Perri wondered if Cadence would know she was raising her eyebrows.
“No, I don’t mean it like that. I just wanted her to have the chance to be who she is.”
Understanding flashed through Perri. She too had wished Aero to have the chance at a normal life.
Their ancestors had braved discrimination and death, fleeing danger so they could have a chance to continue being witches. Hearing Cadence say the same things that mirrored her own mistakes made her realise it all had to change. If, or more hopefully, when she got out of this, no more witches would have to discover their powers as if they were a dirty little secret. She laughed at herself for the pretence of thinking of both an escape and a future in one foolish breath.
A burst of eerie and unnerving laughter echoed through the stones.
Perri and Cadence held their breath. Perri heard the clunk of a lock being opened. It seemed her wait wasn’t the only one, as a deadly silence hung over the cells. A moment later, a scream filled the space where laughter had been, and all the witches understood. The Shadow Creatures had come for one of them. Perri turned cold thinking of her sister.
The sounds which followed turned Perri’s blood colder; the mocking of a fellow witch as she resisted her captors, her own relief and shame when she didn’t recognise her sister’s voice in the victim’s screams.
Perri waited a long time before trying to speak to Cadence again. What could be achieved by talking? Maybe something, but it would all be for nothing if they got caught now. From the sounds of the screams, the repercussions were something she didn’t want to discover for herself.
Amanda and Isaac sat close to each other for warmth as the prison cell was cold and draughty. It wasn’t in Isaac’s nature to worry. Their mum had often joked that if he was any more laid back, he’d be horizontal. But their mum wasn’t here now, and neither was their dad. And in her brother’s face, Amanda saw something she thought would never be there, a flicker of despair. Her brother sat quiet and steady, but his eyes betrayed him. Amanda gazed at the hard stone walls encasing them; no windows, no way out.
It had taken only a second for them to get caught. Amanda saw it all whenever her eyes closed. The black dust, her parents being ripped away. The violence of it made her shudder in a way which only added to her chilled limbs. But then there was a sound. It only lasted for a moment or so, but there was no doubt she’d heard it.
“Isaac, did you hear that? What was it?”
He murmured noncommittedly. Either because she was certain of the noise or because right now, she needed to believe she had heard it, she paid attention again. There was a voice coming from the other side of the walls.
“We aren’t finished yet, Isaac. Someone is on the other side of us. Maybe we can still find Mum and Dad and get out of here. Wherever here is.”
Isaac sat up straighter. “Okay, sis, tell me what to do.”
“You listen that side and I’ll take this wall. We need to find out which side the voice is coming from.”
Chapter Nine
The Shadow Realm
Aero once more found herself in the land of the mythical creatures, the place where all beings had once come together in unity and magic. This time it was a solemn place, and a solitary quest, with no one to help her with guidance or encouragement.
The eagle-people had fled from their home, not in cowardice - Aero had seen the strength and courage in them - but in fear. Ari’s contemplative and most peculiar eyes would persist in her memory over the lengthy days to come. She would never forget. The eagle-people had wiped away any questions in her mind about the reality of the visions, confirming both their truth and, to her dismay, the authenticity of the danger her loved ones faced.
The Shadow Creatures’ acquisition of power over the Shadow Realm had come easily, and it seemed that hold on control was also in their possession. Aero now understood their jurisdiction didn’t end there. They had taken and contained her family and, as Ari had implied, other witches. For what purpose, she didn’t know; selfishly, her thoughts were for her family alone.
Various scenarios of running went through her head, but all were futile. Unlike Umbria and her grandma, Aero had no means to create a portal, an exit home. For better or worse, she was stuck here. With no choice and a good dash of bloody-mindedness, Aero had found herself stranded in enemy territory, on what could quite possibly be a fool’s errand.
Taking the first step of her journey north, seeking instruction on how to proceed, consultation of the map was essential. The clamouring of her own voice of doubt made it hard to think, but she whispered, I’m coming for you, Mum.
She didn’t linger for a moment and set off in the direction of the castle, which would hopefully lead to the people she loved. Walking, she was struck by an overpowering, sharp smell coming from the same direction. It reminded her of the sulphur they’d used in a chemistry lesson once and when she thought about it, she’d also smelt it after a big thunderstorm. A coughing fit did its best to clear her lungs.
Next she noticed how cold it was. In her mind, she’d remembered the Realm as a warm and comforting place. Whilst she’d said goodbye to her grandma for the last time here, she had held it in her heart as a place of warmth and love.
Of course, knowing her grandma was no longer here and this was not the Shadow Realm she remembered, only made the fierce chill snapping at her skin feel all the worse. It eroded the warm memory and made her realise this was no longer the same place.
Thankfully she’d had the sense to cram some clothes into her rucksack before her hurried exit. She reached in and pulled out a long-hooded coat. Dragging the hood over her hair, she wished for gloves, but had not expected to need them. She chastised herself. There was no part of the plan which involved sticking around long enough to need toothpaste or a toothbrush either, but she’d still packed both of those.
The next thing which struck her was more a realisation of something missing. The world had a deadly silence about it. There was no humming of traffic or electricity. No lighting or cars. Just a damp hush which made her feel homesick and lonely all at once.
Her eyes struggled to see, waiting to adjust to the dim light, and was reminded of the last stretch of day before darkness swept over and claimed it for its own. The silence was immense and overwhelming. Aero listened intently but for now, there was nothing to hear. There was no one.
Aero began her trek through this new, unfamiliar territory cautiously. Despite the silence, her enemies could be anywhere. She would need to move unnoticed to have a chance, even a slim one, of reaching her family. Since discovering her powers Aero had come out of her shell, but now she once more retreated and fell back on her skill of being unnoticed. Something she had become adept at in the playground at school.
What Aero feared even more than getting caught was reaching the castle to discover it had been a lie, that the eagle-people had misled her in some elaborate ruse to get her out of the way. But there was a deeper fear resting inside her, one where everything they had said was true. Her arrival at the castle would be met with a total inability to save them. She locked that fear away deep inside herself.
Aero was walking along an endless dirt path, heading north, surrounded by what on Earth would probably be called woodland. The forest here in the Realm held nothing magical about it, either by Earth’s standards or the Realm’s. From what she could gather, it appeared to be dying. The odd-looking silver trees did not sparkle and twinkle as she remembered but now hung limp, the tops leaning over and into each other, as if hanging their heads in mourning.
Instead of reaching to the sky and stretching and growing, the trees were diminishing and reducing beneath a starless sky. Aero looked up and saw the Shadow Realm was cracking apart. The full moon which had once gifted this world with both magic and light was going out. This reality was dying.
The excitement of being here again was replaced with weariness and trepidation. Aero plodded onwards but knew if she were to stop and take a seat beneath on
e of the trees, exhaustion would overwhelm her.
The air seemed to swish around her, and a brilliant spark of light suddenly filled the sky, blinding her momentarily. For a second or so, the stars flickered back to life overhead, much like a lightbulb in her own world would do before fizzing into life. Then they were gone again, but Aero noticed the moon shone a little brighter. For no reason she could think of, she shuddered as if a ghost had walked over her grave.
Perplexed and bone weary, Aero praised the Realm at her fortuitous chance to happen upon a lowly forest cave. Despite the bitter cold and bleak interior, it would equip her with vital refuge and shelter.
Regardless of the risk, she ventured inside, locking the thought of being buried alive deep inside herself.
Once inside, the discovery of wood made her once again thank the invisible gods of this dimension. Perhaps there was still some good in this world? Using the power of her much-practised sphere illumination, she used a piece of her own shirt as kindling to build a fire. The task took several attempts, but her persistence eventually paid off.
With only the cookies for a meagre meal, famished, she ate greedily and remarked to herself about their deliciousness. She really would have to thank Lilly’s mum in person if ever there was the chance.
Mere moments later, curled tight in a ball, with the fire between her and the entrance, Aero fell asleep on the floor, but her dreams that night were far from serene.
In the morning, Aero awoke to feel a strange presence with her inside the cave. At first, fear swept over her, but she sensed something in the air around her and felt calm again. With the passing of the night, the warmth of the fire was gone, and whilst the embers burned gently, they gave off only a smattering of light. Her eyes could not yet focus, but her other senses had come alive. In the gloom, her witch’s power sprang into life at the sounds of mysterious voices in the air.
Hearing the noise again, singular, clear, a voice, curiosity caught hold of her. Aero’s brain insisted she ought to be cautious, but her heart told her the noise was familiar. The noise was safe.
Out of the gloom, she saw the object of the sound, a cat. A strange sight to come across in the Realm, but she chuckled all the same. Perhaps this was a witch’s cat?
“Where did you come from, hey?” The feline sashayed towards her as Aero adjusted to the poor light. Rather than black as she had imagined, she saw charcoal grey fur, lots of it. It was hard to tell if the animal was chubby or all hair. The animal mewled and caressed at her legs. Inside her head came a voice, if such a thing from a cat could be described in those terms. Here. I am friendly. I am yours to love, his gentle purring seemed to say.
According to the strange new rules of this hostile place in the time of the Shadow Creatures, Aero would be wise to be cautious. The Shadow Creatures could appear to be anything, but something told her to trust this creature.
Aero spoke softly to the cat, as if in real conversation. All the while he accepted her pats and strokes and seemed to cock this head or mew back at a word or two. Perhaps her loneliness drove her to trust the animal, but she was glad of his company.
“I think I shall call you Shadow,” Aero said decisively, as he looked up at her with all his attention. He purred, and in her mind, his pleasure at being given a name was audible.
Aero began to pack her things into her rucksack, and Shadow fell into silence. He seemed to understand they were to set off. Leading the way, he padded along in front, as Aero made her way out of the cave.
She couldn’t help but feel surprised the cat was accompanying her, or rather leading her, but perhaps there was still hope in her heart. For as much as the Shadow Creatures were a curse, she knew Shadow was a blessing.
As the two tracked on, Aero felt content to follow his tracks. Moving over the uneven terrain, the forest slowly began to give way to outcrops of stones and rocks. The unfamiliarity of the sights around her reminded her once again of how unlike her own world it was. Everywhere were signs of ruins and devastation. Strange plants and smells filled the air.
There was logic in following a cat, but this was not about logic. Instinct told her Shadow had a purpose in appearing to her.
After some time, they came to a settlement at the end of the path. Dotted about, but within sight of each other, Aero saw a small number of homely cottages. She was glad to slow her pace and wondered if she might be able to find something to eat and drink here. The meal of cookies the previous evening seemed nothing more than a vague memory, as her stomach growled.
Aero immediately realised the place was deserted. What had happened to those who lived here? She felt certain it was nothing pleasant. Rather than dwell on such an uncomfortable thought, she set out to find food in one of the cottages.
“Spirits are near,” Shadow purred. “Neither dead nor alive.”
“Danger?” Aero whispered. Shadow came close to her again and snuggled against her feet. She looked down at him and stroked his fur, his bright eyes shining up at her.
Aero began to regret coming here. The hunger she’d felt so keenly vanished in a blink. She couldn’t trust a spirit; besides, how could one be neither dead or alive? Such a thing was impossible. Shadow once more led her on, but away from the cottages.
“Come, witch, you must come,” he yowled as if in pain.
“Come where, Shadow?”
Follow.
Cautious, Aero trailed behind him to a low stone bridge, which crossed a meandering stream. It was the first time coming across water since entering this place. At once she bent down to drink, her thirst beyond all thoughts of danger.
Shadow seemed fascinated with the way her hands cupped together to bring the cool fresh water to her lips. For no reason she could think of, Aero suspected he had never drunk water in his life. She shook her head at this most peculiar thought.
Once again, he purred with urgency, and in her head she heard his pleas to follow him. Across the bridge they came to a clearing, which had been made by hand. A large wooden table sat there in the open, with chairs laid out around it.
“A meeting place,” Shadow answered her unspoken question.
Aero approached warily, afraid something might jump out. Nonetheless, she ventured close enough to see that on each of the chairs, which were pulled out as if for sitting, there was a pile of black dust.
“You must answer their call, witch. Can you not hear their cries?” Shadow mewled.
Aero found herself frozen in fear, but Shadow seemed to know something about the dust on the chairs, and he urged her to get closer. It came to her mind a simple puff of wind might have blown the piles away, but somehow, she knew that wasn’t right.
“What can I do, Shadow? I’m just a girl.”
Nay, witch. You good. Magic is special. Magic is good.
Aero tiptoed closer to the head of the table, and the largest chair. She stared at it with suspicion, as much afraid of her own fear and the strangeness of the place as the black dust on the chairs.
Fairies, Shadow spoke inside her head.
“Where?” Aero asked hurriedly, looking around frantically.
“Breath is life. Magic brings life.”
Aero thought either she or the cat must have gone mad. Perhaps there had been some strange thing inside the cave, and this was all a hallucination.
Listen, keen mistress, hear your magic. In blood, is good.
He nudged her, but what was it he expected her to do? She had to find out but having a conversation with a cat seemed to be a tricky thing. In her mind his thoughts scattered like a wild narration: a bird, a leaf, hungry, tired. A million thoughts for a small creature. Insignificant and unsure. She felt like a giant by comparison.
Shadow curled around the chair leg and stared up at her expectantly. His bright shining eyes did nothing to help her understand. Despite thinking of him as a blessing, she shuddered and felt wary. But the cat merely sat still and quiet, gently purring to himself, as if time did not matter in the least to him.
At an i
mpasse, Aero decided to listen to her heart, and the only way to do that was to close off the world and think only of her grandma. Placing her hand inside her pocket, Aero felt for the smooth and familiar playing cards her grandma had left to her. Yet, it wasn’t her grandma she thought of. Instead, a memory came to mind of her aunt standing at her table in the greenhouse. The thought of her aunt’s magical abilities to grow her plants and herbs came to mind. And of how they seemed to grow from nothing.
She wished the thoughts would connect more easily so she could understand what to do. Shadow had told her that breath was life, but her aunt didn’t breathe on the plants to make them grow. But maybe that was what she needed to do! Breath on the dust to make it grow.
Shadow purred happily as if he agreed with her. How do you know what to do, hey, Shadow? How does a cat know such things?
Instead of being afraid of her questions, he simply seemed to be nothing more than an ordinary cat again, arching his back and paying no attention to her. Play it your way, she remarked to herself. Here goes nothing.
Aero bent over and pursed her lips together. She didn’t puff out her cheeks but breathed out slowly, so as not to send the dust flying into the air. Aero honestly thought the whole thing was a waste of precious time, but she couldn’t have been more wrong.
Shadow padded about anxiously, as the dust began to lift upwards, swirling together, forming, changing, moving to and fro, as if the particles were charged with electricity and not just air.
Taking a hasty step backwards, she prayed it wasn’t a mistake. A rhythmic pulse gave life as the blackened mass clustered and morphed, transforming before her into a small person. Petite as a child but with a deep-set adult face.
The minuscule woman straightened out the creases in her green trousers as flakes of black dust fell off her and down to the ground. She seemed to sway. Instinctively, Aero reached forwards. The fairy shrank back, afraid, and Aero realised it was because of her.
She could think of a hundred questions to ask the fairy who’d appeared before her, but held back. The look of terror etched on the stranger’s face implied a deep panic rather than just a cautious mistrust of her. What had this creature endured? Had she just saved her life?
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