A Witch Come True

by James Nicol

  ‘What is it?’ Colin asked.

  Bob growled, the hair on the moon hare’s back standing on end.

  ‘Whatever it is, I don’t think it’s good,’ Arianwyn said. She stood, dusting snow from her coat, and moved cautiously forwards, sending her light orb ahead of her.

  Here at the edge of the wood the trees grew so close together that it was slow going. She could hear Salle, Bob and Colin following her. It wasn’t safe, but she knew there was no point in telling them to stay back. The stench of dark magic grew and grew, until Arianwyn thought she might be sick. She held one hand over her mouth as she used the other to move branches and brambles from the path, following the light.

  And then she was in a small clearing. A small stunted tree, twisted and weak from the lack of light, stood on the opposite side. Hex was wrapped around the tree: Arianwyn could see its defined, twisted ridges.

  ‘Oh no,’ Salle said, coming to an abrupt halt beside her.

  But something else was happening. The fluttering, shifting light they had glimpsed before danced behind the hex-ridden tree.

  ‘What is that?’ Colin asked, just as the spell light hovering by Arianwyn’s head began to pulse brighter and brighter, its perfect sphere bulging and wobbling as though it was being moulded by invisible hands. It started to flash through different colours, bright sparks flying from it in every direction.

  Arianwyn thought back to her train ride and the encounter on the bridge. ‘It’s a seam of magic,’ she said, pointing ahead as the ribbon of magic passed into the clearing.

  ‘But how can we see it?’ Salle asked, her eyes wide with wonder.

  ‘It’s the hex affecting it. Because it’s so near. This is just like what I saw on the train.’

  ‘Should we try and stop it?’ Colin asked.

  ‘I wouldn’t even know how,’ Arianwyn said quietly.

  Just as the seam of magic touched the tree (and the hex) there was a blinding flash of light and a burst of energy that sent Salle, Arianwyn, Colin and Bob flying back through the trees a short distance. Thankfully the deep snow broke their fall and they lay gasping where they landed as brilliant flashes and bursts of magical energy flew overhead.

  After a few moments they crawled carefully forwards so they could see what was happening. The seam of magic had surrounded the tree now and the two magics were reacting with each other – bursts of energy flew out in every direction, flashes of light and magic exploding against the nearby trees and bushes. Bright specks of magic melted into the snow. ‘I think we should get out of here!’ Arianwyn said quickly. Bob sneezed in agreement and scampered on ahead.

  It must have been the middle of the night when the trees of the Great Wood ended and the land opened up into snow-covered fields. Arianwyn guessed they were about halfway to Flaxsham. Her feet felt like lumps of ice, snow had settled on her hair and she couldn’t remember what it was to be warm any more. Salle and Colin trudged ahead of her.

  There was a sudden movement in the snow, and Salle and Colin stopped dead. They looked back at Arianwyn.

  ‘What is it?’ Salle squeaked.

  Arianwyn had a crackling spell orb ready in her hand in seconds and moved in front of Salle and Colin, placing herself between her friends and the danger.

  But then Bob suddenly darted between her legs and rushed forwards at the shifting shape, giving a loud squeaking call of excitement.

  And then there were two Bobs.

  ‘Whoa!’ Colin breathed as the two moon hares stepped carefully towards each other. It looked as though Bob was staring into a mirror. And then the two moon hares were chasing each other round and round in circles, darting in between Arianwyn, Salle and Colin’s legs, iridescent scales flashing in the faint light of Arianwyn’s spells. Snow sprayed up behind them like stars as they raced about.

  How could this be? Arianwyn wondered. The other moon hare was slightly larger than Bob, though its ears were a little shorter and after the initial excitement and running around, it was rather cautious of Arianwyn, Salle and Colin. It kept its distance from them but bounded about with excitement whenever Bob raced nearby. They couldn’t even tempt it with Bob’s favourite ginger biscuits.

  They watched as the two moon hares sniffed at each other again and then continued to run in their strange patterns across the open field. Arianwyn could feel gentle waves of magic radiating towards her from the two spirit creatures. It was wonderful to see them with each other.

  But the wind was picking up again now and the snow falling thicker and faster. They were all very exposed in the middle of the fields. ‘We’d better get going,’ Arianwyn said reluctantly. ‘Come on, Bob!’ she called, but the moon hares carried on their strange chasing dance.

  ‘Bob!’ she called again and this time rattled the packet of ginger biscuits. But Bob only stopped and turned to look at Arianwyn. The moon hare didn’t seem to want to leave its new friend.

  ‘Bob, please, we’re all freezing here. We have to go,’ Arianwyn said as she traipsed across the field towards the moon hare. Bob skipped towards her and she knelt briefly in the snow, thinking she might scoop the moon hare up. But Bob hopped forwards and tugged on Arianwyn’s scarf with its little teeth, as though trying to pull her across the field, towards the other moon hare.

  ‘We really need to be going, Bob,’ Arianwyn said sadly. ‘You’ll have to say goodbye to your friend . . .’

  She often wondered how much the moon hare understood what she was saying, but such a look of sadness passed over the moon hare’s white face that she knew she had been understood. Bob glanced back at the other moon hare. Then it looked up at Arianwyn and made a sad mewling sound.

  It made Arianwyn’s chest ache as Bob looked again back and forth from the other moon hare to Arianwyn. Then it took several quick steps away from Arianwyn before coming back again and rubbing its soft white head against her gloved hand, the mewling sounds continuing.

  Bob looked at Arianwyn; they looked at each other, both understanding what was happening and yet hoping it could be different somehow.

  The moon hare was leaving.

  Arianwyn leant forward and Bob leapt into her arms, ‘I’ll miss you,’ she said through icy tears, hugging the moon hare closer.

  They sat like that for a little while, until Bob wriggled free and bounded back across the field towards the other moon hare, pausing once or twice to glance back at Arianwyn, blue eyes full of hope and sadness. She lifted a hand in farewell and then the two moon hares were swallowed up in the snow and darkness.

  It felt as though a small part of Arianwyn had gone as well.

  Chapter 32

  SECURE CHANNEL 736

  he hours slipped past as the chill wind whipped at their faces, snow blinding them as it drove towards them, gusting across the open land.

  Arianwyn had given up trying to see ahead and the whole world now consisted of her boots moving forward through the snow, and endless, endless white. She felt a hollowness inside: Bob gone, her grandmother in the clutches of the High Elder, Gimma lost to the hex, and a father who just seemed to misunderstand her and not see how she had changed from the little girl he had left behind so many years ago.

  Salle and Colin walked close by her side; she knew they were keeping a careful eye on her and heard them whispering occasionally. She was thankful they were there, her two best friends, the very best friends she could ever have hoped for.

  ‘Look!’ Salle said, her words almost snatched away on the wind. She pointed a gloved hand ahead to where the snow-covered road, which had offered nothing but fields and hedges and walls for the last who knew how many hours, suddenly revealed a scattering of houses and two street lights casting their orange glow out across the snow.

  ‘We must be nearly there,’ Salle called.

  But the first few houses, like so many they had seen on their walk that night, were abandoned and empty of life. Curtains drawn or shutters closed, no lights, no people. It was as if everyone in the whole silent, white world had vanished
except for Salle, Colin and Arianwyn.

  ‘Where do you think everyone is?’ Salle asked.

  ‘They must have moved into town for safety,’ Colin said.

  They carried on, finally passing a sign that said ‘Welcome to Flaxsham, the Heart of the South’ just as the sun was rising, the darkness chased away by a soft pink light.

  Not long after this, as they made their way to the town centre, they encountered their first person: a police officer patrolling the street. He stopped as he saw the three of them, clearly surprised. He must have realized from their snow-covered clothes and tired expressions that they were not from Flaxsham. ‘Where have you three come from then?’ he asked, puffing out his cheeks in puzzlement.

  ‘Lull,’ Salle said, pulling her scarf from her face. ‘We’ve come from Lull.’

  The police officer, who introduced himself as PC Walters, took them quickly to Flaxsham police station which was just a little further down the street. A small fire was burning in his office and he helped them take off their frozen, stiff coats and damp, cold scarves. He fetched a pot of tea and a plate piled with hot buttered toast. They ate and drank in silence, grateful for the warmth in their bellies and to be out of the snow at long last. It was better than any feast.

  ‘Now, how’s about telling me just what’s going on?’ PC Walters asked. He picked up a pencil and held it over a notebook on his desk as he took a bite from his own pile of toast.

  They all started to talk at once, babbling about everything that had happened – from Gimma to Grandma’s abduction. Even Bob meeting the other moon hare. This last piece of news made PC Walters scratch his head, but Arianwyn noticed him write down ‘Moon Hares?’ on his notepad.

  ‘We really need your help,’ Arianwyn said finally as they reached the end of their tale. ‘We have to get word to the C.W.A.’

  PC Walters sat back in his seat and took a big gulp from his mug of tea. Then he glanced towards the window which was all frosted over, the snow piled on the window ledge outside.

  ‘Well, it’s not quite so simple, I’m afraid,’ he said gloomily. ‘You might have noticed we’ve not exactly escaped unscathed from the storm ourselves. We’re just as cut off as Lull is. Our power is intermittent at best. Our telephone lines are down and telegrams aren’t working either.’

  The office fell silent as the news sank in.

  What could they do now? They’d come all this way and were no better off because of it. Flaxsham had been their hope, their only chance.

  PC Walters cleared his throat. ‘But our radio has been working on and off – it’s on a battery. See.’ He pointed across to a large black metal box on a cabinet in the opposite corner of the room. ‘We’re trying not to use it too much, though . . .’ the police officer said, but Colin was already on his feet and moving across the small office towards the radio. He bent over the black metal box and started to fiddle with some of the dials and switches on the front. Three small windows suddenly became illuminated on the front, needles twitching this way and that.

  ‘Hang on a second!’ PC Walters started to object, but Colin wasn’t taking any notice.

  He pulled on the pair of headphones and continued fiddling with the dials and switches on the radio. ‘This is Flaxsham police station to C.W.A. Headquarters on secure channel seven-three-six. Over,’ he said firmly.

  Arianwyn glanced at Salle as Colin focused his attention again on the dials. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing, but it was so early in the morning: would anyone be monitoring this channel at the C.W.A? And wasn’t there a risk that it might be someone loyal to the High Elder?

  There was a sudden urgent beeping sound from the radio. ‘What’s that?’ Salle asked. Two red lights on the side began to flash at the same time as the machine beeped loudly a second time.

  And then it stopped again almost as quickly as it had begun. Only to start again seconds later.

  ‘It’s an emergency message,’ PC Walters said. Snatching up a piece of paper and a pencil, he lingered by the radio beside Colin, waiting for the beeping to start again.

  When it did, he started to write something down in the notebook, his eyes flicking briefly to Arianwyn. A cold weight sank in her stomach and even though she couldn’t see the piece of paper or understand the beeping message she felt instinctively that it was about Lull.

  ‘What is it?’ Arianwyn asked. She got up from her seat and walked across to PC Walters.

  ‘Not got the full message back yet, hold on.’

  They waited as over the next few minutes the radio continued its beeping message and pauses of aching heavy silence. Eventually, PC Walters turned his notebook towards Arianwyn and she read the message:

  URGENT. LULL IN GRAVE DANGER. PLEASE SEND

  ARIANWYN GRIBBLE BACK AT ONCE. URGENT ASSISTANCE

  REQUIRED. OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE. PLEASE

  RESPOND. REPEAT. LULL IN GRAVE DANGER.

  Arianwyn glanced at Colin and then at Salle. ‘It’s Lull. I have to go back,’ she said quickly. She flipped the pad over so that Colin and Salle could read the message.

  There was a flurry of movement as Salle raced across the room to look at the notebook. She gasped as she took in the writing and the weight of the words settled on her. She reached out to take Arianwyn’s hand. ‘What do we do?’ she asked.

  But Arianwyn didn’t know what to say; she just knew she had to go back. ‘I have to go,’ she said and she moved to pull on her coat and scarf.

  ‘Wait,’ Salle said. ‘Don’t we need to talk about this?’

  ‘Yes, Wyn. Wait and see if there’s more information,’ Colin added from his perch next to the radio.

  ‘I don’t think we can take that chance, though. Or lose any time. Jinxing-jiggery, I should have brought my broomstick!’ Arianwyn moaned. ‘Has anyone got a car that might get through the snow?’ she asked, already knowing it was a useless idea.

  PC Walters gave a little cry of excitement. ‘Oh, we have a broomstick you can use! Miss Delafield always made sure the local stations had one – in case of emergencies.’ He disappeared into a large cupboard and emerged moments later with a broom covered in cobwebs and dust. ‘Don’t think it’s been used for a while, though.’ The police officer smiled, trying to give it a dust.

  ‘Good old Miss Delafield!’ Arianwyn beamed, taking the broom from PC Walters and smiling. She turned to her friends. ‘Now, you two stay here and carry on trying to get hold of the C.W.A. Or whoever else might be able to help.’ She headed for the door.

  ‘Just wait a second, Wyn. It might not be safe for you to go back on your own,’ Salle said. ‘At least let me come with you.’

  ‘I’ll be quicker flying on my own,’ Arianwyn said, taking Salle’s hand. ‘Stay here and wait with Colin until he gets through to Miss Newam or somebody.’

  ‘No,’ Salle said, pulling on her coat. ‘I’m coming with you.’

  Arianwyn could see from Salle’s face that there was going to be no arguing with her at all. She sighed. ‘All right then, but don’t be a back-seat flyer, OK?’

  Salle nodded.

  ‘Will you be OK here, Colin?’ Arianwyn asked.

  ‘Yes, of course.’ He nodded, and then quickly repeated his message again. ‘Should I reply to the message to let them know you’re coming back?’

  ‘Yes,’ Arianwyn said quickly, before she could think about it any more. ‘Thank you for your help,’ she said to PC Walters.

  ‘Well, I don’t feel that I’ve done all that much,’ PC Walters replied. ‘And now you’ve got more worries. I hope we can get some assistance back to you soon as possible. Do tell the mayor in Lull that we will come and assist as soon as we can.’

  Arianwyn nodded. She turned and waved to Colin, who was relaying his message again, then she and Salle left the office and followed PC Walters back outside into the street.

  There were a few more people outside now, and Arianwyn noticed a few curious glances as she and Salle mounted the broomstick. She kicked off from the ground an
d the broom shot forward, low to the ground but at a good speed.

  As they left Flaxsham, Arianwyn hoped it would be fast enough.

  Ðraxen – The Glyph of Destruction

  This glyph is linked closely to the feyling word for destruction and Estar believes it to be a strong and powerful glyph, of similar power to the shadow glyph. It seems big and bold, its simplicity hiding its real nature perhaps?

  I first encountered this glyph when I was unconscious and dreaming. It made me feel sick then, and I’m really scared to try and use it without knowing its intention.

  THE NEW BOOK OF QUIET GLYPHS BY ARIANWYN GRIBBLE

  Chapter 33

  RETURN TO LULL

  alfway back to Lull, they clambered off the broom for a quick break, Salle stretching her legs out and twisting this way and that. Arianwyn could feel the muscles around her shoulders and back; they felt knotted and stiff. She stretched and turned to Salle. ‘Sorry, I think I was getting grumpy there. I’m tired.’ She smiled.

  ‘That’s OK,’ Salle said. ‘Me too.’ She glanced around herself, then exclaimed: ‘Isn’t this where we saw that seam of magic thingy!’ She pointed to the tracks in the snow leading off to the line of trees.

  ‘I think you’re right,’ Arianwyn said, and she let her senses reach out, seeking for the feeling of magic or the roughness of the hex that had ravaged the trees.

  But there was nothing. No tingle of magic, no roughness of hex.

  ‘Strange,’ she said as she moved towards the treeline.

  ‘Where are you going, Wyn?’ Salle asked. ‘Don’t we need to be getting back?’

  But something strange had occurred here, that much Arianwyn was certain of – she couldn’t help thinking it might be important somehow. The feeling of the magic and hex had been so strong before – where had it gone? Curiosity tugged her along.

  In the daylight it was easier and quicker, and they were soon in the little clearing that was mostly bramble and thorn and snag vines surrounding the hex-infested tree. Dappled light flooded in from above.