«Well, no, of course not,» Orwell hesitated. «But she might amuse us.»
Fiona was frightened. For some reason she invariably associated amusement with scratches and claws and savage pain. Oh, why had she gone in the mountains? If she hadn’t gone there, she wouldn’t have ended up in a dungeon.
Ornella leaned over her and ran her fingers through her tangled hair.
«She is a redhead and she has no freckles!» For some reason Ornella was alarmed by this fact.
Yes, Fiona had no freckles. So what is of it? Redheads usually had them, but someone got away with it. You should be happy, not sad! Freckles and pimples were all skin blemishes. Fiona was glad she didn’t have to cover her freckles with homemade flour whitewash, not enough for the market. Ornella, on the other hand, was even angry.
«Remember the prophecies about the redheaded beast who…» She clutched at her brother’s sleeve.
«Ch-ch-ch!» he glanced at Fiona, who couldn’t stand it and opened her eyes.
«After a fire, memories turn to ashes too, so let her listen!» Ornella waved her ringed hand and straightened up stately.
«But it wouldn’t hurt to put the plugs in!» Orvel remarked.
Fiona felt a blockage in her ears, but not for long. She couldn’t hear anything at first. All she could see was Ornella’s pursed lips opening aggressively, and her brother shaking his head negatively. Then fragments of phrase began to be heard again.
«What do you mean, you can’t? You could! You have to learn better!»
«It is Sephora. She is a bad teacher and she is too flaming.»
«She’s the best, that’s why she’s fiery.»
Isn’t that the firebrand they’re talking about? That one hissed in a web of fire, hovering over Ornella’s head. A moment and her redheaded fingers reached for the crown on Ornella’s head, causing the metal to glow. Ornella shuddered, and quickly stepped back into the shadows. Smoke billowed from her strands.
«You are thieves!» She hissed at the fire fairies. «I’ll have you burned at the stake for disrespecting the Queen!»
The fairies merely laughed evilly.
«Then I’ll drown you! Give you to the Morgens as tribute!»
The flaming fairies kept silence, and scurried away. It was dark without them. Only Ornella’s jewels exuded a little golden glow, and the torches of the guards gingerly glowed behind the bars in the distance.
«I will invite Sephora again,» Ornella promised to Orvel.
«But don’t invite her dragons again!» He exclaimed.
«They are like her train. They are always around.»
«You don’t own us!»
«Yes, I do!»
She showed her claws. Birds’ claws on woman’s hands! Fiona shuddered.
«Yes, I see, I see!» Her brother brushed her off.
Fiona seemed to have lost her only protector. Orvel gave up. The newfound Queen of Sultanit bent over Fiona again and tugged her hair painfully.
«She is a redhead! All redheads are sorceresses. They must be tortured and burned.»
Fiona did not have time to object, and no one would have listened to her. Ornella had already summoned the guards.
The guards here were empty-headed in the literal sense. It was as if they had been turned into sleepwalkers. They moved like machines.
«Go to the bonfire!» Ornella ordered. «And go quickly!»
«It’s not fair!» Fiona screamed. «I am not a witch! You are the witch!»
Ornella’s face grew icy as she stepped toward the troubled condemned woman. Only her anthracite eyes flashed furiously with anger. Now she’s going to attack!
«My dear!» Ornella lifted her lips to her ear as if to kiss her cheek. «Never confuse witch and werewolf!»
And a bird’s claws slid across her shoulder, marking her like a brand.
Fiona cried out in pain, not outrage. She was dragged up the stairs and down the luxurious corridor of the castle, which appeared to lead through an intricate network of galleries and balconies, all the way to the front door.
On the way she ran into Condor. He was handsome as the dawn and as angry as the devil himself.
«What does it mean!» He shouted in fury.
The guards and Ornella all fell to their knees. They were frightened of him, weren’t they? Are they afraid of him? Fiona held her breath. Maybe he could help her out. He didn’t like her at first sight. But she saw him, and her heart leapt at him like a bird in a cage.
How handsome he was! And how inaccessible! Ornella’s other brothers like her, and she is attracted to someone who doesn’t care about her.
«It is just the execution of the witch who has worn out the king with her black magic!» Ornella commented.
«Is it just one witch?» Condor looked at Ornella as if he expected her to be dragged to the bonfire. «Really, the greatest evil is letting a witch get so bad that she sits on the throne and runs the whole country.»
«Shut up!» Ornella shushed him. «Remember the arrangements!»
Condor weighed his chances of winning the debate and nodded silently. Fiona was dragged along.
The fire fairies were already flying over the square and spitting fire, forming a large bonfire. The executioner stood idle. And in such a witch land they still burn witches! Magic is everywhere.
What on earth possessed her to go up into the mountains and encounter an entire witch royal community? Curiosity is a nasty trait! It was curiosity that had led her to the bonfire, and to unrequited love. She tried to twist herself in the hands of the guards so that she could get another look at Condor. She wished that the last thing she would see before she died was him, not the evil fire fairies.
«Send for Rokuela, or go yourself!» Condor whispered, addressing someone who was hovering outside the gallery windows.
Fiona did not have time to get a closer look. She was tied to a thick pole and literally thrown onto already burning piles of straw. Flames were about to rise to her ankles. The firefighters laughed merrily, a red-headed circle circling the square. For them, the execution was a feast. The flight of fiery bodies was like a dance or a monotone firework display. Sparks flew off in all directions. Someone in the crowd scolded angrily when a shower of sparks hit his family. Everyone came to see the witch’s execution, though it was late, and a storm was brewing on the sea beyond the square. Ornella herself watched from her high balcony. She had no shortage of regal grandeur. The people respected her and took off their hats in front of her. Women curtsied, hoping she would notice them. She really was the local leader.
With a wave of her hand, the firewomen obediently rushed to fan the flames, crawled over piles of straw, and dived for the pole to which the witch was tied.
Fiona felt her feet burn. She was on fire. Tongues of flame licked at her shoes. The flames were biting. The Condor watched indifferently from the tower. At least he would be the very last thing she would ever see. His face is as beautiful as a mural of an angel. Even more beautiful! And he himself is even more soulless than the cold celestial creatures. It is as if he were not looking at an execution, but at an empty square. He could at least put on a look of sorrow as a courtesy.
Ornella wasn’t hiding her feelings. She was ready to applaud the fire fairies. They were so successful in burning one witch that they could ignite the whole square. If such a selfish woman ruled Sultanit, the country would turn to hell. It already was hell. Fiona cringed at the pain in her shoulder. Only a werewolf could have left such deep wounds that were now scarlet on her skin. Ornella had bird claws, after all! What if she really was a werewolf? Then it was a good thing her scratches were contagious. She wished she could turn into a bird and fly away from the fire now!
