Shadowstitch, p.48
Shadowstitch, page 48
Rowan stood up. ‘We have to help.’
‘No,’ Effie hissed. ‘We shouldn’t get involved.’ Her eyes were on the spectacle, consumed by it.
Anna forced herself up. ‘We have to!’ But she could not move against it. The spell had her trapped. Burying her.
A group of prefects ran up the row towards them. They had Manda already.
‘Come with us!’ they yelled, surrounding them. ‘Now!’
‘Don’t resist, Anna.’ Peter’s voice in her ear. ‘Eames’s orders.’ He held her arm as she was pulled from the room.
Anna, Effie, Manda and Rowan sat in silence, heads bowed. They’d been taken to one of the rooms of the Ebury wing, the door shut, prefects stationed outside. They’d been frantic for the first hour, not knowing what to do, arguing, banging on the door, but eventually, they’d given in to the shock inside their bodies and had slid to the floor, powerless.
‘I hope they’re OK.’ Rowan’s voice was frail. ‘We should have done more …’
‘What could we do?’ Manda snapped. Her eyes were wide, her cheeks hollow. She was clutching herself as if she might start to rock or shake at any moment. ‘If we’d resisted being brought here it wouldn’t have looked good. If we’d tried to use magic to help … it could have exposed us. Everyone was there.’
Rowan didn’t reply. Manda was right, but it felt wrong. Lives were at risk, they couldn’t just watch on and do nothing. But what could they do? How could they fight something they couldn’t see? Couldn’t understand?
Effie kicked the door again from where she was sitting. ‘They can’t just keep us in here.’
‘Who cares about us right now?’ Manda glowered.
That was true too. Everyone would be distracted with the chaos of what had just happened. No one would be fighting their corner. If anything, most of the school would be happy to see them locked up. The prefects had all but thrown them in here – except Peter. He’d taken Anna to one side, away from the others. He’d held her hands. ‘I’m sorry I have to leave you here.’
‘I could be helping!’ Anna had cried. ‘In there!’
‘There are enough people to help. Eames wanted you removed. You have to understand, you’re under suspicion.’
‘We didn’t do anything, Peter! You have to believe me.’
‘I know.’ He’d held her eyes. ‘I believe you, but it would have been worse to resist. You’re safer here anyway. I have to go now.’ He looked to the door, terror and exhilaration battling on his face, blue eyes sharper than she’d ever seen them. ‘I – I hadn’t quite been sure until now. But that was malefice, Anna. That was it.’
Anna hadn’t bothered to deny it. What was the point in trying to claim it was only hysteria? Peter was convinced now, she could see that.
She turned to the others. ‘You’ve all felt it now. The magic I felt before. It was like it was then … but worse. Bigger. Deeper.’
The others nodded, no one able to deny it. Anna could still hear the music, torn and turned inside out so that the melody was twisted into something monstrous … Aunt’s laughter erupting through it …
‘It definitely isn’t your magic,’ said Rowan, startling Anna from her thoughts. ‘That was … I don’t know what it was. Like no magic I’d ever felt. Extremely powerful.’
Anna shut her eyes against the force of it, its cold still running in her veins. She hated how it had held her captive in her own fear, how helpless she’d been again.
‘So powerful,’ Effie reiterated, ‘if they hadn’t started to restrain the people on stage, I don’t think they would have stopped. I think they would have played until it killed them.’
Rowan buried her head in her hands. ‘What if they’re not OK?’
‘There were plenty more people in that room than those lost in the spell; I’m sure they managed to stop them,’ said Anna, trying to comfort herself as much as Rowan.
‘They were my friends … the way they looked … the terror …’ Rowan’s words gave way to sobs.
Anna put an arm around her, letting her cry against her shoulder, not knowing what she could say to make it better.
The door opened and Eames’s secretary bustled in with Attis. ‘You’re to wait here,’ she instructed.
Effie leapt to her feet. ‘You can’t keep us locked in here like animals!’
The secretary turned to her, looking somewhat in shock herself, but she clasped her hands together, attempting composure. ‘You’re not locked in here, Ms Fawkes.’
‘So we can leave?’
‘Of course you can leave … only, after what just happened, it wouldn’t reflect well. It might look like you were running away.’ She moved her goggly eyes between each of them, making her point – or warning – clear. If they ran Eames would only have more reason to catch them. ‘I suggest you stay put,’ she added as if she were trying to help them.
‘We just want to go home,’ said Rowan.
‘I understand, but Eames is waiting to speak to each of you.’
‘We’re being singled out!’ Effie yelled.
‘You were singled out before this investigation even began. We’ve just had a severe malefice attack; questions have to be asked. I’m sorry,’ she added, biting her lip and looking to the door as if she feared Eames’s imminent arrival. ‘I’ll bring you all some water. Now, I gather you’re happy to wait here a little while longer?’
‘Perfectly content,’ Attis replied gruffly, moving a fuming Effie away from the secretary.
Once she’d left, Effie released a roar. ‘They’ve got us trapped and, unless we do something, they’re going to find a way to pin this all on us!’
‘Is everyone OK?’ Rowan asked Attis.
He nodded. ‘It’s still bedlam, but from what I can gather, no one’s been seriously hurt. By the time the police arrived most of those … affected … had been brought under control. They’ve been taken to hospital.’
Rowan leant back against the wall. ‘Thank the Goddess.’
Relief coursed through Anna too. No one hurt.
Attis moved away from the door, his voice hushed. ‘I did find something though.’ They gathered around him. He reached deep into his pocket and took out a glass vial with a small layer of pale yellow powder at the bottom. ‘Spirit powder.’
They all stared at it, until Manda broke the silence, her voice breathless. ‘What? Where?’
‘As soon as news of what had happened reached the Boys’ School I took advantage of the chaos, grabbed my shadowrobe from the car and made for your hall to check it over. Couldn’t see anything, but then, around the edges of the stage, I spotted traces of what looked like powder. I gathered as much of it together as I could.’ He opened the vial and put his nose to it. ‘From the sulphurous smell alone, I’m fairly certain it’s spirit powder. Would have gone to the chem lab to check but figured they were probably looking for me and thought it best to show myself before anyone discovered I was missing.’
‘You can’t have that vial on you,’ said Anna, panicking for him. ‘If they find it—’
‘Don’t worry. I have very deep pockets.’ He tapped his nose and dropped it back inside his blazer.
Effie took a few steps back. ‘Death magic.’
Attis nodded. ‘Looks likely. Spirit powder generally precludes working with spirits. Does what it says on the tin. Whatever this spell is, someone is using the spiritual realm to give it power.’
Anna felt dizzy, realization sinking through her. Of course. The feeling of the spell … the dread, the panic, the paralysis … it was like the magic that night with the Hel witches, when the shadows had risen through the Fabric. Only this had been so much more intense, as if the Fabric had been clawed open entirely. Is that why the magic had felt so impossible to counteract? To comprehend? Because it didn’t belong to this world at all …
‘So someone is raising spirits in our school?’ Rowan’s eyes flickered with confusion. ‘But it’s not just our school – the hysteria is striking across London …’
Anna spun to Effie. ‘The Hel witches! You’ve spent more time with them, with Azrael. Have they said any more, anything, about what’s going on? If this is all linked to death magic they must know something!’
Effie frowned, speaking sharply. ‘What’s that meant to mean? If I’d known anything I’d have told you, wouldn’t I? Azrael and I don’t exactly do a lot of talking.’
‘Well, we need to talk to him,’ Anna insisted. ‘To all of them.’
‘If they’re behind it, they might not want to talk,’ Rowan pointed out.
‘We have to try.’
‘Fine,’ Effie snapped. ‘I’ll call him as soon as we get out of this damn room and I get my phone back. Though I doubt he’ll be pleased to hear from me …’
‘Why?’
‘I’ve been kind of ghosting him.’
‘Bad choice of words,’ said Rowan grimly.
‘I’ll bring him around.’
It was after lunch by the time Inspector Eames opened their door, his delayed arrival making it clear to them they were at his mercy. He was wearing his usual expressionless mask, his eyes moving over them impassively, as if they were all the same to him. Suspects not individuals. Creatures of malefice to capture.
Effie stirred from where she was brooding but she did not unleash her rage.
Rowan stood up. ‘When do we get to go home? Our parents will be worried.’
‘They’ve been informed of the situation,’ said Eames, without a hint of sympathy. ‘You will be free to go home once you have been questioned. Miss Richardson first, please.’
Effie tilted her head to him. ‘Are we the only ones being questioned?’
‘At present,’ he replied tersely. ‘Now. Miss Richardson.’
Manda got to her feet shakily.
Effie spoke again. ‘What if you’re wrong?’
Eames’s hollow eyes twitched back to her, irritated by the insinuation.
‘The suspicion against us is based on the word of one girl,’ Effie continued.
‘I assure you, it is more than just one,’ said Eames, his Adam’s apple tightening.
‘But it began with one. What if you’re focusing on the wrong people? What if the real witches are just playing with you? I’d hate to see you mess up your job here.’
Eames’s look darted again, discomforted, as if he couldn’t handle the ambiguity of her words. ‘All possibilities are being explored.’ He snapped long fingers at Manda. ‘Now! Miss Richardson.’
They were each taken through until only Effie and Anna were left. Effie’s restlessness had turned hard and as Anna looked over at her she tried to work out what Effie was thinking, what was stirring behind those shadowy eyes. It was strange how she could feel so close to her sometimes and so like a stranger at others. They needed to stay together in all this.
‘You OK?’ Anna asked.
‘I’m not used to being caged, I’m not sure I like it.’
‘I can imagine that.’ Anna, on the other hand, had spent her life caged. She knew how to be still, how to wait, how to hold onto loose threads of hope. That didn’t mean she liked it either.
‘So,’ Effie’s eyes shifted, ‘what did Peter want with you?’
‘You know, the usual, checking I was OK.’
‘It might not be a bad idea to keep him on side, you know …’
Anna frowned. ‘What does that mean?’
‘Just … it might be sensible to keep him pliable. He could prove useful. He’s clearly one of Eames’s favourites and if Peter has one weakness – it’s you. You’ve got him hooked, all you need to do is reel him in a bit. Men are easy to manipulate, they’re simple creatures really, just play the game – flatter, flutter those lashes, pretend you need him to be your hero. It won’t be that hard, it wasn’t so long ago you liked him.’
‘That was different,’ Anna replied abruptly. Peter was not a game she wanted to play. ‘I don’t want to complicate things with him. Anyway, you hate him.’
‘I do, but we need all the help we can get right now. You’re expecting me to call Azrael when we get out of here, aren’t you? Get him to help us. What do you think that’s going to involve?’ She gave Anna a pointed look, then shrugged. ‘Just think about it. This is about the bigger picture, the safety of all of us, the coven.’
Anna turned to look out of the window, angry, feeling betrayed by Effie but caught in the tangle of her words. Did she not see what position she was putting her in? Did she not care? She knew how intense Peter could be. But then, like Selene, Effie didn’t see things like flirting and sex as a big deal, just fun to be had, opportunities to be gained.
The worst part was, Anna knew she was right – they did need Peter on their side.
OUIJA
Employing the Language of the Dead in written form, Initiates begin to commune with the spirit world directly, building relationships with Guardian Spirits and performing spells alongside them. Our Guardian Spirits will then continue to teach Initiates the foundations of the written language.
Communing, Hel Witch Initiation Stage Four
The moon was soft and sly as it rose above the school ahead of them, hiding from the darkness behind a gauze of cloud.
‘I don’t have enough fingers to count the reasons why we shouldn’t be doing this.’ Rowan looked down at her fingers as if she didn’t know what to do with her hands, with herself. ‘Mum’s been in panic mode all evening and if she finds out I’ve sneaked out – sneaked out to go back to SCHOOL – she’ll kill me. If I don’t die by the end of this evening anyway …’
‘We have no choice,’ said Effie, looking down the road.
Anna couldn’t believe they were back here either. Her eyes rose up to the Ebury wing, all its lights were off now. Only hours ago, she’d been sitting in the centre of Eames’s office, his chair positioned between her and the door. Notepad in hand, he’d questioned her relentlessly, mercilessly, going around in circles, trying to trap her in her own answers. Then, without blinking, he’d described the state of the pupils who’d been taken to hospital – how some hadn’t stopped screaming, how some had tried to claw at their own faces – prodding, watching her for a reaction, his nails tapping on his notebook.
Are you responsible for the malefice?
Do you wish to confess?
On the outside, Anna had kept it together. Inside, she’d been crumbling. She knew it made no sense that she was responsible – the strikes were across London, the magic they’d all felt had been far beyond anything she was capable of – and yet, why had it felt so personal? Why did it feel as if that cold already lived inside her? Why had it held her so still? Why had she heard Aunt’s laughter so clearly?
‘I can see them,’ said Effie, pointing to two figures in the distance, walking up the street: Azrael and Yuki were coming to meet them, coming to help them go back into the school they’d only just escaped from.
‘This is madness,’ Rowan muttered. ‘We should have told my mum about the spirit powder.’
Bertie and Selene had met them outside the school gates after they’d been released – Bertie frantic, Selene livid. Apparently they’d been trying to get to them for hours but hadn’t been allowed and, short of resorting to magic, they hadn’t had any choice but to wait.
‘Your mum would never let us do this,’ Effie retorted.
‘For good reason!’
‘Then we’d never have any way of knowing what’s really going on. You don’t have to join. You can wait here.’
Rowan looked up at the school too. ‘I’m not leaving the rest of you to go alone. All in. We stick together, come bane or boon or me running away flailing and screaming like a wild banshee.’
‘That’s the spirit,’ said Attis.
Rowan groaned. ‘Please don’t mention spirits.’
Anna looked to Manda who was leaning against the wall, uncommonly quiet, arms folded around herself. Karim had been there earlier, waiting for them to be released, but her parents had not come. She’d said that they’d been too ashamed to show up, to deal with her. Anna had wanted to ask more but they’d been swept up by all the chaos. She felt guilty they were lying to Selene, but Effie was right – all Bertie and Selene cared about was that they were safe, but Anna couldn’t wait around and watch while some sort of death magic took over the school, threatening the lives of everyone in it.
‘Greetings,’ said Yuki solemnly as they arrived. She wore a long black coat and white gloves, hair severe around her delicate-as-glass face. A backpack was secured to her back, almost half the size of her small frame. Azrael was wearing a frown and a slouchy wool black jumper, frayed sleeves pulled over his hands and his crucifix necklace resting over it. Neither one smiled.
‘Thanks for coming.’ Effie walked over to Azrael and gave him a kiss on the cheek. ‘We really appreciate it.’
He appeared slightly mollified.
Yuki turned to Attis. ‘You are sure you found spirit powder within the school?’
Attis nodded with certainty. ‘I’ve carried out a test on it, fairly rudimentary – added iron powder, heated it up. It formed iron sulphide which indicates the existence of sulphur, the predominant ingredient of spirit powder, right?’
Yuki nodded. ‘Do you have some?’
Attis reached into his pocket and pulled out the vial. Yuki opened it and placed a dab on her tongue. She nodded to Azrael. Their eyes locked in silent debate.
‘We should not be here,’ said Yuki. ‘It goes against all of our codes.’
‘Do you know what’s going on?’ Anna asked.
Yuki’s wide eyes turned on her. ‘No.’
Anna didn’t know how to tell if a Hel witch was lying, they already belonged to a different version of reality.
‘We’ve been following the hysteria outbreaks,’ Yuki continued, ‘but none of the senior Hel witches will speak of them. If this is death magic, we want to know the truth too.’
‘We don’t do everything they tell us,’ said Azrael, with a toss of his hair. Anna sensed his rebellious comment was for Effie’s benefit.
Manda moved towards them, livelier now the Hel witches had arrived. ‘What are you going to do?’
