Free On Being Wicked by Tielle St. Clare Page A

tall, handsome man stalked across the field as if he owned it, no fear of discovery in his manner, no furtive looks. He boldly approached the tower and called out.
    “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!”
    Malicia gasped. He knew the code phrase.
    The thick blonde braid fell from the third-story window and landed with a thump against the stone tower. Rapunzel leaned out the window and waved, greeting him with a smile and a glow of pure happiness.
    It obviously wasn’t his first visit. The little bitch was expecting him.
    The unyielding lump that used to be Malicia’s heart rolled over in disgust.
    Some princeling thinks he can visit my captive? Give her happiness? Rescue her?
    Her teeth creaked as she ground them together, a perfectly fiendish revenge plot developing in her brain. She watched the princeling climb the voluminous braid, skipping up the wall of the tower as if it were no more difficult than going up a set of stairs. Malicia had to drag herself up, listening to Rapunzel’s cries that she was too heavy.
    The princeling reached the top and slipped through the open window. Even from a distance, Malicia could hear their cries of innocent joy.
    The blonde braid dangled forgotten out the window.
    Malicia fluffed her skirts and stalked across the field. She would wait until the princeling left but the next time he visited, she’d be ready for him. A croaking noise—similar to a laugh but more rusty and harsh—bubbled in her throat. She would watch Rapunzel’s heart break as she destroyed the princeling.
    As the wicked witch reached the bottom of the tower, a strange light filled the sky, giving the world a golden hue. She paused and looked up, instantly and oddly reluctant to be touched by the illumination.
    This isn’t normal. Something’s definitely wrong.
    Malicia’s chest ached, throbbing with a foreign pain, as if the ice around her heart had cracked. A strange hopeful sensation flooded her soul. A shiver ran up her spine, as if her body were trying to push away the positive emotion. She wasn’t—
    Silver sparkles floated to the ground and her nose twitched.
    “Ah-choo!”
    Two matching sneezes echoed from the open window.
    The strangest feelings overcame Malicia, warmth and well-being enveloping her.
    And she had the uncomfortable urge to smile.
    But that couldn’t be. She never smiled, except for when she’d hexed someone or tripped a beggar on the street.
    She shook her head. Something decidedly weird was happening. Every evil thought that normally spun through her brain seemed painted with hearts and flowers.
    Even her body felt different—lighter, stronger and less hunched. The heavy cloaks hung on her shoulders like weights. The strange shivers across her skin turned into tingles, as if her body was coming alive.
    Ignoring the annoying sensations, she waited, ready to duck out of sight when the princeling climbed down. Then she would take care of the little bitch in the tower and be ready for the princeling the next time he arrived.
    She waited. And waited.
    What can they being doing up there? she thought with a huff. Never mind. The braid swung lazily in the breeze. I’ll just climb up and toss the princeling out the window myself. Let the birds peck his eyes out for his punishment.
    She grasped the dense hair and pulled herself up. The strain that normally drained her muscles had vanished. She hiked up the side of the tower like a mountain goat, using the braid to keep her balance.
    Barely out of breath, she placed the heels of her hands on the window ledge and pushed up, ready to surprise the daring princeling and her little bitch.
    “Ah-ha!” she announced as she threw herself over the ledge. Long black hair swung across her face so she flipped it over her back, expecting the startled, terrified stares of Rapunzel and the princeling.
    But no shocked couple stood before her.
    The room isn’t that big , she mentally groused. Where can they—
    A long, high wail floated through the