A Witch Come True

by James Nicol

  ‘Miss Newam, I didn’t know you had arrived already.’ Arianwyn came round from behind the counter, smiling.

  ‘It was rather late last night.’ Miss Newam sniffed again, but then smiled too as Arianwyn pulled her into a slightly awkward hug. ‘I was hoping Colin would be here?’ she added as they pulled apart.

  ‘He went down to the meadow with Salle to start recording the . . . transformation,’ Arianwyn explained.

  They emerged through the South Gate a few minutes later and into the meadow that surrounded Lull.

  The flooding had receded at last and the grass was lush and green. It rippled a little in the spring breeze, where it had started to grow long. The qered herd, returned from Bridge Farm, moved about, their happy calls singing out across the meadow.

  To Arianwyn, it looked so different. And it still took her breath away.

  Where the High Elder’s spell had worked its strange magic, a curving line of trees had sprouted and now ran from Lull back to the Great Wood in a huge sweeping arc. She could see ash, silver birch, oak and sycamore – and more besides that she didn’t know the names of but recognized. There were some more unusual specimens as well: one with dark purple bark and another with branches bursting with white buds that glowed at night time. There was another tree closer to the river that made a beautiful sound as its long branches moved with the breeze, but it was too far away to hear just then.

  And what had been the chasm in the high walls of Lull was now also bursting with life. The trees that had grown there had twined and twisted and grown together, forming a brown and green mesh in the space, mending brick and stone with bark and leaf. It looked almost as though Lull had become a part of the Great Wood.

  ‘It looks quite . . . spectacular!’ Miss Newam gasped.

  ‘It really does!’ Mayor Belcher agreed as they made their way over the small bridge near the pond and towards Colin and Salle, who were sat beneath one of the purple-barked trees.

  ‘Hello, Mayor Belcher, Miss Newam.’ Colin and Salle waved as they approached. ‘Hi,Wyn.’

  Colin held a camera in one hand and had a pile of notebooks in the grass at his side. Salle was holding on to a map of the meadow and was brandishing a long wooden measuring stick.

  ‘Isn’t it amazing?’ Colin asked.

  ‘It certainly is,’ Miss Newam said, turning to take in the full sight before her again. Then she leant over to look through Colin’s notebooks and at the map in Salle’s hand. ‘Are the . . . new trees having any adverse effect on the others?’ she asked.

  ‘It doesn’t appear so,’ Colin replied quickly.

  ‘And have you managed to identify them at all? Catalogue them?’

  ‘Some, thanks to our visit to see Estar in the feyling settlement a few days ago. He promises to come and help us as soon as he can.’

  ‘The feylings are busy building their new city,’ Arianwyn explained. ‘It’s amazing how much they have done: there are houses already being constructed, all sorts of strange shapes and sizes, some high in the tree branches with others like huge burrows under the ground.’

  ‘And no matter what or where they build it’s all beautiful and unique,’ Mayor Belcher added.

  ‘You’ve been to see the feyling camp, Josiah?’ Miss Newam asked, unable to hide the shock from her voice.

  Colin flashed a quick look at Arianwyn, amazed at how relaxed Miss Newam was being with the mayor. It seemed her dress sense wasn’t the only thing to have lightened up.

  The mayor lifted his chin and said proudly, ‘Indeed I have. And very glad I am to have done so. You won’t believe what they can build, Hortensia. It is truly astounding.’

  ‘Really?’ Miss Newam smiled. ‘I look forward to seeing it then.’

  ‘And the mayor is going to establish a trade agreement with the feylings, and Lull will be the first town in all of Hylund to host a feyling market once a month to trade goods and food,’ Salle added, breathless with excitement.

  ‘We will show . . . our friends,’ the mayor said after considering for a second, ‘that they are welcome here whenever they wish. They helped to defend Lull in our darkest hour. We owe them our friendship.’ He looked directly at Arianwyn as he said this.

  She smiled back at him. Hearing the mayor speak like that when he had been so against the feylings at one point made her heart warm.

  ‘Would you like me to show you some of the most interesting specimens?’ Colin asked Miss Newam.

  But before she could reply, the mayor stepped forwards and said quietly, ‘I will show Miss Newam if you like. Why don’t you three run along?’

  ‘Are you sure?’ Colin asked.

  ‘Yes, of course. Off you go.’ The mayor smiled and shooed them all away.

  At first they raced back across the meadow, whooping and laughing. Salle stopped to do a handstand which Arianwyn and Colin tried to copy, but they collapsed into a pile of giggles amongst the early daisies peeking up through the grass.

  Getting to their feet they walked more slowly back towards the South Gate.

  ‘Where’s your dad today?’ Colin asked.

  ‘He’s gone to visit some friends he knows who just moved to a new house on the other side of Flaxsham, then he’s going back to Kingsport tomorrow for an interview.’

  ‘He doesn’t want to stay here in Lull then?’ Salle asked.

  ‘I think Lull is just big enough for one Gribble.’ Arianwyn smiled. ‘He’ll be happier in Kingsport.’

  ‘Won’t you miss him, though?’

  Arianwyn thought about it for a moment. When her father had first mentioned his plans, she had felt a pang of fear and an ache that she would miss him. But then she realized she’d not lived with her father for so many years and she had sort of stopped missing him in an odd way. And now she knew he wouldn’t be returning to the army she felt more hopeful that she would see more of him.

  ‘He said he’s going to visit, lots,’ she said, and she noticed that Colin flushed a little.

  She glanced back over her shoulder and saw the mayor and Miss Newam wandering off to inspect the curve of the trees. He had his hand placed gently on her back as they walked along. And Arianwyn was surprised to hear Miss Newam’s laugh drift across the meadow, back towards them.

  They all paused for a moment on the little bridge over the marshy pond near the South Gate. The shadows were lengthening and the sun was sliding down towards the treeline. It would be dark soon. The breeze had a cool edge to it.

  ‘OK?’ Colin asked, quietly moving a little closer to Arianwyn.

  ‘I was just thinking how the meadow used to look. It’s so different now. Changed beyond all recognition. Changed more than anyone ever thought it might or could,’ she said. It was exciting, but strange and different.

  ‘But changed for the better?’ Colin asked, and his voice sounded slightly worried.

  ‘I hope so. Yes,’ Arianwyn said. ‘Look – it’s flourishing!’ She swept her free arm across the view before them, the strange new trees as beautiful as the oak and birch trees that grew right beside them. All side by side and reaching up into the sky which was flecked with the first few stars.

  ‘And all thanks to you,’ Salle said quietly. She slipped her hand gently into Arianwyn’s. It felt warm and secure.

  ‘What do you mean?’ Arianwyn asked, glancing back at the meadow and the trees again.

  ‘You’ve been like a wonderful, strange magical spell for Lull. You’ve changed it beyond what it was,’ Salle said, smiling.

  ‘And all for the better,’ Colin added. His hand was now slipping into Arianwyn’s free hand.

  They quietly turned, and hand in hand the three friends walked back up the short slope towards the South Gate and back home to Lull.

  GLOSSARY OF GLYPHS

  Årdra is the fire glyph. Its strength is immense, as is its ability to destroy at the hands of an inexperienced witch. It also contains properties for light and protection.

  Briå, the air glyph, is summoned for spells that require
delicacy. It is used in broomcraft and for transformation. Its defensive properties are limited but can be wielded by a witch with high skill.

  For spells of strength and protection it is best to use Erte, the earth glyph. Strong and resourceful, it is the easiest of the glyphs to summon but the most difficult to master.

  Ḁluna is the water glyph, useful for spells of healing and for those skilled in the arts of divination. Like water, it can appear weak but has a hidden strength.

  L’ier is the banishing glyph and contains at its heart a sliver of dark magic for it summons a small rift, opening a portal from the human world to the void to which a dark spirit is returned.

  ʘru is the simplest glyph to summon and creates a light spell orb. It is usually the glyph and spell a witch would first learn, before the age of five.

  SPIRIT CREATURE GLOSSARY

  Extracts from

  A WITCH ALONE: A MANUAL FOR THE NEWLY QUALIFIED WITCH

  FEYLINGS

  These rare magical creatures feature heavily in the mythology of the Four Kingdoms and beyond but no two descriptions ever match. Some believe they are a cross-breeding of spirit and dark spirit creatures – others believe they are something altogether different.

  FROST PHOENIX

  Frost phoenixes are now a rare sight in the Four Kingdoms, with fewer sightings reported each year. The records that do exist indicate huge but fast and graceful spirit creatures with white, shimmering plumage and wings edged with brilliant ice-blue. They are believed to summon the first snowfalls of winter. Frost Phoenix feathers are considered to be lucky, and contain healing properties.

  GANT

  Standing at over seven metres tall, Gants are gentle spirit creatures that live primarily along coastal regions. They use their two long trunks to communicate and find food, mostly crustaceans and seaweed. Their dung can be utilized for various magical purposes.

  HARVEST BOGGLIN

  The skin of these dark spirit creatures, that have not been seen for seventy-five years, is toad-like and camouflaged, though their bright red eyes will often give them away. Extremely territorial, they are known to claim whole fields, preventing crops from being harvested.

  MAUDANTS

  Maudants have the appearance of huge airborne jellyfish. They have been known to reach more than ten metres in diameter with tentacles of well over one hundred metres. A maudant’s tentacles are incredibly dangerous; the touch of one can cause paralysis and even death. Maudants generally travel in small pods of between two and seven creatures. The spells required to banish them are complex and must be carried out by two witches in conjunction to take effect.

  MOON HARE

  These rare spirit creatures were once a common sight across the Four Kingdoms and beyond. They are neither male nor female and are believed to be born from eggs. Partly scaled and partly covered in pure white fur they are naturally shy but incredibly intelligent.

  NIGHT GHAST

  No recorded sightings for nearly a thousand years. These extinct dark spirits stood at over three metres tall, with a single orifice serving as eye, mouth and nose. They were extremely violent and hungry for living creatures, possessing a distinctive insect-like call.

  NITHERINGS (Ice Imps)

  Nitherings are one of the smaller forms of ice imp, prevalent throughout most of the Four Kingdoms. They are active from late October until mid-March and build ice crystal nests in small spaces and tight corners, usually in occupied buildings. Nitherings are incredibly fast which makes them hard to spot or catch. Their skin colour is normally frosty-blue with mottled ice-white patches. They have large eyes and a large beak-like nose. They warn off predators by hissing and dropping their temperature to well below freezing in a matter of seconds.

  PANGORBAK

  Pangorbaks are dark parasitic spirits that thrive on attention. When they attach themselves to a host, they resemble a slug. Over the course of a few hours they will grow tentacles and expand rapidly. If they are not removed quickly they can cause serious damage or death.

  QERED

  Standing at over three metres tall, these horse-like spirit creatures are scaled with long flowing manes and tails. Gentle herbivores, their call is similar to that of whales and can carry for over seventy miles. They live in large herds and mate for life.

  RAZLOR

  These rarely seen dark spirit creatures are winged, dog-like beasts, with oily black skin and bony but strong bodies. They are expert hunters and usually do so in small packs of three to five creatures. They were once hunted for sport.

  SKALK

  No recorded sightings for seven hundred years. Adaptable to most conditions, these dark spirit creatures were easily identified by their large bony beaks, dark matted hair and scuttling movements. They were fast and incredibly dangerous.

  SNOTLINGS

  Common and pesky dark spirit creatures that build hibernation nests in shadowy, sheltered places. She-snotlings have thick crests of spines, are generally larger than the males, and can deliver a sharp and painful bite. If you spot signs of a nest it is best to deal with it at once.

  STAGGET

  These sacred spirit creatures guard forests and moorland and generally live in large herds. They resemble deer and are often mistaken for them, but they are much larger and their antlers are usually gold or silver.

  VELASTAMURI commonly referred to as ‘shrieking ritts’

  These spirit creatures have small bird-like bodies, but a massive three-metre wing span. They emit a high-pitched shrieking noise whilst in flight, which is often mistaken for their call, but is actually a result of the air passing through their wings.

  WILD BRUNKUN

  These gentle spirit creatures grow to no larger than ten centimetres in height and nest in thistle patches. Wild brunkun are entirely covered in thick brown hair, which they shed and regrow every month. They have a fondness for sugar.

  WINGED GRIPPETS

  These dark spirit creatures stand around forty centimetres tall, have hoglike faces and tusked mouths. Each of their four legs ends in many-fingered, dextrous hands. They are not terribly dangerous unless they swarm, when they can cause considerable damage and disruption.

  I have a tendency to get a bit gushy at this point – and I can hear poor Laura at Chicken House wondering how on earth she can squeeze in the acknowledgements without making the font so small you’d need a microscope to read them. But, simply put, books are created by more than just the author and there is never going to be enough space to say thanks for all the minuscule and massive things that people do in the course of a book being written, published and beyond.

  My thanks always and for ever to the wonderful Kate Shaw, my heroic agent. She’s so cool, funny, kind and brilliant. She deserves a medal – no, actually, the silver and gold star of an elder witch for sure!

  If I was going to face a night ghast or a skalk then I’d want my two fine writer friends, Vashti and Lorraine right beside me. They are true rocks and it’s fate that writing should have brought us together. #YPRForever

  To the wonderful team at Chicken House, Rachel H, Elinor, Rachel L, Jazz, Laura S, Laura M, Sarah, Esther and Lucy, lots of love to you all for your ongoing support and belief in me and my stories. It’s an honour to work with you all! And of course, Barry Cunningham, who is surely a little piece of magic in human form!

  I’m also hugely grateful to the many teams and publishers around the world who have brought Arianwyn to new readers over the past few years, especially to Helena at La Galera in Barcelona, Nick, Sam, Lauren and the team at Scholastic in New York and Anya, Maike and (superfan) Kathi at Chicken House Germany in Hamburg.

  To Luis, Leo and Camille who have all brought the books to life in Spain, the USA and France with their stunning illustrations. It’s been an honour to have your work linked with my stories. And most especially, Daniela Terrazzini, who illustrates the UK covers, thank you so much for beautifully imagining Arianwyn and making her fly!

  Thank you, Elizabeth Knowelden fo
r superbly reading the US audiobooks and for being such a huge supporter, fan and friend! I don’t know how you do it but it’s wonderful!

  To the army of booksellers, librarians and teachers out there in the world who help the books find their way into the hands of eager readers, you are all heroes and make the world a better, more bookish and wonderful place. Keep it up!

  Thank you to the reviewers and bloggers who have championed Arianwyn and helped her to reach new readers. Your enthusiasm for books is infectious!

  There is a wonderfully supportive community of children’s writers out there and I’m so thrilled that many of them are now good friends. It’s great catching up at festivals, events and the occasional party or just by email or a desperate tweet! Thanks for your love, support and friendship.

  Thanks for the continued support of Imogen and the whole Golden Egg Academy Family. I’m so proud I sprang from that nest!

  All my love to my family and friends – who are all very patient with me being permanently busy one way or another. For putting me up as I dash to events, for still being so proud and so excited and for being my own unique set of crazies! Special thanks to Kathleen and Martin Westerman as much of this book was edited in their spare bedroom and garden in the midst of the worst house move in history! And not forgetting Julian – who is a marvel and a treasure. Thanks for giving me the best writing room in the world (it’s even better than the dishwasher!).

  There are not enough words to express how really wonderful my editor Kesia is. Always calm, always positive. Adds just enough to keep me going when it feels like I’m swimming through spaghetti or trying to knit chain mail. She is brilliant and yet the most humble person in the world. It is a pleasure working with you. You are a total star, the books wouldn’t be the same without you – thank you for everything.

  Last but never least, thank you readers of this book and the series. It’s lovely to meet you at events and to get messages saying how much you enjoy Arianwyn’s adventures. You are my inspiration and you are the very best!