Katharine Corr - The Witch’s Blood

After she’d sung everything she could think of, she waited. The blood had spread in splodges across the parchment, but nothing seemed to be happening. No writing appeared on the page, no helpful map. Merry swore and drove the knife into the ground. She opened the trinket box to shove the manuscript back inside –

The blood stains had vanished. In their place was the same spiky writing she’d seen before. The same word of greeting.

Eala.

She blinked and swallowed hard.

The manuscript prompted her again for a response.

Eala .

‘Um … Hello, again. Do you remember me? I need your help. I need to find Meredith, the person who created you. Can you tell me where she is?’

Yes.

Merry held her breath, waiting.

Meredith is in the woods near the cottage.

‘Oh, for …’ She took a deep breath. ‘OK. But can you tell me how to get to the cottage?’

There was another pause. Finally, another word bloomed on the page.

Yes.

Excitement fizzed through her veins. If anyone in this place could help her find Leo, it would be Meredith and her sisters. Hurriedly, Merry rolled up the manuscript and began repacking the trinket box and everything else.

She was nearly finished, when the sound of raised voices came from the other end of the cave. Someone was trying to get inside.

INN WAS LEANINGagainst the wall by the mouth of the cave, his arms crossed. On the other side of the invisible net, silhouetted by the faint grey light of dawn, stood Jack. Merry conjured more globes of witch fire; now she could see he was frowning angrily, one hand gripping the hilt of his sword. There was a bloody gash on his forehead.

‘What happened?’

‘Jack tried to walk through the barrier you created and got thrown several metres away.’ Finn smirked. ‘I think he’s a bit cross.’

Merry quickly murmured the words to dissolve the net. A gust of cold air swept in, raising swirls of dust from the floor and making her shiver.

‘Come in, Jack – it’s safe now. Finn, can you go and get Gran’s healing ointment from my bag?’

Finn rolled his eyes, but he did as she asked. Jack stomped into the cave and glared at the wizard’s retreating back.

‘He laughed at me. I know he’s your friend, but …’ His mouth snapped shut, flattening into a narrow line.

‘I understand.’ Merry patted Jack’s arm. ‘I didn’t like him either when I first met him. So … did you find out where Ronan is?’ Her stomach tensed. ‘Or my brother?’

‘No. I’m sorry. There have been more attacks not far from here, more villages destroyed. But none of the people I spoke to know where Ronan is hiding. They’ve lent me another horse, though, and there is another encampment we could try.’

Merry shook her head. ‘I’ve come up with an alternative plan.’

Finn was back. He held out the pot of ointment to Jack. ‘And what is this plan?’

‘Well,’ Merry glanced at Jack, ‘I’ve found a way of reaching the friend that I mentioned. Meredith.’ Finn’s eyes widened slightly, but he didn’t say anything. ‘I think she’ll be able to help us. Jack, you’ve already done so much, but would you mind lending us this other horse? I’ll try to find a way to send it back to you once we’ve reached Meredith.’

‘There will be no need,’ Jack replied. ‘I’m coming with you.’

Finn groaned, and Jack’s lips twitched as if he was trying to suppress a grin. ‘This will be my kingdom one day. I need to make sure what’s left of it isn’t destroyed by your quest. I brought some fresh supplies back with me; we should eat before we leave.’

Once Jack had left the cave, Finn turned to Merry. ‘Meredith – she’s your ancestor, right? The witch who put Jack and Gwydion to sleep?’ When Merry nodded, he continued: ‘So how did you find her?’

‘I haven’t precisely found her. Not yet. But I have this manuscript that she made. I used some blood magic to reawaken it and—’

‘Blood magic? Again? That’s the third time in …’ Finn knitted his brows, ‘I don’t know exactly, but it can’t be more than three weeks. It’s not safe.’

‘Seriously?’ Merry put her hands on her hips. ‘Weren’t you the one encouraging me to use blood magic before? The first time I tried it, you said I should go for it. Those were your exact words, as far as I remember.’

‘Yes, but I didn’t mean for you to get hooked on it. You of all people should know that using blood magic is risky.’ Finn looked nervously out of the cave, as if he expected something monstrous to suddenly materialise, intent on raining down magical retribution upon them both.

‘I am not hooked on blood magic, and I’m not using it to hurt anyone. I’m not Gwydion.’ Merry took a deep breath, swearing softly. ‘Look, the only thing I care about right now is getting Leo back. And I’ll do anything it takes to make sure I do. There’s no need to be all … judgy.’

‘I’m not judging you, Merry.’ She could hear the exasperation in his voice. ‘Honestly, I’m not.’ He ran his hand down her arm, entwining her fingers in his. ‘But I am trying to look after you.’

Jack was back, carrying a woollen sack plus a larger bundle.

‘Here is the food.’ He passed the sack to Merry and set the bundle down on the floor. As he opened it, the fragrance of lavender spilt out into the air. ‘And here are some clothes.’

‘Clothes?’ Merry echoed.

‘If you are to journey through the kingdom, it would be as well if the pair of you looked less …’ He shrugged slightly. ‘Outlandish.’

‘Oh.’ Merry glanced down at her jeans and jumper, both covered in dried mud and bits of dead vegetation. ‘You think we need to blend in more.’

Jack nodded. ‘The customs of Northumberland are strange to us here.’ There was a slightly odd expression in his eyes. As Merry reached into the bundle he caught hold of her arm. ‘Though indeed, I have never seen such fine weaving, even on the queen’s robes.’ He lifted the fabric of her sleeve to examine it more closely, grazing her skin with his fingertips as he did so.

Merry drew her breath in sharply as Jack touched her. She couldn’t help it. The solidity of him, after so many months of grief and dreams, was a shock. The fact that he was warm and breathing, instead of lying cold and dead underneath the Black Lake. Every time she remembered, it hurt her like a plaster being ripped away too early from a partly healed wound.

Jack had let go of her arm and was holding out a pile of folded clothes. ‘Get changed.’

Merry grabbed the clothes and swung away from him.

Finn was frowning at her, clutching his own stack of clothes to his chest like a shield. Before she could say anything, he stalked outside.

She sighed.

At least the new clothes were warm. There was a long linen shift, a bit like a nightie; a blue, long-sleeved woollen dress over the top of that, and then a green sleeveless over-dress fastened at the shoulders with round brooches and at the waist with a woven belt. It was all a lot more colourful than Merry had expected. The brooches looked like silver, ornately carved into tiny, flowing animal shapes. There was a hooded, fur-lined cloak too.

When Merry returned to the cave entrance, Finn was already there. He looked older in his new outfit, more of a man and less of a boy. There was a sword belt slung round his hips, Leo’s sword in the scabbard. As Finn waited, one hand resting on the hilt, Merry couldn’t help remembering all the fairy stories she’d read as a child, where the handsome prince rescues the princess from a life spent doing housework, or stuck in a glass coffin. ‘You look … nice.’