Free Tangled Magick by Jennifer Carson

shut as the queen made her way down the hallway.
    Poppy ran her hand through her hair, catching a tangle and working at it with deft fingers. “Well, she would’ve made a much better reflection if she’d combed that piskie’s nest on top of her head.”
    â€œUh-huh!”
    Mae and Poppy started and turned toward the voice. The gargoyle was nodding.
    â€œYou can talk?” Mae asked.
    The gargoyle’s eyes dropped as he shook his head. “Huh-uh.” His lips worked around his pointed teeth.
    â€œOh, you can’t open your mouth,” Poppy said.
    The gargoyle nodded with sad eyes.
    â€œWell, at least we know we can talk around him, since he can’t tell anybody what we’ve said.” Mae shrugged.
    â€œAnd the other gargoyles might be able to talk,” Poppy said, “which makes them dangerous. They could be spies for the queen.”
    The gargoyle’s eyes grew wide and he shook his head furiously. “Nuh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh.”
    Mae tilted her head, thinking. “The other gargoyles aren’t spies?”
    With a determined look on his face, the gargoyle turned his head to the right and then to the left in a firm gesture. “NUH-uh!”
    â€œWell, that’s a relief,” Poppy said.
    The chamber door opened, and the mop bucket clanged into the room, sloshing water as it drew closer. It dumped its water into the tub. Steam swirled above the copper rim as Mae shooed the bucket back into the corner.
    â€œDo you think it’s safe to check out the passageway when we finish the laundry?” Poppy asked as she pulled the sheets and blankets off the queen’s bed.
    Mae bit her lip and shrugged. “I guess now is as good a time as any.”
    They dumped the blankets into the washtub and scrubbed them as fast as they could. After wringing and spreading the linens out to dry, the girls looked for the opening in the wall, but all the bricks were tight. Mae searched for a small finger hold or latch, but she saw nothing.
    â€œHow did the door open yesterday?” Poppy asked.
    â€œIsh,” the gargoyle said.
    â€œThe mop came up the stairs when I magicked the cleaning spell,” Mae answered. “The mop opened the door.”
    â€œSo, do you know a spell that will open the door now?”
    â€œIsh!” the gargoyle repeated.
    Ish?
Mae’s lips quirked to the side as she ran the spells she knew around in her mind. There was one that would openlocked cupboards and trunks. Perhaps it would work on locked doors as well. She drew out her wand and pointed it at the door. “
Hunigar
!”
    A flash of blue light filled the room, and the bricks shimmied and shook, but the door did not open. Mae sighed and scrunched her nose with frustration.
    â€œ
Ish!
” the gargoyle yelled.
    â€œIsh?” Poppy raised her eyebrows and hitched a shoulder.
    Mae scratched behind her ear. “Ish…fish…
wish!
”
    â€œWish? Perhaps the door only opens when we need something that’s down there!” Poppy said.
    â€œSo, we should think of something we want that might be down there,” Mae said. It made sense.
    A faint roar filtered up the stairway behind the wall and into the chamber.
    Poppy shivered. “I don’t think I want anything down there.”
    â€œWhat if Tory is down there?” Mae asked.
    Poppy pulled her lips into a thin line. Her eyes welled with tears. The hidden door creaked open. Mae smiled as she pulled it open farther. She’d had a feeling mentioning Tory would work. “Memories are strong magick.”
    Poppy blushed. “I don’t have any magick.”
    Mae decided not to argue with her.
    The passage was dimly lit by small, rectangular windows cut into the outside wall of the staircase. The smell of fresh dung wafted up, but an autumn breeze also carried cool air into the queen’s stifling chamber. Another roar rose up the staircase, louder this time. The hair on