Wild Magic (26 page)

But when he reached the shop, he didn't go inside. Instead, he looked through the window.

Marianna was behind the counter, tying ribbons onto a pair of red satin shoes. She was wearing her elf-berry necklace! The one he had given her! That was unusual. She kept it in a box in her bedroom and said it was too precious to wear. But today she had put it on: her little piece of Elvendale. Did she hope it would bring him luck? Keep him safe? Perhaps. Jakob smiled. It was lovely to have a sister who cared.

Then his father came out of the workshop. Like Marianna, he looked desperately worried. He had dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept, and his hands were restless. He said something to Marianna, then stroked her hair and gently kissed her cheek. In return, Marianna gave him a smile, but it was small and fleeting. And Jakob suddenly realized: they didn't know he was safe and well. To them, he was still missing. He could be lost. Injured. Trapped inside the Beast's body. Lying dead on a hillside.

Jakob smiled. When they saw him, they would be so happy. And that was how his life was going to be from now on.
Happy
. Quiet, cheerful, and loving, with food on the table, a warm comfortable bed, and the sweetest of dreams. And then, every full moon, there would be excitement and adventure. Meetings with Finn, lessons in magic, and wild, exhilarating runs beneath the stars. The whole of Elvendale was his to explore, from the Kerin Hills in the north to the Morvern Mountains in the south.

That wasn't a bad life for a poor boy from Hamelin, was it?

Jakob grinned: a heartfelt, dazzling beam of happiness that lit up his face and tickled his ears. He smoothed down his hair, lifted the door latch, and stepped inside.

Acknowledgments

As ever, love and thanks to:

Everyone at Puffin UK, especially Yvonne Hooker and Wendy Tse.

Academi, for the award of a writer's grant to fund my research trip to Hamelin in May 2006.

Pat White at Rogers, Coleridge and White.

Rob Soldat, for his help, support, and convivial company on long car journeys.

And, finally, endless love and thanks to Ray, for doing the best he can.

Text copyright © 2007 by Cat Weatherill
Illustrations copyright © 2007 by Zdenko Basic
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

First published in the United Kingdom in 2007 by Puffin Books,
a division of the Penguin Group
Published in the United States of America in October 2008
by Walker Publishing Company, Inc., a division of Bloomsbury Publishing, Inc.
E-book edition published in September 2010
www.bloomsburykids.com

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, Walker BFYR, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010

Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:
Weatherill, Cat.
Wild magic / Cat Weatherill.
p. cm.
Summary: Mari and her brother, Jakob, join the other children of Hamelin as they follow the Pied Piper into a world of wild magic, where they will remain until the fearsome Beast identifies the child chosen to free him from a centuries-old curse.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8027-9799-5 • ISBN-10: 0-8027-9799-7
[1. Magic—Fiction. 2. Brothers and sisters—Fiction. 3. Blessing and cursing—Fiction. 4. Middle Ages—Fiction. 5. Pied Piper of Hamelin (Legendary character)—Fiction. 6. Fantasy.] I. Title.
PZ7.W35395Wil 2008      [Fic]—dc22     2008006110

ISBN 978-0-8027-2255-3 (e-book)