The Wishing Spell

  The twins trembled. Goldilocks put her hands on the twins’ shoulders, leaned close to them, and whispered into their ears. “Be brave, children,” Goldilocks said. “Courage is one thing that no one can ever take away from you.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  HEART OF STONE

  The wolves led the twins and Goldilocks across the dead and deserted land. They walked for miles and miles across the rocky ground, never stopping for anything. The wolves kept a close eye on their captives; if the twins so much as breathed too deeply, they would get a threatening growl.

  The wolves had confiscated Goldilocks’s sword and Alex’s bag, so they couldn’t get to the Wishing Spell items. Alex closely watched her bag being carried in one of the wolves’ mouth; everything she and her brother needed was in there. Their chance at going home was just a few feet away and yet out of reach.

  The twins didn’t know if they were more angry or scared. Just minutes before they had been positive they were on their way home, and now they didn’t even know where they were, where they were going, or if they would even survive what was ahead. Being so afraid gave them an odd sense of courage. They were being taken as prisoners to one of the most infamous villains of all time; they didn’t see how things could get much worse.

  The area they were traveling through seemed foreign even to Goldilocks, who the twins were certain had seen every part of every kingdom. Her eyes darted around with as much curiosity as the twins’ did. The land looked different from the rest of the Sleeping Kingdom. This land didn’t seem to be sleeping like the rest of the kingdom did; this land seemed to have been murdered.

  A decrepit castle finally came into view in the distance. It was made of stone but looked so frail that a strong wind could knock it over. Alex and Conner knew without having to be told that this was where the wolves were taking them, and somewhere inside the Evil Queen was waiting.

  They reached the front of the castle, and Malumclaw howled. A rickety drawbridge was slowly lowered, and a towering man with a graying beard dressed in several layers of animal skins greeted the wolves.

  “She’s been expecting them,” the Huntsman said.

  The wolves guided the twins and Goldilocks over the drawbridge. As soon as the twins entered the castle they wanted to leave it. All the dust and cobwebs didn’t make for a pleasant welcome.

  The Huntsman pushed the twins down a stony corridor, through a set of large doors that creaked horribly, and into a long great hall. The great hall was empty except for a few chairs and a small table.

  Red Riding Hood was tied to one of the chairs, with a large white scarf tied around her mouth. Her eyes were teary and puffy. She was excited to see the twins at first, happy not to be the only prisoner, but then began to panic under her restraints when she saw Goldilocks and the wolves behind them.

  The Huntress stood next to Red, keeping a careful watch over the fidgeting queen.

  In the middle of the room, facing two tall mirrors, one gold and one black, was a hooded woman. She was very still and very silent.

  “Seat them,” the woman said, still with her back toward them. Without any doubt, the twins knew she was the Evil Queen; they could just feel it. They had never been so tense in their lives.

  The Huntsman and the Huntress forcefully sat Alex, Conner, and Goldilocks down in the chairs and tied ropes around their torsos, hands, and feet.

  “Easy!” Goldilocks said, glaring at the Huntress, who tripled her knots. “Did anyone ever tell you it isn’t nice to kidnap other people’s hostages?”

  Red let out a high-pitched cry and mumbled something along the lines of “This is so unfair.” The twins now understood why she’d had a handkerchief in her mouth in the first place.

  “We’ve brought you the twins plus a bonus, Your Majesty.” Malumclaw lowered his head in a scornful and mocking bow. There was heavy tension between the two.

  “Did anyone escape?” the Evil Queen asked.

  “Just an overgrown frog and a horse,” Malumclaw growled.

  “Then we don’t have much time,” she said. “Put the items on the table.”

  The Huntsman seized Alex’s bag from the wolf carrying it and placed it on the table next to the twins. The Evil Queen had her own collection of Wishing Spell items on display here: a lock of golden hair, a chunk of Red Riding Hood’s basket, and the other glass slipper.

  “A deal is a deal!” Malumclaw said. “We’ve brought you the twins. Now give us Red Riding Hood!”

  Red Riding Hood whimpered and said something like “Why is this happening to me?” through the handkerchief.

  “You will have her when I am finished with the children,” the Evil Queen said. “Now wait outside.”

  “That was not part of our bargain!” Malumclaw bellowed, and his pack snarled behind him.

  “I said wait outside!” the Evil Queen ordered. Her voice was so overpowering that the twins felt tears form in their eyes from the mere sound of it. “You can have Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, and the children when I am satisfied.”

  The wolves were infuriated, but they left the hall and waited outside the castle.

  “Empty the bag,” the Evil Queen ordered.

  The Huntsman did as he was told. He pulled out all the items the twins had collected, one by one, and placed them on the table surface: the lock of hair, the glass slipper, the chunk of basket, the stone crown, the vial containing the fairy tear, the spindle, the jewels, and the knife.

  “We need those!” Conner said, squirming in the ropes. “Why do you need the Wishing Spell anyway? Don’t you have powers or something?”

  “The only powers I have are the powers of intimidation,” the Evil Queen said. She turned away from her mirrors and looked at the twins.

  She wasn’t the vicious monster they had expected. She was still very much the woman from the portrait in Snow White’s palace, but she had been weathered by time and fatigue. Her face was plain, but it was a plainness that had so much potential for beauty had time and circumstance allowed it. Her eyes were dark and bleak; she seemed empty and cold down to her soul.

  The Evil Queen walked over to the table and observed all the Wishing Spell items. She picked up the vial that held the fairy tear and stared into it.

  “As soon as this tear touches the table, the Wishing Spell will be mine,” she said.

  Seeing the Evil Queen near all the items they had worked so hard to get ignited a fury inside Conner. He wanted to go home and wasn’t about to let her stop them. If they weren’t going to get to use the Wishing Spell, then neither was she.

  Conner struggled against the ropes with all his might. It was painful, but he managed to get one of his feet free. He kicked as hard and as high as he could and knocked the vial out of the Evil Queen’s hand.

  The vial flew across the room. The Evil Queen’s eyes watched it as it soared away from her.

  “Catch it!” she demanded.

  The Huntsman ran as fast as he could and threw himself on the ground with his hands extended to catch it, but the vial hit the dusty stone floor inches from his fingertips and shattered. The tear sank into the stone and vanished.

  The Evil Queen stared at Conner. Her face didn’t move or express much, but the slightest movements made Conner very well aware that she was enraged.

  “Stupid boy,” the Evil Queen said. She struck him hard across the face with the back of her hand. Conner’s whole body shifted with the blow.

  “Conner!” Alex said.

  “I’m fine,” Conner said, slowly lifting his head straight to look at the Evil Queen. The whole side of his face began to swell.

  “How long will it take to retrieve new fairy tears?” the Evil Queen asked.

  “Days, Your Highness,” the Huntsman said, getting back to his feet. “The fairy we caught only screamed when we tried to collect tears from her; none were produced. If my daughter left now, she could be back before sunrise two days from now.”

  “We don’t have that kind of time,” the Evil Queen sai
d softly to herself. She promptly turned around and faced her mirrors. “Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, how much longer ’til forces invade this hall?” she asked.

  The reflection in the black mirror became very cloudy and condensation began to drip down the glass.

  “Conner, look. It’s the Magic Mirror!” Alex said.

  The dark silhouette of a man appeared in the mirror. A low and hoarse voice filled the great hall.

  “This castle offered my queen sanctuary for weeks, But an army now approaches, led by a frog that speaks.

  They move quickly in this direction, ready to attack, And they’ve joined forces with a cream-colored horse and a man named Jack.”

  “Jack?” Goldilocks said.

  “Jack!” Red tried to say.

  “Soldiers are coming!” Alex whispered to her brother. “Froggy’s alive! He got help!”

  “Those are probably my soldiers coming,” Red mumbled. “They’re coming to rescue me and slaughter all of you—especially you,” she said, giving Goldilocks a dirty look.

  The Evil Queen’s eyes drifted from her Magic Mirror to the Mirror of Truth and watched Alex through the reflection. She stared at her through the mirror absolutely mesmerized; it was the most expressive the twins had seen her since they’d arrived.

  “What should we do, Your Majesty?” the Huntsman asked. The Evil Queen ignored him; her attention was fixated on Alex.

  “Why is she looking at you like that?” Conner asked.

  “I don’t know,” Alex said with a trembling jaw. Everyone knew the Evil Queen had never cared too much for young girls, and Alex was afraid she would be the next victim to be offered a poisoned apple.

  “Your Highness, what are your orders?” the Huntsman pleaded. “If soldiers are coming, we must leave!”

  “No,” the Evil Queen said. “I’ll be finished before they arrive. Now I wish to be alone with the children. Take the others to the dungeon.”

  The Huntsman was hesitant, but he and the Huntress partially untied Red and Goldilocks and shoved them toward the door.

  “Watch it, gramps,” Goldilocks said.

  “Do we get our own cells?” Red mumbled. “You can’t put me in a cell with her! You might as well give me to the wolves!”

  The doors slammed behind them. The twins were left alone in the great hall with the Evil Queen.

  “Alex,” Conner whispered to his sister, “I don’t want to sound cheesy, but no matter what happens, I just wanted to say that I love you. You’re the best sister I could ever have, and these last several days have been the most extraordinary in my entire life.”

  “Don’t do that, Conner,” Alex said, holding back tears with all her strength. “You’re saying good-bye! Don’t say good-bye! We’re going to be okay…. Soldiers are on their way. They’ll save us….” She didn’t know which one of them she was convincing. “They’ll save us.”

  “Unfortunately, no one can save you now,” the Evil Queen said.

  “So, are you going to kill us, then?” Alex asked.

  The Evil Queen was silent. She didn’t move a single muscle.

  “Why are you doing this to us?” Conner asked. “Why are you so evil?”

  “Ah,” the Evil Queen said. “The age-old question: What makes one become who they are? Let me ask you this, children: What makes you not evil?”

  The twins didn’t understand the question. They were sure she was playing a mental game with them, but they answered with pride and honesty.

  “We were raised right,” Alex said. “We had two wonderful parents who taught us how to be good people, and we believe good things happen to those who are good at heart.”

  “So, you were environmentally influenced into being good people? That’s precious,” the Evil Queen said. “You said you had two parents? What happened to them?”

  It made the twins sick to hear her ask about something so dear to them.

  “Our dad died,” Conner said. “Not that it’s any of your business!”

  “Was he a good person? Was he good at heart?” the Evil Queen said.

  “He was the best,” Conner said.

  “I see,” she said. “Then he was wrong, wasn’t he? Surely, a good person would never have had such a tragedy happen to him? He must have taught you a lie.”

  “What are you getting at, lady?” Conner asked.

  “I had parents once, too. They taught me a similar lie,” she said.

  The twins glanced at each other after hearing this, and the queen saw the surprise in their eyes.

  “Shocking, isn’t it? To know that someone like me had parents, had a life, and had loved once…” the Evil Queen said, becoming lost in thought.

  “So if you had decent parents, who screwed you up?” Conner asked. “Or were you just born miserable?”

  The Evil Queen’s eyes fell to the floor. “Much like you two, I was environmentally influenced into being who I am today.”

  She turned her back to the twins and faced her mirrors again.

  “I’m going to tell you a story, children, a story that has rarely been told,” the Evil Queen said.

  “I doubt there’s a story we don’t know,” Alex said.

  “You don’t know this story,” she said. “It’s mine.”

  Alex and Conner looked to each other nervously. Did they want to hear this story?

  “Once upon a time, there was an enchantress,” the Evil Queen began. “She was unlike all the fairies and witches that had ever lived before her; she lived without consequence and lived on desire and desire alone. She gave herself anything and everything she wanted, never caring how or who she hurt by doing so.

  “Many years before I was born, the Enchantress decided she wanted the world, and sought it one kingdom at a time. There weren’t as many kingdoms to conquer back then, especially after she put Sleeping Beauty’s kingdom under the sleeping curse.

  “Very late one winter’s night, two villagers heard banging on their door and found a young maiden shivering on their doorstep. She was with child and was exhausted from running; she had just escaped from someone or something, but the villagers couldn’t ask questions, because she began delivering the child right then and there. The maiden died giving birth to the child that night. Despite the mystery surrounding the maiden, the villagers adopted this child. It was a baby girl, who they named Evly.”

  “Evly?” Alex asked, and her eyes grew wide. The Evil Queen ignored her and continued the story.

  “Evly grew up to be a very beautiful young woman. She was a kind and good-spirited girl, and everyone in her village loved her, especially one young man her age, a boy named Mira.

  “He was a poet and used to recite poems to her all day by the edge of a lake a little way away from their village. Evly tried to impress him with her own poems, although they were never very good. She would say to him every day, “Mira, Mira, by the lake, my heart is yours to take.” They used to laugh together and hold each other in their arms until dusk every day. The two fell madly in love and were engaged.

  “However, on the eve of Evly’s wedding, the Enchantress came for her, claiming that she and her birth mother belonged to her.

  “The Enchantress killed Evly’s adopted parents and took her into the far northeast to this very castle. Evly became just one of many slaves who belonged to the Enchantress. She had very big plans for the newest addition: Evly was groomed to marry Prince White, the future king of the Northern Kingdom, and the Enchantress would control the kingdom through her. But Evly resisted, of course; her heart already belonged to one man.

  “Mira looked for Evly for years and eventually found her. They wrote letters to each other and exchanged them through the bars of Evly’s cell. The Enchantress ultimately discovered the letters. But the Enchantress was smart; she knew if she killed Mira, Evly would be inconsolable and worthless to her. So instead, she imprisoned Mira inside a magic mirror for eternity. Evly was heartbroken,” the Evil Queen said.

  “You’re Evly!” Alex said.

>   “The man in your Magic Mirror, he was your fiancé?” Conner asked.

  “Yes,” the Evil Queen said. “I became Evly, the Evil Queen of the Northern Kingdom. It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? People tend to be creative when they’re condemning others.”

  “So that’s how you became queen,” Alex said.

  “Not exactly,” the Evil Queen said, glaring at her. “From the moment Mira was trapped inside the mirror, I refused to continue with the Enchantress’s plan. I still pretended to go along with it, gaining her trust and becoming a protégé of sorts. She kept a room full of potions here in the castle. I spent hours of every day in that room, immersing myself with the substances, learning everything about them.

  “I concocted a poison so strong and deadly that all the trees and flowers for miles and miles were killed after three drops hit the ground outside my cell window. I was positive it would bring the Enchantress to her end, and it did. The poison weakened the Enchantress to the state of an ailing human. She ran from the castle and died somewhere in the forest nearby, unable to take care of herself without magic.

  “I freed her slaves from her castle, including the man who later became my Huntsman. The one person I wasn’t able to free, however, was Mira. He was trapped in the mirror, and there was no way to get him out.

  “I traveled all over the kingdoms for years, seeking help from every witch and fairy, but no one knew how to free the man from the mirror; the curse was too strong. Seeing the man I loved every day through a layer of glass, unable to touch him, or kiss him, or hold him was unbearable. I was more than heartbroken. The pain was so deep I could barely breathe. I was sure my heart would eventually stop beating if I didn’t do something for it.

  “I found an old witch named Hagatha deep in the Dwarf Forests and begged her to help me. She, like everyone else before her, could do nothing about the mirror, but she treated my heartbreak. She cut my heart out of my chest and turned it into stone,” the Evil Queen said.

  “Gross,” Conner muttered.