A Sorcery of Shadows: The Westwood Witches 2 Read online

  Much later, Constello was greatly recovered and ready to return to his home, before embarking on his own quest. It would be a while before his horn would grow back, but thanks to her efforts and the medicines of the Realm, she believed it would.

  Joanna felt deep gratitude to her friend for giving her the strength to do the right thing herself. His easy acceptance of what she had asked of him made it easier for her to accept her own fate. The path before them had become not one of their choosing, but one of necessity.

  As they wished each other a good and courageous journey, she said, “Let us be cheerful in parting, Constello. If this is the last time we are to be together, I do not think it right for us to be so sorrowful. This place, this Realm, this world has been the stuff on which my dreams and heart were built. Knowing you has been the greatest experience of my life.”

  “May the starlight always be with you, Joanna.”

  “And with you, my dear friend.”

  Later, as the wax of her candle began to burn down, Joanna wrote fervently and hoped her sacrifice would save both her family and the Realm. As the pen scratched out her message, her thoughts turned to her granddaughter taking up the mantle, the story which was now hers. It was to her dear Aero she wrote, knowing the letter would be entrusted and handed to her in the event of her own death.

  My darling girl,

  If you have received this letter, it means I am no longer here. I can only hope this news does not bring you too much sadness, because, Aero, please believe me when I tell you I did not feel ready to leave you. I am an old woman and have lived on this Earth longer than you can contemplate. Although I have many regrets in my life, I fear the worst regrets are those that have not yet come to pass. Because I know I will regret not being able to see you grow up, and not being able to see how wonderful you will become. I fear my biggest regret of all will be not seeing what path you choose to go down. But I do not regret trying to keep you safe, my sweet granddaughter. The things I have done were always for you.

  There may be more revelations to come to you, Aero, but for now, I wish to give you my most precious possessions. My scarf, which you can use to wrap away from the coldness of this world, and my playing cards. Remember, dear, to always have fun! Be mindful though, Aero, these cards are special. Use them wisely and remember that when the time comes to choose, and make no mistake, this time comes for us all, I know you will do the right thing.

  Live full, Aero, squeeze out every morsel, because this existence is long, and this expanse we call life, and everything in between, is there for the filling.

  Your grandmother (and all-around amazing magician), Joanna x

  Sealing up the envelope now labelled with Aero’s name, she held her pack of cards for one last time. It could be delayed no longer. It was time for her to return home and let the future play out as it should, without her.

  Chapter Two

  The Westwoods

  Aero knew her aunt had taken on the responsibility of guiding and training her witchcraft skills without batting an eyelid, in part because she had the foresight to know a mother and daughter would not survive such an experience, and because she knew her niece could succeed. Her aunt demonstrated the sort of patience only a Westwood could. Louise was a wise woman and reminded Aero often of her grandma. There was no doubt in her mind that her aunt’s belief in her had the power to fuel her transformation into a fully fledged witch.

  Her aunt’s help did not stop Aero’s mum from demanding her daughter practise whenever possible. Even on top of school homework. Aero supposed this too was a hallmark trait of a Westwood woman. With the threat of those out to kill them always near, strength of character, as well as magical skill, was the legacy passed on to her, and something all the Westwood women in her life cultivated.

  That was why coming to the rise to practise was so special. Of course, they, Lilly and her, had to be wary of where they went. They couldn’t very well practise right on the open grass, despite the splendid view the hilltop offered them. Especially as the spot was so popular with local dog walkers and villagers alike.

  It was easy to see what drew the villagers to the place. If you stood on the top and looked out at the opposite hill, three horses often stood munching on grass and frolicking in the sun. Their only concerns were where the next tastiest morsel of grass to munch on was coming from. Aero liked to imagine herself riding off into the sunset and leaving the past in the shadows of their hooves.

  In the summer, the grass grew so high younger children could play hide and seek. In winter, both they and the horses still ventured here, wrapped up in copious layers. The place became quieter, with only the hardy walkers persevering, but it was still popular. It even grabbed her with its magical charm. Perhaps because it was their place to escape to, away from the weight of the responsibilities which had come into her life.

  Lilly accompanied her to the rise frequently and they took off to the woods, which offered them seclusion and privacy; a place in which to practise in peace. Lilly, loyal as ever, came along to keep guard and Aero suspected she also got a thrill from seeing the show.

  Taking a deep breath, Aero stopped to look at her friend. Lilly giggled, and Aero felt her face go warm with a mixture of embarrassment and pride. Her friend’s chuckle grew louder.

  “Do it again, Aero! You’re amazing.” Then Lilly went on to ask something she’d never dared before. “What exactly does it do, Aero, the ball, and why is white? I’ve wondered so often.”

  Aero stopped for a moment and her eyes shone brighter, happy to share this with her. “Aunty Louise says it’s kind of like this, the ball is just a way for me to show my magic on the outside. I suppose it’s so I can see it, instead of it being in my head. That’s why I’ve been practising so hard, the way the magic works is belief, the ball is just the first step.”

  “And then what happens?”

  “Well, then I can make it do lots of things, like healing a cut or get it to shine brighter like a torch if I need it, or defend myself. Auntie says eventually I’ll be able to do loads of things to help others and myself, but we can’t hurt people on purpose. We can’t… kill, not unless they mean to do us harm. That’s why the ball is white, because the magic comes from a good place.”

  Although there were a million more questions Lilly could ask, she couldn’t contain herself any longer and begged Aero to do it again.

  Extending her arm, Aero locked her elbow to make it strong. Next, lifting her hand, she talked herself through the spell Aunt Louise had been teaching her. Loosely closing her fingers into a fist, as if testing their strength, her arm moved into the position naturally. There were plenty of spells which still eluded her mastery but this one came through every time. Provided, of course, her focus didn’t waver. Picturing a ball of light floating above her hands, Aero closed her eyes gently.

  “Oh!” Lilly hopped from one foot to the other in eager anticipation.

  Opening her eyes and glaring at Lilly, Aero mouthed ‘shush’ and began to concentrate again. Whilst her mum and aunt assured her these abilities were extraordinary in her, magic had not yet become a natural state of mind. Learning to flex those magical muscles took time, but with practice the improvement was coming.

  As a spark began to form, Lilly shouted out, “Almost!” then quickly covered her mouth with her hands.

  Aero slapped her arms to her side with a thump. “Can you just be quiet for one minute, Lilly Jones? It’s impossible to concentrate with you interrupting me every two seconds! Besides which you’re supposed to be keeping a lookout.”

  “Sorry.” Lilly bit her bottom lip and stifled another giggle.

  Beginning all over again, Aero pictured the round white ball, calming her thoughts and breathing. This time she opened her hands and looked ahead of her. A beautiful glowing sphere of white light hovered above her palm like a butterfly. A vibrant glow emanated from the sphere, filling both Aero and Lilly with a sense of calm.

  “Brilliant!” a breathy and excited
voice shouted, cutting through their concentration.

  Taken by surprise, Aero just about jumped out of her skin, before falling with a firm thump on her bottom. The ball of light dropped from her hand and ricocheted off the ground at an awkward angle. Glancing over, Aero could have sworn Lilly had left the ground by a clear two feet.

  Sparking, the ball then ignited furiously like a spinning Catherine wheel. The only sounds the three could hear was the dangerous crackling of Aero’s magic going rogue. Lilly and Fred jumped back with a start, afraid for their feet and the uncertain route this dangerous firework might take. Finally, it popped one last time before fizzling out.

  “Don’t you know it’s dangerous to sneak up on a witch?! When I get scared like that anything could happen. You know I can’t always control it yet!” Aero exclaimed angrily. Sitting up, she shook her head and rubbed at her back, which had taken the brunt of the fall.

  Fred smiled apologetically before giving a mischievous wink. “I’m sorry.” Then, meeting her eyes, he said, “And I thought you were just a girl that did magic?”

  Aero didn’t like calling herself a witch and hated how Fred’s scare had made it slip out. Upset, she hoped he would be more remorseful for his actions, but he couldn’t be expected to know the dangers of her magic. Getting to her feet, she replied, “Trust you to be pedantic! You know you could have got us hurt. You do know my balls of light can turn into missiles if you’re not careful?”

  “I’m sorry,” he said sincerely.

  Aero felt her face go hot with shame. Perhaps she’d been too hard on him. She placed her hand on his arm. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m sorry too. Probably shouldn’t have gone off like that. You just gave me a fright, is all.”

  At that moment, Fred turned to look at Lilly, who had tactfully remained quiet. Aero noticed how he seemed to be taking in every detail of her friend’s face, as if drawing himself a mental picture.

  Only when his cheeks began to glow a soft pink colour did he look away. It was as clear as day that Fred liked Lilly, but it now seemed obvious to her this was more than a mere crush. His feelings ran deeper. Aero breathed hard, feeling ashamed of her jealousy and hurt in equal measure.

  It took a while before Aero’s heart stopped beating like a furious drummer. She was not quite sure if it had been caused by the near miss, or the feeling she was losing her friend.

  She looked over at the scorched brown ground where her magic ball had fizzled out. It still smouldered and smelt of fireworks. She could only hope the villagers would think someone had mistakenly set a fire here. The consequences of getting caught doing magic outside didn’t bear thinking about. Both her aunt and her mother had spent several hours drilling into her the dangers of being exposed.

  Taking a break from practising spells, the three sat down on the damp grass. With the tension still hanging in the air, Aero sat between her friends like a sandwich filling in the middle. But it wasn’t hard to see how close Fred and Lilly wanted to be to each other. She watched with unease as Fred tried to shuffle even closer.

  With a smug smile, Lilly looked pleased with herself. Aero knew she had decided quite determinedly that all of Aero’s success was down to her. Aero didn’t mind; it was true, after all. Lilly could have turned her back on their friendship many times, but she hadn’t. She knew exactly what she was and still accepted her. Lilly liked Aero for who she was, and this alone gave rise to strength.

  With fondness, Aero recalled the first time they’d come out here together to the woods to practise. It had been around four months since she’d lost her grandma and discovered the secret heritage of her family, the pain still a raw acid-burn in her chest.

  Finding a quiet spot had of course been a must, but Lilly had been thrilled to be a part of it all. It had taken both their minds off their impending exams and together they had shared something special. Aero understood she wasn’t the only one feeling the pressure of life.

  After the attack of the Realworlders where they had lost Andrew, her school had felt like the last place in the world either of them wanted to be. Not to mention discovering a whole new dimension which existed outside anyone’s sphere of thought.

  Though they had a friendship, there was no moral obligation for either of them to stick together after revelations like those. Aero would have understood if her friend had chosen to call it quits.

  But Lilly had stuck around and helped to keep her feet on the ground. In truth, Aero didn’t know what Lilly got out of the friendship. She often felt guilty, knowing it was so one-sided. In her mind it was clear; Aero needed Lilly, not the other way around.

  So how could she be upset if Lilly wanted to take some of the glory for herself? Friends were the family we choose for ourselves and if anyone deserved recognition, Lilly did.

  After a solid half hour of conversation, which had cut through the weight of their discomfort, they had fallen into an easy silence, at home once again with each other. Lost in their own thoughts and the comfort of each other’s company, they stared off into the distance.

  Aero’s shoulders relaxed but as the damp grass seemed to seep through her legs and up into her heart, for a split second she felt again the treacherous pang of jealousy. She shrugged it away almost immediately, relishing instead the comfort of friends and the peace of a place this quiet.

  She’d felt so isolated and alone before Lilly, jealousy had nothing to offer her but pain. With the desire to cling to their friendship, she had to let her go. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing Lilly and being alone again. She would not allow that fear to bring sour thoughts into her mind. Her friend’s happiness was more important.

  Besides, Aero didn’t want to find herself back in a position where the bullies would see her vulnerabilities again. The looks, the stares. Worse still, the sniggering. They sensed the difference, the oddness about her. If she let bitterness into her heart she would go back, and they would find her again. No. No way.

  Besides, Lilly had made no move to reciprocate Fred’s interest. Either she was as blind to his affections as she was to the world around her without her glasses, or she too didn’t want to risk upsetting the status quo.

  Still, Aero felt assured it wasn’t right to complain or let herself become miserable, today had been an amazing day. It had felt for so long like she didn’t belong or had nothing to offer the world, the thought of allowing herself to dare to dream had seemed ridiculous.

  With the help of her mum and aunt, she found her competence with spells improving at a rapid pace. It would be a while yet before she could call herself a witch, hence why she didn’t like using the name, but she knew she had the determination to succeed. There were plenty of books to read and hours of practice ahead of her in order to wield the power within, but she knew if she used their belief to muster her strength, she would do it.

  But it wasn’t like the movies, there was no great sorcerer to sweep in and learn from. The Westwoods were the last witches left and the villain of their tale wasn’t a magical foe but a mortal one. Aero was no better equipped to defend her family against humans than if a dragon had stood before her. All the magic in the world felt like it would never be enough to keep them safe.

  In the aftermath of her encounter with the terrorists known as the Realworlders, she had no interest in being anyone’s hero. Not all had been lucky enough to survive their attack. She didn’t want to say the word coward out loud, but life had taught her a valuable lesson. Stay away from trouble if you want to live.

  Her mind reeled with flashbacks of what could have happened to her, and what had happened to the boy who had become her friend. Trouble like that was too big for her to want to find again. Her goal to become proficient at magic now was driven only by a need to defend herself and her family.

  One thing which surprised her was how resilient she had been. Despite everything, she was here. She was still alive.

  Her drive to keep her connection with her now dead grandma was also a part of it. She would do just about anything
to get back to the Shadow Realm and see the cottage again. If she happened to see the unicorn, Constello, as well, it would be a bonus. She imagined the world would think her crazy for believing in such creatures, but she figured what the heck, most thought she was crazy anyway.

  By working hard and sharing her accomplishments with her now two best friends here in the woods, the danger seemed extremely far away.

  Leaping to her feet with renewed purpose, Aero exclaimed that she ought to get back home. Truthfully, it was accurate, but she was hardly one to care for the importance of timekeeping. Sitting here with Fred and Lilly, the simmering feeling of being a gooseberry had become too much.

  “So, what’s on the cards for tonight?” Fred asked as they began the walk back up the steep rise heading for home.

  “More family history tonight. Mum says we hail from Wales, the Celts actually. Once there were thousands of witches. If you could trace it back far enough, we probably all have the same grandmother. Originally, we witches were all part of one clan. Until the witch hunters started calling everyone a witch and hanging them all.”

  “Hang on a minute, are you saying even you and Lilly could be related?”

  Aero narrowed her eyes and thought about it. Just then Fred broke out with the most enormous belch.

  “One thing’s for certain, neither Lilly nor I could ever possibly be related to you, Fred! Anyway, my ancestors decided somewhere around the 1500s life was getting a bit too dicey for them. That’s when we split off into the four clans.

  “Each of us went out into four directions. That’s where we get our name, Westwood, from. Although, if you ask me, we should be called just north of the middle western part of the country. I guess that’s not quite as catchy. Still, no one knows for sure if there are other clans left these days, but Mum seems pretty convinced there aren’t.”

  As Fred moved closer to Lilly, Aero dropped her gaze. Staying silent for the rest of the walk, she tried to tell herself things weren’t changing. She told herself everything was going to be okay.