Charmed

  She looks at my purple gift bag with disdain, and I wish I had hid it behind my back. I’m not parting with it. “Princess Rose is hurt that the royal court gave out a separate gift bag,” Raza says. “This dinner meeting was her idea after all. The rest of the court didn’t want us here.”

  Jax blows his nose with a handkerchief. “The princesses run the kingdom. They should keep us informed, but we shouldn’t be privy to their discussions.”

  Raza glares at him while she adjusts her sash. “Princess Rose says her reign is an open book. We can ask her anything we want. Unlike the other princesses who are always looking down their noses at her.”

  “Jackson?” Rapunzel calls Jax by his formal name and he tenses up. “Princess Rose would like us all to be honorary Ladies-in-Waiting tonight.” She whips her butt-length hair behind her head. “She says she has sashes for all of us to wear. Would you be so kind as to help me find them? I figured we could have a chat while we search.”

  My heart beats wildly. I don’t want Jax going off alone with Rapunzel. “I’ll join you.”

  “It’s all right. I’ll help the princess,” Jax insists, his violet eyes trying to convey some sort of message. “Don’t wander off. I’ll be right back.”

  “But…” How can I stay here when Jocelyn is out there doing who knows what? What is she up to? We were supposed to stay together! I head over to Ollie and Maxine to see if they know anything. “Jax just left with Rapunzel.”

  “Flapjacks, that was quick,” Ollie says. “I guess we’ll know her true colors soon enough. Should one of us shadow him?”

  I shake my head. “I don’t think he wanted to be followed. It could raise suspicion. Speaking of which, have any of you seen Jocelyn?”

  Ollie pales. “I thought she was with you.”

  Something is definitely up. “I’ll pop out and find her.”

  “There will be no popping!” scolds one of the RLWs, coming up behind us. “Princess Rose said to keep you here.” Maxine’s bad eye begins to roll. “The dinner portion of the meeting will be starting shortly.” The girl tries to lead us all to the table and place me in the head seat. I have to think fast.

  “But I’m nervous!” I lie. “My hair needs a touchup, and my lips just aren’t pink enough for the occasion.”

  “You look lovely.” The girl looks me over. “Although your nose is shiny.”

  “Very shiny,” I agree. “I’ll touch up before Princess Rose joins us. Do you want to go with me to the loo?” Maxine looks ready to say yes when the others sigh.

  “A proper lady never announces she’s going to the bathroom or invites others to join her,” says a fairy named Ariana. “You say, ‘I must powder my nose.’”

  I feign embarrassment. “I have to powder my nose. Anyone know where the loo is?”

  Ariana’s cheeks burn. “The powder room in the Royal Chambers is closest, but there was a water leak in there. I can take you to one in another hall. I’m supposed to escort you anywhere outside this room so you don’t get lost. Shall we?”

  Water leak in the main bathroom, huh? No one will go in there unless they’re hiding something. Or someone. I wonder if that’s what Jocelyn was thinking too. “I’m fine,” I insist as Ariana tries to follow. Thankfully a waiter with a large platter of beef cuts her off. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Gift bag?” a page asks as I rush out of the ballroom.

  Oh, what the heck. I take a second one since I left my first one on my seat inside. Now I have more chocolate! “Thanks! Royal Chamber is this way, right?” The page nods. I hurry as fast as this heavy gown will let me go ’til I find the sign I’m looking for. Royal Court—Held by Princesses Ella, Snow, Rapunzel, and Rose.

  I pull at the door and find it locked. Thankfully I’ve got bobby pins to spare in this updo Maxine gave me. I pull one out just as I hear footsteps approaching. Pulling the pin apart so that it is one long piece, I stick it in the lock and poke around ’til I hear the click. The door opens and I slip inside just as I hear a page walk by whistling, “Hey Diddle Diddle.”

  There are no lights inside the chamber, but I can make out the four thrones on a pedestal at the front of the room. I walk to the front railing and lean over, imagining what I would come here to ask for. I know Father came once to ask for his glass slipper patent and was denied. That only made me dislike the royals more, and yet after what happened at FTRS, they brought Father here to give him his job back.

  What we did at school not only saved his business, but also changed my family’s life. If I fail today, Alva won’t just take the shoe business; she’ll take everything. I shudder and that’s when I hear the whispering. Light is coming from under the doorway to the private chambers. There is only one word I need to hear before I burst through the door. “Gillian.”

  I crash right into Jocelyn, who is holding hands with exactly who I suspected. Her sister. Harlow is wearing her finest Evil Queen regalia—a purple cape that has a collar so high it hits her ears. “You!” I point to Jocelyn. “I knew you couldn’t be trusted! You’re working with her.”

  Jocelyn’s eyes widen. “Gilly. Wait. You have this wrong. Harlow explained everything.” She tries to take my hand and I shake her off. “Don’t act like Humpty Dumpty! We don’t have much time. You have to—”

  “Why would I listen to a villain?” I interrupt.

  The Evil Queen moves out of the shadows and I get a glimpse of her polished, made-up face. Her black dress glistens with silver crystals that make me blink. Exile has not diminished Harlow’s ability to look polished. Or scary. Her lips curl into a familiar scowl. “You foolish girl. We are your only hope and time is running out.” She holds out her hand. “Come with me now and we’ll explain everything.”

  “Come with you?” I laugh. They must think I’ve lost my mind. “Never!” I slowly pull the velvet bag Wolfington gave me out of my pocket, but Harlow spots it.

  “Do not waste that gingerroot on me!” Harlow commands. Jocelyn lungs for the bag, but I climb onto a long table so Jocelyn can’t reach me.

  Jocelyn quickly climbs on after me. “Stop running! Cobbler, you’re going to cause your own doom! Listen to my sister!”

  “Never!” I open the small bag and look quickly at the roots and petals in the bag. There’s no way I can tie the roots around Harlow’s wrists. She’ll stop me. The petals don’t work as long, but it’s the only shot I have to get away. “A leopard doesn’t change its spots.” I repeat the words I’ve heard Harlow say before.

  Harlow’s laugh is long and throaty. “And you are so reformed, missy?” Harlow inches closer. I can feel Jocelyn closing in from the other side. “Think, peasant. What is your head telling you?”

  “I may be a thief—some would even call me a villain—but even I am smart enough not to trust a witch.” As Jocelyn reaches for the bag, I open it and blow the petals into the air. Within seconds, the Evil Queen and her little sister are frozen.

  I breathe a sigh of relief.

  That’s when I hear someone clapping.

  “Nicely done, Miss Gillian,” says Princess Rose, emerging from the shadows and smiling warmly. “You’ve saved the day again! Capturing the Evil Queen and her sister! Such a hero you are. How will we honor you this time?”

  “Princess Rose!” I say breathlessly. “Forget honors! We don’t have much time. The traitor in the castle is a princess. I think Rapunzel is working with Alva.” Her brow furrows and I worry that Jax is right—I shouldn’t knock a princess to a fellow princess—but Rose is kind. She could help us. “We have to stop her before she lets Alva in the castle.”

  Rose purses her lips. “I think it’s too late for that.” She gently pries the gingerroot bag from my hands, but I don’t understand what she’s doing. Rose opens the bag and pulls out the roots. “She’s already here,” she whispers in my ear.

  I feel my throat begin to constrict. “She is? Where?” I whirl around to reach the door. “We have to warn the others!”

  Something zaps me in the
back and my legs feel like they’re on fire. I fall to the ground and see Rose standing over me with the gingerroot stems in her hands. She leans down and begins to tie them around my wrists. The stems are stronger than just the roots and leave me soundless.

  “Gillian, it pains me to do this to you,” Rose says calmly as she ties the roots around me. I may not have magic, but I can be frozen. I feel the tingling spread from my fingertips to my toes. I try to move and can’t. I want to scream. Warn Jax and the others. We were wrong! It’s not Rapunzel! It’s Rose. But I’m too late.

  Rose shushes me like a baby to calm me. “I like you. I really do.” Her blue eyes narrow as she strokes my forehead. “But I like having power more.” Her face comes close to mine and I can smell her rose-scented perfume. She smiles sinisterly. “Now let’s hand you over to Alva so I can take control of the kingdom.”

  CHAPTER 17

  Every Rose Has Its Thorn

  I struggle to move, willing my body to wake up, but it doesn’t. I can feel the tingling, but I can’t speak, I can’t lift my pinkie, and I can’t scream. I’m all alone with the mole and I’m trapped. I feel like such a fool. We picked the wrong princess. How could I not have seen this coming? The obsession with power? The way Rose threatened me to join the RLWs? She must have been the one who sent that note to Father too.

  Princess Rose uses a wand to lift my body off the table and bring it slowly toward the open doorway where she is waiting.

  “I’m sorry it had to be like this,” she says coolly as I begin to glide out of the private chambers and into the courtroom again. “I liked you. Truly I did. You have fire! You are stubborn, yes, and willful!” She laughs to herself. “But I thought you’d make a wonderful second-in-command under my reign. Alas, Alva wants you to pay the price for interfering in her affairs, and I cannot mess up the agreement we already made.” She shrugs her bare shoulders and I can hear the red gown she’s wearing swish. “Alva will do away with you and rule somewhere far, far away, and then I’ll get my kingdom all to myself. Your life is a small price for me to pay.”

  My body begins to rotate and I catch glimpses of Rose. She taps a mirror and the glass begins to swirl ’til I see a face on the other side. “Yes?” I hear Alva’s smooth voice.

  Rose curtsies. “It’s done, Wicked One. I have the girl.”

  “Good! I’ll come out of hiding. Bring her to the ballroom for all to see.”

  “But, the others. Gillian’s friends will try to stop us.” Rose sounds anxious.

  Alva laughs. “Foolish little princess. Now that we have the hero, the others will easily fall. Go. Before I change my mind on this deal.”

  “Yes, Wicked One.” Rose curtsies. When the mirror darkens, Rose uses her wand to guide me out the doorway and down the castle hall. “She doesn’t have to be so bossy about everything,” Rose mumbles. “We’re supposed to be partners. I infiltrate FTRS and build her army, she scares the people into wanting a regime change, and voila! I get my kingdom all to myself.

  “You have no idea how hard it is to get a say when three other princesses always think they’re wiser. It’s a nightmare! ‘Rose, you’re too busy pruning roses to read a scroll and know what’s going on in the kingdom!’” she mimics. “‘Rose, if you paid more attention to the villagers’ complaints and less to what tailor you want to move into the kingdom, you’d know why we need to have a Dwarf Police Squad.’” She moans. “Ella, Rapunzel, and Snow think they know everything!”

  My eyes dart around the hallway, which is quiet. Everyone must be in the ballroom by now. I hear the music playing and the sounds of talking and laughter. A waiter appears in a doorway and yelps when he sees us, but he doesn’t get far. Rose gives a zap with her wand and he’s immobilized.

  “Now that Enchantasia is about to become mine, I can do anything I want with the kingdom and make it so much better like…like…” She stops for a moment and bites her full lips. “Well, I’m not sure what I’ll do, but I’m sure whatever it is will be wonderful!”

  Rose zaps open the ballroom doors and sends me gliding through them onto the main table. People scream and jump up as my body slides along the dishes and glasses, knocking things to the floor until I come to a halt in front of Ella and Snow.

  “Dinner is served!” Rose says with a laugh.

  The caramel cake in Ollie’s mouth falls out.

  “What have you done to Gilly?” Maxine cries. Rose zaps a water glass near Maxine’s hand and it splatters water everywhere.

  Snow waves her Dwarf Police Squad over, but Rose zaps them too and they freeze in mid-run. “Sister, what are you doing?”

  “What I should have done a long time ago!” Rose cries. “I’m tired of being the one princess with no power. I want a chance to rule!”

  “You’re the one always off dancing in the forest instead of coming to meetings,” Snow mumbles.

  Ella remains seated. “Rose, unbind this poor girl and we’ll discuss this calmly and privately in our chambers. You can’t be so rash!”

  “No!” Rose says hotly and I see her knuckles tighten. “I’m tired of not getting a say. When word came that my former captor was still out there wreaking havoc, did you rush to find her? No! You let the rest of the kingdom deal with her. No one helps me! So now I’ll help myself. Wicked One! Come and claim your prize!”

  Alva glides through the ballroom door with her gargoyles, and I feel my heartbeat rev up. It’s about the only thing I can feel, although my fingers are starting to tingle. The party guests scream as Alva walks straight to the head of the table where I lie. “At last! I have the little troublemaker!” When Alva leans over me, I see her dark-red gown, pointy cape, and jet-black hair swept up in a high bun adorned with jewels that scream villain. Her smile soon fades. “Seize them all!” Alva tells the gargoyles, flipping her cape and walking away from the table.

  Several of the RLWs dive under tables and chairs or take off for the second-floor balcony. They don’t get far from the dozens of gargoyles that screech and hiss as they fly around the room grabbing RLWs and invited guests. But three people run toward the gargoyles to get closer to me—Kayla, Ollie, and Maxine.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Gilly hold still this long,” Ollie cracks.

  “Ollie!” Kayla reprimands as Maxine swats a gargoyle away with a gold plate that it takes off with instead. “We have to help her. How do we stop the gingerroot effects?”

  “You can’t. They have to wear off.” Maxine reaches a hand for me, and my body sways slightly. I could swear my left leg moved, but I can’t seem to get it going again. “We could hide her somewhere ’til they do.” She pulls my dress toward her and my body glides to my friends. I think I feel Maxine push on my chest and lower me beneath the table. “She’ll be safe under here.”

  “Will we all be safe?” Ollie asks, ducking down with a caramel cake in his hand. A gargoyle snatches it. “Hey! That was mine!”

  “We got this all wrong!” Maxine cries. “I can’t believe Princess Rose is the traitor, not Rapunzel! Speaking of which, where is she? And Jax? Or Jocelyn? Where did everyone go?” Her good eye widens. “Do you think Rose captured them too?”

  Dinner plates crash off the tables around us. “I don’t know! I just saw Pete and Olaf dragged off to the second-floor balcony,” Ollie says. “People are running in terror. We have to get word to Flora.”

  Maxine finds a piece of glass. “Will this reach Miri?”

  “Good thinking!” Kayla says and pulls a training wand from her pocket. She’s obviously stolen it from school. “Let there be light!” she shouts. The wand illuminates briefly, then flashes red. “Illegal use of magic!” Miri says.

  “Miri!” The others hover around the shard of glass in Maxine’s hands.

  “My heavens! What is that screeching?” Miri asks, but her voice is drowned out as a gargoyle yanks the tablecloth above us off our table and sends everyone scurrying. In the chaos, Maxine drops the glass and it shatters. I definitely felt a shard hit my leg. The spel
l is lifting! My legs are tingling now and so are my arms.

  “Princesses, it’s so nice to see you all wrapped up like a present,” I hear Alva say. I see her shoes heading toward us. Maxine pulls my body closer, and this time I’m certain I can feel her touching my side!

  “She’s got them boxed in a corner with the gargoyles surrounding them,” Ollie reports in a whisper. “Should I throw some radishes?”

  “No, they’ll see you! Wait ’til the coast is clear and we’ll get Gilly out of here before Alva spots her,” Kayla suggests. I’m loving how she’s taking charge. “We’ll come back in to save the others somehow.”

  “Mrwrh,” I say. My lips are moving!

  “She’s coming out of it!” Maxine whispers. “She’s moving! Her arm is moving! Her—” I wiggle around, still floating under Rose’s spell. I’m still hovering. “She’s back! Sort of.”

  “I can fix that,” Kayla says and flicks the wand at me. I fall into Maxine’s lap.

  “Wrong,” I say in between short breaths. “Mistake. Rose. Not Rapunzel. Harlow. Jocelyn.” I’m having trouble forming sentences.

  “Alva, let these innocents go!” Ella cries and I’m impressed again. “It’s the royal court you want.”

  “Now, now, Ella, is that any way to talk to an old friend?” Alva purrs. “Especially one who is so close with one of your fellow princesses? I mean, I’m practically a sister. Or should I say, your new ruler?”

  I crouch under the table with the others. I can see Alva putting her arm around Rose, who starts coughing.

  “Wicked One, don’t you mean I’m their new ruler?” Rose’s voice is light, but her brow furrows. “We had a deal. You get all the other kingdoms while I rule Enchantasia and keep those delinquents at FTRS locked up to do my bidding. I already have a way to keep them in line.”