The Only Thing Worse Than Witches Read Online Free PDF

stronger.”
    â€œIt’s unfortunate that you settled near a beach, then.”
    â€œLong story,” the witch said.
    Rupert, still crouched in the pet sack, scratched his ear with his toe.
    â€œHey, what’s your name?” Rupert said. “If I’m working for you now, I should call you something.”
    The witch bit her lip. “I . . . well . . .” she stammered. “I don’t have a name.”
    â€œDon’t have a name!” Rupert said, aghast.
    The witch’s lip began to quiver. “Oh, Rupert! I lied to you! I told you I was a witch, but I’m not! Not yet.”
    â€œYes you are!” Rupert said. “I never would have believed it from the way you dress, but I’ve seen you do magic. I’m twisted up in a pet sack for goodness sakes!”
    â€œI’m not a
real
witch yet. I’m just a witchling. That’s why I need an apprentice — to help me practice for my Bar Exam.”
    â€œBar Exam?”
    â€œYes . . . that is my witch test. It’s coming up in four weeks. I become part of the Council once I pass my exam — and then I’ll be a full-fledged witch, and I’ll finally get to pick my name.”
    â€œPick it?”
    â€œOf course. That’s the best part, silly. Until then, I guess you can call me Witchling Two. That’s what Nebby and Storm call me.”
    Rupert raised his eyebrows. “And who are Nebby and Storm?”
    â€œThey’re my witch guardians, silly! The Nebulous Witch and the Storm Witch.”
    Rupert scrunched his face. “Who?”
    Witchling Two stuck her finger in the sand. She wrote
THE WITCHES COUNCIL
in big, swoopy cursive. Then underneath, she wrote:
    Top Witch:
    THE FAIRFOUL WITCH
    The Undercat:
    THE MIDNIGHT WITCH
    Council of Three:
    THE LIGHTNING WITCH
    THE THUNDER WITCH
    THE STORM WITCH
    The Underbelly:
    THE STONE WITCH
    THE NEBULOUS WITCH
    THE HIBBLY WITCH
    THE COLDWIND WITCH
    THE SEA WITCH
    Witchlings (not technically Witches Council  . . . yet!):
    WITCHLING ONE
    WITCHLING TWO (ME!)
    WITCHLING THREE
    WITCHLING FOUR
    WITCHLING FIVE
    â€œMake sense?” Witchling Two said.
    Rupert shook his head no. “Not even a little bit.”
    â€œOkay. So the Fairfoul Witch is the top witch. The head honcho. The cherry on the sundae, the cheese on the nachos, the sauce on the pasta — ”
    â€œI get it,” Rupert interrupted.
    â€œShe is in charge of the Witches Council, and everyone has to listen to her. She is the strongest and oldest witch.”
    â€œI’ve read about her,” Rupert admitted. “She’s the only witch anyone ever writes about in the papers.”
    â€œThat’s because she’s the boss.”
    â€œSo no one ever crosses her?”
    â€œExactly. And she has an Undercat, named the Midnight Witch. She’s really scary, too, but not half as terrifying as the Fairfoul Witch. The Midnight Witch has been dying to overthrow the Fairfoul Witch for ages. Everyone knows it — she tries to get rid of the Fairfoul Witch all the time.”
    â€œAnd the Fairfoul Witch doesn’t get mad?”
    Witchling Two shook her head no. “She thinks it’s amusing. The Fairfoul Witch knows it will take centuries of practice before the Midnight Witch is powerful enough to actually beat her.”
    Rupert pointed to the Council of Three. “What’s that?”
    â€œThe Council of Three answers to the Midnight Witch. Then the Underbelly consists of young witches.”
    â€œHow young?”
    â€œThe youngest one is eighty.”
    Rupert’s eyes bugged out. “Eighty!”
    Witchling Two nodded. “Since they’re relatively new, they just get to vote on things. They’re kind of the bottom of the heap. But each member of the Underbelly gets her own witchling to raise.”
    â€œSo you belong to the Nebulous Witch?” Rupert said, pointing to Witchling