He looked at Willow and gave her a small, shy smile. ‘I did find where I belonged … but it wasn’t down there. I hope we can be friends, Willow.’
Willow felt tears prick her eyes. She nodded. ‘I’d like that very much.’
‘Very well, boy,’ said the witch. ‘It was a foolish thing you did, but I can understand why. However, if you cross me again, you will regret it. Leave us for now.’
Sprig swallowed, nodding, then turned to join Essential and Sometimes.
The witch looked at Willow and seemed almost to grin. ‘It’s always useful to send a gentle reminder that a witch is not someone to cross … Remember that,’ she said, tapping her nose, and Willow couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped her lips.
Moreg continued. ‘Speaking of witches, we dropped Pimpernell off a little while ago. I’ve had a chat with her, told her that she needs to make some changes, get an assistant – speak to other witches. She means well, I suppose; she just goes about things the wrong way. I think seeing that Holloway had been telling the truth, that he wasn’t going to use his new ability for evil, also opened her eyes. She wouldn’t go so far as to admit guilt for locking up someone for a year – not when she believed she was in the right – but I think she can see that maybe she was getting too extreme. The Enchancil will start to look in on her more. It’s not good for anyone to have nobody to answer to – like Umbellifer in her own way.’ The witch touched Willow’s shoulder. ‘I should have known one thing, though – that should have been obvious.’
‘What’s that?’
‘That if anyone could save us, it would be you.’
Willow didn’t know what to say to that. She felt a blush rise to the roots of her hair. She looked up at the witch. ‘I don’t know about that. Um, actually, about my magic – how my grief made things disappear – do you think that could happen again?’
Moreg frowned. ‘I don’t think it was grief that was making it happen.’
Willow stared and the witch explained.
‘I think the grief was preventing you from using your usual ability. But I have a feeling that something else happened when we were in Wolkana. When you got the spell scroll from Silas, it shouldn’t have worked because he’d used a protective spell.’
Willow blinked. ‘Why did it then?’
‘Because magic wanted you to succeed,’ said Moreg.
‘What?’ breathed Willow. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘The magic of Starfell,’ she said. ‘It knew what was happening. Maybe it even knew what was coming, based on what had gone before, when it was almost ripped out of the world. Perhaps it sensed that you were trying to help. So it took a chance, and decided to break its own rules. It decided to trust you.’
‘It trusted me?’
‘Yes, and magic like that always leaves a trace. It touched you and gave you something in return – the other side of your ability perhaps. So you can now make things appear and disappear. Very useful, once you learn how to control it.’
Willow blinked in amazement.
‘It also makes you dangerous, which is something you need to be careful about. The Brothers of Wol have been hatching their plans to seize witches and wizards, and Silas is out to steal magic from the world for himself. We will need to be ready.’
Willow nodded. They would.
25
Moss Cottage
A while later, they heard Feathering’s trumpeting cry as he signalled his farewell.
‘Must get back to baby Floss – he’ll be wondering where I am. Come and have some pepper tea with me soon, friends. I’ll try to convince the plant to come back …’
They waved him off, Nolin Sometimes laughing his loud, barking laugh. ‘Good luck with that.’
Holloway moored the boat in a small stream that ran close to Willow’s village, then gave her a hug.
Willow reached inside her bag for the copper harmonica to return it to the old wizard, thanking him for all he’d done.
‘Keep it, young Willow. That way I know ya can always use it when ya need me.’
She gave him a last hug. ‘I will,’ she promised.
Willow said goodbye to Sometimes, Sprig and Essential, already making plans for when they would next meet, and then she and Moreg got on their brooms and made their way to Willow’s cottage.
There was pandemonium when she arrived.
‘Willow!’ cried her father, standing up so fast he upended his chair. He looked tired and worried, and Willow couldn’t help the stab of guilt she felt at being the cause. Her mother, on the other hand, was furious.
‘Well, what do you call this?’ said Raine. ‘We’ve been out of our minds with worry. We’ve been everywhere! Even to some strange tower in the middle of the Howling Woods, where we heard that you’d been locked up! The tower refused to let us in until Juniper threatened to blow it up. We finally got in, only to discover that there was no witch to be found, and that you had disappeared …’ She broke off when she saw, behind Willow, Moreg Vaine.
She swallowed. ‘Um, Moreg, hello.’
‘Good day?’ said Moreg, observing them with eyes like razors.
‘I – well, we were just explaining to Willow that we were concerned about her. She appeared to have run off – but I see you must have found her!’
‘Actually, Raine, she found me.’
Raine’s eyes popped. ‘Is that true?’
‘Yes,’ Moreg said, glancing from her to Willow’s sisters with a meaningful look.
‘Oh.’
Willow looked at her mother and said, ‘Mum, I know you were just trying to help, but you’d help me a lot more if you would just listen to me.’
‘I do listen,Willow, of course I do. You were unwell, your magic was … behaving rather oddly. We needed to get you help, my dear.’
Moreg raised an eyebrow, looking from Raine to Willow’s father, Hawthorn. ‘I do not wish to get involved in family matters, but I can say this: in future, when your daughter asks for me, please send a raven at once.’
Willow grinned as Raine blinked at Moreg in shock.
Moreg turned to leave, then she stopped and looked back at Juniper and Camille. ‘Oh yes, before I forget. For the record, Willow is not ill, mad or a liar. Tuesday did get lost, and we did, in fact, go and find it.’
‘What?’ said Camille as the witch left.
Willow followed Moreg outside to see her go, and her family trailed in her wake. They watched Moreg’s tall form as she strode up the garden path, then got on to her impressive broom. Its twin engines roared to life, spitting flames as she flew up and away.
Willow looked up at her parents and was shocked when her mother reached forward and hugged her hard. ‘I was so worried about you,’ she said. Then she let her go and met her eyes. ‘I’ll listen more, and try to believe you even if it sounds impossible, all right?’
Willow bit her lip, and then hugged her tight, reaching a hand towards her father who squeezed hers in return.
Juniper and Camille watched Moreg’s broom as it disappeared beyond the horizon.
Camille muttered, ‘You know, they say she’s a bit bonkers herself. Can we really trust what she says? I mean, I heard she lives in the Mists of Mitlaire and has tea parties with the dead …’
Willow sighed.
From within the hairy carpetbag there was a faint harrumphing sound. ‘Wot a cumberworld.’
AN (ABRIDGED) OSWIN TO ENGLISH DICTIONARY
CARBUNCLE: a pimple or unsightly growth. Used as an insult, as in ‘Yew ‘orrid carbuncle.’
CUMBERWORLD: someone who is so useless, they just serve to take up space. (Oswin, for the most part, applies this to every member of the Moss family, apart from Willow and the late ‘Flossy Mistress’.)
EEL: hell, as in ‘what fresh eel is this?’
GIZARD: a very old wizard.
HARPY-HAG: a nagging or highly interfering person.
INFERMEROL: infernal. Many kobolds often hear things incorrectly while hiding in places like b
eds, or suitcases, or stoves due to their aversion to sunlight and crowds and other scary things, like baths.
LIB-BRAIN: librarian. See infermerol for reasons for likely mispronunciation.
PROBERBELLY: probably. See infermerol for reasons for likely mispronunciation.
SQUIFFLESTICKS: something that has gone more than a bit wrong.
SLEW: slur (an insinuation that is seen to damage someone’s reputation or character).
Acknowledgements:
One of the best parts of being an author is being lucky enough to work with such incredibly talented people, and I think when it comes to children’s publishing this is even more true. To my wonderful editor, Harriet Wilson, who brings so much joy, warmth and magic in all that she does, I feel incredibly lucky to work with you. You have made this an enormous joy from the start. Thank you so much for your belief and support for Starfell – it has meant the world.
I am fortunate enough to have another editor too, in the wondrous form of Julia Sanderson. She not only takes the time and trouble to help me fix every long, winding sentence I waffle on with (I’m sorry!) with her deft hands, always with such warmth and kindness (which is the truly remarkable part – her incredible grace in the face of such wanton comma abuse), but has also helped me untangle more plot threads than Oswin could hide in a carpetbag from. Thank you so much, lovely!
Enormous praise and thanks to Sarah Warburton, kindred spirit and artist extraordinaire, for bringing Starfell to life. Each one of your incredible illustrations – from the small, detailed ones to the epic spreads – are gasp-worthy and have made me pinch myself on more occasions than I can count. I’m not sure how I got lucky enough to have you work on Starfell, but I can only thank all the stars above.
To Helen Boyle, my wonderful, guardian-angel agent, I couldn’t have navigated this world without you. Thank you for being there for me, encouraging and supporting me (making me my own hairy green carpetbag!) and most of all just being one of my most favourite people, ever.
To Sean Williams, thank you so much for another amazing cover – you blew me away! You are next-level talented and I’m so grateful for all that you’ve done in shaping the series.
Elorine Grant, thank you so much for the beautiful, immersive text design. You are a marvel. Thank you so much for bringing the words to life! Also, thank you for inspiring the weather dial in Library. You might recall that last year at a team lunch you mentioned that if you ever had a library of your own, you’d like it to always be winter inside so that you could have a roaring fire year-round – well, that bit was for you!
To everyone at HarperCollins – thank you for making dreams come true, and for all the fun, warmth and joy you bring. A special thank you to: Ann-Janine Murtagh, Jo-Anna Parkinson, Geraldine Stroud, Val Braithwaite, David McDougall, Ryan Hammond, Margot Lohan, Katie Ashworth, Pippa Poole, Louisa Sheridan, Jessica Dean, Alex Cowan, Beth Maher, Rebecca Fortuin, Tanya Hougham, Harriet Williams, Deborah Wilton and Nicole Linhardt-Rich.
To my wonderful, supportive husband, Rui, thank you for everything you do – from helping to inspire Oswin with your silliness to trying to help me win the unwinnable fight to meet my deadlines, and for always, always providing a supportive shoulder. I couldn’t do this without you.
Thank you so much to my wonderful friends and family for all their love and support – Mom, Dad, Simon, Dylan and the best in-laws, Joao and Didi Valente. To my BFF, Catherine Zamojski – thank you for all your kindness and support for my writing over the years. And to my lovely Suffolk bunch, Suzie, Neil, Bob and Helen, you are the best.
It is truly wonderful when anyone likes what you have written but to receive praise from writing legends Robin Stevens, Michelle Harrison, P. G. Bell, Laura Ellen Anderson and Stephanie Burgis had me beaming like a lunatic. Thank you!
To all the readers, booksellers, teachers, librarians and bloggers who have shared their enthusiasm and support for Starfell – thank you so much. I truly hope you enjoy Willow’s next adventure!
Discover where Willow’s story begins …
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Willow Moss and the Forgotten Tale Page 15