Poor Unfortunate Soul (Villains 3)

Nanny remained calm and gracious in the face of Lucinda’s torments.

“I am remembering more with every moment, my dear, ever since Pflanze came to court. Though truly I think it began when I was in her company while visiting the Beast prince, though I didn’t know it at the time. I suppose I should thank you, sisters, for sending her there to spy.”

Martha and Ruby looked at Pflanze, outraged. “Pflanze! How could you betray our secrets?”

Nanny laughed at the sisters.

“Pflanze didn’t betray you!”

Ruby and Martha were pacing with worry.

“Lucinda, how could you send our cat to the One of Legends? She’s turned her against us!”

Lucinda closed her eyes, willing herself not to strangle her sisters. “How was I supposed to know she was Tulip’s nanny? She didn’t possess her powers! There was no means to track her! For all I knew, she was dead.”

Pflanze was sitting quietly and patiently in front of the enormous solstice tree while the witches argued. The tree towered to the heights of the domed ceiling. She was watching the silver decorations reflect the candlelight and the light casting itself about the room. But her attention was diverted to the debacle of her plans. How could she have thought she could bring these witches together and accomplish anything at all, let alone save Circe’s life?

“What do you mean ‘save Circe’s life’?” asked Lucinda, who was in a frenzy. “What do you mean? Is Circe in danger?” Pflanze breathed in heavily and let her breath out slowly, sighing. She had made a terrible mistake. She had to try to keep her witches from losing their minds; she needed them sane. She needed to show them what had happened. Words could be interrupted, twisted, and misunderstood.

She needed to show her witches; then they would understand. Then they would know.

“Show us what?” The sisters were on their feet again, screaming and clicking their shiny black-pointed boots. “Show us Circe! Show us our sister!” The glass in the domed ceiling was rattling, threatening to shatter, but the sisters didn’t seem to take notice or care.

“Show us Circe!”

“Calm yourselves, please! You’ll have glass raining down on our heads!” Nanny shouted.

The sisters were in a rampant delirium, screaming and ripping the ribbons in their hair. Their ringlets were in tangles and their makeup was smeared from crying.

“Show us our sister! Lucinda, use the mirror!” shouted Martha.

Lucinda snatched Ruby’s purse and took out the enchanted hand mirror.

“Lucinda, we’ve tried summoning her in the mirror! It doesn’t work!” yelled Ruby, but Lucinda wasn’t listening.

“Show us Circe!” Lucinda screamed at her terrified reflection in the mirror.

Nanny snatched the mirror from Lucinda’s shaking hand. “Show us Circe!”

A strange sickly creature appeared in the mirror. It was a horrid greenish gray with deep blackened pits for eyes.

“Damn this mirror to nothingness! Show us our sister!”

“That is your sister, my dears. That creature is Circe.”

The odd sisters sat in disbelief as they looked into their enchanted hand mirror. Their poor dear little sister! How could this creature be their Circe? And why was the One of Legends able to conjure her when they could not?

“I asked Pflanze to bring you here because I’m afraid Ursula is going to break her deal,” Nanny said solemnly.

“What deal?” chimed the sisters as one.

“I don’t think she plans to give Circe back, like she promised you.”

The sisters’ heads cocked to the left in a quick jerk. They seemed to be looking at something very far away, in almost a trancelike state, until Lucinda finally responded. “Give her back? What do you mean give her back?”

“I’m sorry, I assumed you knew.”

“Knew what? What in Hades are we supposed to know?”