The Watching Wood (10 page)

10

A Whole New World

‘This is well fancy.’

Rachel paused at the door and smiled at the sound of Una’s voice. She checked her hair and blouse one more time, making sure the girls’ first impression of her new look would be perfect. Her friends had been shown into one of the reception rooms off the main entrance hall. She had hoped they might be given a quick tour of the building, so they could soak in the opulence before she appeared, fashionably late and effortlessly casual. But Alinda had fetched her as soon as they had arrived. Still, the mansion was impressive enough even without a tour – they’d still be bowled over.

‘Hello, everyone.’

She wasn’t disappointed with their reaction. Grace’s eyebrows nearly disappeared into her hairline, Adie and Delilah
stood with open mouths and Jenny, who sat bent over in a chair, fiddling with something on her ankle, looked up and stared.

‘Wowza,’ Una said, clumsily replacing the gold-plated ornament she had plucked from the mantelpiece. ‘You’ve been Swanned!’

‘Well,’ Rachel said, faking modesty as she swept a hand over her plaited locks, ‘don’t know about that, but they lent me some new clothes. Didn’t have any clean ones with me.’

‘Well then, A-plus to the Hunters for their clean clothes.’

‘You do look gorgeous,’ said Grace. ‘But isn’t that a little tight?’

She gestured to the corset that was, again, digging into Rachel’s ribcage. She wasn’t sure why it was still uncomfortable, she had eaten as little as possible at breakfast that morning. Jenny got to her feet and took a long look at her outfit.

‘Where does your liver go?’

‘Huh?’ said Rachel.

‘In the biology lab at school remember that half-a-body made of plastic? With all the internal organs that look kind of real? And the liver is humungous. It goes right there,’ she pointed just below Rachel’s ribs, ‘so if you do that to your waist, where does your liver go?’ She stared at the corset like she was working out a puzzle. ‘All your intestines must be pushing it upwards.’

‘Maybe it goes up into your throat,’ said Una, leaning in to
look into Rachel’s mouth. ‘Say aaaahh.’

‘I’m loosening the laces, Rach,’ said Grace.

‘Don’t!’ Rachel exclaimed, ‘I’m fine, I swear. It’s comfortable, it’s how they all wear them.’

‘You’re about to pass out, it’s way too tight. Here.’

Rachel tried to keep Grace from grabbing the laces at the back of the corset, but gave up quickly. It was such a relief when the bones stopped digging into her sides and she didn’t want to admit it, but she’d been feeling a bit light-headed.

‘Much better,’ said Grace, retying the laces with a little room to spare.

Rachel frowned looking down at herself; it wasn’t a Barbie-doll waist anymore.

I can tighten it up when the girls leave
, she thought to herself. Though being able to breathe was kind of nice.

‘So,’ said Una, tipping back into the seat of a chair, leaving her legs draped over the arm, ‘how’s it been in the posh house?’

Rachel grinned.

‘
Amazing
. You wouldn’t believe how gorgeous the rest of the mansion is. And they have banquets every night. And yesterday I went out with a scouting party and–’

‘That’s great,’ Grace interrupted, ‘but I’ve got some big news. I didn’t want to tell you guys until I’d checked it out, but I know how we can get back home.’

‘How?’ asked Jenny.

‘The Ferryman.’

‘Oh, come one, we’ve talked about this–’

‘It’s easy to get to the boat and we don’t have to sell our souls to get across. The ferry leaves in two days and we just need …’ Grace paused, looking a little less sure, ‘this sapphire rose thing. It’s in the castle.’

‘Where in the castle?’ said Adie.

‘In this big snow globe, in Madame Three’s room.’

‘How will we get that?’

‘We’ll find a way.’

‘When in two days?’ said Una. ‘Morning? Evening?’

‘I don’t know, he didn’t give a time. Morning, I guess. He’s kind of … he’s a bit mysterious, the way he talks.’

‘Did you go and see him?’ Adie looked horrified at Grace having left the castle grounds alone.

‘Yes, and he was exactly where the book said he would be. So you see? It’s definitely the boat home.’

She looked to Jenny who had one eyebrow raised.

‘Definitely?’ said Jenny.

‘Yes!’ A flush was rising in Grace’s cheeks, and Rachel knew she was afraid of losing the argument. ‘It’s all straightforward. We pay him, we get on the ferry, we go home.’

‘So straightforward that he
mysteriously
didn’t give you an actual time of departure? Not exactly catching the boat to France at Rosslare, is it?’

‘He said when three moons have set. That’s two days from
now … in the morning, probably. It’s … well, we’re on a bloody magical island, it was never gonna be Rosslare!’

There was silence for a few moments, but Una, Adie and Delilah all looked hopeful.

‘I still don’t like the sound of him.’ Jenny had parked herself back in the armchair with folded arms. ‘I think we should find another way out.’

‘Like some epic transportation spell?’ Grace asked. ‘And are you going to do it with that thing around your ankle?’

Jenny scowled and crossed her arms tighter.

‘What is that thing?’ said Rachel.

‘A binding ring,’ Delilah said quietly. ‘It prevents her from doing any magic.’

‘Really?’

Jenny stood up and lifted her arms out to the sides while her feet stayed fixed to the ground.

‘Wanna see me fly? This is it. This is me flying.’

‘I don’t get it.’

‘I can say all the verses I want, and build up the buzz, and mix up a potion, but I’ve got no juice.’

‘She’s juiceless,’ said Una.

‘Victoria Meister is really out to get us,’ said Grace, ‘and she got the Supremes to bind Jenny’s powers. We’re pretty sure we’re out of the Trials too – thought we’re not going to cry over that – but we’ve no idea what else she has in store. We need to get out of here. Now.’

Rachel plucked nervously at the sleeve of her blouse. This was too quick, she needed to think. Just last night she was sure she’d be offered the chance to stay and train with the Hunters. Now Grace was telling her they had to leave it all behind, immediately. She had intended to tell the others about the ghost in the gallery – she had been afraid to mention it to Alinda – but now she didn’t want to add fuel to the fire. The girls would just see it as something else dangerous, another reason to leave.

‘Alright,’ Grace said firmly, ‘who votes to break into Madame Three’s room, steal the sapphire rose, and take the ferry home?’

Rachel’s pulse quickened as, one by one, the hands went in the air. The blood was pounding in her ears before she realised everyone was looking at her.

‘Rach?’

‘Wait, Grace,’ she stammered. ‘If we … are you sure we should leave? Now, I mean?’

‘What?’

‘It’s just that, this is a whole new world. One just for witches. How do you know we don’t belong here?’

‘What are you talking about?’ Adie looked at her like she was a stranger.

‘I mean that … what if this is where we’re meant to be. Maybe this is our destiny. Maybe we could have wonderful lives here.’

‘Wonderful lives?’ Grace snapped. ‘We’ve been here for four days and so far Adie and Delilah have nearly drowned, we’ve been attacked by a giant praying mantis and a silver bear, and Jenny’s been electronically tagged.’ Jenny stuck her foot in the air for emphasis. ‘What are you thinking?’

Rachel couldn’t tell them what she was thinking, they wouldn’t understand.

‘Never mind. But would it be okay for me to stay here until the ferry leaves? I could meet you on the beach, in the morning, day after tomorrow.’ She went on quickly as the colour rose in Grace’s cheeks. ‘I mean, wouldn’t it look suspicious if I insisted on going back to the castle with you, right after I promised I would stay a little longer? It might scupper your plans if they decide to keep a closer eye on you.’

Suspicious looks went all around the room. Rachel avoided them.

‘Don’t you miss home?’ said Adie.

Rachel’s eyes welled up at the thought of her parents, and she couldn’t stop the tears.

‘I don’t mind if you want to stay here tonight and tomorrow,’ Grace said suddenly, touching her arm. ‘But how will you know where to meet us? I can describe it, but that’s not very foolproof.’

‘Oh, there are maps all over the place here, just point out where the beach is. Look! There’s one right there, on the wall.’

She trotted over to the framed map and traced her finger along the coast.

‘Here? Is it this beach here? Easy!’ She kept babbling, nervous. ‘Alinda will know where it is, anyway, if you’re worried about me getting lost. The Hunters move through the woods all the time. They’re really–’

Grace’s soft look became suspicious again.

‘You won’t tell her what we’re doing?’

‘Of course not.’

The conversation became stilted after that and Rachel felt guilty that the girls weren’t asked to stay for dinner. But even if it had been up to her, she wouldn’t have invited them. They were killing the buzz that the Hunters’ Mansion gave her, and she wanted to feel it for as long as she could. Before she was ripped from a life of adventure, and ferried back home.

Aura was waiting for the girls when they returned to Tithon. She stood just inside the castle walls as they shuffled messily down the steep gang-plank of the Hunters’ ship. She was wringing her hands and her sweet smile was nowhere to be seen.

‘Aura,’ said Grace, ‘what’s wrong?’

‘You have to come to the arena. The Supremes have summoned you.’

‘Oh, God,’ Jenny groaned, ‘what did we do now?’

‘It’s my fault,’ Aura said. ‘I was telling Arick at breakfast how you all were invited to the Hunters’ Mansion and Victoria Meister heard me. She … I don’t know what she’s done.’

‘So little Miss Prissy’s at it again. That’s not your fault, Aura, don’t worry.’

‘Please hurry. They’re all waiting.’

With a growing sense of doom, Grace and the others followed Aura to the stadium, where everyone sat in the bleachers excepting the Supremes and Hawk Falls, who stood in the centre of the arena.

‘St John’s of Dunbridge,’ Lady Hecate declared in shrill tones, ‘you have been accused of a grotesque crime, and must hereby stand before your accusers.’

Grace shivered beneath the gaze of the crowd, and apprehension filled her.

‘Whatever that Victoria trollop is saying is rubbish,’ said Jenny boldly to the Supremes. ‘She’s a jealous, stuck-up pain in my bum.’

‘Trollop?’ Una whispered.

‘Got that from Mrs Quinlan,’ Jenny whispered back.

‘Nice one.’

Grace shook her head. She was frightened. This was something big, she could feel it, and she didn’t think her friends had any idea.

‘Ms Meister?’ said Lady Hecate.

Victoria stepped forward, the head of a grey sable hanging from her throat, and extended an arm to point theatrically at Grace.

‘I saw Grace Brennan with the Ferryman.’

You could have heard a pin drop and the Supremes’ faces were like thunder. Grace, shocked, held her breath as she waited for more. But the smirk on Victoria’s face told her that what she’d said was enough.

‘What just happened?’ Una whispered.

‘I don’t know,’ Grace replied.

Was it that she had left the castle without permission? Was that enough to shock an entire stadium into silence?

‘She’s not a
witch
.’ The gasped sentence came from somebody in the crowd and broke the quiet. Murmuring spread from the front row back, until there was a cacophony of excited chatter ringing in Grace’s ears. She didn’t know what to do until Jenny did the obvious.

‘She’s lying!’ she shouted. The chatter stopped. ‘Grace never left our sight. Whatever Ms
Meister
says, she’s lying.’

The Hawk Falls purple-haired girl stepped forward and pointed.

‘I saw Grace Brennan with the Ferryman.’

Then Victoria’s bubble-running partner stepped up.

‘I saw Grace Brennan with the Ferryman.’

All six girls pointed and accused. Grace’s breathing was shallow and fast. She remembered the books from the rotten
corner of the library.
Wickedness and the Human Fallacy. Homo Sapiens: The Wiccan Neanderthal
. And she could see now the look of utter disgust on the faces of the Supremes.

‘This is very bad,’ she whispered. ‘Not being a witch here? I think it might be very bad.’

‘Of course she’s a witch,’ Jenny jumped in with both feet once again. ‘We’re here to compete in the
Witch
Trials. We’re all witches.’

‘Witches who need the Ferryman to cross the water,’ Victoria sneered.

‘Yeah, well,’ Jenny said, lifting her leg to remind them of the binding ring, ‘some of us are currently challenged in that respect. So … you know … thanks for that.’

‘Why cross the water at all?’ Victoria looked too sure of herself. ‘She’s not a witch.’

‘Do I have to come over there and shut you up?’

‘She’s not a witch.’