by J. R. Wallis
Thomas Gabriel’s One Eye fluttered up out of the man’s jacket pocket as he inspected the two boys lying on the floor. ‘You see!’ it cried. ‘You see what’s happened to your apprentice, Simeon.’
The man grunted and shook his head disapprovingly, observing the white floating Life Balls.
‘They’re going to be fine,’ said Ruby, folding her arms and leaning against the door frame. The man looked up at her. His dark brown eyes were hooded and deep-set. He frowned.
‘Who on earth are you?’ he growled.
‘Ruby Jenkins. And I’m a Badlander. Just like you. Well, I’m starting out at least. Doing it for the sisterhood, you know?’
The man opened his mouth and shook his head. Eventually, he found the word he was looking for. ‘Impossible,’ he said.
‘My name is definitely Ruby.’ When the man frowned even more, Ruby clicked her fingers. ‘Oh, you mean it’s impossible because I’m a girl? Because of the Ordnung-thingy. Well, that’s old news. I am a Badlander. In fact, I’ve just taken out a Wretch. You know? Big dude. As black as night. I kicked its butt. Took its head clean off in the kitchen with this staff. This gun’s charmed to speak. It told me what to do.’ As she raised the staff in one hand, and the gun in the other, Ruby cocked her head to one side for effect because that’s what she’d seen people in films do when they were making a point.
The man looked like he’d been slapped round the face with a kipper. The One Eye was staring at Ruby too, bobbing in the air, its mouth hanging open and its big teeth showing.
But Ruby ploughed on regardless. ‘These boys found something upstairs you should see. A pentacle on the floor and Poppets, I think they’re called, in a cabinet. I can show you if you like.’ But, when she took a step forward, the man raised his hand, conjuring up a set of white sparks round his fingers.
‘Stay right there,’ he said in a commanding voice. ‘I don’t know who or what you are but you’re certainly no Badlander.’ Ruby watched the white sparks dancing round the man’s fingertips and began to sense she’d misjudged the mood and made the wrong impression. Her elation at killing the Wretch was rapidly dwindling.
‘But I really am. I’m the first girl Badlander there’s ever been. I’ve even been through Commencement with him,’ she said, nodding at Jones, wondering when he might start to come round now the Wretch was dead. The man cursed under his breath, and Ruby remembered what Jones had told her, that no one should know they could do magic together so she decided not to mention it.
When the white sparks around the man’s hands began reaching out towards Ruby, she raised the gun, her arm shaking. ‘Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot. My mistake. I know it’s a lot to take in.’ But the man was ignoring her, muttering under his breath, and the white sparks were starting to turn into letters that streamed towards Ruby.
‘Stop or I’ll shoot,’ she warned.
‘No, she won’t,’ shouted the gun. ‘I can’t fire on another Badlander, sir. Don’t worry about that.’
‘What? Help me out here,’ Ruby muttered to the revolver, not looking away from the man. ‘Not even a tranquillizer dart or something else to put him to sleep?’
‘No!’
Ruby pulled the trigger anyway and when nothing happened she swore and stuffed the gun back in her waistband. The letters conjured from the man’s fingers were closing in on her, but she stood her ground, readying the rowan staff like a baseball bat.
‘Stop what you’re doing!’ she shouted. But the man didn’t seem to want to stop. As the first letters reached her, she swung the staff, batting them away. She dodged a letter ‘O’ as it tried to lasso her round the neck. The curly end of a ‘T’ caught hold of her ankle and tried to trip her up till she kicked it away.
Dodging this way and that, Ruby hit more letters away, but others kept streaming from the man’s fingers until there were too many for her to handle. A jumble of different ones caught hold of the end of the staff and yanked it out of her hands.
In desperation, Ruby pulled out the gun and tried batting more letters away, much to its disgust. ‘I’m a gun,’ it shouted, ‘not a stick!’
Eventually, Ruby gave up and threw the weapon in frustration at the man before turning to run. But a letter ‘T’ tripped her up and an ‘O’ looped round her ankles and slid all the way up to her knees. A letter ‘V’ turned upside down and landed on the back of her neck, pinning her to the floor.
Ruby could smell something sweet, like melon or apricots, as more and more letters crowded round her. She felt woozy. The letters were at her lips, forcing their way into her mouth. As soon as they were inside her, they dissolved like sugar. The taste was so lovely that she opened her mouth to let more in.
When the man knelt down beside her, Ruby saw him staring at her with his fierce brown eyes.
‘My name is Simeon Rowell and I’m Master of the apprentice, Thomas Gabriel. His One Eye found me patrolling my æhteland and alerted me to the danger of a Wretch and, judging by the state of my apprentice, it wasn’t lying. Now, I need you to tell me where the creature is. You can’t lie now you’re full of a truth spell.’
‘I told you. I killed the Wretch before you got here.’
The man stared at her in disbelief.
‘It’s my first kill,’ beamed Ruby.
‘Ridiculous,’ hissed Simeon. ‘No girl could ever manage such a thing. You’re lying. What foul thing are you that can lie whilst full of a truth spell? And how dare you ridicule the Badlander Order!’
‘I’m not! You Badlanders are so out of date. Why can’t girls be Badlanders? What’s the problem with that? We can do all sorts of things as well as boys if not better.’
Simeon looked up as the One Eye came flying back out of the kitchen. ‘She’s telling the truth,’ it squeaked. ‘The Wretch is in there as dead as a doornail.’
‘Told you.’ Ruby grinned as Simeon turned to look at her, a look of utter shock spreading across his face. It was the last thing she saw as he flashed another handful of white sparks at her and then she was falling down what seemed to be a very deep dark hole.
SEVENTEEN
It took two days for Jones and Thomas Gabriel to recover properly. Simeon used magic to relocate them safely back to his house, a four-storey Georgian building set back from the main road. It was hidden behind tall metal gates and surrounded by a lush garden full of large bushes and thick shrubs with green waxy leaves.
The two boys were laid on beds in the same room with their white Life Balls hovering beside them, gradually reducing in size as the life force of each of them returned to reanimate their bodies and minds. Simeon came to check on them from time to time, listening to their hearts and making sure they were kept warm with plenty of blankets and hot-water bottles.
Ruby had never been inside such a grand house but she was kept confined to a bedroom with an ensuite bathroom so didn’t know much about the boys except for what the One Eye told her. It would flit in through the large keyhole to check on her every now and then, informing her when a tray of food had been left outside the door and warning her not to try anything stupid. Each time it growled and bared its teeth to make sure she got the point.
Ruby did not see Simeon at all and was only aware of his presence from the arrival and departure of the trays of food and the odd mutterings she heard. The man had also removed the gun, so Ruby was entirely alone. To alleviate her boredom, Ruby started to read the books kept on the one large shelf in the bedroom. She learnt a lot about the life cycle of the Burrowing Troll, the history of Badlanders in France from 1745 to 1750, and about Nathaniel Hewitt, a Badlander who had lived in Hampshire and was famous for accidentally discovering a new species of Wood Sprite after needing to pee behind a tree one night.
So on the third morning of her stay, when a sharp rap of Simeon’s knuckles on the door told Ruby she might be getting out, she jumped up quickly off the bed as the man poked his head into the room.
‘They’ve recovered. Come downstairs in five minutes
.’ He shut the door again without saying anything else.
When Ruby came down the sweeping set of stairs into the grand hallway with a floor like a chessboard, Jones and Thomas Gabriel were waiting for her. The boys looked pale and tired and were standing with their hands behind their backs.
‘Go on,’ said Simeon as he stood beside them.
‘Thanks for saving me,’ said Jones. When Thomas Gabriel just nodded, Simeon coughed. Loudly.
‘Yeah, thanks,’ muttered Thomas Gabriel without looking at her.
‘You’re welcome,’ replied Ruby. ‘I’m just pleased you’re okay, Jones. To see you again, you know.’ When Jones just nodded back curtly, his eyes darting to Simeon, Ruby felt a little deflated inside. But she decided he probably didn’t want to appear over-friendly with a girl in front of another Badlander because he was in enough trouble already. So she said nothing else.
‘Now the niceties are over, all three of you will come with me. I want to show you something. After which, you, Thomas Gabriel, are to sit down and write out a letter of apology to me for all the aggravation you’ve caused. Once you’ve done that, you will learn everything about Wretches there is to know, and I mean everything. You will read every book, research paper and pamphlet I own on the creatures, and believe me it is an extensive collection, and make your own notes for me to assess.’ Thomas Gabriel opened his mouth to protest, but Simeon raised a finger. ‘You have maybe one chance left to impress me before I decide whether to let you Commence or wipe your memory and throw you out to survive in the world on your own. Do you understand?’
Thomas Gabriel nodded. ‘Yes, sir.’
‘Very well.’ Simeon straightened his coat. ‘Now, let’s get on.’
The three children followed Simeon as he led them from the house and through the streets and alleys of Hampstead, walking among ordinary people who didn’t seem to notice them as they went about their business, making Ruby wonder if Simeon had done something to make all four of them invisible. But she didn’t dare ask.
The Badlander took them to all his favourite places, houses of historical note, pretty streets, pubs, and even up onto Hampstead Heath, where he talked about all the different things that people did there from sunbathing to running and swimming in the ponds. He said not one word about Jones’s parents or the Witch’s Poppets. As far as Ruby was concerned, it was as dull as any school trip. And she could tell neither Jones nor Thomas Gabriel were enjoying it either. From their glances at each other, nobody was sure why they were being taken to all these places.
By the time they returned to Simeon’s house, their feet were sore and they were thirsty and hungry. But Simeon wasn’t finished yet. He took them up to the very top of the house and out onto the terrace from where they had a view of Hampstead and beyond.
‘I’m sure you’ll agree that Hampstead is a beautiful place. It’s relatively safe too. Few people die unnaturally or go missing in my æhteland. When the wyrd decides to take me, I’ll leave a legacy fellow Badlanders will admire. They’ll say, “Simeon Rowell did a good job for a territory in London; he kept many of the ordinary people he was responsible for safe and well.” But what they won’t know about, what I’ll keep secret to my grave, is the presence of a Witch on my territory so powerful not even the most brilliant of Badlanders would dare take her on.’
Simeon glared at all three children, daring them to question him.
‘Sir, is that the one whose Poppets we found?’ asked Thomas Gabriel.
Simeon nodded gravely. ‘This Witch has lived for centuries. Jones, your Master also knew a great deal about her, according to his gun anyway, after I succeeded in breaking the charm Maitland had placed on it.’
‘What’s it said?’ asked Jones.
‘Breaking charms can be a messy business,’ said Simeon, tutting and shaking his head. ‘But I’ve managed to find out that Maitland had some personal score to settle with this Witch. How exactly he knew of her and tracked her down I don’t know, but as soon as Maitland found her in Hampstead it became apparent to him she was far too powerful to take on. It was then he realized that your parents, Jones, were two of the people cursed by this Witch, so he did what he thought was right. He rescued you. Why, Thomas Gabriel, do Witches surround themselves with acolytes like Jones’s parents?’
‘Because Witches are extremely vain, sir. They like to be worshipped and admired so they curse ordinary people. It’s also why they have familiars, so they can tell them how wonderful they are.’
‘And?’ Thomas Gabriel’s forehead furrowed. ‘Why else do Witches curse ordinary people?’
Thomas Gabriel clicked his fingers. ‘Because Witches like to eat people too sir.’
Simeon nodded and then returned to Jones. ‘If Maitland hadn’t taken you when you were a baby then your parents would surely have given you up to the Witch at some point, because, Thomas Gabriel . . .’
‘Witches particularly love eating children, sir.’
‘Good. Now, the gun told me that Maitland left a fæcce in your place, Jones, so maybe she ate that or maybe it died naturally before she could. Whatever happened to it isn’t of concern. You were saved and that’s what mattered to Maitland because clearly he dedicated his life to raising you as his apprentice. Thomas Gabriel, why are apprentices so important to their Masters?’
‘To carry on a Badlander’s legacy. To show their Master’s good name and standing.’
‘Which is something I’m bearing in mind about you, young man.’ And Thomas Gabriel nodded. Simeon cleared his throat. ‘So, Jones,’ he said brightly, ‘what to do now? I have a proposition for you, seeing as you have no choice but to forget about your parents and have no Master either . . .’
Jones was looking down at his black boots. Maitland had made him polish them every day and he’d always resented doing it, thinking it a waste of time. Now, all he could think about was how grateful he was to Maitland for rescuing him and bringing him up. The man had been strict, but he’d always been fair too. And then another thought occurred to him.
‘Jones?’ asked Simeon. ‘Are you listening?’
Jones looked up straight at Simeon. ‘I may have got rescued by Maitland and I’m grateful and all cos he was a good Master who didn’t do no wrong, but I ain’t gonna be a Badlander no more. My parents are still alive and I want ’em back. I’ll get rid of this Witch even if you’re too scared to, cos that’s what it sounds like.’
Simeon’s face flickered and his eyes narrowed into slits. Clearly, he was unused to such insolence. ‘Listen to what I’m telling you, boy,’ he said in a stern voice. ‘There’s no way to free your parents from this Witch. To break her curse, you’d have to kill her. That’s a task beyond my abilities, and believe me I tried in my early days. It was one beyond your Master too. Sometimes, there are occasions when a Badlander must compromise, when he must admit defeat. I’ve left this Witch alone for years, confronting her only when I have to, and she repays the gesture by not being too greedy in her eating habits. It means I can go on doing my job, protecting the majority of people on my æhteland.’
‘You’re no better than her,’ said Jones. ‘You shouldn’t even be a Badlander. Tell me who she is. Where can I find her?’
‘I won’t tell you anything, boy! I’ve already gone to great pains to make sure your night-time visit went undetected, by tidying up all the mess,’ and Simeon glared at Ruby too. ‘Jones, your parents are the property of this Witch. And they will be till they die. Even if by some miracle she was killed and your parents were freed from the curse, they’d require great care and the use of magic to enable them to recover from its effects.’
‘Don’t let him tell you what you can’t do, Jones,’ said Ruby. ‘You can go after that Witch and save your parents if you want, just like I can be a Badlander.’
‘No, he cannot!’ thundered Simeon. ‘The Witch is much too formidable a foe. She’s created a Deorcan Flascan.’ Simeon clicked his fingers. ‘Thomas Gabriel, translate that for me!’
Th
omas Gabriel immediately turned pale because of the unfamiliar Anglo-Saxon word. ‘Umm, that’s a . . . a . . .’
‘What’s a Dark Bottle?’ asked Jones, and Simeon glanced disapprovingly at Thomas Gabriel before answering.
‘It’s a Bottle only the most powerful Witches can make. They fill it with all of their greatest fears, and those are the only things that can kill them. Witches bury their Bottle in a special place where it’s protected by Wiccacraeft or a dangerous creature of some sort and, in most cases, usually both. So even if you know where to look for it then it’s almost impossible to steal it. Without her Dark Bottle, this Witch cannot be killed by you, me or anyone else.’ Ruby opened her mouth to say something, but Simeon glared at her. ‘Not even by a girl who claims to be a Badlander!’ Simeon stared at Jones down the length of his long nose. ‘This Witch is unbeatable. Maitland rescued you, gave you another chance at life. Being a Badlander is your destiny. Well, at least it was: you’ll never be a proper one now, after the way your Commencement worked out.’ He waved a hand at Ruby without even looking at her. ‘This girl mentioned you Commenced together, but I can only presume nothing came of it, that you weren’t given the gift of magic.’
Jones nodded his head. ‘Yes, sir, that’s right, I can’t do magic. Neither of us can.’
Ruby was about to open her mouth to point out that wasn’t true, but then remembered Jones’s warning that no one should ever know about them being able to do magic. So she just shook her head too.
‘Precisely as I expected.’ Simeon clicked his fingers. ‘Why is that, Thomas Gabriel?’
‘Because the Commencement would have been corrupted, sir, when it realized a girl was involved. Magic’s never worked for girls,’ he sneered in the direction of Ruby, who just managed to hold her tongue.
Simeon smiled for the first time at Ruby. ‘Thomas Gabriel’s right: the early founders of our Order discovered girls and magic didn’t agree. By Commencing together yet failing to receive the gift of magic, you’ve merely proved an indisputable fact. Magic isn’t for girls, it’s only for men and boys. So how can you possibly expect to be a proper Badlander if you can’t do magic?’ Ruby swallowed down what felt like a stone and just nodded. ‘I’m sorry, Jones,’ continued Simeon. ‘This girl has ruined the future Maitland had planned for you. But, on a brighter note, I’d be happy to offer you a place at my side as my Whelp. At least then you’ll be able to continue in the Order. I know it’s not what Maitland intended but it’s the only way to make good of this mess. Whelps can be invaluable to their Masters. In time, after I’m gone, maybe you can serve Thomas Gabriel too, if he goes on to Commence, that is.’