Chapter Eight

Wicked Sisters of the Traveling Plans

Thirty - six years before, in Tenebrae.

“Mr. High Rat. You are in charge of our security, correct?” asked Maggie.

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“And you work for us, and must do anything we ask?”

“Not exactly, I work for your mother, th’ Queen.”

“Technicalities.” Nine-year-old Maggie weighed her options. “How much does my mother pay you?”

“Enough for a single rat with no responsibilities, why do y’all ask?”

“My sister Janet and I have more spending money each week than you make in a year, am I right?”

“That is correct. I still don’t know why y’all askin.”

“How would you like to make a little extra money on the side?”

“What would I need to do?”

“Just make sure my sister Barbara is standing precisely here at exactly 3:15 tomorrow afternoon.”

“Ah reckon I can do that.”

At 3:15 the next afternoon, a large piece of the castle wall smashed Princess Barbara. There were few witnesses. One reported seeing the High Rat escort the Princess a few minutes earlier. Another witness reported seeing Princess Maggie and Princess Janet on the castle turret above just moments before the horrendous accident occurred. All the witnesses disappeared as several empty cells in Doldunt Prison became suddenly occupied. The High Rat was seen walking to his office with a large attaché case.

                       

One year later.

“Mr. High Rat. I have another assignment for you,” ordered Janet.

“Ah reckon as long as it don’t include the injury of any of your sisters. That last accident was most unfortunate.”

“No, of course not, but it would be a financially wise decision. I am doing a report on the Terina bee, and I need to study one. Could you get one for me?”

“Them there Terina bees are very poisonous Princess Janet. It would be costly to acquire one of them on such short notice.”

“Oh, we are willing to pay well.”

“What would y’all like me to do with the bee once I find one?”

“You see that tower room over there, the one no one ever uses? Put it in there.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

                          

*

Three weeks later, a Terina bee stung Princess Briana while she played hide and seek with Janet and Maggie.

There were no witnesses. Nevertheless, anyone found in the vicinity had been executed. The High Rat in charge of Princess Security was seen leaving the castle with two large attaché cases. He was never seen or heard from again.

Queen Hillary was alarmed. Her two oldest daughters had been killed in only two years. Someone was threatening the royal family. She spent several weeks concocting a special protection spell for herself and her daughters. “Anyone causing harm to any of the royal family shall receive the same in return.”

One month later.

“Teresa, we know who’s been murdering our sisters,” whispered Maggie.

“Yes, and we are aware who’s next on her list,” added Janet.

“Who?”

“It’s Abigail, and you are next.”

“How do you know that?”

“We overheard her yesterday talking to her maidservant about how she was going to kill you.”

“Why?” asked Teresa.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“She’s removing all of her competition for the throne. You are next in line to the throne.”

“Oh, dear. I never thought about that.” Theresa walked away.

One week later, an attempt was made on Abigail’s life. A part of the castle wall fell right next to her, and a Terina bee landed on her but did not sting. Her sister Theresa was stung by the bee, and a falling part of the castle wall crushed her.

                          

*

Two months later, Queen Hillary gave birth to her seventh daughter, Elizabeth. The Queen announced her birth to the Queendom as follows: “I am pleased to present my seventh daughter, Elizabeth, as my chosen heir to the throne. In accordance with the rules of the Queendom, any seventh born daughter shall be the heir to the Queendom by virtue of the greater magical power inherent within her.”

Janet and Maggie were not pleased. For the first time in many years, they spent long hours studying the rules of the Queendom. They hired scribes to study more. The law was clear; Elizabeth was the heir.

Today in Tenebrae.

Janet and Maggie were in the middle of their weekly meeting. It was Janet’s turn to host the meeting in her sitting room with magenta curtains and magenta upholstery. A beautiful cherry curio cabinet with all of her evil talisman’s lined up in order from shortest to tallest stood by the door. Everything in the room was lined up from shortest to tallest. Janet even remodeled the doors and windows to match the slanting décor. Janet was pacing back and forth in front of the slanted windows.

“I can’t believe how long it is taking for dear Mummy to succumb to the poison.” Maggie stood in front of the curio cabinet and rearranging the talismans in tallest to shortest.

“Shh, dear Sister, the walls have ears,” cautioned Janet.

“That is very true, dearest Janet, but let’s not forget just who pays the wages of those ears; I believe that happens to be us,” cackled Maggie.

“Mother is being so stubborn, but stubbornness does run in the family. Remember when we tried to get our dearest sister to jump off a cliff and take the screaming brat Liz with her?”

“Yes, I remember. Her name was Abigail, wasn’t it?”

“It doesn’t matter what her name is or was, does it, Maggie?” Janet said while rearranging the talismans in order from shortest to tallest. She walked over to the window and stared out. “If the urchin had just done as we suggested, we would not be in this predicament.”

“I was sure it would work. Remember Theresa?”

Janet smiled. “Oh, poor sweet sister, dearest Theresa, she was so gullible.”

“Oh, yes, she just gobbled it all up. She wasn’t very creative though,” laughed Maggie, as she rearranged the talismans.

“That was so perfect. Dear Mother just took it all in. It convinced her that Theresa was the guilty party all along.” Both sisters laughed, tears streaming down their faces.

“Past victories aside, we still have the Elizabeth problem.”

“Maggie, you know how to spoil my fun. Have you thought of another way to kill her?” she said, rearranging the talismans in order of shortest to tallest.

“Oh, Janet, if you don’t stop second guessing every evil move I make, I’m not going to share my crown with you,” yelled Maggie.

“Share your crown with ME?” screamed Janet, “I might not share my crown with you.”

“Just one second there, dearest Janet, it is I who plan to share MY crown with you. After all, I was the firstborn,” jeered Maggie.

“Oh, no dear Sister, I was the firstborn. Mother was specific; she said the firstborn had a small pink mole next to her right eye. She saw it clearly when the nurse held me up to her after I was born. See, I have a pink mole next to the right eye.”

Maggie smiled, “Ahh, but dearest, dearest little Sister, when I was held up, the mole next to my left eye was on mother’s right side. Thus, she said, the oldest is the one with the mole on her right- HER right. Besides,” she turned away from Janet and rearranging the talismans again, “it is not important now, dearest. Another simple twist of fate puts Elizabeth’s claims on the crown above our own.”

“Oh, I don’t think we need to worry about our baby sister. I forgot to tell you, dear Sister. I had the foresight to place an operative at a popular theme park, and he spotted the whole family outside his station, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride last year. They were followed. Appleton is on his way right now to retrieve our dearest sister and her brat child.”

Maggie retorted, “Bringing Elizabeth here would not solve our problem. Mother still has that annoying protection spell in place. True, we can bend the spell’s protection against Mother, but we haven’t been able to budge the protection against Elizabeth.”

“I was saving that for last. Elizabeth has been protecting her child from us.”

“Of course, she has been protecting her from us. We want her dead.”

“Doesn’t that make Elizabeth a guardian? And hasn’t our mother made it against the law and subject to the penalty of death to be a guardian?”

“Yes, and the spell does not protect her daughter.”

“Exactly dear Sister.” Janet folded her hands across her chest.

“My dear Sister, I haven’t given you proper credit, you are much dastardlier than I thought. This might work.” Maggie was sweetly thinking, “I mustn’t let her get the upper hand on me again.”

Knock Knock.

“Enter.”

The servant girl, Alice, entered the room. “Pardon the interruption, your Evilness. You have a visitor. It is a devious looking toad. I believe it is Appleton.” Alice, the servant girl, went to her knees and bowed until her head touched the floor.

“Show Mr. Appleton into the study, and please tell him we will attend to him momentarily. Now, leave us, girl,” demanded Janet. As soon as the girl had left and shut the door behind her, Janet and Maggie both skipped around like school children. “It looks like our hard work has finally paid off.” The sisters left the sitting room arm-in-arm and headed to their reward, waiting in the study.

As they were leaving, Janet stopped suddenly and said, “Dear Sister, I think one of our dearly departed sisters’ ghosts may be haunting us. My evil talismans keep rearranging themselves.”

“My dear Sister,” Maggie said, “I believe you may be

right; they are doing the same to me.”