As they drove along the vague track snaking through the meadow, their view of the castle became clearer. It was exquisite. The building looked as though it had been standing for centuries – and it had. Yet for all the solidity of its old stone walls it seemed somehow insubstantial, as if masked by a veil of secrecy.
‘Wendolyn lives here?’ Mia murmured in awe.
‘Yep!’ Madeline nodded. ‘That’s why she takes in young witches. She’s got so much space, and you’re cut off from civilisation out here. I think you need that when you’re trying to control new power.’
‘Is she royalty or something?’ Mia asked.
‘No!’ Madeline laughed tunefully. ‘She’s an elder witch. They tend to set up camp in old buildings.’
‘Plus,’ Cassandra joined in, ‘this is a glass castle. It’s quite common for practising witches to enchant their homes. It creates an illusion around their land – it makes the place invisible to regular civilians. As translucent as glass.’
‘Early powers can be rather temperamental,’ Madeline mused. ‘So it’s good to have a place where you can grow, away from the prying eyes of the powerless.’
They reached the end of the road and rolled to a stop in the castle’s courtyard. Cassandra turned off the engine and unbuckled her seatbelt. With a deep breath, she swivelled around in her seat to face her children.
‘I’m very proud of you,’ she said, her blue eyes glassy with tears.
Madeline clumsily nudged her sister aside. ‘You’re going to have the best time!’
All of a sudden, Mia was choked by a sense of dread. Her mother and aunt’s words of encouragement had actually had the opposite effect on her. She didn’t want to get out of the car. She had never been away from home before – not for more than a few days, anyway. And with all of the changes thrust upon her, the last place she wanted to be was in a glass castle, hidden and cut off from the rest of the world. Alone.
‘Will you visit?’ she asked meekly.
‘Probably not,’ Cassandra replied. ‘Now is the time for you to stand on your own. My presence would only hinder you. I can’t help you with this, and neither can Aunt Maddie.’
The colour drained from Mia’s face. She gripped the back of her aunt’s chair.
‘Don’t worry,’ Madeline said brightly. ‘Dino will be here with you. He’ll take care of you. Won’t you, Dino?’
He stared straight ahead, obstinately disregarding their comments.
Madeline shrugged, unconcerned. ‘Don’t worry, babe,’ she said to Mia, ‘you’ll be fine.’ She stretched into the back seat and playfully pinched her niece’s cheeks.
‘OK. It’s time,’ Cassandra announced. She opened the car door and stepped out gracefully. Madeline followed her lead.
Only Mia and Dino remained in the car, one afraid and the other stubborn.
Outside in the courtyard, Madeline skipped up to the castle, her long, rainbow skirt billowing and her eyes childlike. Cassandra busied herself with unloading the bags from the car.
Mia looked at Dino. ‘Come on,’ she said quietly. ‘We should get out.’
‘Why?’ he challenged.
‘Because it’s already started.’
The response was enough for both of them. Without another word they accepted their fate and left the security of the car. The simple act was the first step on a path that would undoubtedly change their lives forever. Neither was prepared, but destiny had picked them and it was out of their hands.
Madeline banged her fist against the arched mahogany door. Her wrist jangled with its freight of chunky, multicoloured bracelets. ‘Wennie!’ she yelled.
‘Don’t shout like that,’ Cassandra scolded her. ‘It’s rude.’
‘Wennie!’ Madeline screamed again, more stridently than ever.
The second call seemed to work, because at last the castle door heaved open and an older lady stepped out into the courtyard. She wore a full-length purple dress over her rounded frame, and her long, white hair was twisted into a braid that tumbled over her left shoulder.
‘Girls!’ the lady greeted her guests with a cheery smile. ‘Good heavens, you look well!’
Madeline virtually jumped into the older lady’s arms. ‘I know! I look fantastic, don’t I? Would you believe I’m thirty-four? I don’t look a day over twenty-four,’ she boasted shamelessly.
Dino snorted. ‘You wish,’ he muttered under his breath.
Madeline shot him a frosty glower.
Cassandra cleared her throat loudly. ‘Wendolyn, it’s so wonderful to see you. It’s been far too long.’
The lady took Cassandra’s hand and rubbed it affectionately.
Cassandra beckoned to Mia and Dino. ‘This is Wendolyn,’ she introduced. ‘She has generously invited you into her home for the summer. Wendolyn, these are my two children, Dino and Mia Bicks.’
‘Notice,’ Madeline interrupted, ‘Bicks. They have our family name, not their father’s.’
Mia smiled nervously while Dino stared steadily at the older woman.
‘Dino,’ Madeline chuckled flippantly, ‘stop staring at everyone! It’s weird.’ She frowned. ‘Not to mention creepy.’
Dino looked down to the ground. His cheeks coloured slightly.
‘Oh, leave the boy be!’ Wendolyn jumped to Dino’s defence. ‘He’s just not used to his power yet. You know how difficult it is at first.’
Mia watched the scene unfold. She couldn’t help but wonder what exactly her brother’s power was. Or what her own power was, for that matter.
‘You’ll soon find out,’ Wendolyn said in a knowing voice. She winked at Mia.
Mia froze. She can hear my thoughts.
‘Only when I want to,’ Wendolyn replied in good-humour. The aged skin on her face framed remarkably youthful eyes that swirled with a mixture of blue and hazel.
Madeline clapped her hands in glee, delighted by the whole exchange. ‘Wendolyn is a Reader,’ she explained. ‘She has the ability to read thoughts. You can’t get anything past her! Believe me!’
Cassandra grinned. ‘And Lord knows you tried.’
The three women smiled as though they were sharing a private joke.
‘Now it’s time for the new generation to take their turn,’ Wendolyn said warmly.
Mia suddenly felt as if Wendolyn were commanding her, summoning her and her brother towards her.
Mia took an involuntary step forward, but Dino didn’t budge.
‘Come here, boy,’ Wendolyn called to him. Her words, although blunt, sounded safe and compassionate.
But Dino didn’t move.
Madeline rolled her eyes. ‘Cassie, tell him,’ she said in a tight voice.
‘I have no control over him,’ Cassandra answered. The statement was probably truer than any parent would wish to admit.
‘He’s your son!’ Madeline pointed out, her voice hushed discreetly.
Wendolyn held up her hand to silence them, and like naughty schoolchildren they shrank back.
‘You’re going to be very powerful, Dino,’ Wendolyn said in a voice that seemed to reverberate around the peaceful meadow. ‘You’re blocking me. You know that, don’t you?’
Dino didn’t reply, but he wore a sudden air of complacency.
‘I can’t read your thoughts,’ Wendolyn went on. ‘You’re blocking me.’
‘What?’ Madeline gawped. ‘How has he done that? He’s only had his powers for a few days!’ There was a distinct note a jealously in her tone.
Dino threw her a lazy smirk.
‘Come along, boy,’ said Wendolyn. ‘It’s time to go inside. You understand me, don’t you?’
This time Dino reluctantly submitted. His look of arrogance was replaced with a grimace.
In a daze, Mia lifted her rucksack from the courtyard floor and slung it over her shoulder. She watched as Dino did the same. When she caught his eye, he glared at her as though all of this was her fault.
Deep down, Mia knew that Dino blamed her. After all, she had been the
one to light the candle and read out the words on the basement wall. This was all her fault.
Above them a jackdaw crowed raucously. Mia looked up and saw its ebony wings shimmering blue as it soared overhead. As if by magic, a feather fell from the bird, tumbling through the sky like a piece of black silk. It slowly floated to the ground, landing at Mia’s feet. She picked it up and studied it, admiring its sleekness.
‘A jackdaw feather,’ Cassandra noted. ‘They say that’s lucky.’
Mia clung to the feather, taking a strange sense of comfort from it as she waved goodbye to her mother and aunt.
Wendolyn led the way down a long, dimly lit corridor. The carpet below was a dull red and the hardwood walls were patterned with intricate carvings, telling a story that Mia knew she could not yet read. At the far end of the corridor Wendolyn pushed open a heavy door.
‘Come in,’ she authorised her two guests. ‘Take a seat.’
Mia and Dino followed her into the room. It was a small library, the walls lined with hundreds of dusty leather-bound books. There was no window in the room, so Wendolyn set to work lighting a myriad of long black candles which projected from the walls in ornate brass candlesticks.
Mia took a seat in a green velvet armchair. In the quiet of the room she heard the wooden structure creak as it took her weight. Dino sat down in a similar chair beside her, and Wendolyn strategically took a seat opposite them. Between them was a low-set apothecary table on which was already arranged a tea tray with a white china teapot and matching teacups.
‘Welcome to my home,’ said Wendolyn, humbly. ‘It’s a pleasure to finally meet you as young adults. I remember you only as babies in your mother’s arms.’
Dino’s expression remained stony. ‘That was a lifetime ago, then.’
‘It was,’ Wendolyn replied, unaffected by his acid tone.
‘Thank you for having us,’ Mia added, trying to balance out her brother’s insolence.
She felt Dino’s eyes on her again. To avoid his stare, she looked around the room, absorbing every detail of the extraordinary decor. Her gaze landed on a striking oil painting set inside an elaborate gold frame. It was a double portrait of a finely dressed man and woman, gazing out from their painted world.
‘Who are they?’ Mia asked.
Wendolyn glanced at the portrait. ‘The man is William Wix. He was once lord of this castle. The woman at his side is his wife – me!’
‘It’s beautiful,’ Mia complimented.
‘Yes,’ Wendolyn agreed. ‘It’s one of my favourites. William, my husband, was the founder of the Glass Castle. He envisioned a place where young witches could be nurtured, rather than discriminated against and spurned.’
The idea made Mia uncomfortable. ‘So, he wanted a safe place for witches to…hide?’
‘Not hide,’ Wendolyn corrected. ‘More like a place for adolescents to develop their powers freely and without prejudice. Without guidance it’s not uncommon for new witches to turn to the dark arts. You see, powers are simply an expression of emotion. When your emotions are wild, so are your powers. William understood that.’
‘Is he here?’ Mia asked. Dino touched her arm, urging her to stop. He had obviously picked up on something that she had not.
‘No,’ Wendolyn replied quietly. ‘William passed away some time ago.’
Mia cringed. ‘I’m sorry.’
Wendolyn smiled, but there was sadness in her eyes. ‘It was a long time ago,’ she said. ‘Almost eighty years ago, in fact.’
‘Eighty years?’ Mia frowned. Surely she had misheard. ‘Eighty?’ she repeated.
Wendolyn nodded her head. ‘Almost.’
Mia chewed over the notion. If Wendolyn’s husband had passed away that long ago, she wondered, how old did that make Wendolyn? In the painting they were easily in their thirties, so that meant that Wendolyn must be…
She scrunched up her nose; maths had never been her strong point.
Wendolyn carried on. ‘This castle is William’s legacy, and I intend to maintain it for many years to come.’
‘Do you take in lots of people?’ Mia asked. She guessed that it would be naive of her to assume that she and Dino were the only ones.
‘Some years more than others. At the moment we have around fifteen Arcana and four Hunters. Would you care for some tea?’ Wendolyn didn’t wait for a response. She lifted the white teapot and poured the contents into the three waiting cups.
Mia sat up a little straighter in her chair. ‘What’s an Arcana?’ She paused. ‘And a Hunter?’
Wendolyn raised the teacups individually and circled each one three times in a clockwise direction. ‘An Arcana is what you are. In other words, a pacifist witch who lives as a civilian.’ She handed Mia a teacup. ‘Your powers are connected to nature and are used placidly. A Hunter, however, is a witch bred as a warrior. They too source their power from nature, but it is of, let’s say, a darker strain. They need these extra powers to aid them in combat.’
‘Combat?’ Dino echoed, interested now. ‘They fight?’
‘Yes. Usually other Hunters or malevolent witches.’
Mia bit her lip. ‘Are Hunters…human?’
‘Of course! All witches are born human. The only difference is Hunters are raised purely as weapons.’
Mia flinched. ‘Will they attack us?’
Wendolyn’s kind eyes were unreadable. ‘You would be wise to be wary of them,’ she admitted. ‘But they shouldn’t be of any concern to you. In truth, you’ll rarely see them. The Hunters reside in a different wing from the Arcana, so your paths will seldom cross. Occasionally I will need to call you all together, but even then they keep their distance.’
A wave of fear coursed through Mia. She shuddered. Feeling tense, she took a sip of her tea. It didn’t taste like the sort of tea she was used to.
‘What is this?’ she asked, wrinkling her nose.
‘Tea,’ Wendolyn told her.
‘From a teabag?’ Mia stared down at the pale orange liquid stewing in her cup. Quizzically, she fished out one of the small tea leaves that floated on the surface. The little brown dot clung to her finger while she examined it.
‘It’s witches’ brew,’ Wendolyn explained. ‘Tea extracted from plants. Let’s see, it’s made up of fennel, rowan berries, mugwort, elderflower…’ she listed a long catalogue of plants, counting them off on her fingers. ‘It’s known to enhance psychic powers and bestow protection on those performing magical works.’
‘No, thanks,’ Dino said, slamming the delicate teacup down on the apothecary table.
Wendolyn smiled at him strangely.
Mia took another sip. On her second try it wasn’t so bad. Different, but not awful. She picked a tiny rogue leaf from her tongue and surreptitiously wiped it off on Dino’s T-shirt.
He glared at her.
‘Try some,’ she said, offering her cup to him. ‘It’s not so bad.’
‘No. I’m not looking for psychic powers.’
‘Well, I am,’ Mia retorted.
Wendolyn laughed in a jolly fashion. ‘Oh, you don’t need tea to give you power, my dear. I can see power exuding from you even as we speak.’
Mia tightened her grip around the teacup. ‘Really?’
Wendolyn studied her for a long moment. ‘You are a daughter of nature.’
‘And that means…?’ Mia prompted.
Wendolyn pursed her lips. ‘It’ll come to you when you’re ready,’ she said cryptically.
I’m ready now, Mia thought irritably. ‘Am I psychic?’ she asked out loud.
‘No. Be patient. You’ll use your powers when the time is right. And as for you,’ she turned her focus to Dino, ‘you will learn to shut them off. After all, that’s why you’re both here – to learn.’
Mia took her final sip of tea, hoping to gain something from it. She doubted that she had any powers at all. She certainly didn’t feel any different.
‘Are you finished?’ Wendolyn asked, gesturing towards the teacup.
‘Yes. Thank you.’ Mia handed her the empty cup. To her surprise, Wendolyn looked intently down into it, examining the gathering of leaves at the bottom.
‘Hmm…’ Wendolyn muttered to herself.
‘What does it say?’ Mia asked anxiously.
Dino shook his head with a dry laugh. ‘It doesn’t say anything. It’s just a pile of leaves!’
‘What does it say?’ Mia repeated, ignoring her brother’s obnoxious outburst.
Wendolyn placed the cup down on to the table. ‘I’ll tell you when you’re more able to deal with it.’
Mia’s voice went up an octave. ‘What does that mean?’
‘Nothing to worry about,’ Wendolyn assured her. ‘But if I told you now, I don’t think that you’d understand.’
Mia looked fearfully at Dino, hoping for some form of comfort.
‘OK,’ he said evenly. ‘Read my fortune.’ It was a challenge more than a request. He lifted his untouched tea and knocked it back it in one swig, then thrust the empty cup into Wendolyn’s hand.
Without batting an eyelid, she peered down into the depths of the cup.
Mia held her breath while they waited. The room was silent other than the quiet crackle of a burning candle and the slight rasp of Dino’s breathing.
‘You’ve got an interesting path ahead of you, Dino,’ Wendolyn said at last. ‘And you’re going to have to make some difficult choices.’
‘What kind of choices?’ Dino demanded.
‘It’s not my right to say.’
‘But it’s your right to keep me here?’
Wendolyn stood up slowly. ‘You’re free to leave whenever you please.’ She eyed the door meaningfully.
Dino let out a sharp breath – the sound of a man defeated.
‘Well, then,’ Wendolyn said brightly, her breezy voice deflecting the tension. ‘Shall I show you to your bedchamber?’
‘Bedchamber?’ said Dino. ‘Don’t you mean bedchambers?’
‘No. There is only one.’
Dino slapped his hand to his head. ‘Please don’t tell me we’re sharing.’
‘Yes, you’ll be sharing,’ Wendolyn confirmed.
That didn’t sound so terrible to Mia. With everything that was going on at the moment, the last thing she wanted was to feel even more isolated and alone. At least now she’d have the company of a familiar face. However grouchy that face was.