Red Moon Rising

by Paula Harrison

  A dark figure loomed out of the cloud vapour. In one black-gloved hand he held the Crystal Mirror and in the other he held Fletcher by the throat.

  Laney could see Fletcher’s eyes and she understood. She should get the mirror now, before the Shadow saw her. She stretched out her hands and with all the Mist power she could gather, she commanded the cloud water to seize the mirror and carry it to her.

  The Crystal Mirror spun free from the Shadow’s hand and floated through the fog.

  The Shadow turned with a furious cry. He let go of Fletcher, who collapsed, falling through the cloud and disappearing. Laney caught hold of the round mirror and threw herself sideways, just as the Shadow stretched out his hand and let loose his red lightning.

  Laney’s arm filled with pain and she knew the lightning must have hit her. She hugged the mirror to her chest as she fell. Above, a great black shape opened his wings and plunged after her.

  Skellmore rushed closer. She knew she should open her wings to slow her fall, but they wouldn’t unfold. It doesn’t matter, she told herself. I rescued the mirror and took its power away from the Shadow, and that’s what I meant to do. Her head was spinning. Weariness spread outwards from her wound like a poison, travelling up her arm into her shoulder and neck.

  She carried on falling. She could see the High Street below her and the lights of the houses. The park’s oak tree stood in a lake of water, except for the green circle of the faerie ring. The floodwater swirled round the ring without touching it. Voices sang to Laney. She shouldn’t be afraid, they said; the ring would catch her when she fell.

  “Laney!” Fletcher yelled from a nearby roof. “You’re going to land too close to the ring.”

  Laney unfolded her wings and struggled to change direction but the mirror dragged her downwards. She couldn’t move her wounded arm at all now and her wings hardly worked. But the darkness coming from her wound felt gentle now, like soft snow. She closed her eyes.

  “Laney!” Fletcher’s voice sounded fainter.

  She felt a rough jolt and opened her eyes. The Shadow grasped the mirror, his dark hood nearly touching her face. “Give it to me!”

  “No!” Laney could feel the power of the faerie ring now. A vortex of air sucked her downwards and sweet voices sang, inviting her to a new home beyond the ring.

  The Shadow felt it too. He wrenched the mirror out of Laney’s hands, but a gust of wind pushed him sideways and knocked the mirror away. Seeing the mirror falling finally woke Laney up. She spread her wings and fought against the swirling pull of the ring. The Shadow struggled against it too and broke free, only to fall into the floodwater.

  Laney dragged herself away from the ring. She hit the icy water and sank instantly. The water trembled around her, full of unnatural power. If she could just get to the mirror first, she could send the flood away into the ground. She could save Skellmore.

  She groped through the murky water until she saw a glimmer of brightness lying on the bottom – the reflection that looked like a thousand stars. She took hold of the mirror and with all the strength she had left she silently commanded the flood to leave – to sink back into the earth where it belonged.

  Her wound throbbed. She felt the flood churn around her and finally the darkness inside her grew so strong that she couldn’t stay conscious any more.

  When she came round she was lying halfway down Gnarlwood Lane with her feet propped up against a tree and mud in her hair.

  Fletcher looked down, his dark fringe hanging over one eye. “She’s waking up.”

  “Let her rest a little,” said a quiet voice that Laney knew at once belonged to Gwen.

  She blinked. The sky above her was scattered with stars. That meant the storm clouds were gone. Realising her hands were empty, she panicked and tried to sit up. “Where’s the mirror? Have we got it?”

  Gwen smiled. “Yes, we have the Crystal Mirror. You were holding it when we found you, and the flood’s going down too. So just lie still for a minute. You were out for quite a while.”

  “Gwen did a healing spell on you using willow bark and skullcap leaves,” said Fletcher. “It was pretty amazing. You had loads of cuts and they all just vanished.”

  Gwen turned away and began whispering to something in the palm of her hand. A crowd of little brown dots hovered in the air for a moment and then drifted away.

  “Is that seed magic?” said Fletcher. “I’ve never seen any done before.”

  Gwen tucked her white hair under the edges of her purple rain hat. “It is indeed seed magic, Fletcher Thornbeam.”

  Laney could tell that Fletcher was hoping Gwen would explain a bit more, but she just smiled reassuringly. “Would you like a cookie?” She produced a small flowery tin from her pocket and offered it to them.

  “Yes, please. I’m hungry.” Laney pulled herself up, trying to ignore the way her head was spinning. She took a bite from the cookie, noticing that the mirror lay a little distance away on the ground. Even smeared with mud it still gave out a feeling of immense power. “What happened to the Shadow?”

  “I saw him fall into the water,” said Fletcher. “I flew above the flood and tried to see whether he was washed away from here, but I didn’t see him again.”

  “The Shadow will not have left forever,” said Gwen. “I suspect after tonight he will be drained of power and won’t be able to make more trouble for us straight away. But we cannot be too careful – we must hide the Myrical immediately.”

  “I wish I’d never found it!” said Laney. “That’s what he wanted all the time.”

  “It doesn’t matter now. You got it back and you were incredibly brave to do so,” Gwen told her.

  With a rustle of wings, Claudia flew down beside them. “Laney! You’re OK! I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Gwen! You’re back!”

  “I flew back as soon as I heard reports of the flood on the television.” Gwen gracefully caught the handful of seeds as they returned from wherever they’d been. She listened to them for a moment and then put them in her pocket.

  “How are Kim and Toby?” Laney asked Claudia urgently.

  “They’re fine. I stayed with them until the flood went down,” said Claudia. “The water came right through the front door, but we were OK upstairs. Then your dad came back. He’d obviously heard about the flood while he was waiting for his van to be fixed. He had to make up a story to tell your stepmum about how he managed to get back here without driving.”

  Laney sighed with relief. “They’re all safe.”

  “They’ll be even safer once this Myrical is hidden.” Gwen picked up the Crystal Mirror. “Have you got enough strength to fly, Laney?”

  “I think so.” Laney looked down at her sodden jeans and T-shirt. “I just need some wings.”

  “That’s the easy part, my dear.” Gwen touched Laney’s shoulders and her wings sprouted.

  A pale morning glow appeared in the east as they flew away from Skellmore. Sunrise wouldn’t be long now, Laney thought. She needed sleep.

  Too tired to talk, Laney, Claudia and Fletcher followed Gwen across the dark fields. They skirted round the edge of Hobbin Forest and landed near the river. On a nearby hilltop a huge round stone with a hole in its centre stood outlined against the lightening sky. Laney could feel the power coming from the faerie ring that lay behind them near the riverbank.

  “Why have we come to Mencladden Hill?” said Claudia.

  “If we hide the mirror like a human would – bury it or lock it away – the Shadow will find it,” said Gwen. “He’s already proved that he wants to use its power. But if we lock the Myrical away inside Time itself, then nobody will be able to touch it.”

  “Not ever?” Laney didn’t know how she felt about never seeing the Crystal Mirror again.

  “The spell lasts for a year and a day, and it can only be performed at sunrise, so we need to hurry.” Gwen walked up the hillside towards the standing stone with the mirror in both hands.

  “Can’t we just fly up there?”
said Claudia, yawning.

  “Not this time,” Gwen called back. “We don’t want to upset the vibrations in the air, especially after the storm last night. This is a delicate spell we’re going to perform and the Mencladden Stone is an unusual place.”

  Laney hurried to keep up, surprised at how fast Gwen was climbing. “What do we have to do?”

  “It’s what you have to do,” said Gwen. “Only someone that belongs to the Myrical’s tribe can perform the spell, so in this case it has to be you. It’s quite easy. You simply pass the mirror through the stone.”

  “Through the stone?” Claudia’s eyes popped. “That’s some kind of magic.”

  “She means through the hole in the middle,” said Fletcher drily.

  “Oh! I knew that,” said Claudia.

  When they reached the top, the landscape was turning from black to grey, and a golden spot gleamed in one corner of the sky where the sun was about to rise. The Mencladden Stone towered over them. Laney wondered why she’d never noticed before that the outside of the stone was perfectly round while the hole in the middle was oval. It reminded her of a cat’s eye.

  “We only have a few minutes.” Gwen straightened her purple hat. “Quickly, Laney. Stand behind the stone so that you can see the sun as soon as it peeps over the horizon. You must be standing in exactly the right place. Then, when you see those first rays, put the mirror right through the hole.”

  Laney shifted sideways until she could see the glow in the sky where the sun was about to appear. She leaned on the weather-worn stone to steady herself. It had been a very long night.

  Fletcher handed her the mirror. “Shall I stand on the other side and take the mirror when she’s passed it through?” he asked Gwen.

  “If all goes well there will be no need,” said Gwen.

  “Sorry?” Fletcher looked confused.

  “She said there will be no need,” said Claudia, not very helpfully.

  Laney took a slow breath to try to calm her racing heartbeat. What if she did this wrong? What if she didn’t put the mirror through at the right moment? “What else do I need to do, Gwen?”

  “Just watch for the sunrise,” said Gwen.

  Silence settled over the hilltop and colour gradually seeped into the grass and trees and sky. When the curved edge of the sun rose it looked like liquid gold. The mirror reflected those first rays of sunlight in its crystal surface a thousand times over.

  “Now, Laney!” Gwen said.

  Laney lifted the heavy mirror in both hands and tilted it to fit into the hole in the stone. Carefully she posted it through, but as the mirror reached halfway it stopped and stayed stuck in mid-air.

  “Go on,” said Claudia. “Put it all the way through.”

  “I can’t!” Laney shoved harder. “It won’t go.” She looked at Gwen for help, but Gwen said nothing.

  “Here, I’ll do it.” Fletcher strode forwards.

  “It has to be someone from the Mist tribe,” said Gwen. “Laney, you must make it pass through, my dear. This is our best chance to keep the mirror safe.”

  Laney pushed with all her strength, throwing her whole weight against the Crystal Mirror, which was shining brighter and brighter in the growing sunlight. For a few seconds she stayed like that, pushing against something that hung in mid-air inside the hole.

  Her hand throbbed painfully and a bright-red mark blossomed on her middle finger. Then a tall flame burst from the top of the Mencladden Stone and blazed brightly for a few seconds before flickering out. At the same time, the mirror slid the rest of the way through the gap and vanished completely as if it had never existed.

  With nothing left to push against, Laney fell over on to her knees, clutching her sore finger and feeling sad that the Myrical was gone.

  “Blimey! That was mad.” Claudia offered Laney a hand and pulled her up. “You didn’t say there would be fire as well.”

  “I wasn’t expecting the flame.” Gwen clasped her thin arms together and suddenly she looked very old.

  “My finger really hurts.” Laney examined the bright-red mark.

  “Are you burned?” Fletcher strode forwards to look at her hand.

  “Yes! No! I mean that flame just then didn’t touch me. This is a burn I got last week, but it had healed up,” said Laney. “Was the spell meant to do that?”

  “I don’t believe so, but I’ve only seen the spell performed once before and that wasn’t with a Myrical,” said Gwen. “The important thing is that it worked. There will be no way to reach the Crystal Mirror until a year and a day has passed.” She began to walk slowly back down the hill.

  “So what do we do now?” Laney flew after her. “We just wait for a year and a day and then get it back out again?”

  Gwen looked at her sadly. “I haven’t told you why I went away, have I?”

  “Did you go to see some other Elders?” said Fletcher.

  “Yes, I went north to the Lostbryn Hills where large numbers of the Thorn and Kestrel tribes still live.” Gwen stopped walking and looked at the three of them. “I’m afraid you will find it harder to remain friends in the days to come. Tribal wounds have always taken a long time to heal, and there are those who will take pleasure in blaming the other side for what has happened tonight.”

  Laney swallowed. “You mean the tribes still won’t believe that there was a Shadow faerie? They won’t understand that he caused the flood?”

  Gwen sighed. “They didn’t see him and they always find it hard to believe what they cannot see. They will blame each other, starting with the Mist tribe because of their power over water, and those who want to bridge the divide will be shouted down once more.”

  “We can tell them what really happened,” said Fletcher. “We all saw the Shadow.”

  Gwen looked at him for a moment. A small red poppy uncurled from the ground and bent lovingly against her shoe. “You mustn’t do that. At least for now.”

  She walked on a little. “I went north to find out everything I could about this Shadow and what he wants. You see, the five Myricals were hidden from an enemy called the Great Shadow many years ago. In the end, the Great Shadow was beaten, but the sacred Myricals stayed hidden. The forgotten faerie lore of the north says that at least three of them were concealed in the same area. You’ve found one – there may be more nearby. This new Shadow with his dark power must not find them.”

  “But it would be great if they were nearby!” said Fletcher. “I’d love to find the Wildwood Arrow…”

  “The Shadow will be looking for them, won’t he?” said Laney.

  “I believe he will. The Myricals contain immense power and until we know who the Shadow is, it would be better not to mention what you’ve seen to anyone,” said Gwen. “Promise me you’ll keep this to yourselves for the time being.”

  “I promise,” said Fletcher.

  “And me,” said Laney.

  “I wasn’t planning on sharing it,” said Claudia. “But if I wanted to tell the whole world I’d talk to Mrs Mottle.”

  As Laney walked back through Skellmore with Claudia and Fletcher, she couldn’t believe how much damage the flood had done. The water had vanished, but it had left tonnes of mud and rubbish behind. An upside-down armchair rested in the middle of the High Street where it had been dumped by the receding water. A pair of slippers lay on top of the churchyard wall. People were up and about, throwing out soaked carpets and rescuing belongings from the muck.

  “I haven’t been so worried since we had those storms in 1997,” Laney heard Mrs Mottle say to her next-door neighbour. “I was glad I had Craig to carry everything upstairs. He did a brilliant job. And did you see all that lightning? Some of it actually looked red. I rang up the television station this morning and they’re sending someone over later to do an interview. I must go and find something nice to wear.”

  Claudia rolled her eyes. “Can you imagine her on TV?” she muttered.

  “I just hope she doesn’t go on about the red lightning,” said Laney.
r />   Fletcher hurried back towards Gnarlwood Lane, telling them he had to go and check on his family.

  Laney and Claudia walked on up Beacon Way. As they passed The Cattery, the spiny house on the corner snarled miserably as if it hated being surrounded by mud.

  “I bet my mum and dad and Tom found somewhere nice and dry to go,” said Claudia as they rounded the corner into Oldwing Rise. “We all hate the rain.”

  “But you still came with me last night,” said Laney. “And you looked after Kim and Toby. I owe you one.” She staggered backwards suddenly, as someone grabbed her arm. “What are you…”

  Jessie stood there, her eyes burning. “You did this! And the Mist tribe spent all night trying to get rid of the flood, while you were hanging out with a Greytail.”

  For a second Laney wished she could tell Jessie what really happened. She would have loved to see the look on Jessie’s face after telling her that she, Laney Rivers, had held the treasured Mist Myrical. But she had promised Gwen to keep everything secret.

  “Which is it?” she snapped at Jessie. “First you tell me I don’t have enough power to be in your tribe. Then you say I’ve made the storm that flooded the whole village. You need to work out which story you actually believe, because right now nothing you say sounds like the truth.”

  Jessie’s mouth dropped open.

  “And has anyone told you that mud really isn’t your best look?” said Claudia, eyeing Jessie’s filthy jeans.

  “That told her,” said Laney as they walked away.

  Claudia stopped at the Riverses’ front gate. Laney saw Toby waving at her from an upstairs window and she waved back.

  “Last night – all that water,” Claudia shuddered. “You saved Skellmore. Seriously, if there is anything in all that red moon stuff – and I don’t really believe in it – then maybe it’s a good thing you Awakened on that day.”