Ruboo drove into the city centre to purchase camping essentials.
Back at the academy, Nan sat alone in a corner, headphones on, grinning foolishly as she pored over a guidebook on dating techniques.
Zoe, Madison, and Quini were chattering excitedly about how to make the most of tomorrow's fun.
Fiona suddenly appeared before them.
"What are you chatting about?" she inquired with a smile, her gaze sweeping over the young witches' faces.
"Camping plans," Queenie replied with a carefree shrug. "Tomorrow should be a splendid day."
Fiona mused, "An excellent choice. I recall spending much of my youth participating in all manner of camping expeditions. Forests, mountains, islands, deserts, wildernesses... Nature's beauty is boundless. Youth truly is a splendid time."
"Make the most of your youth, girls. Don't wait until you're old to regret it."
"Oh, right."
Just as she turned to leave, Fiona paused, turned back, and beckoned to Madison. "I missed the welcome banquet. Madison, come tell me how you and Ruboo dealt with that malevolent spirit. I'm quite intrigued by that story."
Madison's heart tightened.
Armed with the intelligence Ruboo had previously shared about the Supreme Witch, she now interpreted every word and gesture of Fiona's with fresh insight.
Fortunately, she was trained as an actress, so maintaining a natural demeanour posed no difficulty.
"Certainly."
Madison flashed Fiona a perfectly polished smile, rose decisively at the beckoning hand, and departed with her.
Zoe and Queenie paid no heed, resuming their earlier conversation.
...
Three hours later.
Returning laden with bags, Ruboo heard from Zoe that Fiona had called Madison away. His expression tightened instantly as he urgently inquired:
"Where have they gone?"
"Not sure," Zoe replied, a hint of envy in her voice. "Fiona seems rather taken with Madison. Truth be told, Madison's power has grown faster than any of ours. Perhaps Fiona sees her as the next Supreme."
That's precisely why it's more dangerous!
Frowning, Ruboo pulled out his phone, about to message Madison.
Noticing Ruboo's expression, Zoe asked curiously, "What's wrong? Is something amiss?"
"Nothing," Ruboo shook her head. "Just checking with Madison if she needs anything else for tomorrow's camp."
Ruboo sent the message. Though it didn't spell it out, Madison would understand.
Madison's reply came swiftly.
"Everything's fine, nothing else needed."
"Nothing else..."
Ruboo breathed a sigh of relief.
If Madison said so, she must have a foolproof plan.
Ruboo felt reassured.
Of course, to guard against the unexpected, he still sent Madison a message every so often to confirm she was safe.
And so it was late into the night.
The two witches, one tall and one short, lingered in the bar for a long while before finally deciding to head home.
To avoid any unnecessary mishaps, Ruboo chose to wait.
Feeling rather peckish, he ventured into the kitchen to find something to eat. There he discovered Queenie tucking in heartily, while Delphi looked on with resignation, kneading dough to ensure a steady supply of fresh food.
"Still up?" Ruboo greeted Queenie.
"I'm rather peckish," Queenie declared with righteous indignation.
With that, she handed over a untouched plate of pastries, offering, "Care for some? Still warm."
"Certainly."
Ruboo accepted the tray without hesitation, eating as he critiqued, "A bit too much sugar, rather sweet."
"Really? I thought it was fine." Quini examined the identical pastry in her hand, swallowed it whole, and pondered the taste before voicing her confusion.
Nevertheless, she called out to Delphi, "Another plate, please. Remember to use less sugar."
Delphi, already impatient, kneaded the dough fiercely, grumbling even louder, "Good heavens! What have I done to deserve this? First one bottomless pit arrives, and now another. It's bedtime, not feeding time!"
"A maid ought to obey her master's orders. At least Quini didn't whip you, did she?" remarked Ruboo, who was rather glad he'd only served as a male servant for a day or two.
He harboured no affection for this old woman who took pride in torture and murder, even imprisoning and abusing her own daughter.
No matter how much she tried to reform, a pervert remained a pervert.
"Quite right, thank you for the reminder, Ruboo," Quini interjected. "Get on with it, no dawdling, or I'll have you whipped, you damned white supremacist!"
"One black, one yellow..." Delphi muttered under her breath, about to say more when her peripheral vision suddenly caught a shadow darting past the window.
"What was that?" she gasped, startled.
Quini snapped, "What? What? Don't make excuses to slack off!"
"Something was outside the window! Honestly!" Delphi cautiously moved to the window and peered out.
Queenie glanced out the window and snapped impatiently, "There's nothing out there! Get back to work before I whip you, slave!"
"What's going on?"
Their exchange caught the attention of Ruboo, who was filling his belly.
The moment he turned his head, Delphi suddenly let out a blood-curdling scream, stumbling backwards in sheer terror.
"No... impossible! This can't be real!"
Delphi, trembling all over, muttered fearfully as she swiftly locked the doors and windows.
"What on earth are you doing?"
Quini rose, utterly bewildered, about to grab the flustered Delphi, when Ruboo spoke with grave seriousness:
There really is something out there! Quini!
"You two shut all the doors and windows tight—don't go out under any circumstances! I'll fetch the gun upstairs and raise the alarm. Wait for me!"
Time was of the essence. After rapidly relaying these instructions, Ruboo dashed frantically upstairs.
Just as Delphi had recoiled in fright, he had indeed glimpsed a minotaur appearing outside the window.
Clearly, this was no ordinary creature.
Ruboo sprinted back to his room at top speed, retrieved his pistol, and bellowed the names "Cordelia," "Zoe," and "Nan."
Without waiting for a response, he dashed back downstairs to prevent any danger below.
Downstairs, Delphi had now tremblingly revealed her true identity. The minotaur was none other than her former valet, Bastian—and the former lover of the Voodoo Queen herself.
That minotaur head? She'd attached it herself.
Quinney shot Delphie a speechless glance.
She had intended to go out and confront that pitiful fellow creature herself, but remembering Ruboo's words, she stayed inside instead. She picked up a sharp knife and fork, her gaze darting warily around the room.
"What's the situation?"
Barely ten seconds passed—indeed, the witches upstairs had scarcely been roused—when Ruboo returned, inquiring about the situation. The thunderous pounding on the door told him everything.