Mistress of All Evil

by Serena Valentino

  “Yes, please,” the Fairy Godmother replied as she stepped into the cottage.

  Nanny took a cup from the cupboard that she knew her sister would fancy—a pretty opalescent teacup that reflected different muted colors depending on the light. Nanny placed the cup and teapot on the table, pretending she didn’t know why her sister had come by for a visit. The truth was her sister never came over. They weren’t the sort of sisters who met for tea, but Nanny made a pretense that they were. Secretly, she wished they were that sort of sisters.

  The Fairy Godmother cleared her throat. “I’m here because I was passing by and I noticed Maleficent practicing wish granting in the front garden.”

  “Indeed she is,” Nanny said as she poured the tea and put out the sugar cubes for her sister. The Fairy Godmother’s normally pleasant face had contorted into a crooked frown.

  “What’s troubling you, Sister?” Nanny asked, pretending she hadn’t already guessed.

  “Is Maleficent turning sixteen tomorrow?” the Fairy Godmother asked.

  Nanny narrowed her eyes at her sister’s question. “Yes, she is, Sister.”

  The Fairy Godmother pursed her lips. “How can you be sure? We don’t know when she was born.”

  Nanny smiled thinly, much in the same way her sister did when she was saying something unpleasant. “You know our powers work differently. I can see time and can visit those times. I know tomorrow is her birthday.”

  “Well, sixteen or not, as headmistress you know a fairy cannot sit for exams without first successfully completing all the classes necessary to qualify her for the honor,” the Fairy Godmother reminded Nanny.

  “And as headmistress, I can make exceptions when I choose,” Nanny said. “I would make the same case for any fairy who had the same extensive knowledge as Maleficent. She has learned everything necessary to qualify her for the exams and more. I say she sits for them!”

  The Fairy Godmother stood up from her chair, slamming her hands on the table. “I don’t understand what you see in this girl. Our powers may work differently, but I’ve seen her future in my dreams. She will bring you nothing but heartache! I’ve seen it. And so have you!”

  “Time is not fixed, Sister,” Nanny said, rebuking her. “The future especially! You know this. She deserves a chance. And she certainly deserves the opportunity to have a future, which she wouldn’t have had if I hadn’t come back and taken her in!”

  “Not this again! I won’t have you condemning me for the rest of our many long lifetimes with this nonsense,” the Fairy Godmother snapped.

  “Nonsense? You left her in the cold! You left her alone with the crows. You didn’t care if she lived or died.”

  “It’s useless talking to you about this. You won’t see reason. She is evil! You know that she is! Bring her for the exam if you wish. I can’t do anything to stop you. But the decision to pass or fail her remains mine.”

  Nanny shook her head. “You are so fairy-minded. If it doesn’t fit inside your ideal version of the world, if it stands out in any way, then you want it ripped from your view. Maleficent is like a black orchid in a field of pink peonies. You’re incapable of letting the orchid flourish. You would remove it because it looks out of place.”

  “You love Maleficent because she’s an orchid.”

  “And you hate her because I do!” Nanny was getting angry. Angry at her sister for not being the sister she had always wanted and for being so closed-minded. But most of all, she was angry because she was worried her sister might be right. No! Stop it. She’s not right. You’ve raised a beautiful, intelligent, gifted young woman. You’ve given her every opportunity and she will make you proud.

  “Keep telling yourself that. Maybe one day you will actually believe it,” the Fairy Godmother snapped, leaving before drinking her tea. She was angry—a feeling she hated. The Fairy Godmother liked herself always to be seen as happy and good, but that ideal version of her was never reflected at her in her sister’s eyes.

  With a steely look, the Fairy Godmother passed Maleficent on her way out of the yard.

  “Why does she hate me so much?” Maleficent asked as she went back inside the cottage.

  “She’s just jealous, my dear. Don’t you worry. Now help me get ready for dinner. We’re having guests to celebrate your birthday,” Nanny said in her usual calming tone. “Now, where’s your pet?”

  Maleficent looked down as if she had been caught at something she was sure Nanny would disapprove of. “I sensed the presence of powerful witches in the area and I sent him to see who they were.”

  Nanny’s mouth pinched and shifted to the left side of her face, as it often did when she was perplexed. “My dear, why didn’t you just ask me? I could have told you it was the odd sisters, on their way here. I’ve asked them to join us for dinner this evening.”

  Maleficent was shocked. “The odd sisters? The authors of all those spell books? They’re coming here?”

  “Yes, I thought they would be a lovely surprise for your birthday! I know how well you love their books of magic. They are old friends of mine and I haven’t had them over for quite some time. I figured this was a lovely opportunity for a visit. I had thought to cancel after you told me you planned to take the exam. I know my sister won’t like their being here, but the odd sisters insisted. I just hope my sister doesn’t take her frustrations out on you tomorrow when she’s grading your exam.”

  Maleficent wondered how Nanny had been able to send the odd sisters an owl while her sister was there.

  “She sent us the message telepathically, of course, little one!” a trio of voices called from outside.

  Startled, Maleficent jumped back. Three women appeared at the door. They were Lucinda, Ruby, and Martha. Identical triplets. The odd sisters. The authors of some of her favorite spell books! She had never imagined being able to meet them. And she wondered why Nanny had never told her she knew the famous witches. Maleficent looked over the odd sisters. She hadn’t expected them to be identical, but there they stood, a trio of beautiful women. All of them had pitch-black hair and overly large black eyes lined with black coal. Their tiny little rosebud mouths were colored with red lip paint, which was striking against their very pale skin. Their skin was almost too perfect, and they looked like porcelain dolls. Everything about them matched, down to their hairstyles and their dark green voluminous dresses, embroidered with rusty autumn leaves that seemed to change color depending on the light. They wore their hair in intricate buns with green and orange gems woven into their springy curls. Maleficent had never seen such beautiful women in her life, and she hadn’t expected her favorite spell casters to be so lovely.

  “Thank you, my dear,” the triplet in the middle said. She seemed to be the eldest.

  “Come in! Come in!” Nanny said excitedly as she pulled out more cups for their guests. “Let’s sit down and have some tea. I would like you to get to know my daughter, Maleficent. It has been far too long since I’ve seen you, and introductions are far overdue.”

  “Oh, we know all about Maleficent,” Lucinda said.

  “We watch her in our mirror!” said Martha.

  Ruby hushed them. “Shhh! Don’t tell them our secrets!”

  Maleficent laughed. She had never met anyone like the women, and she’d instantly fallen in love with them. It seemed they were mind readers, like Nanny. Maleficent was used to being in the company of someone who knew her thoughts, so it didn’t bother her at all.

  “We love you, too! Happy birthday, Maleficent! Happy birthday! Tomorrow is an extraordinary day!” sang all three sisters. “Sixteen is a very special age. Very special indeed. We wouldn’t miss it, my dear!”

  “So, One of Legends, is your sister still up to her old tricks?” Lucinda asked as she intently watched Nanny set out the teacups. Nanny smiled to herself, knowing one of the witches would slip a cup into her pocket, as they did almost every time they visited.

  “What does she mean by ‘old tricks,’ Nanny?” Maleficent asked.

&n
bsp; Nanny gave the sisters a sideways look. “Nothing, my dear. It’s nothing.”

  “Don’t lie to the child!” Lucinda screeched.

  “Never helps to tell lies…” Ruby sang.

  “Never helps!” Martha chimed in. “You can’t protect her forever, Granny!”

  Nanny laughed at the “granny” remark but didn’t take it personally. She knew Martha was just being silly. Besides, she was much older than even the odd sisters probably suspected. “Come now, ladies. No one is lying to the girl,” Nanny said, trying to calm the odd sisters.

  “She’s becoming a woman tomorrow! Sixteen! Sixteen! Sixteen!” The sisters were all chiming in as if in a chaotic choir. The rhythmic canter of their voices was intoxicating to Maleficent.

  “Protect me from what?” Maleficent asked.

  “From the truth, my dear! The truth!” The sisters laughed so loudly Maleficent’s crows scattered from her tree house. Their caws echoed throughout the Fairylands.

  “Ha! That will cause those simpletons a fright!” the odd sisters cried.

  “What? My crows?” asked Maleficent, taking in everything about the sisters she could. She examined their eyes, their expressions, the way they moved their hands. The women were a marvel to her.

  “Oh, yes! Everyone knows crows are evil,” the sisters said, and laughed.

  “Oh, stop this foolishness!” Nanny cried as she poured the tea. “They’re laughing at the fairies’ expense, of course, Maleficent, not yours.”

  Lucinda seemed to be scrutinizing Maleficent even more closely than Maleficent had been scrutinizing the sisters. “You have yourself a smart young witch here, my friend. I think she was already aware of our intent.”

  “I’m a fairy, not a witch,” Maleficent said.

  “Oh, you are a witch, my dearie! A truer witch than we’ve ever met!” Ruby exclaimed.

  “Your powers may even surpass those of the One of Legends someday!” Martha squeaked.

  “Perhaps sooner than she expects,” Lucinda said somberly.

  “But Nanny…Nanny is a fairy, too,” Maleficent insisted.

  “You may have both been born fairies, but you are witches at heart! You do real magic!” Lucinda cried.

  The sisters laughed so hard Maleficent thought the windows of their little cottage would shatter. “Besides, what is a fairy without wings if not a witch, little one?” the sisters sang in unison, making Maleficent smile.

  Nanny loved to see her girl so happy but was distracted by a sharp burning smell. “Oh! I almost forgot dinner!”

  The witches laughed as Nanny rushed to the oven in a panic. “You didn’t burn the dinner, did you, Granny?” asked Ruby, making her sisters laugh even harder.

  “No, I didn’t, thank the gods,” said Nanny. “Come now, let’s eat.”

  During dinner, they all discussed the exams that were to take place the following day. The witches were careful not to do or say anything that would give the Fairy Godmother cause to think Maleficent had cheated in any way.

  “Oh, I think Circe is going to love pretending to be a princess in need tomorrow!” Ruby said as she picked at her food, pushing it around her plate.

  “Circe?” asked Maleficent.

  “She’s the odd sisters’ much younger sister. She will be playing the part of a charge for the examination. We usually ask friends to bring their sons and daughters or little brothers and sisters for the exam. Since the odd sisters were already coming to visit for your birthday, I thought they could bring Circe to the exam. None of the students have ever met Circe, so it would make the exam experience more realistic,” Nanny explained.

  “Is she my age?” Maleficent asked.

  Martha shook her head. “No, dear, much younger, but I daresay one day when the age difference no longer matters, you would be good friends, if everything—”

  “If everything doesn’t go to plan!” Lucinda said, finishing Martha’s prediction.

  “If the stars do not align!” sang Ruby.

  “Oh, yes! You may be friends! I see friendship!” Martha added.

  “Or disaster,” they said together in a strange chorus.

  Nanny shot the odd sisters a dangerous look. They blinked back with worried expressions.

  “Let’s hope the stars do not align,” Nanny said sternly.

  Maleficent noticed the strange exchange but pretended it hadn’t happened.

  “Well, I wish she was here. I would like to meet her!” Maleficent said. She was excited by the idea of meeting a witch closer to her in age.

  “And give the Scary Godmother a reason to disqualify you?” Lucinda asked.

  “I think not!” Martha said.

  “Oh, no, my dear!” Ruby insisted.

  “No, no, no!” screeched the odd sisters together.

  Maleficent was amused by the sisters’ outburst. “Ah, I see. If she joined us for dinner, the Fairy Godmother would think we had colluded to help me pass the exam.”

  “Yes! Although she’s not allowed to be your charge tomorrow!”

  “Oh, no! That wouldn’t do!”

  “Because we are friends with your nanny!”

  “Hades forbid!”

  “She will join us for cake tomorrow!”

  “Circe loves birthday cake!”

  “You’re turning sixteen!”

  “Sixteen!”

  “We will all eat cake if the stars are not right!”

  Nanny changed the subject. “Darling, there’s something else you should know. Not all the stand-in charges are real. Some of them are merely projections, like ghosts. They are trickier than the stand-in charges, because they are based on real people from history. Sometimes they are from the future and sometimes they’re from the past.…”

  But Maleficent wasn’t listening.

  “What is it, dear? What has you so distracted?” Nanny asked.

  “Diablo—he never came back after I sent him out earlier today.…” Maleficent said. She had been enjoying the company of Nanny and the odd sisters so much she had almost forgotten about Diablo.

  “To spy on us, you mean?” the odd sisters asked. “Oh, we saw him. He’s a good pet, my dear, but he needs to practice his spying skills a bit more before you send him off on such errands.” The sisters laughed some more.

  “I’m sure he’s fine, little one. Just taking the opportunity to fly about,” Ruby said, cackling.

  “Our cat, Pflanze, does the same,” Martha said, laughing even harder. “Oh, she doesn’t fly, mind you! She slinks, she slinks and slinks and slinks away! She’s beastly, sometimes staying out for days at a time, never bothering to tell us where she’s going or where she’s been!”

  Lucinda agreed with her sisters. “I wouldn’t worry about it, dear. I’m sure your little devil is fine.”

  Nanny put her hand on Maleficent’s and smiled. “I know you’re enjoying our company, dear one, but you’d better get to bed. Your exam is rather early tomorrow morning.”

  “Can I sleep in my tree house, in case Diablo comes back?”

  Nanny nodded. “Yes, just do not to stay up all night waiting for him.”

  Everyone stood to hug Maleficent.

  “Good night, Maleficent!”

  “Good night!”

  “We love you, Maleficent! Happy birthday.”

  Maleficent couldn’t remember ever being happier. She had a wonderful mother in Nanny, and now three amazing witches in her life who loved her. Her sixteenth birthday was bound to be better than she had hoped.

  If only she weren’t so worried about Diablo, everything would be perfect. Everything would be all right.

  As Circe and Nanny walked back to Morningstar Castle together, Nanny’s mind was still occupied by memories of Maleficent. Nanny wondered if Maleficent knew she was at Morningstar. Nanny knew Maleficent could feel the vibrations of power moving in the world. She could sense where to find a witch, but she could not discern exactly who the witch was. Still, Nanny had to wonder why Maleficent was coming to Morningstar at all. W
as she coming to see the odd sisters? Or was she coming to confront her?

  “She’ll arrive soon,” Nanny told Circe as they reached the castle. They each gave a little nod to Hudson, Morningstar Castle’s head butler, as they made their way through the vestibule and into the morning room. “Why do you think she’s making the trip here?”

  “I think Maleficent has come because of what happened to Ursula,” Circe said.

  “Maleficent had no love for Ursula,” Nanny reminded her.

  “True, but she had to have felt the great surge of power in the realms. She probably wants to know what caused it,” Circe pointed out.

  Nanny thought about it. “She did warn your sisters not to trust Ursula. She’s probably here to lord it over them.”

  Whatever Maleficent’s reason, Nanny felt safe having Circe on her side.

  “Of course I am on your side. I love you,” Circe said, reading Nanny’s thoughts.

  Nanny looked at Circe with a sad smile. “Let’s hope that never changes. I’ve had young girls tell me that and they later regretted it.”

  Circe didn’t think that was true. She was sure Nanny felt that way only because the daughter she loved most no longer loved her. And the loss of Maleficent, the loss of her daughter’s love, made Nanny feel like she was a disappointment to all those around her.

  “I’ve never regretted loving you!” Princess Tulip said, bounding into the morning room and giving Nanny a kiss on the cheek.

  Nanny suddenly felt very happy having the two wonderful young ladies with her. It reminded her of a time when her adopted daughter had loved her just as much as Circe and Tulip did now. Nanny’s stomach lurched at the thought of her seeing Maleficent and having their inevitable confrontation. So many years had passed since they had seen each other. And their last encounter had been devastating.

  “Tulip, my dear, can I get you to do some research for me?” Nanny asked, distracting herself from her thoughts. “Could you please go to the library and look up any creatures in Morningstar that are plant- or earth-based? Other than the Tree Lords and Cyclopean Giants, of course, since you have already read everything there is to know about them.”