Reign of Witches Read online

  Not wanting to upset Tay, I took a deep breath and chanted, ‘kalliergo' while pointing and swooshing my wrist around in a circle toward the baby bud. "What in the world?!" I said as amazement struck through me like a bolt of lightning as I laid my focus on the beautiful bud that flourished into a great big yellow and pink rose before me.

  Starbeam and Tay were jumping up and down with smiles from ear to ear. I knew this wasn’t a good thing, but I couldn’t help the over-excited feeling of what I had just accomplished. I began to welcome their excitement. A smile formed upon my lips as well, and I was hooked.

  I leapt for joy with my new wand in hand and yelled, “What’s next?!” Tay laughed and said, “Calm down, Anna. That was just one thing you can do. Let’s try something else now.” Psyched as I was, there was still that small voice ringing in my ears. I had a sense of ickiness rise up.

  “Come on, Anna, make this one grow!” Tailya was pointing at a baby bird on the ground. It must have fallen from the tree. I shrugged my shoulders and said “Ok, here it goes!” as I chanted and flicked my wrist once again.

  The spark from my wand changed color. It was now red, like a laser. The baby bird grew before my eyes and kept growing. “It won’t stop growing!” I shouted. “Give it one more sec,” Tay yelled. The bird was no longer a baby. In fact, it was bigger than me! Needless to say, I was a little frightened. But staring up into its golden eyes, I felt a warm calm come over me. Surely the bird was as stunned as I was.

  “Well Anna, meet your new pet.” “My new what? I already have Ghost and Sampson, remember?” “And now you have her,” Tay said as she pointed up at my newfound pet. This thing was huge! Its wings could touch the top of the tower if it laid on one side. Its head went halfway up the tower. The bird was astonishing and powerful looking with a red feathered body on top, a silvery belly, and a bright shiny black beak that looked as though it could swallow me.

  Gazing up at this magnificent creature I had created, I began to like her. “What will you call her?” Tay asked. “Hmm…” I sat there, tapping my chin with my finger, pondering what to call this extraordinary beast. Then it came to me. Looking at Tailya and Starbeam, I said, “Well, she’s bright like the sun and looks like fire from the torches in my castle. So, I think I will name her Fyra.”

  “Ooohh, I like that name!” said Starbeam, as his eyes dazzled toward Fyra. Tay started chuckling and nodding her head. “I think she likes it, too!” Fyra was bobbing her head up and down as she fixed her eyes on mine. She bowed to me and I, in return, lowered my head to her. We were friends and she made me forget about Ghost and Sampson for the moment.

  I had thought Fyra was just getting to know me and trying to become comfortable with me when she bowed her head. I didn’t know she was bowing down for me to ride her. This came to my attention as Tay and Starbeam hollered for me to get on her.

  I climbed up Fyra’s side as she nodded her head my way. Her feathers were as soft as the pillow I once slept on in my castle. I smooshed my face into her body like she was indeed my pillow. I finally reached the top of her back when… “Whoa! Whoa!”

  Fyra leapt off the ground so fast that I hardly had enough time to get situated and find my grip. Struggling to hold on to her feathers for fear of hurting her, I started to feel myself slipping off her left side. “Whoa! Whoa!” I shouted again, as I fell from my new friend into the air. Scared as I was, I closed my eyes and imagined falling into an abyss, never to return.

  I felt my body letting go as this tugging feeling pulled me back, back and further back. I opened my eyes to see Fyra had swooped me up and had me in one of her talons. I was safe once again.

  Fyra must have felt me fall off of her, because in the time it had taken for me to close my eyes and accept I was falling to my death, she had already snatched me up. It was like I had never fallen at all. She landed near the mountain top and I got to see the waterfall from above. It was more breathtaking viewing it from the top than from the ground. The water fell fast and was so loud that you couldn’t hear a sound around you.

  I hoped the ogre couldn’t come up here. In a panic, I began to search around, turning my head and body every which way to see all my surroundings. I whirled back to my starting position and froze. A thunderous, angry growl struck my ears. Fyra’s head jerked up in alert, and she came to hover over me. The growl continued and sounded as if it were getting closer.

  I started to shake in fright but felt protected by Fyra as the sound got closer and closer. I looked up at Fyra and saw that she had a twig in her wing. “Oh no! How did this happen, Fyra?” “I don’t know,” she said. I was so overwhelmed with terror that I hadn’t even realized Fyra had spoken to me!

  CHAPTER 16

  “How can you speak, Fyra?” I asked in shock. “Well, you thought of me and I became what you imagined when your wand conjured me. Look out, Anna!” Fyra screamed as she jumped over to shield me from the angry and most likely very hungry ogre. He was just a leap away.

  “Do something, Anna!” Fyra yelled. “What would you have me do?” I yelled back. “Use your wand!” she shouted. Oh right, my wand! I called for my wand but realized I didn’t really know how to use it yet. Or so I thought. Then I heard Fyra yell again. “Just try!”

  The ogre was getting closer and closer with each step. “We’re going to be ogre stew and now I’ll never return home,” I cried. “Anna, I know you can do this. Please try!” Fyra shouted. My wand started to glow in my hand, and I came to realize I indeed had the power. I took a deep breath and pridefully screamed, “Be gone you mean, smelly ogre!” I flicked my wrist and my wand sparked. But nothing happened. The ogre was still coming toward us.

  “Why didn’t it work?!” I shouted. “Try again, Anna!” Fyra cried. I closed my eyes and tried once more. I was terrified and didn’t think we were going to survive. I opened my eyes to a giggle from Fyra. What was happening? Then I saw the ogre pull the twig from Fyra’s wing. It must have tickled for Fyra to giggle the way she had. “Oh, thank you, friend!” Fyra said to the kind ogre.

  I sat down below them and started to wonder if the ogre was even really an ogre. Hmm… I jumped up and stared the ogre face to face so I could see if he was good or bad. I began to ask questions, but the poor ogre could not talk. All it could do was growl.

  “Why can’t you speak like everyone else here apparently can?” I asked in frustration. All the ogre could do was point at my wand. I hesitantly looked down at the object in my hand. “This is what made you not be able to speak?” The look of despair on the ogre’s face made it clear to me that my wand had made it this way.

  But what exactly was this ogre? Was it human? Was it from this world? Where had it come from? All these thoughts began to chase around in my mind. I started to feel pained for what I had once thought was a monster.

  “You eat people. How can you be good?” I asked it, while feeling doubtful of its motives. This place was not what I had thought. All I could see was evil and I knew I couldn’t trust evil. The ogre pointed up to the sky. There was a small bird flying over our heads. The ogre began to groan while pointing at the bird. “I think it’s answering you, Anna,” Fyra said. The ogre nodded toward Fyra in acknowledgement of what she had just told me.

  I looked at the ogre and I still saw evil. But I figured out that I was just looking at the outside and not trying to see the inside. “So, how can I help?” I asked, as I began to develop sorrow for the ogre. “Oh no!” Fyra cried. “What?!” I responded in alert. “Tailya and Starbeam are up ahead and they’re flying this way,” she said with a sound of concern in her voice.

  The ogre became frightened at the sound of their names. It started to panic as it took off to find a place to hide. I again wondered what this place was really all about.

  Tay and Starbeam landed in front of Fyra. “There you are,” they both said in relief. “Here we are!” I said with slight worry. I was fearful for the ogre, Fyra and myself. I couldn’t think too much on it, though, or I would give away what I was
beginning to discover about this world.

  Playing it cool, I said to Tay, “What took you so long?” I let out a fake giggle. She didn’t find my question humorous. Little did she know, I didn’t either.

  Fyra looked down at me and winked her eye. I think she was telling me to keep quiet about her being able to speak. I winked back to let her know I had caught her drift. I didn’t say a word to either Tay or Starbeam.

  “Come on, you two. Let’s go back to Yurika,” Tay said as she and Starbeam leapt into the air. Fyra lowered down to my ear and whispered, “Hop on, and this time don’t let go, ok?” Making sure she wasn’t caught speaking, she made it look like she was just nudging my cheek. We looked at each other and winked. Then I climbed on her back and we took off.

  On our journey back, I started to think of all the ways I could help the ogre from the mountain. My words didn’t work for my wand, so I had to try the other words that Tay was teaching me. “How am I going to help it?” I whispered. “Don’t worry, Anna, we’ll find a way,” Fyra said softly.

  “I’ve got it!” I said with enthusiasm. Fyra jerked in mid-flight. I thought something had startled her. “Everything ok back there, Anna?” she whispered. I gently stroked her feathers to let her know I was fine. Oops! I must have shouted out loud again.

  I focused on keeping my mouth shut while contemplating ways to ask Tay to teach me new words. I had to ask in a low-key manner so she wouldn’t become suspicious of my plan to help the ogre.

  We finally arrived and Yurika was over by the tree preparing our berries. She picked them with her mouth and placed them in different spots on the ground so we could eat. But I wasn’t hungry. I couldn’t see myself eating anything from out of Yurika’s mouth. Yuck!

  A cold shiver rose up my spine. Suddenly I had a bad taste in my mouth. “Gross…” I said under my breath. Fyra looked at me and nodded in agreement. I hopped on Fyra and bid everyone good night as we flew off to the tower to sleep.

  The next morning, I found myself still thinking of how to ask Tailya to teach me what I wanted to learn; not what she wanted me to learn. I grabbed my wand and headed down to see Fyra.

  “Good morning, girl!” I said, as I rubbed her talon. She knelt down toward my face and calmly blinked her eyes. “Aw… I hate that you can’t talk to me,” I said, just as Tay was flying up to us.

  “Good morning, Anna,” Tay said as she landed between Fyra and me. “So, you want her to speak?” I looked at Tay in excitement. She had heard me, and my plan was working!

  “Yes!” I shouted. “Will you help me teach her to speak?” I asked with sadness. “Well…I’m not supposed to teach you anything that doesn’t come from the book,” Tay said, while swaying her hands back and forth. “Tell you what. I’ll teach you how to make her speak if you study the transformation spell.”

  Tay had me backed into a corner. I was told to leave the book alone, but I had to help the ogre. “Ok, I’ll do it,” I said. Tay had what looked like an evil grin on her face. I became worried for what I was getting myself into. But I had to do it. It was the only way.

  Tay opened the book and told me to concentrate while swirling my wand toward a little bug on the ground. “What are we doing?” I asked curiously. “Just point, Anna,” Tay said in frustration. “Ok, ok!” I said. “Now then, repeat after me.” Tay was going to make me transform this poor little bug that probably had a family.

  “Ok, Anna, say this: Allagi!” Before I knew it, my wand started to glow. “What in the world?” I said quietly, so she couldn’t hear. Tailya could control my wand! Now I would really have to be discreet on my plan to help the ogre.

  In the midst of my thoughts, I noticed that nothing had happened to the bug. But if it wasn’t working, then why did my wand glow? I became confused and then I heard Tay say, “Rats! I forgot I can’t use your wand. Fawn said it’s special.”

  Tay’s words had mockery in them, and she seemed disturbed. Almost like she was angry with me. I must have been really important to this place for my wand to have more power than Tailya’s.

  “Ok, I’m ready, Tay,” I said with pride. I had the faintest idea that I was more powerful than her, and she was not happy about it. I pointed my wand toward the bug and shouted, “Allagi!” Rays of light surrounded the little bug as it rose in the air and started to change.

  “Ah!” I screamed. “Tay, look!” Standing before us was a little boy that looked no older than three years old. “Tay, what did you make me do?” I asked as guilt washed over every fiber of my being. “Oh, Tay…What did we do?” I stared down at this lost little boy and started to drown in self-pity, wondering how I was going to change him back.

  Then it dawned on me. What if every creature in this land was actually human?

  CHAPTER 17

  The little boy who was a little bug moments ago started to cry for his mother. His wailing was so strong that it made me start to miss my King. I started to wonder profusely if I was ever going to see home again. Tay ran over to him and tried repeatedly to shush the loud mourning coming from the depths of his little broken heart.

  Before I knew it, a giant black beetle was crawling its way through my toes and over toward the crying little boy. “Is that? No. Surely not!” I cried aloud. “Spit it out, Anna!” Tay yelled. She didn’t see the black beetle, so she probably thought I was just mumbling about something.

  “Tay, look…” I whispered. Tay’s eyes widened as she laid her eyes on the black beetle climbing up the little one’s leg, up his torso, and leap across to his hand. Immediately he stopped his loud tears and we saw a smile form upon his face as he wiped the slobber and snot from his lips and nose.

  “I bet…Yes!” “Anna, you aren’t thinking…?” And before Tay could finish her question, I pointed my wand at the black beetle. “I think she knows, Tay.” I said as I watched the beetle jump off the boy’s hand and onto the grass.

  “Why do you keep calling the insect a ‘she’?” Tailya asked, as she placed her hands on her hips. I could tell she was frustrated, but not confused. It seemed foreseeable to me. Something wasn’t right here. “Anna!” Tay shouted. I quickly focused back to the task at hand, but I continued to keep that thought at the top of my mind; not wanting to let it fade so quickly.

  The black beetle looked up at me, like she knew what was about to happen. With a twirl and flick of my wrist I shouted, “Allagi!”

  The beetle shot up into the air and started to transform. “Are you ok, Tailya?” I hollered. She appeared stunned. I turned to Starbeam, who had been silent and observing everything that had been happening. “What do you think, Starbeam?” I saw a look of confusion and fright wash over his little white face as he started to ponder what his eyes were witnessing.

  The black beetle had bright pink flowers dispersing from it and rays of light beaming from it. Suddenly, she appeared before our eyes. A beautiful enchantress. So dazzling, I couldn’t look away. Her hair was jet black, her eyes were blue as the sky, her cheeks like pink roses, and her lips had a deep red tint to them. All of these beautiful features could be seen in spite of her twinkling.

  I turned to glance at Tailya with a grin on my face from ear to ear. But she only had what looked to be fear on her face. She just stared at the enchantress. Tay knew something, and it didn’t seem good.

  Focusing my eyes back onto the radiant lady before me, I heard her speak.

  “Thank you so much for rescuing me, Anna. I am so grateful you found me,” she said as she bowed at my feet. What was going on? How did she know my name? She did sound familiar… This was all taking a toll on my brain and a few drops of water trickled down my cheeks.

  Sorrow hovered over me and I felt lost for the first time since entering this strange world. I looked down at the beautiful lady who had her face at my feet and said, “Please stand up ma’am. I am no one to bow to.” She hastily lifted her head. “Do you not know who you are, child?”

  A puzzled haze of thoughts jumbled in my mind as I kept playing her voice over and
over.

  I couldn’t seem to put her voice to any memory. My eyes could not look away from her. It was if I had seen her before. Who was this peculiar woman? I looked her over curiously, from head to toe. But even then, I felt nothing. Not one epiphany struck my mind.

  “Child, don’t you know who you are?” she repeated. Tailya answered, “Sure she does. Do you know who YOU are?” There was a touch of sarcasm in Tay’s voice. “Quiet, you. That’s just about enough from your mouth Tailya.”

  GASP!

  She knew Tay’s name, also! Who was this woman? I couldn’t quit wondering just who this lady was to me.

  “Forgive me, Anna. I forgot in all this distraction to tell you who I am.” As she began to explain, a thought popped into my mind. “Grandma Mesha?!” I shouted in question. She formed a beaming grin. My mind had brought back the clarity from the fog that had been controlling my memories. “Yes, Annalise,” she answered as she wrapped her arms around me.

  I stopped her and asked, “Why are you here? What happened to you?” She placed one of her hands on the small of my back and said, “Come girl. I have much to tell you.” I started to walk with her and saw Tay dart off into the air. She headed toward Fawn’s place.

  Grandma Mesha knew where Tay was headed, so she took my wand and froze Tailya in midflight. “She’ll know soon enough, Tailya,” grandma said as she plucked Tay from the air and sat her down by Starbeam.

  “Come now, Anna. It’s time to tell you about everything.” “Everything?” I asked, looking at her with wide eyes. “Yes, child. You need to know what you’re up against.”

  “Grandma, who is the little boy I changed?” “Oh! I almost forgot!” she shouted. “Wesley! Oh, Wesley!” she called. The little boy came and stood before us. “Anna, this little bug…I mean boy…” she said as she scratched her head. “This little boy doesn’t belong here. His mother is from your world.” “But Grandma Mesha, who does he belong to?” I asked. “Shh…you’ll know soon enough, child.”