Tangled Magick

by Jennifer Carson

  The sleeves shortened, the hem rose, and the body tightened to fit Poppy just right.

  “Thanks, Mae. It’s all right, you can turn around now,” Poppy said to the men.

  “Not that you don’t look—amazing—in that dress, but I don’t think it will keep you very warm. I know where our bags are,” Tory said. “We had to search just about every room in the castle to find you two. I’ll be right back.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Bailey said, following Tory down the hall.

  “Have you figured it out, Maewyn?” Mr. Whiteknoll asked.

  Mae nodded. “Do you know where the troll queen is?” she asked the group.

  “She’s in the dungeon, locked up with the other creatures,” Thorain said.

  “Thorain, can you bring her to me?” Mae said.

  “For what?”

  “She’s not a troll, she really is a queen…well, a princess, actually. She was captured by the trolls in the Trillium War. We must—”

  A roar went up from the crowd. “How do you know about that?” Horace yelled.

  “Does it really matter how I know right now?” Mae asked. She scanned the faces of the hapennies. They were all smudged with dirt and streaked with the sweat of hard work. Dark circles painted their eyes, and their mouths were all turned down. Only Mr. Whiteknoll smiled at her. “Truth is, I know. And I think Huldfrejya is the princess that was taken away. But it wasn’t just the trolls who took her away; it was the wizard Geindride too. He was in league with the trolls. And now he has some crazy plan to capture all the hapennies.”

  Mae took a deep breath and continued. “Leif gave me an owl carving before we left. I transformed it into a real owl and sent her to the Wedge. I wasn’t sure if she would be able to pass through the magick that borders the castle, but I think she did, and I think she found Leif and Aletta.”

  “So it is Leif and Aletta that the wizard spotted?” Dale asked.

  “It could be.” Mae nodded and wrung her hands. Half of her hoped it was, the other half feared it was.

  “And whoever was stupid enough to follow them,” Horace grumbled.

  “Or brave enough,” Thorain said. “I’ll go get the queen… er, princess.”

  “Thank you, Thorain,” Mae said, gesturing toward the hidden door by the hearth. “You can go this way, it’s shorter.”

  Thorain raised a bushy eyebrow. Mae smiled, closed her eyes, and thought of Huldfrejya. The hidden door groaned open.

  “There is a flight of stairs that leads directly into the dungeon.” Poppy pointed to the hidden entrance.

  Thorain shook his head and stalked toward the door. As the ring of his boots on the stone steps faded, Horace stepped forward. “What are the rest of us to do, Mae?”

  “I need you to release all the magickal creatures,” Mae said.

  “Even the gryphon?” Dale asked, his eyes wide.

  “And the dragon?” Bilbey said.

  “Even the gryphon and the dragon,” Mae said.

  “And what can we do?” A feminine voice carried over the crowd.

  Chapter 19

  The hapennies turned, startled by the voice behind them. Gilda and Folkvarus stood behind the hapennies with wide grins on their trollish faces.

  “What are you doing here? Left behind by your master to keep an eye on us?” Horace crumpled his hand into a fist and dove at Mae’s dad.

  Cook Barley tackled him before he could reach his target. They rolled on the ground, uttering curses at each other, until Cook got the upper hand and pinned Horace’s arms to the ground. “I might be younger than you, old man, but I know a bit more about what’s going on here, so you’d better listen.”

  Horace rolled his eyes and relaxed against the stone floor, out of breath. “Go on, then!” he puffed.

  “This here’s…Meadow Longthorn.” Barley pronounced Longthorn as though he was speaking to a toddler, all drawn out and exaggerated. Horace’s eyes grew round as they traveled over to Gilda.

  She smiled and wiggled her fingers at him.

  “That can’t be Meadow Longthorn…” Horace said. Then he raised his head and whispered in Cook’s ear. “She’s so… She’s so…ugly.”

  Gilda’s eyes narrowed as she fisted her hand and drove it into the palm of her other hand. “Why Horace Not-So-Bright-Path, I oughtta pound you like—”

  Horace’s eyes lit up. “Meadow…it is you!”

  Mae stepped in. “She’s under a spell, Horace. Just like my dad.” Mae reached for his hand and curled her fingers around his. “It will wear off when we break the spell on the castle.”

  Horace blushed and bucked Cook Barley off his chest. “Get off me, you stinky cabbage. I need to say a proper hello to my…well, she was my sweetheart a long time ago.”

  Cook Barley rolled off him and laughed. He threw his arm around Mae’s dad. “I never thought I’d see you again, Glenn.”

  “Nor I you,” Glenn Bridgepost replied.

  “So, the last expedition was captured by Huldfrejya too, I’m guessing,” Cook Barley said.

  “That’s right—and the wizard Geindride,” Meadow said, pushing Horace’s arm off her shoulder.

  “Oh boy!” the gargoyle interrupted. “It’s gonna be a good show! Too bad I can’t see it!”

  Mae’s ears perked up at the clamor coming from the stairwell.

  “Quit prodding me, you hairy-eared mongrel. I’m climbing as fast as I can!” The princess’ shrieks bounced off the stairwell walls and rang in their ears. The hapennies exchanged glances as Huldfrejya entered the chamber. Her face registered surprise and she looked back at the stairwell. “I didn’t know this was here.”

  As suddenly as the look of surprise had crossed her face, a sneer replaced it. “What am I doing here? Has Geindride promised you a kingdom and servants galore? A hapenny queen wouldn’t last long in a room full of trolls.”

  “Did he promise you the same thing, Princess?”

  Huldfrejya’s head snapped toward Mae.

  “Now that I have your attention, I’m going to tell you what you are going to do,” Mae said.

  “I don’t take orders from no peapod like you,” the princess scoffed.

  “We don’t have time to argue with you,” Poppy yelled and pointed to the copper tub. “Get in!”

  Huldfrejya wrapped her arms around herself and cowered toward the door leading to the dungeon stairs. Thorain crossed his arms and puffed out his chest. He was no taller than her elbow, but he looked frightening all the same. The other hapennies closed in around her, herding her toward the tub like a sheepdog herding a flock. The princess had no choice; she was cornered. She tried to make a break for it, pushing through the crowd. Meadow got a firm hand on her arm, Mae threw her arms around her waist, and Poppy wrapped her arms around her leg. Slowly the trio pulled and pushed the princess into the tub with a tremendous splash.

  Huldfrejya and Mae rose from the water, spluttering and wiping their eyes. Poppy grabbed the soap and one of Huldfrejya’s hands and started lathering it up. The princess yanked her arm away. Poppy pursed her lips and yanked it back.

  “Why are we giving the princess a bath?” Meadow asked over the curses and splashing water.

  Mae grabbed one of Huldfrejya’s feet and rubbed the soap into all the cracks and crevices. “To break the spell!”

  Meadow turned to Cook Barley and pointed to the mop bucket. “Get some more water from the kitchen. Horace, you go with him and grab some more soap. The rest of you, guard the doors until she calms down. If Maewyn thinks this will break the spell, we are getting the princess clean whether she likes it or not!”

  Meadow rolled up her sleeves and went to work on Huldfrejya’s face. The bucket dumped new water over the princess’ head. Lots of curses flew about the room. While Poppy and Meadow worked on the rest of her, Mae clambered out of the tub and lathered the soap into Huldfrejya’s hair. She’d never seen such a tangled mess. Not even when she’d woken up with her hair tied in knots before she’d learned to control her
magick. There was only one way to start untangling this mess—at the bottom.

  Mae pulled the comb through the ends of Huldfrejya’s hair.

  “You’re hurting me!” the princess screamed and put her hand protectively on the back of her head.

  Cook Barley returned with a large kettle of water. Mae nodded, and he dumped it over Huldfrejya’s head. The princess removed her hand to wipe her eyes, and Mae pulled the comb through again.

  “I’m going to feed you all to the trolls for this!” Huldfrejya screeched.

  “Yes, Your Highness.” Meadow pushed her under the water. She grinned wickedly at Mae as Huldfrejya splashed and struggled and continued to screech until Meadow released her.

  The princess rose from the water spluttering, and Meadow shrugged. “She needed a rinse.”

  Mae smiled and continued to comb the princess’ long locks. She was glad Meadow was on her side. Meadow wrestled for control of Huldfrejya’s left hand and began to clean the dirt out from under her fingernails. Poppy found the scrub brush and began scrubbing at her toenails. Pink flesh was shining through the grimy soap bubbles.

  “More clean water!” Mae called as Poppy pulled the plug on the tub. The nasty brown water sloshed down the grate as Horace bustled out of the room, the mop bucket clanging behind him. Mae continued working on the tangles in Huldfrejya’s hair. She’d worked the comb halfway up her head. She was almost there.

  Tory and Bailey entered the chamber looking like pack mules. They dropped the baggage just inside the door as Horace came rushing through with more water. He dumped it over the princess’ head, and she screeched curses at him again.

  “What’s happening, Mae?” Poppy whispered. “Why isn’t it working?”

  What was different between Poppy and Huldfrejya? Mae bit her lip as water dripped from her clothes and onto the floor around her feet. She shivered as a cold breeze wafted through the chamber. “We need to get these clothes off her. Get the men out of here.”

  Poppy stood and wrung the water from her sleeves. She rounded up the men and hustled them out of the chamber.

  “But what are we supposed to do? Just stand out here waiting?” Bailey asked as Poppy pushed him toward the door.

  “Go see if the other men need help!” Mae yelled.

  “Follow me,” Mae’s dad said. “We can get the horses and wagons ready to move.”

  Poppy shut the doors behind them. As Mae loosened the bodice strings and struggled to pull it off the princess, Huldfrejya wrapped her arms around herself and gripped it with all her strength.

  Meadow pulled a kitchen knife from her apron pocket. The metal surface glinted in the firelight. “Let go or I’ll cut it off you,” she said with a growl.

  The princess burst into tears and loosened her arms. Mae breathed a sigh of relief and yanked the bodice off. Meadow and Poppy yanked at the overdress and shift as Huldfrejya quit struggling. She pulled her legs to her chest and laid her head on her knees as Mae finished combing her hair. Silent tears streamed down her face. The hapennies exchanged nervous glances.

  The princess’ dark chestnut strands turned almost silver as the last of the tangles were combed away. She looked old—too old. By Mae’s reckoning, the princess should only be in her early thirties—too young for silver hair and the number of wrinkles that folded her skin. Poppy reached for the mop bucket full of warm water and gently poured it over the princess’ hair, smoothing her tresses away from her face. A soft clip-clop sounded behind them. Meadow’s hand went to her bosom as she gasped. The unicorn stood in the dungeon doorway.

  The unicorn bowed, thrusting one leg in front of him and stretching his neck. Then he approached the tub. Poppy and Meadow moved away, giving him room. He plunged his horn into the water, and it began to glimmer. The frown lines faded from the princess’ brow. Her ragged nails smoothed and began to shine. Her pupils shrank, revealing copper-brown irises. She was not the blossom of youth, but no longer ancient-looking, either. Her skin had softened, and despite the small wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, and the freckles on her hands, she was beautiful. Huldfrejya reached out to the unicorn and began to smooth his mane with her fingers.

  “Thank you. Thank you all,” she whispered.

  Poppy’s eyes grew wide. “You did it, Mae. You broke the spell.”

  The unicorn removed his horn from the water and bleated.

  “We broke the spell. I couldn’t have done it without you two.” Mae smiled at the hapenny women. She patted the unicorn’s back. “Or you.”

  Mae straightened up and gestured to the princess. “Poppy, Meadow, meet the Princess Huldfrejya. She was kidnapped by Geindride and the trolls during the Trillium War and kept prisoner by a spell.”

  “Nice to meet you, ma’am.” Poppy curtsied. She rose and turned toward the wardrobe. Rifling through the contents, she pulled out a gown for Huldfrejya.

  “Please, call me Hilda,” the princess said. “That’s what my friends called me.” Her voice was soft and lilting, just like Maewyn always thought a human princess would sound like.

  Mae handed her a clean sheet and helped her rub her skin dry, and then she handed her a clean, though thin, shift and the overdress Poppy had laid out. “I’m sorry, but, there isn’t much left for you to wear. You ruined most of it when you were under the spell.”

  “I must have been a monster. I felt like a monster.” Hilda shivered.

  “You weren’t that bad,” Mae said.

  Poppy snorted.

  Meadow chuckled.

  Then they all broke out in laughter.

  “What’s so funny in there?” Tory called through the door.

  “Nothing!” Poppy called back. “We’ll be ready in a few minutes.”

  Mae pointed to the baggage. “Poppy, find your bag. Dress warmly for the journey home.”

  “Home?” Meadow asked.

  “Yes,” Mae answered.

  “But what about Geindride?” Poppy asked.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll deal with him,” Mae said. She wasn’t sure how one dealt with a bad wizard, but she was hoping Aletta was near the castle and would know what to do.

  Hilda smiled a sad smile, and her gaze drifted to the flames in the hearth. The unicorn moved close to her and shoved his head under her hand like a dog looking for petting. Huldfrejya absentmindedly petted his silky mane.

  Poppy stoked the fire and pushed one of the upholstered chairs close to it. “Come sit by the fire, Your High—um, Hilda. Your hair will dry more quickly. And I’ll look for a coat. Surely one of the men’s coats will fit you for now.”

  “You are too kind,” Hilda said.

  Meadow looked longingly at the warm tub full of water. “Do you think I could…I mean, it’s been… It’s just that I’m… Never mind, it’s foolish.” She sighed and turned her head. “I know there will be plenty of time for that later.”

  Mae put her hand on Meadow’s arm. “Go ahead, we won’t tell anyone.”

  A grin broke out on Meadow’s face. She threw her clothes off and jumped into the tub, attacking the grime on her skin as if it were a scorched pot. Her face began to glow as the deep wrinkles and green tones washed away. The matted hair on the backs of her ears sprang forward and fluffed out, and she began to hum a hopeful tune as she scrubbed and untangled her hair.

  Poppy kept digging through the mountain of luggage. Maewyn rummaged through the pile until she found her travel bag. She pulled out her polka-dot leggings, a clean shirt, a jacket, a scarf, a pair of mittens, and a pair of riding breeches with leather patches on the knees. She shoved the mittens in the jacket pocket and then unlaced her boots, prying the wet leather off her feet. It was a good thing Aletta had insisted on packing her an extra pair. Wet, uncomfortable feet wouldn’t do for the journey home.

  Mae peeled off her filthy striped leggings and tossed them on the floor. She grabbed the sheet the princess had used to dry off and soaked the remaining moisture from between her toes. When she pulled the clean leggings on, toasty warmth from the thi
ck material encased her legs. It was the first time she’d felt warm since they’d arrived in this drafty castle. Then, all of a sudden, the smell of dust filled her nose as the walls violently shook. Mae toppled onto the floor. Poppy grabbed onto a chair. Meadow clenched the sides of the tub in terror.

  “Hurry! Get dressed!” Mae ordered.

  Meadow scrambled out of the tub as Mae brought her the sheet. The floor shook beneath them again. Window panes shattered as thick vines of ivy sprouted through the glass.

  The men outside the chamber banged against the door.

  “The castle is going to crumble around us!” Tory yelled to them. “Hurry!”

  Mae yanked off the dirty dress she’d been wearing since they’d arrived and shoved the clean shirt on. She pulled the riding pants up and shoved her feet into her dry boots and her arms into her jacket. Boy, she thought as she bent to tie the laces, if there was ever a great time for Callum’s shoe-tying spell, it would be now. The castle walls shuddered again. “We need to get out of here! I fear the only thing holding this castle together was the spell,” Mae said.

  Poppy whipped the chamber doors open as Meadow shoved her arms into a thick sweater. As the unicorn rushed out, Tory, Mr. Whiteknoll, and Bailey rushed in, their expressions confused and full of fear.

  “The others went with Glenn,” Tory said to Poppy. “They should have the wagon ready.”

  “This way!” Mae called, and she pointed to the dungeon stairs. The chamber was beginning to fill with dust as she grabbed the princess’ arm and tugged her toward the door.

  Hilda didn’t budge as the others streamed past.

  “What are you doing?” Mae asked. “We need to leave!”

  Mae yanked on Hilda’s arm again as a large rock tumbled out of the wall, followed by a slip of smaller pebbles. Pulling her wand from her pocket, Mae held it in front of her. “Shine brightly!”

  The stairs lit up as Mae and Hilda fled. The unicorn rushed past them on the stairs. Their footsteps were drowned out by the creaks and groans of the castle. Mae splashed through the water and ran through the dungeon, the princess close behind. All the creatures’ cages were open except one. Dale stood in front of it, unmoving, staring at the dragon. Mae pointed to the large stable door that was open to the outside. “Go, Hilda, get outside, to the wagon!”