A Hidden Magic

by Vivian Vande Velde

  This last statement was directed at the dark-eyed buzzard who was furiously banging against his cage to the constant high-pitched screaming of a sound very similar to his name. The bird grabbed one of the bars with his hooked beak and gave the cage one last angry rattle before settling down to smooth his plumage. Then he began a lesser series of grumbling noises.

  In the instant Malveenya turned her attention away, Jennifer's hand found her pocket. "Now, Norman," she thought. "If ever, now." But already it was too late. The older woman was again watching her, her blue eyes looking like a winter storm that comes howling down the mountain to overtake the unsuspecting climber—cold, brutal, relentless.

  Malveenya was trying to stare her down. If Jennifer had realized this, she would have looked away immediately, but her mind was elsewhere. Things said and things unsaid were beginning to come together. "She doesn't know," Jennifer realized. "She doesn't know that Norman isn't really old and she doesn't know about the jinni in the bottle. She isn't all-powerful. She might be able to see into the cottage because of the magic mirror, and she might know what goes on inside this valley, but she isn't all-powerful." Jennifer repeated this last part several times, as if it were a charm, and removed her hand from the magic bottle. Then she looked away from Malveenya.

  "Do you love Prince Alexander?" Malveenya purred.

  Love wasn't the right word—Jennifer cared about what happened to the prince, but she wasn't in love with him. But it was too much to explain, so she nodded, without looking up. She felt Norman shift position next to her.

  "And do you care for this old man, this Norman?"

  Malveenya had gotten it backward—Jennifer suddenly realized she loved Norman—but again she just nodded. She could sense the sorcerer staring at her but didn't look up until Malveenya asked, "Will you do something for me?"

  The enchantress circled the two of them. "I have great power," she said. "But 1 want more. Years ago, the magic wall was built to limit me. If I stay on this side of the wall, I can do anything I want; if I cross to the other side, I have no powers."

  This didn't seem like a problem. "So stay here," Jennifer suggested.

  "No!" Malveenya cried. "What use is limitless power in this place? I want to live in the outside world!"

  "But if you can't pass through the gate without losing your power—"

  "Ah! But there's where you come in."

  That's what Jennifer had been afraid of.

  Malveenya continued. "Magic cannot destroy the wall. But ordinary people—working with picks and shovels and hammers—can. I want you to return to your home and convince the people that the wall is a nuisance. Tell them that the forest is a beautiful park that everyone should enjoy. Tell them there are gigantic trees on which money grows. Tell them anything, but get them to tear down that wall so I can leave!"

  "No!" Jennifer gasped. She couldn't begin to guess what Malveenya planned to do if she were free to roam, but judging from the state of things in the Valley of Darkness and Despair, it didn't seem a very good idea. "I couldn't."

  Malveenya smiled cheerfully. "Do you love Prince Alexander?" she asked again. "Do you love Norman? What if something terrible hap pened to them? Have a good night's sleep while you think about it."

  She glided to the cage from which the buzzard, Kreech, glared at her suspiciously with half-lowered eyelids. He took a quick step back and resumed his terrible cries as the enchantress opened the door. But when she pulled back her billowing sleeve and stuck her arm in the cage, he obediently and gently stepped onto her arm and let himself be pulled out.

  Her eyes never wavering from Jennifer and Norman, Malveenya set the buzzard on the floor, then took a step back.

  Immediately the large bird began to grow larger. He beat his short, broad wings helplessly as his body became taller and wider and his feathers turned to flapping black cloth. The shape of his face changed slightly and in no time at all they stood facing a man. Admittedly, he still had the look of a bird of prey—the constantly moving eyes were fierce and piercing, the nose was sharp and beaklike, and us the hands looked like talons. But he was still a man.

  This was no illusion, Jennifer and Norman realized, no trick caused by a magic ring. Kreech had really been changed into a fearsome human.

  Obviously this sort of thing had happened to Kreech before, and obviously he didn't like it at all. He stood for several seconds twitching his wingless shoulders and shifting his weight from one foot to the other; then he threw back his head and gave a wild screech. This was part declaration of freedom, part defiance, but mostly it was for show because he knew that—although out of the cage—he wasn't really free and that Malveenya—if she decided to—could easily shake all the defiance out of him.

  "Kreech, would you be good enough to show our guests to their quarters?" Malveenya said sweetly. "Private accommodations, of course." She never would have trusted Kreech out of her sight in his bird form, but knew that he wouldn't try to escape now. Freedom to him didn't include being earthbound; it meant the ability to fly and soar and dive with his own kind.

  Norman glanced at the sword Kreech wore at his side. "How good a swordsman could a bird possibly be?" he wondered, but decided he wasn't really that curious.

  Kreech stepped between the two prisoners and gripped Norman's left arm and Jennifer's right with strong, clawlike hands.

  They started toward a narrow, dimly lit hall that wound steeply downward, and Norman mentally kicked himself for not having shifted places with Jennifer before the buzzard-man grabbed them. She had the magic bottle in her right pocket, so even though they were now out of Malveenya's sight, she couldn't get it out.

  The hall became even narrower and they both hunched their shoulders, shuddering at the thought of brushing against the rough walls, coated with spiderwebs.

  Norman tried to slow down and face Kreech, but found himself pulled along at the same rapid pace. "Wait," he said. "1 have something to say to you."

  "Quiet!" the buzzard-man said. His voice sounded so much like a caw, it took Norman a few seconds to realize that Kreech had spoken a human word. That, at least, was encouraging.

  "You're a prisoner, too," he said. "We can help each other."

  "Can't," Kreech answered.

  "Look," Norman said. "She keeps you in a cage and she turns you into anything she pleases. If we work together, we can beat her."

  Kreech remained silent.

  Norman twisted around to look into his captor's face. The dark eyes reflected the torch flames but were dull and unresponsive. Kreech might have the body of a man, Norman decided, but the mind was still that of a buzzard. The sorcerer doubted he could say anything that would reach him. He glanced at Jennifer, making movements with his head in the general direction of her pocket.

  "Sir, you're hurting my arm," she said.

  Kreech didn't answer or loosen his grip.

  "Could you hold a little less tightly, please?"

  Still no answer.

  "Or could you switch arms for a while:

  Jennifer looked hopelessly at Norman. At the speed they were being forced down the hall, she didn't dare try to get at the bottle with her left hand for fear she'd drop it.

  Norman tried again. "I'm a sorcerer, Kreech," he admitted. "If you let us go, I can turn you back into a bird and you'll be free." Actually, he knew that was way beyond his powers, but he was desperate to get Kreech's attention. Kreech wasn't listening.

  They stopped in front of a thick wooden door with a tiny, barred window. Kreech dropped Norman's arm to pull it open, then he jerked his head inside.

  "One second," Norman started.

  Kreech gave a wordless scream of rage as his hand gripped the sorcerer and spun him around and into the cell. Then he slammed the door shut and pulled Jennifer down the hall.

  After a long, silent walk they came to another door. Kreech pushed her into the small, windowless cell. She heard the loud click of the lock, then the rustling of his robes as he shook himself and started back t
he way he had come.

  Jennifer didn't dare use the magic bottle on her own. After Kreech had been gone awhile, she started calling the sorcerer's name, but their cells were too far apart. Finally she sank to the floor. "Norman, Norman," she whispered. "Do you have a plan? Tell me what to do."

  But, of course, there was no answer.

  The Wish

  SOMEHOW JENNIFER HAD fallen asleep. She woke up suddenly when Kreech flung open the door and jerked his head for her to follow.

  She stood up and tried to drive the grogginess from her mind.

  "Quick!" Kreech cawed, and before she could move toward his other side, he again had his long, talonlike fingers wrapped around her right arm.

  They walked swiftly to where they had left Norman. Kreech again said, "Quick!" in his rasping voice.

  Norman looked grim and tired and Jennifer hoped he had been able to form a plan, for she hadn't. But as soon as he started to say, "You can't give in," Kreech cried, "Quiet!" and gave each of them a rough shake. They walked in silence the rest of the way back up to the main entry hall.

  Malveenya was waiting for them. "Good morning, good morning," she called in a pleasant voice. "I do hope your rooms were adequate. So few guests drop by these days."

  She smiled brightly and circled the three of them.

  "Are all the cobwebs gone from your little mind?" she asked Jennifer. "Are you in the mood for a little reunion?"

  Jennifer had no feeling of movement, but she could suddenly see dim colors and shapes about her. In another second they were standing in the cottage where she and Alexander had spent the night.

  In fact, there before them was the sprawled form of the prince just as she had left him.

  Malveenya went over and sat daintily on his chest. She looked up in time to catch Norman twitching his beard and making a gesture with this head. Jennifer obviously had no idea what he was trying to say, but Malveenya became annoyed anyway.

  "Enough of that," she warned. "Keep still or I'll turn you into something incredibly nasty."

  "It doesn't matter," Jennifer said.

  "What?" the other two said at the same time, although Norman's voice cracked a bit.

  "I've made my decision. I can't set you loose on the other side of the wall. No matter what you do, I won't help you."

  "I'm afraid you don't understand, my dear," Malveenya said. "How would you like both your friends asleep forever? Why, look at this!" She leaned over and made a brushing motion over Alexander. "Dusty already. How would you like to spend the rest of your life alone in this cottage? No one to talk to, nowhere to go, nothing to do. Just you, the cottage, and two snoring dust collectors for the rest of your life.

  "Or how would you like me to make you older than Norman here? Dry bones that crackle when you walk, back that hurts when it's going to rain, white hair, yellow teeth—-or maybe no teeth at all—what man do you think would love you then?

  "I could turn you into a fish and hold you half an inch above the water you need to live. Or I could turn you into a hairy spider and squash you. Why, I could even turn you into a bat's shadow and send you home. Then you'd be flitting about the ceiling making sad little squeaking noises and none of your friends or family would even know it's you.

  "This is just off the top of my head, you realize. If I set my mind to it for a while, I'm sure I could come up with something better."

  "I'm sure you could," Jennifer said, somewhat shakily. "But il you can do horrible things to us, you could do them to the people on the other side of the wall, too, and I can't help you do that."

  "I suppose I could try to bribe you," Malveenya said. "Make you good-looking or rich or something. But rewarding loyalty isn't anywhere near as much fun as punishing disloyalty. Is it, Kreech?"

  Still holding them, the buzzard-man made a movement as if ruffling his feathers, and Malveenya laughed heartily. Belonging to anyone else, it would have been rich, easy laughter—the kind that's catching. But Malveenya always laughed alone.

  While her attention seemed elsewhere, Norman put his arm behind his back and tried to reach around Kreech.

  Malveenya jumped to her feet. "I already warned you once!" she screamed. Lowering her voice, she said, "You can let them go now, Kreech." She motioned Jennifer to come closer.

  "Turn around," she ordered. "Watch your precious Norman. I'm going to melt him down into a little slimy puddle."

  "No!" Jennifer gasped. "You can't!"

  "Little girl, don't presume you can take that tone with me. Yes, I can and I will, and once it's done, there's no way to undo it."

  Before Jennifer could move, Malveenya started to raise her arm, but then stopped of her own accord. "No, wait," she said, and Jennifer breathed a sigh of relief.

  Malveenya continued in a friendly voice. "Norman, would you mind moving a little bit to the side? I don't want you ruining the table."

  Norman stared at her blankly for a second. Whatever his plan was, Jennifer realized, it couldn't work if she didn't know it. She'd have to rely on herself.

  Malveenya was still trying to gesture him away from the table when, in one movement, Jennifer rubbed the magic bottle and pulled it from her pocket.

  The enchantress hissed softly as the jinni materialized. He bowed wordlessly, first to Jennifer and then to Norman, his gold jewelry jingling reassuringly.

  "I have a question," Jennifer said. She glanced at Norman. She was going to give him an encouraging smile to say she knew what she was doing, but on second thought realized she didn't. "Could you carry me and Norman and Alexander to the other side of the forest wall and out of Malveenya's range of power?"

  "Assuredly," the jinni answered.

  "But Alexander would still be asleep," Malveenya pointed out hastily. "Unless, of course, that isn't important to you."

  Of course it was. Despite everything, it still was. Jennifer tried a new approach. "You said you aren't allowed to harm anyone."

  "That is correct."

  "Directly?"

  The jinni hesitated. "Directly?" he repeated.

  "If I asked you for..." her mind groped. "well, say for twenty fine white horses. Could you give me that?"

  The jinni was obviously confused, but he nodded.

  "Sam, who sells horses back home, has only three or four very old mares. If I had twenty fine white horses to sell, that would drive Sam out of business."

  "Ah!" the jinni said, his eyes sparkling.

  "So actually my wish would harm Sam. Could you still grant it?"

  "Sam would be harmed indirectly. I could grant your wish."

  Jennifer nodded and pointed to a spot above Malveenya's head. "If I asked you to make that section of the ceiling fall this very second, could you?"

  "Most swiftly."

  Malveenya took a hurried step behind the table.

  "If I asked you to make that table burst into flame, could you do that?"

  The jinni nodded and Malveenya stepped closer to Alexander, where she felt Jennifer would be less likely to try something drastic. "Ah, little Miss Goody-Goody demonstrates her true character at last," Malveenya purred.

  "What?" Jennifer said.

  "Thought you were so good and pure of heart and better than me, didn't you? But see what happens when you get a little power."

  "I'm just trying to protect myself," Jennifer objected.

  Malveenya was smirking. "It always happens. Once you have the power to force people to do your will, there's no stopping you from using that power more and more." She was swirling her white dress in a seemingly absent manner to hide a little step in Jennifer's direction.

  "That's not so!" Jennifer said. "If you just leave us alone, I won't use any power at all!"

  "Careful," Norman warned. "Don't let her touch the bottle."

  Malveenya ignored him and smiled at Jennifer in open disbelief.

  "It's true!" Jennifer said. "I don't want to hurt anyone."

  "Is that why you're threatening me?" Malveenya moved closer.

  Jenni
fer darted a look at Norman. He obviously was assuming she had a plan and she didn't dare ask for his help with Malveenya so close. She took a step back and felt the wall behind her.

  At that moment she knew that if she didn't make a wish immediately—one that would stop Malveenya right then—the enchantress would grab the magic bottle away and thereby increase her already vast powers. At the same moment, she also knew that even if the jinni could harm someone indirectly, she couldn't. She and Norman and Alexander were all doomed.

  Norman, suddenly realizing what was happening, called her name.

  Malveenya saw the girl's mouth start to form a wish. She didn't know that it was a desperate wish, one meant to find a single strand of goodness in a hopeless situation. She only knew that there was no time to grab the bottle away and that she had to touch it quickly and—since there was no way to tell what Jennifer would ask for—that she must protect herself on all fronts.

  "I wish to live forever!" Malveenya cried, while, at the exact same moment, Jennifer said, "1 wish for the jinni's freedom from the bottle so he can do whatever he wants."

  Instantly the jinni disappeared into a reddish cloud that somehow seemed to carry with it the smell of salt water and the faint cry of seagulls. Before anybody could be sure of this, however, he was gone.

  There was another cloud in the room, but this one was glittering white and it floated exactly where Malveenya had been standing. With a soft sigh, it was sucked into the magic bottle, which grew warm in Jennifer's hand.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kreech's form quiver as Malveenya's power disappeared. In the same instant that he regained his enormous wings, he sped out the open window. The next moment his wild scream of triumph reached them, but by then he was gone.

  Magic

  NUMBLY, JENNIFER PLACED the magic bottle on the little shelf underneath the mirror. She saw without really noticing that the mirror's surface had become dull and clouded, as if it reflected a thick, empty fog. When Malveenya unintentionally traded places with the jinni, the mirror had become powerless.

  Jennifer sighed and glanced around. "What now?" she asked.