Moving quickly, Jack was relieved to see that the bracelet had become lodged at the entrance of the hole. Breathing quickly and shaking visibly, Jack picked it up, and held it up in the air for inspection. Comforted to see there was no apparent damage, he returned it to the safety of his shirt pocket.
Hoping that the list was also undamaged, he inspected it next and found it to be intact - the three items that needed completing stood out dimly against the white of the paper. He sighed wearily and once more Briony’s voice chided -‘Remember, never give up.’
Meanwhile, the rat hid silently, shaking in a hole near Jack’s feet. She breathed rapidly and tried to calm herself down. She had been nervous at the beginning of this task; humans were so unpredictable and she had been unsure whether Jack would be friendly or not. Most humans hated rats!
As she had fallen to the ground, the weight of the bracelet caught in her claws had made her twist painfully but that had miraculously worked in her favour. It had allowed the bracelet to be partially hidden as she fell and also allowed her a few extra precious seconds without Jack noticing a thing. Now, all that she needed was for Jack to pick up the other bracelet that lay on the ground at his feet. The rat felt her heart beat faster as Jack examined the bracelet he had picked up. She desperately hoped he would not discover the switch. She sighed quietly as he placed it in his pocket, and her relief was enormous.
On the rat’s back, in a special pouch, now nestled Briony’s bracelet and in Jack’s pocket lay another. Once Jack moved, she would be on her way back to her mistress, all of her tasks successfully completed. The rat was exhausted and looked forward to going home. Being close to an owl, two wolf cubs and a human had been hard, dangerous work.
Jack shrugged the rucksack onto his back and started to move. His leg felt much better for the rest. In fact, he puzzled, it felt as good as new and strong enough to walk to Violette’s apartment. He had an urgent need to check on his daughter. An unsettling thought had been growing in his mind. What if the legends were true and Darius had pulled Violette into the wave? He did not believe Darius was capable of such a thing, but Violette had been very unpredictable at the time.
Jack’s mind was made up, after he had seen Orion, he would definitely visit Violette. He wanted answers and his daughter was coming home.
He hoped to see Dawn; perhaps she could then take a message to Elina quicker than he could walk. At least Orion’s troubles were in the same direction.
13. Friend or foe
Primrose had been studying hard; she had mastered the invisibility spell, but was unsure of how long it would last. Dilly, her first ever friend, gave her a special low vibrating growl when the air around her began to shimmer, a sign that her invisibility was wearing off and she would put the cloak on once more.
When she ventured outside and practised her magic, she still took her yellow cloak, just in case. Primrose knew she had made a lot of enemies.
Today her intention was to return to the glade where she had met Dilly and practice the barrier spell. The open space would allow her to create a small safety shield around her and then she would be able to increase the distance slowly. This way she could gauge how far her magic stretched, the strength of it and check for any flaws in her defence.
A barrier spell was meant for protection: it created an invisible, dome-shaped shield around the spell maker. Primrose had perfected it inside the Ancient Tree, now she had to take the next step and achieve it outdoors. After that she would progress and practise inside the forest, where she would have to learn to weave the barrier around many obstacles, without a single flaw.
Primrose thought the glade would be an ideal spot to practise. Dilly was to be her attacker and hurl herself or obstacles at her shield. Dilly loved helping Primrose with her magic; she treated it as a game and was just as competitive as her. If Dilly found a flaw, she was rewarded with extra pieces of meat and better still was allowed to stretch out on Primrose’s comfortable bed. Primrose wondered where Dilly had disappeared to, she must have discovered an interesting scent and gone off to investigate, but she knew Dilly would not be long.
So, you can imagine Primrose’s surprise, when she spotted Elina sitting alone, in the middle of the glade, with a book on her lap that looked very much like her diary. Granted, the book was closed, but that did not stop Primrose from getting angry. This shook her up a bit; she had not felt so angry since the day she had gained her freedom. Her foot suddenly ached. She cursed. Her foot started to stiffen. Primrose shook herself and mentally told herself to breathe calmly. Her foot began to relax as she gained control of her temper and calmed herself down.
Elina had had no intention of taking a rest, but she had seen a kestrel hovering overhead intent on hunting something beneath it. Kestrels were not usually seen in the forest, so Elina sat down and allowed Shadow to wander off while she watched the bird dip and soar several times. Eventually, it flew off without catching anything.
Once more, Elina pulled Primrose’s diary from her pocket and traced the delicate primroses on its cover. Suddenly, she felt a frisson of energy travel towards her and her scarf began to vibrate softly against her neck. Magic was definitely around her, somewhere. Without raising her head, she used her senses to locate the spot from whence the energy pulsed. She saw nothing. The tingle she felt around her neck was not like the feeling she had sensed at Violette’s apartment; that meant the only other person in the forest that had magic was…
‘Hello, Primrose,’ Elina remarked, as casually as possible, looking straight at the energy source, acutely aware that she was in the presence of the person who had been instrumental in her mother’s death. She was not sure how she should feel towards Primrose at the moment. The shock of meeting her so unexpectedly had caused her mind to go temporarily blank.
Primrose was startled, for a moment she thought her magic had failed, but the cloak was pulled around her and the hood was up, so there was no way Elina could see her.
Elina continued to stare in Primrose’s direction. Primrose stared back at her, acutely aware of their last meeting and of the awful events she had set in motion that fateful day. She had also never used her magic to defend herself or hurt another... yet! Primrose was in a quandary, she was unsure what to do next. If Elina still had magic she could be in serious trouble, but at least she should have the advantage, she could not be seen.
Although, Elina could not see Primrose, she knew exactly where she stood, and was surprised just how easily she could read her thoughts. She began to suspect that she might still have some magic herself. The thought no longer frightened her, but gave her comfort. Sensing Primrose’s uncertainty and even some regret, Elina knew she had to say something to diffuse the awkward silence that was growing between them, before one of them did something stupid:
‘You’re right, I can’t see you, but you are standing right there…’ she said boldly, pointing straight at her, ‘at the moment I mean you no harm, but I can’t promise that will always be the case.’
‘While you’re about it, why don’t you tell the whole world I’m here,’ Primrose snapped, slightly alarmed and looking all around her. Her mother’s warnings were fresh in her mind. She immediately began to tighten her barrier, moving away at the same time.
The resulting crash was inevitable as two lively wolves reuniting after nearly two weeks apart catapulted themselves against the energy of Primrose’s strengthening barrier. As they yelped and scrambled to regain their footing, Dilly and Shadow had both girls in hysterics and the awkwardness felt between them lessened.
Elina still laughing rushed towards Shadow to comfort his bruised ego and confusion; his sister, Dilly, had suddenly disappeared inside Primrose’s barrier.
‘Where’s she gone? Where’s she gone?’ Shadow panicked.
‘Shush, Shadow, everything is fine. It looks as though Dilly has found an unlikely friend,’ Elina said, trying to comfort him.
; ‘I heard that,’ Primrose interrupted, ‘what’s that pup mean? Why can’t he see, Dilly?’
‘She’s disappeared, she’s invisible like you,’ Elina answered, ‘all I can see is the forest. Everything looks normal, but you and Dilly are both invisible. Shadow, it’s fine, Dilly’s OK, she’s with Primrose.’
Elina was trying hard to calm Shadow down, but he was having none of it and at the mention of Primrose’s name, he started to growl fiercely. Shadow was definitely ready for a fight. Elina quickly placed a hand on his head to calm him, ‘Send Dilly out, he needs to see her.’
‘I’ve a better idea, send him in and let me know if he disappears too, if he does follow him in,’ Primrose ordered seriously, ‘it’s important.’
Elina bent down to Shadow and met his questioning eyes, slightly annoyed at Primrose’s superior and authoritative tone.
‘Can we trust her?’ he asked.
‘Dilly does and I hope we can. The scarf has given me no warnings and mother did make it for me,’ Elina tried to reassure him as well as herself. She hoped she was not about to make an awful mistake.
Shadow entered the barrier cautiously, hackles up and ready to fight if necessary and disappeared. Elina nervously followed him in, just as a bat with an odd flight pattern entered the glade.
Dilly’s greeting of Elina was exuberant; she now had her most favourite person back in her world and her youngest brother. Turning to Primrose, wagging her tail furiously, she realised that she had been wrong; she actually had two special friends. Dilly was the happiest wolf in the world, but the silence between the girls was deafening, both were unsure of what to do or say next.
In the end it was Elina that broke the silence by holding out Primrose’s diary, ‘I have not read a word of this diary. I only stayed with your mother for nearly two weeks, and I’m sorry to say, she has to be the most unpredictable person I know. I nicknamed her Vile Vi.’ Elina tried hard to be civil and had said the first thing that had entered her head.
Primrose laughed, feeling at last she and Elina had something in common and she took her diary from Elina’s hands, ‘Same here, but that’s not the only name I called her, maybe we can share or invent a few more, but now I really do need as much help as possible to perfect this spell.’ Primrose saw Elina stiffen slightly and hastily continued, ‘I know we’re not going to be the best of friends, but I could seriously do with some help, even if it’s only for a little while. I knew I was invisible, but I did not realise until now that I could make others invisible too. I have learnt that there is a bigger threat to everyone, other than myself! So, I would dearly love your help,’ she looked down at Shadow, ‘yours too, Trouble, if you don’t mind.’
‘My name is Shadow. I’m not Trouble any more. That was a stupid name,’ Shadow growled. He was not prepared to trust Primrose yet. He was feeling rather unsettled, Primrose looked so different, but oddly familiar.
‘And what threat would that be?’ Elina asked suspiciously. She felt Primrose had an awful lot of explaining to do and felt angry and upset with her.
‘I can understand your suspicions of me, truly I do, but this invisibility thing is vitally important, probably even for the both of us. I can explain everything later, but I would dearly love you to trust me… and I’m aware that’s a big ask!’ Primrose replied looking Elina in the eye.
Elina returned Primrose’s stare, she felt her sincerity and noted she hid nothing from her. For the moment, she decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and reluctantly agreed to help. She had every intention of talking to her later concerning her mother’s death.
By the end of the afternoon, Primrose could not believe the progress that she had made, all thanks to the help of Elina, Dilly and Shadow. Both the invisible and barrier spells were operating much wider and better than Primrose could have ever imagined. Furthermore, the discovery that she could decide what or who could remain invisible within the barrier delighted her no end. They had even been successful in the deeper parts of the forest too and to top it all, Elina and Primrose had actually become slightly more comfortable with each other.
Later, while they rested and sat with Dilly and Shadow, Dilly finally told Elina how she had found Primrose. She told her of the new pack and how they had bullied her until she was forced to run from them. She laughed as she remembered how they had scared the pack into believing she had magic, while Primrose had secretly healed her ugly scar.
Elina then quietly brought Primrose up to date concerning her mother’s death, the list and the search for her that was still ongoing. She even told her about her stay with Violette and finished with a description of the poisonous cake. Once she had finished talking, she turned to Primrose and took hold of her hands unexpectedly.
The action surprised both Primrose and herself. Elina, without realising it, was using her magic for the first time. As soon as she touched Primrose’s hands, she began to sense some of her grief, sadness and regret. Elina knew Primrose had not lied to her.
‘I didn’t mean for your mother to die. I wondered why the forest was so quiet the day I found my new home. I wasn’t a nice person back then, but I promise Elina that I have changed and her death will not be in vain. I will use my magic for good and never for evil.’
The two girls sat together in silence, both deep in their own thoughts, when Primrose suddenly turned towards Elina, ‘Come back with me, stay the night, there’s things you need to see and… I think you should read some of my diary, it might help you understand why I was always so… so…’ Primrose was having difficulty finding a suitable word, ‘…angry with everyone, even Briony. It’s even on your way home to the cottage.’
‘I can sense certain things, by just looking at you, but…’
‘Then you definitely need to come. I have a book. It will help you understand your magic and how to use it. Please Lina, please come back with me. Let me show you I have changed.’
Elina smiled at the nickname that Primrose had just used. Lina, she repeated quietly, she quite liked it.
‘How about it, Shadow, would you like to spend a bit more time with Dilly?’
The resulting excitement exhibited by both wolves showed clearly where their preference lay. However, although Elina had unexpectedly begun to enjoy Primrose’s company that day, she could not help but wonder if she would ever be able to forgive her for her mother’s death.
On the way back to the Ancient Tree, Primrose insisted that they all remained inside the protection of the invisible barrier and promised to explain why later. She was convinced that meeting Elina had not been an accident, and that she definitely needed to enlist her help in fighting whatever was looming on the horizon. If only she could get Elina to truly trust and eventually forgive her.
14. A message from Briony
Primrose gently placed a finger under Elina’s chin and closed her gaping mouth. It had popped open when she caught her first glimpse of the Tree, the place in which Primrose said she now lived. As they reached the enormous trunk, Primrose reached into some undergrowth and pulled out some kind of hidden contraption. She then placed her foot into a harness, held onto a rope and disappeared up and into the top-most branches, much to the surprise of both Elina and Shadow. As she glanced upwards, Elina noticed that all but one enormous branch had fresh, green leaves.
Hearing Dilly bark, Elina turned towards her and saw that she wanted them to follow her down the bank to the river.
Elina was amazed at the space she found herself in, she marvelled at the intricate root system that supported this giant tree and enjoyed the quietness it created.
Shadow used his nose to explore the river’s edge, his tail wagging with excitement as he investigated all the different smells, while Dilly sat waiting patiently.
Hearing a noise above her head, Elina glanced upwards and saw a stairway slowly descend from a trap door, Primrose’s face stared down at her from the inside of the tree:
‘Coming up or not?’ she called, thrilled at the prospect of showing Elina her amazing home.
Dilly jumped up the stairs immediately, followed by Shadow, who was not willing as yet to let his sister out of his sight. Elina followed more slowly behind them, taking everything in.
Once more, Elina was startled; she quickly grabbed at Primrose’s hand as water started to gush noisily from the roots all around her. Elina noticed with some surprise that all their footprints had been obliterated from the riverbank.
‘Can’t be too careful,’ Primrose said with a huge smile, remembering her reaction when she had had heard the water wash away her footsteps for the first time. She pulled Elina into her home.
‘What do you think?’ she asked, bubbling with excitement, wanting Elina to be as enthralled with the Tree as she was.
Completely shocked into silence, Elina spun round. Brilliantly polished wooden walls surrounded her, beautifully carved furniture decorated with soft velvet cushions beckoned her, fantastically carved murals on panels vied for her attention, a gorgeous chandelier hung from the ceiling and a winding staircase followed the curvature of the trunk. She took it all in but still she saw more.
Finally, Elina stopped turning and stared at a door on the opposite side of the room under the stairway. Her jaw dropped open once more as she pointed at it. A beautiful carving was materialising in front of her eyes on a door. It slowly revealed a tea party with three wolf cubs, Velvet, Victor and a family of rabbits with Briony and Jack looking on, and there on the edge was a ‘spot’ surrounded by brambles. If this was not magical enough, ancient lettering above the door slowly revealed the name Elina.
Primrose stood and stared just like Elina; she too gaped at the strange phenomenon that was materialising in front of their eyes. Elina grabbed hold of Primrose’s hand again and then let it go, not sure if she was being too friendly, too quickly.
Unlikely Allies Page 8