discovered a sixth body was underneath them. She instantly felt sick to her stomach, and her hands started to tremble. She knew who the body belonged to without looking, but still, Brystal needed to see him for herself. She carefully rolled Prince Triumph onto his side to expose the sixth face beneath. But when his identity was revealed, Brystal gasped in horror because it wasn’t who she was expecting—the sixth body wasn’t Seven after all: it was Maximus!

  Brystal was in shock and stepped away from the bodies. She glanced back and forth between the Righteous King and Maximus’s body but didn’t understand what was happening. If Maximus wasn’t the Righteous King, then who was?

  “Who are you?!” Brystal shouted. “What have you done with Seven?!”

  The Righteous King chuckled at her reaction. He slowly removed his mask and answered both of her questions at once.

  “Seven?” she gasped.

  The discovery was so appalling Brystal’s mind rejected it at first. It took her a few moments to realize her eyes weren’t deceiving her, but even then, the reality was hard to accept.

  “For the most powerful person in the world, you sure are gullible,” Seven said.

  “What are you doing?” she asked. “Why are you dressed like the Righteous King?”

  Seven smirked and let out a patronizing laugh.

  “Oh dear, you’re really in denial about this, aren’t you?” he scoffed. “I don’t think it could be any more obvious—I am the Righteous King.”