The Angel of Death

Chapter Five

The Witch crouched motionlessly in the shadows behind the big oak door. Everything was in place. The lanterns hung high above the hallway. The figurines that she had sculpted were placed carefully around the area to create the best effect. They were not just ordinary lanterns and figurines, though: the Witch had imbued them with Dark Magic to make them come to life when she needed them to. An ominous wind howled through the open windows. The moon cast an eerie light on the figurines. The Witch shivered just by looking at what she had set up. She had been planning this for weeks now, sneaking away every so often to sculpt her haunting figurines. With a steady hand and a watchful eye, she sculpted each of her four animal figurines down to the tiniest detail. The vampire bat was her masterpiece, fangs bared, poised and ready to strike. The black cat was elegant and haunting, with sharp yellow eyes that seemed to follow the Witch around as she walked. The hellhound bore a striking resemblance to her pet hound, Ghost, whom she styled it after. Its lips were curled back in a snarl, and its white fur was covered in black and silver stripes. Finally, she sculpted the raven that she had seen long ago in her dreams. Curved beak, sharp talons, dark feathers. She remembered it vividly, although only in a dream. It had clawed her eyes out and pecked its way into her brain after ripping her throat out to make sure she could not cry for help....

The Witch shivered again. With a start, she realized that she had fallen into a trance. Quickly looking around, she shifted her position ever so slightly and continued her vigil. A few minutes later, she finally heard what she was waiting for: footsteps.

"Christine? Christine! Where are you? Close those windows in an instant. We cannot have the fire burning out right now. I have to complete a spell that I am preparing. Christine! Oh heavens, where are you, child?" a voice called, faint at first but slowly getting louder as the speaker approached. "Child, did you not hear me? I said close those windows in an insta-"

Christine jumped out as the Great Witch Melisandre opened the door to the hallway. "Incendia absum!" the Witch cried out. All at once, the lanterns sprung to life and began to dance around Melisandre. The figurines came to life and slowly went to the Great Witch, howling and screeching as they went. The sight of it made the Witch weak. This is sure to at least frighten Melisandre, Christine thought...until she saw a blank, disinterested look on the Great Witch's face. Melisandre turned to look at Christine and arched an eyebrow, and with a snap, the lanterns and the figurines fell all around her. The Witch's jaw dropped.

"I thought you had gotten behind this tomfoolery, child. I call you to close the windows and this is what you answer me with?" Melisandre clucked. "Quickly, clean this mess up. And for heavens' sake close those blasted windows, would you? I would rather you not catch a cold," she said, turning away.

Finally closing her mouth, the Witch tried again, "Incendia absolum!" using a more powerful spell this time. She heard the Great Witch sigh.

"I wish you had not done that," she said. She drained the Dark Magic out of the lanterns and figurines. She slowly walked towards Christine with a remorseful look. "I am sorry for what I must do. Truly, I am. But child, you have to learn your lesson some time. And I am afraid this lesson will be rather painful," the Great Witch said.

With a puzzled look, Christine waited to see what this "lesson" would be. When she saw Melisandre growing bigger and gaining more legs, her eyes widened and she tried to scream, to run, anything to get away, but her feet were rooted to the floor, no doubt because of the Great Witch's magic. The Witch watched in horror as Melisandre morphed into a giant spider. Her legs quadrupled in number and bent to her sides. Her eyes shrunk and became a beady red color. Smaller eyes covered the rest of her face. Coarse hair grew on every part of her body. Finally, mandibles sprouted from her jaw, clawing the air.