by L. C. Mawson
Freya shrugged. She had no idea what had happened in the Fifth Alternate Timeline. Or, really, about any magical history. “So, how do we get through?”
“I’m guessing that we need a prince. That’s how the story goes, right? The prince cuts through and gets to her?”
“And you think we’ll need to follow the story exactly?”
Mel shrugged. “How did the other stories work out? Did they follow exactly?”
“Cinderella didn’t seem to, but then, there were no supernatural elements like a bramble-covered hospital.”
“They might be getting more exact as time goes on. The spell might be getting stronger.”
“Stronger? Wouldn’t that need more Energy?”
“Yep. The caster could be collecting more Energy and adding it themselves, or the spell could be feeding off of the emotional energy it creates. Probably the turmoil of the middle of the story, suggesting Dark magic.”
“It could be Light magic,” Freya added, “if Cinderella has already reached her happy ending. That could be the source of the increase too.”
“Which brings us back to square one. Or, as I like to call it, the ‘we don’t know what on Earth is going on’ square. I don’t like this square. It’s unfamiliar and full of other people.”
“Then we need to get off the square,” Freya figured, a little distracted by spotting someone slipping through the gaggle of emergency services, round to the side of the building. “Follow me.”
“Right, because I’m just the picture of stealth,” Mel said, indicating to her chair.
“You’re a Witch.”
“Fair point,” she replied before casting an illusion around herself so that she wouldn’t draw attention. “I’m not in the field much. Our Coven Head is super over protective of the younger members.”
“Tell me about it. Amber probably wouldn’t let me leave the house if she wasn’t dead.”
“Amber?”
“My guardian.”
“Oh. Right. The old lady you were with. She didn’t look dead to me.”
“Possessed.”
“Possessed? You are involved in some really weird stuff, you know that, right?”
Freya shrugged. “I thought it must be pretty normal for magic. I haven’t exactly been involved with the rest of the community before.”
“Yeah, no. I haven’t even... I can’t even imagine what kind of power someone must employ to stay on Earth after they die. To just ignore Death like that...”
“Yeah, apparently he wasn’t too happy about it, but she made a promise to my mother. Apparently that kind of thing has weight.”
“Well, yeah, but... Put it this way, if I made another Witch a promise, none of the Big Three would have any issue getting in the way.”
Any response Freya might have had was cut off by her finding the guy who had made his way around the building, now hacking his way through the brambles with an axe.
“How did he get that past the cops?” Mel asked.
“Maybe it’s part of the spell.”
Mel hummed, thumbing her way through the book again. “I guess that might narrow it down a bit.”
“Hey,” Freya called, causing the guy to turn and face her. “I recognise you. You’re in drama, right?”
He nodded. “Yeah. We’ve been in the same class for two years, Freya.”
She shrugged. “I’m bad with names.”
He gave her a blank look and she figured she had offended him.
“You’re not a people-person, are you?” Mel asked.
“You’re just getting this now?” Freya replied before turning back to the guy. “So, what is your name?”
“Richard.”
“Riiiight.” She vaguely remembered a few terrible jokes Damon had made when she told him that Richard was often shortened to ‘Dick’. “So, do you figure that it doesn’t count as breaking and entering if it’s a plant keeping you out?”
“Anya’s in here,” he told her, returning to hacking away.
“Yeah, I know. So, you’re trying to get to her?”
“Exactly.”
“Need a hand?”
He raised an eyebrow, indicating to his axe. “Well, sure, if you’ve got the tools.”
Freya sighed, turning to Mel. “My memory spells aren’t good enough for this,” she muttered, low enough so that Richard wouldn’t hear.
“Even if we tried to use magic, he’s probably the only one who can break through.”
“We still might have to use magic once we’re in.”
Mel brought out her wand and pointed it at Richard.
“Inario,” she said and the wand let out of burst of blue light, hitting Richard square in the back. He didn’t seem to notice and continued hacking away.
“What was that?” Freya asked.
“A perception charm. Now he’ll just ignore anything supernatural he sees or hears. At least, for as long as the spell lasts.”
“And how long is that?”
“We’ve probably got half an hour.”
“Awesome,” Freya said as her mind started to run faster than she could keep up, going over all of the possibilities. “So, if I cast this on a Human friend, could I talk to them about magic for a while?”
“I mean, I guess. I don’t know how fulfilling the conversation would actually end up being. And it won’t work on Sensitives.”
“Ah well. Never mind.”
“Why? You have someone in mind?”
Freya shrugged. “Kind of. It doesn’t matter, though. He’s Sensitive.”
“Urgh. I don’t know how you can hang around a Sensitive. They keep seeing through my glamours. Humans tend to freak out if they realise you’ve got scales.”
“It’s not easy. He keeps seeing my battle wounds. There’s only so long someone’s going to keep believing that you walked into a door. And that the door ran you through with a sword.”
“Ran you through? Ouch.”
“Yeah, want to see the scar?”
Richard interrupted at that point. “I’m through!”
Freya turned to see that he had, indeed, cut through the brambles to reach the door, though he’d only made a small hole to climb through.
As soon as he was through, Freya ignited her hands, figuring that the spell would probably allow her passage now that the prince was in. She burned the brambles down enough to make a space big enough for Mel.
“Thanks,” Mel said as she wheeled in behind them. “What spell was that? I could probably use a good fire one.”
Freya shrugged sheepishly. “It’s not a spell.”
“It’s not...” Mel looked at her like she was seeing her for the first time. “That’s an innate ability?”
Freya nodded. “Yeah, but I’m better with water.”
“But that’s elemental magic.”
“Yeah. So?”
“So, I control water because I’m part Mermaid.”
“Well, maybe I have a little Mermaid in me too.”
“To have the power without any physical attributes is rare. The power doesn’t usually last for more than a couple of generations. But it would have to, because otherwise...”
“Otherwise what?”
Mel shook her head. “I... It’s nothing. There’s no way... I was just thinking aloud. Trust me, if it was what I was thinking, you would know.”
“Ooookay,” Freya said, unsure of what else to say.
Mel turned her attention to Richard. “So, do we even know where this girl is?”
“Third floor,” he told them.
“Lead the way,” Freya said as they got in the lift.
“So, which version of Sleeping Beauty do you think they’re working from?”
Freya shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t been able to figure that out yet. Why?”
“Well, it’s just... Kissing the princess and her waking up isn’t exactly the most climactic ending. Some versions like to punch it up a little.”
“You think we’re going to hav
e to fight something to reach her?”
“I hope not. My combat magic is theoretical at best.”
Freya pulled her daggers from her bag. “That’s what I’m here for.”
“You have so many nice things,” Mel said with envy. “My Coven Head doesn’t let you near weapons until you’re eighteen.”
Freya shrugged. “Well, I take mine from dead people, so you probably don’t want to follow my example.”
“Ew, no.”
“You don’t have to say it like that. It’s not as if I can be picky,” she pointed out as they got into the lift. “Before I got the bounty money, I was broke. And I’ve only just started to have contact with the magic world beyond dealing with trouble-making demons. It’s much harder to get weapons in the Human world, especially for someone under age.”
Mel held up her hands defensively as they all got into a lift. “I wasn’t judging! I was just saying, you know, having to deal with dead bodies like that sounds gross and I probably wouldn’t be able to do it.”
“I mean, it’s not really grosser than most potion-making. Especially anything involving eyes. Eyes are the worst.”
Mel shrugged. “I never really make potions. My tail isn’t exactly something I choose to have. I get wet, my body thinks I’m in water.”
“That sounds really inconvenient.”
“Tell me about it. Why do you think I spend all of my time in the library?”
“I just thought you really liked books.”
“Well... That too.”
The lift dinged as they reached the third floor, opening to reveal a few people sleeping in the hallway.
“Richard’s not really much of a talker, is he?” Freya muttered as she and Mel used their magic to nudge people out of their path.
Mel shrugged. “It’s the spell. He’s barely paying attention to anything we’re saying.”
“Fair enough.”
They were interrupted by a roar.
“What the hell was that?” Richard exclaimed.
Mel groaned, closing her eyes. “Please tell me it’s not what I think it is.”
“Are you thinking dragon?” Freya asked.
“Yep.”
“Then it’s probably bad news.”
“Awesome,” Mel muttered sarcastically.
“How good are you with protection spells?”
“Pretty decent, why?”
“Make sure lover-boy here doesn’t kill himself when we face it, okay?”
“I can cover you too.”
“Without compromising him? I heal quick, and I don’t know how to wake Anya if her boyfriend is extra crispy.”
Mel glared at her. “I might not know much in the way of combat magic, but I am by no means weak.”
Freya held her hands up in defence. “I was just checking we were on the same page priority-wise. Like I said, I can handle it. He can’t.”
Mel nodded. “If I have to choose, I’ll protect him, but I can handle you both.”
“Then let’s go face the dragon,” Freya said, making her way towards the roaring.
She entered the cafeteria and saw that the great, purple beast took up all of the space.
“This might get tricky,” Freya muttered as the dragon saw her, dropping into a roll to avoid its flames.
They barely felt warm, and Freya realised that it was the effect of Mel’s protection spell.
“Die, beast!” Richard yelled, charging at it with no thought to his attack, his axe raised high above his head.
Freya sighed as the beast batted him away, hoping that Mel’s spell kept him unharmed. She moved to the back of the dragon, lashing out against its wings, which seemed the easiest to cut through. If she could hack them off, she’d have more room to manoeuvre, and hopefully the pain would distract the dragon long enough for her get in some more lethal blows.
Freya brought one of her daggers down, but the dragon moved its wing too quick for her, resulting in the blade plunging deep into its shoulder. It responded by rearing up with a roar, causing Freya to lose her footing. She sent out a blast of flame as she toppled to the ground, in an effort to distract the dragon so that she would have enough time to get to her feet.
She had no such luck, with it barely wincing at her attack before swatting her across the room, crashing through into the back wall of the kitchen with a thud, which was thankfully dulled by Mel.
“Fire isn’t going to work on a dragon!” Mel yelled back from the dining area, her tone making it clear that she expected Freya to know that. “Didn’t you say you were good with water?”
“Right,” she agreed, quickly finding the kitchen tap. With a flick of her wrist, she had it spurting at full pressure, spraying water everywhere. She pulled it from behind her, bringing a tidal wave crashing past her, through to where the dragon was.
“Hey!” Mel yelled. “Remember not to get me wet!”
“That’s kind of the point!” Freya yelled back. “It can’t breathe fire underwater.”
Mel nodded, realising what she was doing. “Lover-boy might need to make the final blow.”
“Hey, Richard? You can swim, right?”
“Yes, why?”
“Get ready to swim.”
Mel followed Freya’s lead, bursting the pipes leading into the cafeteria so that it flooded faster. Freya focused on keeping the water in the room and not seeping out under the door or through to where she was in the kitchen. She got one of her daggers and let the tide take it directly to Mel.
“Think you can handle one of these?” she asked as she moved so that she could see through the serving hatch. She quickly realised that her friend had now shed her illusion of Human skin and her legs had merged into a tail.
“I guess we’ll find out,” she answered. “You are so lucky I was wearing a dress today.”
At that, the water was at head height and Mel abandoned her chair, swimming up to the dragon as it struggled to breathe in the water. She struck at its neck.
“It’s not big enough to take its head off!” Freya yelled, unsure if Mel could hear her through the water.
Mel seemed to have heard. Or, at least, Freya assumed that she heard from the death glare she gave her before moving off to find somewhere else to stab.
“Go for the heart!” Freya yelled. Not that Freya would know exactly where that was, beyond vaguely in its chest, but Mel seemed to have some idea, moving with purpose towards the dragon’s breast.
Mel plunged the sword deep into its flesh, but that only seemed to make it angrier.
That was the point at which Richard swam forward, his arms swinging as he brought his axe to the dragon’s neck. There was no way it should have done any damage, between the water resistance slowing down the blow and the size of the weapon. But, in complete disregard of physics, the dragon’s head came off in one, clean blow.
Freya gave Mel enough time to swim back to her chair before draining away the water.
Richard flopped like a fish onto the floor, coughing violently.
“He’s not going to die, is he?” Freya asked.
Mel shrugged. “Don’t think so.” She brought out her wand and waved it at him. “Resita.”
All of the liquid came up from his lungs in a single torrent, causing him to jerk into an upright position until it was done. He kept gagging after it was over, but seemed to be breathing fine.
“You going to live?” Freya asked him after a few moments.
“Yeah,” he eventually replied in a rasping voice. He clamoured to his feet unsteadily, clutching his side.
“You hurt?” Freya asked, indicating to where he was holding.
“I’m fine,” he told her firmly. “Let’s just get to Anya.”
“It would only take two seconds to heal you,” Freya said, but he was already stumbling off down the corridor.
“It’ll be the spell,” Mel figured as they made their way after him. “He probably didn’t comprehend what you said.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Me
l sighed, looking down at her soaking dress and tail. “I’m going to have to shift right back to the coven now.”
“I’m sorry. It just... seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“No, it was an awesome idea. I just wanted to pick up some biscuits on the way home. Never mind.”
“Do you think the dragon’s it?” Freya asked as they trudged through the corridor.
Mel shrugged. “I don’t know. I would think so. I never really read Sleeping Beauty as a child. My parents tended to avoid the creepier stories.”
“Yeah, we didn’t have the book or the video. We had a few of the Barbie films and Anastasia, and the rest of them were, like, Power Rangers.”
“Mighty Morphing or Turbo?”
“Turbo.”
“Is that not technically child abuse?”
“I actually liked it.”
At that, Richard turned and left the corridor, entering one of the rooms.
Inside, Anya was hooked up to a monitoring machine and an IV. She didn’t look ill, just sleeping, which Freya realised probably shouldn’t have been a surprise.
“Did you have a plan once you reached this point?” Freya asked, wondering how they would convince him to kiss her. Would the spell make him do it? If it didn’t, then it would be a really creepy request. Mel’s spell might allow him to understand, or it might make it so that he wouldn’t comprehend any attempt they made to ask him to follow the story.
“Get her out of here,” Richard said simply.
“Isn’t the IV keeping her alive?”
“We can take her to another hospital.”
Freya sighed at that. If they took her to another hospital, the brambles would most likely grow again and another dragon would show.
She exchanged a look with Mel, who just shrugged at her, clearly just as out of ideas as she was.
Richard moved to take out the IV and Freya averted her eyes, trying not to wince. Swords through her abdomen, she could handle. Needles? Not so much. When she turned back, Richard was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking as if he had started to move to pick Anya up, but had stopped mid-way through to brush some hair from her face as he gazed at her with an intensity that made Freya more than a little uncomfortable. It was sweet, she guessed, but this wasn’t the time.