Fire Princess

Chapter Five

Agatha and Phoenix were chatting as they made their way to the next class. The rounded the corner and Agatha ran into something and fell down.

“I’m wet. Again.” Agatha frowned and looked up. “You should watch where you’re—”

It was a boy. The king of the princes to be exact. Phoenix looked between her new friend and the prince in alarm.

“I’m Tedros,” he said, and held out his hand to help Agatha.

Agatha didn’t take it. She pulled herself up, gave him a lethal glare, and shoved past his chest. She stormed to the end of the hall, clumps thunking ogreishly on glass, and with a last venomous sneer, snatched at the door.

It was locked.

“It’s this way.” Tedros pointed to the stairwell behind him.

Agatha huffed past him, holding her nose. Phoenix looked panicked now.

“Nice to meet you!” the prince called.

Agatha snorted.

“Sorry.” Phoenix said quickly. “She’s not having the best day.”

She hurried after Agatha.

Animal Communication, taught by Princess Uma, took place on the lakeside banks of Halfway Bay. For the third time that day, they arrived to find a class was Girls Only. Surely the School for Evil didn’t see the need to decide what was a “Boy” skill or “Girl” skill. But here in the Good Towers, the boys went off to fight with swords while girls had to learn dog barks and owl hoots.

“No wonder princesses were so impotent in fairy tales,” Agatha whispered to Phoenix. “If all they could do was smile, stand straight, and speak to squirrels, then what choice did they have but to wait for a boy to rescue them?”

Phoenix laughed.

“Ever read the Phoenix fairytale?” she grinned.

“It’s the other half of Rapunzel’s fairytale.” Agatha nodded. “They worked together to save each other.”

“My parents.” Phoenix smiled. “Only possible through Animal Communication you know, since he was stuck in his phoenix forms for ages.”

Agatha winced, she couldn’t imagine that!

Princess Uma looked far too young to be a teacher. Nestled in prim grass, backlit by lake shimmer, she sat very still, hands folded in her pink dress, with black hair to her waist, olive skin, almond-shaped eyes, and crimson lips pursed in a tight O. When she did speak, it was in a giggly whisper, but she couldn’t make it through a full sentence. Every few words, she’d stop to listen to a distant fox or dove and respond with her own giddy howl or chirp. When she realized she had a whole class staring at her, she cupped her hands over her face.

“Oops!” she tee-heed. “I have too many friends!”

“Imagine.” Sweet Kiko, the one who had given Agatha her lipstick, whispered to Phoenix, who smiled.

“Evil has many weapons on its side,” said Princess Uma, finally settling down. “Poisons, plagues, curses, hexes, henchmen, and black, black magic. But you have animals!”

Most girls looked unconvinced. Princess Uma met Phoenix’s eyes, the only girl who didn’t look unconvinced. The teacher unleashed a piercing whistle and a barrage of barks, bays, neighs, and roars blasted from the Woods beyond the schools. The girls plugged their ears in shock. Phoenix grinned.

“See!” Uma chuckled. “Every animal can talk to you if you know how to talk to them. Some even remember when they were human!”

“I know everyone wants to be a princess,” said Uma, “but those of you with low ranks won’t make good princesses. You’d end up shot or stabbed or eaten and that’s not very useful. But as a sidekick fox or spying sparrow or friendly pig, you might find a much happier ending!”