Burkheart Witch Saga Book 2 (11 page)

M
iranda was
starving
. She hadn't eaten anything in at least two weeks. Those stupid little sprites had not brought her anything, except the boy. She had cast the spell on them because, in her weakened state, she was unable to find food on her own. The mindless little insects were easy to control, and she wondered why she had wasted so much energy over the years getting food for herself.

She could have been sending these ridiculous sprites out to gather children for her meals all along.

All those nights spent transfigured into wolves and crows and the like had put her in the foulest of moods and made her smell like wet dog half the time.

How could any respectable Wood Witch allow herself to get to this point? Living alone in a forest, only miles from the city, foraging for the flesh of children but surviving on the putrid corpses of rabbits and any other woodland creatures that she could catch. It was shameful and embarrassing.

Well, no more. With the unwilling assistance of the sprites, Miranda would once again dine like the queen that she was meant to be.

She was positively salivating at the thought of dining on the young boy's tender flesh. Boys were tasty, but if they could find a girl, that was a delicacy to be savored. But alas, she had to wait for the boy to get fat enough to make a decent meal. The past few weeks had been so hard on her, waiting for the boy to plump.

Miranda uncorked the wine that she had retrieved from the cellar, a one-hundred-twenty-year-old vintage that she had taken from a colonial family at the last turn of the century after she had dined on their daughter.

That was a meal to remember. Children had yet to be contaminated by soda pop and "happy meals." They were still pure and good, unsullied by pop culture, absent of any guile or cunning. Just the way Miranda liked them.

As she took a deep whiff from the aging cork, Miranda looked over at the sleeping boy in the metal cage. Tonight, he would be roasted on a spit, and she would sleep, sated with a full stomach and a light heart.

Stoking the fire, Miranda hummed a tune, anticipating the first
decent
meal she would have in more than two decades.

G
race continued
to run through the forest, dropping a jellybean every so often to guide her mom and dad just in case they found her note.

She whipped her head around at every rustled leaf and snapped twig, fearing the worst behind every noise.

At this point, Grace decided that she would gladly give away every toy that she had ever had if she could just find her mommy. Even the new Princess Hair Studio that Aunt Joy had just given her. It had a Cinderella head that you could put
real
makeup on, and a
real
curling iron so you could really do her hair. The curling iron didn't get hot, so you couldn't burn yourself, but it was
really real
, just like Mom's curling iron. She hadn't opened it yet, and she wanted to play with it so bad, but she would tell Joy to take it back if this would just be all over.

As Grace dropped another jellybean on the ground, she turned around and saw the small house off to her left, just a few feet down the stone path. It looked to Grace like a cottage that a princess would live in before she met Prince Charming and went to live at the palace.

The windows had flowers on the sills, and the door was painted bright red. Grace made her way to the front door, hoping an adult was inside who could help her. She raised her little hand to knock on the door when she heard humming coming from inside. That made her feel better. Wolves
never
hummed.

T
he knock
at the door made Miranda almost jump right out of her skin. It startled the boy as well. He sat up in his cage and looked bleary-eyed toward the door.

"You had better stay silent! Not a peep!" She scowled, pointing a bony, withered finger at the boy while she covered his cage.

He cowered into the corner of the cage and shook his head in terrified agreement.

Miranda walked to the door and opened it to find a stunning little girl of no more than six or seven years old standing there with dirt on her pants and a bewildered look on her pudgy little face. She could barely control her excitement and wiped the corner of her mouth.

"May I help you, little girl?" she said, her voice as sweet as strawberry cake.

"I'm lost and I can't find my mommy or daddy and somebody took me and chained my foot up but I got free and I ran as far as I could to find help and I found your house and can you please help me find my mommy?" the girl said without pausing to take a breath. Tears began running down her little cheeks.

"Oh no, my little dear, don't cry now. I'll help you find your mommy. Just step inside and have a seat. We'll get you cleaned up and then get you back into your mommy's arms. I promise." Miranda smiled widely, trying not to look overly anxious.

"Thank you. My name is Grace, and it is a pleasure to meet you," Grace said, just the way her mom had taught her.

Miranda laughed with glee, and Grace cowered.

"My name is Miranda, and it is my pleasure to meet you, Grace," she said, trying to calm the little morsel. "Come inside, my sweet, and I'll surely help you."

Miranda led the wide-eyed little girl into the parlor and sat her down on the red brocade sofa. While she poured the tot a cup of tea, Miranda noticed her attention wandering toward the large cage covered in the white cloth.

"Do you have a bird?" Grace asked, brightening a bit.

"Uh…" Miranda said before quickly forming a plan in her head. "Well dear, I do have a parrot. Here is a little bit of tea to calm you down. Drink it up and then we can look for your mother."

Grace took the cup and sipped a small bit. After making a sour little face, she looked again at the covered cage.

"I like parrots."

"Well, I guess that we should take a look at my parrot!" Miranda said, standing up.

"What's his name?"

"Uh, Harold," Miranda said, caught off guard.

Grace rose from the couch and allowed Miranda to guide her gently toward the cage with the promise of seeing something amazing.

"
G
race
! Grace?" Kayla yelled into the darkness, desperate to find her little girl.

The sense of panic was crushing her heart like a powerful fist. She was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe. David checked either side of the path they walked along, calling out to their daughter.

A sound came from deep in the bushes to Kayla's left, causing her to whip around, almost falling down. She regained her footing and sprinted over to the source of the sound.

"Who's there?" she called out. David joined her in the investigation.

There was no answer. Overwhelmed with frustration, Kayla swished her right hand through the air. The dense bushes parted on their own with no resistance. Kayla shined her flashlight on the newly cleared spot on the ground.

A small creature that looked like a large dragonfly with a human body lay in the dirt, shaking with apparent fear. Kayla knelt to try to calm the little fairy down.

"Hey, little guy. It's all right."

Without warning, the little thing jumped up, bared a mouth full of sharp teeth, and swung its tiny claws at Kayla's face. Kayla once again held her right hand up, suspending the mini monster in mid-air while maintaining a safe distance. It kicked its legs and continued clawing at her, seemingly oblivious to the fact that it was being held by magic.

"Hey, knock it off, you little bastard!" Kayla yelled, still holding the sprite in place.

"No! I must be free. I cannot be held under the spells of evil witches. Let me go!" The thing continued to writhe.

"Listen fairy, I am not an evil witch. I'm just looking for my daughter."

"I am
not
a fairy, I am a wood sprite! Fairies are dirty creatures that serve no purpose. They're almost as useless as those damn gnomes!"

"Okay,
sprite
. Have you seen my daughter? She is seven years old with blond hair."

"Oh, no," the sprite interrupted. "A little girl in these woods?" He looked worried.

"What is it?"

"Miranda might find her. Is your little one a witch as well?" The sprite was calm now, and seemed genuinely concerned.

"No. Well, I'm not sure."

"Well, if my clan finds her and takes her to Miranda, she is in serious trouble."

"Who is Miranda?"

"Who are you?"

"Kayla. My daughter is Grace."

"You are daughter to Carolyn?" the sprite said in sudden awe.

"Yes," she replied worriedly.

"I am Jorek. Please forgive my insolence, My Queen. We have been waiting for you." He relaxed and bowed his head.

David and Kayla shared a look of utter bewilderment as they said in unison, "
Queen
?"

T
he nice old
lady was going to help find her mom after Grace got a good look at Harold the parrot. They approached the large cage and Miranda reached up to remove the white cloth.

Grace suddenly got an uneasy feeling and started to back away. Miranda pulled the cloth off the cage, exposing the frightened little boy seated within. Grace cried out and took another step back, when Miranda suddenly seized her arm and flung her toward the now open door. Grace's body slammed against the metal bars and fell to the floor, her arm aching from the blow. She scrambled to her feet, crying, and tried to run out. Miranda slammed the door just as Grace reached it.

"Why are you locking me up?" Grace screamed, unable to comprehend the witch's actions.

"Because I'm going to eat you for dinner, my dear," Miranda replied with a hideous grin that Grace had once mistaken as kind.

"You can't eat kids!" Grace yelled as the little boy got up and tried to pull her from the door.

"Just be quiet and sit down," he whispered in her ear.

"Well, look at the two of you! Thick as thieves," Miranda laughed while she poured herself a glass of red wine.

Grace decided that the little boy's advice was good and sat down at the far end of the cage with him. He continued to whisper into Grace's ear.

"My name is Harold."

"I'm Grace. How long have you been here?"

"I don't know. A long time."

"Don't worry Harold, my mommy will find us and save us. She's magic."

"Your mom is a witch?" Harold said, a little too loudly.

Miranda suddenly jumped from her chair with a swiftness that surprised even her.

"What is this, little Grace? Your mother is a witch? You are going to be especially tasty." She smiled a toothy grin, and Grace noticed that her teeth were crooked and stained a dark brown. Miranda's nose suddenly appeared larger and more bulbous. Her once neat gray hair had become scraggly and tangled.

"My mommy is a very powerful witch that fights wolves and monsters like you. She is gonna find me and stop you,” Grace said, enraged.

"Ooh, I am so scared," Miranda mocked. "Who is this big powerful witch?"

"Her name is Kayla and you should be scared,” Grace said defiantly.

"Kayla? Kayla Burkheart?" Grace thought she saw a faint trace of worry cross Miranda's face.

"That's my mom." It was Grace's turn to smile.

"Well, it seems that we are about to have a family reunion then. My niece has finally made her way home. Allow me to reintroduce myself; I would be your great aunt."

"
O
kay
, so let me get this straight, I am the Queen of this forest?" Kayla asked the sprite.

"Yes, Your Majesty,” Jorek replied.

"Please stop calling me that."

"Yes, My Queen."

"Just give us the details, Jorek,” David sighed, trying to get the story moving.

"My King, Carolyn ruled this forest for many, many years. She was cruel and heartless, driving most of the forest fairies and gnomes away. Only those witches loyal to her stayed. When the city began encroaching on the area, even the other witches moved away, except for Miranda, Carolyn's sister."

"What? She has a sister here?" Kayla was finding it difficult to process all of this new information.

"Yes, she is a wood witch, an eater of children. There was a bitter rivalry between the two sisters. Miranda was cursed by Carolyn to stay here in the forest, unable to leave. Miranda, in turn, cursed Carolyn and all in her line to suffer from the
myrchen
."

"Myrchen? What the hell is that?" David asked.

"The lives of all in her line would be forced to live in what you would call a fairy tale."

"Well, that explains a hell of a lot," Kayla was putting the pieces of the puzzle that was her life together now.

"You have been plagued with this, My Queen?"

"You could say that. I really need to find my daughter. What were you saying about your clan?"

"Miranda has enchanted them. They are unable to resist her spell and have been charged with gathering food for her."

"Food. As in children," David said, a sick look coming over his face.

"Yes, My King, children. If Miranda finds out that your
tochter,
your daughter, is a witch and is of your bloodline, we can only guess what she will do."

"Why aren't you under her spell?" Kayla asked.

Jorek sank down a bit and his wings fell to his sides in what seemed to be embarrassment.

"Because my blood is not pure. My father was a…
gnome
." He spat the last word out as though it made him physically ill.

"Jorek, can you help me find my daughter, please?" Kayla asked, looking the sprite directly in his deep blue eyes.

"You need not ask for the assistance of your subjects, Your Majesty. I would be honored to help you."

"Thank you, Jorek. Do you know where Miranda lives?"

"Yes, my sister has been forced into her service."

"Well, it sounds like we need to save your sister as well."

"You are too kind, My Queen."

"Yeah, I am awesome. Let's go find my aunt."

The trio began the trek toward Miranda's cottage in the woods. Jorek flew through the air, leading the way. After a few minutes, they came into a clearing. Shining the flashlights around the forest floor, Kayla's light came across a small metal post with a chain attached to it. Kayla and David ran up to the post where they found the note that Grace had left for them.

"Jellybeans." Kayla grinned at David, grateful for the small glimmer of hope brought on by the little piece of Hello Kitty paper.

They searched the ground, trying to find the small bits of candy. A little glimpse of red caught Kayla's eye. A red jellybean lay in the grass. Jorek went ahead, searching for more candies. He shouted when he located an orange bean a few feet ahead. The three followed the trail, and Jorek informed them with a grim look that the beans were leading right to Miranda's cottage.

"We had better hurry," Kayla said, running ahead with Jorek leading the way.