Fire Princess

Chapter Eighteen

"When terrible things happen, my mother always said 'Find what's good in it,'" Hester puffed, sprinting past petrified Castor and Beezle through Mischief Hall.

"When terrible things happen, my daddy always said 'Eat,'" Dot panted, turning a corner behind her. They slammed into Mona and Arachne-

"What's happening!" Mona cried-

"Go to your room!" Hester bellowed. "Don't come out!"

Mona and Arachne fled inside and locked the door.

Hester and Dot ran down the stairs and saw Hort, Ravan, and Vex coming up.

"Go to your room!" Dot yelled. "Don't come out!"

The boys looked at Dot, then at Hester.

"Now!" Hester barked, and the boys scurried away.

"What's going to happen to the Evers?" Hort whispered in fear.

"We can't afford to think about that right now." Ravan hissed as they locked themselves in their room. "Sophie was a real witch."

"Suppose all the Evers die." Vex sat on the closest bed. "Our year of villains would survive, but there can't be Evil without Good."

"The princes should be protecting the princesses, alright?" Ravan said coldly. "Those Evers may cop a few injuries, but no-one's going to die except for maybe Agatha and that windbag Tedros."

"Not if Sophie's magic is blocking theirs." Vex folded his arms.

"Yeah." Hort nodded. "Those chasms looked pretty deep. I saw Phoenix-" he paused as Ravan's head whipped to him. "She almost fell, her prince, Kai or something, didn't even bother to try and rescue her. She was rescued by her best friend's prince."

"I'll wring that prince's neck." Ravan snarled.

"If there's any Evers left." Vex whispered and the boys lapsed into silence.

"Suppose I'm a henchman?" pouted Dot. "Then we won't be in the same classes next year!"

"If there's even a school left!" Hester snapped.

They sprinted through the stair room, barking scared Nevers back to their rooms.

"I can think of one good thing," said Dot. "No home-work!"

Hester stopped suddenly, eyes wide. "Dot, we're not prepared for a real witch. We're first years!"

"It's Sophie," Dot said. "The same girl who likes perfume and pink. We just need to calm her down."

Hester cracked a smile. "You know, sometimes we don't give you enough credit."

"Come on," Dot blushed, toddling ahead. "Maybe Anadil found her."

After clearing the rest of Malice, the two girls limped exhausted to Room 66 and found their roommate reclining against bunched-up sheets.

"Everyone's locked in their rooms," Dot said, airing out her tunic.

Wiping sweat, Hester frowned at Anadil. "Did you even look for Sophie?"

"I didn't need to," Anadil yawned. "She's coming here."

"Here?" Hester snorted. "And how on earth would you know that?"

Anadil pulled back the sheets, revealing Grimm, Sophie's cupid, bound and gagged.

"Because he told me."

In the School for Good, Chaddick and Tedros stood guard outside the Valor Common Room, shirts ripped and bloodied. Inside the packed, musty den, girls snuffled in their Ball dates' arms, while Beatrix and Reena crept to wounded boys with salve and bandages. By the time the sun came, they too were asleep. Phoenix was still out cold from getting hit in the head with rubble.