Shadow Wrack (7 page)

“Randolph? What was it, dear?” came Mrs. Hacker's voice from the kitchen.

Hacker looked up and called back, waving Sarah about distractedly as he did so.

“Nothing. You're hearing things!”

“Whaaat?” hollered Mrs. Hacker.

“YOU'RE HEARING THINGS!” hollered Hacker as he swung the front of the dollhouse open, exposing Mab perched on a stool in front of a vanity fixing her hair. She froze, eyes wide with shock, but Hacker didn't even see her. He thrust Sarah inside, swung the dollhouse shut, and left the room.

Willa exhaled.
Close call!
After a moment, Sarah climbed out the upper storey window and zipped over to Willa. She was trembling and short of breath.

“She … won't … come….”

“You go back and tell her that the black spots have returned. She'll come.”

Sarah grimaced but reluctantly flew back and knocked again at the door. It flew open. Sarah gave the message, and Willa saw Mab turn slowly to look at her in the window. Willa nodded to her. Mab zipped over to the windowsill, with Sarah behind her.

“Black spots? Like the ones …?” Mab asked breathlessly.

“Like the ones that spread through the house before the attack. Yes. There's one at my house and one in Horace and Tengu's hotel room. Have you seen any around here?”

Mab shook her head, her eyes wide.

“I need you to get all the fairies looking. Have them search the entire property. Can you do that?”

Mab nodded. “Sarah, organize everyone into search teams.”

“Yes, Your Eminence,” Sarah replied, scribbling madly in her clipboard.

Willa went on. “Okay, now, about the knitting. Is it there, in the fancy house?”

Mab didn't answer. Willa turned to Sarah. “Is it?”

“Yes!” she blurted out, and Mab shot her an angry look. Willa grinned. Sarah was obviously more afraid of Willa than she was of Mab.

“It's okay. I actually think that's a good hiding place. Nice work, Sarah.” Sarah glowed. Willa turned back to Mab.

“Only go in there when you need to knit, and be careful not to be seen, please?”

As the fairies gathered for a briefing in the woods, Willa stood by the stable, lost in thought. Horace's words were coming back to her … enemies, dark matters, evil everywhere. Her gaze fell on the covered basement. Could the dwarves really be trusted, or was Horace right about them? She went over and knocked on the trapdoor. It opened, and a massive dwarf head peeked out. It was Fjalarr.

“Can I come in?”

Fjalarr shook his head. “No. The peace treaty says no access to the work site. Article
thirty-seven
, paragraph two.”

“Yes, but that was to keep the fairies out. I just want to come in and —”

“No. Mjod's orders.” He slammed the door shut. Willa's heart sank. The friendly talk and gifts, had it all been a trick? What were they doing down there? Why should it be a secret?

She was ready to believe Horace now, but where was he?

There was really only one place left to look. After dinner, Willa climbed the path up Hanlan's Hill.
Was it just last night I was here? It seems ages ago.
She climbed quickly, heading straight for the lookout spot about
three-quarters
of the way up the hill, the spot where she let the phoenix go, and where Horace liked to sit and look out over the town. To her great relief, he was there, just as she'd pictured him, staring out at the view.

“Horace!”

His clothes were wrinkled and there were leaves in his hair, but he smiled brightly and sprang to his feet as she approached.

“Willa! Hello. Isn't this a glorious day?”

She eyed him. He looked perfectly fine, clear and rational. “Were you up here all night? Wasn't it cold?”

“It was bracing. Just what I needed to clear my head.”

Willa took a deep breath. “I let the phoenix go.”

“I know. I saw her this morning.”

“Is she all right?”

“Oh yes, you don't have to worry about her,” Horace chuckled. “She's pretty much at the top of the food chain around here. Even the eagles steer clear of her.”

“What about you? Can I bring you anything? Are you hungry?”

At this Horace flashed a sly smile. “No, no need. You know, Willa, from time to time
I'm
at the top of the food chain too.”

Willa suddenly remembered Horace as a great golden lion, and smiled. “Okay, so take care of yourself, and come down soon. Tengu is gathering weapons.”

Horace rolled his eyes. “Ye gods.”

Willa laughed. It felt good. “I mainly came to tell you … I found a black spot at my house. Under her cage. And there's another one in your hotel room.”

This made Horace pause. “There is?”

“Yes, and they're exactly like the ones we saw at the old house.”

Horace sat down. His face darkened. “The hotel room … Tengu! I knew it all along….”

“You think Tengu caused it? That can't be true!”

“Enemies among us bring the darkness. Trust nobody.” He peered at Willa in a way that made her feel that she too was under suspicion, and then he turned back to the view. Flocks of birds wheeled as far as the eye could see. Willa felt cold.

“Horace? What do the spots mean? What's going to happen? What should we do?” Willa looked at him pleadingly.
Please tell me what to do. Please.

Horace just waved her away, annoyed. “Don't pester me, child!”

Tears sprang to Willa's eyes, but she blinked them back. It was time to go. She was a few steps down the path when he called to her.

“Willa! What's the bird's name?”

“I don't know. I mean … I didn't give her a name.” Willa waited for a reply, but none came, so she continued down the path. Dusk was falling quickly, and the air was cooler. As the shadows lengthened, there was rustling all around, in the dead leaves, the dry grass, the murmuring trees.

About halfway down, she stumbled a little. The dark shapes on the ground weren't rocks, as she'd thought, but birds spilling out into the path from the bushes. Willa shooed and waved her arms, but it had no effect on them. She had to shuffle along the ground so she wouldn't accidentally step on one. This and the increasing gloom slowed her progress. It felt like she'd never reach the bottom. After a while she became aware of the distinct sound of shuffling feet that paused every time she did. She stopped and started a few times to make sure and then stumbled ahead, not sure what to do next.

At the bottom of the hill it took all her willpower to whirl around, scanning the path behind her. There was nothing there, and for a moment all was still. Then she heard a low, menacing growl. She turned and fled down the street. Nothing followed.

As she reached her front door, gasping for breath, Horace's last words suddenly came back to her — he'd asked what the bird's name was, and she didn't have an answer.
I didn't give her a name
, she thought, and was ashamed.

Weapons for everyone!

T
he
rest of the week was quiet. The autumn days were sunny and bright, though there was a cold nip in the air. Despite the sunshine and calm, Willa grew more and more uneasy. The black stain on her desk wasn't getting any bigger, but every day she stared at it, wondering what horrible fate was coming for them all.

Everyone else, on the other hand, was annoyingly cheerful. Her mother was still smiling because the bird was gone. Dad was smiling because Mom was smiling. Even Belle could be heard humming a merry tune in her room.

Baz was having the most glorious time of all. In the aftermath of the last big catfight in the alley, she had become the supreme ruler of all the cats in the area. In the late afternoons they gathered in the front yard, waiting for Baz to emerge at dusk. Currently there were over twenty
flea-infested
,
battle-scarred
alley cats in this gang. Every night Baz led them prowling about the city, and they fattened themselves on the excess of birds. They ate so many birds, in fact, that Baz no longer joined Willa's family for human meals at all. She'd stay out all night and snooze on the couch all day, a blissful grin on her face and feather fluff in her hair. She left the bones under the sofa cushions, teeny tiny bones licked clean. It grossed Willa out, but she quietly disposed of them before her mom saw them.

Baz was drifting away from the world of people, and she seemed less and less human every day. When Willa tried to speak to her, she just stared back with blank eyes, showing no sign of comprehension. It was unnerving to talk to her, feeling all the while that you were speaking not to a person but to an animal. Willa was a little frightened of her. She had no idea what Baz might do next, and every day Baz's eyes grew colder and more cruel.

One Friday after school Willa caught her mom staring at her hair.

“The grey is coming back already! Time for another dye job.”

“Maybe I want to keep it.”

Her mom raised an eyebrow. “What's eating you?”

“Nothing. I just like my hair the way it is!” Willa grumbled.

“Suit yourself.”

Willa went into the bathroom to take a look. A silvery vein was visible in the roots, and it did look a little weird, but Willa didn't want to back down now. And when she passed Belle in the hall, the old lady whispered conspiratorially, “I like it. And it's
silver
, not
grey!
”

The next morning was the weekend, and Willa went over to check on the house. To her great disappointment, there was no sign of progress in the construction. Everything looked exactly as it had days ago, though a loud metallic clanging sounded from the basement. She found Tengu in the woods, leaping about, striking battle poses, and lashing out at invisible foes.

“Hi, Tengu. Seen any new black spots?”

He shook his head. “Nope. Just the one at the hotel, and it hasn't gotten any bigger.”

“What about Horace?”

“Still running wild.”

Willa sighed. “I was afraid of that. I guess I'll go up Hanlan's again and look for him. I hope he's okay.” She glanced over her shoulder at the house. “I don't see much progress here.”

Tengu grinned brightly. “The dwarves are too busy making weapons.”

“Weapons? Oh, Tengu….” she sighed.

Tengu pulled out a small black disc with glistening spikes, holding it up proudly. “Ninja stars!” He gazed lovingly at the hunk of metal, turning it in the light. “Isn't it gorgeous? I've always wanted some of these beauties.”

He pulled his arm back and hurled the star like a Frisbee. It whistled through the air, thunking into a tree trunk. There was an angry squeal, and Mab erupted from a hole in the tree, glittering in her dwarvish armour and swinging her sword over her head as she flew at Tengu. He dodged her, ducking behind Willa for protection.

“Sorry! Sorry, Mab! Won't happen again!” he wailed.

“Settle down, Mab, it was an accident,” soothed Willa. “Tengu, find another target that's
not
a tree, please!” She turned to Mab. “Did the fairies find any spots?”

The fairy had a blank look on her face. “Spots?”

Willa smacked her forehead in frustration. “Spots! Black spots! Openings for the forces of evil, remember?”

“Oh,
those
.” Mab was only half paying attention; she was admiring her own reflection in the blade of her sword.

“So did they find any?”

Mab shrugged. “I don't think so.”

Willa took a deep breath, willing herself to remain calm. “Did they look everywhere? In the forest and the stable? What about the basement? Have either of you looked in there recently?”

“Nope. Peace treaty rules,” Tengu reminded her.

“Article
thirty-seven
, paragraph two,” cooed Mab, smoothing her hair.

Willa walked over and rapped on the trapdoor. Fjalarr opened it. “Yeees?”

“I need to come in.”

The dwarf shook his head vehemently. “Article
thirty-seven
—”

“Paragraph two. I know.” Willa tried again. “But this is an emergency. I need to know …” The door slammed shut.

“Hey!” Willa pulled on it, but it was latched shut. She shouted, “I need to know if there are any weird black spots in there!”

Silence.

“Are there any black spots in there?”

Silence. Willa gave the door an angry kick just as Tengu burst out of the stable, chased by Robert, who was swinging an enormous sword over his head and hollering.

“You dundering fool! Careless lout! CLUMSY BABOON!”

They crashed around the yard, Tengu ducking and Robert swinging. Willa dashed over, trying to get between them without being trampled or beheaded.

“Stop, Robert, STOP! WHOA!”

Robert pulled up and glared at her. “Did you just say
whoa?
”

Willa winced. “Sorry, Robert, I just meant ‘stop.' Where'd you get the sword?”

Robert flashed a smile and held it up proudly. “Isn't it magnificent? The dwarves made it for me.” Tengu took advantage of the lull to swing up into the lower branches of a tree.

“They've been busy,” Willa muttered.

“You bet,” called Tengu, his grinning face peering out from the leaves above them. “We're
all
armed now!”

Willa rolled her eyes. “Terrific. Just terrific.” Willa ducked as Robert flipped his sword up and caught it again with a slice through the air.

“Careful, please!” she yelped. “So why were you trying to skewer Tengu?”

Robert held up the ninja star. Tengu looked sheepish. “I set up a target in the stable, but Robert's rather sizeable … um … derrière got in the way.”

This elicited another roar and a charge from Robert. Tengu scurried higher into the tree as Robert slashed at the branches, which brought Mab and the other fairies crowding around, swinging their tiny swords at Robert. Everyone was shouting. Willa was trapped against the tree trunk, with Robert stomping heavily around her feet, and she feared catching a fairy sword in the eye.

“Stop! Stop! You're acting like a bunch of kids! STOOOOOP!”

There was a moment of silence as they looked at each other, and then they all started clamouring:

“All I was doing —”

“… minding my own business …”

“… careless disregard for …”

Again, Willa had to shout over all of them. “I DON'T CARE WHO STARTED IT! EVERYONE STOP TALKING!”

In the silence that followed, they heard a voice calling from the other side of the fence —

“Willa? Is everything all right?”

Willa cringed.
Mr. Hacker. That's all I need right now.
She gave Robert, Tengu, and the fairies a fierce look, dropping her voice to a menacing whisper.

“Robert, in the stable! Fairies, in the woods! Tengu, come down this instant! You are going to sit right here and think about what you've done!” They all complied without a word. Tengu dropped to the ground and sat, hugging his knees contritely.

Willa opened the front gate a crack. Hacker was on the sidewalk with the whole birding group, looking very
self-important
.

“Quite a commotion in there!”

“Just a little … difference of opinion. Nothing serious. Now, if you'll excuse me …”

She tried to retreat, but Hacker wasn't finished. “Just a moment, please. I need to talk to you about Horace.” He was trying to peek around her to see inside, so she stepped out and pulled the gate shut behind her.

“Yes?”

“There's no answer at his hotel.”

“He's been a little under the weather.” Willa looked around at the group, trying to smile. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed an extremely tall fellow at the back of the group.

Hacker shook his head. “It's not just this week. Horace is becoming more and more … confused. You must have noticed. He doesn't seem to be
all there
. A few cards short of a deck, if you know what I mean.” He smirked.

“No, I'm
not
sure what you mean, Mr. Hacker,” Willa snapped. “Maybe he's just got more important things on his mind than birdwatching.”

Hacker stiffened. “No need to take that tone with me, young lady. I was just concerned about the old fellow. Pardon me for being a good neighbour!” He turned on his heel and strode away, the rest of the birders following obediently. Willa turned away, shaking with rage.
That meddlesome, gossipy old —

A loud clacking, a familiar sound, interrupted her thoughts. She spun around to see the last birder — the very tall man — turning to look back at her. She froze at the sight: two dark, beady eyes set on either side of a very large beak, a stork beak laying flat against his chest. He stared at her for a moment, and the beak opened and shut rapidly a few times.
Clack clack clack clack CLACK!
Then he turned away and disappeared around the corner with the others.

Willa stared.
What the heck was THAT?

She followed the group at a discreet distance, keeping an eye on the tall man, though now when he turned all she could see was the profile of a rather ordinary human face.

They were heading to Hanlan's Hill. Of course. Willa prayed they wouldn't run into Horace, but if they did, she wanted to be there. As they climbed the path up the hill, she watched the Stork Man hang back, falling farther behind the group until he was able to slip away down a side path to the lookout. Willa hesitated, trembling. Was he looking for Horace, or was he up to something else? Holding her breath and treading as softly as she could, Willa followed him.

The man arrived at the lookout, but to Willa's relief Horace was nowhere to be seen. The Stork Man stopped and looked around cautiously. Willa ducked behind a tree. She could see that he had his stork face again.
So I didn't imagine it!
After making sure he was alone, the man walked over to a crevice in the rock face and slipped inside.

Willa waited a while before approaching. She wondered how she had never noticed the crevice before. It was a dark black slit in the stone, only a little taller than the Stork Man, and so narrow, it was amazing that he could squeeze inside. She peered in but could see nothing but blackness. Leaning closer, she lost her balance a bit, and one hand slipped into the crevice. She felt a familiar tingling numbness and a bitter chill crept up her arm.

She jumped back. It wasn't a crevice at all; it was a black stain, a long, skinny black stain on the side of the hill. Everything was still as Willa stared at it. Everything disappeared but her and the crack in the rock. Then a loud
clacking
sounded from inside, like a dozen or more stork bills snapping.

Willa ran, scrambling along the narrow path, sending loose rocks tumbling down. She looked back a couple of times, but no one followed. Finally, she slowed to catch her breath. She had to tell Horace about the black stain. Did he know it was there?

She heard a movement ahead and hurried on. To her great relief, a tawny form crossed the trail some distance away. A lion.

“Horace!” she called, waving wildly. The animal paused and looked at her, expressionless. Willa halted, uncertain. She was used to seeing him as a lion, but with his own face, a weird enough sight, but this beast was all lion. Even at that distance she felt his eyes upon her, great glassy eyes with the pupils dilating.

“Horace! It's me! Willa!”

Another heartstopping moment of silence as they stared at each other. Then the great beast flicked his tail and continued on his way, disappearing into the bushes.

Willa's heart sank. It
was
Horace — she knew in her heart it was.
But he doesn't know me anymore.