Page 15 of Royally Hacked Belle & Flame
As if on cue, a small girl with blonde braids tugs at the teacher’s skirt. Her bottom lip trembles as she whispers, just loud enough for us to hear, “Did the witch take Gwen and Archer?”
The teacher’s face tightens. She crouches down, smoothing the child’s hair with a practiced gentleness. “No, Lily. There’s no witch. Remember what we talked about?” The girl nods,but looks unconvinced, her eyes darting toward the edge of the woods beyond the courtyard.
The teacher jerks her head toward the hallway and we all follow her outside.
“See?” she asks. “They’re all convinced that Archer and Gwen were taken by the Yule witch and nothing I say can convince them otherwise.”
I grimace. I hadn’t given a second of thought to the Yule witch—it’s just a legend meant to discourage kids from wandering off. Even when I was a child myself, I never believed it. But, then again, no one I knew ever disappeared like Archer and Gwen.
“Can you tell us about the children?” I ask.
Madam Merriweather sighs and runs a hand through her hair. “They’re both such wonderful students. Gwen is eight. She’s very bright and enjoys reading. Archer is twelve. He’s been a bit of a handful this year, but overall a good boy.”
“A handful in what way?”
She shrugs. “He’s old enough that his magic is a little unpredictable, but it’s not his fault. He’s never meant to break anything or cause trouble.”
Madam Merriweather points toward a window that I only now notice is broken. “He did that just last week, I haven’t gotten around to fixing it yet. Whenever he gets startled or angry, things break but he’s hardly the first twelve-year-old boy I’ve taught to have that problem, he’ll grow out of it.”
We all nod in general understanding. I vividly remember how at the same age I couldn’t get a handle on my magic either. I once tried to turn on a lamppost and it exploded.
Without thinking, I raise a hand toward the window and the glass immediately knits itself back together. The teacher offers me a genuine smile. “Thank you.”
“So both the kids have magic, then?” Kastian asks. “Do most of the village children practice magic or are they unusual?”
“I wouldn’t say it’s unusual, but they’re certainly in the minority. Of course you know that magic must be trained from a very early age to be of any use, and most village children don’t have access to that sort of tutoring.”
“You don’t teach them?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “I don’t use magic either. I never had the opportunity to learn.”
“Then who taught Archer and Gwen?”
“They were both trained from an early age by their parents. Since the parents died, they have fallen behind a bit, but they’re both naturally gifted.”
“Can you think of any reason the children would have run away?” Kastian asks.
The teacher shakes her head. “No.”
“We were told they’re orphans,” Jett supplies.
The teacher nods. “Yes, but they were both relatively well-adjusted to the death of their parents a few years ago. I was happy that they were doing so well living with their grandfather.”
“How did the parents die?” Jett presses, eyes widening slightly.
“During the curse,” Madam Merriweather says sadly. “Lots of people died then, it wasn’t exactly unexpected.”
I nod in understanding. “Do you know if they like living with their grandfather?”
“Yes, as far as I know.”
I frown. The teacher seems to be a nice woman, but she’s not being very helpful. “What do you think happened?” I probe.
She shakes her head. “I don’t know. I’m too old to believe in the witch, but I am afraid they got dragged off by a wolf or something. I’m so worried about them.”
“Maybe they’re lost in the woods,” a small voice pipes up.
We turn and see the same little girl with blonde pigtails leaning out of the door to the classroom. Clearly, she’s been listening.
