Pride and self-assurance dripped
off Maleficent’s angular face. Her eyes, like jewels, glittered with fervor. My
attention was piqued. “Who?”
Maleficent rose from her seat and
sauntered about the room, examining my possessions. “Do you recall a certain
Queen who weaseled her way out of a bargain involving her newborn son?” My eyes
narrowed. Treacherous harlot. “But of
course you do,” Maleficent continued, answering her own question. “After all,
she is the reason you exiled yourself here to hide your shame and do menial
favors for milkmaids and stable boys.”
“What about her?” I asked, irritated.
“She has a granddaughter now, a
little princess.” Her lips curled in a snarl as she spit out the word “princess.”
“And you’re asking me to kill an
innocent baby?” After all these years, the idea was laughable. To have
Maleficent, self-proclaimed Mistress of Wickedness, come to me, asking for help
to off a human child, was absurd!
She was inches from my face in a
matter of seconds. “She is not
innocent!” Maleficent thundered, bearing her teeth and breathing fire out her
nostrils. I swatted the pyres away from my tunic. “At least, not for long,” she
murmured softly, turning away from me and slinking back into her chair.
I gazed at the fairy thoughtfully,
curious what to make of her outburst. “What exactly do you need me for?”
“I require your spinning wheel.”
I glanced at my precious wheel. Mine. “Why my spinning wheel? Why not
use one of the villager’s near your domain? It will cost much less than my
price and you would not have had to travel so far to obtain one.”
“An ordinary spinning wheel will
not do for my purposes; I need one that is…flame retardant.”
“In case your spell fails and you
have a tantrum?” I spat.
She glared at me, “In case the king
does the foolish thing and tries to stop me.” I glowered at her. Despite
myself, I found my thoughts wandering to the prospect of payment. Surely, she
was capable of paying more than what the peasants in the valley could ever
afford. As if reading my mind, she said, “I can pay you twenty ounces of finely
ground black diamond. Good luck finding anyone within a thousand miles who will
pay you in such a manner.” She produced a satchel from her cloak, dipped her
fingers into it, and pulled out a handful of glittering black powder.
My fingers itched to snatch the
sack out of her hands. “Very well,” I sighed, feigning disappointment. “It is
normally much lower than usual asking price but I suppose I can lower it for a
good cause.
“Excellent,” she sneered. “I will
return tomorrow for the spinning wheel,” she said, turning on her heel and
heading towards the door.
“Ah, ah, ah! I require upfront
payment. I won’t have you swindling me.” I held my hand out to her expectantly.
She scowled but dropped the satchel
in my hand. “Pleasure doing business with you.”
“And you, Dearie.”
