by Tom Percival
The wicked witch was still laughing as Red and the others looked at each other uneasily – she’d been laughing now for well over two minutes.
‘Now what?’ asked Rapunzel quietly.
‘Same as before!’ replied Anansi. ‘Now we rescue my mum! Cole, can you use your magic to break her chains and get us all out of here?’
Everyone turned to look at Cole, whose glowing blue ears flushed pink.
‘Well, um . . .’ muttered Cole. ‘The thing is . . .’ He sighed heavily and took a deep breath. ‘I’ll try.’ He began to perform his spell dance.
The witch stopped laughing and watched Cole with interest.
Suddenly Cole’s whirling stopped and he hung motionless in the air. Surprise rippled across his face, shortly followed by worry, and finally fear.
‘Yeeeaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhh!’ he yelled as bright blue sparks popped off him in all directions. He burst into the air, leaving a trail of magical smoke behind him. Red, Jack and the others ducked as he shot overhead, bouncing around the dungeon like a piece of exploding popcorn. Eventually he skidded to a halt, lying dazed on the dungeon floor, right next to the witch.
‘I completely forgot to say,’ cackled the witch, ‘any magic cast in this room outside of the safety of my magic circle will backfire! I mean, really, children – do you take me for a fool?’ She tutted. ‘How do you think I’m holding all these creatures here?’ She gestured at the magical beasts. ‘Each one of them would love to get their teeth into me – but they’re powerless! The only place where magic is possible – is here.’ She pointed down at the glowing ring on the ground. ‘Which is where I shall be taking your little friend.’ She clicked her fingers and Cole’s slumped figure slid across the flagstones, bumping into the central column.
‘No!’ screamed Ella, lunging forward. The witch waved her hand vaguely in Ella’s direction. Green shoots sprang up from the floor at Ella’s feet, thickening into a tangled mass of thorns until she was completely surrounded. Red tried to help, but the spiky prison spread outward until Red, Jack, Betsy, Rapunzel and Anansi were also trapped in their own thorny cells.
Red peered through the prickly branches surrounding her as the witch used her magic to control Cole as though he was a puppet. First she made him stand up, and then she made him do backflips and other clumsy dance moves.
‘This is fun!’ the witch exclaimed.
‘Let him go!’ shouted Ella.
‘I’m afraid I can’t do that!’ replied the witch. ‘You see, I need him for my spell.’
‘But why?’ sobbed Ella. ‘Surely your magic is powerful enough to do anything you want?’
‘Well, I’m glad you can see that!’ said the witch. ‘Most people fail to come close to grasping the depth of my skills – it’s all just “Please don’t hurt me” or “Arggh, you’ve turned my arm into a tail”. It’s so selfish! I am, as you say, IMMENSELY powerful. However . . .’ The witch sighed. ‘This spell is supposed to be for bringing magical creatures back to areas where they have been forgotten about, or died out. So, at its heart it is a “good” spell, which means that I, as a wicked witch, am not able to cast it.’ She paused for a moment. ‘But what if a good fairy happened to be at the heart of the spell? What if I used his “goodness” to fulfil my needs? Why, then I would finally have my loyal magical army!’ She narrowed her eyes and stared at Ella. ‘Why else do you think I first brought you and your fairy creature to stay here? I’ve been planning this for a long time! And now that I have a troll, my collection is complete!’ She burst out laughing again – then looked around with a disappointed expression. ‘Huntsman!’ she screeched, a stormy expression on her face. ‘Huntsman!’
Immediately the huntsman bustled out of the stone cell the dragon was chained up in.
‘Sorry, ma’am,’ he muttered. ‘The dragon had a nasty splinter in her paw, so I thought I’d just . . .’
The witch traced a finger across her narrow lips and the huntsman fell silent.
‘Is there even a shred of villainy within you?’ she hissed. ‘Does any part of you want to even try to be evil?’
The huntsman shuffled his feet and looked at the floor. ‘I’m sorry, I just . . .’
‘Oh forget it!’ shouted the witch. ‘Chain that fairy up here –’ she gestured to a hollow in the central column – ‘and we can get on, unless you’re worried that he might have a splinter too?’
‘No, ma’am – will do, ma’am,’ said the huntsman, walking forward to gently pick Cole up. ‘Come on, little fella,’ he whispered under his breath. ‘Up you get . . .’
Seconds later Cole was securely fixed to the huge central column.
The witch grinned. ‘Now it is time!’ she cried with an evil laugh, flinging her arms up and holding them trembling in the air for a second. There was a devastating CRACK, as though the entire world had just split open, and the room filled with smoke and a dazzling blue light.
Through the confusion Red could see Cole slump down further against the magical chains that held him, his head heavy on his chest.
‘Cole!’ screamed Ella. ‘Cole!’
All they could do was watch as brightly coloured streams of magic rose out of Cole in a twisting spiral. The ribbons of magic darkened as they flowed across the ceiling in rivers of churning smoke, winding towards the cells packed with magical creatures, like snakes stalking their prey.
A terrifying sound filled the chamber. Red could see all the magical creatures shivering and shuddering as the magic reached them. The dragon tried to flex its wings, desperate for escape, but the chains and enchantments holding it were too strong.
The more Red looked at the dragon, the harder it became to see. It was as if there were two dragons, somehow overlapping each other. With a ghastly ripping sound, the ‘new’ dragon peeled itself away and stood shimmering in the dim light. It was almost completely see-through, as though it wasn’t really there at all.
The witch raised her hand and the newly born dragon strode out of the cell towards her. ‘Look!’ she screeched at the huntsman. ‘It’s working!’
The huntsman looked at the ghostly creatures filling up the dungeon and tried his best to look pleased.
‘Er, yeah! With all them magical beasts you’ll be able to be right nasty to loads of people.’ He paused for a moment, before slowly adding, ‘Huh-huh-huh-haaar . . .’
‘That was a pathetic attempt at being evil,’ replied the witch. ‘But I appreciate the effort.’
Red put her head in her hands. This was all her fault! Anansi had got it right back in Tale Town - she was too trusting!
‘Never,’ she sobbed bitterly, ‘never again . . .’
‘What?’ shouted Ella from the cell next to her.
‘This is all my fault!’ spat Red. ‘It’s because I trusted that huntsman – I told him we were meeting a troll. I’ll never trust anyone again!’
Ella’s face fell. ‘Come on, Red, this isn’t your fault,’ she said. ‘If it wasn’t Anansi’s mum, then Wilf would have found a different troll and the witch would still be trying to make a magical army. And sure, maybe some people just aren’t trustworthy, but what are you going to do? Never trust anyone ever again? If I’d done that when the witch first captured me, I’d never have met Cole – and you and I would never have become friends! Wouldn’t that be awful?’
Red smiled weakly at her friend.
‘Thanks, Ella, it’s just . . .’ She swallowed a sob. ‘I’m just so sorry to have got you all trapped down here.’
Ella shrugged. ‘ “Sorry” isn’t going to save Cole. “Sorry” isn’t going to save any of us! So, forget about feeling sorry, and let’s start thinking of a way out of here! OK?’
Red nodded. Ella was right. There had to be a way out of this - there was always something . . .
‘And one more thing,’ added Ella. ‘You know Wilf, the huntsman? He’s not all bad, so go easy on him, OK?’
Red nodded. Then it hit her. The huntsman! He was their ticket out of the
re. It was clear that he wasn’t really on the witch’s side. If she could just convince him to help them, then maybe they’d have a chance?
‘Wilf!’ Red shouted through the walls of her thorny prison, ‘Wilf! Over here!’
The huntsman peered over. He glanced at the witch, who was too busy with her new magical beasts to pay him any attention, then crept over cautiously.
‘You all right in there, missy?’ he whispered.
‘Well, that’s kind of the thing,’ Red replied. ‘Not really . . . You see, everything would be loads better if I wasn’t trapped in this cage of thorns. You know, like if me and my friends could somehow escape?’
‘But the mistress . . .’ said Wilf, chewing his lip. ‘She wouldn’t like that one bit!’
‘I guess not,’ said Red. ‘But you know, Wilf . . . I can call you Wilf, can’t I?’
The big man nodded and smiled a gappy smile.
‘So, Wilf, how about this . . . how about you stop working for her? I know that you hate it! You’re not a huntsman – not really – you’re a woodsman! You could come and work for my dad. You should see the axes he’s got – hundreds of them!’
Wilf’s eyes lit up. ‘Hundreds?’ he asked disbelievingly.
‘Oh yeah!’ Red nodded. ‘They’re super-sharp. All different sorts too!’
Wilf looked torn. He glanced nervously around the room. More and more of the ghostly creatures were filling the dungeon, and Cole was looking paler and paler, his glow slowly going out.
‘Yeah,’ he said slowly. ‘This don’t look great, does it? OK. All right then – I’ll help. What do you need?’
‘Have you got an axe?’ Red asked.
Wilf grinned. ‘What do you think?’ He reached one hand behind his back and pulled out a huge, gleaming axe.
‘Stand back!’ he said, grinning as he heaved the axe back, then swung it round, chopping through the thorny branches as though they were matchsticks.
Seconds later Red was out of her prison and darting for cover. All she had to do now was lure the witch out of her magic circle.
‘I don’t believe it!’ the witch screamed. The huntsman’s chopping had finally caught her attention. ‘Seriously? You’re seriously going to side with them? Against . . .’ She paused. ‘Me?’
‘Nothin’ personal, ma’am,’ said Wilf. ‘But I ain’t like you! I’ve never been wicked – not deep down. And while I’m sayin’ all this . . . You know that young lass you told me to take out into the woods and “take care of” last year?’
‘Yes?’ hissed the witch
‘Well I did take care of her.’
The witch nodded. ‘Glad to hear it.’
‘You don’t understand,’ replied Wilf. ‘I’m still looking after her. I found her a room at a little cottage, an’ there’s these seven little fellas that live there with her. Every other Sunday I go over there for lunch.’
The witch glared at him coldly. ‘You have failed me, huntsman,’ she hissed.
‘See, that’s just it!’ said Wilf. ‘I’m not really a huntsman, not in my heart. In my heart I’m a . . .’
‘You’re a what?’ spat the witch.
‘. . . I’m a woodsman,’ he said, proudly.
‘Is that so?’ screeched the witch. ‘Then you shall have your wish!’ She clicked her fingers and Wilf suddenly froze. For a moment he looked surprised, then his skin hardened and darkened, becoming pitted like bark. In less than three seconds it was impossible to tell that the tree which now stood there had ever even been a person.
‘No!’ screamed Red, stepping out from behind the cages her friends were trapped in. ‘How could you?’
‘It was quite simple actually,’ said the witch. ‘I only used a basic shape-shifting spell with a few extra touches – but you’re right, to do it with just a click of my fingers was rather impressive.’
Red glared at the witch as an idea came to her. ‘What other things can you do?’ she asked. ‘I bet you couldn’t turn me into a skeleton just by, I don’t know . . . tapping me on the nose?’
‘Simple!’ exclaimed the witch – and almost took a step out of the magical circle towards Red. She looked down at her feet and then looked back at Red with something almost like respect.
‘Clever girl!’ she muttered, nodding slowly. ‘Not quite clever enough, though.’
Red’s heart sank. So much for her brilliant plan.
‘And now, I shall turn you into a skeleton,’ continued the witch, grinning a jagged smile from awful ear to awful ear. ‘But . . . from over here!’ She clearly felt this was a good time for a really evil cackle and even went so far as to start off with a ‘Mwa-ha-ha-haaaaaaa!’.
Red wasn’t listening – she was looking at the witch’s magical army. None of the new creatures had become fully solid yet, and the spell seemed to be slowing down. It looked like Cole’s fairy magic wasn’t strong enough to power the witch’s dark spell. Perhaps there still was a way out of this, after all?
‘Hey!’ she shouted, interrupting the witch mid-cackle. ‘Hey, you!’
‘You dare to address me thus?’ demanded the witch.
‘I guess I do,’ said Red.
The witch’s mouth gaped, utterly lost for words.
‘Anyway . . .’ continued Red, ‘I’ve heard there’s this wicked witch that’s SO evil she can turn laughter into snakes. You’ve heard of her, right?’
The witch frowned and shook her head.
Red pretended to look surprised. ‘Really? That’s odd – I thought everyone knew about her. She’s got the largest magical army this side of Far Far Away! People say that her level of wickedness could never be matched. They say that all the other witches are about as evil as hamsters compared to her.’
The witch’s eyes goggled. ‘Nonsense!’ she hissed. ‘I am ALL powerful! This other witch will kneel before me!’
‘Fair enough,’ replied Red. ‘But you might need a bigger army.’
‘Huntsman!’ screamed the witch. ‘Chain this girl up. I need to . . . Oh.’ She suddenly remembered that she’d just turned her huntsman into a tree. ‘Never mind! I shall create an army the size of which has NEVER been seen before!’
She raised her hands high into the air, pulling magic out of Cole at a faster and faster rate. ‘The whole world will TREMBLE at my approach!’ A wind picked up and roared through the dungeon, almost knocking Red from her feet.
‘Gaaahhh!’ screamed Rapunzel, Anansi, Jack and Ella from inside their cages.
‘Whaaat! Whaaaat? WHAAAAAT!?!’ clucked Betsy over the din.
‘My name will bring dread and fear to all who hear it!’ screamed the witch. ‘I will flatten mountains and—’
‘What is your name anyway?’ yelled Red through the wind that rushed past.
‘What?’ yelled the witch, dropping her hands for a moment. ‘My name? It’s Shirley – Shirley the Incredibly Evil. Now be quiet! I’m in the middle of a rant. Where was I? Oh yes! The skies will blacken at my approach, it will always be summer but never the summer holidays . . .’
As the witch went on, and on, and on, Red watched the magic flowing out of Cole start to sputter and jolt as if it was running out. The ghostly magical creatures in the room flickered in and out of sight.
‘I’ve just got one more question,’ shouted Red, interrupting the witch yet again.
The witch rolled her eyes. ‘What now?’
‘If you’re so amazingly evil, how come I’ve never heard of you?’
The witch glared at Red with a look of pure fury. ‘Soon everyone will have heard of MEEEEEeeeeEEeeEEEee!’ she screamed. She turned to Cole and tried to increase the speed and power of the spell even more.
The dungeon became a throbbing, roaring mass of half-made creatures and wild magic. Sparks flew in all directions as the witch closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, desperately trying to make Cole release more and more magic – until eventually . . .
The spell broke.
The witch’s magical army began to fade. Like old ballo
ons, they became wrinkled and soft. Soon all that was left was a collection of faintly glowing shapes where the beasts used to be, and a moment later, even those were gone. Red glanced over to see Cole lifting his head groggily.
The powerful, roaring wind had stopped completely and was replaced by something even more terrifying: silence – and the witch’s cold, terrible rage.
‘What have you done?’ she screamed. ‘You’ve ruined everything!’
Red took a few steps back towards the edge of the dungeon.
‘I’ll make you sorry!’ continued the witch, starting to walk towards Red. ‘I shall create an enchantment SO strong that it can never be broken! And you will not enjoy it one little bit.’
The witch was getting closer and closer, her eyes blazing furiously. ‘Cursing you will be easy!’ she hissed. ‘Anger is the strongest emotion, and when you combine it with my power – it is unstoppable!’ She laughed a cruel, bitter laugh, raised her hands high in the air and swept them down towards Red.
Red had no time to think, or say, or do anything. She flung her hands around her head and curled up into a ball.
A furious heat filled the room, along with a light brighter than any Red could have thought possible. A scream rang out, and it took a second for Red to realize that it wasn’t coming from her.
She looked up to see the witch’s face twisted with horror as she recognized her mistake. She was now outside the magic circle. Swirling lights spun in dizzying circles, getting brighter and brighter with each moment.
‘I suppose it’s too late to say “I’m sorry”?’ asked the witch, as the light reached a blinding point of brilliance and flared out across the dungeon with a roar.