The Enchantress

Natalie struggled in the net binding her, her tail was caught in the net and the more she struggled, the more tied up she became. The orbs had stopped advancing towards her, orbiting her instead. Natalie sighed in frustration as the net became drifting speedily away, dragging her along with it.

She looked around, trying to find Tiffany and Delia; she wondered what had happened them. Just then, a rustling noise made her stop her thinking and she spotted a mint and royal blue tail designed tail. Natalie grinned as she saw Tiffany peering at her through the reefs.

The net had stopped again quite suddenly, the orbs had disappeared.

Tiffany swam towards Natalie and her net cage, "Where did those orbs go? Are you all right?"

Natalie clutched at the net and whispered, "I have no idea where they went, but I do know that they are enchanted by that powerful curse. They are soul orbs. You know the one, we learned about it in Enchantments Class, Professor Talia teaches it."

Tiffany thought about the enchantments and curses that Professor Talia had told them about, at first she remembered nothing about a curse that controls things and gives them magic. Then it clicked and she gasped, "You don't mean, the Authority Curse."

"That's the one," Natalie whispered.

Tiffany suddenly thought of something and said hurriedly, "But isn't there supposed to be an evil one arising each time the enchantment was cast?"

"There is always an evil one that comes out, I am the Enchantress." A voice called out to them.

"Who are you?" demanded Natalie.

Tiffany swam around the space surrounding but didn't see anyone."Where are you?"

"I am here," a shadowy figure stepped out from behind the coral reefs, Tiffany spun around to look at her.

The figure was a lady with long, straight platinum blonde hair; she was dressed in a dark purple trench coat outside of a black strapless column dress, the lady also wore a matching pair of platform shoes.

The soul orbs had appeared again and followed the lady. "Why hello, I am the Evil Enchantress, and these," she gestured towards the orbs behind her, "these are my, shall we say, followers."

"What do you mean by followers?" asked Natalie. At the same time Tiffany asked, "And what exactly are you planning to do with us?"

"By followers," she addressed Natalie, "they were once people who I have cursed to do my bidding and every request, as magical spheres. They still have souls inside of course, however only half alive."

The Evil Enchantress then turned towards Tiffany and said, "What I am planning to do? Well, I am planning to set you free for today, but by chance if we ever meet again, I will deal with you."

Tiffany nodded, "Alright."

"Can you help me? I can't seem to get loose," asked Natalie pleadingly, she gestured to the slimy net that still clung to her.

The Evil Enchantress' lips curved up slightly and she waved her hands to the orbs, two of the many orbs floated lazily towards Natalie and cast a dim glow of light around the net, and the net dissipated. Natalie stretched out her tail as Tiffany swam towards her.

When they looked up to say a 'thank you' to the Enchantress, they were not able to find her, she had left. "Let's get out of here, we still need to help Delia," said Tiffany, looking worriedly around the dark, dim ocean water.

"Yea, let's go." Agreed Natalie.

They swam out of the dark reefs, a few schools of deep ocean fish swam by but nothing else alive had swum past them. As Tiffany and Natalie sped through the ocean to the shore, Tiffany thought about what had happened, and about the note that the mysterious guy had given her, and about the mystifying 'Black Queen'. Her mind wandered off and she was only half present as she and Natalie reached the surface.

"Hey! Delia is right there!" exclaimed Natalie, shaking Tiffany out of her reverie. Natalie had transformed back into her human form and ran across the rocks to Natalie.

Tiffany pulled herself onto the rocks, turned into a human, and hurried after Natalie to Delia, Delia was still encased in the bubble but she had stopped giggling by now and was sleeping. Tiffany waved her arms across the bubble and it vanished. Delia woke with a start and rubbed her eyes, staring at Natalie and Tiffany.

"You're still alive! You made it!"Delia laughed.

"And you don't have the giggling curse anymore," answered a wistful Natalie, hugging her. "I am so glad, sort of, it's not like you never stop laughing anyways."

Tiffany chuckled, "Well I guess that is sort of true."

"Whatever!" Delia waved her fingers at the water making a little sprout of it spray onto Tiffany and Natalie.

"Hey!" Natalie jumped and slid on the slippery boulders, ending up falling into the water and splashed Delia with water.

Delia was furious since she was also drenched in the salty ocean water as Tiffany looked on, amused. She swept her arm over the expanse of the ocean and a 15 feet high wave crashed onto Natalie, who was trying to climb up the wet rocks.

The rolling waves surged up over onto the rocks where Natalie was and completely drowned her. After the waves had passed and the sea was as normal as it usually was, Delia and Tiffany looked at where Natalie had been but were not able to find her.

Worried, Tiffany asked Delia slowly, "Where is she?"

"Looking for me?" asked a voice from behind them. They turned around to see Natalie, not soaking wet as they thought she would be, but entirely dry with a new outfit and curled chocolate brown hair.

Delia and Tiffany laughed, Delia confused but Tiffany asked, "So the mermaid tail spell is gone now?"

"Yep, that was long enough though, Delia, you almost DROWNED ME!" Natalie announced angrily, staring at Delia but smiling all the same.

"Well, you are still alive are you not?" replied Delia casually, she twirled her hair around her finger and it immediately became dry.

Natalie opened her mouth and was trying to talk back when Tiffany held up her hands and said, "Stop fighting, we still need to find the others, and hopefully Jackie hasn't killed Stella yet."

"Okay, I guess you are right," answered Natalie wearily, closing her mouth.

Delia frowned, "Do you guys know where they are?"

"No," Tiffany laughed, then changed her expression to stern.

"But I don't think we should set up a tracking spell though, the Evil Enchantress has her eye on us."