Midnight Magic

Chapter 3

  Paige looked around for a weapon and found none. Using the resourcefulness found in any born witch, she orbed the book, slamming it on the clown's forehead.

He caught the book where it rebounded in his gloved hands. "Ouch! That thing is even heavier than it looks," he said clown, messaging his forehead.

Before Paige could begin a tirade aimed at the clown, she realized something vital.

"Wait. It didn't shock you," she said, surprise in her voice and on her face.

"That's because I'm on your side," said the clown.

"Huh?" said Piper and Paige in unison.

"Yep. I'm Slappy the clown. You see, Melore is a minion of the Vampire Prince. Every Halloween, at midnight, the park comes to life and he lures one child there to murder them for their blood. It's an ancient tradition. That device you saw me putting the child in isn't really an iron maiden; it's a teleporter. It sends the kid back to bed with no memory of where they were."

"That's why Piper ended up here in bed with no memory," concluded Paige.

"But how did you get here? We locked your cage," asked Piper.

"I let myself out."

"How?"

"The same way Piper froze herself and you orbed in place; I placed an enchantment on the tent. Every piece of magic used inside there can be reversed."

"Then how come I was able to freezeyoufirst without freezing myself?" asked Piper.

"Because your whole body was not in the tent, only your hands."

"Who makes up these rules?" asked Paige in annoyance.

"What do Melore and this Vampire King want from us?" asked Piper.

"Right now, he's a Vampire Prince. If he takes a queen—for instance, your sister—he will become the Vampire King."

"What about this Melore character? He captured Phoebe to give her to the Prince?" asked Paige.

"Maybe. But there's also the possibility that he's a traitor, stealing her for his own needs."

"Can the Prince do that; force her to marry him?" asked Piper.

"Vampires have studied witchcraft for millennia. She is definitely trapped with one or both of them somewhere right now, and it is entirely possible that either one of them could brainwash her into doing pretty much anything, including reciting her wedding vows."

"Okay, so we need to figure out if she's with the Prince and his minions or with Melore," said Piper.

"What if Melore has minions of his own?" asked Paige.

"That is a definite possibility. So, we'll go down to the underworld—or wherever dimension in which these things live—cast a spell to free her from whatever magic she's under, and kill the Vampire Prince and all of his minions," said Piper.

"With what? Our powers won't work on them, and the last time I checked, neither one of use can wield a sword, a stake, or shoot fire," lamented Paige.

"Technically, the book didn't say that potions would not work on the minions, just that they wouldn't work on the king. And, just in case, I do happen to have pair of stakes," said Piper.

"Great. That makes me feel so much better about this," said Paige sardonically.

"Besides, you can still orb us out of harm's way," said Piper.