Witchy Tales: A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Fairy Tale Read online

  I glanced over my shoulder, frowning when I saw the empty space behind me – which only moments before had been occupied by Marcus, Thistle, Clove and Sam. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  The monster roared again, and when I risked a glance back in its direction I realized it was closing the gap between us. “Okay. It’s okay. Nice … thing.” I started backing out of the room. “I’m not here to hurt you. I’m assuming you’re not here to hurt me. I just … I need to find someone.”

  Another roar was all I could take. I fled the room, racing back into the foyer and finding it empty. The open door at the far end of the corridor told me that my supposed family and friends hadn’t stopped with abandoning me in a separate room. They’d abandoned me in a strange castle.

  The creature screeched behind me again and I increased my pace, bursting from the front of the castle and skidding to a stop on the terrace – where a new horror was waiting.

  Thistle, Clove, Marcus and Sam cowered in the far corner, the men working to shield their respective girlfriends, and the hulking figure raising his hands in a menacing fashion on the lawn towered over them.

  “Oh, well, I guess we’ve found the giant,” I grumbled.

  No one answered except for the monster closing the distance on me from behind. Things officially just got worse. How was that even possible?

  THE giant screamed, ramming his hands down on the ground with enough force to shake the courtyard – and the castle behind us. Apparently in Aunt Tillie’s head a giant has more in common with the Hulk than anything else.

  “Well, great,” I said. “This is just awesome. We have a giant cutting us off from escape in that direction and the hairy beast is coming after me from in there. Thanks for having my back in there, by the way. I just loved turning around and finding myself alone … again.”

  “We thought you were right behind us,” Marcus said, covering Thistle’s head.

  “Well, I wasn’t.”

  “Do you really think this is the time to argue about this?” Marcus asked, infuriated. “Get over here.”

  He was panicked. He was doing his best to hold it together, but without Landon here to tell everyone what to do we were scattered. We lacked leadership. We were … a mess. Where was he?

  Instead of doing as Marcus instructed I turned to face the giant and descended the stairs.

  “Bay! What are you doing?” Marcus screamed.

  I ignored him and kept moving forward. The giant stilled when he saw me, a meaty fist raised high above his head. I was … done. I couldn’t take another second of this.

  “I don’t know if you’re watching this, Aunt Tillie,” I said, my eyes clouding with angry tears. “Enough is enough, though. We want to go home. We need to go home. You’ve taught us our lessons. Please. Give me back Landon and … end this. I believe you can hear me.

  “That’s what you told me, right?” I continued. “At the Cinderella house you told me that everything depended on what we believe. I believe we should be done here. So … I’m done.”

  For one brief, shining moment I thought I’d won. The giant cocked its head to the side, its eyes softening. Then the world tilted as the giant roared and aimed its descending fist at me.

  My body flew to the side as something barreled into me from behind. Another roaring voice entered the fray, only this one belonged to the hairy castle beast. After tossing me out of the way, the growling monster caught the giant’s descending fist and deflected it, whimpering from the force of the blow.

  The monster matched the giant angry howl for angry howl. I rolled over on my side so I could glance back at the castle. Marcus was on his feet staring at me, worry marring his handsome face as he debated running after me or staying to protect Thistle and Clove. He was caught. He knew it, and I knew it, too.

  “Stay there,” I yelled. “Don’t come out here.”

  Marcus didn’t look convinced. “Bay! Come back here. I can’t just leave you. I made a promise to Landon.”

  What promise? “So did I,” I said. “I won’t leave this place without him.”

  “That’s not what I’m saying,” Marcus said. “Come back here! We’ll figure it out. Let them fight. It’s what they want to do.”

  I shook my head, turning back to the battle raging in front of me. The giant was stronger, but the beast was determined. I had no idea why it pushed me out of the way and sacrificed itself in the battle. It was almost as if … .

  “Oh, crap.” I pushed myself to my feet, realization dawning as I searched for a weapon. There wasn’t much to choose from. The only thing that was even remotely an option was a large rock half buried in the ground.

  I dug my fingers into the hard dirt, grimacing at the pain as I clawed at the rock. It took everything I had to dislodge it, and when I had it in my hand I turned back to the giant.

  The beast was on the ground, struggling to regain its footing as it continued to put its battered body between me and the giant. I didn’t take time to think about what I was doing. I didn’t care whether it was smart. I didn’t care whether it would work. It was the only thing I could do, so I did it.

  I launched the rock at the giant’s head as hard as I could. He was readying himself for another blow against the beast, but when the rock hit him in the head he shifted his attention to me.

  The beast howled, enraged, but the giant ignored it. I was on the menu now.

  I didn’t take a step back, and I didn’t try to protect myself. Instead, I spoke the words I knew would end the story. I remembered this one from Aunt Tillie’s book. “Sometimes you have to fight, even though you know you’re going to lose,” I yelled, clenching my hands into fists at my side. “I can’t win, but I won’t stop fighting!”

  The giant’s face blanked at the words and then, like magic, it started dissolving. Within seconds, the only thing that remained was the beast … and my tears.

  The beast breathed heavily, and it listed to one side and dropped to a knee, giving in to fatigue now that the danger was gone. I closed the distance between us, the lyrics of an old song playing through my head.

  When I got close to the beast I leaned down, searching the clear eyes that stared back at me. “You promised we wouldn’t be separated again,” I said, grabbing either side of its face. “I love you!”

  I closed my eyes and leaned forward, pressing my lips against the beast’s. I could hear the zip of magic, and when I opened my eyes Landon stared at me in astonishment.

  “How did you know?”

  “No one else would be willing to die for me,” I said.

  “I think you’re wrong on that front,” Landon said, reaching for me. “I can’t believe you did that.”

  “Sometimes you have to fight for the person you love,” I said, bursting into tears.

  “You do indeed,” Landon said, pulling me close as we sank to the ground. “Oh, cripes, you scared me half to death. Don’t cry. If you don’t stop crying, I’m going to cry. Oh, well, crap. I guess we’ll both cry.”

  If someone tries to distract you by making you look in a specific direction, make sure you look the other way. The one thing they’re trying to hide from you is usually the one thing you need to find. That’s only true if I’m not the one trying to hide something from you, though. If I tell you to knock it off, I mean it.

  – Aunt Tillie’s Wonderful World of Stories to Make Little Girls Shut Up

  Sixteen

  Landon and I remained wrapped around one another for at least five minutes. We didn’t glance up until someone cleared a throat behind us.

  “Now is not a good time,” Landon growled, tightening his arm around my shoulder. “I can’t tell you how ticked off I am at you guys right now.”

  “What did we do?” Thistle protested.

  Landon stiffened. “Well, for starters, you bolted and left Bay to fend for herself. Way to be loyal.”

  “Hey, you were terrifying,” Thistle said.

  “We thought she was right behind us,” Marcus offered s
incerely. “I didn’t realize she wasn’t until we were already on the terrace … and by then we had another problem.”

  “Whatever,” Landon grumbled. “You still left her in there. What if she’d been hurt?”

  “Were you going to hurt her?” Thistle asked.

  “You didn’t know it was me,” Landon said. “By the way, in my head I was talking regularly but it kept coming out in growls. I wasn’t trying to frighten you.”

  “I know,” I said, pulling my face away to study him. “Are you hurt?”

  “I’m fine. Are you hurt?”

  “I was so worried about you,” I said. “When I woke up … you were gone.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Landon said, cupping my chin. “I shouldn’t have promised I would be there when we woke up. This world doesn’t give us the luxury of keeping promises.”

  “It’s not as if I thought you walked away on purpose,” I said.

  Landon arched an eyebrow.

  “I didn’t,” I said. “Not this time. It didn’t even enter my head.”

  “That’s good, Bay,” Landon said. “No one is leaving. Not again.”

  I snorted. “Don’t say that just yet,” I said. “We’re trapped in a fairy tale world. We still don’t have control.”

  “I know,” Landon said. “I wasn’t talking about here, though.”

  I rested my forehead against his briefly. “I know.”

  Landon pressed me to his chest as he rolled us to a different position. He climbed to his feet and pulled me along with him, never letting go of me. When we were standing, the look he shot Marcus was chilling. “I’m not thrilled with you right now.”

  “What did you expect me to do?” Marcus asked. “She ran right into danger. She wasn’t the only one here.”

  “I know that,” Landon said. “I also know that Thistle is your first priority. You still left her.”

  “I … .” Marcus’ cheeks colored with shame. “I’m sorry. Clove ran, and Sam ran after her. Then Thistle took off and … instinct took over. I swear I thought Bay was right behind us. I wouldn’t have abandoned her.”

  “I know,” Landon said, running his hand over the back of my head. “I heard you during the fight.”

  “I … I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Landon said, coldly. “We’re all fine. We’re all getting out of here.”

  “Landon, I really am sorry,” Marcus said.

  “I told you not to worry about it,” Landon said. “We’re all exhausted. We’re all … frustrated. I want out of here.”

  “Where do we go next?” Thistle asked, linking her fingers with Marcus’ as she rested her head against his shoulder in a sign of solidarity.

  “The castle,” Landon said.

  “How do you know that?” I asked.

  “It’s a feeling. I think the castle is our end location. We have to figure out how many fairy tales we’re talking about here.”

  “Let’s go,” I said, slipping my arm around his waist. “Are you sure you’re not hurt?”

  “The second I changed back all of my aches and pains went away,” Landon said, kissing my forehead. “Well … except one. You’re here, though. You’re fixing that one.”

  I wanted to cry again. “Landon … .”

  “No, Bay, not now,” he said. “We’re okay. Everyone is okay. Let’s finish this. I want to go home.”

  “All right,” I said. “Let’s do it.”

  “We’ll be right behind you,” Marcus said.

  Landon ignored the proffered promise.

  “WHAT happened to the talking candlestick?”

  I shrugged, unsure. The busy room from before was different now. The candlestick was gone. The broomstick, devoid of life, leaned against the wall. The cobwebs and decay had been replaced with a bright and shiny cleaning. It was the same castle, yet everything was different.

  “What do you think?” Landon asked.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “We still have a few stories to go through. This doesn’t jump out as anything I recognize.”

  “Maybe we’re done,” Clove suggested. “Maybe we only have to find a way out.”

  “No,” I said, shaking my head. “There’s no way we’re getting out of here without a nod to Wonderland and Oz,” I said. “Those were Aunt Tillie’s favorites. There’s a reason we haven’t hit them yet. They’re going to be the big finale.”

  “How do you know that?” Thistle asked.

  “It’s Aunt Tillie. She’s not going to let us out of here without forcing us to go through those stories.”

  “Is that how you knew how to beat the giant?” Clove asked. “I couldn’t believe you did that, and yet as you were saying the words I realized I remembered them.”

  “I’m not sure how I remembered to beat the giant,” I said. “I only know that I realized the beast was Landon before I decided to fight the giant. Once I realized it was him, I didn’t have a choice.”

  “You had another choice,” Landon said.

  “No, I didn’t.”

  Landon’s face softened. “You’re my brave girl.” He pulled me in for a brief hug. “If this was the real world, though, I’d be yelling at you for risking yourself.”

  “I know.”

  “Since this is a fairy tale world, I’m going to give you a pass.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Are you saying what you think I want to hear because you don’t want to argue?” Landon asked.

  I smiled. “You’re very handsome.”

  Landon grinned. “That’s what I thought.” He leaned over and gave me a soft kiss. “I desperately need to get out of this place. Not only do I need breakfast, I need to make sure we have a day in bed to recuperate.”

  “What about punishing Aunt Tillie?”

  “We’ll do that first,” Landon said, winking.

  “Good to know.”

  The room lapsed into silence, everyone searching for clues to our next destination. When a hint of movement caught my attention on the far wall I shifted my head and focused on the shadow. It looked like the plant in front of the window and yet … there was more to it.

  I narrowed my eyes and focused, sucking in a breath when the shadow moved on its own accord. I tilted my head to the side, studying the shadow. I risked a glance over my shoulder, but nothing moved behind me. When I glanced back at the wall, the shadow had moved away from the plant and now stood alone. It was also in the shape of a person.

  “Uh, guys … .”

  “What’s up, sweetie?” Landon asked, moving to my side.

  I pointed at the shadow, which refused to move.

  “What am I looking at?” Landon asked, confused.

  “The shadow is moving.”

  Landon focused on it. “No, it’s not.”

  “It was.”

  Landon shifted so he could look over his shoulder, and the second he did the shadow waved at me. It froze again when Landon turned back. “There’s nothing back there moving.”

  “No,” I agreed. “The second you turned your head, though, it waved at me.”

  “It did?”

  “Yup.”

  “Is Bay seeing things now?” Thistle asked, smirking.

  “No one is talking to you,” Landon snapped.

  He was angry. It practically rolled off of him. He was trying to control himself, at least delay an argument, but I was the only one he wasn’t angry with right now. That was a nice change of pace.

  The shadow moved again. “There!”

  “I saw it,” Thistle said, giving Landon a wide berth as she moved around him and settled on my other side. We exchanged an eyebrow lift and then focused back on the shadow. It was playing a game, jumping from one shadow to the next and then poking its head out to wave at us.

  “What do we think this means?” Sam asked.

  “It’s Peter Pan,” I said.

  “Does that mean we’re going to Neverland?” Sam looked excited at the prospect. “Sorry, I just loved that story when I wa
s a kid.”

  “It always reminded me of Lord of the Flies,” Thistle replied drily.

  “What?” Sam was incensed. “How can you say that?”

  “A bunch of boys on an island with nothing to do but cause trouble? It’s total anarchy.”

  “You obviously didn’t get the point of the story,” Sam said.

  “She has a point,” I said. “I think Peter Pan, just like Lord of the Flies, is a cautionary tale of what happens to men if they don’t have women in their lives to temper the crazy.”

  Landon barked out a hoarse laugh. “That’s kind of funny.”

  “It’s not true, though,” Sam protested. “Peter Pan is a great role model!”

  “He wears tights and tempts kids out of their bedrooms at night so they can terrify their parents into thinking someone kidnapped them,” Thistle countered. “Then they fly to a land where no one wants to grow up and you’re either a pirate who doesn’t care about killing kids or a kid who has nothing better to do than terrorize adults. That doesn’t sound healthy to me.”

  I could tell Landon was fighting the urge to smile, his anger with Thistle and especially Marcus still at the forefront of his mind, but he was having a good time watching Thistle crush Sam’s childhood dreams.

  The shadow dove to the dark spot on the far wall, and this time when it poked out it beckoned to us.

  “I think it wants us to follow it,” Clove said. “Do you think we should?”

  “I think we’re going to set these last stories up and knock them down,” I said, resolved. “This is the next one. Let’s get to it.”

  Landon grabbed my hand as I started to move. “Don’t you even think about stepping away from me,” he said. “We’re doing this together.”

  “Of course we are,” I said. “I couldn’t do it without you.”

  “I feel like puking,” Thistle said.

  “Don’t push me, Thistle,” Landon warned.

  “No one push anyone,” I said. “We’re close here, people. We only have to stick together for a little bit longer. Let’s not fall apart now.”