Mistress of All Evil (Villains 4)

It wasn’t like Hudson to ask questions, especially about royalty, but he couldn’t stop himself. “Ma’am, has Queen Snow White lost her senses? Everyone knows the legend of the old queen’s demise. Please excuse my impertinence, but…”

“My dear Hudson, please don’t concern yourself with this. I assure you, Queen Snow White hasn’t lost her senses,” Nanny said firmly.

“Yes, ma’am,” Hudson said nervously. He didn’t look at all comfortable with the knowledge that the infamous queen Grimhilde somehow still inhabited this world.

“The old queen’s disposition has changed since her death, Hudson. Please don’t worry,” Nanny said. Hudson gave Nanny a look she had grown accustomed to—a look of pure awe, because she had read his thoughts.

“I’ll take that message now, Hudson, if you don’t mind,” Nanny said with a coy smile.

Hudson fumbled for the message and placed it in Nanny’s outstretched hand. “Of course. I-I’m sorry!” he stammered.

“Please, Hudson, don’t worry. Why don’t you go downstairs for a nice cup of tea? I think it will do you some good.”

“Poor Hudson,” Circe said with a laugh as the witches watched him walk away. “What does the letter say?”

“Let me see,” Nanny said. Circe looked on, analyzing the expression on Nanny’s face rather than reading her thoughts. Clearly the queens weren’t sending good news.

“It seems your sisters left a book at the old queen’s castle during one of their visits when Snow was still a small girl,” Nanny explained. “A book of fairy tales. Apparently, the old queen used to read this book to Snow when she was little, and there was a story about a Dragon Witch who puts a young woman to sleep for her own protection. They’re wondering now, with everything going on with Aurora and Maleficent, if this book foretold their story.”

Circe didn’t know what to make of that, but Nanny continued before she could question it. “The part that is most concerning to them is that this book seems to be predicting everyone’s stories. Not just Aurora’s, but Snow’s, Ariel’s, Tulip’s,

Cinderella’s, even yours! The old queen and Snow White are worried the book is spellbound.”

Circe didn’t even want to think about what it would mean if her sisters had spellbound the book. “Do you think it is?”

“Spellbound? No, I think I know this book. I think it is simply a recording of time. It’s not prophecy or spell-work. I don’t think even your sisters would do such a thing.”

Circe wasn’t as sure. “If my sisters did spellbind that book, you know Queen Grimhilde will want revenge. Everyone will.”

Nanny shuddered at the notion. If the odd sisters had spellbound the book, not even Circe would be able to protect them from the repercussions of their grievous misdeeds.

“We need to see this book. Circe, can you write to Snow White and ask her to send it? The only way to know if the book is spellbound is for you to look at it. If your sisters have done this—”

Circe cut her off. “It would be devastating.”

Nanny felt a terrible chill as she thought about the destruction the odd sisters had caused over the years. She felt a tugging in her heart that she hadn’t felt in longer than she’d like to recollect. She wondered if they should even bring the odd sisters back. She had promised to help Circe wake them simply because that was what Circe wished, and Nanny wanted nothing more than to make Circe happy. But would that really be the best thing for Circe? Would Circe ever truly be happy with her sisters in the world, inflicting death and destruction on everything they touched? Circe would spend the rest of her long life righting her sisters’ wrongs and helping those her sisters hurt. Would she ever reach her full potential in their shadows? Nanny was heartbroken in the wake of that revelation. I can’t refuse to help her now. I can’t go back on my word. Even if it would be the best thing for Circe if her sisters stayed asleep.

Circe’s face filled with grief. She had heard Nanny’s thoughts and felt betrayed by them. “How could you?” Circe cried as all the color drained from Nanny’s face.

Nanny hadn’t meant for Circe to hear what she was thinking. “I want only to protect you, Circe. I promise you,” she insisted.

Circe stood silently, not knowing what to say. She felt numb and close to tears. She couldn’t look Nanny in the eye. “I think I will go home, write to Snow White, and ask her more about this book,” Circe said. “Besides, I think I could use a change of scenery.”

In the time Aurora had been in the dream realm, she had never been able to speak with anyone who appeared in the mirrored chamber; she was always just an observer. And now that she was speaking with someone in this lonely, dreary place, it had to be with these women, these witches, these bizarre raving lunatics she could hardly understand.

“Oh, that isn’t nice, Princess. Not nice at all.”

“Yes, watch your manners, dear!”

“Didn’t your stupid fairy godmothers teach you manners?”

Aurora didn’t know what to say. She still wasn’t entirely convinced that the witches were actually speaking to her. She remembered one night when she was watching her cousin Tulip. She could have sworn that Tulip was talking directly to her, but it turned out she was talking to her cat, Pflanze. Aurora had felt silly for answering Tulip, and she’d promised herself she wouldn’t make that mistake again.

“Oh, we’re talking to you, Princess! Oh, yes, we are!”

Aurora narrowed her eyes at the witches in the mirror.

“Oh, yes, Aurora! We see you!” The two witches in the left and right mirrors were waving manically, eyes bulging as they smiled at her like madwomen.