The girl was eyeing Willow with interest, her brown eyes huge behind the frames. ‘So, you’re one of Raine Moss’s children?’
Willow nodded, her face a bit glum. ‘Yes. Not one of the ones you would have heard about, though.’
Essential shrugged. ‘Still, to come from a family of witches, that’s something. I was the first one in mine for ages … That’s why I was sent to Rubix – the law, you know,’ she said with a small shrug.
Willow looked puzzled, so Essential explained. ‘Well, if no one in your family has a magical ability and one of your children develops a fizz of magic, the law is that they have to be sent to someone who can help them control it. So I was sent here just after I was born, to Rubix, as she was the closest witch. My mother was really upset – not only because I was sent away, but because after five boys I was the only girl. See, that’s how I got my name. My mother said, “You can’t take my girl, she’s essential.” And Rubix took it a bit literally.’
Willow grinned. Then frowned. Something Moreg had said before she was taken by the Brothers of Wol floated in her mind.
The witch had said, ‘Remember, practical makes perfect … And, when you think of it, a little rain is essential for uncovering what you might need.’
Willow jumped out of her chair. Unless she’d meant Raine and Essential – as in two people.
‘I think I was meant to find you!’
Essential stared at her as if she’d gone mad.
Willow fished the StoryPass from within her pocket. The needle was currently pointed to ‘One Might Have Suspected as Such’, and she grinned.
Essential blinked. ‘You were meant to find me?’
She nodded. ‘I think that’s what Moreg Vaine wanted.’
Essential was still frowning, so Willow explained about everything and how they needed to find Moreg’s house.
‘Moreg said she knew my mother – Raine. Which is why I came here, because I thought my mother would be able to tell me where Moreg’s house is – but maybe she also wanted me to find you – something Essential.’
Essential blinked. ‘But … but I’m nothing special. I mean, I can’t do much besides freeze things and that’s only for about a second, if it’s going slow enough.’
‘Freeze things?’
Essential turned to the cat who was licking his paw and flung out her hand. The next second the cat froze, mid-lick, his tongue sticking out at them.
Essential gave a rueful sort of grin. ‘It’s a bit hit and miss to be honest. If I’m upset, it’s a bit more powerful. Once I stopped a bucket of water from being thrown at me when I was walking outside. I mean, it was just for a second; I still got drenched, and I got this,’ she said, lifting her hair and showing Willow a scar, which was shiny and pale against her dark skin, on the side of her head where the bucket had hit her.
Willow shrugged. ‘Maybe that’s enough. I’m nobody special – I mean, all I do is find lost things – socks mostly, or wallets and keys. Maybe you don’t need big magic to save the world? Maybe you’ve just got to be willing to try?’
Essential nodded, and then stood up. ‘Okay.’
‘So you’ll help me?’
Essential nodded, pushing up her glasses, and grinned. ‘Yes.’ Then she stopped. ‘Well, um, let me just get out of my nightgown first.’
When she returned she was dressed in a black dress with little gold moons and silver stars all over it that Willow couldn’t help admiring.
‘Ready.’ Willow smiled.
‘Ready.’ Essential nodded.
But when they tried the door, just as Rubix had warned, it was charmed shut.
‘Now what?’ cried Willow.
14
The Hag Stone
It wasn’t just the door; the windows were locked too. Nothing would budge, and even when Willow tried breaking one of the panes of glass with a large cast-iron pot from the kitchen nothing happened. It didn’t even crack.
Essential sighed. ‘It’s all been charmed shut. That’s Rubix’s gift – she can charm objects to do what she wants.’
Willow frowned, her eyes huge. ‘But we need to get out of here! I’ve got to find Nolin Sometimes, try to get him awake. Hopefully he’ll be able to read my mother’s memories so that we can find Moreg’s house!’
Oswin cleared his throat, like he was trying to get her attention, but Willow was distracted when Essential suddenly smacked her forehead. ‘I have an idea!’ she cried, dashing away to fetch something from inside her bedroom.
Oswin reached out a paw and tapped her hand. ‘Not now, Oswin,’ she said as Essential came back into the room holding an ordinary black stone with a hole in its centre.
‘It’s a hag stone,’ she explained, a grin splitting apart her face.
‘A hag stone?’
There was a huff from the bag and some dark muttering.
Essential raised a brow and Willow mouthed, ‘Don’t ask.’
Essential shrugged. ‘Yes. It can help you see things that are magic – things that pretend otherwise. But it can also undo charms – especially magic that has already been cast, like Rubix’s charm to shut the door!’ She looked at Willow and shook her head. ‘Actually, you’ll never guess who I got it from! Something you said reminded me of it … even though I’ve had it for about four years … I mean, it’s not like I needed it with Rubix; she can cast off charms too …’
Willow raised a brow. ‘Moreg Vaine?’ she guessed.
Essential nodded. ‘She gave it to me at a fair – said that it might come in handy one day. I mean, it was Moreg Vaine, so of course I kept it, but I’d sort of forgotten about it till now.’
‘But can it work if we’re inside the locked house?’
There was a snort from within the bag.
‘I’m not sure,’ said Essential, eyeing the bag a bit warily, then she looked through the hole, while Willow tested the door. Nothing changed; it was still locked. She handed the stone to Willow who looked through the hole herself, then while holding it she tried the door.
Nothing.
‘’Ag stones don’ work inside a charm,’ came Oswin’s exasperated voice from the hairy bag. ‘Everyone who isn’t a cumberworld knows that.’
Essential was looking at the bag in some shock.
‘Oh,’ said Willow. She sighed. ‘Now what are we going to do?’
‘Well,’ drawled Oswin, peeking out of the bag now that she’d stopped ignoring him. ‘If you’d asks me, which you din’t, I would ’ave said that yew could jes climb out o’ the chimonemuney there. I don’t fink the charm reaches that far,’ he said, a now orange paw pointing to the chimney.
Willow and Essential shared a look. They tested it, finding that Oswin was right; it wasn’t charmed shut. ‘Ah yes. That’s probably the best idea,’ said Essential, turning slightly pink.
‘Thanks, Oswin,’ said Willow.
Five minutes later, with the help of a ladder and some hefting and pulling, Willow and Essential – and Oswin – made it through on to the roof. From there they jumped on to the soft grass below, the bag landing with a bit of a thump, which caused Oswin to swear in High Dwarf.