Spelled

14: Put a Spell on You

"At the end of the day, it's all about having the newest, latest, and greatest. Save your business today by spicing up old products with fresh ingredients."

—Orbes Magical Business Magazine
14

Put a Spell on You

With Griz gone, Black Crow headed back our way. Quickly, I shut my eyes.
"No need to fuss on my account," Crow clucked. "I can see from the tears on your face that you're awake."
Since my hands were tied behind my back, I couldn't wipe them off. Didn't want to anyway. I reopened my eyes and glared at Black Crow, imagining what would happen if looks really could kill.
"So, what's on the agenda now? Painful death or more of your awful singing that makes me long for painful death?"
Snark is a fabulous defense mechanism.
Black Crow looked genuinely surprised and wounded at my comments. "You don't have to be mean. I'm not evil or anything. I've been nice to you—fed you, took you in. I even used silk ropes."
"Which you used to gift wrap me for Griz." I pulled on the ropes to give her a little demonstration. "Very thoughtful of you."
"Oh, you're not a gift," she said matter-of-factly, completely missing the point. "You're merchandise."
And that was so much better.
"I figure you owed me compensation for the loss of my business," she continued, fidgeting with the pink ribbon on her dress.
"How do you figure? I've never even met you," I protested.
"True, but your little wish has thrown off the balance of magic. None of my potions work correctly anymore. Forgetting hexes bring eternal knowledge. Glamour salves make the skin curdle like milk. You've ruined my reputation," she sniffed.
"How inconsiderate of me," I said drily.
"I know. So glad you understand." Crow apparently wasn't too familiar with sarcasm. She also seemed to unequivocally believe what she said: that she wasn't being a bad person for handing me over to the mother of all evil. She was just conducting a simple business transaction. Righting a wrong. Since it was my wrong, I had to pay. In a delusional sort of way, it kind of made sense.
Evil is tough to override, because it's ingrained in the soul. Nutcases, however, I could work with, and this lady was off her toadstool. I changed my facial expression to one that I hoped looked honest and repentant. "I am so very sorry I have inconvenienced you, but surely we can resolve this. Isn't there some other way I can repay you?"
Black Crow appeared to give this a bit of thought. All at once, her face lit up and she scurried off to the kitchen.
Did I miss something? I glanced over at Kato, still sitting on his pillow, looking as clueless as I was. When Black Crow came back into the room, she was carrying a syringe and a small vial. It was empty.
The problem with empty vials is that something has to go in them.
"Grizelda mentioned something about your blood being special. So it makes a reasonable hypothesis that if I added a drop or two to each potion, they could work correctly again. Perhaps even better!" She sounded way too chipper at the prospect of taking my blood.
I tried to sound enthusiastic too. "Hey, that's a great idea. If you untie my arm, you can get a good vein."
Crow considered for a moment. "You're not going to try anything, are you?"
I smiled, probably showing all my teeth. "I just want to pay you back, that's all."
Crow went around to untie my wrists. Kato sat up, ears perked, watching closely to see what I was going to do. Black Crow tapped my now-free left arm a few times to get the blood to rise to the surface. Just before the needle went in, I decided to strike.
My left fist arched across the space between Crow and me, making a perfect landing on her jaw. "Ow!" we both said in unison. The blow knocked her glasses off her face, and she bent over to grab them.
Now to make a run for it. Of course, running usually required the use of two feet, and mine were still bound together. Planning FAIL.
Gravity worked its magic, and my nose met carpet in a spectacular face-plant. Though the pink rosette rug looked plush, it wasn't soft enough to keep me from breaking my nose.
Propping myself up on my elbows, I saw blood streaming down my face and onto the floor, creating a new abstract rosette. I rolled away from it, trying to stem the bleeding with one hand. Now I was flat on my back and Black Crow stood directly over me. Her glasses were askew, adding to the craziness in her eyes.
She pulled one of the black feathers from her hair. Feathers are generally known to be soft; that's why they made good stuffing for pillows. Crow's were downy on one end and razor sharp at the other. The feather looked like a deadly quill.
I scooted backward on my elbows, trying to squirm away from her. "Hey, wasn't that thoughtful of me to provide all this blood? See, it's dripping. May as well catch it and make good use, right?"
She didn't grab her vial like I'd hoped. Instead, she advanced with the lethal feather, pointy end first. "You are not a nice girl. You lied to me." She wiped the blood from her own split lip. "I think you owe me more blood."
"Sure. Get it while it's hot." I laughed weakly.
Her eyes flashed with madness. "All of it."
She dropped to her knees, straddling me, squeezing my arms to my sides, effectively binding me again. She must use a Thighmaster or something, because I couldn't break away. She grabbed my wrist and pressed the feather into the hollow.
"Wait!"
Both mine and Crow's head snapped over to the chimera in the corner. Sadly, the quill stayed in place; the slightest pressure would pierce the skin.
"So you can talk." The madness receded slightly, and the more scholarly Crow emerged again.
"Yes, it's a little difficult to adjust to this voice box. I could tell you all about it." Kato neared the door frame, stopping just shy of where the barrier was.
Crow leaned back a little bit, shifting her considerable weight, which allowed me to breathe a little easier.
Silently, I willed Kato to keep her talking. If she would get off me, I could untie my feet and knock the nut job out. But it was gonna have to be fast. I was getting woozy, and my nose was leaking everywhere.
"Why don't you come over here?" Kato kept his voice calm and smooth. "It will be nice to talk to someone with a brain for once, instead of that useless princess. In fact, she might actually be the reason I couldn't speak before—lack of intelligent conversation to engage in."
"She is a bit shallow, isn't she?" Crow concluded as I tried my best to look harmless and stupid. Not a tough feat when you're scared out of your mind.
"I've read nursery rhymes with more depth," Kato confided.
Kato and Crow had a laugh at my expense while I covertly untied my feet. And even though I knew he was on my side, what Kato said still hurt. He's just acting—playing a part. But did he have to play it so well?
Or maybe that was how he really felt. Even if he was on my side, Kato didn't do pretty lies, just ugly truths. This wasn't the first time he'd called me a useless princess either.
Well, why should I care what he thought?
I don't. I'm not useless, and I'll prove it by getting out of this mess all by myself.
I rushed her, surprise on my side.
Unfortunately, she had the crystal prism from the desk on hers.
My head exploded into visions of twinkling stars, but I don't think any of them would grant my wish. Blood poured off my forehead and into my eyes. The world was awash with red. Kato roared, going wild and breaking things. When the bottles of potions started hitting the invisible barrier, Black Crow freaked out.
"My work!"
For an alchemist and businesswoman, the loss of so much research and product drove the last bit of sanity away from Crow. She screamed a nonsense word, and the next potion didn't stop—it sailed through the doorway.
Directly at me.
The green, liquid-filled orb broke against my skull.
Nothing happened.
I inhaled in a moment of cool relief. Then I burst into flame.