Witches in Wonderland

by Lauren Quick

  “How will you make the connection with Kat?” Vivi asked. “You need something of hers to make contact.”

  Elsie glided into the room swirling the potion in a crystal glass, clinking the ice around like she was drinking a cocktail.

  “Don’t worry, dear. We got a sample of her long hair from the croquet ball that hit her in the back when she came to the house. That wasn’t entirely an accident.”

  “That was smart,” Clover said.

  “It’s always good to be prepared and to get a DNA sample of witches you might want to find in the future.” Elsie took a swig of the potion and smacked her lips. “This potion works fast. Henrietta, get ready,” she said, nodding and gulping the rest of the fragrant brew.

  Henrietta waved her wand and the room suddenly darkened. Seconds later, glowing balls of illuma light hovered in the air. Next, she wiggled her fingers and levitated a small jar of salts across the room and poured the white grains in a circle around them, sealing them inside. Elsie started chanting the spell, causing a tingle to run up Vivi’s spine. The magical energy was building all around them. A ghostly version of Elsie pulled away from her physical body and floated in the center of the circle.

  “The wandering witch has gone to find Kat Keene,” Henrietta said in a low voice.

  Within seconds another ghostly version appeared, but this version was of the council witch. Her brow was narrowed. Her lips pinched. She didn’t look happy.

  “What do you want, Mayhems?” she snarled. “To turn yourselves in, I hope.”

  The spell had opened a two-way channel of communication. Elsie’s ghostly image spoke. “In the name of Hazel and the old traditions of Everland, we, the Mayhem coven, challenge you and your coven to a duel of magic.”

  Kat’s image cackled. “Are you serious? You old birds are something else. You want to duel with me?”

  “Hey, watch your language when talking about my aunts,” Honora snapped.

  Kat glanced around. “Looks like the gang’s all here.”

  Elsie continued, “We are very serious. We challenge you to a test of magical combat and put the coin up as the prize. Winner takes all.” She drew out the last word to entice Kat.

  “Sounds enticing, but what’s in it for you?” Kat asked. Her lips twisted skeptically.

  Elsie’s voice sharpened. “We want you to free Charles Atticus from jail and clear him of all charges.”

  Good call, Vivi thought.

  “Impossible. I have no control over the law and can’t help him.”

  “He’s innocent and should be set free,” Elspeth blurted.

  “Kat, that’s not true,” Honora spoke up. “You can have him pardoned if you really wanted to. The council’s eating out of the palm of your hand.”

  Kat’s image flickered. “Well, that last part is true, but it will be difficult.”

  “The coin is worth it,” Elsie said. “It’s a fair trade as far as collateral goes. We are the ones taking all the risk.”

  Kat paused to think. “I’ll agree, but we must negotiate. We need to choose a neutral location.”

  “Not here,” Clover said.

  “I agree.” Kat snorted. “That location is a Mayhem stronghold and the power in the house would give you a definite advantage.”

  Stronghold. Vivi had never realized how much power existed in their family home. She’d always just thought of it as Clover’s place, but knew in her heart Kat was right. The house was filled with Mayhem magic and memories.

  “Suggestions to where you would like the challenge to take place?” Elsie’s apparition asked. Her real body was eerily still. “But nowhere near the council building or Stargazer City.”

  “Hey, Stargazer City would be a perfect place. There’s so much magic going on at any given time, no one would notice us,” Honora said.

  “I have no problem with Stargazer City,” Kat said.

  Elsie wagged her head back and forth. “I’m sure you would. It’s your stomping ground. No, there has to be a better place.”

  “What about the Dire Woods?” Clover asked, offering a kernel of an idea.

  “No!” Honora and Vivi said in unison.

  Kat snickered. “Interesting location. It might be the best place. It’s a remote location in Everland at least. No one would dare bother us.”

  Vivi grabbed Clover’s hand. “Are you crazy? You know whose domain that is. It’s a hot bed for black magic, and we’d be playing right into Kat’s hand.”

  Clover pulled out of Vivi’s grasp and put her hand on her hip in defiance. “Will you just trust me? I have a good feeling about the place,” she mumbled under her breath so only her sisters could hear. “We could use the Darklander’s garden,” she said loudly to the group.

  Honora shrugged. “Clover has a point. It’s the perfect place to have a magical battle and not attract any unwanted attention. I doubt he would mind. He’d probably welcome it.”

  “I could speak with the Darklander and secure the location for us,” Kat said.

  Elsie’s voice rose over the group. “Let’s finish this. Kat, if you agree to the location then bring five witches and one familiar to the stone garden at the Darklander’s mansion tonight at the witching hour. The standard coven versus coven ancient rules of magical combat will apply.” She stood tall, speaking for all the Mayhems. “Winner after seven rounds takes the coin. Do we have a deal?”

  Kat smiled. “We have a deal.”

  22

  Honora hated her dress. The only thing good about it was the color—pitch black. Black made her feel centered and calm, but the bell sleeves were totally last century and the mothball-scented fabric made her itch all over. At least it was formfitting in the bodice. The aunties had insisted they wear traditional garb. Her dress was her special family heirloom, and it took a serious effort not to roll her eyes when the aunties spilled that tidbit. She’d had enough of heirlooms to last a century.

  Honora knew traditions were important, but how was she supposed to kick some evil-witch butt in a gown? Flying was perilous at best. The last time she’d flown in a long dress, a backdraft blew the entire bottom half over her head. Luckily, she’d been wearing good underwear. She’d never worn a dress in the air since.

  Pacing, Honora shifted her weight, causing the heel of her boot to sink into the soft grass of Clover’s yard. The aunties and Elspeth made their way out of the house all dressed in a similar long black gown, black gloves, scarves, and boots. Both Henrietta and Elsie wore their wands on long chains around their necks. And Elspeth wore hers attached to her belt.

  Vivi shifted from side to side. She, too, was wearing a dress, but she’d topped her gown with a crisscrossing leather bandoleer with vials of sparkling potions in it—wards, counter spells, and a few new defensive bombs were all strapped in tightly—that she hoped would give her an advantage in the fight. Honora had to hand it to Vivi; she’d really upped her combat magic game. She’d refused to use her true persuasion—prophecy—to glance into their future. She was afraid that knowing the potential outcome would affect their performance and in doing so affect the actual outcome. Honora knew deep down the family was going to be counting on her and Elspeth to bring the real firepower against Kat Keene and her wicked coven and she planned on delivering.

  Last to leave the house, Clover stood on the porch, talking to Derek whose heavy brow said it all. Worry marred his handsome face. She didn’t blame him. Clover wasn’t the type of witch to pick a fight and Honora doubted she knew more than a few basic defensive spells. And yet she’d been the one to recommend the Darklander’s stone garden. When the family pressed her about choosing the location, she told them about the stone statues she’d seen in the garden and the way they comforted her. She had a strong feeling about the location and that it could provide a magical advantage. One of Clover’s many tal
ents was plotting, and Honora hoped her sister’s imagination wasn’t working in overdrive. She wanted to reserve judgment until the challenge was underway.

  Derek pressed something into Clover’s palm and she hurried down the porch steps to meet the rest of the group in the yard. “Sorry. Derek’s a little worried.”

  “As he should be,” Elsie said. “We’re out for a dangerous stroll into the Dire Woods to the domain of one of Everland’s darkest, most deceptive wizards. Who knows what awaits us, but I suspect it will be evil, and we will not come away unscathed.”

  “Way to give a pep talk,” Honora said and then turned to Clover. “What did Derek give you?”

  Clover brushed a long strand of dirty blonde hair out of her face. “A charm breaker he made for me. You know he’s a very powerful wizard. He’s a spell breaker and he wanted me to be able to dissolve at least one powerful spell if I got into trouble.” A small oval stone sat in the palm of her trembling hand.

  “Good disguise. No one would know that little rock contains strong magic,” Honora said.

  Henrietta glanced at the pale stone in Clover’s hand. “Interesting. Maybe we should have brought him along as our sixth member.” Henrietta threw one of her arms around Clover’s shoulder and squeezed. “Just kidding, dear. You’ll do fine. No need to worry. We’ll work as a team.”

  Honora knew this wasn’t entirely true. Each member of the coven was responsible for a bout. The wins and losses would be tallied for the coven as a whole, but the bouts were on them individually. Clover would have to spar with an opponent all on her own.

  “We’ll all be fine,” Elspeth said. “We have an advantage over them with our family blood bond, which I’m assuming Kat and her coven won’t have. Mayhems are powerful. We’ve had to be strong for generations.”

  Honora’s muscles were tight as a spring. She was done chitchatting and was ready to get moving. “Let’s get out of here. The sooner we’re in the Dire Woods, the sooner this is over and settled.”

  Clover pulled the portal coin from a leather pouch attached to her belt. Closing her eyes, she focused on the coin and the stone began to glow a brilliant blue. Energy crackled on the late-night air and a portal burst open in the middle of the yard. They entered the portal in a single-file line and exited into the dark woods only seconds later. Clover and her fox familiar, Rusty, were the last to step through before the portal snapped shut and disappeared. The trip was unnerving. Honora bounced up and down on her toes and rubbed her arms against the chill in the air. She felt like a boxer about to go into the ring. Clover grabbed her hand to steady her and pressed the coin into her palm. “Keep it safe,” she said before turning to the rest of the group.

  “This way,” Clover said and led them up the path to the Darklander’s stone garden behind his mansion. Honora had flown over the garden once before, a year ago, and not much had changed. A stone wall surrounded a garden filled with marble statues, black boxwood topiaries in twisted and macabre forms, and a dark glassy wishing pond. Honora’s gaze surveyed the area. Magical wards surrounded the mansion, but the garden appeared clear to her senses.

  The other coven had already arrived and was dressed, not surprisingly, in red cloaks and hoods. Kat Keene stood between two witches and two wizards. Two of the witches and wizards Honora recognized from their run-in at the Sky Garden. She’d never seen the other two before. The witch was lithe and graceful looking with ghostly skin, pointed ears, and the crystal-sharp eyes of a fairy, and the wizard had spiraling horns and a tuft of curly hair on his chin reminiscent of a satyr. All of them, including Kat, wore a metal choker around their neck containing the coven’s sigil.

  Honora scanned the garden. Where was their sixth coven member?

  Kat stepped forward, a sleek Doberman familiar at her side. She waved her wand and the lock on the huge garden gate clanked open. They entered through a wrought-iron arch and a murder of crows erupted into the sky, sending a chorus of angry caws into the darkness. Once they were all inside the gate, the Darklander appeared out of nowhere and closed the gate behind them. He, too, was wearing a red cloak. Honora’s stomach jerked. He was the sixth member! Anger seethed through her. Whether the Darklander was acting as a double agent to protect his secret allegiance with the order or was truly a dark wizard at heart, she didn’t like it.

  “Welcome, Mayhem Coven,” he said. “Please join us in the center of the garden.”

  Huge stone statues of famous and infamous witches and wizards were placed around the edge of the garden, looming like sentries. The statues stared down at them with severe faces. They were witches and wizards from history—Hazel the founder of Everland and her nemesis the infamous Black Bishop anchored the seven statues that also included the builder of the Witch Council, Wizard Lockwood, the three wicked witches of Toil and Trouble, and finally the dark master Wizard of Sorrow and Blame. The lifelike marble gave Honora a shudder. A true craftsman had carved the stone and the statues were beautiful renditions, even though most of them were in tribute to dark witches and wizards. But it was Kat’s coven that really intrigued her.

  The covens stood in two rows facing their opponents in order of the magical bout. Henrietta would go first and face the wizard from the Sky Garden, and Elsie would face his partner, Kat’s assistant. Vivi was pitted against the horned wizard and Clover against the witch adorned like a fairy. Honora was against Kat Keene, and Elspeth would face the Darklander. Each round lasted until one witch or wizard conceded defeat or was too injured to continue. The seventh round was reserved for a tie and then they could choose any witch to step forward and fight for the coven. The familiar could assist the witch who brought it in any way she desired.

  The Darklander lowered his hood and addressed the gathering. “It is my pleasure to host such a time-honored tradition as the magical test of wills of coven versus coven. Welcome to my home and to my humble kingdom. We all know the rules, so I won’t repeat them. The waiting coven members will stand toward the house behind a protective shield to avoid an unintentional injury. Let’s commence with the first match.” He bowed and they all shifted into position.

  Henrietta and her opponent stepped forward. He had a heavy brow and the glare of a wolf. He seemed pleased with the match-up, as did Henrietta with a demure smile on her face. “Aren’t I lucky to win such a handsome opponent?”

  Flirting, really? Honora and the rest of the witches gave the two a wide berth, moving to an area under a portico to stand out of the way of flying spells.

  The handsome wizard wasted no time and struck first, launching a series of high-speed shock spells that Henrietta easily blocked with a flow of shield spells. With dramatic flourish, she waved both hands in the air and brought a tornado of loose garden debris spinning up into his face. Then she snatched her wand from the chain around her neck and fired off a barrage of stinger spells that hit him on all four limbs. He flopped to the ground in agony, never seeing what hit him. Advancing, Henrietta loomed over him, wand aimed at his chest as she uttered the first part of a scorcher spell until he cried for mercy, shielding his face from her onslaught of superior magical talent.

  Score one for team Mayhem.

  Elsie was up next against the dark-haired witch. Feeling the pressure, the witch came out strong, using charms that she pulled off of a silver charm bracelet. All the spells were varied—a shock spell, a stinger, and a blast of heat followed by a few well-timed body blows. Elsie was on her back foot the whole time. She was able to launch a few attack spells but most of them fell short or wide. She wasn’t able to get ahead of the attack and finally a gust of arctic air flew from the witch’s wand, taking Elsie’s breath away. Her whole body shuddered and she fell to her knees trembling violently, unable to continue the magical contest and admitting defeat. Honora jerked forward, heart aching, desperately wanting to run to her great-aunt’s aid, but she was frozen in place behind the magical shield.
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  The covens were even at a win apiece.

  Vivi and the satyr wizard stepped into the battle zone. “Cute potions,” he said with a chuckle when he saw Vivi’s array of vials worn across her chest. A pleased snarl formed on Honora’s face. That was his first mistake. Vivi slipped out two vials with shimmering pink liquid and launched them at him while uttering an activation spell. The vials shattered on contact and coated him in a slick pink film. Vivi flicked her wand and a shower of leaves fell from the tree above, sticking to him in a leafy coating.

  “Who’s cute, now?” Vivi asked in a gravely voice and flung another potion vial at him. She uttered a spell and the leaves suddenly hardened into a thick crust and he could barely move his arms. Unable to reach his wand, he charged Vivi like an angry bull, growling a violent attack spell and lowering his horns like he was going to impale her.

  Vivi pulled up two wards to contain the impact and the wizard hit the wards so hard he was thrown back against the base of a stone statue, knocking himself out. Honora cheered her sister’s victory with a fist pump and saw it was the statue of Hazel that had broken the wizard’s fall. Maybe in a small way she was protecting them. Clover had mentioned that the statues were important and gave her comfort, and yet Honora felt she was missing an important detail that was right in front of her.

  The score was now two to one, Mayhems. Next up, Clover.

  As she stepped toward her opponent, Clover nervously rolled the stone Derek had given her around in her hand. She glanced back at Honora for support. “You’ve got this, Clover!” Honora yelled.

  “We’re never alone. Our coven is made of stone,” she said cryptically.

  The fairy witch stepped forward. Delicate and pretty, her eyes narrowed to angry slits. She held two silver wands and waved them in the air like she was drawing magical symbols on the night sky. A piercing metallic sound rung sharp and shrill, causing Rusty to whine and leap into action. Rusty circled the group, making a lap all the away around the statues along the outer edge of the stone garden.