by Ronald Craig
Nina jerked back in shock. Was her grandma the Red Witch?
‘Are you okay?’ Dillwyn asked, noticing her standing there as if frozen.
Realising she might scare Dillwyn, Nina closed the door.
‘Oh yes, I’m fine. It’s full so I’ll just hang my clothes over a chair.’
She raised her eyebrows at Toots, trying to communicate without words. Giving up, she bade them both goodnight and put her head against the pillow. Her mind went into overdrive, wondering what would happen if she confronted her grandma, or told her mother. Still afraid of the man that had followed them, Nina tossed and turned, only to wake up tired and grumpy.
The next morning, she was even tenser, so she decided to talk to Relck.
Disturbed by Nina’s movements, Dillwyn woke and noticed the two were ready for breakfast.
Nina smiled at him. ‘Did you sleep well?’ she asked.
‘Yes, thank you,’ he replied with a sigh, unsure of how he was feeling.
‘Don’t worry,’ Nina said, ‘we’ll do everything we can to help you, starting with paying a visit to the Order. We’ll leave you to get dressed and meet you in the kitchen.’ She left the room to give Dillwyn some privacy.
The whole family greeted her with looks of concern when she entered the dining room. Nina considered her grandma, confused at what she had discovered.
‘Quickly, have some breakfast. You must go straight to the Order this morning,’ said Grandma.
Ruby May tried to shush her.
‘You shouldn’t coddle her, the girl needs to know,’ Grandma responded.
‘Know what?’
‘Someone is coming for you,’ her mother replied. ‘We don’t know who it is, only that they are dangerous and powerful. They managed to block the seer’s vision and freeze her thoughts.’
Dillwyn stumbled into the kitchen, still feeling tired after his ordeal.
‘Hurry up now,’ said Auntie Paulina. ‘Have a quick breakfast, and then it’s off to the Order with you. It’s not safe here.’
Dillwyn sat down heavily, feeling scared and vulnerable once again.
Once they’d all eaten, Nina took Dillwyn by the hand and led him to the mirror. Toots jumped up onto the boy’s shoulder with a flap of his wings. He smiled at the little bird.
‘Travelling by mirror is awful,’ the owl hooted. ‘Your face will be ripped inside out and when you reach the other side you’ll be all mixed up.’
Nina glared at Toots. ‘Stop trying to frighten him, just because Raspy did that to you when you first went through the mirror.’
‘Don’t listen to that silly bird,’ she said, turning to Dillwyn. She squeezed his hand for extra reassurance. He could feel Toots brace himself so he did the same as Nina began to utter the magic words.
‘Witchy Witchy Woo, Mother Nature hear my cry.’ She reached into her witch’s pouch and sprinkled her magic dust. ‘I offer you the wing of a bat and the whisker of a rat. In darkest night and brightest day, transport me to safety.’
With a swish, a swoosh and spark from her wand, a magical force sucked them into the mirror. Dillwyn turned to look back and saw Nina’s family smiling at them as they disappeared.
Chapter 5
Return to safety
Arriving at the Order, Dillwyn was awed by the Great Hall. He found himself wrapped in a yellow witch’s cloak.
‘It’s the mirror that decides what we wear,’ Nina told him, noticing his shock.
A worn-looking Relck came forward to greet them. Nina smiled at her older brother as he reached out and hugged her. The Great Hall was warm and inviting, and wizards and witches had gathered to discuss something with the Order. A woman in a deep red cloak and hood also stood by the fire, hiding her face.
Nina thought this odd, but before she could ask, Relck addressed Dillwyn.
‘Hello there. I guess you know who I am and where you are,’ he said, shooting the boy a reassuring wink.
‘Yes,’ said Dillwyn quietly, ‘you must be Relck.’
The older boy put his arm around the child’s shoulder.
‘Don’t worry,’ he said, ‘I will look after you. All of you need to stay here for a while until it is safe. I’ll be able to explain later.’
He led the three adventurers towards the blazing fire. Nina tried to catch a glimpse of the woman under the red cloak. Keen to hide her identity, the woman kept her face hidden.
A pair of double doors stood next to the fire. Turning the big brass handles, Relck opened these to reveal a darkened hall filled with perches. Only one was occupied.
Nina’s mouth fell open at the sight of an enormous owl. She reached out to grab Dillwyn’s hand. ‘This is a little daunting,’ she said.
He nodded in agreement. As they approached the owl they could see he was fast asleep. Relck lit a candle and prodded the bird with his wand.
‘Wake up, lazy bird!’
Nina was surprised at Relck, but even more shocked when the owl’s head turned to see who had woken him. His big yellow eyes looked frightening as he unfurled his wings. He stood tall, then let out an awful screech, as if he was going to attack. With a big yawn, he ruffled his feathers, which were the same colour as Raspy’s.
He spoke suddenly. ‘Yah, man, what yah doing? I was dreaming of the cutest birds on my favourite beach.’
Relck chuckled, ‘You wish you were.’
‘Yah, you’re right, I wish,’ the bird snorted.
‘I’ve brought some friends for you to meet,’ Relck smirked. He loved to tease Nina and his sister looked indignant. ‘This is Dillwyn, who needs your help, and this little girl is Nina.’
Nina thumped Relck in the side as the owl examined her with his big wide eyes.
‘Oh, this yah sister then? I’ve heard so much about yah from Relck. In fact, I think he wishes he were as brave and clever as you. He never shuts up about how much he admires you.’
‘Okay, okay,’ said Relck, holding up his hands in playful surrender. ‘Let’s focus on Dillwyn. You know about his family?’
‘Yah man, I am sorry to hear about your troubles. I respect you as a brave soul. Come closer, I want to talk to yah.’
Relck nodded at Nina, and they moved to leave the two alone.
Dillwyn looked anxiously back at Nina.
‘It’s okay, I’ll wait in the hall for you,’ she promised.
He turned back to the owl.
‘Yah all right, man, yah with me now,’ the owl reassured him.
As the brother and sister stood outside, Nina smiled cheekily at Relck. ‘So you think I’m great, do you?’
He grinned back. ‘You’re okay. You try your best and that’s all that matters.’ His face turned serious. ‘I want you to know that I’m always there for you. All you have to do is touch a mirror and I’ll be with you.’
‘I know,’ Nina reassured her brother. ‘What’s all this about?’
Relck refused to meet her eyes, a sure sign he wasn’t telling her everything. ‘It’s just that you spend a lot of time on your own,’ he said.
‘It might not seem like I’m there much.’
Nina was baffled, wondering what Relck was trying to say.
Just then the door opened and Dillwyn emerged, looking tearful.
‘What is it?’ Nina asked.
‘Some things are private, Nina,’ Relck chided.
This whole situation was becoming very frustrating for Nina. It seemed like no one was being honest with her. She put her trust in her brother and kept quiet, following the boys as they set off along the corridor.
Relck led them to a dorm room that was quiet and full of shadows. The only thing lighting it was a warm, crackling fire. Most of the beds were already filled with witches and wizards who had travelled long distances. Relck led them to a pair of empty beds, pulled back the drapes that were used for privacy, and then hurried off with a brisk farewell.
Later that evening, Dillwyn lay on his temporary bed listening to the noises of the night. He wondered who s
lept around them. There were no windows in the room, only a single candle leaving an eerie reflection on the wall. Looking over to where Toots was perched next to Nina’s sleeping body, Dillwyn was happy to have found someone so caring and brave. But in his heart, there was still sorrow. He was scared that he would never see his parents again. He rolled over and buried his head in his pillow. A sense of despair swept over him and he sobbed until he fell asleep, safe in a dream where he was reunited with his parents.
Suddenly, a screech filled the air, and they could hear desperate sobbing. Nina sat up and reached for her wand.
‘Witchy Witchy Woo,’ she whispered, ‘Mother Nature hear my cry.’ She grabbed her witch’s pouch and sprinkled the magic powder. ‘I offer you the leg of a spider and the tail of a newt. Through darkest night and brightest day, give me the power of light.’
With a swish, a swoosh and a spark from her wand, a bright light illuminated the room. The witches and wizards around them sat up, some looking terrified, others exhausted.
Dillwyn ran to Nina. ‘I had a nightmare about a dark cavern.’
A witch looked over from the other side of the room, her hair tousled and her face withdrawn. ‘I had the same dream,’ she told them.
‘What about you, Nina, did you see it too?’
‘No,’ she replied, ‘all I heard was a whisper.’ Nina was puzzled. Everyone else had experienced the same dream, and all she’d heard was a whispered riddle.
‘What did it say?’ Dillwyn asked.
‘It said, “Where there was light, there is now darkness; where there was song, there is only silence. Where there was joy and happiness, only sorrow can be found; and where there was love, there is now only emptiness.” ‘Looking at the frost that had built up through the night, they could see tiny footprints across the floor. They led to a dark corner, where a disused lampshade hid a gap in the stone skirting. As she stepped out of her warm bed, Nina’s breath froze and dropped to the floor in a million shards of ice. The witches and wizards around them began putting on their shoes. They followed the footsteps and examined the gap. What on earth could have come through it? The footsteps were small, but human in shape.
They all agreed that they needed to find the creatures that had trespassed into their room.
There was a crisp crack as the frosted door opened and Relck stepped inside.
‘What’s going on?’ he asked Nina. She pointed at the tracks.
‘How is this possible?’ asked a wizard.
Relck looked at Nina.
‘I don’t know,’ she said, shrugging her shoulders.
‘Well then, I think we should all get a good night’s sleep and speak about this tomorrow. Whatever it is seems to be gone for now.’
The people in the room agreed, feeling uneasy. However, they knew that no answers would be found in the dark and mysterious night.
Relck attended to the dying fire, stoking it briskly. A cheering smell soon filled the air as the flames grew, warming the frozen room and soothing their fear. As they lay back in their beds, the witches and wizards soon fell back to sleep, hopefully for the rest of the night.
Near dawn the room began to stir with witches and wizards rushing around, ready to begin their day. The doors to the room stood open and Relck stood waiting for them to leave. Nina greeted him with a smile, wondering what was on his mind.
Relck looked at Nina with a familiar gaze. Was something wrong? Waiting for the other witches and wizards to leave, Relck approached the troublesome pair.
Abruptly, he said, ‘You will have to go home with Toots. Whatever was here last night was looking for you, sister!’
Nina frowned. ‘How do you know that?’
‘The footprints were all around your bed.’ Relck told her. ‘Strangely, it looked like whatever it was had been dragging something. Come, we will
go see the Inventor, see if he has any news that could help us.’
They walked through the Great Hall, Toots safely on his best friend’s shoulder. Witches and wizards were touching the mirror and disappearing on their daily tasks. All eyes were on the four of them as they walked to the corridor leading to the Inventor’s room. The sun shone brightly through windows cut into the roof, illuminating the corridor.
Reaching the door, Relck knocked and turned the worn doorknob slowly, giving his friend time to hide his secrets. Entering the room, they were greeted with a smile.
‘Ah,’ he said, ‘you must be Dillwyn. It is nice to see you again.’ ‘Have we met?’ Dillwyn asked curiously.
‘Yes. You will not remember, as you were only young, but I gave your family their magic gift.’
‘You made the box of lies?’
‘Not quite,’ the Inventor laughed, ‘but I helped invent it, and Mr and Mrs Tinker put the magic in. But I made the box.’
‘That’s enough of stories and pleasantries,’ Relck said impatiently.
‘Have you any new news for us?’
The Inventor shook his head in disappointment.
Relck sighed. ‘Okay, let’s have you home, Nina. Mum and dad are anxious to see you home safe.’
Nina did not like the thought of leaving Dillwyn alone after they had been through so much together.
They left the Inventor to his tasks and strode towards the mirror.
‘I don’t like to send you away like this, but you know it’s to keep everyone safe.’ Nina found this pronouncement strange. It was not something she was used to from her brother.
She said goodbye to Dillwyn with a gentle hug and smiled at Relck, who gave her a wink and grin.
Touching the mirror, Nina whispered her magic words.
‘Witchy Witchy woo, hear my cry Mother Nature.’ Reaching into her witch’s bag, she sprinkled her magic dust. ‘I offer you the wart from a toad and the whisker of a cat. In coldest night and warmest day, send me through time and space.’
With a swish, a swoosh and a spark from her wand they were gone.
Nina arrived home. Stepping into her bedroom, she felt relieved to be somewhere familiar, glad to know there was someone waiting to comfort her.
She heard a tap on the bedroom door and rushed to open it. There stood her parents. She embraced them warmly, happy to see them.
‘Come on, my sweet little girl,’ her father said. ‘Let’s go get some fresh air in the garden.’
The day flew by as she spent time with her parents. Toots passed the time perched in the trees, pruning himself. Late in the afternoon, Ruby May went inside to start the tea, leaving father and daughter to spend some quality time together. She watched from a small window in the kitchen as they played happily.
At a shout from Ruby May, Nina and Reginald rushed indoors, full of laughter. They washed up and devoured the sandwiches waiting for them.
The evening went by quickly, and Nina went upstairs for an early bath. As usual, Toots stood guard on his perch, waiting for his best friend to retire to bed. Soon Nina was tucked up in bed. Her parents entered the room and gave her a kiss and a hug goodnight. Reginald patted Toots on his head, as if to say ‘you’re in charge for the night’. Nina lay in her bed, happy at what they had achieved throughout the day, but sad to have left Dillwyn alone at the Order.
She fell into a deep, deep sleep, tired after the excitement of the day. Suddenly her sleep was disturbed by a strange noise. Startled, she switched on her light.
Toots flapped his wings and covered his eyes. ‘Nina! What are you doing? The light is hurting my eyes!’ he screeched.
Nina ignored him, looking around desperately for the shadow she had seen. It had disappeared behind her curtains before her eyes adjusted.
Looking at Toots, Nina said, ‘Look around the room and behind the curtain, will you?’
Using his big eyes, accustomed to spotting things Nina couldn’t, he scanned the room.
‘What did you see? Did you hear that noise in the room?’ she asked nervously.
Toots looked at Nina. ‘I can’t see anything, but there is a strange sm
ell.’ Nina stared at Toots with her mouth open.
He froze. ‘What is it? Is there something behind me?’ he tried to mutter out of the corner of his beak.
This made Nina smile. She got out of bed and moved closer to his perch.
Toots began to panic. ‘What is it?’ he screeched.
‘Your feathers!’ Nina cried fearfully.
Toots looked down at his feathers, and recoiled in shock. ‘What has happened to my beautiful feathers?’
‘I don’t know,’ replied Nina, ‘but they’re turning white! Where they used to be yellow they’re now as white as fresh snow!’
Over in the next room, Relck had just arrived through the mirror. Hearing the noise from Nina’s bedroom, he crossed the landing and peered inside. He took in Nina’s worried face, before noticing Toots’s feathers.
‘What has happened?’ he asked in surprise.
‘I don’t know,’ Nina replied, shrugging her shoulders and feeling fearful for her best friend. ‘I had a dream,’ she told Relck. ‘I could hear a girl whispering. She tried to tell me something, something important. “In the darkest of nights, a blue moon will shine. Lighting the way into the deepest black. A cavern that has no end and noises that come from within will turn your hair bright white. Only the brave and true will see the light of the blue moon as a gift from Mother Nature.” That’s what I remember.’
‘I know of this place,’ Relck said. ‘It’s a story the Inventor has told me many times. It is said that no one knows where the cavern is, as no one has ever returned from seeking it. All we have is a worn map and stories from unsuccessful expeditions.’ He paused. ‘Now what happened here?’ he demanded.
‘I heard a noise,’ Nina told him. ‘When I turned on the light all we could see was Toots’s feathers.’
Suddenly the group heard slow, heavy footsteps coming from outside the room. It sounded as if dragging feet were moving closer to the bedroom. Relck glanced at Nina with a smile; they could tell it was Raspy.