“What’s happening to him?” Ignatius asked the boy.

  “If I had to guess, I would wager that the broth is ridding his body of the toxins.”

  “Your guess?” asked the prince.

  “That is my guess. But look!” He pointed. “He’s awake!”

  “And bucking like a wild horse.” Robert added.

  “He’s awake, it’s true.” Ignatius said scratching his chin. “Awake but in pain. I cannot make sense of this, but my judgement says not being comatose is somehow an improvement.”

  “Auuugghh!” the queen cried out.

  “Mother!” the shadow girl said, rushing to her side.

  “Mother?” asked Hoxley with surprise

  “Mother? Asked the witches looking at one another

  “Mother?” asked the boys and Atticus in unison. The shadow girl rounded the bed to stand before the queen. No one said a word as the glowing eyes looked upon the woman twisting in pain.

  “Mother?” asked the girl. The queen looked upon her with confusion trying to make sense of the dark being haunting her chambers. For all the strangeness and ghastly magic causing the shadow girl’s form, the woman was able to look though the darkness and find a name she’d known since she’d given it upon her only daughter’s birth.

  “C-cassandra?” she asked. “Cassandra, my baby, is that you?” The woman managed to stifle her pain long enough to reach her hand out where the shadow girl laid her cheek upon it.

  “Mother it is you! Yes, its me, Cassandra! Cassandra is my name!” The king heard this and managed to roll away from Hoxley and look upon the specter looming close to the bed. The expression on his face became equal parts shock and horror.

  “My darling!” He bucked and scooted like an inchworm to get closer. In an attempt to touch her the king’s hand went through her shoulder and he almost went tumbling to the floor. “What is this, what’s happened to you, Cassandra, who did this to you? Tell me!”

  “Evil men. They stole from our home in the middle of the night and took me to the desert where they used dark magic to turn me into this.” She said sadly. “I might’ve stayed there forever locked in shadows if they hadn’t set me free.” She waved her hand to point at the others in the room. The king and queen turned in place to look upon the motley group of witches and centaurs and others standing by. The king looked like he was about to speak when he grimaced in pain and clutched his gut once more.

  “Is there a remedy for the pain?” Hoxley asked Morell.

  “I thought this was the remedy.” Quipped Robert. Ignatius grabbed each of the twins by the shoulder.

  “Quickly, you two.” He said as he lowered himself to the height of their ears. “Run to the kitchen. Use your stores of witch hazel and nightshade for tea to ease the effects.” The twins nodded they understood and bolted from the room, their winklepickers clattering all the way down the hall.

  “My baby, my darling child.” The queen said trying to find some part of the shadow that was solid enough for her to hold onto. “Here, look here, Cassandra, come.” The woman groaned, managing to put her feet on the floor. She walked gingerly over to the far wall, almost falling over twice from weakness. The queen stood half bent at the waist underneath a hung painted portrait on the far wall. Everyone’s eyes followed to look upon visages of the king queen and their daughter, princess Cassandra. “Here, my darling girl. Look here, here is your beautiful face.” The shadow girl looked upon it as well and as she beheld the image of the young maiden in the painting, her own form began to change. What was once only a stark black outline with glowing eyes began to change. The lines of a face, the nose and lips and chin and cheeks shaded themselves into existence as though seeing herself before the dark magic began to make her anew. She was no longer a silhouette, but a shaded version of a pretty young girl of fifteen summers.

  “It is her.” Hoxley gasped.

  “She’s a princess?” asked Morell.

  “Indeed.” Commented Ignatius.

  “It is her!” exclaimed Atticus. “She’s returned home. My quest to find her is complete.”

  “But what’s happened to my daughter?” the king groaned. “How is she in this state? How can this devilry be undone. You, witch.” He said, looking upon Ignatius. “You know of such things. Free my daughter from this witchcraft.”

  “My apologies, your highness” said Ignatius with a small bow. “But if you daughter is infected with bad magic, I’m afraid I wouldn’t know where to begin to. Such things are beyond me.”

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “You know what’s wrong with her!” The man strained with anger while wrestling with his pain. “This is witchcraft! No one but your kind dabbles in such perversion of nature. I demand you change her back at once!”

  “You demand of me?” Ignatius asked, his hand shifting to rest upon the hilt of his sword. “My good king, I know nothing of such perversions. Were it within my power to change her I would willingly do it.”

  “You will do as I say!” The king furiously grunted. Hoxley could no longer watch and stepped between them.

  “He speaks the truth, your highness.” She said, trying to calm him. “We’ve traveled together this whole way across this land. “He knows nothing of whatever curse is upon your daughter!” It was then that Siouxsie returned through the doorway with a cup of steaming tea in a saucer and Robert a step behind. Not aware of the tension within the situation, she cheerfully slipped past her older brother and under Hoxley’s arm to appear at the bedside next to the king.

  “Here you go, your highness.” She said with a smile. “I’ve got a lovely cup of-“

  “Get that away from me!” the king said, backhanding the cup and splashing the scalding tea upon Siouxsie. The girl shrieked and leapt away as the cup and saucer clattered to the floor.

  “You burned her,” Robert growled. “Tinder and-”

  “Robert, No!” Ignatius shouted, slapping one hand over the scarf where the boys’ mouth would be while the other hand came up from beneath and slapped Robert’s elbow higher. It wasn’t a moment too soon as a fireball leapt from the twin’s hand and scorched the stone wall not a foot over the king’s head. Everyone in the room froze in place like statues before Robert started fighting to get free of his brothers’ grip.

  “You miserable shit faced, pond scum licking-“ Robert fumed before Ignatius muffled him again. Hoxley stepped between the witches.

  “Ignatius, get him outside!” she ordered. The tall witch made a mournful look upon her before wrestling the smaller witch who fought him tooth and nail to get free. Robert kicked and flailed as he was forcibly drug from the room, screaming and cursing the king.

  “Wart scraping piss ant!” he shouted as Ignatius struggled to keep him confined.

  “Robert, be quiet! That’s a king you’re talking to!”

  “I don’t care! I’ll cuss a king all day if I wish! Iggy let go of me!” The insults continued past the threshold and down the hallway beyond. “Pig ass lover! Pig ass lover!” Hoxley bent at the waist to check on Siouxsie who was red in the face not from scalding but anger. The witch’s eyes fell upon the king with hate.

  “Siouxsie, are you alright?” For moments on end. she didn’t say anything but continued to stare down the king, her lips tight with rage. “Siouxsie are you hurt?” Hoxley asked. She didn’t notice it right away but when she moved a little closer, she discovered Siouxsie gripping an already unsheathed dagger just out of sight of the king. “Siouxsieeeeee.” Hoxley said in a cautious voice. “This is a bad situation already.” Siouxsie’s eyes leapt to hers for a single widening of the nostrils before locking again on the king in his bed a few feet away. “Siouxsie please help me.” She said. “I need you to take your things and leave the room so I can try and make this better.” Siouxsie looked to Hoxley, her nostrils still flaring.

  “We came to help them…” Siouxsie whispered through gritted teeth.

  “Siouxsie, please let me try and fix this.” Hoxley pleaded. “Please.”

  “You’re not going to side with him over us, are you?” she asked with pleading eyes.

  “Of course not, but now is a time for diplomacy. Are you hurt?”

  “It stings a little.” She replied, rubbing the red area on the back of one of her hands. “It’s just hot tea.”

  “Join your brothers outside.” Hoxley said, stepping between the king and her to move her along and force Siouxsie’s dagger back into its sheath. “I’ll make this right.”

  “Will you?”

  “I give you my word.”

  “Alright.” Siouxsie said with a little confidence. “If you say you will.” The witch then walked out, looking back only to steal a glance back at Morell and the prince. When she was gone, Hoxley spun about and thumped the butt of her spear upon the floor next to the bed.