by Katie M John
Fox could tell Violet was trying to communicate something to her without the others knowing, but the message was too faint. Instinct told her it was to do with Jeremiah but she could not fathom what. Violet watched for Fox’s response in the mirror. It wasn’t as she’d hoped. The smallest shrug of Fox’s shoulders told her the message had not got through.
Violet slowed the car down to creeping point. The salt-gritters hadn’t got out as far out as the small lanes surrounding Heargton, and the road was now only guessed at by the rows of spindly black-boned hedgerows. Despite only being early afternoon, the sepia-leaden sky had fallen impossibly low and Violet had to flick on her headlights to full beam. The effect was startling and changed the landscape from something familiar and safe to something alien and harsh.
“I really don’t like this weather,” Bunny said.
“No, it feels like the sky is falling in,” Fox mused.
Violet leaned forward and tapped a button on the car computer screen. The sound of a ringing phone filled the car. After several rings, it was picked up by Primrose. The reception was poor and attempts at a detailed conversation were pointless. After several failed attempts at sentences, Violet resorted to shouting, “Heathmoor. Ravens.” Before clicking out.
“Do you think she will understand?” Swan asked.
Violet nodded. “Oh, yes.”
They were still five miles from Heargton and at the rate of the snow fall, and the way it was settling on the road in front of them, it was a race against time as to whether they would make it by car or not. Fortunately, the four-by-four was better prepared than the car they saw stranded at the side of the road; its boot crumpled in by a hidden milestone post. The track of footprints was already fading into the distance and Fox hoped whoever had been driving, had managed to make it to the nearby pub without getting too cold, or lost. Eventually, hedgerows were replaced by woodland, marking the boundary of the village.
A police car was parked as sentinel on the road into the village. Seeing the four-by-four approach, two police officers got out and flagged Violet down. She stopped and dropped the window. After a brief exchange of questions about where they had come from and had they seen anything strange on their journey, the officers waved them through.
As they approached the well at the crossroads, they saw it had once again become center of operations. Several police cars were parked on the pavements and officers, wearing hi-visibility jackets, were coordinating the well-meaning villagers who had come to face the elements and search for the missing toddler. Each volunteer was being issued with a hi-visibility bib and a map.
Violet swung the car towards Meadowsweet Cottage and said, “We’ll head home and prepare. We’ll need warm clothes, a flask of tea, and some provisions should we be out overnight.”
It felt surreal, packing as if they were about to do nothing more extraordinary than a school day-trip – but there wasn’t a special way of preparing for a potential coven battle and a fight against ancient powers of darkness. Tea, sandwiches, and a weatherproof jacket would have to do.
Wren was in the kitchen when they arrived. She greeted them with visible relief when she saw they had all managed to get home safely. Her face turned to one of concern as Swan informed her they were off to help with the search for the missing child. Their mother locked eyes with Violet and a silent communication ran between them. Sadly, Wren nodded her head and sighed heavily. Swan and Bunny failed to witness this interchange, as they were both already preparing provisions. Fox tipped her head quizzically at her mother, trying to work out how much she knew, but Wren had turned her attention back to the stovetop where she was making soup.
“You might as well take this with you in a thermos. It’s terribly cold out there. I don’t want you all to perish.”
Fox made her way to her room to dress. She stripped out of her skirt and blouse but kept her woolen tights on, over which she pulled on a pair of black leggings and then a pair of black combats. She searched in the back of the wardrobe, finding her thick socks and pulled them on before lacing herself into her stiff walking boots. It truly felt like she was preparing for battle, and as she armoured herself against the cold, one item of clothing at a time, she mentally layered up her powers. She didn’t honestly know whether the six of them were strong and skilled enough to take on the Ravenhearts. The Ravenhearts still embraced their Witchcraft, whereas it felt like the Meadowsweets had spent their lifetimes denying theirs. An uncomfortable anger towards her mother began to niggle. Why hasn’t your mother prepared you better? Why has she denied you your heritage? the internal asked. Now, it seemed their gifts had come in, despite Wren trying to ignore them. Fox had discovered her sisters had powerful skills, but they were unstable and not properly tested – or under control. She’d also discovered that Violet and Swan had a knowledge of the Dark Arts, and Fox still didn’t know how she felt about this.
When she’d finished layering up, she headed to the cedar wood box on her dressing table where she kept her special things: her tarot cards, her ebony handled athame, and her obsidian amulet - a gift designed to ward off evil spirits, which all three of the sisters had received from their grandmother upon their birth.
Putting it over her head, she looked into the mirror and offered up a silent incantation asking the Goddess for protection and for all of them to return home safely, including the Ravenheart sisters – for Fox did not want to return home with the blood of their enemy on her hands. The mirror rippled and Fox stepped back with surprise. Waves undulated across the glass until eventually, it calmed and the surface was a flat opaque white. She recalled the scrying exercise with Swan and how hideously that little lesson had turned out. She tried not to look on the glass, which waited expectantly for her, but in the end, the pull of it was too strong and she stepped forward, bracing herself against the dressing table with her hands gripped firmly to each side. Slowly, she opened her eyes and let them see into the swirling mist.
It took her a moment to realise that far from being a useless exercise, she was looking up at the snow-heavy sky. She tilted the mirror down, shifting the view and gasped when she saw the image of Ravenheart Hall. The door of the house opened and Fox’s sight journeyed into the imposing reception hall. She had never been there, but Ravenheart Hall was exactly as she had imagined. The whole place was silent except for the chiming of the clock. Fox wondered what she was missing; everything seemed normal. Just then, Jeremiah stepped out from a side door and walked across the hall before passing through another door. Fox shook her head trying to process what she had just seen. He certainly looked at home, dressed in sweats and a t-shirt with no shoes or socks. She continued to stare at the mirror, but nothing else came to her. The image faded back into the glass and left her with the reflection of her confused expression.
“What the hell?”
“What did you see?” Swan asked from the doorway. She was leaning against the frame as if she had been watching her for a while.
Fox startled and sent her perfume bottles scattering across the chest. “Nothing!” she said hurriedly and not in the least bit convincingly.
“You saw something,” Swan said, walking into the room.
“No, no, I didn’t. Just…” Her mind went blank, refusing to cooperate with a lie. She sighed in resignation. “I saw Jeremiah in the glass.”
“Jeremiah Chase?”
Fox nodded. “He wasn’t doing anything. It just took me by surprise, that was all.”
“Well there must be a reason you saw him. What was he doing? Where was he?”
Fox shook her head and shrugged her shoulders to suggest she had no idea. “Come on, we’ve got stuff to do,” she said, leading Swan away from the mirror. “We should try and get to the cottage before nightfall.”
They returned to the kitchen, where their mother was filling up a large thermos with soup and Bunny was stuffing a medical kit into a rucksack. Violet had been loaned Wren’s walking gear and was wrapped up and ready to go. To anybody else in the vi
llage, they just looked like supportive members of the community who were offering to help.
The image of Jeremiah at Ravenheart Hall refused to leave Fox. A feeling of deep betrayal cut into her and it was laced with paranoia. She was cross at herself for falling for it all – falling for him. She had let herself believe, for one moment, that Jeremiah Chase wasn’t the wicked-rich-immoral-bastard she’d first thought. That had been a mistake. He’d tricked her; playing that whole humble, reformed, misunderstood card. Now she was grateful she hadn’t shared a kiss with him. Even though you’ve thought of little else since!
Fox felt Swan’s scrutinizing eyes on her. She knew something was up, but somehow it seemed Fox had managed to put up a barrier against her sister’s usual mind-raiding tactics.
“Everybody ready?” Fox asked, mainly as a way of distracting Swan from her thoughts.
Violet got up from the table, went over to Wren and wrapped her up in big hug. Fox watched curiously as Violet whispered something into Wren’s ear, at which their mother nodded and mouthed, “Okay!” She kissed Violet on the cheek and Fox saw Wren secretly slip something into Violet’s hand. Again, Fox had the feeling their mother knew exactly what was going on. Wren followed her daughters to the kitchen door, telling them she’d have a late supper waiting for them when they returned. She was trying to act as normal as possible.
“Try to get back before ten, please, girls,” she said. “I don’t want you out too late in this weather.”
They waved and Violet headed them to the police rendezvous point.
“Why are we going there?” Bunny asked.
“Because it needs to look like we’re doing it properly.”
“Won’t it look suspicious?”
“It would look more suspicious if we get caught in the woods skulking about with no jacket or map like everyone else.”
Bunny shrugged, she couldn’t really see the point, thinking it would just add complications. She was proved right. After handing the girls their jackets, the officer attempted to put them into a group of men from the village; concerned that a group of girls should not be travelling the countryside on their own, which to be fair was a sensible point. However, worse than being bundled into company, they were then informed their search area was to take place on the open farmland on the east side of the village; the exact opposite direction to where they needed to be.
Violet dipped her head and muttered to Swan, “This is really not good.”
“Is there a problem with that?” the iron-haired officer snapped.
Fox stepped forward and smiled sweetly. “It’s just that we think we could be much more useful searching Raven Woods. We know the area much better than the farmlands. We hang out there all the time and we’ll notice if anything is out of the ordinary.”
The officer stroked his beard, considering the argument. “I see what you’re saying and we haven’t yet sent a party out in that direction, but I really don’t want you heading out on your own, ladies.”
“How about I go with them?” one of the young male police officers offered. “I’ve got my radio and I’m armed,” he said pointing to a can of CS spray tucked into his belt.
Fox rolled her eyes. A can of CS spray is hardly going to be much use against The Ancient Ones, the internal correctly observed.
Violet grasped at the opportunity. “There you go, see. We’re going to be in perfectly safe hands, aren’t we officer?” She offered her most winning smile and Fox watched with curiosity as Violet charmed the lead officer. Within seconds, he’d had gone from steely control-freak to blushing servant.
“Okay then, but keep in touch by radio. I don’t want anybody else going missing, hear me?”
He handed them their search pack, on the top of which was a photograph of the missing child. Fox winced at the sight of the pretty little creature with her mop of blond curls and bright piercing blue eyes. The photo showed her laughing at some unknown amusement.
“Come on, let’s go,” she snapped, pulling the group together and heading off in the direction of the woods. She hoped Violet had a plan on how to deal with their escort because she really didn’t relish the thought of having to manhandle him to the ground and then being sprayed in the face with his CS spray.
The sound of the snow crunching underfoot set Fox’s teeth on edge. It had always made her skin creep. Her jaw ached from being clamped so hard, but it wasn’t just the cold, or the sensation underfoot that caused the muscle to spasm in her cheek; it was the thought of Jeremiah Chase all at home in Ravenheart Hall. Anger clawed at her. What the hell was he doing there?
The boundary to the woods was now nothing more than a series of random black scratches against white earth and sky. There was no point in talking, as the snow was far too keen to steal their words; not that anybody felt like talking. Each of them was lost in the picture of Emily Stone – the little girl for whom they were going to be fighting. Swan’s sense of direction was good and before they knew it, they approached the ruinous gateposts of The Rookeries.
“I think we should take a look around in here,” Swan said addressing the police officer.
The young officer suddenly looked nervous. “I’m not sure… it’s not on our brief. Chief is sending police teams to search buildings. Civilians are meant to stick to searching open ground.”
Swan had already squeezed her way through the safety fence and Bunny followed, leaving the officer little choice but to reluctantly follow whilst issuing pathetic attempts at taking charge of the quickly unravelling situation.
Once all the party was through, the officer found his voice.
“Stop! This is against orders. We need to sweep the woods and then report back.”
With an alarming amount of authority, Swan said, “We don’t need to take orders from your chief. We’re entitled to go where we please, and it pleases us to check out the asylum.”
She turned on her heels and headed towards the door, where she pushed aside one of the wooden planks and stepped in. The officer, still stuttering and blustering, trundled after her, pulling his coat tighter. The whirling wind made it impossible for anybody to really stand their ground and have an argument.
Bunny leaned in and whispered, “What the hell is going on?”
“I don’t know,” Fox replied. “I guess Swan has a plan about getting rid of our little escort problem.”
“You don’t think she’s going to…”
Fox laughed. “No!” she snorted. The internal wasn’t quite as convinced, Are you absolutely sure about that?
“I guess we’d better go in after them,” Violet said, passing under the plank.
“I don’t like this,” Bunny said, looking around. “Something doesn’t feel right.”
“Come on.” Fox ducked under and beckoned Bunny in. “I don’t expect we’ll be more than a few minutes.
Fox had been right. It took less than five minutes for Swan to cast spells, which sent the constable to sleep and to got a fire burning in one of the old fireplaces.
“Sleep tight, officer,” Swan whispered, tiptoeing from the room as the others trotted behind her.
“What did you just do to him?” Bunny asked.
“Just a little trick mother taught me when you decided to scream your way through the night – every night!”
“Blimey, talk about problem child!” Fox said, nudging Bunny’s arm and laughing.
“Right, we need to get a move on, the darkness is thickening,” Violet said, waving her hand at them. “Primrose and Rose are probably already at the meeting point.”
“Where are we meeting?”
“At the Ravenheart mausoleum on the far side of the lake.”
Fox wrinkled her nose, wondering how her cousins had such a good knowledge of the Ravenheart grounds. Their mother had always forbid her and her sisters ever crossing the boundary onto the Ravenheart land; it was bad enough they had to breathe the same air and go to the same school, she’d frequently complain.
Despite the snow and cl
ouds, the night had grown full dark. Fox flicked her torch on and recoiled at the blinding white that bounced back. The woods were deathly quiet; not a thing stirred.
As Fox followed the beam of the torchlight, she was hit by a sudden whooshing sensation. The air around her thickened. She pitched forward and folded in half, almost falling face first into the snow. The pressure inside her head felt like it would split it open. The sound of drumming beat violently against the soft tissue of her brain. She brought her hands tight to her ears and clamped them over them, hoping to eradicate the terrible beat of the drum. Then the screams started and it was as if they were burning her from the inside out. Fox opened her eyes to see it wasn’t the screams that were burning her but flames, which licked at her legs. They were desperate to take hold of her. Shadows moved amongst the flames at her feet; dark and terrible beings, with teeth and claws that gnashed hungrily in anticipation of flesh and bone.
“Help me!” she tried to shout, but the words faded in her throat before they made it into the air.
A figure came through the flames. It was hard to see his face as the flames danced and flickered, causing a melting effect. Arms wrapped around her and pulled her out until she felt the cold air on her skin. She gasped in the fresh ice-air and rubbed her eyes, which were sore from the smoke. She opened them, expecting to look up on her rescuer, but it was Swan, who was stroking the hair from Fox’s face and looking worried.
“Another vision?” she asked.
Fox nodded.
“Anything we should know?” Bunny asked.
Fox shook her head. “Just fire and flames, it was as if I were being burned alive.”
She didn’t tell them about the mysterious figure travelling through the inferno towards her.