Cupcakes and Tea

Chapter Nine - Through the Sounder

'I've been expecting you, Tophiee-cakes,' said The Witch, paying no gaze at the others. Her voice sounded arrogant and loud as it burst out her blood-red lips. 'Get them.'

The Witch tapped her staff onto the ground and the five of them were bound together by invisible ropes. Three warthogs came out of the shadow and grabbed their wrists as they followed The Witch up more glossy, wet stairs, through a torch-lit passageway and into a large hall with a centred narrow table covered in pumpkins and fruit and steaming meats and goblets of wine. Although The Witch wanted them dead as much as she felt pride in her role of power, she indicated them to take a seat, then took her own throne at the end of the table.

'You must be hungry,' she said. 'Eat.'

She gave her staff another tap on the ground and the invisible ropes vanished, leaving red heat marks on their skin. The nun helped Ninety-Eight into a seat of her own, between Moofieee and Toph, then took a seat farthest from The Witch with Invoker at his side. Toph noticed she only had eyes for himself, and didn't seem to care whether the others were there or not; now he understood why the guards having an argument about who was her favourite took place: it was hard to tell if she truly had any favourites to begin with.

'You,' said The Witch, leaving her eyes upon Toph though pointing at an olive skinned man with a chunk missing from his nose. 'Where are their friends?'

'The alligator and the cow have been spotted not far from here, Mistress. They have found a horse,' he said, but did not look her in the eyes. 'There has been no sign of the others.'

'Then why are you still here?'

'I thought –'

'Go.'

'But, Cutiepie.'

'GO!'

The man stumbled out of his chair from the impact of The Witch's voice that boomed through the castle. He did not look back, but remained walking towards the door of which they had entered. When he was out of sight and no where to be heard, The Witch spoke:

'I see my guard has cracked your face, Rose. Why don't you take a sip of my glorious wine and put it right?'

Toph didn't quite know to whom she was speaking, till he looked at Ninety-Eight who had teary-eyes only for her shoes; wincing in pain

'No?' said The Witch, in what was as close to sympathetic as she could get. 'Let us see you, Tophiee. I see my charms have not yet effected you, why don't you have some wine? You must be dreadfully thirsty away from home.'

He looked determinedly into The Witch's eyes not giving her the slightest sign of submission. She seemed to notice this, however, and Toph could have sworn he saw flames of anger behind her ice-blue eyes.

'Take their weapons,' she said.

Three warthogs walked towards them from behind and pulled the swords from their belts – they did not take Toph's pocketknife. When they, too, had left the castle hall, out of sight and hearing range, The Witch spoke again:

'Eat.'

'No,' said Toph.

He seemed to surprise even himself with how confident his voice sounded with his heart racing and pounding inside his ribcage.

'Very well,' she said, after a moments silence. 'If you will not take the offer willingly, I'm afraid I will have to get you by force. I did not wish it to come to this, my Tophiee-cakes, but I'm afraid my patience is thin and my choices are far too low for a foolish boy such as yourself.'

He didn't quite know what she was talking about; but then, as sweat formed through his forehead and the palms of his hands, The Witch pulled an unconscious green sparrow from a basket on the table, and placed it on her plate.