Shadow Wrack

by Kim Thompson

Willa awoke to sunshine and scratching sounds at her window. She thought maybe the fairies were back, but it turned out to be little sparrows hopping about on her windowsill. The room was blessedly quiet without the phoenix, and she lay there a moment enjoying the peace. At breakfast her mom was humming cheerfully. Willa felt guilty about her behaviour the night before, but all seemed to be forgiven. In fact, her mother was smiling, a sight Willa hadn’t seen in quite a while.

  “Thank you for setting the bird free, Willa. It was the right thing to do.” Her mother set her a place at the table. “What would you like on your toast, hon?”

  She had hoped the stain would disappear when the bird did, but no such luck — it was still there on her desk, blank and mysterious. Even shining a light directly into it didn’t reveal anything. It was like a black hole from outer space. She stared at it, remembering the last time, when the spots had grown and spread. They were openings to the Other Side, whatever that was, and as soon as you had openings, creatures could come through them into our world. She’d never gotten a proper explanation of the Other Side, but judging by the horrible beasts that came from there, it wasn’t a place you wanted to mess with, that’s for sure.

  And now there was one simple little spot on her desk. Willa felt a desperate need to tell someone, but not her mom. When Mom gets worried about something, she falls to pieces, she reflected. Who else can I tell?

  Belle’s door was ajar. She was watching her little TV — another nature show. This one was about dolphins.

  “Belle?”

  “Hm.”

  “Do you remember the black spots that were all over the old house before … you know.”

  “Before all hell broke loose. Yeah, I remember.” Belle didn’t look up, but at least she wasn’t angry.

  “I found a spot. Here. In my room.”

  Belle snapped her head around, and Willa caught a flash of fear in her eyes. That’s got her attention.

  “Sure you didn’t spill some ink?”

  “It’s not ink. What do you know about the spots? And the ‘Other Side’?”

  Belle screwed up her face thoughtfully. “I stay away from all that business. Don’t like it. You’ll have to ask Horace.”

  Of course! Willa felt suddenly cheered. She and Horace could figure this out. “I’ll go see him after school. If you see any more spots around, could you let me know?”

  Belle was riveted to her TV again. “Sure thing, sweetie.” Willa backed away quietly, not wanting to risk upsetting Belle and ruining the moment. She called me sweetie.

  After school, Willa biked to the hotel and raced up to Horace and Tengu’s room.

  Tengu answered the door. “He’s gone.”

  “Left for the day?”

  “No. He’s disappeared. Didn’t come home last night at all.”

  Willa’s heart sank. Great. Just great. “Did he say anything? Was he acting weird? Was he confused?”

  Tengu shrugged, not looking too concerned. “No, he said he was going for a walk, and then he didn’t come back. He’s probably gone off somewhere to think. Kind of a time-out.” He smiled at Willa’s panicked expression. “He’s over two thousand years old, Willa. I’m pretty sure he can look after himself.”

  “But he gets so muddled. His memory conks out sometimes, and it really upsets him.”

  “I don’t think you need to worry. Not yet, anyway.”

  That didn’t sound so reassuring. Willa bit her lip. “I let the phoenix go last night.”

  Tengu’s eyes widened at the news. “Oh!”

  “My mom couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t take it anymore. And I found one of those … black stains. Under her cage.”

  Tengu sat down heavily, taking it all in. “Oh.”

  “I thought she’d be better off outside, free and everything, you know,” Willa’s words rushed out. “And I think she’s okay. There are plenty of other birds to keep her company, anyway.”

  “Yeah,” chuckled Tengu, gesturing to the ledge outside his window, which was lined with pigeons. “Loads of birds. It’s been driving Horace nuts.” He caught Willa’s expression. “Not nuts-crazy, I mean nuts-distracted.”

  “I took her up Hanlan’s Hill.” Willa suddenly felt she was about to cry. “I had to let her go.”

  Tengu patted her hand. “You did the right thing. She’ll be fine. And he’ll be fine too. You can’t look after everybody, Willa. Miss Trang will be back soon.”

  Willa nodded, sniffing. Tengu suddenly brightened, rubbing his hands gleefully. “In the meantime, I’m going to round up some weapons.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Something to do, that’s all,” he reassured her. “Weapons are my hobby, you know. Like collecting stamps.” He was pulling on his coat and heading for the door.

  Willa smiled. “I’ll leave Horace a note in case he comes back.”

  “Right-o. Just pull the door shut behind you,” Tengu called back over his shoulder as he hurried off. Willa looked around for some paper. She pulled on an old envelope sticking out of a stack of books, and a pen rolled off the table onto the floor.

  As she knelt to pick it up, Willa’s eye caught something in the corner of the room. A black spot.

  Willa strode along the street, her eyes fixed on the ground. She couldn’t shake the fear that was creeping through her. Two black spots meant there could be others. The most likely location would be in Eldritch Manor, or what was left of Eldritch Manor. She had to find Horace; she was desperate for his advice.

  “Haven’t seen him in days,” reported Robert. Everything seemed under control at the house. The truce was holding. The dwarves were working out of sight in the basement, and fairies flitted happily through the woods. Willa told Robert about the black spots; he said he hadn’t seen any but would keep his eyes open.

  Willa saw Sarah fly by. “Sarah! Where’s Mab? I need to speak with her.”

  Sarah consulted her clipboard. “Her Gloriousness is in a meeting. Would you like to make an appointment? She’s got half an hour open next Thursday at two thirty. Shall I pencil you in?”

  “I need to talk to her right now. About …” Willa dropped her voice, “… the time talisman. The knitting. She’s still knitting, right?”

  “Affirmative.”

  “I’m worried about keeping it secure. Has she got it in a safe place?”

  Sarah smiled proudly. “She’s appointed me in charge of security, and I found the perfect hiding place for it!”

  Willa waited a moment. “You’re not going to tell me where it is, are you?”

  “Nope!” Sarah chirped merrily. “Now, did you want to make that appointment for Thursday?”

  “Where is she?” snapped Willa, and Sarah jumped a little.

  “Um, Her Enchanting Eminence is … resting.”

  “I thought you said she was in a meeting.” Willa strode past her. “Is she in her tree? Mab! Maaab!”

  Sarah scooted in front of her. “No. She’s not here.”

  Frowning, Willa leaned in very close to the little fairy and hissed, “Where is she?”

  Sarah didn’t like being stared down. Her voice shook. “Her Utmost Perfection is resting in the fancy house.”

  This took Willa aback. “Fancy house? What’s that? Where on earth has she found a fancy house?” She stared steadily at Sarah until the fairy looked away, casting a quick glance toward … the house next door.

  Willa smacked her forehead. “The Hackers’. You have got to be kidding.”

  The best way to sneak up on the Hackers’ house was from the back. The fence was a little bit lower in the back corner of the lot, and there was a large hedge on the other side to block it from view. Willa climbed the fence and dropped in between it and the hedge, shuffling along sideways until she came to the end of the bushes. Peeking out, she could see both Hackers in the kitchen. Mrs. was stirring something on the stove, and Mr. was sitting reading the paper. Willa felt a tickle by her ear. Sarah was peeking out at the house too.

  “
What room is she in?” whispered Willa.

  “Front room,” squeaked Sarah nervously. “They never go in there.”

  Willa nodded. She knew that room from being in the house once or twice, when they’d called her in to listen to their complaints. It was a very formal parlour, so formal that there was probably no visitor the Hackers would consider of sufficient quality to be allowed entrance. Certainly not Willa; she had merely peeked in from the hall. There was a plastic cover over the sofa, shelves of dainty porcelain figurines, and a couple of plants so perfect they had to be fake.

  Crawling on her hands and knees to stay out of view, Willa crossed the yard and continued along the side of the house. A couple of people passed on the sidewalk but didn’t look her way. There was a window at the front corner of the house, and by climbing up on a rainbarrel, Willa was able to peer into the front room. From this angle, she could see the corner of the room she hadn’t seen from the front hall. In that corner stood a gorgeous antique dollhouse.

  “The fancy house,” muttered Willa. “Just Mab’s style.” She turned to Sarah, who was still nervously shadowing her. “We have to call her out of there. Any ideas?”

  Sarah considered. “You could maybe go in and …?” She stopped as she saw Willa shaking her head and then shrank back. “I could go in and …” Willa nodded.

  “Do whatever you have to do to get her out here.”

  Sarah gulped. “She won’t like it.”

  Willa smiled. “That’s too bad. I must speak with her. It’s extremely urgent. In you go.” There was a wooden wedge holding the window open just a crack. Sarah squeezed into the room, tumbling immediately off the windowsill into a plasticky fern. Willa watched as Sarah climbed out and flew slowly across the room. She was halfway to the dollhouse when Mr. Hacker’s footsteps sounded in the hall. Sarah zipped back to the plant as he passed the doorway, engrossed in his paper. He picked up the mail from the front mat and headed back to the kitchen.

  “What’s another word for ‘sea eagle’?” he called to his wife as he disappeared from sight.

  Willa breathed a sigh of relief. Sarah started across the room again, this time reaching the dollhouse. She landed and knocked softly on the front door. Mab answered it, looking irritated. Willa could see Sarah speaking and pointing to the window. Mab looked over and shook her head. Then she slammed the door in Sarah’s face with a loud bang.

  Sarah froze. There were murmurs from the kitchen, and Hacker’s footsteps approached once more. Willa ducked lower, so the fern shielded her from view. Sarah was still frozen in place, trapped. Looking wildly around, she dove behind a tiny dollhouse tree just as Hacker entered the room, looking around. His eyes fell on the dollhouse. Willa held her breath. Reaching behind the tree, he picked Sarah up and peered closely at her. She had the good sense to remain stiff and staring, like a little doll. The clock ticked. Willa gripped the windowsill.

  “Randolph? What was it, dear?” came Mrs. Hacker’s voice from the kitchen.

  Hacker looked up and called back, waving Sarah about distractedly as he did so.

  “Nothing. You’re hearing things!”

  “Whaaat?” hollered Mrs. Hacker.

  “YOU’RE HEARING THINGS!” hollered Hacker as he swung the front of the dollhouse open, exposing Mab perched on a stool in front of a vanity fixing her hair. She froze, eyes wide with shock, but Hacker didn’t even see her. He thrust Sarah inside, swung the dollhouse shut, and left the room.

  Willa exhaled. Close call! After a moment, Sarah climbed out the upper storey window and zipped over to Willa. She was trembling and short of breath.

  “She … won’t … come….”

  “You go back and tell her that the black spots have returned. She’ll come.”

  Sarah grimaced but reluctantly flew back and knocked again at the door. It flew open. Sarah gave the message, and Willa saw Mab turn slowly to look at her in the window. Willa nodded to her. Mab zipped over to the windowsill, with Sarah behind her.

  “Black spots? Like the ones …?” Mab asked breathlessly.

  “Like the ones that spread through the house before the attack. Yes. There’s one at my house and one in Horace and Tengu’s hotel room. Have you seen any around here?”

  Mab shook her head, her eyes wide.

  “I need you to get all the fairies looking. Have them search the entire property. Can you do that?”

  Mab nodded. “Sarah, organize everyone into search teams.”

  “Yes, Your Eminence,” Sarah replied, scribbling madly in her clipboard.

  Willa went on. “Okay, now, about the knitting. Is it there, in the fancy house?”

  Mab didn’t answer. Willa turned to Sarah. “Is it?”

  “Yes!” she blurted out, and Mab shot her an angry look. Willa grinned. Sarah was obviously more afraid of Willa than she was of Mab.

  “It’s okay. I actually think that’s a good hiding place. Nice work, Sarah.” Sarah glowed. Willa turned back to Mab.

  “Only go in there when you need to knit, and be careful not to be seen, please?”

  As the fairies gathered for a briefing in the woods, Willa stood by the stable, lost in thought. Horace’s words were coming back to her … enemies, dark matters, evil everywhere. Her gaze fell on the covered basement. Could the dwarves really be trusted, or was Horace right about them? She went over and knocked on the trapdoor. It opened, and a massive dwarf head peeked out. It was Fjalarr.

  “Can I come in?”

  Fjalarr shook his head. “No. The peace treaty says no access to the work site. Article thirty-seven, paragraph two.”

  “Yes, but that was to keep the fairies out. I just want to come in and —”

  “No. Mjod’s orders.” He slammed the door shut. Willa’s heart sank. The friendly talk and gifts, had it all been a trick? What were they doing down there? Why should it be a secret?

  She was ready to believe Horace now, but where was he?

  There was really only one place left to look. After dinner, Willa climbed the path up Hanlan’s Hill. Was it just last night I was here? It seems ages ago. She climbed quickly, heading straight for the lookout spot about three-quarters of the way up the hill, the spot where she let the phoenix go, and where Horace liked to sit and look out over the town. To her great relief, he was there, just as she’d pictured him, staring out at the view.

  “Horace!”

  His clothes were wrinkled and there were leaves in his hair, but he smiled brightly and sprang to his feet as she approached.

  “Willa! Hello. Isn’t this a glorious day?”

  She eyed him. He looked perfectly fine, clear and rational. “Were you up here all night? Wasn’t it cold?”

  “It was bracing. Just what I needed to clear my head.”

  Willa took a deep breath. “I let the phoenix go.”

  “I know. I saw her this morning.”

  “Is she all right?”

  “Oh yes, you don’t have to worry about her,” Horace chuckled. “She’s pretty much at the top of the food chain around here. Even the eagles steer clear of her.”

  “What about you? Can I bring you anything? Are you hungry?”

  At this Horace flashed a sly smile. “No, no need. You know, Willa, from time to time I’m at the top of the food chain too.”

  Willa suddenly remembered Horace as a great golden lion, and smiled. “Okay, so take care of yourself, and come down soon. Tengu is gathering weapons.”

  Horace rolled his eyes. “Ye gods.”

  Willa laughed. It felt good. “I mainly came to tell you … I found a black spot at my house. Under her cage. And there’s another one in your hotel room.”

  This made Horace pause. “There is?”

  “Yes, and they’re exactly like the ones we saw at the old house.”

  Horace sat down. His face darkened. “The hotel room … Tengu! I knew it all along….”

  “You think Tengu caused it? That can’t be true!”

  “Enemies among us bring the darkness. Trust nob
ody.” He peered at Willa in a way that made her feel that she too was under suspicion, and then he turned back to the view. Flocks of birds wheeled as far as the eye could see. Willa felt cold.

  “Horace? What do the spots mean? What’s going to happen? What should we do?” Willa looked at him pleadingly. Please tell me what to do. Please.

  Horace just waved her away, annoyed. “Don’t pester me, child!”

  Tears sprang to Willa’s eyes, but she blinked them back. It was time to go. She was a few steps down the path when he called to her.

  “Willa! What’s the bird’s name?”

  “I don’t know. I mean … I didn’t give her a name.” Willa waited for a reply, but none came, so she continued down the path. Dusk was falling quickly, and the air was cooler. As the shadows lengthened, there was rustling all around, in the dead leaves, the dry grass, the murmuring trees.

  About halfway down, she stumbled a little. The dark shapes on the ground weren’t rocks, as she’d thought, but birds spilling out into the path from the bushes. Willa shooed and waved her arms, but it had no effect on them. She had to shuffle along the ground so she wouldn’t accidentally step on one. This and the increasing gloom slowed her progress. It felt like she’d never reach the bottom. After a while she became aware of the distinct sound of shuffling feet that paused every time she did. She stopped and started a few times to make sure and then stumbled ahead, not sure what to do next.

  At the bottom of the hill it took all her willpower to whirl around, scanning the path behind her. There was nothing there, and for a moment all was still. Then she heard a low, menacing growl. She turned and fled down the street. Nothing followed.

  As she reached her front door, gasping for breath, Horace’s last words suddenly came back to her — he’d asked what the bird’s name was, and she didn’t have an answer. I didn’t give her a name, she thought, and was ashamed.

  Chapter Six

  Weapons for everyone!

  The rest of the week was quiet. The autumn days were sunny and bright, though there was a cold nip in the air. Despite the sunshine and calm, Willa grew more and more uneasy. The black stain on her desk wasn’t getting any bigger, but every day she stared at it, wondering what horrible fate was coming for them all.