Free Virtue - a Fairy Tale by Amanda Hocking

decided she would have the Lady’s life, even if it meant that she had to take her life to get it.
    “You’re Iris’s confidant?” Scelestus smiled wider. “You’re the one she went to, to save herself when she realized that I was coming after her. That’s how she got that ridiculous bag of parlor tricks that did nothing to help her.” Scelestus laughed again, growing louder and more delighted. “She went to you for help, and you gave her nothing . She died because you weren’t strong enough to help her!”  
    “No.” Wick gritted her teeth and gripped her wand tightly. Already, she was drawing her energy up, calling everything she had and building it inside her. “She came to me, and I told her how to stop you, how to kill you, but Iris would never resort to that. She refused to stoop to your level. You took advantage of her innocence and her charity. But I am not nearly as kind or forgiving as she would be.”
    “You failed at preventing me from killing her, and now you’re going to fail at preventing me from killing her daughter.” The fire ball in her band burned brighter, and Scelestus raised her hand, preparing to throw it and burn the cottage down.
    Before she had a chance, Wick’s wand glowed blue and shimmered. A beam of light flashed out of it, enveloping Scelestus, freezing her in place. She struggled against it, her mouth contorting in rage and pain, but Wick was using all her might to hold her.
    “Invictus evictum!” Wick shouted and flicked the wand.
    Scelestus went flying through window, shattering glass and splintering wood. Her body slammed hard against a tree several yards from the cottage, and she slumped down on the ground. Jinn ran to her side as quickly as he was able, and at first, he thought she was dead. Scelestus lay immobile, her eyes shut, with a thin line of blood dripping from her mouth.
    “My Lady!” Jinn wailed, touching her shoulder, and Scelestus’s eyes shot open. “Thank the gods that you’re alive!”
    “Of course I’m alive, you dimwit!” Scelestus struggled to get up and snapped her fingers at him. “Help me up!” She put her arm around Jinn, and he helped her to her feet.
    “What happened?” Jinn asked carefully. “Did you find the girl?”
    “Does it look like I have the girl?” Scelestus wiped at the blood on her lips and glared back at the cottage.
    “No, I’m sorry, Mistress.” He bowed his head in shame. “Did you destroy the witch?”
    “No. Not today.” She turned away from the cottage and walked in the other direction, toward the palace.
    Wick had drained Scelestus of her power, and all of her muscles ached and burned. It would take all of her strength to get them home, and she’d have to wait a few moments before she could recharge her magic enough to do that. It had been far too long since Scelestus had battled with anyone.
    She considered going back to finish Wick, since the fight had undoubtedly drained her too, but Wick didn’t have the girl. In a few days, when Scelestus successfully recaptured Lily, she would have more than enough power to do away with Wick, and anyone else who crossed her. But for now, she was old, tired, and painfully mortal. Her time would best be spent back in her chambers, using the cauldron to track down Lily.
    Wick had used all of her energy to cast Scelestus out of her cottage. She had wanted to kill her, but she had never done well with the dark arts. As soon as she’d sent her away, Wick went to her grimoira, looking for a spell to destroy Scelestus.
    She had to drag herself to the table. Her muscles felt weak like jelly, and her mind had gone hazy. Even her vision blurred, and she found it hard to see the words on the pages. She cursed herself for growing stale and complacent living in the woods. Most of her practice went into potions and holistic cures, and it’d been years since she had used actual magic like that.
    All her attention was focused on trying to find a way to kill Scelestus and get