A light drizzle began to fall as she reached the first house on the street. She walked on, scanning the houses for signs of faerie magic. The only place that looked different was a huge house cut off by a high wall and big iron gates. For a second Laney thought she saw firelight playing across the walls but when she looked again it was gone. Pulling up her hood to keep off the rain, she carried on walking.
A loud banging was coming from the shop on the corner. Laney looked in, realising it was a repair garage. Black tarmac covered the front yard and a shiny black motorbike was parked in the middle. Lights were on inside the workshop and the building next door had a red frontage with the words Embers’ Repairs painted on the window.
Laney’s heart jumped painfully and she stared at the words painted on the glass.
Embers’ Repairs.
Embers had been her mum’s name. Was it possible these people had known her mum? She remembered the postmark on that envelope she’d found from years ago, which had said Kirkfield. Maybe her mum’s family and friends still lived in this area.
A cold shakiness filled her chest and she tried to ignore it. She had to find out who they were and if they’d ever known someone called Cordelia Embers.
“Hello?” She edged closer to the workshop. There was no answer from inside. A car was raised up on a jack and piles of tools lay on a workbench. A few tyres were propped up against the back wall.
Laney turned, deciding to try the building next door. She ran her hand over the wet leather seat of the motorbike in the yard.
“What are you doing?”
It was the dark-haired boy again. “None of your business,” she told him. “Are you following me or something?”
The shop door opened and a man in black overalls came out. He had a dark bristly beard, a lined face and gold-ringed eyes. He stared at her before turning to the boy. “What’s going on, Tyler?”
The boy jerked his head at her. “It’s this girl, Dad. I met her on top of Groaning Tor and she says she’s a Blaze but she doesn’t look like one. Now she’s here, messing with your bike.”
Laney pulled her hand off the seat of the motorbike. “I wasn’t messing with it. I just wanted to stop and ask something…” She trailed off. She didn’t really want to ask about the Embers name in front of this boy.
“Ask what?” Suspicion crept into the man’s eyes. “You’re not old enough to ride that. I don’t sell bikes to ten-year-olds.”
“I’m thirteen,” said Laney. “It’s not about the bike anyway. I just … I saw the name of your shop. I knew someone called Embers and I was going to ask if you knew them too.”
“She was asking weird questions before too,” Tyler told his dad. “Shall I get the Elder?”
“No!” The man’s face changed and he stared at Laney as if she might disappear. “Go back home, Tyler. Right now.”
Tyler said something under his breath but he did as he was told. Frowning at Laney, he stuck his hands in his pockets and walked off down the street.
“Who did you know called Embers?” The man stepped closer and Laney could smell the engine oil on his overalls.
“It was my mum,” Laney said. “But she died when I was little.” A sudden memory bubbled up in her mind. A dark night… A cottage with a red front door…
The man dropped his voice. “Are you Elaine? Tell me quickly.”
It took Laney a moment to understand. “I’m Laney. No one calls me Elaine, except my dad.”
The man glanced up and down the street before holding the shop door open. “You’d better come in.”
Laney followed him past the front counter and down a passage. There was a small kitchen at the back with a table and chairs. The man pulled out a chair for her and leaned against the worktop, folding his huge arms.
Laney sat down. Her heart was racing and yet there was something so reassuring about this man. Something solid.
“Where’s your dad?” he said, “Is he with you?”
Laney shook her head, a lump forming in her throat. It was hard explaining to people that her dad was ill – it brought all the sadness back.
The man rubbed his beard, his gold eyes thoughtful. “Then how did you know where to come?”
“I didn’t. But I knew my mum’s name was Embers before she was married and…” She paused, searching his face. “Did you know her? She was Cordelia Embers.”
The man smiled for the first time. “Cordelia was my little sister. I’m Connor Embers – your uncle.”
Laney smiled back. She hadn’t known that her mum had had a brother!
“The last time I saw you was the night Cordelia died,” said Mr Embers. “That must have been at least ten years ago. You still have the same look about you. That Mist look. Comes from your dad, I suppose.”
Laney flushed. “I’m not a Mist, though—”
Her uncle held up a hand to silence her. Laney heard the clunk of the door and a voice called, “Hey, Connor! There’s a breakdown on Cowton Lane – an old chap in a clapped-out diesel.”
“I’ll be right with you,” her uncle called back, before saying quietly to Laney, “Come to my house tonight. It’s number seven Tinder Street. Come after dark.” Then he was striding away down the passage.
Laney smiled to herself as the door closed behind him. She had an uncle she’d never known about – her mum’s brother! He’d be able to tell her more about her mum as a little girl – what sort of things she liked and where they used to play. There were so many things she wanted to know.
But what about the boy – Tyler? If Mr Embers was her uncle, he must be her cousin. Why did she have to lose her temper with him like that? He hadn’t exactly been easy to talk to but maybe he would be nicer now he knew they were family.
The rain stopped as she left the repair shop. Mist began rolling down the hills into Little Shackle like surf rolling on to a beach. Laney twisted a tendril of mist vapour around her finger. She wondered why the mist was so thick all of a sudden, especially when there were no Mist-tribe faeries here to make it. She wasn’t going to miss them, she told herself fiercely. The Mists had never wanted her and they’d been glad to see her go.
She hoped the Blaze tribe – and her uncle – would be different.
Laney couldn’t settle to anything when she got home. She went over the plan for that evening in her head. Would her uncle’s whole family be there? She guessed they would. Her stomach swooped as she pictured it. Maybe her uncle would show her some Blaze spells straightaway.
Finding an excuse for heading out at dusk was tricky too. In Skellmore she’d always been able to say she was going to meet Claudia. She decided to say she was tired and was going to bed early.
In her bedroom, she closed her eyes and waited for that rush of power as her body transformed. Ice-blue wings edged with glowing red unfolded from her back and her skin shimmered. Carefully, she unfastened the window and climbed on to the window sill before launching herself into the darkness. Then she flew straight upwards, feeling the cold air streaming over her skin.
It was so good to fly. She hadn’t had the chance lately. There’d been the risk that one of the tribes would notice her altered wings, as well as the danger of being seen by a human. Luckily, their new cottage was outside the village and she could soar right over the fields.
With a sudden burst of energy, she swooped over the cottage roof and glided high into the air. Little stars were speckled across the blackness as if someone had taken a brush coated with glowing white paint and flicked it across the sky. The hills around Little Shackle looked inviting and for a second she wished she could spend all night flying over them. But there was a reason she’d sneaked out. Drifting down, she landed in the lane and switched back to human form. Her coat pocket bulged with her mum’s old book, The Wind in the Willows. It was the one piece of proof she had that her mum had been Cordelia Embers.
The streets of Little Shackle were empty. Everyone was home for the night, safe behind their drawn curtains. Laney made her way to Tinde
r Street. Her uncle’s house had to be the one where she’d seen Tyler. It was an old cottage with a red front door and creeper climbing over the weather-beaten stones. She raised her hand to use the door knocker and a shock like electricity passed through her.
The red front door…
She remembered it. She’d definitely been here before. Now that she was closer the memories lit up in her mind. She had stood in front of this door and the round brass-coloured door knocker had been far above her head.
“The last time I saw you was the night Cordelia died,” her uncle had said.
That must be the night she was remembering. Closing her eyes, she tried to think of more – her uncle, her dad, anything … but she couldn’t.
The door swung open. “Are you going to stand out here forever?” Tyler said.
“Hello to you too.” Laney tried to smile, but Tyler frowned as he stood aside to let her in.
The inside of the cottage was toasty warm and the flames in the fireplace burned without any coals or wood at all. Connor Embers was sitting in an armchair with his huge legs stretched out. He nodded to Laney as she entered. A woman got up, smiling. She had curly black hair like Tyler’s.
“You’re right – she’s the spit of her father,” she said, drawing Laney to the sofa. “Hello. Come and sit down – Elaine, is it?”
“Yes, but everyone calls me Laney,” she said, sitting on the sofa.
“I’m Sarah,” the woman told her. “It’s lovely to meet you at last.”
“I still don’t understand why we have to have her here.” Tyler’s voice had a stubborn note. “The rest of the tribe could find out about her and what she is.”
Laney’s stomach plummeted. “What do you mean?”
Mr Embers glared at his son. “If you can’t open your mouth without being rude then don’t speak at all.”
“Go and make the tea, please, Tyler,” said Mrs Embers hurriedly, and Tyler marched into the kitchen and slammed the door.
“What did he mean?” Laney asked. “Why doesn’t he want anyone to know I’m here?”
Her aunt and uncle exchanged looks. Mrs Embers sat beside Laney on the sofa. “I’m sorry he said that. Little Shackle is a very old-fashioned kind of place and it’s … unusual for people from different tribes to marry as your parents did. I think Tyler’s picked up on things other Blaze kids say. Not that it’s any excuse.”
“He ought to know better than to copy everyone else,” growled her uncle.
“I’ll speak to him while you two catch up.” Mrs Embers stood up and bustled into the kitchen, leaving Laney alone with her uncle. The fire crackled fiercely in the grate.
“Where’s your dad, Laney?” her uncle asked. “Is he all right?”
“He’s in hospital in Kirkfield,” Laney said, and she told him of the troubles they’d had in Skellmore and how her dad had been struck down by the Shadow.
“A brave man, your father. Always was.” Her uncle looked thoughtful. The firelight flickered across his lined face. “And what of the Myricals? We’ve had patchy reports of events from down south.”
Laney explained the finding of the first Myrical last summer. “The Crystal Mirror and the Wildwood Arrow are safe for now,” she finished. “They were locked away using the hole in the Mencladden Stone, which stands on a hill outside our village. Gwen, the Thorn Elder, says they’re sealed inside Time itself. The spell lasts for a year and a day.”
Mr Embers nodded. “We’re already looking for our own Myrical, the Sparkstone.”
“They’re searching for more Myricals around Skellmore too. I was helping before dad got injured—” She broke off, realising that Tyler and his mum had come back in while they’d been talking.
Laney’s aunt set a tray with four mugs of tea on the table. “It sounds like it’s been terrible in Skellmore,” she said quietly. “I’m so sorry to hear about your dad.”
“Did that really happen? You saw a Shadow and fought him?” Tyler’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t look strong enough.”
“If someone’s blasting you with lightning, you have to defend yourself,” said Laney shortly. “I had no choice.”
Tyler was silent. Mrs Embers said hurriedly, “So tell us more about where you lived.”
Laney described Skellmore and told them how Kim, her stepmum, had brought them to Little Shackle to be near her dad in the hospital.
When she’d finished, her aunt said, “You have got a touch of Cordelia about you.” She turned to her husband. “See how she tilts her head? That’s exactly the way Cordelia used to sit.”
Laney reached for her coat and took out The Wind in the Willows. “I wanted to show you this.” She passed it to Mrs Embers. “It was my mum’s and she wrote her name in it.” An odd expression passed across her uncle’s face but Laney carried on eagerly. “And not very long ago, I found out I could do this.” She held out her hand and a flame burst from her palm.
“It’s just strange that you don’t look like a Blaze,” Tyler said.
Laney’s heart dropped and the flame in her hand died.
Her uncle rubbed his beard. “If she has Blaze power, she’s a Blaze. That’s how it works. You can only have one kind of power, even if your parents came from different tribes.”
Laney shifted uncomfortably. She hadn’t told them the whole story. For a long while after Awakening, she’d used Mist magic even though it hadn’t worked very well. It was only months later that her Blaze abilities had appeared. The line from the red moon prophecy popped into her head: The Child of Aether joins together powers far apart.
She wasn’t some strange Child of Aether though. At least she didn’t think so. She didn’t actually know what Aether was.
There was a knock at the door and Mrs Embers peeped behind the curtains. “It’s Alfred and those Elders from the south.” Her eyes flicked to Laney. “Do you think they know she’s here?”
“Probably not.” Mr Embers got up. “But it’d be best if she wasn’t seen until we’ve decided how to introduce her to the Blaze tribe.”
“What’s wrong?” Laney asked. “Who’s here?”
“Some Elders from the south arrived here this afternoon,” her uncle told her. “I think they want to talk about the Shadow and what can be done. Tyler, take Laney into the kitchen and don’t come out till I call you.”
Tyler grabbed The Wind in the Willows and shoved it at Laney. Then he half pushed her into the kitchen and shut the door behind them. The front door banged and there were voices in the living room. With a jolt, Laney realised she was listening to people she knew from Skellmore – Gwen Whitefern and Lucas Frogley, the Mist Elder. Why had they come?
She and Tyler leaned close to the door to listen. She couldn’t hear everything. Now and then she caught words like Shadow and Myrical. It seemed that their visit was all about the threat from the Shadow faerie and plans for finding the three remaining Myricals. Tired, she pulled out a chair, accidentally scraping it along the floor.
“Shh! They’ll hear you,” Tyler hissed.
There was a lull in the talking next door and they both stopped to listen. The front door banged again.
Laney stared at Tyler’s frowning face. He seemed so determined not to like her. “Why are you being like this?”
“Being like what? Am I supposed to be happy I’ve got a cousin whose dad was a Mist? There’s a name they’ll call you – the other kids.”
Laney’s stomach turned over. “What are you talking about?”
Mrs Embers opened the kitchen door. “You can come out now. They’ve gone. They came to see us because your uncle is a senior member of the Blaze tribe. They’ve gone to talk some more at Alfred’s place. Alfred is the head of our tribe,” she added to Laney. Then she noticed the expression on their faces. “What’s going on?”
Laney felt as if something was stuck in her throat. “Go on! Tell me,” she said to Tyler. “What’s the name for someone like me?”
Laney’s aunt looked shocked. “Tyler! Your dad and I h
ave taught you better than that. We’ve said it lots of times – it’s unusual to marry someone of a different tribe but we don’t use that word.”
“I didn’t!” said Tyler. “She just asked what the name was—”
“That’s enough, Tyler!” Mrs Embers laid a hand on Laney’s arm. “Laney, I know it must be strange being here but we’re so happy to meet you at last—”
“But you don’t want people to know we’re related, do you?” Laney interrupted. “That’s why you made me go and hide.”
“No, that’s not true!” said her aunt. “We’re happy you found us. We just want to introduce you to the Blaze tribe in the right way.”
“You’re ashamed of me!” Laney’s eyes stung, but there was no way she was going to cry.
“No, not at all!” said Mrs Embers. “It’s just difficult. The Blaze Elder doesn’t know that you’re here yet. We want to speak to him first before everyone meets you.”
“Because my parents were from different tribes?” Laney felt heat surge through her fingers. A charred stain spread across The Wind in the Willows cover and she quickly shoved the book under her arm. “I have to go – Kim will wonder where I am.” She rushed to the front door and ran out into the night.
Once she was out of sight of the cottage, she stopped and wiped her eyes on her jumper sleeve. Even her tears seemed to burn these days.
Bright sunshine blazed down on the hills around Little Shackle the following morning. The empty blue-ness of the sky made Laney sad. There was a hollow in her chest which hadn’t been there the day before. She’d been so excited about going to her uncle’s house and getting to know her mum’s family. But now she wasn’t sure they’d been excited to meet her too.
Kim and Toby had gone out. Laney stood at the window staring at the sky for a while. There was only one cloud up there – a thin column right above the pale hill she’d climbed yesterday. It looked strange, as if someone had drawn a white line pointing at the peak.
A magpie flew down to the apple tree in the garden and started pecking off the blossom. Laney banged on the window to scare it away. The rhyme that Kim always said about magpies popped into her head:
Pale Peak Burning Page 4