Miss Midnight

Chapter Four: The Fairy King

Chapter Four: The Fairy King

Pale moonlight shone upon the backstreets of Tobari City. A witch raced through the night, her boots clinking across the cracked concrete. Heavy, panicked breaths heaved in and out of her whistling lungs. A voice echoed behind her, burning into her ears like venom. "You can't run forever, little witch..."

A Changeling descended before her, a black-haired man clad in a butler's tailcoat and thin-framed spectacles. His phosphorescent golden eyes gleamed in the dark, akin to those of a cat.

He spread his wings and spun his threads, catching the witch in his web like a spider preying on a butterfly. "I'm afraid you won't be running any further, little one." His voice seared into her nerves. "Mistress...it is done."

The tone of another stranger broke through the silence. "Don't be afraid...it's better this way. Farewell..."

A silhouette darted out from the shadows, clutching a spear with a broad blade and a twisted handle. With a blinding swipe, the witch's throat was sliced, and she let out gurgled sputters as blood sprayed from her slashed neck, staining the black night a deep crimson.

A clawed hand reached into the slain witch's chest, cracking through flesh and bone, and tore out a glimmering golden teardrop-shaped crystal. The hand's owner licked the blood from the otherworldly gem. "Soon, this will all be over. When it is done...no one else will have to suffer."

In the wee hours of the next morning, since I hadn't slept all night after our fight with Kotori, Mariko, Aqua, Saki, and I headed down the fog-bound streets to Witch's Brew. Walking down that street again made my stomach clench with dread. I knew Suleika was dead, but still...what if there was another one?

We entered the shop, where streams of sweet-smelling incense smoke swirled around the room. I heard the clunk of wooden sandals as the Timespace Witch Miyu trundled out into the foyer.

Her black cat familiar, Anja, followed closely behind her. "Ah, Charlotte. I see you've returned. With a new visitor, at that. Hmm, let's see...you are Mariko Takahashi, Miss Patissiere, the Witch of Candy, correct?"

Mariko froze up. "H-how...how do you know that?"

Miyu smirked. "Witch's intuition. When you've been a witch as long as I have, you learn to recognize your own kind rather easily. Especially since they're so rare nowadays..." A hint of sadness tinged her voice. "That's beside the point. Miss Midnight, have you considered my offer? I sure hope you haven't come all this way just to tell me no."

I stayed silent for a few moments. "I've been thinking about it...and I accept. Mariko and I fought a Majo last night, and we barely escaped with our lives. After that...I knew I couldn't do this on my own."

"What's going on, Charlotte?" Mariko asked. "Is she going to help us?"

"She's offering you a job," Aqua replied. "Accept it, and you will work for her at Witch's Brew, free to practice your magic as you please. However...the work here goes beyond stocking shelves and checking out customers. It's not exactly a simple summer job."

Miyu's thin lips twisted into a small smile. "Very well. How about you, Mariko Takahashi?"

Mariko was struck dumb by Miyu's sudden question. "I...ummm...I...don't know...do you think you can help me? I'm not powerful, I don't know anything about being a witch...I just want to become stronger..."

"You need guidance," Miyu said. "Both of you. You're lucky. Most young witches don't have anyone to guide them into their powers aside from their familiars, if they're fortunate enough to have them. I will warn you right now, being a witch is not easy, and neither is working here. You won't have time to make friends or fall in love. Magic is not a toy to be played with. One little mistake can have serious consequences, not just for yourself, but for everyone you know and love. What we deal with extends into a dimension beyond our own. One wrong spell cast can result in a curse that will haunt you for the rest of your life."