Secret of the Changeling by Tommy Donbavand

Author:Tommy Donbavand [Donbavand, Tommy]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781406335507
Publisher: Walker Books Ltd
Published: 2011-07-07T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

The Offer

Resus was dabbing at the gash on his forehead with a handkerchief he had soaked in the stream, when suddenly his reflection rippled and changed into that of the Crimson Queen.

“Boo!” she said.

Resus jumped and tumbled forwards, putting his hands out to stop himself from falling in. He glanced over his shoulder to see if the others were close.

“Don’t call them, Resus,” said the queen gently.

Resus turned back to stare at her. “How do you know my name?”

The queen smiled. “Oh, I know more about you than you could possibly imagine. I can see your every thought and desire. For instance, I know what you really are…”

Resus could feel his false fangs in his pocket. They seemed to burn red hot against his leg. “You’re bluffing.”

“Am I?” asked the queen, amused. “Then why don’t we call Prince Harming over for a bit of a chat?” She licked her fangs with the tip of her tongue. “How do you like your stakes, by the way? Rare? Medium? Well done?”

Resus swallowed hard. “What do you want from me?”

“It’s more a case of what you want from me, my dear,” the Crimson Queen said. “There’s this little thing, for a start.” Reaching down, she lifted the small blonde child into view and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Poppy!” Resus exclaimed. The toddler giggled at the sound of her name. “What have you done with her?”

“Why, nothing,” said the queen. “I don’t even want her, if you must know the truth. You can come and take her back any time you want.”

“But, the changeling…”

“…was nothing to do with me,” the queen said firmly, putting Poppy back down. “I just woke up one day and this little treasure was here.”

Resus’s brow furrowed. “You didn’t take her and leave Ditto in her place?”

The queen laughed, but it wasn’t an altogether pleasant sound. “What would I want with a child?” she asked innocently. “And somebody else’s, at that? If I were ever lonely, I’d use magic to create a companion.”

“Magic?”

The Crimson Queen casually examined her immaculate fingernails. “More powerful than you could ever imagine, Resus.” She smiled widely. “But why tell you, when I could show you? Wash your cut in the stream.”

“Why?” asked Resus, nervously. “What are you going to do?”

“Help you, dear boy – now, do it!”

Obediently, Resus scooped a handful of clear water from the stream and splashed it onto his forehead. The cut tingled for a second, then stopped hurting altogether. “The pain,” he gasped. “It’s gone!”

“So has the wound itself,” declared the queen. She clicked her fingers and her image shimmered away to be replaced once more by Resus’s reflection. He was amazed to see that the cut had completely disappeared.

“That’s incredible!” he laughed.

The Crimson Queen’s face came floating back again. “Isn’t it just?” she said excitedly, then her expression became more serious. “Now, imagine what my powers could do for Scream Street.”

Resus was thrown for a moment. “Scream Street?” he said uncertainly.

The queen sighed. “All that running around, returning relics… Sounds like a lot of hard work to me.

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