Spelled

Chapter 4: Hate at Second Sight

***This is part 4 of a 10 part excerpt of Spelled, a young adult fractured fairy-tale to be released on June 2, 2015 from Sourcebooks.**

"It's not really a party until a fight breaks out and all seven dwarfs are passed out underneath the punch bowl."

- Excerpt from "How to Have a Blast at Your Next Ball" in Fairy Vogue

Where the spell did she go?" I asked as if the night air might answer.

"Are you blinder than all three mice? I'm right here," Verte answered and ambled toward me, her emerald staff making a thunk- shuffle- shuffle sound.

"Not you, the... Oh never mind."

Tonight Verte wore her finest black muumuu with a matching, pointy, and slightly crinkled hat. She was also decked out in magic, from her staff to a silver belt inset with a giant emerald, intricately carved into the shape of an eye. The belt has given me nightmares since I was five, when I finally got the courage to wink at it- and it winked back.

"I've been asked to inform you that the king and queen want to introduce you to a new prince. There, consider your-self informed." Task finished, Verte shuffled away, grumbling in low tones. "One of the most powerful sorceresses in all of story, reduced to a secretary, of all bubbling..."

She thumped her emerald cane against the stones that paved the garden paths. The stones brightened and glittered, illuminating the way back to the ballroom.

Fairy fudge. I should've known that's what all those messengers were about. I hurried to catch up with Verte. "So, who is it this time?"

"Who's on what time?" Verte said absently, focusing on a slight rustle in the bushes.

I swear, I've known cats that had longer attention spans than Verte. "The prince. Who's the royal reject they want me to meet now?"

"There." Verte's hand struck out between my legs and under the bush at a speed that shouldn't be achievable by hunched old ladies. I squeaked in surprise as she drew back with a frog in hand. It uttered a pathetic and alarmed croak in protest. Verte studied the frog and then nodded in apparent satisfaction, turning her focus back to me.

"Is that the prince?" If so, he was on his own. There was no way in spell I was going to let my first kiss be with an honest- to- fairy- godmother slime ball.

Verte made a rude noise. "Don't be addled. This is Rexi, the kitchen girl. She shorted me on my frog legs yesterday. Had to get 'em another way." She shoved Rexi under her hat. "Your prince and one true love is inside." She puckered her lips a bit and waggled her hairy caterpillarlike eyebrows.

I screwed up my face. "Mother of Grimm!"

It was an extremely un-princess like curse, one that could have gotten me turned me into Rexi's froggy friend for a week. I didn't care; I had bigger fairies to fry. Up until now, I had been dragging my silver- and- ruby heels back toward the party, but this had to stop. I began a brisk and determined stomp down the cobbled walkway.