Natalie
tested the weight of her new weapon. She
now carried a tree branch the size of a walking stick, which the boys had
helped her pull off a tree. Then, Felix
had brought out a buck bone knife, which must have had at least an eight inch
blade, and cut off all the smaller twigs growing out of it. This would definitely be of more use than the
branches and rocks she had been using to fend the creatures off.
She
wasn’t quite sure what to make of her new companions. Toodles, more than a head shorter than
herself, with wavy brown hair and a smile she had yet to see disappear was
friendly and seemed good natured enough.
Felix was quieter, or at least had been so far, and harder to read. She tried to blame her uneasiness about him
on the scar running across his face from the middle of his forehead nearly to
his jaw. It was just years of media
stereotypes telling her men with scars were up to no good. Still, she
thought, I’ll keep my eyes on him. She was also having trouble with the idea that
they should both be dead. But even with
her misgivings, she was glad for their company.
This wasn’t the type of place she wanted to travel in alone.
The
monkeys at least were more wary now that there were three of them. They had been walking most of the day and
hadn’t run into any again.
“Look.”
Toodles pointed ahead. “That’s got to be
where the wicked witch lives.”
Just
coming into view was a large house, surrounded by a high stone wall. Natalie didn’t think it was quite a castle,
but it was close.
“What
kind of witch are we dealing with?” Felix asked.
“I
don’t really know,” Toodles answered, pausing.
“The book never really said much about her powers. Oh well,” he started
walking again, “she can’t be as bad as the Dark One.”
“So you two have had experience with witches
before then?” Natalie asked.
“Sort
of,” Toodles said. “Besides, the Dark
One is much worse than a witch.”
“It’ll
be dark by the time we get there,” Felix said, eyes moving like he was mentally
measuring the distance between them and the castle. “I don’t much like the idea of going up
against any kind of witch in the dark.”
“Maybe
we’ll be lucky and she’ll be asleep,” Toodles said. “Then we can take the hat and go before she
knows we were there.”
It’s never that easy in the stories, Natalie
thought, but kept it to herself.
Night
fell nearly an hour before they reached the building. The group crouched in the cover of the clump
of trees nearest the witch’s abode. Natalie
couldn’t help but think that someone must of have seen them crossing the open
ground. However, there was no sign of
anyone inside.
“Do
you think she’s the only one who lives here?” she whispered.
“Could
be,” Toodles whispered back. “Wicked
witches probably don’t have many friends.”
“How
are we going to get in?”
Toodles
looked at Felix. The other boy studied
the building for a moment then opened his mouth to say something. Natalie felt the hair on the back of her neck
stand up. The shadows descended on them
from the thick foliage above them. Rough
hands seized Natalie’s arms, hair and midriff. Her staff was wrenched from her hand as she
was hoisted into the air.
“Let
me go!” Toodles yelled, biting the arm of one of his captors.
The
flying monkeys carried them over the wall and landed in the courtyard in front
of a green-skinned woman with a patch over one eye. At first, Natalie tried to break free but
gave up after seeing a monkey sink its claws into the shoulder of struggling
Felix. All three resigned themselves to
glaring at their captors.
One
monkey, wearing what looked like a conductor’s hat, laid the trio’s weapons at
the woman’s feet, and made a sweeping bow.
“The
tresspassers, as you commanded your wickedness,” it said in a gravelly voice.
“Well
my pretties,” the witch crooned, stalking towards them. “What are we doing out at night, hmm?” She brushed her long finger nails down
Natalie’s jaw line. “Come to kill a
witch?” she snarled and made claws out of her fingers and swatting at
Natalie’s face, making her jerk back. “That’s all little girls who fall from
the sky are good for.”
“No,”
Natalie said, leaning back as far from the witch as the monkeys holding her
would let her. “No, I don’t…”
“Hrrr,”
the witch growled, turning on her heal.
“Lock them in the cellar. I’ll
deal with them in the morning.”
The
monkeys half led, half dragged them into the house, through several rooms and
then threw them into a cellar, slamming the door behind them.
Natalie
shuddered at the sound of their receding laughter, trying not to imagine all
the ways a witch could probably kill them.
No one moved for a few minutes, waiting for their eyes to adjust to the
darkness of the cellar.
Toodles
climbed back up the stairs and rattled the door. “Ok,” he said, turning back toward them when
it didn’t budge. “We may not be able to
take it and leave before she knows we were here, but this is not a problem.”
“How
is this not a problem?” Felix asked.
“Because
I know her weakness,” Toodles said, coming back down the stairs. “If she gets wet, she’ll melt. All we have to do is find some water and we
won’t have to worry about her.”
. . .
Natalie
started at the sudden jerk on the cellar door.
Toodles inhaled sharply from the corner across from her, then sat up
rubbing his eyes.
She
guessed he was the only one of them who had actually slept. During their search of the cellar, they
hadn’t found any water, or anything they could use as a weapon. Once they gave up on that, Natalie had
retired to the corner nearest the door where she’d spent the night listening
for the monkeys return. Even so, she
hadn’t heard them coming.
Another
jerk on the door and it swung open with a creak. Natalie blinked at the light, raising a hand
to shield her eyes.
Four
monkeys hopped down the steps, sneering at their captives in a way that was
frightening and ridiculous at the same time.
Two of them took hold of Felix, already on his feet. One of the others grabbed Natalie’s arm and
hauled her up, the remaining one doing the same to Toodles.
They
took them up the steps and into what looked like a sitting room, where the
witch reclined on a couch having her breakfast.
Natalie’s stomach rumbled; she hadn’t eaten since the afternoon of the
storm, more than three days ago. She hoped
the witch hadn’t heard it.
The
witch set down a half-eaten biscuit and stood, beginning to pace the floor in
front of them.
“Well
my pretties, what am I going to do with you?
It does seem a bit of a waste to destroy you right off.” She paused and looked them over, turning up
her nose like she was not impressed with what she saw. “Perhaps I’ll get what use I can out of you
first. You shall be the first of my
slaves.” She ran her fingers through
Toodles hair, then shoved him back. “At
least until I subdue this land and get some proper ones.” The witch looked at one of the monkeys
holding Felix. “They can begin by
cleaning up the yard.”
The
monkeys bobbed their heads to their mistress and began to lead the captives
out.
“And
just in case you get any foolish ideas…” The witch waved her hand toward
them. For a few seconds, Natalie felt a
prickling sensations run up and down her skin.
“That is a holding spell. You
won’t be able to set foot outside the outer wall.”
