Unlocking the Spell Read Online Free PDF Page B

to Beldegard. She was a handsome woman with her hair pulled back from her face, showing off her high cheekbones and large, dark eyes. The bear prince padded toward her to bump her hand with his head. The woman’s smile broadened. When Liam coughed, she glanced toward her other new guests and raised a questioning eyebrow.
    â€œThese are my friends,” said Beldegard. “They’re helping me with a quest.”
    â€œHow nice,” said a voice, and Annie turned to see another woman whom she hadn’t really looked at yet. This woman had white hair and the pleasant round face of a sweet old grandmother. She was knitting in a rocking chair by the window while two orange-and-white kittens played by her feet.
    Annie gasped and would have run from the cottage if Liam hadn’t been standing in the way. It was Granny Bentbone, the witch who had invited children into her gingerbread cottage only to fatten them up for dinner. Although Annie knew who she was, the old womandidn’t seem to recognize Annie. Granny Bentbone smiled and nodded, then went back to her knitting.
    Annie swallowed hard. She had hoped that she’d never see Granny Bentbone again, and certainly wasn’t expecting to find her here. Annie’s heart was racing and her hands suddenly felt clammy. She tried to think about what she should do, until she realized that Mother Hubbard was talking again.
    â€œâ€¦ my cousin. Her house was destroyed in the storm we had a few days ago. I met her in the woods, and when she told me about her dilemma, I invited her to stay here with me. I’ve been so lonely ever since Snow White moved away and Rose Red started working at the Gasping Guppy Tavern.”
    Granny Bentbone was her cousin? Beldegard had said that Mother Hubbard was nice. Yes, she had magic, or at least there was some in the cottage, but she must not use it for anything bad or the music wouldn’t sound so sweet. If she’d invited Granny Bentbone to live with her, she probably didn’t have any idea what her cousin was capable of doing. Annie wanted to tell Mother Hubbard, but what if the woman didn’t believe her? Not only did she not have any proof, Granny Bentbone didn’t look as if she could hurt a mosquito, let alone a child.
    â€œDo you plan to stay the night?” Mother Hubbard asked Beldegard.
    â€œWe don’t have time,” said Beldegard. “I came to askif you’d seen the dwarf I was hunting. You know—the one who turned me into a bear.”
    â€œDo I know you?” Granny Bentbone asked.
    Annie turned back to the old woman and gulped. Granny Bentbone was staring at her, tapping her chin with one finger. She no longer looked quite so pleasant or friendly.
    â€œI don’t think so,” said Annie. She’d been disguised as a boy and calling herself Charlie when she met the old woman before. Too bad she was dressed as a boy again.
    â€œNo, I’ve never seen your dwarf,” Mother Hubbard told Beldegard. Her smile faded as she faced the bear prince and Annie thought she saw the first sign of uncertainty in the woman’s eyes. Mother Hubbard took a step back, bumping into the dog, who was sitting behind her. His body was perfectly still, although it had been quivering with excitement just moments before. His ears were back now too, and he was staring at Beldegard as if he were seeing the bear prince for the first time.
    â€œYou look so familiar…,” Granny Bentbone said to Annie, leaning forward in the rocker.
    During their last encounter, she’d learned that the old woman had a terrible memory, but now and then she could remember things very clearly. If Granny Bentbone remembered that Annie had destroyed her house, no one would believe it was because she’d beentrying to force Annie into the room where she locked children in cages.
    Everyone turned to the dog when he began to growl. His ears were pinned back and his fur was bristling when he