~Chapter 3: Royal Blood Circle~
JACK'S POV
What a surprise!
The girl was fairer than I... But, but the Royal family of Elmstakes were known as fairest folks of the land! - with my stepsister, Snow White supposedly the fairest of us all. Well, I supposed the title didn't include Witches. Because one look at her awfully perfect complexion and I knew she was unbeatable. Never in her life had she spent a minute basking under the sun.
Okay, I admit it. I was jealous.
Bedtimes stories twisted reality. Witches weren't ugly hags with bottles of chopped lizards. They were far from that.
The girl jolted me out of my thoughts by pushing me furiously backwards. That jerk!
"You're summoning My Mistress?" She demanded persistently. "And why? Tell me now! WHY?"
Why? - I allowed myself a smirk. I needed to find a set of Giant's Beans of course. I needed to prove myself. After all, the folks in my Kingdom were already accusing me of having a "Witch" for a Mother. They'd said that Snow White should be the true heir, and not I. She hadn't any Witchy-Blood, but I had. They called me evil; They called me incapable; They moaned over Snow White's escapade.
My tutor had told me that ALL giants dwelled in the skies, and the only way to reach them was to find the special set of beans which grew and led to a specific Giant. These beans were indestructible, so to prevent nosy humans from stumbling upon and looting their lair, these Giants hid their set of beans. Hid them in the darkest and deepest most depths of the Earth.
My duty was to find any set of Giant's Beans. And according to rumours, the Wicked Witch, Gothal knew of the hiding place of one. She wasn't called a 'Wicked' Witch for nothing. The thing was - wringing the info out of her.
I was halfway there already.
Witchy-girl jabbed me angrily. "Hey! Why're you summoning her?"
"I prefer to keep the reasons to myself."
She just refused to suck it up. Insolent fool!
"But I prefer to know, so you'd better tell me!"
I ignored her and studied the previous blood circle which I had used in attempt to summon this Witchy-Girl. My blood had already begun drying up. Using this again for another summoning would be like dancing precariously at the edge of a cliff. It was too risky. Besides, Gothal was a Wicked Witch with a Bloody reputation.
Sighs. I would just have to do it again.
Gingerly, I sliced a thin vein on my lower arm with my hand dagger, before moving widdershins - forming a closed circle with my own blood. Fresh Royal Blood - ah... yes. It was a witch's bane. It seared their delicate flesh like the sun; its smell repulsed them; and it was fatal poison to a witch if consumed. I hoped this was enough to keep that dangerous witch in.
I made sure that it had no gaps, before I willed the witch Gothal to appear before me. Good thing I knew her true name at the tip of my tongue. It was important for The Summoning.
The idiotic girl had to yank me backwards.
"It's rude to summon a witch!" Moontel shrieked, upset. "We've better things to do than help a silly Prince do some silly chores! Stop-"
Great riddance! I hadn't the time to entertain her with a debate! My blood would dry - then the protective barrier would be as good as useless!
And then, the witch, Gothal answered to my Summoning at last. The air around us visibly frosted over, and wisps of coldness shrouded the forest. It was a sign that something deadly was approaching fast.
"Gothal," I greeted boldly. "Ah... we meet again."
A woman, mind you, a gorgeous one, materialized before me with a tiny little black cat curled comfortably around the top of her head. The cat hissed at me furiously - and I understood it!
"How dare you!" It snarled menacingly. "You will pay."
Thank goodness both were safely bound in the blood circle.
I felt the woman's raw anger from where I was standing. But as most sly creatures of the dark, she replaced that effortlessly with an overly sweet smile. I knew better than to believe that. Once this Summoning ended, she would begin tracking me to the depths and ends of the Earth. I had better keep my guard up.
"Your Highness," The witch acknowledged. "It is foolish to tame me so! Surely, you know of my reputation?"
I nodded, forcing my features to remain calm. "I do. I have no intention to tame you. I have instead... a request."
"Oh?"
"Now-"
"My Lord," The witch interrupted. "I cannot hear you clearly. Do take a few steps forward."
"Nonsense!" I snapped.
It was a trick! How devious! As long as my royal blood didn't dry, the witch was bound helplessly within the circle. But one step past, and...
I was as good as dead duck meat.
Then Moontel shoved me forward!
I stumbled forward, but fortunately for me, I regained my balance just before I overstepped the boundaries. My eyes flew open with horror - The girl tried to kill me! But how? The pact...
I instinctively swiveled around and grabbed her. Perhaps a bit to roughly, but I couldn't care less. I was erupting with anger. Moontel whimpered with shock, but I only tightened my grip harder, and lifted my sword with a deft motion to her throat.
Her eyes widened momentarily. So did her Mistress's from within the circle.
"The pact," I demanded. "How can you?"
Moontel's eyes glinted with devilishness. "My intention was not to kill you, but to scare you-"
So the contract was void. Devious - witches were. The girl had simply outsmarted the pact. I should have worded the details better... Man, she was still a great threat to me.
"My apprentice!" Gothel was asking apprehensively from within the circle. "What is she doing with you?"
The cat meowed angrily at me. "Let her go!"
I reminded myself to take deep breaths.
"Let us keep this simple," I said confidently. "I have your apprentice, and you have my information."
"And what exactly is that information?"
I half-smiled. "The location of a set of Giant's Beans," I informed her. "And do not dare lie. Moontel's life is in your hands."
The witch's jaw dropped even further on my uncanny knowledge of her apprentice's real name. It was a weapon that could be used against her now. I could tell that this witch truly cared about her apprentice. I had made the right decision by taking Moontel hostage. Awesome.
I smirked.
The witch cleared her throat defeatedly. I had won.
"In the Kingdom of Far-far Away," The Witch replied reluctantly.
The Far-Far Away Kingdom? That was my stepsister, Snow White's Kingdom! She had run off with a daft Prince to that Kingdom after my Mother had 'died' in the attempt to kill her.
"Where exactly in Far-Far Away?" I questioned curiously.
"Guarded by a Monstrous Dragon." The witch hesitated. "At the East of Mount Saphial."
The cat scowled furiously at me. I was starting to hate the cat.
Moontel made a choking noise at the mention of this mountain. It occurred to me there and then that this girl knew that place. For sure. Maybe I could bring her along... against her will...
"Anything else you need to know, My Lord?" The Witch asked again pleasantly. Too pleasant to be real. I smelt a very big rat. Something was definitely wrong.
Realization slammed into me like a ton of bricks! Of course! My 'Blood Summoning Circle' was drying and crusting up. In a second or two, the witch would be free to slit my throat! And mind you, I'm guessing she's extremely eager to finish me. That'd probably be the first thing she got down to.
So I concentrated intensely on willing her away. She was a powerful witch though, and put up a great deal of resistance.
In fact, I began to wonder if it was too late - and all hope was lost-, when the witch threw back her head and howled furiously like an injured wolf, before disappearing in a puff of dust.
Success!
Victory was mine!