Unlocking the Spell by E. D. Baker

From a distance the buildings hadn’t looked like anything extraordinary, but as they drew closer she could see that they were proportioned differently than most. Some of the buildings had strange peaks and angles, while others had windows in odd places, asif the rooms inside weren’t where you’d expect. All of the buildings, however, were taller than those she had seen in other villages.
    â€œLook at how tall those doors are,” said Gwendolyn, coming up from behind. “You don’t suppose giants live here, do you?”
    â€œNot giants,” said Liam. “A giants’ village would have doors twice as tall as these. If I’m not mistaken, this is an ogre village.”
    The color faded from Gwendolyn’s face. “I didn’t know ogres lived in villages. Maybe we should go around it.”
    Annie shook her head. “We need to ask for directions again. Look, there’s a tavern with a bird on the sign.”
    â€œAnd there’s another tavern over there,” said Liam. “There’s a bird on that sign, too. I thought the farmer said that only one sign had a bird on it.”
    â€œSomeone must have changed the other sign,” Annie said, frowning. “Now what do we do?”
    â€œYou two stay here and I’ll go check out the taverns,” Liam told the girls. “You should be fine if you don’t talk to anyone.”
    Because there was only one street in the village and it seemed to be deserted, Annie didn’t think they needed to worry. But just minutes after Liam disappeared into the closest tavern, a trio of young male ogres came out of one of the houses and sauntered overto where Annie and Gwendolyn were standing in the shade of a tree. All three of the ogres were nearly seven feet tall; Annie and Gwendolyn had to look up to see their faces.
    â€œWell, well, well! What have we here?” said the ogre with one eyebrow across his forehead and the beginnings of a scraggly beard.
    The second ogre grinned. Annie couldn’t help but let her eyes wander to the top of his head, where stringy hair grew in patches around irregular bald spots. “Looks like two little humans wandering around all by themselves,” growled the ogre.
    â€œDo you know how dangerous that can be in a village like this?” asked the first ogre.
    The third ogre laughed, an unpleasant sound that revealed his tongue, which was split down the middle like a snake’s. When he saw that the girls were looking at him, he licked his lips and said something garbled that Annie couldn’t understand.
    The first ogre punched him in the arm, then turned to the girls and said, “Don’t pay any attention to Screely. He cut his tongue because he thought it would make him look scarier. Now he can’t talk worth dragon dung.”
    â€œWe’re not alone,” Gwendolyn piped up. “We’re here with friends.”
    â€œReally?” said the ogre with the bald spots. “I don’t see anyone else. They must be invisible friends.”
    â€œMaybe they’re imaginary friends,” said the first ogre. “Do you have good imaginations?”
    â€œVery good,” said Gwendolyn. “I can imagine exactly what will happen to you if I scream and our friends come running.”
    The ogre with the bald spots snorted. “Oh, really?” he said, and stepped closer until he towered over both of the girls.
    Annie didn’t like the way the conversation was headed, and was relieved when she saw that an older ogre was hobbling toward them, using a whittled tree trunk as a cane. “What’s going on here?” he snarled.
    The three younger ogres backed away. “Nothing, Gloover. We were just greeting these two humans.”
    â€œYou’ve talked to them long enough. Off with you before I take my cane to your backsides. So,” he said to Annie and Gwendolyn once the other ogres had scuttled off. “What are you