by Lori Woods
I’m a Spell Master! I need home schooling. And the best place for that was back in Nightshade with Granny Maycomber’s spirit tutoring me. With her help and the books I had accumulated on various aspects of being a Spell Master, I knew I’d learn more than if I remained in Hemlock.
“Are they all drunk yet?” Snowballs asks as I walk into the apartment.
“No, but they are well on their way,” I say.
“Good!” Alfie says. “They’ll be meaner suffering from a hangover tomorrow when we go to the Moor.”
“How many witches from Hemlock are going to join the battle tomorrow?” Snowball asks.
“None. Zero. Nada!” I exclaim angrily. “Everyone from Hemlock looks down on vampires.”
“Not even Red?” Alfie asks.
“Yeah, I wasn’t counting her as one of the witches. She’s going to come along.”
“Do I get to ride with her?” Alfie asks.
“No, you get to stay home and babysit Snowball and Malcolm!”
Poof. Suddenly Malcolm is standing beside me.
“Did someone call me?”
“No,” I say. “Where have you been?”
“Talking to my wife.”
“Are the two of you getting along better?” I ask hopefully.
“Yes, she has finally forgiven me for killing myself,” he says, shaking his head. “I tried to kiss her . . .” he stops. “But my head just passes through her head. Very disappointing. It made her laugh. Where has all the romance gone?”
“Yuck,” Snowballs says. “I don’t want to hear all this mushy stuff. Suzy was talking about kissing Val in her sleep the other night.”
“Snowball!” I say sternly. “Don’t be telling everyone what I say when I’m talking in my sleep.
“Okay, anyway, Alfie is too young to hear the rest.”
“Okay, off to bed with everyone! I’m going to need to be well-rested for the confrontation with the Doppelgangers tomorrow,” I say.
I don’t realize how tired I am until I crawl under the covers with Snowball. I barely tell her goodnight before I am sound asleep.
I see Val! He’s inside an evil-smelling mushroom, chained hand and foot. Someone is trying to force him to take some mushroom gruel, but Val refuses to open his mouth. When the Doppelganger finally stops trying to feed him, Val flashes his fangs and hisses at him. The Doppelganger jumps back in fright.
“We should just toss this one in the bottomless bog. He’s more trouble than he’s worth.”
“No, we need him in Poison Ivy. There’s a large enclave of vampires there. We will stick with the plan to use him to go among them and take over other members. This time, we won’t have that white witch to foul up all our plans.”
I wake with a start.
“Bad dream?” Snowball asks as she stretches.
“Yeah, but I’m going to make it right,” I say as I glance out the window and see that it’s already daylight. “Time to go and wake our friends at the inn.”
“That is if they didn’t stay up drinking all night!” Snowball says.
I don’t see Alfie in the kitchen, so I put my finger to my lips. “Let’s not wake Alfie,” I say as I pour Snowball a saucer of unicorn milk and have some bread and goat cheese for my breakfast.
“Now you be nice to Alfie today, Snowball,” I say as I get up from the table.
Snowball, who is licking her favorite paw, doesn’t bother to answer.
I walk to the front door and freeze in my tracks. I’m dumbstruck! Alfie, with his axe across his lap, is sitting with his back against the door, sound asleep. He opens his eyes as I stand in front of him.
“I’m ready, Suzy!” he says sleepily. “I’m going to chop down the mushroom where they live.”
Wow, I hadn’t thought of that. It might drive them out of Bottom Moor.
“Okay, fine. Let’s go and gather the troops from Nightshade. If they are sober enough to walk, that is,” I say as Alfie jumps to his feet.
As we walk to the inn, Alfie keeps glancing around as if he’s afraid a Doppelganger will leap out of an alley. “Don’t worry,” I reassure him. “I think they’ve all left town. And don’t you remember you’re protected by the spell I created? Even if one touches you, it won’t cause you any harm.”
I sort of expect the front door of the tavern to be locked, but it opens when I pull on it. Inside, I see men wearing torn shirts and pants littering the floor. And as Alfie and I stand there looking at the unconscious men, the smell of stale beer and sweat slaps me in the face.
“Those are our attack troops. Ready for the good fight,” Alfie says sarcastically.
I see Joe and walk over to stand over his handsome unconscious body. Seeing a half full of glass of ale on a nearby table, I take it and bring it over. “Joe! Time to wake up,” I call out as I pour the ale onto his face.
“What! Who! I’ll tear your head off . . .” His eyes flick open. “Suzy?”
“The one and only! And I hope you didn’t pay for rooms. Floor space should come free along with the barrel of ale you all drank.”
“Ah...Yeah. I forgot to rent rooms. I knew I was forgetting something.”
“Well, I hope you’re all ready for a fight today. Seems like you had a good one last night,” I say.
“Fight? No, we were just horsing around,” Joe says as he climbs to his feet. He puts two fingers in his mouth and gives a loud piercing wolf whistle. All at once, men are rising from the floor around me; some yawning, some growling, and none in a good mood.
“Looks like they are all ready for a fight,” Alfie adds. “That is if they can walk.”
One of the wolf pack walks up to Joe. “Who won the bet? I don’t remember a thing after the last pint.”
“I did, of course,” Joe says.
“Okay; if you say so,” the man says and walks away.
“If he can’t remember then he deserves to lose.”
His words make me suspect that the man had actually won.
Surprisingly, we are all assembled on the lawn in front of the Academy an hour later. I am still fuming over the fact that from Hemlock only Red is willing to join us in rescuing Val from the Doppelgangers. Before we head to the moor I take Red aside and cast my protection spell over her to protect her.
“Wow, I hope it works. I never, never want to taste mushroom gruel again,” she says and shudders.
Alfie spits on the ground as he recalls the taste.
“Yeah, well poor Val can’t even eat mushroom gruel,” I say.
“Right, nothing but blood for a fang banger,” Red says. “Sorry,” she adds upon seeing my cross look. “I keep forgetting that he’s your... special...friend.”
I just walk back to the wolf pack without commenting.
“Joe, can you and the pack keep up with Red and me?” I ask as I jump on Broom Hilda and reach down, catching Alfie’s hand and swinging him up onto the back.
One moment, Joe is standing in front of me, and the next moment a huge black werewolf with long, glistening fangs is looking up at me.
“I’ll take that for a yes,” I say, suddenly uncomfortable, remembering the pack of werewolves that Night Shadow had sent to attack me at Granny’s cottage.
“Let’s go, Suzy,” Alfie says in a nervous voice as he stares down at what used to be Joe.
“Ready, Red?” I ask as she is glancing around at the pack of werewolves. She too is looking uncomfortable.
“Don’t invite me to a party in Nightshade,” she says, “Especially during a full moon!”
I shake my head as I direct Broom Hilda to fly. “Don’t race to the moor. Kept the pace slow enough so the wolf pack can keep up,” I yell at Red. “We don’t want to arrive alone to face a horde of Doppelgangers. Protection spell or not, they are still dangerous.”
I can see the pack of werewolves running through the forest below as Broom Hilda flies toward Bottom Moor. I wonder if they will be too tired from the run to fight off the Doppelgangers when we arrive at the moor. I smile. My
protection spell is going to be a big surprise for the creatures when they touch a werewolf and get knocked senseless instead of the werewolf falling unconscious. I don’t think it is going to take many such encounters to send the Doppelgangers fleeing for greener pastures. At least that’s my hope.
I don’t know what general once said that a battle plan never survives first contact with the enemy, but I quickly learn the truth of his statement as Joe and his pack leave the forest and break onto the moor.
Because just a little distance from the forest is a long line of Doppelgangers waiting for us.
They had spies watching us in Hemlock! I could kick myself for not realizing that they would have Doppelgangers watching my every move. Joe and the wolf pack stop to survey the mass of creatures confronting us.
I land Broom Hilda in front of the pack of werewolves. Red drops down beside me. We both get off our broomsticks and lift them over our shoulders ready to whack Doppelgangers. With Alfie beside me with his big axe, I yell, “Charge!” And suddenly I’m alone except for Red and Alfie running alongside me as the pack of werewolves quickly outdistance us. “Save one for me!” I shout as I watch Joe and the wolf pack close with the Doppelgangers.
Suddenly the Doppelgangers are tossing nets on the advancing wolf pack. I am stunned to see one after another of the angry, growling werewolves entangled in nets and Doppelgangers rushing to them to toss new nets over the struggling werewolves. Within a matter of moments, my fierce pack of werewolves is helpless and being swarmed over by the Doppelgangers. I halt to a stop, as do Red and Alfie.
“This isn’t good, Suzy,” Alfie says, glancing up at me with a frightened look on his face.
I glance over at Red, who is looking over her shoulder as though she might just be thinking about beating a hasty retreat to Hemlock.
“Fireballs?” I ask.
“Yeah, but there are so many,” she says as we watch a new line forming between us and the captive wolf pack.
“I must admit I didn’t see that one coming,” I say. “But I’m not going to abandon Val,” I add.
“In for a penny, in for a pound,” Red says, shaking her head. “Suzy, being your friend comes with a very steep price.”
I start to reply, but suddenly a wave of Doppelgangers is racing toward us.
“I’ll stand behind you, Suzy, and protect the rear,” Alfie says as he quickly runs behind my back.
In any other circumstance, his comment and show of bravery would make me laugh, but seeing the horde of pale, featureless creature running toward me doesn’t put me in a laughing mood.
“Fireballs!” I shout as I point my fingers at the attackers.
A moment later the space between us and the Doppelgangers is filled with balls of flame, but the foul creatures are quick. Most dodge the fireballs, but squeals of pain tell me that some are finding their mark; just not enough.
I throw a quick glance over at Red. “Broomsticks!”
A moment later, the moor is echoing with screams of pain and flying bodies as Red and I take batting practice on the attackers. But for every one I knock senseless, two more take its place. Soon, my arm is almost too tired to swing Broom Hilda, and yet there are still masses of Doppelgangers charging toward us. I realize that I am looking into the mouth of defeat, but resolve not to stop fighting as long as I have an ounce of strength left.
Then I hear a buzzing sound. At first, it is soft but it grows in volume until it echoes across the moor. I want to look behind me, but fear taking my eyes away from our attackers.
“Pixies! Thousands and thousands of pixies!” Alfie shouts from behind me.
A second later, I feel the air of their tiny wings as they streak by me and attack the Doppelgangers. I watch as their darts fill the air. I really don’t expect much reaction from the Doppelgangers who are hit by the minuscule weapons, but again, I am surprised by the effect of the pixies darts on other creatures. Because the Doppelgangers have the same reaction to the darts as the boggy monster did; they howl in pain and run, clawing at the darts as they try to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the pixie.
However, there is no place for the Doppelgangers to run. They are completely surrounded by thousands upon thousands of pixies. Then one by one, all the Doppelgangers drop to their knees in mass surrender. I can’t believe my eyes! The horde of foul creatures brought to their knees by tiny little flying men and women.
“Suzy, are you all right?” a voice says into my ear. I turn my head and find a pixie hovering nearby.
“Yes, wow, look what you did! You defeated the Doppelgangers!”
“I told them to leave Bottom Moor after they attacked your witch friend,” he says, nodding in Red’s direction. “But like most big things, they just laughed at us. So I called all the clans together. I told them your grandmother would have wanted us to clean the moor of the creatures. They answered my call,” he says, spreading his hands out to include the other pixies.
“Do you know where they are holding the vampire?” I ask.
The pixie points to a huge towering mushroom that is bigger than a two-story house. “In there. That’s one of their mushroom homes.”
“Red, can you stay and help the wolf pack out of the nets while I go get Val?”
“Yeah, go for it, Suzy.”
“I’m coming along,” Alfie says as he jumps on the back of Broom Hilda with his big axe.
Knowing he needs to do something against the Doppelgangers, I don’t protest. A moment later, Broom Hilda lands in front of the mushroom house. I see a door. But when I try to pull it open, it won’t budge.
“Move aside, Suzy, its axe time,” Alfie says.
Amused, I get out of the way and watch the diminutive dwarf swing the huge axe. I am shocked at how effective it is in slicing through the mushroom’s door. It only takes Alfie a couple of swings of the axe to chop the door down.
I rush inside. I expect it to be dark, but a blue fungus growing inside the mushroom lights the interior. I see a set of stairs leading up into the gigantic mushroom cap, and I take them two at a time. At the top, I stop and glance around the monstrous circular room. I spot a dark form against the wall and rush toward it, instinctively knowing that it is Val.
He seems smaller as I kneel and pull the gag from over his mouth and then the blindfold from his eyes. He smiles at me. “I knew you would come,” he says, his voice sounding like a bullfrog’s croak.
“Come on and get up. Let’s get out of here,” I say.
Val shakes his head. “Too weak,” he mumbles.
My heart momentarily stops!
“No, you must get out of this evil place.”
He doesn’t attempt to speak. He just shakes his head.
A thought suddenly comes to me. I hold my arm in front of his mouth. “Here, you need some blood.”
“No, I can’t,” he says.
“Yes, you can. Heck, it’s no different from giving blood at the Red Cross,” I say.
“Red Cross?”
“Never mind that. Bite my arm. Quickly, you are getting weaker by the moment.”
I think he’s going to refuse, but then I see him open his mouth. His fangs are visible for the first time.
“Go ahead and take some,” I say, pushing my wrist toward his mouth.
I watch in wonder as he closes his mouth around my wrist. I feel a slight tingling pain as his fangs break the surface of my skin. A sudden feeling of euphoria engulfs me. It lasts until he pulls his mouth away.
His appearance changes as I watch. He goes from being withered and weak to the strong, handsome Val I have come to know so well. He rises to his feet, lifting me up as he does so. Then he leans his head down. Our lips meet, sending an electric-like shock through my body as he kisses me. If I weren’t wearing shoes, my toes would be curling as I feel his passion sweep through me. When he pulls his lips from mine, I’m light-headed.
There’s no doubting that it’s Val for sure!
“Get a room!” Alfie says as
he climbs to the stop of the stairs. “Gee, I’m glad Snowball didn’t see what just happened.”
“Oh, I think she’s going to see plenty,” I say, laughing as Val and I walk hand in hand toward Alfie.
EPİLOGUE
“We’re home. We are. We’re really back home to stay! And I don’t ever want to leave again.”
I have never seen Snowball so excited. We had just arrived home by train—because of carrying all our belongings back—including a crate filled with Hemlock’s best duck berry pies and two twenty-four case bottles of unicorn milk, all of which we’d already stashed away.
I agree with Snowball that it’s great to be in Nightshade again. I feel as if I never want to leave again. Even Broom Hilda seems glad to be here. As soon as we enter the cottage, she rushes to her favorite corner, and I swear she let out a big sigh before settling against the wall.
None of us miss Hemlock, though I do miss talking with Malcolm. But that wouldn’t have worked out anyway. He’s spending all his time lately with his wife. The only person I truly miss is Red—the only one in Hemlock who helped to rescue Val. Naturally, we’ll stay in touch, and I’ll do my best to change her attitude about vampires. And speaking of vampires, Val is fully recovered from his time as a Doppelganger prisoner. He’s his old self again, and is already talking about how he’s going to increase attendance at his church.
And then there’s Granny Maycomber. I certainly look forward to her teaching me everything she knows about being a Spell Master. I’m looking forward to both becoming a better Spell Master and resuming my job at the library. Mostly, I’m looking forward to having peace and quiet.
I don’t think I’ll start working right away at the library. That can wait till tomorrow. Right now, I just want to spend time with old friends. One thing I am worried about is seeing Doc. Since he’s the one who paid my tuition at school, I hope he isn’t upset that I’ve dropped out. But I’ll be sure to tell him what the headmaster said to me when he found I was quitting school. He said he’d never witnessed such power in a witch as he had when I joined his spiral circle. “You’re the most powerful witch I’ve ever encountered. And with all that power and the fact that you’re a Spell Master, I don’t see how the school can do you any more good.”
