Chapter Two

Alfea's Detention Room was in a place unknown to any student. It had seats and a blackboard, and a small water closet as a separate room. There were no windows. Very few Fairies had ever been sent here, and it was known mostly by rumor. It could only be gotten to by a Transportus spell, and you had to know exactly where it was. That meant no student would risk a Transportus spell back out. There were safeguards in place that would return a student who did try it, but that was a secret as well.

Faragonda appeared in the front of the room, by the blackboard. There was Flora, sitting at a table asleep. She then remembered Flora had talked about having a horrible headache when she woke up by the lake. She would take advantage of this opportunity to check the facts before the memories were distorted by the passage of time.

She quietly made her way over to the sleeping girl, and stood for a few seconds looking down at her. Her tanned face was troubled, but she was deeply asleep, resting her head on her arms.

Muttering softly, the teacher made a "rising" gesture, and what looked like smoke appeared over Flora's head. A picture formed in it, the events of the day as seen through Flora's eyes.

She watched as Flora and Mirta walked to the shore and ate lunch. It was peaceful for a time, then suddenly Flora's viewpoint jerked in Mirta's direction. She saw Mirta take on a fearful expression, then get up and run into the forest with Flora behind her.

Faragonda made herself watch as the bamboo grew and impaled the girl, then Flora touched the body, getting blood on her hands as she made sure Mirta was dead. Then she turned away and went to the lake where she washed her hands.

There was a moan, and a glance told Faragonda the memory was hurting Flora, and making her dreams turn horrible. With a sigh she ended the spell.

"Flora, dear, wake up," said Faragonda, shaking her gently.

With a start, Flora raised her head. "OH!" She turned and looked at the teacher. "I fell asleep."

"Yes, you did. Are you feeling better?" the gray-haired woman asked.

"I don't know," was the reply, "I'm in a lot of... pain, but it's not my body that hurts."

"I understand. We need to go. The police are here to take you to a secure place," said Faragonda.

"Okay," said the Flower Fairy, and stood up. "I will willingly pay for my crime."

"Your powers were taken, but I still have to bind you," said Faragonda, taking the girl's hands and locking them behind her back with iron handcuffs. Flora didn't resist.

"Why isn't Griselda dealing with me?" asked Flora, wincing at the cold metal's touch.

"Because I wanted to," was the answer, "I also cast a memory spell on you, to see what happened."

At Flora's look, her shoulders slumped. "What I saw confirmed what you said. You did kill Mirta. But why? What made you lose control like that?"

Flora shook her head and looked down, but made no answer. As Faragonda led her to the front of the room, she said, "I don't want to see my friends." Looking at the teacher from over her shoulder, "It would hurt them to see me like this. And they shouldn't be around me anyway."

"No, dear, you're wrong. You need your friends now more than ever," said Faragonda, "I talked with them, and they are not going to give up on you, or finding out what really happened."

"What really happened is I killed out of anger and a desire for revenge," said Flora, "That's something Nature doesn't do. Tell them to forget me. And keep my powers, I don't deserve them any more."

"Be ready," warned the older woman, not daring to give an answer. The truth was that a Fairy's powers were part of them, and could never really be taken away. The spell she used had actually suppressed the knowledge of how to activate them, and eventually it would wear off.

They disappeared from the hidden room, and appeared in Faragonda's office. The police were there and took the girl into custody. Flora cooperated fully, but gave only monosyllabic answers to questions.

As the door closed behind the officials, Griselda looked at Faragonda.

"What are we going to do?" she asked, pouring her boss a cup of tea.

"I don't know, Griselda," was the answer, "I did the memory spell, and I saw her kill Mirta. But something about it just doesn't feel right."

"What do you mean?" asked Griselda, adjusting her glasses.

"Flora is far too gentle and sweet to have just lost control like that." She took a swallow of tea. "I couldn't hear the conversation, but Mirta could not have said anything in just a few sentences that would have affected Flora that much that quickly."

"Well, if her friends are going to do their own investigating, they need to be told that," was the reply.

"You're right, of course. I'll tell them later on, when things have calmed down," said Faragonda. "In the meantime, I've got to find the courage to notify Flora and Mirta's parents."

Griselda shook her head. She didn't envy the Headmistress THAT task.

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In their room in Shadowhaunt, Icy, Darcy, and Stormy stood watching the drama unfold in the Dark Forest. Before them stood a viewing portal showing the police as they gathered statements and took evidence.

All three were grinning at the sight, and finally with a gesture Darcy made the picture disappear.

"It worked even better than I hoped," said Icy.

"Yeah," agreed Darcy, "Framing Flora for a murder that didn't happen will surely break up their cozy circle."

"I still don't get that," said Stormy, looking at her Coven Sisters, "Why DIDN'T we kill that traitor?"

"Because I'm not going to risk an actual murder," said Icy. "The penalty for that is much worse than a stint at Light Rock Monastery."

"Don't see how anything could be worse," muttered Darcy.

"But there were Specialists, Fairies, Witches and civilians killed when we sent the Army of Darkness out," protested the youngest Trix.

"That's different," explained Icy, "That was war. This was the three of us against a lone person."

"Personally I liked what we did to Mirta," said Darcy with a smirk.

"Yeah, fusing her with a tree was a good idea," said Stormy, "That way we don't have to take care of her, and she'll be perfectly safe, aware and suffering, for many years to come."

"I always have good ideas!" asserted Icy.

"Why didn't you turn her back into a pumpkin?" asked Stormy.

"Been there, done that," answered her sister, "And don't you think that would be a pretty big clue to who did it?"

"The best part is," said Darcy, chuckling, "They won't be able to find her without Flora's powers!"

And the three evil Witches cracked up, very pleased with themselves.

Finally getting her mirth under control, Stormy said, "Transforming that zogga fish into a Mirta look-alike was a real pain, but worth it. I didn't know they got that big!"

Darcy shook her head. "Me either. Just lucky we spotted it coming to the surface for whatever that was it was feeding on."

"We were also lucky to have found Flora," said Stormy, "She's the nicest and sweetest Fairy I've ever had the misfortune to meet. Makes me sick."

"What about your memory-altering potion, Darcy?" said Icy, "That is going to be permanent, right?"

"Oh, yeah," said the Dark Enchantress, "I gave her a good dose, and planted what we wanted her to remember without any problem. She'll be haunted by it for the rest of her life."

"However long that is when the courts get through with her," added Stormy, and they laughed again.

"Should we report it to Lord Darkar?" asked Darcy.

"Nah, I'm not ready to fully trust him. Not until we know exactly what he's after," said Icy.

"Did you at least find out why he got US out?" asked Stormy.

"Actually, I did," replied Icy, "I consulted with our Ancestresses, and found out he was the one who ordered them to destroy Domino."

"So whatever his goal is, he's sticking with what works," said Darcy, thoughtfully.

Icy looked at her sisters. "And we won't disappoint."