by Ronald Craig
It seemed like only moments later she was awakened by a hoot of delight. Toots was perched on the end of her bed, clearly beside himself with happiness. Nina grabbed him in a tight hug. Dillwyn watched on smiling, pleased to see his new friend safe.
‘What time is it?’ Nina asked him. ‘Has Relck come back to see me?’
‘No,’ Toots hooted, ‘we haven’t seen him.’
Nina jumped out of bed and scrambled into some clothes. ‘Come on,’ she said, ‘let’s go find him then.’
The trio hurried into the Great Hall, where witches and wizards were hurrying around on their daily business. As they glanced around the room they saw Relck step out of the mirror.
‘He’s not alone,’ said Nina, ‘he has the seer.’
The tall woman stood next to Relck with her hood up to hide her identity. They both saw Nina looking at them, and words were exchanged. The seer walked off towards the Inventor’s room. Nina started towards Relck.
‘How did it go?’ she asked. ‘Do you have any information to help rescue the Troll Queen?’
‘Yes,’ he said, looking at her solemnly. ‘The seer found a riddle. We think it tells us where the queen is kept.’ He passed Nina a piece of paper that said: The shimmering lake hides in a cave; a frozen entrance blocks the way. In the glens, you’ll find the secret you seek. Under the silver birch is where the entrance will be found.
Relck looked at her with a frown. ‘You must go back to where the trolls under the bed live.’
‘Can Toots and Dillwyn come too?’ Nina asked.
‘No,’ said Relck. ‘There is still something very wrong in the magic world. We have to keep them safe.’
Nina did not like the thought of going alone. Relck sensed her disappointment and gave her a warm hug.
‘Come on,’ he said. ‘You must go now, while it is still light outside.’
‘You’re right,’ Nina said in a voice of resignation. Bidding goodbye to Toots and Dillwyn, she walked to the mirror.
‘Be careful of what lurks in the woods,’ Toots hooted.
She nodded at him, and then began to recite the magic words. ‘Witchy Witchy woo, Mother Nature hear my cry. I offer you the whisker of a rat and the wing of a bat.’ She sprinkled her magic dust. ‘Through time and space take me to the glens where the trolls under the bed live.’
With a swish and a swoosh of her wand, she touched the mirror and was gone.
Nina arrived at the same puddle as before, just by the edge of the forest. Although the day was bright, the mirror had dressed her in snow gear. She stood for a moment, feeling rather lost. A rustling patch of thistles caught her eye and out popped Nasharie.
‘Hello, my friend!’ she called at the top of her voice, so Nina could hear her.
Nina knelt on the ground. ‘Is it safe for you to be out in the day?’
‘I’ve come to offer you a bit of advice. The silver birch is in the centre of the woods, but you must be very wary of those that live there. Use your wand to protect yourself, and go as quickly as you dare.’ Nasharie smiled at Nina. ‘Good luck, my friend!’ she said as she disappeared into the thistles.
Nina took a deep breath and set off into the forest. The light from the blue summer sky lit the trees. She could only see a few small shadows fluttering in the thicket above the trees. She was on alert, sensing danger up ahead. There were no birds singing or animals scurrying along the ground. It was as if something had chased them away.
After walking for some time, she noticed a thick growth of trees ahead. The branches touched the floor, as if hiding the way. Nina hesitated. This was becoming harder than she had anticipated, but at least no one was following her. Turning back to the trees, she gathered her inner strength and pushed past the trees with her wand held high. The thicket fought her every step of the way.
As she finally broke through, the cold chilled her to the bone. Before her stood the tree. Its huge branches dominated the clearing. A small hole at the base of the trunk was completely frozen over. She stepped forward to take a closer look. The nearer she got, the more the darkness began to close in on her. Nina lifted her wand and summoned a spell.
‘Witchy witchy woo, Mother Nature hear my cry. I offer you the tail of a rat and the eye of newt.’ She sprinkled her magic dust. ‘In the darkest night and the brightest day give me the power of light.’
With a swish and a swoosh of her wand the clearing glowed as bright as day.
With a renewed sense of confidence, Nina squeezed into a crack under the tree. The small entrance opened into a large cavern where ice had built up on the floor. She shone her wand around the room, noticing that there was no other way out. The walls twinkled as the light touched the ice.
‘What to do now?’ she thought to herself. She was relieved that, yet, there was no foe to face. Nina sat on a frozen rock, wondering if she should return to the Order. Her wand slipped from her fingers and she lost her train of thought. As she bent down to retrieve it, she noticed something underfoot. It was water! The cavern was a pond, frozen solid. This gave her an idea.
Lifting her wand, she fired the light high and whispered: ‘Witchy Witchy Woo, Mother Nature hear my cry. I offer you the wart of a toad and the leg of spider.’ She sprinkled her magic dust. ‘Through the darkest night and brightest day, give me the power of the sun.’
With a swish and a swoosh of her wand, she touched the pond and melted the ice.
With a splash, Nina disappeared through the pond and into a room under the water and ice. It was wet and cold, but remained lit by her wand. She was in a small cavern designed to hide something out of sight. She noticed an ice cage in the corner, and something moved within it. She stepped closer, her breath icy and her teeth chattering. With her neck craned, she still struggled to see what was inside.
‘Who are you?’ a small voice asked. The tiny voice clued Nina in as to who this was.
‘Are you the Queen of the Trolls that live under the bed?’ she asked, just to make sure.
‘Yes, I am,’ said the voice. ‘Who are you?’
‘I’m Nina,’ she replied. ‘I am a friend of Nasharie. I am here to try and save you. Your clan misses you terribly. Your daughter has been very
brave, but your absence is taking its toll on her.’ ‘I will be glad of your help,’ said the queen.
There wasn’t a moment to lose, so Nina lifted her wand and whispered a spell. ‘Witchy Witchy Woo, Mother Nature hear my cry. I offer you the wing of a bat and the tooth of rat.’ She sprinkled her magic dust. ‘In the coldest night and warmest day, give me the power to release this troll.’ With a swish and a swoosh, a bright spark shot from the end of her wand and surrounded the cage.
Instantly the ice around the queen began to melt. Nina knelt to help her to her feet.
‘Are you all right?’ Nina asked.
‘Yes, I am, thanks to you,’ the queen replied. ‘But I must get back to my family, and my kingdom.’
‘Of course,’ said Nina. ‘Here, let me help you.’ She picked up the queen and held her gently in her hand. Then she pointed her wand at the ceiling and the two of them shot upwards, landing just outside the crack in the tree.
‘Let’s get you home,’ said Nina. ‘Your clan will be waiting for you anxiously.’
The pair brushed through the thicket and stepped out to find an army of trolls waiting for them, dressed all in tartan. They knelt at the sight of their queen, and begged her to let them escort her safely home. Nina gently placed the troll queen on the ground, as a huge cheer erupted from the army.
The queen turned and spoke to Nina. ‘You have done a lot of good today. You gave me my family back, and now we can make sure that everyone’s dreams are sweet and full of light. Thank you for breaking the curse that had been put upon us.’ She bowed to Nina and bade her farewell.
As the army of trolls turned to escort the queen home, one little troll turned to wink at Nina. It was the princess. She waved goodbye, before hurrying through the woods towards her puddle.
> The sky was dimming, and Nina knew it must be time for tea, as a hunger churned inside of her.
‘It’s time I was getting home,’ Nina said aloud. She lifted her wand and cried: ‘Witchy Witchy Woo, Mother Nature hear my cry. I offer you the wing of a moth and the wart of a toad.’ She sprinkled her magic dust. ‘I miss my family and my hunger grows, take me home where I belong.’
With a swish and a swoosh of her wand she touched the puddle and was gone.
All eyes were on Nina as she stepped out of the mirror and into her bedroom. Toots and her parents were waiting to greet her.
‘We are so proud of you. Relck has told us everything you have done,’ said her father. They all gathered around to give her a big hug full of warmth and love.
Nina looked at her family, and smiled happily. ‘I love being a witch,’ she declared.
Join Nina in her second instalment of this series in April called The Little Witch and the magic gift. She will face more dangers and unfamiliar surroundings as well as uncovering secrets her family hides.
Join me on-
YouTube @ Ronald Craig @Facebook @youtube-Ronald Craig-or email @ [email protected]
Sign up form.
https://www.facebook.com/ronaldcraig.books/posts/264514134046273
A audiobook of ‘The little witch and the lost boy’. By the multi-award winning voiceover producer Colin Cassidy.
View my book online with Rob Brown highly recommended @ forbookloversonly.com
Don't miss out!
Click the button below and you can sign up to receive emails whenever Ronald Craig publishes a new book. There's no charge and no obligation.
https://books2read.com/r/B-A-VNPE-RNPT
Connecting independent readers to independent writers.
