Page 161 of The Sea Witch's Son

“Do you hear that, folks? We have a hero in our midst!” Cackling with glee, the Dragon claps her hands, “How terribly noble of you, Gaston.”

“He’s my son.”

“And yet you’ve both made fatal mistakes today.” She snaps her fingers, “Return the boy and bring me the father.”

“Dad!”

Gus starts to cry as the guards shove him back in line with his mother and grab the man who is no longer fighting.

“D-Dad! Don’t do this.”

“Take care of your mother for me.” He swallows, giving his son one last smile, “I’m proud of you, Gus. Always have been and always will be.”

“P-Please. D-Don’t go-

“Enough.” Maleficent slices her hand through the air, “From this day forth, the Cartier family is hereby banished from Wolf Hollow. Any breach of this contract will result in immediate execution. Do you understand me?”

Gus is clutching his mother, both of them sobbing into one another.

“I said, do you understand me?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Good. Then we can proceed with the punishment.”

Two more guards appear with mortuary trays set upon rolling carts. One of the guards lifts a whimpering Anton into one while Gaston silently lies down in the other.

Straps are wrapped around each man, locking them in place.

“Put them in the incinerator.”

“No!” Gus screams, making one last attempt to save his father. A burly guard kicks the back of his knees, knocking him to the floor.

Both carts get pushed towards the cremation oven at the back of the room. Calista pulls the doors open and a blast of heat fills the room.

“You see, this is what happens when you play the hero.” The Mistress of Evil lets out an exasperated sigh, “You get burned alive.”

“D-Dad.” Sobbing into his hands, Gus watches his father get pushed closer to the fire.

It is a sombre show and every prodigy watches it with a heavy heart. For there is nothing quite as rare as a loving parent in Wolf Hollow.

Calista halts the guards and I watch her wrist flick with an all-too familiar movement.

“I’ve got to get myself one of those.” My mother nudges me excitedly, “It would look marvellous next to the fish tank.”

I don’t respond because my eyes are too taken with the flash of a blade. Gaston’s head falls back against the tray and Calista gestures for the guards to push the men inside.

Screams pierce through the room as the heat takes hold, but nobody else seems to notice there is only one man screaming instead of two.

Gus and his mother are promptly escorted out of the room. Their things will be packed and their house will be sold before the next sundown.

“Now that our unpleasant business has been settled, let’s turn our attention to the other matter at hand.”

The doors to the dining room swing open for the third time tonight. Murmurs ripple around the room as a newcomer steps foot in the Dragon’s lair.

“Everyone, I would like you to meet the new mayor of Wolf Hollow.”

Charming smile in place, hands tucked casually in suit pockets, the man who walks towards the Dragon looks nothing like the grieving widow I’ve been watching for the last eight weeks.

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