A Witch Come True

by James Nicol

  Arianwyn knew what she wanted. ‘You want the quiet glyphs?’

  The High Elder simply smiled, as if pleased that Arianwyn had worked it all out.

  ‘Why?’ Arianwyn asked.

  The High Elder tilted her head. ‘Because, as you have proven, there is great power in these new glyphs. Power I wish to have access to – for the good of the kingdom. Hylund needs the knowledge and the power of those glyphs to defeat our enemies.’

  ‘What enemies? The war is over now.’

  ‘Oh, for now.’The High Elder’s eyes glinted.

  ‘You think the war will start again?’ Arianwyn asked. ‘Why?’

  ‘The Urisians have made a new discovery, one that could tip the balance in their favour.’ She looked at Gimma pointedly.

  Arianwyn followed the High Elder’s gaze and something clicked into place: the photograph, the dark charms bound to Gimma’s arms, the hex planted in the forest. ‘You mean . . . the Urisian hex witches?’ she asked softly.

  The High Elder nodded. ‘With the quiet glyphs in my possession and proof that we too can harness the hex, nothing will stand in our way. The King and the Royal Senate will see how indispensable the witches of Hylund truly are, and we will become a force to be reckoned with once again.’

  Arianwyn’s mind felt fuzzy, as though she was trying to work out a really hard sum in a maths lesson. ‘What about Gimma?’ she said quietly, her eyes drawn to Gimma’s still, cloaked figure. ‘Will you release her too?’

  ‘Of course not.’ The High Elder gave a small laugh. ‘She is the perfect . . . warrior: powerful, yet obedient. Perhaps the first of many. Don’t feel that you have to object, Arianwyn. I know you will, of course, even though my aims are perfectly logical. So let’s make a deal. If you agree to share your discoveries with me, I will return your grandmother.’

  A flurry of snow fell from the overhead branches. Arianwyn glanced back to Gimma and beyond, where her father and friends waited. Did she have any choice? All she could think of was her grandmother. ‘You promise?’

  ‘You have my word. Hand over your little notebook and all’s well.’

  ‘I . . . don’t have it with me now,’ Arianwyn lied, stalling for time. Her mind was racing.

  The High Elder raised her hand. ‘It’s quite all right. There is no rush. When you are ready to exchange, simply relight the kiln on the bridge and I will bring your grandmother back to Lull.’

  Arianwyn stared hard at the High Elder, trying to see if she could trust her, even though she knew in her heart she couldn’t or shouldn’t.

  But this gave her a chance, gave her the time to work out how to save her grandmother and Gimma and stop the High Elder.

  ‘Arianwyn!’ Colin shouted suddenly, pointing back through the wood to where the trees swayed violently. The maudant was coming! ‘Get out of the way!’

  ‘But please don’t keep me waiting long, Miss Gribble,’ said the High Elder quickly. ‘My patience will not last for ever.’ Then she called to Gimma, ‘Come!’

  Gimma turned and moved slowly towards the High Elder.

  Arianwyn watched them walk back along the track, until the maudant’s tentacles broke through the trees nearby and she turned and ran in the opposite direction to catch up with her father and friends.

  Chapter 27

  REPERCUSSIONS

  hey walked most of the way back in silence, only speaking to discuss directions once or twice. As they emerged from the Great Wood to the south of Lull about an hour later, the skies above the town had closed over with more white clouds and gentle flurries of snow gusting across the frozen meadow.

  Salle saw the maudants first. ‘Oh no! Look!’

  Two maudants were advancing towards the town walls, their icy tentacles trailing across the meadow. ‘What? No!’ Arianwyn cried, hurrying forwards.

  A group of people high on the town walls were shouting and pointing at the advancing spirits. Arianwyn and the others raced across the meadow towards the South Gate.

  A few minutes later they had joined the group on the high walls of Lull, looking out across the expanse of frozen meadow and the advancing maudants. Mayor Belcher was amongst the party, dressed in a huge coat, with several scarves wrapped around his neck and a pair of bright pink earmuffs on his head. His face was thunderous as he marched towards Arianwyn.

  ‘Oh, snotlings!’ she mumbled. ‘I’m in for it now.’

  ‘And precisely where have you been, Miss Gribble?’ the mayor shouted. Everyone turned and stared in their direction.

  ‘We went to look for my grandmother, Mayor Belcher,’ Arianwyn said, walking towards him.

  ‘What?’ the mayor asked. He looked past her at Salle and Colin, but they said nothing. Her father too stayed silent.

  ‘I can explain—’ Arianwyn began to say, but the mayor cut her off.

  ‘No,’ he snapped. ‘You might be aware that we’ – he gestured around himself to the town and everyone on the walls – ‘are in something of a predicament.’ He pointed at the maudants.

  ‘I’m sorry . . . I had no idea—’

  ‘No, because you weren’t here. And we could have done with having you here to assist. Not just with whatever-they-are, but we also have people stuck in their houses because of the snow. Farmer Eames was asking for advice too about the qered. I could go on.’ He glared at her.

  ‘I needed to see if I could find my grandmother.’ Arianwyn thought about mentioning Gimma, but now clearly wasn’t the time for that.

  ‘But it was entirely thoughtless of you, Miss Gribble, and rather selfish too, I hasten to add,’ the mayor said, his voice rising. ‘Hurrying off like that without speaking to me first.’ Arianwyn tried to object, but the mayor raised a hand and silenced her. ‘I am fully aware that your grandmother is missing. And of course she is well liked and respected here in Lull. But there are more urgent matters for us to attend to and we needed your assistance and you were not to be found! And in fact you placed yourself and three others in greater peril.’ He looked entirely disappointed. ‘Where would we be without our witch at such a time?’ He blew his nose noisily into a handkerchief. ‘And now with these . . . what did you say they were called?’

  ‘Maudants,’ Arianwyn offered quietly.

  ‘Yes, maudants. With those hanging about, we really need to be coordinating our efforts.’

  Arianwyn bit her lip and stared hard at the snow by her feet. Mayor Belcher was right, of course. She had been foolish and stubborn to rush off like that. Her grandmother would have gone bananas if she knew. ‘I’m sorry, Mayor Belcher. Truly,’ she said quietly.

  ‘Now, how do we deal with these creatures?’ His face was stony.

  Arianwyn glanced away, her mind still full of the High Elder and the quiet glyphs. She needed to check the maudants entry in her handbook, but she felt sure there was something about having to have more than one witch casting spells in unison to banish them. And she was on her own.

  If only there was some quick way to contain a spell . . . Charms might work, but she didn’t have enough stored up.

  Then she had an idea. Across the street a brother and sister were busy attacking each other with snowballs, each with a small pile beside a small snow fort. Perfect!

  ‘Snowballs,’ Arianwyn said. ‘We need lots and lots of snowballs.’

  There was soon a pile of spelled snowballs stacked against the walls, faintly glowing in the dimming light of the day – and still more were being made.

  Each time there was a good pile Arianwyn would lean over them and cast a spell, drawing on Årdra and Erte to spell them, imbuing them with a small amount of magic that she might add into a stunning orb.

  ‘They’re moving again!’ someone shouted from further along the wall.

  Everyone turned to watch as the two maudants began to drift again towards Lull. Then they looked back at Arianwyn expectantly. ‘Well, don’t wait for me – get throwing!’ Arianwyn called.

  The air was quickly filled with a volley of slightly glowing snow
balls. They soared into the air above the meadow and towards the maudants as they floated ever closer.

  The first few snowballs didn’t quite reach, but as the maudants got closer and the throwers’ aims improved with practice, there were bright flashes as the spells, hidden in the snow and ice, landed against the maudants’ pulsating bodies.

  As quickly as the townspeople were throwing the snowballs, others were making more and Arianwyn continued to cast the spell, drawing the glyphs into the drifts of snow on the high walls.

  After several minutes of seemingly having no impact at all, the maudants started to drift off in the opposite direction, moving north, towards the river and away from the town! There was a small cheer from the group of townspeople on the walls.

  The mayor smiled at Arianwyn and then seemed to recall he was angry with her and his smile vanished. ‘Let’s hope they don’t return anytime soon then! You’ll make sure there are sufficient snowballs available, in case they do?’

  ‘Of course, Mayor Belcher,’ Arianwyn offered quickly, desperate to make amends.

  ‘Very good then,’ the mayor snapped. Then he turned and stormed off along the walls.

  Chapter 28

  SHORTAGES

  rianwyn trudged back to the Spellorium, the snow clogged around her boots. Her feet were frozen and wet. Bob hopped at her side, but even the moon hare’s cheerful disposition couldn’t do anything to raise her spirits. She had colossally messed up this time, there was no doubt about that.

  Once inside she crossed to the counter and fiddled with a collection of charm components that had been left there the last time she had been here. She’d lied to Salle, telling her she needed to go and collect some fresh clothes before going back to the Blue Ox. But she just wasn’t sure she was ready to be with everyone after the eventful morning and afternoon.

  Then she heard the bell charms over the door sing out. She turned, expecting to see a customer, but was surprised to see her father standing in the doorway. It felt slightly odd to have him here, in this place that had become her place alone. She stared at him, unsure what to say or do.

  ‘Bad show today, eh?’ Sergeant Gribble said softly.

  ‘Are you going to tell me off now too?’ Arianwyn asked.

  ‘I think the mayor took care of that.’

  ‘You could have stood up for me,’ Arianwyn said quickly, wondering if that was the true source of her mood.

  ‘But I think the mayor was right. We should have checked with him before we headed out. I know you are upset about your grandma, we all are—’

  ‘Well, you have an odd way of showing it,’ Arianwyn snapped. ‘It’s like you don’t care at all.’

  ‘Is that really what you think?’ Sergeant Gribble asked.

  It wasn’t, but she was so angry, mostly with herself, that she didn’t know what to say now. Arianwyn looked up but not at her father. She couldn’t bear to look into his grey eyes. They seemed so full of disappointment these days.

  ‘It just feels so hopeless, that’s all,’ she sighed.

  Sergeant Gribble crossed over to her, his arms wide and a small smile on his face. Arianwyn allowed herself to be folded into a hug and she cried. Cried for her silly mistakes and for the fact that she had done nothing but cause more trouble for everyone else. She’d been selfish. The mayor was right; her father was right.

  ‘Look,’ Sergeant Gribble said after several quiet minutes. ‘Things aren’t so bad. Why not let me talk to the mayor? I’m used to dealing with these chaps in authority. Meet people just like the mayor all the time in the army, you know.’

  Arianwyn couldn’t quite imagine anyone else being quite like Mayor Belcher. But what did she know? Her father had travelled all over the Four Kingdoms and wider, so perhaps he really could help sort out this mess.

  She nodded.

  ‘I’ll speak to the mayor then – see what can be done.’ He smiled, his grey eyes sparkling in the wintry light. ‘So, this is the famous Spellorium then? Are you going to show me around?’

  When they returned to the Blue Ox later, everyone was just sitting down to bowls of winter vegetable stew and herb dumplings. Over dinner they all shared stories of snowbound Lull and what they had done that day. Everyone carefully avoided mentioning the trip into the wood, the encounter with Gimma and the High Elder and the maudants. They all seemed to realize that Arianwyn needed distracting.

  ‘The snow is so high in places you can barely get down the street,’ Aunt Grace said, ‘and there’s no getting past the North Gate – it’s snowed shut.’

  ‘It’ll be the flooding causing havoc next,’ Uncle Mat said, taking a bite of dumpling. And everyone made sounds of agreement.

  After dinner, Arianwyn was helping to wash the dishes with Colin and Salle and she was quietly washing a bowl when Salle nudged her, saying, ‘So what are you going to do next, Wyn?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘About your grandma!’

  ‘I don’t know. I want to speak to Miss Delafield, but with the phone lines down I don’t know how.’ She put the bowl she had been washing on the drainer. She had to notify someone in the council or the C.W.A. – but who else could they trust? ‘Miss Newam!’ Arianwyn said, almost dropping the large pot she was holding. ‘We could try and get word to her to warn her and others about the High Elder.’

  The kitchen fell quiet.

  ‘But how?’ Salle asked.

  ‘If you hadn’t noticed, we’re quite snowed in!’ Colin added pointing through the kitchen window to the snow-covered courtyard beyond.

  They fell silent again as they all tried to think of ways to get a message out of Lull somehow.

  The very next morning, as soon as the breakfast things were tidied away, Arianwyn pulled on her coat, scarf, hat and extra gloves and stepped out on to the snowy town square. Thankfully the snowfall overnight had not been enough to cover over the pathways that had been so carefully dug out the day before.

  ‘Where are you going?’ Salle called from the doorway of the Blue Ox. She was fastening her own scarf with Colin beside her, buttoning his coat.

  ‘I have to go and see the mayor and see what jobs he has for me today,’ Arianwyn said quietly. ‘And I need to spell more snowballs too, just in case.’ She was still feeling bruised from the day before. She didn’t want to give anyone any more excuses to tell her off.

  ‘Let us know if you need our help with anything,’ Colin offered. ‘Or we’ll just be busy building snowmen and drinking hot chocolate.’

  Arianwyn knew he was joking but she felt a pang of jealousy that Salle and Colin would get to spend the whole day together and she would be busy at work. ‘Try not to have too much fun without me then,’ she called back as she headed out across the square towards the town hall, where a small group of people had gathered by the doors.

  ‘We’re worried about running out of firewood, Miss Gribble,’ one person said as she approached the crowd. ‘Should we go to the Great Wood to fetch more?’

  ‘No, it’s not safe!’ Arianwyn said quickly, thinking about the maudants.

  ‘And we’re running out of food,’ a young man added. He held tightly to two small children. ‘When will the shop open again?’

  ‘I don’t know about that, I’m afraid,’ Arianwyn started, but at that moment everyone started to ask yet more questions, all at the same time.

  They pressed in around her, all asking things she didn’t know the answer to at the same time. She found herself backed up against the town hall doors with everyone crowding in closer and closer. What could she do?

  Just as it began to feel too much, the huge doors behind her swung inwards, sending her toppling backwards on to the marble floor of the entrance hall. Miss Prynce stood over her. ‘What on earth are you doing on the floor, Miss Gribble?’ she asked, and at the same time the crowd surged forwards, turning their focus on Miss Prynce and starting their questions afresh.

  ‘One at a time, one at a time!’ Miss Prynce shouted as she was surrounded by the crowd. />
  Arianwyn seized the chance to duck past her and rushed upstairs to the mayor’s parlour.

  ‘Oh, Miss Gribble. What on earth was all that commotion?’ the mayor asked, glancing up from his paper and a plate of small Yule pies topped with thick cream. It seemed the mayor had not started to run out of provisions like others had! ‘Would you like one?’ he asked, lifting the plate.

  ‘No thank you, Mayor Belcher. There’s a small crowd of people downstairs worrying about food running out and when the electricity might be back on – and some other things as well,’ Arianwyn said.

  ‘I see,’ the mayor replied. He eyed the Yule pies longingly but got to his feet. ‘Well, hopefully we can resolve all the issues this evening – I’ve decided to hold a special town meeting,’ he said, fiddling with his sash, which he wore over two cardigans instead of his usual suit. Arianwyn noticed that there was only a small fire burning and the stack of wood beside it was quite low. ‘You’ll come, of course?’ he asked.

  Arianwyn nodded.

  ‘I wonder if whilst you are out on your other errands today if you might help spread the word as well? Perhaps Miss Bowen and Mr Twine might assist you?’

  Arianwyn nodded in agreement.

  ‘Well then, shall we take a look over what we need to get done today?’ The mayor smiled a little. Perhaps he had forgiven her for the nightmare yesterday had been. Arianwyn smiled back and moved around the desk.

  Standing side by side they leant over the list to see what the day had in store.

  Chapter 29

  The TOWN MEETING

  rianwyn had only been inside the town’s main hall once before and she was impressed with its grandness all over again. The floor was huge flagstones, smooth and polished from thousands of footsteps. Wood panelling ran around the lower parts of the walls and above this hung portraits of various lords and ladies from Lull’s past. High above them carved wooden arches held the roof aloft.