All next week Lawrence daydreamed during lessons. This case was even tougher than he’d ever thought possible. There seemed no way to stop the old witch. There were no records in the library about anyone ever living up there. Last mention of a witch in the area of Rooksbridge dated from 1692, a lady only spoken of in whispers as Brandice May. Peasants living nearby were said to be terrified of her and bowed to her every request. But that seemed more of a folk tale or legend and no actual facts could be found.
However, if this was the same woman he’d met, no wonder no one else could see her or the cottage due to her powerful magic. What had she been doing all these years? How long had she haunted the woods? Who could guess what she may do next? Surely she went out. Maybe he could sneak in and rescue Lucy then? But how would he defeat her force field? What was so special about Lucy? And just what was she doing with the rest of those poor cats?
Lawrence shared these thoughts with an intrigued Mr Davis at break time. The teacher agreed the old crone sounded very like Brandice May. Witches were fiercely territorial as well, so he couldn’t imagine another one moving into powerful Brandice’s domain.
This clever man had recently read much about witches of old who used animals for many different purposes, learning cats were special. Above all animals cats were favoured by witches as they had talents many others did not.
Cats are clever, fast runners and agile climbers. They see very well in the dark, can tolerate many weather conditions and are able to sneak into places unseen. A few rare ones are known to possess a touch of magic themselves. Because Lawrence used to be so close to Lucy, this could be why only he could see the witch’s cottage.
Older, wiser witches valued cats highly as servants or familiars, using them to perform certain tasks. Most witches were good people, so gave cats the choice. However, a few nasty ones trapped and forced them to do their evil bidding.
Hundreds of years ago information was often used as a form of currency, so evil witches would send cats out into the countryside to uncover villagers’ secrets to use for blackmail purposes. A sneaky witch with the right secrets for sale could very quickly find herself with sacks of gold and influence over powerful people few folk could dream of. Few history books will dare tell that acting under witches spells, cats have toppled mighty kings.
Mr Davis told Lawrence to find the witch’s source of power. Many people believed this to be a certain object special to them since they were very young, where they stored magical energy. Each witch had their personal favourites, but in this case he suspected it may be a cauldron, which probably helped create the evil shadows too. This could also explain why she guarded her home so fiercely.
Traditionally folk used rare plants to ward off evil magic. However, these needed to be treated very carefully and grown under certain conditions to be effective, because many were poisonous. So perhaps the best way to spoil Brandice’s plans would be to take a little soil from consecrated ground and get it under her force field. It was probably best to ask the priest first, in case he saw Lawrence digging in church grounds and got the wrong idea.
Mr Davis said there will always be people who laugh at such creatures as witches, but there were still countless things in this world the cleverest among us cannot explain. So who could say for sure what may be fantasy and what is reality?
Lawrence remembered the moon was still only half full. Mr Davis agreed, saying the full moon was overdue by at least a week. This sounded very interesting as the moon was yet another source of magical energy.
So Lawrence had lots of plans to think over and knew he’d have to change tactics to catch such a powerful witch off guard. Over the next few days Lawrence did just that. On the third day he had a breakthrough. Saturday would be Halloween, a time of great celebration for witches. The lure of the witches Sabbath and the need to socialise with those of her kind would be irresistible. Powerful magic’s were said to fill the air that night, some older than the mountains. Lawrence hoped just brushing through that magical atmosphere may help him in his dangerous quest.