I sat on the ground, holding my wand. It was a well-known fact that we cats were prone to anxiety attacks. I desperately craved a calm and composed mind during the final round of the Spell Caster Prize, the most prestigious part of the Fairytown Pets Competition. The ground behind the Royal Palace was packed with princes and princesses, their pets beside them, watching my opponent and me intently.
My fur prickled under the gaze of 100-odd eyes pinned on me. Everyone was wondering whether I would win the Spell Caster Prize for the third time. The last two times had been a cakewalk. This time, the odds were stacked against me: a female cat versus a male dog. My opponent. Denzer, the black Doberman, was three times my size.
Though my mistress Alya had suppressed my fear of dogs with a clutch of spells that would protect me like a shield, their effect would last only an hour. If my duel with Denzer stretched beyond 60 minutes, the charms would become ineffective.
I was nervous as Alya and I were aware that Vera, Denzer’s mistress, wasn’t averse to teaching Denzer the dark spells, and the rotten dog wouldn’t mind using an evil spell to win.
First move
Denzer and I faced each other in the grassy enclosure, holding our wands in our paws. At the sound of the hoot, Denzer aimed his wand at me, his lips moving as he whispered the spell. A streak of a dark blue light arched out from the wand tip. Hovering around the vicinity of my paws, it deposited a slew of worms wriggling at my feet. I directed my wand at the worms and my Shrinking Spell stopped them from increasing to the size of a snake. I flicked my wand again. A bird appeared and, in a few seconds, devoured the wriggly creatures.
“Brunella, Brunella,” the crowd chanted, clapping in approval.
Anger flashed in Denzer’s dark eyes. I didn’t know whether it was because I had managed to thwart his spell so easily or because the crowd had cheered for me. His face was contorted in a snarl, as he pointed his wand in my direction again. A spark flickered from the tip and tongue of fire dropped down, devouring the stretch of grass between us. The crowd gasped, as the smell of singed grass spread through the air. I hadn’t expected Denzer to take refuge in a dark spell so fast.
I flicked my wand lazily and a jet of water gushed out, instantly dousing the fire. Then I deliberately directed my wand at Denzer, enjoying his discomfort, as his silky black coat was soaked. Denzer shook the water from his coat and stared at me intently, his wand pointing at me. My body tensed, as a jet of black light streaked out. Again, the crowd gasped.
Denzer had cast the Spell of Torture. I flicked my wand and a streak of a golden light emerged and met Denzer’s black one midway. Sparks burst forth when the two jets of lights collided. I smiled, as my Rebounding Spelldeflected Denzer’s. In a few seconds, my spell coiled around Denzer’s. Initially Denzer watched the two streaks of light twisted around each other quietly. Soon his body was stiff with tension, his tail upright, as his jet moved towards him.
With a frightened yelp, he bounded towards me, hoping to confuse the spell. I scooted to the other side. The black light turned in an arc and moved towards him. His pitiful howls filled the air. Yelping like a frightened puppy, he crouched on the grass, his massive body trembling.
I twirled my wand in a circle. With each movement of my wand, the black jet moved towards me. As I rapidly rotated my wand, the spell broke, shattering the light into a burst of glowing sparks.
“Bru-nella!” Deafening applause erupted from the crowd. An overwhelming happiness flooded my body, as I saw the joyous look on my mistress’ face at my victory. I felt a strong sense of achievement and pride that I had done a hattrick. I had created history!
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