Chapter Eighteen

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Ibis didn't dare communicate with Carabosse as she rocketed towards the human kingdom. He followed her silently and perched in a tree outside the princess's bed chamber.

Carabosse waved her hand, sending out her magic to unlock Aurora's window, but it was stopped by a sparkling, gold force field.

"Mother..." she muttered, then tried again. The window would not budge. With a sharp hiss between her bared teeth, she gave up and went in search for another entrance.

Eventually she found a tiny crack within a side door that led to the servant's quarters. She shrunk herself to fit through the gap and grew back to her human-sized fairy form as soon as she landed on the wooden flooring inside.

The atmosphere inside the castle felt thick with her mother's magic.

Slowly, she walked along the claustrophobic corridors and looked around at the various staff members that lay on the ground, sleeping in the place they were working when Heartha and the Rosebush Twins cast their large sleeping spell.

It was not only the humans that were affected by the fairies' magic. The castle pets were also asleep, and the lit candle flames were still, as if they were frozen in time. They carried on burning but in a sleepy, cooler hue.

When Carabosse reached the princess's chamber door she was met by that same sparkling force field.

"No!" she hissed through her teeth. "Those thorough, meddling..." she cussed aloud and hit the force field hard with her fist.

A small dark crack then formed within the protective wall of golden magic.

"They always underestimate me," Carabosse sneered through a forming smile.

She then pushed her hand against that crack and made it grow. Soon the Mother of Fairies' protection spell completely evaporated from the door and disappeared into the ceiling above her, like a cloud of steam.

The door made an uncomfortable creak as the dark fairy slowly pushed it open, revealing the sleeping princess upon her royal bed. A wicked laugh escaped Carabosse's crimson lips when she saw the countless magical white roses surrounding the girl's sleeping form.

She stepped over the threshold, her bare foot landing inches away from Claudia, who slept, slumped against the wall beside the door. She glanced down at the dark haired girl, then headed towards the four-poster bed, where Aurora lay.

Her thoughts went reeling as she took each step. She was trying to think up a plan to beat Mother and the Rosebush twins once and for all.

She reached her black-gloved hand forward and stroked the delicate, silky petal of the first flower she came to between her thumb and forefinger.

"I'll show you. I will! I'll prove to everybody that I'm the most powerful fairy here!"

Then suddenly, without a hint of a warning, a flash of golden magic entered Carabosse's darkened irises. She saw, as clear as day, Aurora's future.

She saw a strangely dressed gentleman bent over her to give her a gentle kiss, which successfully woke her up. The vision then disappeared from Carabosse's mind in a blink of an eye and a scowl replaced the surprised look that pulled on her brow.

"So arrogant, oh so arrogant, Mother..." she growled, then took in a deep calming breath and squeezed her eyes shut.

Out of the depths of her searching mind, a thought reared its head, causing her smile to return.

"You may have power over her physical destiny, Mother, but you failed to foresee this!" she declared to the room, which only harboured two sleeping humans.

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