A Witch Alone

by James Nicol

  After they’d eaten, she found herself reaching into her bag and pulling out her copies of A Witch Alone and The Apprentice Witch’s Handbook. She’d wanted to tell Colin and Salle about the new page for weeks, but it hadn’t felt right until now.

  ‘If I tell you something you have to keep it a secret,’ Arianwyn said quietly.

  Colin and Salle glanced at the handbook, eyes alight. ‘What is it?’ Salle asked.

  Arianwyn retrieved the two pages, hidden for safety in the two books, and placed them carefully on the table in front of her friends. Of course, neither Colin nor Salle could see anything more than the two empty sheets of paper, but she could tell by their faces that they both knew what they were.

  ‘Another page?’ Colin asked. ‘But how, when?’

  ‘Tas gave it to me.’ She felt a flush of shame for having kept this from them, and worried this might set their friendship back again.

  They were both quiet for ages. Arianwyn’s heart galloped in her chest until finally Colin said, ‘You did the right thing not telling Miss Newam.’

  ‘What? Really?’ Arianwyn couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

  ‘She would have only interfered and upset things further, you know she would. And anyway, Estar will have the rest of the book with him. Or know where it is.’

  Arianwyn hoped that was true.

  ‘He’s right,’ Salle agreed. ‘Have you tried the spell? What does it do?’

  Arianwyn pushed the piece of paper closer so they could read her handwriting on the bottom of the page: The Glyph of Silence.

  Miss Delafield smiled as she pulled open the Spellorium door. ‘Good day, Arianwyn?’ she asked. Something in her eyes told Arianwyn that she knew exactly what sort of day she’d had, and that Miss Delafield most likely had been involved in setting it all up.

  ‘An excellent day, thank you. How is Estar?’

  ‘Still no change. I’ve moved him upstairs so he’s more comfortable. Mat brought an old camp bed round for you to use.’

  It felt good to have her friends back, for everything to be on a more even keel. The whole world had felt out of sorts when she had fallen out with them, and she had felt so alone.

  But that was done now. They just needed Estar to wake up and tell them where the book was.

  Chapter 34

  RESULTS

  t was a couple of days later when Arianwyn found herself knocking on the door of Miss Newam’s office in the town hall and waiting. She fidgeted. It felt as though she had done one shoe up too tight, and her skirt was twisted. As she started to straighten it the door flew open and Miss Newam glared up at her. She was swathed in her usual grey suit, but with an oversized white lab coat flung over the top. ‘Ah, Miss Gribble. It’s you.’

  ‘I got your note, Miss Newam. You said it was urgent?’

  Miss Newam’s face was pale and she looked a little dishevelled, as though she hadn’t had enough sleep. She nodded and stepped aside, admitting Arianwyn into her domain. The blinds were pulled down, casting the office in a permanent twilight. The desks had been pushed back against the wall and were covered in networks of glass containers. Tubes were clamped to funnels that joined to strangely shaped glass vessels holding various coloured liquids. Here and there, burners were lit beneath bubbling glass beakers.

  Colin waited beside the table of equipment facing Arianwyn at the opposite end of the room. He looked uncomfortable as he came forwards, as though he was about to sit a very hard and unexpected exam or had an appointment with the head teacher. He smiled at Arianwyn, but it wasn’t convincing.

  They were in trouble. That was it. Miss Newam had been biding her time and now she was going to tell them both off – maybe even hand them an official warning or some sort of punishment from the High Elder. Colin came to Arianwyn’s side as Miss Newam shut and locked the door of the office. Then she turned slowly to face them both.

  ‘I have made a discovery that I need to share with you both. I . . .’ She sniffed. ‘I think I may have made an error of judgement.’

  Was she apologizing for something? Arianwyn suddenly felt more nervous than she had a moment ago.

  Miss Newam beckoned for Arianwyn and Colin to join her at the long table that stood at the centre of the room. It was laid with a clean white cloth and held several containers of different shapes and sizes. Even from here Arianwyn could see that they all held samples of hex. She could smell it, could feel the prickle of its dark magic in the air and against her skin. She tried not to breathe through her nose as she stood beside Miss Newam and peered at the containers. Small slips of paper were tucked under or taped to each one.

  ‘Now, you both have to promise that what I am about to tell you goes no further than this room . . .’

  ‘Oh, Miss Newam, I’m not sure—’

  ‘Promise me!’ she said again, gripping Arianwyn’s hand with such force that she almost cried out in shock. She was clearly worried or frightened about something.

  ‘OK! I promise, of course.’ Arianwyn placed her free hand on top of Miss Newam’s and patted it twice.

  Miss Newam looked at Colin. ‘And what about you?’

  ‘Oh yes, course. Scout’s honour,’ he squeaked, looking rather puzzled.

  Miss Newam took a deep breath and released Arianwyn’s hand, smoothing back her hair – her plaits, usually so perfect, were all flyaway today. She gestured to the table again.

  ‘These samples are all from the C.W.A. Science archives.’ Miss Newam pointed to the collection of small containers on the left-hand side of the table. ‘They represent the known types of hex prevalent in Hylund and the Four Kingdoms.’ She straightened her glasses and looked at Arianwyn as though she should have made some wonderful exclamation.

  Arianwyn nodded.

  ‘These samples are what we gathered in the Great Wood.’ The containers on the right were marked with red and green labels. There was another container that seemed to hold just broken pieces of glass. It was also labelled with a red tag.

  ‘The green tags all match up with the samples from the C.W.A. but the red ones . . . do not!’ She looked at Arianwyn.

  ‘What does that mean? How can they not match?’

  ‘Exactly. When we were in the wood I found these shards of glass near to the sites where all the red-labelled hex was located.’ Miss Newam lifted the container full of broken glass and turned it this way and that for a moment. ‘The glass shards all have traces of hex on them as well, and whilst I can’t be certain, I think the glass must have come from some sort of container.’ Miss Newam said the last words deliberately slowly and then stepped back from the table.

  Arianwyn let her words sink in, her mind working it all out slowly. ‘So do you think that the hex was brought to the Great Wood in glass containers and released on purpose?’ she asked – but even as she said the words, she thought there was no way they could be true. Who on earth would do such a thing, and why?

  ‘The hex hasn’t spread naturally?’ Colin added, his voice hardly louder than a whisper.

  Miss Newam nodded. ‘That would seem to be correct.’ She straightened stiffly, lifting her chin and not looking either Arianwyn or Colin in the eye. She took a deep breath that made her shoulders shake. Then she said in a rush, ‘I’m sorry. I was wrong to blame the feylings, Arianwyn. Very wrong indeed.’ She looked straight at the wall.

  Miss Newam sounded as if she’d choked on her words, but had she actually apologized to Arianwyn . . . ? She couldn’t quite believe it! Arianwyn glanced quickly at Colin, who stood slightly open-mouthed and gazed at her in disbelief.

  ‘But wait, who would plant hex in the wood in the first place?’ Arianwyn asked. ‘Who would put themselves in that sort of danger?’

  ‘Someone who didn’t want anyone to go in the wood?’ Colin asked.

  Arianwyn chewed her fingernail for a moment. ‘But why?’ she sighed.

  ‘And who?’ Colin asked, his voice a nervous squeak. He looked at Miss Newam.

  ‘Well, we need to tel
l the mayor at once,’ Arianwyn said, heading for the door.

  ‘No wait, Miss Gribble. Arianwyn, stop!’ Miss Newam called, her voice urgent, full of fear. ‘You can’t tell anyone about this – you promised, remember? We can’t be certain who it was that released the hex into the wood in the first place.’ She froze, her hand hovering over the door handle.

  Miss Newam was right – it could have been anyone. ‘So, what do we do?’ Arianwyn asked, turning back to face Colin and Miss Newam.

  Miss Newam looked at Colin and then at Arianwyn. She tucked her hands behind her back and looked at the floor. ‘We do nothing, for now. I’ll report my findings as inconclusive to the council until we can find out more.’

  ‘You’re going to keep this from the High Elder too?’ Arianwyn asked.

  Miss Newam nodded. ‘We cannot trust this news with anyone outside of this room.’ She looked at Colin. ‘Agreed?’

  He nodded.

  ‘Arianwyn?’

  ‘Yes. Of course, if you think it’s for the best.’

  ‘For our own safety, it must remain a secret,’ Miss Newam said, her voice heavy with dread.

  There was a sharp knock on the door that startled them all.

  ‘Miss Newam? Mr Twine?’ It was Miss Prynce. ‘Are you there?’

  Miss Newam pulled her lab coat straight and walked slowly to the door. ‘Yes?’ she snapped in her usual manner, as she pulled the door open.

  Miss Prynce peered into the room. ‘It’s the mayor, he says you’re to – oh, Miss Gribble you’re here as well, that’s good. The mayor wants to see you at once in the town square. It seems a delegation from the Council of Elders has just arrived, including the High Elder herself!’

  Every witch’s abilities are as unique as her fingerprints. Often a witch inherits her abilities from her family; most commonly skills and indeed level of magical ability are passed from mother or grandmother to child. On occasion abilities will skip generations entirely. Elder Paslow was the only witch in his family for eight generations and yet possessed significant skills from an early age.

  There are some theories that suggest all witches can be traced back to the founding witches of the Four Kingdoms, those who received the original gift of magic from the great spirits.

  A WITCH ALONE: A MANUAL FOR THE NEWLY QUALIFIED WITCH

  Chapter 35

  A DELEGATION

  rianwyn walked slowly out of the town hall, Miss Newam and Colin close behind her. Across the town square, parked in front of the Blue Ox was Beryl, gleaming in the late afternoon light. Four smartly dressed women stood beside the bus. They could have been another group of tourists come to gaze at the Great Wood from afar, but Arianwyn knew from their stiff postures that they were certainly not tourists. She glanced back at Miss Newam, who kept her eyes fixed ahead. As they drew nearer she could hear the mayor’s welcoming words, ‘. . . huge honour to welcome you all here to Lull, and especially you, High Elder.’

  He bent forward in a dramatic bow, almost tumbling into the High Elder, who was dressed in a brown tweed suit and sturdy walking boots, a green scarf wrapped tight around her neck against the chill. She looked entirely embarrassed by the whole performance. And then she saw Arianwyn. Her steely eyes gleamed and she half smiled, an expression Arianwyn remembered from their first meeting back in Kingsport. ‘Ah, Miss Gribble, it’s good to see you.’

  She turned away from the mayor, who appeared to now be stuck in his bow. He clutched at his lower back.

  ‘It’s a surprise to see you, High Elder. Welcome to Lull.’ Arianwyn inclined her head and scanned the other three witches by the bus. She recognized the blonde-haired witch who had helped her during the royal parade, but the other two elders were complete strangers. She’d briefly hoped her grandmother might appear from Beryl, but there were no other passengers on the bus.

  ‘I’ve heard wonderful things about these new charms you’re using against the hex in the wood and, as I hadn’t heard from you, I thought a trip to Lull was in order.’ The High Elder grasped her hands before her and fixed her unblinking stare on Arianwyn. ‘We’re also under pressure to provide answers about the increased threat posed by all these dark spirit creatures. I’m hoping you might be able to help.’

  Did she expect a report there and then? ‘That’s partly the reason I’ve not been in touch, High Elder. With the spread of hex, all manner of magical creatures and other things have come out of the wood, I’m afraid.’

  Suddenly the High Elder took Arianwyn by the arm and led her away from the others. ‘Any developments with the book, though, Miss Gribble?’

  ‘Well, yes and no . . .’

  ‘Oh?’ The High Elder’s grip tightened on her arm.

  ‘Estar is here; we rescued him – well, actually, Gimma rescued him and me from a skalk in the wood a few days ago.’ She felt a cold dread thinking about that horrible creature – she could almost hear the click of its bony beak.

  ‘And does he know where the book is?’ The High Elder kept her voice low.

  ‘He was wounded and he’s been unconscious since then.’ Arianwyn glanced over at the elders who were all watching carefully. ‘Although we’re hoping he’ll make a full recovery in time.’

  ‘And you say Miss Alverston recued you?’ The High Elder chuckled as she moved Arianwyn back towards the bus again, arm in arm. ‘Well, that is a turn-up for the books; obviously sending her back to Lull was the right decision. And how’s she been, other than seeing off skalks?’

  Arianwyn studied the High Elder carefully, trying to read her face. Why the sudden concern for Gimma?

  ‘She’s fine,’ Arianwyn lied, thinking of Gimma’s recent erratic behaviour. Despite their differences, she didn’t want to make trouble for Gimma.

  ‘And where is she this afternoon? I’d be intrigued to hear how she dispatched that skalk.’ The High Elder glanced around as though Gimma might suddenly appear from nowhere.

  ‘I haven’t seen her today,’ Arianwyn answered.

  The High Elder looked at the mayor who was busy fiddling with his sash and medal.

  ‘Gimma?’ Mayor Belcher said, glancing around the square. ‘Oh, she must have gone home. She did say she was feeling unwell.’

  ‘Well, tell her that I’d like to see her tomorrow, bright and early. And Miss Newam, how goes your research?’

  The High Elder moved Miss Newam away from the group in the same way she had just done with Arianwyn.

  ‘What are they doing here?’ Colin whispered quickly.

  ‘She said something about the hex charms, and wanting answers about the problems with dark spirits . . .’ Arianwyn whispered back. Even as she spoke, it didn’t seem particularly convincing – it didn’t really make sense for the High Elder to suddenly descend on Lull for a research trip. ‘Really, I have no idea.’

  ‘It’s a bit suspicious, don’t you think?’ Colin hissed.

  Arianwyn could feel her heart racing in her chest. She couldn’t shake the feeling that they were all in huge trouble, or danger, or both.

  Once she’d finished talking to Miss Newam, the High Elder returned to the group. ‘Miss Gribble, I’ll come and see you tomorrow for a full update. Shall we say ten o’clock at the Spellorium?’

  ‘Of course, High Elder,’ Arianwyn replied, her fingers twisting into nervous knots.

  ‘Very good.’ The High Elder turned and led the group of elders across the town square and through the open doors of the Blue Ox, leaving Colin and Miss Newam staring at Arianwyn.

  ‘What do we do?’ Colin asked, his voice coming out in an anxious squeak.

  ‘We stick to our plan,’ Miss Newam hissed. ‘What we’ve discovered stays between us for now. Any one of those witches from the High Elder’s inner circle could be the one who planted the hex in the wood. If they know that we know, it could put us in a far more perilous position.’

  They watched each other carefully, silently, for a few moments. ‘OK,’ Arianwyn said, though she was feeling more uneasy as the moments passed. T
he whole thing felt dangerous and wrong.

  ‘Miss Gribble, I suggest you go home and get the ledger ready to show the High Elder what has been happening in Lull since your return, anything that can keep them distracted from asking too much about the hex or the book,’ Miss Newam said. She turned to Colin. ‘In the meantime, we’ll go and prepare the samples to show the High Elder.’

  ‘But I thought . . .’ Colin started.

  ‘Well, of course not the actual samples,’ she snapped.

  Just then, Cyril Myddleton came running towards them across the town square. ‘Miss, Salle says you’re to come to the Spellorium at once.’

  ‘What is it?’ Arianwyn hurried towards him.

  ‘She says . . . Estar is awake!’ Cyril said, clearly with no idea what the message meant.

  ‘What?’ Arianwyn gasped. She looked back at Colin and Miss Newam and smiled. ‘It’s Estar. He’s—’

  Miss Newam strode to her and pulled her around, their backs to the Blue Ox. ‘Yes, I heard what he said. Now go back to the Spellorium quickly, but don’t make it look as though you’re hurrying off.’ Miss Newam’s eyes flicked back to the Blue Ox. ‘Better that we know before they do.’

  Arianwyn turned and walked at her normal speed towards Kettle Lane, her heart thundering in her chest. She cast one quick look at the Blue Ox and was certain she saw a curtain move in one of the upstairs windows. Someone was watching.

  As soon as she had turned off the town square, Arianwyn broke into a run, her feet pounding against the cobbles of Kettle Lane. She burst through the door of the Spellorium and flew up the staircase. At the top though, she stuttered to a halt. The bed was empty, and there at the small table sat Salle and Estar, sipping cups of tea and chatting as though nothing at all was unusual about the scene.

  ‘Oh, Estar!’ Arianwyn cried, clearing the last few metres in one giant leap. She caught Estar in her arms, pulling him tight, frightened to let go in case he vanished.

  ‘Careful!’ Salle cautioned, her hand on Arianwyn’s back. ‘He’s still recovering.’