Grabbing onto the Jinx magic, Cora pushed up against the net. But nothing happened. It didn’t budge. The net glowed brighter with her touch. She tried again. Pushing against the ropes. Nothing.
Then the net jolted. It shifted and then lifted up off the ground with Cora inside of it.
Uh-oh.
‘Cora!’ Tick cried.
She held onto the princess’s magic, throwing wind at the net. But the wind bounced right off it, swirling around inside the net. She saw fairy magic hit the net around her. But it was no use. The glowing net deflected every spark as it continued to rise into the air. Quickly, Cora tugged at the swirling magic inside of her again. She held onto the witch’s magic and clicked her fingers. She disappeared for a second but then reappeared right back inside the net.
Cora saw the female hunter standing in the grass ahead of her, moving the net with her glowing red hands, a smile on her long face. The male hunter jumped on the spot excitedly as he stared up at Cora inside the net.
‘We got one!’ he croaked. ‘We got one!’
The net moved closer to the hunters. Tick threw magic at the flying hunter who soared above him.
Cora swallowed. She was caught. And she couldn’t use her magic inside the net. She stared down at the woman with yellow hair and glowing red hands. She had a mark on her cheek that looked like the letter S.
Think, she told herself.
Maybe the net was made up of dark magic? She had dark magic. The warlock magic. She felt it now, angry and louder than the rest. She swallowed. She didn’t know what would happen if she tried to use the dark magic. But she was moving closer to the hunters in a net she couldn’t escape. Below her she saw Tick, still holding Tock, throw magic at the hunters.
The male hunter laughed as he danced around the fairy sparks, before throwing more darts in their direction. Cora watched relieved as Tick dodged them.
It was now or never. Hesitantly, Cora reached for the warlock magic. Black sparks lit up her fingertips. She moved her hand to the sides of the net and touched it. Her fingers curled around the ropes. She focused her thoughts on breaking the net. And like a candle dwindling, the red glow of the net dimmed.
She placed her other hand on the net and the red glow flickered. The whole net wavered in the air. She felt the hunter’s magic slowly fade. And then before she knew what was happening, Cora felt herself be pulled from her body.
She was standing on the ground in the grass field. A pair of glowing red hands in front of her. As she saw herself inside the net, she realised she was staring out of a pair of eyes that weren’t hers. They were the hunter’s.
Tick’s fairy sparks of magic flew by her ears.
With a sinking feeling, Cora realised what she had done. Possession. She had possessed the female hunter. She stared wide-eyed at herself inside the net.
Then through the eyes of the hunter, Cora watched the glowing net in front of her flicker and suddenly drop from the air, her body inside it falling too. She was a tangle in the now ordinary ropes that plummeted to the ground.
Hurriedly, Cora moved the hunter’s glowing red hands up, grabbing her body in the air and gently placing it on the ground.
The male hunter in front of her turned around.
‘What are you —’
And quickly, Cora pushed her hands at him, sending him flying through the field of grass.
She had to get back to her own body. But how? Cursing the warlock magic, she tried to take control of it and pull herself back into her own body.
Tick continued to send sparks her way. One hit her arm. She gasped as she felt a burning gash rip through her shoulder.
Cora felt for the warlock magic but it was like searching through mud. When she found it, she held on.
Tick shot fairy magic straight towards her just as she felt herself leave the hunter’s body.
Cora blinked and found herself lying on the ground, staring up at the night sky. She scrambled to her feet, glad to be back inside her own body. The warlock magic was still in her hands. She tried to shake it from her fingers. And then suddenly, flames ignited the grass in front of her with a FOOMP! The flames tore across the field in seconds.
She stared at the flames as they lit up the night, growing larger and hotter by the second, her warlock magic finally slinking back from whence it came. Cora felt dizzy.
The hunter that flew above dove down towards her with a shriek. Cora saw its wings were tattered and torn like a bat’s. Her mind foggy, she couldn’t think what to do.
Tick appeared with a POP! next to her, and then clutching her arm, the fairies and Cora disappeared in a POP! from the fiery field of grass as it burnt bright and unstoppable in the night.
Chapter Twenty-Four
They appeared somewhere dark. Cora’s stomach lurched with the fairy travel. The air was sharp like ice. And looking down at her feet, Cora saw why. Clumps of ice and snow covered the ground.
‘Here,’ said Tick.
Cora took Tock from Tick. Peering down at her friend in her arms, she could see that he wasn’t looking so good. His eyes fluttered open and closed. The wound in his thigh where the dart pierced his skin had started to bleed.
Tick pulled the bedding from his pack and laid it down. With POP!s of magic, a clutter of sticks hit the floor and a small flame swiftly ignited them.
‘Where are we?’ Cora asked. She fought a chill that crept along her skin. Looking around, Cora realised they were inside a cave made of ice and stone. The opening to the cave was nearby and Cora could see snow splayed out beneath a night sky, falling in drifts.
‘The first place I could think of,’ said Tick.
Gently, Cora placed Tock on the bedding.
‘It looks bad,’ said Tick. He wrung his hands together, worry for his brother in his eyes.
In the firelight, Cora could see the skin around the dart in Tock’s leg had started to turn yellow.
Then the injured fairy groaned as he opened his eyes. ‘Why are we flying?’ he asked. ‘Are we dragons?’ The fairy flapped his arms either side of him.
Cora raised her eyebrow at Tick. ‘Dragons?’
Hovering above the dart, Tick peered at it closely. ‘Poison,’ he whispered.
Poison. Cora hesitated. ‘What kind of poison?’
Tick shook his head, unsure.
Cora remembered once after scavenging Scratch had had a small piece of glass lodged in his paw, and Dot had Cora distract the cat while she swiftly plucked it from his paw. Looking down at Tock, Cora thought the fairy seemed distracted enough.
‘We need to take it out,’ she said.
Carefully, Cora grabbed the dart in one hand. She looked at Tick who nodded at her. Then in one quick motion, Cora pulled the dart from Tock’s leg.
Jolted out of his dream, Tock sat upright.
Cora paused, her hand still clutching the dart.
Tick and Cora glanced at each other. They waited for Tock to cry out in pain. But he didn’t. He looked at Cora, recognition lighting up his face.
‘Hello, Fairy Godmother,’ said Tock.
‘Hello,’ Cora replied.
Then the fairy lay back down, his eyes closing, and soon a soft snore fell from his lips.
‘Is there a Fairy Fountain nearby we can take him to?’ Cora asked, handing the dart to Tick.
Tick shook his head. ‘We’re on the edge of the northern towns.’
The fairy held the dart out near the fire for a closer look.
‘The poison. Will it . . .’ Cora couldn’t bring herself to ask as she looked down at Tock.
‘I don’t know,’ said Tick, lines of worry creasing his face. He grabbed some snow from the ground and flew over to his brother, placing a small amount on Tock’s wound.
Cora watched as Tick gave his brother’s hand a gentle squeeze.
‘We should take turns keeping an eye on him,’ she said. ‘I’ll go first.’
Tick nodded. The fairy settled down on his bedding.
Cora pulled out he
r own bedding from her pack and Tock’s. ‘How did you know about this place?’ she asked. She looked behind her, where the firelight didn’t reach and wondered how far the cave stretched behind them.
‘I found it,’ said Tick. ‘Accidentally, when Archibald Drake possessed Belle.’
Cora remembered. Tick had led the warlock far away in the opposite direction, so that she and Tock could escape. Now her friend lay injured in front of her, poisoned with a dart that was meant for her.
‘It was snowing then, too,’ Tick said. And then, softly, ‘Tock loves snow.’
She glanced at the sleeping Tock. She remembered King Clang’s words when they left The Hollow. Look after them. She hadn’t done a very good job of that at all.
It wasn’t long until Tick fell asleep.
Huddled in her bedding, Cora watched over the fairies, her mind on thoughts of what had happened in the grass field. Tock was hurt. She had almost been captured by syphon hunters. And she had possessed another magical being. Something forbidden, even for warlocks. She looked at Tick and Tock. Would they be safer without her? She glanced out of the cave. The snow had begun to fall heavily.
Hours passed and Cora found it harder and harder to fight the pull of sleep. Then a drip, drip, drip sound broke into her thoughts. She peered behind her in the dark. The persistent sound echoed from somewhere further inside the cave.
Grabbing a stick from the fire, Cora stood up and held the light out in front of her, gazing into the dark. Then she took a few steps away from the fairies, lighting up parts of the cave. She walked further into the dark.
The light from the flame she carried bounced off the walls around her until she found the drips from the ceiling of the cave, which fell into a puddle on the cave floor. Right next to the growing puddle, Cora noticed opened cans of food . . . and a pack. The pack didn’t belong to them. And this wasn’t any of their food. Cora stopped.
‘Hello?’ came a voice at the entrance to the cave.
Chapter Twenty-Five
A boy, carrying sticks and covered in snow, stood at the entrance to the cave.
‘Hello,’ he said shyly when he saw Cora.
Cora walked over to where the fairies slept, placing herself between them and the stranger. She held her torch up. The boy had light blue skin and short blond hair. He looked older than Cora but not by much. He wore a coat made of fur that fell from his neck down to his feet.
‘Is that a hunter dart?’ the boy asked, eyeing the dart on the ground near the fire.
Cora nodded. ‘But there aren’t any hunters here.’ She looked at the boy as he relaxed. He didn’t seem dangerous. ‘I’m Cora,’ she said. ‘What’s your name?’
There was a ruffle behind her. And Tick was suddenly fluttering in the air by her side, glaring at the stranger.
‘He’s a troll,’ Tick whispered. Or at least he thought he had whispered.
‘Half troll,’ said the boy, hearing every word.
‘Trolls can’t be trusted,’ Tick whispered to her again.
‘Neither can fairies,’ said the boy.
‘He could be working for the council,’ whispered the fairy.
‘I’m not working for anyone,’ said the boy.
‘He could be a hunter,’ whispered Tick.
‘I’m not,’ said the boy.
‘Or worse,’ said Tick, giving up on whispering. ‘He could be a travelling pickled fishtail salesman.’
‘Ew,’ said the boy, scrunching up his face.
‘A travelling pickled fishtail salesman?’ came a voice behind them. Tock groaned as he tried to sit up. He slipped clumsily downwards and Tick flew over to him, helping him up.
Cora knelt down next to the injured fairy.
‘How do you feel?’ she asked Tock.
‘Tired,’ he said, a fairy hand on his head. ‘Dizzy.’ Then he paused. ‘Did we see dragons?’
Tick and Cora shook their heads.
‘Oh,’ said Tock, disappointed. He gazed down at his injured leg and grimaced at the sight.
The blue boy stepped over to them, closer to the fire. He shuffled the sticks in his arms and searched his pockets for something.
‘Here,’ he said, pulling out what looked like a yellow leaf about the size of his hand. He held it outstretched to Cora and Tick.
Cora paused. What were they supposed to do with a yellow leaf? Eat it? Fan themselves with it?
‘For his leg,’ the boy said, motioning to Tock.
Oh.
‘Rumple Leaf,’ said Tick looking over. ‘Where did you get it?’
The boy shrugged. ‘I like to be prepared.’
Cora looked at Tick. The fairy nodded.
‘Thank you,’ she said, taking the leaf.
The boy glanced down at her hands as Cora handed the leaf to Tick. She watched as the fairy crumbled the leaf in his hands and sprinkled the pieces onto Tock’s wound carefully. The pieces of leaf stuck to the fairy’s skin, creating a bandage.
‘What is your name?’ Cora asked, turning back to the boy.
‘Oggmund the Third,’ the boy said. ‘Pleased to make your acquaintance.’ He bent forward in a long bow, a few of the sticks he carried in his arms clonking to the ground.
‘I believe it’s pleased to make your accountant,’ said Tick smugly.
‘No, it’s not,’ said Tock.
‘Nope,’ said Cora.
Tick scratched his head, confused.
‘Are they your things over there?’ Cora asked, pointing behind her to where she had seen the pack and open food cans before.
Oggmund nodded.
‘I think they might be wet now,’ Cora said, recalling the dripping sound and puddle of water.
‘Oh,’ said Oggmund, eyes widening. ‘That’s not good.’
‘You can dry your things by our fire,’ she offered. After all, the boy had given them something to help Tock’s leg.
Oggmund smiled at her thankfully. He dropped the rest of the sticks in his arms and walked further into the dark cave.
Cora turned to find Tick looking at her sharply, his small fairy arms crossed at his chest.
‘Cora, we don’t know anything about him,’ the fairy whispered. ‘He could be anybody.’
‘I know,’ Cora said.
With his feet, Oggmund pushed all of his things across the ground of the cave to their fire. He sat down with a thump and put his hands out, warming them up near the flames. He smiled at them.
Tick’s arms were still crossed as he glared at the stranger across the flames. ‘It’s my turn to keep watch.’
Cora wasn’t sure about leaving Tick alone with Oggmund but she was struggling to keep her eyes open.
She nodded thankfully at the fairy and lay down next to Tock in her bedding. It wasn’t long until the crackling of the fire was the last thing she heard before falling asleep.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Cora stood up. Tall, thin trees stretched up beside her. Peering around, she recognised her surroundings as the woods near Brolg. But what was she doing here? And where were Tick and Tock?
‘Tick,’ she called into the forest. ‘Tock.’
Cora took a few steps forward and stopped when she saw the air in front of her shimmer. But it wasn’t Tick or Tock who appeared. It was a man with long, dark hair and a familiar pair of piercing eyes. It was someone she had hoped she would never see again. Archibald Drake.
The warlock stared down at her.
‘My, my,’ he said. ‘Look what you’ve become.’
Cora looked down.
Black cracks covered her entire body. They wound their way up from her toes, covering every inch of her.
The warlock moved his hands and a silver liquid appeared, swirling in the air in front of her.
Cora stared at her reflection and what she saw frightened her. The girl who stared back wasn’t her anymore. Her skin was grey. The black cracks stretched up all the way to her neck. She reached up with a crumbling hand and touched her cheek. It was cold. Her eye, blac
k and sunken, looked hollow. She was an echo of her former self.
A Havoc.
‘I told you you’re not strong enough,’ the warlock said.
‘Without that bracelet, the dark magic is eating you alive.’
Angrily, Cora pushed the silver liquid away from her with her hand and it flew towards the warlock. It went through him, disappearing in the air.
The warlock smiled at her.
Then from the darkness, shapes stepped into view. One after another, the vampire, the witch, the necromancer, the hobgoblin, the elf and King Clang came forward. Each member of the council stared at her, eyes accusing.
‘It won’t be long until they find you,’ said the warlock.
The witch laughed. The high-pitched sound bounced around the woods.
‘But,’ said Cora. ‘King Clang,’ she tried.
‘An out-of-control syphon,’ said King Clang, shaking his head. ‘There’s no greater risk to the magical world.’
Then two POP!s of magic filled the air and Tick and Tock appeared, flying by their father’s side. They stared at Cora like they didn’t know her.
A crack of lightning shot through the woods ahead, and the silver-haired man stood in the distance, his hair sharp like knives.
‘Don’t bother fighting it,’ said the warlock, stepping forward. ‘You’re almost ours.’ Archibald smiled at her, his teeth pointed. The silver-haired man and the council did the same, their faces stretching into sinister smiles as they strode towards her.
Cora stepped back until she felt something large behind her. Spinning around, she looked up to find an enormous shadow creature, its yellow eyes like beacons in the night. The Jinx. But instead of staring at her, it stared at Archibald, the council and the man with silver hair.
Next to the Jinx stood a young girl in a yellow nightdress. Cora had only seen her in Artemis’s memories. But she knew who she was. Princess Avette. The young girl nodded at Cora, squaring her shoulders at the group of people behind her.
The Jinx roared loudly at them.
Cora realised . . . she wasn’t alone.
Havoc!: The Untold Magic of Cora Bell Page 8
