The Runaway Spell by Lexi Connor Read Free Book Online Page B

plus “A” and “L” made “gal.” Gal sings.
    UNDO ING M AG IC S PE L L S
    GAL SINGS
    After a few false starts, B hit the jackpot with “melodic” and found that the letters remaining spelled “pun.”
    UNDOING MAGIC SPELLS
    MELODIC GAL SINGS PUN
    She grinned. It was only letters. B was a natural speller. She’d be an ace at this before long!
    The line moved slowly, so B passed the time by trying another anagram with the same book title. There was definitely a knack to this that she could develop with more practice, she thought. She found “scolding,” and, feeling very smug, realized she could make another -ing word out of “using.” And the letters that remained spelled … “pleam”? “Lamep”? “Maple”! Better yet, “Ample”!
    And then it was her turn to face the librarian. Which drawer should she open? She hesitated,feeling nervous. Would she get another zap here if she did it wrong?
    “Choose the drawer that matches the first letter of the title of your book,” said a witch in yellow, just leaving with his title,
Magical Chromatology.
    “Thanks,” B whispered. She pulled open the drawer marked T-U. The gray vapor poured out and formed a cloud. The woman’s face inside was round and beaming, creased with smile lines.
    “Another young researcher,” the face said.
    “Um, yes,” B said. “May I have ‘Using Ample Scolding’?”
    “Splendid!” the face cried. “Wait right over there, dear, while I snag it for you.”
    In moments, the dragon-scale green book was in her hands. B hurried over to a study table and opened it. The binding creaked, and a marvelous ink-and-paper smell filled her nose as she pored over the beautifully illustrated pages, handwritten in meticulous calligraphy.
    The book felt magical in her hands. Well, of course it was magical! But more than that, its smooth leather binding, the heft of each lustrouspage, all seemed to reassure B. Here she’d find her answer! If anything could help her cure George of his zebra malady, she was sure it was this book.
    She scanned through the table of contents, the page numbers overlaid with gold leaf. She scanned the section headings: Potion Antidotes, Reversing Overactive Love Potions, Undoing Jinxes and Hexes, Halting Magical Mayhem. Hmm, she should come back some time to study that last one. But there it was, the section she needed, last of all: Reversing Transformation Spells, followed by a long list of animals. Nothing about people! Oh, no!
    In despair, B flipped to page 492, Monkeys and Other Primates, scanned through the chapter, and began to read:
    There should be no need to mention reversing transforming spells cast on humans, because all well-trained witches understand how foolish it is to attempt such unruly magic. The effects can be permanent and irreversible. Any witches who accidentally cast transformation spells on humans should report immediately to the High Council of the Magical Rhyming Society. An emergency meeting ofthe High Council can be called if needed. Only the most highly qualified witches should devise an appropriate solution to the crisis before disaster strikes and the witching community is exposed to the entire world.
    B’s face fell forward until her forehead rested on the book pages. She could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears.
    She was doomed.

Chapter 13
    Just in front of the table where B was sitting, two witches walked past, whispering about something. B just picked up the words, “… taken completely to pieces.”
    They could have been talking about anything, but B gulped. The thought of facing the Dismantle Squad was too much for her. She had to try one more thing before she confessed.
    B flipped back to the table of contents. She scanned the list of chapters with her finger.
    Chapter Seven, under Reversing Transformation Spells, was Wild Jungle Beasts. She quickly flipped to page 473 and scanned through the chapter. Several rhyming couplet possibilities were listed toreverse a botched