Arthur Hood: the Heir of Robin and King

Chapter Eighteen

In the grounds of the Home for Enchanted Girls were hundreds of fairies, Sheriff's Men and other different beasts. Monsters lumbered with big hairy feet, werewolves skulked and howled, and zombies frothed at their mouths. And they were all closing in fast.

'We need to get out of here,' Arthur whispered in a frantic hush.

'Then what?' asked Little Johnny.

'Maybe we can hide in the river or something. Or maybe there's somewhere in the orphanage we can hide. Merlynna?'

'If my magic was working,' Merlynna replied, 'there'd be plenty of places to hide. I could have shrunk us to the size of thimbles and we could have snuck away in a mouse hole.'

'Let's get outta here then,' said Arthur.

From her bedroom, Merlynna led the way back downstairs. And as they scurried through a corridor, passing window after window, they could see more and more fairies and Sheriff's Men outside. Eventually, they found a window where the coast seemed to be clear.

'I can't see anything. Can you?' said Merlynna as she looked through the glass.

'Nothing,' Little Johnny replied. They then opened the window and climbed out.

'To the river,' Arthur whispered. But before they took one step, four Sheriff's Men appeared. Fairies soon followed from above and were led by the Princess of the Fays herself, her evil gaze snapping at the conjoined pieces of the Sword in the Stone in Arthur's hand.

'I see you've found some friends, Arthur Hood,' the fairy princess cackled before stretching out a long fingered hand. 'And something else that belongs to me.'

'The sword doesn't belong to you, you winged rat,' Little Johnny burst out. 'It belongs to only Arthur.'

'Yeah, what he said.' Merlynna stepped forward, raised her hand at the fairy princess and yelled a spell. 'Teine.'

Expectantly, nothing happened. She then shouted it over and over again, hoping her magic would come back, until the fairy princess hissed with devilish delight at her failure.

'A young witch, are you?' the Princess of the Fays crowed. 'From here? Well, I'm afraid to say that magic will never return to you. Ever. We've taken it like we took the magic from the other girls and those insufferable three old hags that called themselves caretakers.'

The night erupted with more cackles.

'Where'd you take them?' Merlynna shouted.

'Don't worry,' the fairy princess replied, 'you'll join them. All three of you are coming with me. But before we go, let me rid this world of this sanctuary for witches, for one, Morgana le Fay, the Queen of the Fairies, shall be this world's only.' With an evil wink at Merlynna, she then bellowed with a raspy cry, 'Teine.'

In an instant, flames danced across the Home for Enchanted Girls, spreading until every corner was engulfed and the night turned to day.

'NOOO!!!' bawled Merlynna.

'Now, we can do this the hard way or the harder way,' said the fairy princess.

'We're not coming with you,' shouted Arthur. 'That will never happen.'

'The harder way it is.' The fairy princess then showed her fangs and screeched, 'Cadal.'

As bright as the flames, a spell shot towards the children. However, Arthur raised Pridwen not a moment too soon. The spell bounced off the shield and zipped back, hitting several fairies and Sheriff's Men, who dropped to the ground out cold.

'GET THEM!' the fairy princess yelled.

This time, dozens of spells bolted through the air. And as each one hit Pridwen, they too ricocheted back. But despite this, fairies, Sheriff's Men and other beasts had started to close in.