Read Online The Witch's Revenge by D.A. Nelson - Free Book Online

scream from the crowd made the Queen turn and gasp. There was a horrible, clawing smell of sulfur in the air. Morag thought she had recognized it earlier. She craned her neck to see what the Queen was looking at and was horrified to see a tornado sweeping over the heads of a group of panicking witches. It darkened and swelled, its winds whirling and whipping, moaning loudly as it went.
    â€œIt’s coming for us!” Aldiss squeaked, and hid behind Bertie.
    â€œWhat
is
that?” asked the Queen.
    â€œIt’s the same thing that took Montgomery,” replied Morag. “And it’s heading this way. Come on, run!”
    The whirlwind lunged at the Queen, who stood as if mesmerized, just as Montgomery had been. The swirling winds lashed her hair and dress.
    â€œRun! Now!” screamed Morag, tugging the Queen’s arm.Flora came to her senses and she and Morag leapt up the steps, throwing themselves against the Town Hall doors. They pounded on the hard wood, screaming to be let in, but the doors remained closed. Morag turned and stared as the roaring vortex closed in on them. Something long and narrow was pointing up from inside. It looked like … it
was
 … a dart gun! It was being aimed at Morag and Queen Flora. Eyes wide with fear, Morag could only watch as there was a loud puff and something shot toward Flora.
    â€œWatch out!” Morag yelled as she spun to push the Queen out of the way, but it was too late. The tiny arrow hit its target, its green feathers vivid against the pale white of the Queen’s neck. With a sigh, the monarch’s eyes closed and she crumpled to the ground.
    â€œQueen Flora!” Morag screamed, rushing to kneel beside her. “Wake up! Please wake up!”
    Overhead, the tornado gave out a terrible roar, and as quickly as it had arrived it swirled away to nothing.
    Shona, Bertie and Aldiss ran forward. Flora’s eyes fluttered open and she smiled, but no words came from her dying lips, which had already begun to turn a ghastly shade of blue. She gave Morag a final pleading look before closing her eyes for the last time. The girl, sobbing loudly, knew instantly that the Queen of Marnoch Mor was dead. Numb with shock, she could only look to her friends for confirmation of what had just happened.
    Their faces said it all. Shona, Bertie and Aldiss were horrified. And they weren’t the only ones. The news spreadthrough the crowd in urgent whispers. “The Queen has fallen.… That human girl is with her.…”
    â€œWhat happened?” asked a guard, checking for a pulse. He hadn’t been close enough to see the dart fly from the whirlwind.
    â€œA blow gun,” Morag said quietly. “It came from the wind. A dart killed her straightaway. She didn’t even have a chance to move.”
    â€œWhere did it hit her?” he asked.
    â€œWhat do you mean? The dart’s still there. Look!”
    But when the guard examined the Queen’s neck, there was no sign of the poisonous arrow. “I can’t see anything.”
    â€œI saw it!” Morag cried. She turned to her friends. “You all saw it, right?”
    Bertie looked worried, Aldiss shook his head and Shona said nothing.
    â€œWe ran in the other direction,” Bertie said. “We thought we could hide round the back of the building. I personally didn’t see what happened to the Queen.”
    â€œMe neither,” Aldiss confessed.
    Shona merely shook her head. “Sorry, Morag.”
    â€œThe whirlwind killed her … with a … with a … dart,” the girl stammered, confused.
“I saw it!”
    Shona put a big arm around Morag’s shoulders. “I’m sure you did,” she said kindly, “but there’s no sign of it now. Come on, there’s nothing we can do for the Queen, but we can still try to rescue Montgomery.” She helped Morag to her feet.
    â€œAnd where do you think