King of the Beasts and Queen of the Clouds

Chapter 2: Two Sides of Amiss

Chapter 2: Two Sides of Amiss

Once beauty morphs to darkest black,

Persuaded by each ancient spell,

Attempts of creation are surely on track,

Though the secret is for only future to tell.

:o:-:o:-:o:-:o:-:o:

The dog gave a fearful howl. Stepping away from the two sisters, the canine tried to escape, ignorant of the branches that grew around its paws. Soon it was locked in place, looked down upon by the witches that wrought yet another animal misery.

"I am sorry," Whispers, the eldest, frowned, eyes tired and yellowing from countless seasons of practicing beastly magic. "We shan't hurt you any longer. Forgive us."

Whimpering, the animal allowed its head to droop, ears low as the vegetation beneath it began to take over. The fluffiness of the dog's fur began to drop away and harden, oil seeping from its firming pelt while its claws grew larger and sharper. A growl escaped the creature's throat, quieting almost immediately.

"This is promising. We're approaching our goal." Adelaide smiled coldly, watching as the animal stilled, becoming like a tree that only resembled its species. She dipped her quill in ink again, writing down the results as she always did. The book that they begun taking notes in years ago had been filled, along with three more and half of another. All depicted failed experiments and spells that had gone wrong, intricate details on every single one of them.

"I sense a growing wickedness in our practice," Whispers said solemnly, murmuring words of old under her breath. Adelaide could guess what they were without having to listen, remembering the sweet taste of white magic as it left her lips so long ago. She did not bother to recite any of them anymore, not with the task the King set for them lingering unfinished for such an extensive time. And also, she quite liked the feeling she got when working with the Unknown's darker aspects. It held a peculiar thrill that could not be beat by petty conjurations.

After setting the book down on the table, the younger woman caged up the little amalgamation in the basement. She was pleased to see that its bitter eyes tracked her movements even though its body was stiff and without protest. Soon, she felt, the beast that they were doing their best to create would be ready for release into the forest.

Excitement bubbled up with a childish aura, causing her to walk the length of their little collection, where the history of the past few moons were laid out before her in separate cages. All were short of what she needed, though the progress shown gave her confidence.

The back contained groups of fanged frogs, too dormant to actually bite anything besides the stray bug. Next to them was a bird that had been combined with poison ivy, though the mix showed no physical signs of change apart from color and was passive as well. Further along were various other beings, from the creepily deformed cat to the strange and simple plant-like creatures.

She stopped by the cage of a snake with petals for scales, made from the remnants of wilting flowers. It hissed at her then curled up into a tight coil on the far side. Adelaide had been especially proud when the snake had kept its personality. Ever since then she had been determined to further a certain aspect of her spells. The dog she had just caged proved her theory to be a good one.

"Adelaide. The townspeople are speaking of us outside," her sister told her from the staircase, sounding unhappy.

The maroon-cloaked entrantress made an effort to approach the door, curiously passing by a darkly dressed Whispers as she strolled into the cottage's main room. Her gaze darted to the mesh windows, the shadows of lingering passerby sparking her interest. Muffled voices carried from the screen. She pressed her ear against the wire, listening.