The Witch's Curse Read online

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1: Rain, Rain, Go Away!

  Chapter 2: The Witch of Bogburp

  Chapter 3: A Price to Pay

  Chapter 4: Finger-Pointing

  Chapter 5: A Rainy Mission

  Chapter 6: Urp!

  Chapter 7: Eggshells

  Chapter 8: Grom’s Workshop

  Chapter 9: Magic Powder

  Chapter 10: Today’s Weather

  ‘Adventures in Flatfrost’ Excerpt

  About Jordan Quinn and Robert McPhillips

  Rain, Rain, Go Away!

  * * *

  * * *

  Heavy rain pelted the windows in Prince Lucas’s turret bedroom. It had rained for six days, and Lucas had grown bored. He had read every book he owned. He had played at least a hundred games of checkers and backgammon. He had draped blankets over the tables in the playroom and called it Fort Wrenly. He even taught Ruskin, his pet scarlet dragon, a few new tricks.

  Is this rain ever going to stop? Lucas wondered. He looked out the window and sighed. Ruskin sighed too. If Lucas was bored, Ruskin was bored.

  The storm had been fun at first. Lucas and his best friend, Clara, had made a mud slide on the hill behind the castle. They’d slid down the hill until the grass had worn off. They’d swooshed down the muddy slide again and again, tearing holes in their trousers and bloomers.

  “Wash up!” Clara’s mother, Anna Gills, had cried as she tossed two bars of soap out the back door. “No tracking mud into the castle!”

  Lucas and Clara had each picked up a bar and squeezed it. The soap shot out of their fists and landed in a puddle. They’d squealed with laughter. Then they’d rubbed the soap on their hair and clothes and rinsed off in the rain.

  But day after day the rain kept coming. Water rushed down the main road like a river. Some of the villagers’ homes had flooded. Others had leaky roofs. Clara hadn’t come over to play in days.

  Queen Tasha and King Caleb had grown worried about all the rain. They were talking about it when Lucas and Ruskin entered the throne room.

  “I’ve never seen so much water,” the queen declared.

  “We haven’t had this much rain in one year, let alone in one summer,” said the king. “The farmers will lose their crops if it doesn’t stop.”

  “Does that mean we’ll run out of food?” asked Lucas.

  “Of course not,” said the king, though he wasn’t really sure. He ran his hand over his blond hair. “Something’s not right.”

  “Maybe it’s a spell,” Lucas said.

  No sooner had he spoken those words than lightning cracked, and ka-boom!—thunder rattled the castle windows. Ruskin yelped and hid under the king’s throne.

  “Perhaps you’re right,” the king said as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. “But who would do such a thing?”

  The Witch of Bogburp

  * * *

  * * *

  The royal trumpets trilled. The king and queen looked at each other in surprise.

  “Who could be at the door on a day like this?” questioned the king.

  Stefan, one of the king’s men, entered the throne room.

  “Your Majesty, the Witch of Bogburp wishes to see you,” he said as he bowed slightly.

  The king frowned. He hadn’t seen the Witch of Bogburp in years, and for good reason. She used to be the king’s adviser, and although she had meant well, she had made a lot of terrible mistakes. One time the witch had offered to make the king’s apples the sweetest in the entire kingdom. The king loved apples and gave his permission. The witch sprinkled magical plant food on the trees, but instead of making delicious apples, the trees withered and died.

  Another time the king had wanted a sweet, cuddly kitten. The witch brought him a beautiful white kitten with golden eyes. The cat hissed and spat whenever it saw the king. To make matters worse, it disobeyed all the rules. The king named the cat Mischief because she always got into trouble. She knocked over the queen’s perfume collection and smashed all the bottles. Then she fell down the garderobe—the palace toilet—and was flushed into the moat. Stefan had to fish her out and give her a bath.

  If that wasn’t enough, the witch had given the king a special blond tonic to cover a few gray hairs. But instead of covering the gray, it had made his hair fall out! Luckily, the king’s hair had grown back, but his friendship with the witch had not. She was no longer welcome at the castle, nor anywhere else on the castle grounds. She had been banished to her tree house in Bogburp. Yet here she was, knocking at the door.

  The king was about to send the witch away when the queen said, “Perhaps she’s changed, Caleb. Let’s hear what she has to say.”

  The king sighed.

  “Very well,” he said. “Send her in.”

  Stefan presented the Witch of Bogburp to the king and queen.

  Ruskin took one look at the witch and scampered behind Lucas. Lucas remembered her slightly from the days when she had worked at the palace.

  The witch had a short, stubby body, a large hooked nose, and elfish ears. She wore a black cloak and had wet pointy leather shoes on her feet. A bonnet with a tail and a tassel sat on top of her scraggly black hair, and where her right eye should have been, the witch had a glass eye. Sometimes it rolled around in the socket when she spoke. Lucas could never quite tell where she was looking. It made him uneasy. To top it off, she had a black raven perched on top of her walking stick.

  “What brings you to the castle, Tilda?” asked the king in a calm, but not-so-friendly tone.

  The Witch of Bogburp smiled, revealing a missing tooth on one side. She bowed slightly.

  “I have come to mend my ways, Your Majesty.”

  A Price to Pay

  * * *

  * * *

  “And how do you plan to mend your ways?” asked the king.

  A crooked smile swept over the witch’s face as lightning flashed outside the throne room windows.

  “Why, I can put an end to all this rain,” she said sweetly.

  Thunder boomed and rumbled around the castle.

  King Caleb looked at the witch suspiciously. “And what do you know about the rain?” he asked.

  “I know it’s a curse,” said the witch.

  The king leaned back in his throne. “And what do you want to do about it?” he asked.

  The witch’s glass eye bulged in its socket. “I don’t want to do anything,” she said. “I like the rain. But if never-ending rain isn’t good for your kingdom, I may be able to help.”

  The king desperately needed help. He had no idea how to stop the rain, and the witch knew it. He couldn’t allow the kingdom’s crops to be ruined.

  “I suppose I will have to accept your offer,” said the king.

  “Of course you will,” said the witch, who now knew that she, not the king, had the power. “But there will be a small price to pay.”

  The king gripped the arms of his throne and leaned forward. “And what is your price?”

  “I only require three things,” said the witch. Then she held up a bony finger for each. “A cauldron made of gold, your bejeweled family ring with the royal crest, and the queen’s diamond-and-emerald scepter.”

  The king’s jaw dropped. “Such a high price!” he cried. “My ring and the queen’s scepter are sacred symbols of our right to rule Wrenly. We cannot part with them.”

  “Very well,” said the witch. “Then your kingdom will drown and your people will suffer.”

  The king hung his head. He knew there was no other way to save his kingdom. He felt helpless.

  Then the queen gently laid her hand on her husband’s knee. “I will pay the price,” she said.

  The king looked at his wife. He gained courage from her words.

  “An
d I will give you my ring,” said the king.

  The witch rubbed her hands together greedily. Ruskin growled, and Lucas pulled him close.

  “And what about the golden cauldron?” asked the witch.

  “I’ll have the goldsmith forge one without delay,” said the king. “We’ll deliver everything to your home in Bogburp.”

  The old woman cackled. Her black cloak swirled as she disappeared out the door. Her raven followed behind.

  Finger-Pointing

  * * *

  * * *

  “How could you?” Lucas cried.

  “What choice did I have?” asked the king.

  “You didn’t have to promise your ring and scepter,” said Lucas. “We could’ve found another way.”

  “Some matters require the help of witches and wizards,” the king said.

  “And some matters are caused by witches and wizards,” Lucas argued.

  “What are you suggesting?” asked the king.

  Lucas put his hands on his hips. “I think I know who’s behind the curse,” he said.

  “You do?” questioned the king. “And who might that be?”

  “It’s Grom,” said Lucas, folding his arms.

  The king rolled his eyes. “Why would Grom do such a thing?” he asked.

  “Because he’s always in a bad mood,” said Lucas.

  “Not a good reason,” said the king.

  “And he doesn’t have any friends, except his brother, André,” Lucas went on. “And he locks himself in his tower on Hobsgrove all day so no one can see what he’s doing.”

  “Wizards like privacy,” said the king.

  “I’ll bet he wants to take over the kingdom,” said Lucas.

  “That’s ridiculous,” the king said.

  “Then why did he want Ruskin’s shells after he hatched? Everyone knows scarlet dragon shells have the strongest magical powers in the kingdom.”

  “He just wanted them for his potions,” said the king. “Any wizard would want scarlet dragon shells.”

  Lucas sighed. “I don’t trust him.”

  “Grom may not be the most fun-loving wizard,” said the king, “but he’s always done things to help the kingdom.”

  “And be careful about blaming him for something he may not have done,” added the queen. “You must have all the facts first.”

  Lucas knew better than to argue with his parents. But he was sure that Grom was behind the curse. I’ll just have to prove it, he thought. But I’ll need help.

  “Father, may I please go over to Clara’s house?” asked Lucas. “I can’t stand being cooped up in the castle any longer.”

  “No,” the king said firmly.

  “But, Father, it’s not very far,” Lucas pleaded. “And I’ll take Ruskin with me.”

  “Perhaps it would be a good idea for Lucas to check in on the Gillses,” said the queen. “I’d like to know how they’re faring in the storm.”

  “May I, Father?” begged Lucas. “Please?”

  The king threw his hands in the air. “Now how am I supposed to rule a kingdom when I can’t even rule my own family?” he said.

  The queen laughed. “We promise to keep that a secret,” she said.

  Then Lucas grabbed his cloak, and he and Ruskin scampered to the stables.

  A Rainy Mission

  * * *

  * * *

  Lucas saddled his horse, Ivan, and raced through the rushing water to Clara’s. Ruskin clung tightly to Ivan’s mane. Rain spattered their faces as they galloped along.

  Clara’s family lived above her father’s bakery, the Daily Bread. Lucas pulled back the reins in front of the bakery. Rainwater had almost reached the top of the first step. Lucas hitched Ivan to a post under the eaves. Then he jangled the bells on the door. Clara’s father, Owen Gills, thumped down the stairs and answered the door.

  “Lucas!” he cried. “What on earth are you doing out in this weather?”

  “I came to see Clara,” Lucas said.

  “Come in,” said Owen.

  Clara’s family had stayed safe and well in the storm, but they, too, had grown worried.

  “If this rain keeps up, the bakery will soon be filled with water,” said Anna.

  “And if the crops are destroyed, there will be no wheat for our bread,” added Owen.

  Lucas assured Clara’s parents that the king was working on the problem. Then Lucas, Clara, and Ruskin went to Clara’s room. Lucas told Clara about the witch’s visit, the curse, and the price his parents agreed to pay to undo the curse. He also told Clara that he thought Grom was the one behind it all.

  “How can we prove it?” asked Clara.

  “We need to talk to the Witch of Bogburp,” Lucas said. “She seems to know the most about the curse.”

  “So what are we waiting for?” said Clara. Then she asked for permission to go out for a quick ride with Lucas.

  “Okay, but be back before dark,” said Clara’s father.

  “We will!” promised Clara.

  And they headed out on their rainy mission.

  Urp!

  * * *

  * * *

  Lucas, Clara, and Ruskin stopped at the palace stables and quietly saddled Clara’s horse, Scallop. Then they galloped toward Bogburp.

  Bogburp was a spongy bog made of water and many dead plants, known as peat. Wrenly farmers harvested the peat and a plant called peat moss. The villagers burned peat in their fireplaces to warm their homes. Sometimes they lined their walls with peat moss to keep out the cold. The Witch of Bogburp lived in the middle of the peat bog up in an old, dead oak tree.

  Lucas and Clara grazed their horses on a patch of grass, away from the bog. Dragonflies hummed in the air and frogs plopped into the water around them. Urp! went the bog. The very bog itself seemed to be alive. Every few moments, it belched, and bubbles rose to the surface. That’s how it had come to be known as Bogburp. Ruskin rushed to the water’s edge and sniffed at the bubbles.

  In the distance Lucas and Clara saw a tree house in the middle of the bog on a tuft of land. Charms and lanterns hung from the bare, twisted branches. Tucked in the branches, on top of a wooden platform, was a house with a thatched roof, along with two smaller huts. A boardwalk swirled around the trunk of the tree and led up to the house.

  “That’s the witch’s house,” said Clara, who always knew where everything was in the kingdom of Wrenly.

  “How are we going to get across the water?” questioned Lucas.

  Clara shrugged as she studied the swamp.

  Urp! The bog burped again. Ruskin jumped into the bog and landed on a rock. He leaned over and chomped at the bubbles that had come to the surface. The bog burped again. Ruskin hopped to another rock and tried to eat the bubbles. Each time the bog belched, Ruskin jumped to another rock.

  “That’s how we’ll get across!” Clara exclaimed.

  Lucas and Clara hopped from rock to rock, following Ruskin, until they got to the little island with the oak tree. Then they stepped onto the witch’s rickety dock.

  “I hope she doesn’t put a curse on us,” Clara said.

  “Remember when she cursed the wizard Olaf with clumsiness?” asked Lucas.

  “Yes,” said Clara, “and he tripped and dropped your mother’s emerald pendant over the cliff.”

  “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” Lucas said.

  Clara folded her arms. “That old witch wouldn’t dare harm the prince of Wrenly.”

  Then she began to march up the curvy boardwalk in front of her. Lucas and Ruskin followed right behind. When they got to the top, they knocked on the door and waited. Footsteps clacked across the wooden floor. A small square in the middle of the door unlatched and creaked open. One glass eye and one real eye peered down at the children.

  Eggshells

  * * *

  * * *

  The witch closed the tiny window and opened the door.

  “Oh my!” she cried. “What brings you three to Bogburp in all this wet weather? H
ave you come to deliver my goods?”

  A black cat with green eyes and a crooked tail swirled in and out of the folds of the witch’s gray dress.

  “No,” said Lucas, who found it hard not to stare at the witch’s glass eye. “We’ve come to ask a few questions.”

  “Well, come in!” said the witch. “I haven’t had any visitors in ages!”

  Lucas, Clara, and Ruskin went into the tree house and looked around. Candles flickered and cast shadows on the walls. The furniture had all been made from logs and branches. A fire burned in a small stone fireplace, and a kettle bubbled over the hearth. Dried flowers and charms hung from the beams, as well as a few cobwebs. A broom stood in the corner, along with the witch’s walking stick, which had the raven perched on top. When the raven fluffed his wings, Clara jumped.

  “Don’t worry about Odin,” said the witch. “He’s quite friendly.”

  The raven flew from his perch and landed on the witch’s shoulder. The stick wobbled back and forth and made a strange sound, like a waterfall of seeds. Both Lucas and Clara glanced at it. The raven cocked an eye toward Ruskin. Ruskin flicked his tongue.