Good Curses Evil
Page 15
“That’s right.”
“But how did Padurii and my dad …? I mean, you know, where did Chad come from?”
“Padurii tricked your father. She used a spell to take on my likeness. He thought she was me. When he found out the truth, there was a fight. She cast a spell, but it backfired, aging her into an ugly old hunchback.”
“So that’s why she’s so … you know. And Chad’s all blond and blue eyed?”
“Right,” said Queen Catalina.
“Wow,” was all I could say. “And that’s why she was so mad and wanted revenge?”
“Yes,” said the queen. “Actually, it’s a pretty amazing coincidence, isn’t it?”
“What?” I asked.
“That Veldin gave you a Plot leading you to my front doorstep. That you were able to restore my kingdom and save me and Ileana.”
“Whoa, hold on a second. I see what you’re getting at,” I said. “But it had to be a coincidence. I mean, it’s not like he sent me to your kingdom. I could’ve chosen any kingdom to overthrow.”
But was that true? What had made us choose to go to the kingdom of Kaloya in the first place? Then I remembered Jez had overheard my dad talking about it on Cook’s pirate ship the night I told him that Wolf and Jez were my Conspirators. Was it possible my dad had planted that information? Staged a conversation when he knew one of my Conspirators would be listening? Then sent me not as a villain to overthrow a kingdom but to save the woman he used to love?
There was no way. Because if it was true, that would mean Master Dreadthorn, my evil villain father, had done something heroic. I just couldn’t believe that. But now that the idea was there, I couldn’t stop thinking about it either.
I noticed Queen Catalina was watching the emotions play across my face. She looked so much like Ileana. It made me think of something.
“Hey, did you know my mother back then?” I asked.
The queen paused a moment, pursing her lips.
“If your father hasn’t mentioned her, then I don’t think I should either.”
I wanted to ask more, but the queen excused herself, and I was left alone.
Later, in the middle of the party, I managed to slip away. It was nearing midnight, and I had just remembered something important. I stopped by my room to pick up the Dread Master’s crystal ball.
Soon, I made my way to Master Dreadthorn’s study. I knocked, but no one answered, and the door was locked. Quickly I produced my stolen key and let myself inside. I was just replacing the crystal ball when the door opened and in stepped Master Dreadthorn. Busted.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.
“Uh … Chad stole your crystal ball, but don’t worry. I got it back for you,” I lied.
“Indeed? And you broke into my study to return it. How thoughtful.”
Somehow I didn’t think he was being sincere.
“Sit down, Rune,” the Dread Master said.
I took a seat in the leather chair while Master Dreadthorn walked around his desk to sit opposite me. Just then, Tabs jumped between us to land on the desktop. She blinked at me with her green cat-a-bat eyes, and I flashed back to the eyes I had seen during my Plot. So that’s how Master Dreadthorn knew what happened on our Plot! He’d had Tabs trailing me the entire time!
A thought suddenly sprang to my mind, something I’d subconsciously been wondering since I started my Plot. I uttered it aloud before I knew what I was doing.
“Did you know that Chad would fail?” I asked. “Or was it me you wanted to fail?”
There was an endless, menacing pause. It might have only been the span of two or three heartbeats, but it seemed like an eternity to me.
“Am I not the master of this school, Rune?”
“Yes, uh … no … uh …” Cat-a-bats! I never could figure out how to correctly answer questions like that. It was like trying to work out a puzzle … something to do with double negatives …
“I never want any of my students to fail. It does not reflect well on a school’s master when students fail.”
I should’ve known he’d say something like that.
“Then why pit us against each other? I know you told Chad not to let me succeed. And you told me to do the same to him.”
“I simply gave each of you what you needed to be successful villains. Chad was too soft for a villain. I knew he had ulterior motives thanks to Morgana and his mother, and that was encouraging. However, I thought a little jealousy might motivate him to try even harder. You, on the other hand, are a natural leader, but you get bored, Rune. I motivated you by making you think you had to compete with Chad.”
This was the most my father had ever said to me in one sitting. I decided to keep the ball rolling.
“I know he’s my brother,” I said.
“What of it?”
“Well, are you ever going to talk about what happened? You know, back then?”
“The past is past. I will not speak of it,” he said. That was the Master Dreadthorn I knew. Cold. Uncommunicative. And kind of mean. I almost asked him about my mother, but I decided to let it go. For now.
Instead I asked, “Is he going to be exiled?”
“I don’t know what will become of Chad.” The Dread Master’s tone alerted me that the topic of Chad was now closed. Time to change the subject.
“What will happen to Morgana?” I asked.
“Should something happen to her?” Master Dreadthorn looked confused.
“Shouldn’t she be punished or anything? I mean, she tried to destroy your school!”
“Isn’t that what villains do?” he asked. I couldn’t really argue.
“And what about Princess Ileana? You know she’s part witch,” I said. He looked at me for a long time. I started to wonder if he’d heard my question.
“Ileana is a special case. It would’ve been easier if she had just lived a quiet life with her mother, but I suppose after all that’s happened … well … I have a feeling you’ll be seeing Ileana again very soon.”
This cheered me up immensely. I stood to leave and had just made it to the door when Master Dreadthorn spoke.
“Oh, Rune?” he said.
“Yes?”
“You don’t really believe I’m finished with you?”
I sat back down, wary.
“Don’t think it’s escaped my attention how miserably you performed on this Plot.”
“What?” I shouted. “I thought I did pretty good for my first Plot.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Rune. Your henchman turned out to be a nursemaid. You had to be rescued by your kidnapped princess. You ended up restoring a kingdom to its rightful rulers. And even that redheaded little brat was more capable than you were.”
“But, but …” I had no argument.
“At least Chad was backstabbing. At least Chad had ulterior motives. Have I taught you nothing, Rune?”
“But, but …” My eye was practically convulsing. Was he seriously comparing me to sniveling, cookie-baking, freckled …
“And on top of it all, you broke into my study and stole my crystal!”
A very dangerous vein throbbed on the Dread Master’s left temple. (It reminded me a little of my own twitching eye.) Slowly the throbbing subsided and he resumed his smooth, indifferent tone.
“At least that act showed some initiative. Well done on that account, I suppose.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. Did my dad just … compliment me? I felt a little warm and fuzzy inside.
“However, your thievery will not go unpunished.”
So much for warm and fuzzy.
“Answer this riddle for me, Rune. What’s green and slippery and is about to get cleaned up by a Fiend who had the audacity to steal my crystal?”
“Slug slime?” I asked in a small voice, the last vestige of my good mood flying right out the door.
“Very good, Rune,” the Dread Master said. “You’ll make a fine Fiend.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
; This book really began early one morning as I woke up with an idea in my head and scrambled for a pencil and paper. I jotted down just a few words about a villain school and a boy whose father was disappointed with him. That story grew into the book you are now holding.
That might never have happened were it not for the following people: Nancy Gallt, thanks for your initial interest in my story. Marietta Zacker, you walked me through every step of this wonderful experience, and I am eternally grateful. Caroline Abbey, my editor at Bloomsbury, you made my words shine. Thanks to my family and friends for their patient listening and high expectations. Thanks to the teachers who were fun and thoughtful and tough on me. Thanks to the Greatest Author who inspires me every day. My gratitude to everyone who had a hand in this story as it made its way from mind to page to shelf. And thank you, reader, for choosing this book.
About the Author
Stephanie S. Sanders
Great villains begin with a Plot, and Stephanie S. Sanders is no exception. While she would not call herself a villain, she is the mastermind who Plots against her characters, constantly throwing them into the paths of wicked gingerbread witches, cookie-baking two-faced roommates, and perhaps the worst of all … evil school masters. She lives in Iowa with her two mischievous girls and her deceptively sweet husband, Benjamin. When she’s not Plotting against her own characters, Stephanie is likely to be found creating strange works of art, taking incriminating photographs, reading dangerous books, or eating indecent amounts of chocolate.
www.stephsanders.com
www.villainkids.com
Copyright © 2011 by Stephanie S. Sanders
Bat illustrations © 2011 by Esy Casey
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
First published in the United States of America in August 2011 by
Bloomsbury Books for Young Readers
E-book edition published in August 2011
www.bloomsburykids.com
For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to
Permissions, Bloomsbury BFYR, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010
The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:
Sanders, Stephanie (Stephanie Summer).
Villain School : good curses evil / Stephanie Sanders.— 1st U.S. ed.
p. cm.
Summary: Twelve-year-old Rune Drexler is struggling in his classes at Master
Dreadthorn’s School for Wayward Villains and will be exiled unless he and his friends,
Countess Jezebel Dracula and Big Bad Wolf Junior, can succeed at a nearly impossible
Plot.
ISBN 978-1-59990-610-2 (hardback) • ISBN 978-1-59990-848-9 (paperback)
[1. Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. 2. Magic—Fiction. 3. Schools—Fiction. 4. Best friends—Fiction. 5. Friendship—Fiction. 6. Good and evil—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.S1978832Vil 2011 [Fic]—dc22 2010050180
ISBN 978-1-59990-730-7 (e-book)