by Dani Swanson
I make the animals understand me. The humans are too stupid to understand.
Her words went without recognition as she continued to robotically stir her cauldron, never taking her eyes off the pair.
“But you’re a human, and she hasn’t eaten you. How is that possible?” Lilly raised her eyebrow as she watched the Baba Yaga add unknown herbs to her cauldron as she stared back at Lilly.
“I’ve been through some trauma that makes me not someone that she would consider a threat. I brought her an injured dragon when I was just a child – I heard stories of her and I had to try to save the creature. I’ve been trying to help her protect the dragons ever since I found out that Cricket was trying to harvest the scales and the eggs of the blue-scaled dragons. This is where I kept disappearing to after we left the chateau when the others were out looking for you.” Agatha didn’t blink while she stared Lilly in the eye.
Godmother, how will we get those dragons out? They’re trapped in the mountain on the edge of Monkey Tree Village. The Circle had sent me there to harvest the dragon’s scales and they’ll be sending more there if I do not return.
Little one, we will free the babies together. Show me where they are.
The Baba Yaga lifted the cauldron from the fire as if it wasn’t hot and weighed as light as a feather. With a great ease she hosted the concoction into the air. She followed behind Agatha and Lilly, with Tinker trailing.
There was very little conversation as the trip continued around the mountain. The trip to the hut of Baba Yaga, and then back around the mountain had taken the entirety of the day and the sun was setting behind the trees. The mysterious pot that the Baba Yaga carried was still boiling in her hands, though her grip didn’t move from the edges of the cauldron as she squeezed her way through the opening of the tree. Lilly looked back as the Baba Yaga made her way through the entrance and could have sworn that she watched the tree’s entrance grow large enough to fit the cauldron and the Baba Yaga, then shrank back to its natural size. The Baba Yaga noticed Lilly’s gaze and smirked back at her, showing her crooked teeth.
Down the path with the boiling cauldron they went. Tinker stopped at the top of the ramp leading down and played with the baby dragons that were flying around the entrance.
Once the Baba Yaga made it to the landing, she placed the boiling cauldron down and then walked over to the dragons who were excited to see her. They nuzzled their noses against her arms greeting her with affection. She smiled at them as she gently stroked each of their noses. She started to grow in size, until she was able to touch the ceiling of the cave. She picked up her concoction in her cauldron and started to spread it against the cold stone.
All of you light the stone with your flames.
She returned to her normal size and joined the dragons shooting flames to the ceiling, as Lilly took the form of the Grimalkin and collected the power of fire from the other’s flames and shot her own blue flame from her jaw onto the rock.
You can too little one. We need your power. You have it now, I can see it.
Agatha who was not the best at conjuring fire on her own was now strong enough to throw fireballs without hesitation or burning of her skin.
The streams of fire lit the liquid that the Baba Yaga had smeared onto the rocks. Agatha had sweat dripping down her face that started to mix on her skin with the runny grey mush that was melting from the ceiling and dropping in loud plops onto the ground and landing on the backs of the dragons. The room filled with smoke and finally the night sky could be seen through the broken, melted rocks.
The dragons stopped breathing fire, then the Baba Yaga, and then the Grimalkin and Agatha. The dragons took flight with the majestic wind created by their massive wings. Agatha’s hair blew into her face and swirled into a rat’s nest on top of her head. She fought through the tangles to see the last of the dragons leave the cave, with their eggs in their claws as the tail went through the opening and into the cloudless night.
They stared in silence at the flying dragons and their children until they disappeared beyond the peaks of the mountain. The Baba Yaga ruffled Agatha’s hair as if she were a young child looking for acceptance, before she picked up her cauldron and left the cave. The blustery night air cooled their ash-covered faces as they slowly made their way up to the entrance.
“So, now what? You’re going to go back to the Circle of Owls and turn me in to your leader?”
“I have to go back and tell them something about Celeste and hopefully help Thea and the boys without getting killed… or imprisoned. I think that you should stay far away from Monkey Tree Village and stay away from anyone that is part of the Circle of Owls. I told you – Cricket needs all three of you in the same place and if they can’t find you, then it won’t happen!”
“I’m not going to stop until I get rid of every single one of them that hurt my mother and kept me locked up in that hole all of those years.”
Agatha stopped and turned around. “Listen to me. She is getting closer to whatever it is she is trying to do, and that is going to end with all three of you dead, and her destroying everything that is good in this world.”
“You’re a member of the Circle, but you’re fighting to stop them now? You make absolutely no sense.”
Agatha had tears in her eyes and gritted her teeth in frustration as she tucked her hair behind her ears – her cheeks were now a shade of red that matched her hair.
“Nothing in this world is as it seems all of the time. When I first met Cricket I thought she was going to help me become a great witch and would teach me how to control my powers and be able to make potions that no one else could make – Do you know what it’s like having a sister who makes everything look so easy? Cricket said that she understood my pain and that she needed my help to make the evil in this world disappear. I believed her. I needed something to believe in. She made me believe that my sister was the reason I wasn’t successful. That is why I joined the Circle, and that is why I tricked my sister into going to Sorgin. When I saw my sister hooked up to that IV, and when I found out that Cricket was stealing souls from everyone, and not just the evil people, that’s when I realized that I made a huge mistake! I was going to tell Robin and Thea everything, but…….”
“You died, right?” Lilly cut Agatha off before she was able to finish the rambling thought that she was fighting her tears against. “You smell like you and your sister….you figured out how to steal your sister’s magic, didn’t you?”
Agatha let out a sigh of relief as she leaned against the damp wall of the cave, sliding her back all the way down until she was sitting on the ground. “I didn’t figure it out – Robin did. She absorbed me when I was on the pyre, and I have no idea how she did it. I was in blackness. Total blackness and the feeling of freezing cold – then I was stuck inside of Robin’s head. I could hear everything and feel her thoughts. Occasionally, I was able to take control of her body. I took her knowledge, and my knowledge and figured out what needed to be done. She kept suppressing me and I couldn’t handle it anymore.” Agatha rested her forearms on her knees as Tinker came and plopped down beside her. “I don’t think Robin actually understood what was happening, and thought she was losing her mind. Maybe I was driving her mad? I’m not sure, but I wasn’t being very nice to her, but I couldn’t handle being stuck in there anymore. She acts like an idiot but is so smart…it’s infuriating! She got so scared once we got the new headquarters I just pushed her all the way down into the body. I can hear her, screaming in there. I don’t know how to let her out, but still be me. When you’re a twin, you’re a part of your twin. Forever.”
For a brief moment Agatha could have sworn that she saw a bit of emotion on Lilly’s face, until her eyes went back to being dark. Lilly stared at Agatha for a few moments before she started to speak: “Regardless of your intent, you were still part of the reason my mother is dead, and I was forced to do all of those things for all of those years. Stay away from me, and stay away from the Circle of Owls so I do
n’t have to do anything to you, do you understand?” Agatha knew that she should make direct eye contact with Lilly and went to watching the top of Tinker’s head as she spoke to her.
“Do you know that she told all of us that you were killing people for your own pleasure? That’s why we didn’t help you. She told everyone that your mother had you eating people’s souls for her to stay alive. That’s why.”
“None of you asked me about what was happening. You took bets, and cheered her on as she burned my neck, and threatened my mother!” The tears had started flowing as Lilly couldn’t hold back the emotions any longer. “If you didn’t just help all of the dragons, and actually had a soul I would have taken it already.”
Without letting Agatha respond Lilly was already going through the entrance in the tree out to the forest, leaving Agatha and Tinker sitting alone in the dank cave.
Agatha had to find the right words to report back to Cricket. Words that would keep her alive long enough so she could save her friends, and, hopefully, her own neck. For the first time in a long while, Agatha was going to do the right thing…..if she could only figure out what the right thing was.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Agatha decided to run as if there was a sense of urgency back to the little house in the Monkey Tree Village – she knew that she had to make it look convincing long before she got to the village. She knew that Cricket had eyes everywhere and that she had to look concerned and scared. She ran to the front door- pressed her body against the door and banged on it with her open hand. Her palm banged on the door repeatedly until an elf answered the door.
“Where’s Cricket?!” Her voice cracked as she shoved passed the doorman. “Where is she?!” She ran down the hallway, sweat dripping down her cheeks as she went to Cricket’s room. She found Cricket eating her breakfast with Sorgin. Both of them looked startled at the witch running into the room.
“What are you doing?” Cricket shirked as she almost spilled her tea onto her dress.
“It’s your sister! She’s dead! And the dragons are gone!”
Cricket’s face twisted into pure anger as she smashed her cup down on the table. “What do you mean THE DRAGONS ARE GONE?!”
Agatha was taken aback by the fact that Cricket didn’t even acknowledge her sister was dead.
“Cricket, dear, did you hear what she said about Celeste?” Sorgin placed her hand on Cricket’s arm as she spoke to her.
“I don’t need Celeste, I need those DRAGONS!” Cricket was up on her feet and pacing the length of the room as she was thinking about her next move. She couldn’t hear anything that was coming out of Sorgin’s or Agatha’s mouths.
“This is your fault. I told you to go get the eggs, and you didn’t do what you were supposed to. You let the dragons get away.” Cricket’s voice was terrifyingly calm. “I knew letting you come back to the Circle was a mistake. A HUGE mistake. Do you enjoy making me look foolish, Agatha? Of COURSE, YOU DO! You’re not going to be given that chance again! I gave you everything you asked for. You have powers you never dreamt of before – when you came to me you could barely control a mud troll!” Cricket started to shake as the clouds outside started to roll in as the lighting bolt in her hand grew larger.
“Cricket, you don’t want to do this – especially in our new home.” Sorgin had her hands up in front of her as she tried to separate the two.
“Cricket, I didn’t do anything to the dragons. Your sister was already gone when I got there, and there is a giant hole in the side of the mountain. I can take you there and show yo……”
“Shut up!” Cricket screamed. “You are not going to talk your way out of this one, Agatha! Take her down to a room!”
She waved a hand and a pair of masked creatures came through the door and grabbed Agatha by the hands before she was able to conjure anything that would protect her from being attacked. A black collar was slapped onto her neck. She was dragged by her arms and brought to a room down the long hall – She was thrown into the room with the door locked behind her.
She fell hard, hitting her head against the bedside table. She rubbed her temple and wiped the small amount of blood that trickled down. She sat in the room and cried to herself for a while – she tried to conjure everything that she could think of, but each fizzled in her hand, and caused her black collar to start to heat up as if she was about to get zapped.
“Wasn’t this exactly what you didn’t want to happen?” Agatha shook her head and then could see the figure of her sister sitting in the chair against the wall.
“So this is what it feels like to see things that aren’t really there. Nice.” She sat on the floor with her back against the bed, rubbing her temple.
“It’s weird, isn’t it? Will you please be so kind as to give me my body back?”
“You’re still in it. You’re the one that brought me into it. I didn’t ask for this.”
“I was trying to protect you and save you! You show zero gratitude for that. You’ve been tormenting me for what? Almost a year? Making me seem like I was crazy to my friends and controlling everything I’ve been doing.”
“You trapped me in your head!”
“You were going to die! You’re a part of me Agatha! I couldn’t let that happen to you!”
Agatha continued to rub her temple as she stared at the figure that she knew wasn’t really there.
“You’re right Robin. I’m sorry. Okay? I’m sorry for everything!” Her tears flowed freely as she finally was truthful with her sister. She told her everything that had happened from the beginning. She told her of why she was so jealous of her growing up, and how Robin having powers to be a supreme when they were younger was driving her mad. How she thought she was joining the good guys, and how she learned of Cricket’s plans and at that point made the decision to side with her sister – and that she loved her even though being around her made her feel so much anger. Her sobbing grew loud enough that an org rattled her door and yelled at her to keep it down from the hallway.
“Robin, I’m sorry that it took me too long to realize that you weren’t the problem, and that I was my own problem.”
“I’m sorry that I absorbed you to keep your powers.”
“How did you do it?” Agatha asked through her tears.
“You know that I can’t say it out loud. That org is probably still sitting outside the door thinking you’re a crazy pants and talking to yourself. We don’t need Cricket or Sorgin finding out the spell.”
“Ah, Sorgin isn’t as bad as you think she is.” Agatha said with a shrug.
“She had me hooked up to some sort of potion that made most of my powers fade over the past two years! She tried to eat you as a dragon! Do you not remember that?!” Agatha couldn’t handle looking Robin in the eye – She knew that she had let her own selfishness create so many problems for so many people.
“I was there, I remember.” She sighed before she started to talk. “A lot of things were promised in the past, that may have clouded people’s perceptions. Once we made Sorgin promise to not collect living creatures anymore, the whole being evil thing started to fade away. She is part imp after all – she’s programmed to collect everything she can. It really wasn’t her fault. Sorgin also saw how horrible Celeste got treated and realized her loyalty doesn’t mean anything around here……Robin, I’m sorry I’ve been such a horrific sister. I am sorry, and I do love you.” She just sat and watched Robin’s face twist into a look of disgust before she just faded away – leaving Agatha alone in the deafening silence.
All the emotions that Agatha had been pushing down into the pit of her stomach were starting to affect her. She did love her sister more than anything, but her jealousy for her natural gifts always outweighed every intention she had at doing right by her family and friends. She now realized that her jealousy for Robin felt like hate for her too. All Agatha could think about was wanting to be happy, just like everyone else in the world.
She smiled as she remembered how blissful it was growing u
p with her twin sister – before they knew that they had powers. It was amazing to have someone that knew everything about her. They had their own made-up language that drove their mother crazy and games that only they knew the rules to. She always dreamt that they would be two little old ladies still hanging out while all their grandkids ran about.
Agatha went and looked at herself in the mirror, rubbing the bump forming on her head. She started to cry when she realized that the only time she was going to be spending with her sister from now on was going to be arguing with her voice running through her head. “I really am no better than Cricket.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
It wasn’t long after Lilly left the cave that she was back to stalking the Circle of Owls. After weeks of watching the comings and goings at the little house in the Monkey Tree Village, did she finally see Sorgin and Cricket journey on a pair of horses out of the village. Sorgin, as always, had her silvery hair neatly tied up in a bun, while Cricket had a rather large hat on top of her head, with all her hair flowing out the back – both witches wrapped themselves in capes, before climbing onto their horse’s backs. She followed the witches all the way to the Kingdom of Owls, where she found them with a half a dozen other members circling the castle, trying to find a break in the protection that the golden acorn cast over the castle, which would allow them to reclaim their old home.
Lilly slinked along the trees, watching Cricket closely. She had to remind herself to breathe as her lungs would start to ache from holding her breath with excitement. She was waiting for the right moment to change into the Grimalkin and attack. Lilly had decided that she was going to eat Cricket’s soul without any hesitation – for all the pain and suffering she caused, and the number of souls she had stolen. It felt fitting to Lilly that she was the vessel of all the chaos that Cricket had caused, and now she is going to be the cause of chaos in Cricket’s plans. She followed Cricket to the old tree entrance that Lilly knew all too well – Cricket was alone for the first time since Lilly had been stalking her.
