“It’s so good to see you again my dear,” sighed Selene. “It always feels like years between your visits. The children do miss you so.”
“I know, I promise I’ll visit more. It’s been so hectic with Alex's Awakening.”
Selene pulled back and placed both hands on the sides of Gabriella’s arms. “Sylvia told me that Sophia has made a miraculous recovery. I thank the moon and stars.” “It was a miracle. We still don’t understand quite how it happened. But we know it had something to do with Alex.” “Did it now?” The Witch turned to me. “Then that makes you my newest favourite person. Thank you.” “Err, my pleasure.”
Turning back to Gabriella she asked, “I pray that this will make that poor girl see sense and come and live here at Moon’s Edge, away from all that horrible danger.”
Gabriella gave a slow shrug. “You know she won’t leave Midnight.”
The Witch made a tutting noise. “Well then you tell that brute to make sure he keeps her out of harm’s way or he’ll have me to deal with.”
Gabriella laughed. “I’ll pass on the message.”
She joined me at the table, squeezing my shoulder as she sat.
“Well then, I suppose we had better get down to business,” said Selene, settling herself down at the opposite side of the table. She leaned across and lay her arms on the table, palms upwards. “When I nod, I need you to place your hands in mine. Don’t worry, it’ll only burn a bit,” she added. She gave an unsubtle wink to Gabriella.
Around the room, the Witches all joined hands and bowed their heads. Selene closed her eyes and began to mutter something under her breath. Her body rocked backwards and forwards. Occasionally her body would jerk in an odd direction as if an invisible force were pulling her. I watched her and waited for her signal. After a while, she gave a slow nod of her head.
I placed my hands in hers.
As soon as I touched her, an image of a giant face formed from the earth and trees seared into my mind. A burst of energy surged from Selene, sending me and Gabriella flying across the room. I smashed against a shelf, scattering jars of herbs and candles across the room. Gabriella hit the floor hard and slid along, ending up in a heap next to me, half covered in a rug. I looked back up at Selene. Her body had gone as stiff as a rod. Her eyes were wide open staring blindly at nothing.
One of the Witches called out Selene’s name. The group gathered, trying to calm her. At the same time, the candles began to flicker as if a strong breeze had entered the room. The Pentagram screeched as it swayed from side to side. Selene started thrash about. One arm swatted the Tarot pack, sending a cloud of cards whirling around the room. Spittle flicked from her thin lips onto her chin. Panicked I looked at Gabriella. “What’s happening? Is this a premonition?”
“No! I–I don’t know! This isn’t normal!”
The children, who had been peeking from behind the curtains, began to cry. The familiars were going crazy, hissing and swiping at the air, or morphing continuously like their shift switch was broken.
“She’s having a fit. Lay her down for heaven's sake!” shouted Sylvia.
Two younger Witches tried to place their arms around the thrashing woman. Selene flung them away from her as if they were rag dolls. One collided with the far wall and fell unconscious. The other flew onto a table, smashing the crystal ball. Selene’s jaw unhinged like a snakes. She wrenched back her head and a voice completely unlike hers boomed from her throat. The message was fractured, like a radio tuning in and out of frequency.
THE TWELFTH YEAR OF THE THIRD MILLENIUM MARKS THE AWAKENING OF THE
SECOND TWIN. BOTH MARKED BY SORROW…BETRAYED BY THE MOON AND STARS.
FACING THE ABYSS, HE SHALL SEE WHAT IS HIDDEN…WHEN THE NIGHT SKY IS
ABLAZE WITH WINGS OF FIRE…THE FURY UNLEASHED SHALL END THE AGELESS WAR
AND BEGIN THE RISING. WHEN YOUNG BECOMES OLD…STAND AGAINST HADES. ALL
SHALL PLAY THEIR PART.
Selene’s mouth snapped shut and she slumped over the table. The candles stopped flickering and the pentagram came to a rest. A mixture of confusion and fear filled the room. Some Witches went to help the injured ones and a few more gingerly approached their fallen leader. This time they were able to lift her up and place her down on the table. Sylvia rushed from the room and re-entered with a pillow which she placed under the old woman’s head. Around us, the familiars were pacing the room in cat form, sniffing the corners and letting out deep guttural moans.
I looked down and realised that at some point, Gabriella and I had locked our hands together. We untwisted our fingers and rushed over to the table.
“Selene, its Gabriella. Can you hear me?”
For the longest moment, there was no sound at all. Everyone waited with baited breath. Then the old woman made a groaning noise and placed a hand over her eyes. “I’m getting too old for this nonsense,” she sighed.
“Selene what was that?” I asked. “I’m not entirely sure dear.” I ran my hands through my hair. “Why does all this stuff keep happening everywhere I go?” Gabriella placed her hands on her hips and stared at me. “Enough’s enough. We’re going to Faru.”
26
W e stood underneath the hulking picture. Gabriella kneeled down and gestured for me to copy. We stayed that way in complete silence for a moment until I felt the familiar grip of electricity. A voice emanated from within the painting.
“Alexander, Gabriella. Is everything alright? You both seemed troubled.”
My friend spoke without moving her lips, but I could hear her words perfectly, like we were on a telepathic conference call. “We are Faru. Please can we have a moment of your time?”
“Of course.”
With that we shuddered and were released from the grip. I stared in wonder as the picture began to swirl around like fresh paint on a canvass. At the bottom, where the end of Faru’s beard had been, the hole appeared. It grew in size until it filled most of the painting. The glass steps emerged from the middle and came to rest just in front of where we were knelt. Gabriella stood up and hurried inside, pulling me with her. As soon as we were through, the steps retracted and the painting was sealed again.
We made our way along the strangest corridor I’d ever seen. The floor underneath our feet looked like tropical ocean water — complete with rippling waves — but felt as solid as concrete. A run of silver trees like the ones I’d seen in the Sanctuary stood next to one another. They were so close together that you could barely see where one finished and the next began. Their branches arched over our heads, knitting together whilst their glowing leaves bathed the hallway in a warm golden light. A set of ornate doors at the far end swung open by themselves.
Inside was even more beautiful. The floor looked identical to frosted ice, but rippled like silvery water with every step we took. The walls were moving strips of light that rolled around each other and settled in different positions. They were solid one moment and transparent the next. Majestic plants the height of bungalows — with leaves of the brightest yellow- stretched up from the ground, giving the room a bright summerlike feeling. A spiralling silver staircase at the back of the room appeared to ascend into a patch of swirling blue clouds. A work bench stood in one corner. The half formed torso of a Golem sat on top, surrounded by numerous carving tools.
Faru was standing in the middle of the room, behind a shimmering crystal desk, which appeared to be hovering a few feet from the ground. Amusingly, placed on the desk were painfully ordinary items, like a cordless telephone and stack of newspapers. He was looking through a large rectangular book. Closing and setting it aside, he gestured towards the space in front of the desk.
“Please take a seat.”
I looked around confused by the clear lack of chairs. I watched as Gabriella motioned to sit down. In an
