don’t you?”
They trooped into the back garden, where they wouldn’t be seen from the road. Rose pointed to an apple tree.
“That should do.”
“George won’t be pleased if I knock that down by accident,” said Callie doubtfully.
“Well, he’ll just have to deal with it if you do. But you won’t. I wouldn’t be suggesting this if I didn’t think you were ready.”
“All right.” Callie chose her spot and set the candles down next to a rose bush covered in white blooms. Rose, Bessie, Isobel and Barbara moved to stand (safely) behind her.
Callie took a few seconds to collect her thoughts, then set fire to the wicks with a word. She spun theflames into filaments, drawing them out, twisting them into the net of light, weaving in the protective spells so that nothing could get through the net to harm what was inside.
It was ready. She took a slow breath and moved her hands to cast the net.
It floated up from her fingers, a mesh of sparkling threads. Up and over the apple tree it went, then settled around it like a veil and dissolved into shimmering mist, then into nothing.
“Oh, well done,” said Barbara.
“Beautiful, dear. Couldn’t have done better myself,” added Isobel.
Callie looked at the tree. Not a leaf or a twig had moved. George’s tree was safe. She really had done it! She was fizzing with pleasure at her achievement.
“I might even let you back into my kitchen in the future,” said Bessie dryly. “You’ve got the basics now. We’ll be able to move on to interesting stuff soon.”
“I thought we were nearly finished.” Callie was dismayed.
“Heavens, no,” said Rose. “We’ve barely begun.”
The white roses next to Callie shrivelled, turned brown, and fell off.
***
Callie trudged home. She’d been so elated when she’d managed to cast the net over the tree. She’d really thought that she’d done it, passed some sort of test, and she wouldn’t have to keep thinking about being a witchany more. But now she had to start all over again, or at least that was what it felt like.
Home again, she went straight upstairs for a shower. When she went into her bedroom afterwards, she found Julia sitting on the bed.
“Why are you in my room?” she said, rubbing her hair dry with a towel.
“How long are you going to keep this nonsense up?”
“What nonsense?” Callie asked, choosing not to understand.
“You should be spending more time with Josh and your other friends, not that coven of old women.”
“Coven? Surely that’s what you call witches, Mother?”
“Don’t get smart. I don’t want you going round there again, do you understand?”
“You’re trying to forbid me to visit my
grandparents
?” Callie’s voice rose.
“Yes. Only until you get this ridiculous delusion out of your head.”
“Delusion
? You think this is a delusion?” Callie yelled. There was a noise like a gunshot.
Julia and Callie turned to the window. One of the panes had cracked from top to bottom.
“What have you done?” Julia hissed.
“I can’t have done anything,” Callie spat back. “It’s a delusion, remember?”
There was a shout from downstairs. “Is everything all right up there?”
“Yes, David,” Julia called, getting up. “I mean it,” she said to Callie on her way out. “Keep away from The Smithy.”
Callie didn’t even bother to answer.
***
Callie couldn’t sleep. Chutney Mary was off hunting somewhere, and she missed the cat’s comforting purr. She was upset, too, about what had happened earlier. Her window was temporarily held together with tape, and her dad had chosen to accept her claim that the pane had just cracked without anyone doing anything to cause it, but she shouldn’t have let things get out of control like that. After all that Rose had said…
She punched her pillow into a comfortable position, closed her eyes.
She slept, trapped in a dream of cold and dark and stone; whispers and muttered curses, the harsh noise of hammers and
They trooped into the back garden, where they wouldn’t be seen from the road. Rose pointed to an apple tree.
“That should do.”
“George won’t be pleased if I knock that down by accident,” said Callie doubtfully.
“Well, he’ll just have to deal with it if you do. But you won’t. I wouldn’t be suggesting this if I didn’t think you were ready.”
“All right.” Callie chose her spot and set the candles down next to a rose bush covered in white blooms. Rose, Bessie, Isobel and Barbara moved to stand (safely) behind her.
Callie took a few seconds to collect her thoughts, then set fire to the wicks with a word. She spun theflames into filaments, drawing them out, twisting them into the net of light, weaving in the protective spells so that nothing could get through the net to harm what was inside.
It was ready. She took a slow breath and moved her hands to cast the net.
It floated up from her fingers, a mesh of sparkling threads. Up and over the apple tree it went, then settled around it like a veil and dissolved into shimmering mist, then into nothing.
“Oh, well done,” said Barbara.
“Beautiful, dear. Couldn’t have done better myself,” added Isobel.
Callie looked at the tree. Not a leaf or a twig had moved. George’s tree was safe. She really had done it! She was fizzing with pleasure at her achievement.
“I might even let you back into my kitchen in the future,” said Bessie dryly. “You’ve got the basics now. We’ll be able to move on to interesting stuff soon.”
“I thought we were nearly finished.” Callie was dismayed.
“Heavens, no,” said Rose. “We’ve barely begun.”
The white roses next to Callie shrivelled, turned brown, and fell off.
***
Callie trudged home. She’d been so elated when she’d managed to cast the net over the tree. She’d really thought that she’d done it, passed some sort of test, and she wouldn’t have to keep thinking about being a witchany more. But now she had to start all over again, or at least that was what it felt like.
Home again, she went straight upstairs for a shower. When she went into her bedroom afterwards, she found Julia sitting on the bed.
“Why are you in my room?” she said, rubbing her hair dry with a towel.
“How long are you going to keep this nonsense up?”
“What nonsense?” Callie asked, choosing not to understand.
“You should be spending more time with Josh and your other friends, not that coven of old women.”
“Coven? Surely that’s what you call witches, Mother?”
“Don’t get smart. I don’t want you going round there again, do you understand?”
“You’re trying to forbid me to visit my
grandparents
?” Callie’s voice rose.
“Yes. Only until you get this ridiculous delusion out of your head.”
“Delusion
? You think this is a delusion?” Callie yelled. There was a noise like a gunshot.
Julia and Callie turned to the window. One of the panes had cracked from top to bottom.
“What have you done?” Julia hissed.
“I can’t have done anything,” Callie spat back. “It’s a delusion, remember?”
There was a shout from downstairs. “Is everything all right up there?”
“Yes, David,” Julia called, getting up. “I mean it,” she said to Callie on her way out. “Keep away from The Smithy.”
Callie didn’t even bother to answer.
***
Callie couldn’t sleep. Chutney Mary was off hunting somewhere, and she missed the cat’s comforting purr. She was upset, too, about what had happened earlier. Her window was temporarily held together with tape, and her dad had chosen to accept her claim that the pane had just cracked without anyone doing anything to cause it, but she shouldn’t have let things get out of control like that. After all that Rose had said…
She punched her pillow into a comfortable position, closed her eyes.
She slept, trapped in a dream of cold and dark and stone; whispers and muttered curses, the harsh noise of hammers and
Similar Books
