“Tristan? Sounds lovely. Tell me about him,” Sophie simpered.
“He’s dead!”
Agatha kicked in the door. “Get out, Kiko.”
“She kidnapped me!” Kiko peeped, fluttering away.
Sophie backed against her bed frame, sheets wrapped protectively around her, the Lion’s rose in her hair. “I know you’re mad he kissed me, Aggie—”
“Tedros is about to meet this Lion, and the Snake may be about to kill them both. I’m not mad about kisses. I want answers,” said Agatha, occupying the edge of the king-sized bed. She scanned the aggressively masculine chamber with a leopard-skin rug, dark wood finishes, and old maritime relics, which now smelled of sweet lavender and was crammed with Sophie’s dresses, beauty creams, and vast array of shoes. It was supposed to be the captain’s quarters, but both Agatha and Sophie knew from the moment they saw it that even if Agatha was captain of this ship, it was Sophie who would be staying here.
“Tell me what he said to you,” Agatha ordered.
“It’s private,” Sophie snipped.
“Well, so is my room, so how about I move you in with Hort?”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Wonder what he sleeps in since you stole his frog pajamas.”
Sophie threw a pillow at her. It missed.
“Look, he said he knows about me from our fairy tale and hasn’t been able to stop thinking about me,” Sophie boasted, tightening her ponytail. “He came to protect me.”
“And that’s all?” said Agatha.
Sophie hesitated.
“Maybe Beatrix has room in her bed,” said Agatha.
“And they call me the witch,” Sophie retorted. “He also said he’s a humble servant of Camelot, come to protect its king and his princess, and that he would fight until his dying breath to make sure the rightful king weds his rightful queen. Happy?”
Agatha stared at her. “He said that?”
Sophie picked at a loose thread in her caftan. “He wants to be Lancelot to Tedros’ Arthur. He wants to see you and Teddy married. That’s why he really came to save us, okay? Because of you and Teddy. Everything is always about you and Teddy. I’m just the girl he has a crush on at the moment.” Sophie balled her knees to her chest. “There could be a thousand other girls like me, for all I know, Aggie. A thousand other roses in a thousand other kingdoms. One for his every Good deed.”
Agatha could see the anxious pink spots on Sophie’s cheeks . . . the way she was curling into herself like she used to their first year at school, whenever Sophie talked about her future prince. . . .
“You really like him, don’t you?” Agatha said, surprised.
Sophie sighed. “I’m completely happy on my own. I don’t need a boy, so don’t make it sound like I do. Nor do I believe in love at first sight anymore or even true love for that matter. Not after Teddy and Rafal taught me that loving any boy only leads to them disappointing you once you realize that they’re boring or immature or an axe murderer. But this boy came out of nowhere when I least expected it and even though he didn’t say we’d meet again, I keep thinking about how nice it’d be to have a proper date where he picks me up and I wear my furs and boots and we dine on coq au vin so I can ask what his father does for a living and what he does when he’s not saving people and why he liked me in our fairy tale when I behaved quite badly most of the time, but . . .” She sank into the pillows. “I can’t really like him. I don’t even know his name.”
“Rhian,” said Agatha.
Sophie bolted back up. “What?”
“His name is Rhian.”
Agatha drew Sophie’s vial from her pocket and deployed the Quest Map. Sophie followed Agatha’s fingertip to the Lion-masked figurine, riding towards Nottingham. Sophie turned sickly pale—
“That can’t be his name!”
“So you have heard it,” said Agatha, eyes flaring.
“Professor Sader mentioned that name once,” Sophie said quickly. “Rhian was the name of Rafal’s twin brother!”
“The School Master’s brother? The Good one?” said Agatha. “He’s . . .”
“. . . alive?” Sophie said.
The two girls gaped at each other.
“Impossible,” said Agatha. “We saw the Good School Master’s ghost take over Professor Sader’s body our first year. They both were destroyed. Professor Sader and Rhian. Forever.”
“Unless Rhian’s ghost came back somehow and took a younger form,” said Sophie. “Like Rafal.”
“But Rhian can’t come back. Just like Rafal can’t come back,” said Agatha, shaking her head. “Not even the strongest magic could do that.”
“So maybe this Rhian is the Good School Master’s son? Dads name their sons after them, don’t they? Narcissistic ones at least.”
“His son? If the Good School Master had a son, don’t you think we would have known about it before now? Wouldn’t he have helped us fight Rafal?”
Sophie shook her head. “So it’s just a coincidence.”
“Must be . . . ,” said Agatha skeptically.
“Igraine landing! Nottingham ahead!” Nicola’s voice echoed above.
“Hurry! Rhian and Tedros are meeting soon. We need to find Tedros—” said Agatha, yanking Sophie off the bed.
“And I need to find out who this Rhian is that’s going around kissing girls and not writing them the next day,” Sophie puffed.
“After we help Tedros,” Agatha growled.
The Igraine hit land with an earth-shaking crash—
Agatha seized Sophie in her arms, hugging her tight as debris and clothes and shoes showered over them and the ship tremored until, at last, the room went quiet and still again. They could hear the commands and bootsteps of crew preparing to disembark.
“Come on,” said Agatha, pulling Sophie towards the door.
“Aggie?”
Agatha turned.
“Maybe it’ll all work out. You with Teddy, me with Rhian, whoever he is. Our own versions of Arthur and Lancelot, with Camelot great again,” Sophie breathed hopefully. “What if that’s our Ever After? What if that’s our perfect ending?”
“Well, for one thing, Arthur and Lancelot finished with Lance betraying Arthur and Arthur wanting him dead,” said Agatha, dragging Sophie behind her. “And if there’s one thing I know, Sophie . . . it’s that you and I don’t get to have perfect endings.”
23
THE COVEN
The Sheriff’s Daughter
When it came time to land, the Igraine didn’t have a port to dock in and its captain was below deck, so the ship made its own decision and thumped down in front of Nottingham Prison, crushing a statue of a fat, bearded Sheriff beneath its hull.
A few pigeons scattered.
No sounds came from the jail.
“Daddy won’t be happy,” said Dot, blinking over the rail.
Hester took in the deserted scene. “Where is everyone? You’d think flying ships land here every day.”
“Jail’s pretty empty,” Dot explained. “Daddy and his men are so focused looking for Robin Hood that anyone else they put in there usually escapes.”
“Good Sheriff,” said Anadil, her rats snickering.
“He’s caught Robin before. He’ll catch him again,” Dot defended. “When he caught Robin, Dad was so happy. He told me I was pretty, bought me cakes and dresses, and didn’t have a care in the world. But then when Robin escaped . . .”
Her eyes clouded over.
“But how did Robin escape?” Anadil pushed.
“Oh, look! Bertie!” Dot said, waving over the rail. “Hi, Bertie!”
She beamed down at a filthy old man who’d rushed out the door of the jail to check on the commotion. He had no shirt, his pants were falling down, and he was sucking on a lit cigar.
“Any Robin sightings lately?” Dot asked cheerily.
The old man cursed at her and went back inside.
Dot smiled. “He’s such a good friend.”
A few
minutes later, the crew gathered before their captain on sandy dirt, the Igraine in shadow behind them. A soft rain fell, the cloudy glow over Nottingham draining fast. Still, they could see downhill to the quiet village below, bounded on the north side by the rich greenery of Sherwood Forest.
“Tedros and Lancelot are heading towards Sherwood Forest to meet the Lion,” said Agatha. “According to the Quest Map, Tedros will soon reach Nottingham on his way there. But scims were spotted here in Nottingham last night. Surely it’s because the Snake sees a chance to attack Tedros before he gets to Sherwood Forest, where the Snake can’t follow him inside. Sophie and I will use the Quest Map to find Tedros before the Snake does—”
“And the Lion,” Sophie chimed in. “We’ll look for him too.”
Agatha glared at her. Sophie pursed her lips.
“The rest of you search Nottingham for scims,” Agatha continued. “If the Sheriff spotted those eels last night, that means the Snake is here somewhere. If you find him, cast your glow into the sky as a signal. Don’t try to fight him on your own.” Agatha scanned the group. “Understood?”
The questers dispersed. Ravan’s team went with Vex’s to explore the hill around the jail. Beatrix, Reena, and Kiko teamed up to search the area bordering Sherwood Forest. Bogden and Willam took the Nottingham school, Hort and Nicola headed towards the outer cottages, and Hester and Anadil followed Dot into the center of town.
“Daddy will know where the scims were. We have to get to my house,” said Dot as they passed a billboard with a flattering painting of the beefy Sheriff chasing an ogrish-looking Robin Hood, about to snare him in a big, gray sack. The sign read: “WELCOME TO NOTTINGHAM, LAND OF LAW AND ORDER.” “Can’t wait for you to meet Daddy. I’ve told him all about you.”
“Since when are you so chipper about ‘Daddy’?” Anadil scorned. “The way you talk about him, calling you a failure and a loser, he sounds like a demeaning, belittling mope. And that’s coming from me.”
“Well, he appreciates me more now,” said Dot cryptically.
Hester tuned out whenever Dot talked about her dysfunctional relationship with her father. (She had no patience for parental issues, which she thought most kids used as an excuse for mediocrity and avoiding real responsibility). Instead, she was unnerved by how dead this town was as she took in the square’s empty streets, stagnant fountain, and closed shopfronts.
“Um, sorry this isn’t Ravenswood or Bloodbrook, with bird-bone temples and man-wolf raves,” Dot said, seeing her face. “It’s Robin’s fault, to be honest. Robbed all the rich people to give to the poor, so the rich people left. But then the poor got rich from all Robin’s stealing, so then he started robbing from them and they left too. So the only people here are neither rich nor poor and there ain’t too many of those in this world. So yeah . . . it’s a sleepy town.”
“This isn’t sleepy. This is zombie,” said Hester.
“No thugs running around wreaking havoc either,” said Anadil. “If the Snake’s here, where are the attacks?”
A spooked villager rushed towards them, carrying an axe.
“Get inside, you fools! Eely things flyin’ around all last night! They’re huntin’ for someone!” he spat, blowing past them. “If you’re idling about, they might come back!”
The witches watched him flurry towards the cottage lanes.
Hester frowned. “At least we know why the streets are empty.”
“Hold on. Last night? Dot’s father said the scims were looking for someone last night too,” Anadil pointed out. “Last night. Long before Tedros even left his castle. So the Snake can’t have been looking for Tedros. He must be looking for someone else in Nottingham.”
“Someone he wants to kill?” said Hester.
“Or it could be someone he needs,” said Anadil.
“Someone he needs in order to take Camelot . . . ,” Hester mulled.
“You’re soooo overestimating this town,” Dot quipped.
Anadil’s eyes roamed the clear sky. “Well, we’ve been here a while and haven’t seen a thing. So either the scims gave up . . . or they found who they’re looking for.”
Hester noticed the news and sundries shop they were passing, the Sheriff’s Blotter, covered in WANTED posters of Robin Hood, which had a cartoon of an executioner chopping off his head. In the window, Hester glimpsed the latest edition of the Royal Rot—
BANISHED FROM CAMELOT?
LADY GREMLAINE SPOTTED
IN HOMETOWN OF NOTTINGHAM!
Isn’t that Agatha’s steward? Hester thought. The one she’d complained about? It was suspicious that she’d be back in Nottingham just when Camelot needed her most . . . but then again, the Royal Rot claimed that Agatha and Sophie were secretly sisters, which was the most preposterous thing Hester had ever heard. Still, she’d ask Agatha about Gremlaine just in case. . . .
But now Hester was distracted by the row of local Nottingham newspapers next to the Rot—
FOUR-POINT REPORT! SHERIFF OF NOTTINGHAM SAYS DAUGHTER WAS THE TRUE “LION”!
DOT THE HERO! READ HER EXCLUSIVE LETTER TO DADDY INSIDE!
“I’M SO PROUD OF MY DAUGHTER!” SHERIFF BOASTS
“Dot, honey . . . ?” Hester said.
“Mmmm?”
“In your letter, what did you tell your dad about the Four Point?” Hester asked sweetly.
“Um, you know . . . that we won,” Dot said, eating a chocolate WANTED poster. “We should hurry. It’s getting dark.”
More WANTED posters of Robin Hood decorated the shuttered shopfronts: Sheriff’s Coffee, a cozy café selling drinks like “Frothy Marian” and the “Sheriff’s Special Blend”; the Headless Robin, a souvenir shop selling Sheriff and Robin masks and fake Sheriff badges, plus replicas of the famous gray sack the Sheriff had used to catch Robin and parade him through town; Books and Badges, with books about Robin and the Sheriff prominently displayed in the window. . . .
And one about Dot, Hester realized, peering closer.
THE SHERIFF’S DAUGHTER:
Dot, Robin, and the Woods’ Most Famous Escape
Hester narrowed her eyes. “Dot, what happened exactly between you and Robin Hood?”
“You’re full of questions today, aren’t you?” Dot snapped, swiveling—
“Watch out!” Anadil yelped.
Hester and Dot whirled to see a scim whiz over their heads.
In a flash, the three witches took off after it, hightailing down the street and around a corner to follow it—
They crashed right into Sophie and Agatha, the five of them toppling to the ground.
By the time they found their feet, the scim was gone.
“Where’d it go?” Hester asked, breathless.
“You saw it too?” Agatha said, pulling Sophie forward and calling back to the witches, “We’ll take the east lanes. You girls take west!”
The three witches sprinted away from them into the next row of cottages. Anadil tore up a rosebed, Hester kicked aside a bicycle, Dot peeked inside mailboxes.
Hester snarled: “Dot, you spitwad, it’s not going to be in a mailbo—”
The scim flew out of the box right into Dot’s mouth, then shot back out, rocketing past the witches, down the street, and under the door of a big gray cottage at the end.
“I take that back,” said Hester, hurtling towards the cottage, as Anadil raced after her, the two witches shooting their glow into the sky to signal the others. Sophie and Agatha’s glow flared from the next street, acknowledging the witches’—
But Dot still hadn’t budged, rooted by the mailbox, her eyes on the house where the scim had gone.
“Daddy,” she gasped.
Dot burst into the house.
“Daddy? Where are yo—”
A meaty arm slung Dot against the wall.
“Don’t move,” a deep voice said.
Dot lifted her eyes to see her father holding her back with his big, hairy hand. The Sheriff was tall with a bushy black beard, a greasy mane of hai
r, and a bloated belly that hung over his belt, jangling with his jail keys. But his dark, stony eyes weren’t on his daughter. They were on the scim floating in the foyer of the dimly lit house. The scim was lethally sharp at both ends, one end pointing at Dot and the Sheriff, the other at Anadil and Hester, who were plastered against another wall.
“Tell us how to kill it, Dot,” the Sheriff demanded quietly. “Tell us what you did before.”
Dot swallowed, feeling Hester and Anadil staring at her, her friends cornered beneath the Sheriff’s famous gray sack, hooked on a wall.
Anadil’s red eyes flicked back to the scim. “Use your demon,” she whispered to her friend.
“Not unless I have to,” Hester whispered back. “If my demon dies, I die.”
The Sheriff squeezed his daughter harder. “Dot, hurry . . .”
The front door flung open—
Sophie and Agatha busted in, fingertips lit, only to see the scim pivot in their direction, deadly tip glowing. The girls stumbled back to a wall, tripping over shoes, old newspapers, balled-up underpants, and dirty dishes.
“What do we do?” Sophie breathed.
“Nothing stupid,” said Agatha, shielding her.
The scim spun between the pairs of captives like the arrow on a game wheel, as if deciding who to kill first: Dot and her father, Sophie and Agatha, Hester and Anadil. . . .
All of them looked at each other, thinking the same thing: there were six of them and one scim. If they worked together, surely they could take it down.
But perhaps the scim sensed these thoughts, for suddenly, through the open window, more scims silently floated into the room, joining the first.
Two . . .
Then four . . .
Then six.
Each one turned razor sharp and pointed at a prisoner’s heart.
“Dot, what are you waiting for! Do what you did at the Four Point!” the Sheriff hissed, fingers digging into her. Dot winced under her father’s grip.
“What is he talking about?” Sophie blurted.
“She saved all of you there!” the Sheriff shot back. “She beat the Snake single-handedly! Why isn’t she doing it now!”
Quests for Glory Page 30