It’s like everything around me is holding its breath, waiting for me to …
She rang Gran.
Gran, thanks to Leo, already knew the manuscript had become active. Merry filled her in on the episode with Flo – there didn’t seem any point in trying to keep it secret. Gran was sympathetic, though she seemed a little hurt by Merry’s decision to ask Flo for help instead of her.
‘I’m not going to force you into anything, darling. And I understand that you’re scared. You’ve a right to be. But if you don’t do something, things are only going to get worse. Have you seen the news this morning?’
‘No. Has there been another attack?’
‘Yes, just the same as before. They’d been stabbed, though once again the hearts weren’t removed; I wish I knew why not. But unfortunately, it was an elderly couple this time. The husband didn’t survive …’
Merry swallowed.
‘OK.’ That was it: people were actually dying now. ‘So, do you want to come over and see the manuscript? So far it just says one word: e – a – l – a.’
‘Eala. Old English for hello. But I won’t be able to read it, darling. Only you, the last of the bloodline, can see what’s written on it.’
‘That’s not true. Leo can see the word too.’
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone line.
‘Are you absolutely sure? That doesn’t sound right.’ Another silence. ‘Well … let’s just focus on one thing at a time. I’ll email you some ideas I’ve had about how the manuscript might work, but it may just respond to you automatically.’
‘OK.’ Merry hesitated. She didn’t want the phone call to end: that would mean she had nothing left to do but get on with her ‘destiny’. Gran must have sensed her anxiety.
‘Sweetheart, the manuscript isn’t dangerous, not to you. Work out how to use it, and it will guide you. Now, I’ve been talking to the other coven members about your training—’
‘But what if I can’t do it Gran? What if, when the time comes to face Gwydion, I literally can’t cast a single spell—’
‘Merry, you’re a witch: it’s in your blood. I am certain the magic will be at your disposal, and you’ll know how to use it whether you’ve been trained or not. Think about it. Your ancestors spent hundreds of years preparing for this moment. You just have to take the first step.’
Merry remembered the image that had flashed into her head two days ago.
The first step, off the precipice and into darkness …
Leo was home by early afternoon. The terrible weather – gale force winds now, as well as torrential rain and flooding – meant there wasn’t as much for him to do on the farm as usual. Now he and Merry were sitting at the kitchen table, the manuscript spread out in front of them. There were two words on the page now:
Eala, Merry.
Obviously, the damn thing was making a point.
‘So …’ Leo cleared his throat. ‘What’s the plan?’
‘Gran emailed me a few suggestions. Work through them, I suppose.’ Merry lifted her hands, held them above the manuscript; at least they weren’t trembling too noticeably.
Just get on with it. What’s the worst that can happen?
Er …
She slapped her palms down on the open pages, rushing the words out before she could change her mind: ‘Reveal. Speak. Show.’
Nothing happened.
‘Huh …’ Grabbing the carrier bag from the floor next to her, she tipped the contents out on to the manuscript.
‘What’s that? It looks like—’ Leo poked at the bits and pieces with one finger, ‘—bits of plant, and jewellery.’
Merry held up a spray of dark green needles.
‘Yew – I cut it off the hedge, earlier. It’s for divination and communication; Gran’s idea. This one is sage, for wisdom. That,’ she said, pointing at an earring she’d pinched from Mum’s jewellery box, ‘is turquoise, for psychic abilities. And this,’ she picked up a silver chain with a small purple crystal hanging from it, ‘is amethyst. For intelligence.’
‘I’ve never seen you wear it.’
‘It was a sixteenth birthday present from our so-called father. Why would I want to wear it?’ The necklace, its chain so tarnished it left black marks on her fingers, was the first gift their father had sent her since he left them. Merry remembered the letter that he’d sent with it. A pathetic letter, full of excuses and evasions. She dropped the necklace on to the parchment. ‘I don’t even know why I kept it.’
She arranged the objects in a rough circle around the pages of the manuscript and tried again.
‘Reveal. Speak. Show.’
The yew and the sage burst into flames.
‘Damn—’ Leo put out the fire by throwing his tea over the plants. The manuscript was unharmed, but it was also still blank apart from the greeting. ‘Maybe you need to say the same words, but in Old English? Or – could you just try saying hello back?’
‘Um, I suppose.’ Merry picked up the parchment, held it like a book in front of her, and took a deep breath. ‘Hello, er, manuscript. Do – you – speak – English?’ She caught sight of Leo’s raised eyebrow and flushed. ‘I mean, modern English?’
For a moment there was no response. Then more letters bloomed on the page.
Yes.
Merry glanced at Leo. His eyes were wide.
‘Put it down. See if you have to be touching it. Ask it – ask it something it must know.’
She replaced the parchment on the table.
‘OK. Where is Gwydion?’
The parchment didn’t reply, so Merry picked it up again and repeated the question.
‘Where is Gwydion?’
The wizard Gwydion sleeps still, under the Black Lake.
‘Right. Great. So, what’s next?’ Merry asked.
No response. Again. Merry threw the manuscript back on to the table and leant back in her chair.
‘Any more suggestions?’
Leo pulled the parchment towards him, traced his fingertips over the letters.
‘Dunno. Maybe,’ he wrinkled his forehead, ‘maybe the answers it can give are already set, so you have to know the right question. Try something else.’ He pushed the parchment back to Merry.
She sighed and rolled her eyes, but picked the manuscript up again.
‘OK. Manuscript … how do we stop the King of Hearts stabbing people?’
The servant acts for his master. To end the danger, both must die.
Leo gave her a thumbs up.
‘Right. And what do we need to do, for them to end up dead?’