Page 72 of The Book of Unwritten Stories

Morana took a step closer to her. She needed to get near enough to lunge for Clara so she would let Hades go.

‘What council meeting? You have no intention of calling one! Do your fellow witches and council members know what you are doing?’

Clara paused before shaking her head.

‘I am the leader; I make the decisions.’ She aimed her finger at Morana and sent an electric pulse of energy her way, so strong it knocked her backwards. ‘Like I just said, you are no match for me now I have the book. Go home, child. Do not mess with that which you have no power over.’

Morana steadied herself, said a silent prayer for forgiveness and then raised her own index finger, copying what Clara had just done. She closed her eyes and sent a bolt of energy so strong that it hit Clara dead centre in the middle of her chest, lifting her off her feet. She let go of Hades who flew away to a tree behind Morana as Clara landed on her back, the wind knocked out of her. She didn’t move. She lay there breathing heavily, and Morana wondered if she’d seriously hurt her.

She took a step towards her. ‘Look, it doesn’t have to be like this. I’m going to take the book now and you are going to get up and go home. We don’t need to fight over it.’

Morana walked towards the book. It was fizzing with energy and as she went to pick it up, she felt a pain in her lower back so intense it took her breath away. Clara had stuck the small dagger into her left kidney. Hades took off into the air, circling and cawing nonstop in a hurried manner. The pain was so intense that Morana fell to her knees. Clara stepped past her and picked up the book.

‘I needed a small, black animal for my sacrifice, but you’ll have to do.’

Shocked, Morana tried to get to her feet, but she had never been too good with blood and as she felt around the place where the dagger was sticking out of her back, her hands got slick with blood, her blood, and everything began to spin.

Clara leaned over her and yanked the dagger out. Blood dripping from it, she held it over the cauldron, letting Morana’s blood drip into the fire, then she held up her right hand and slit the skin along her thumb, letting that drip into the fire too.

Morana fell to the floor, helpless to do anything but watch as Clara began to chant.

‘Here I stand alone yet strong, I take that which is mine from where it does not belong, my power increased tenfold to anchor me.’

Hades swooped towards Clara, landing on her head. He began to claw at her hair and face, but she shielded her eyes as the bird attacked, and she laughed because she had nearly completed the power spell. He was too late to stop her now.

FIFTY-SEVEN

Dora felt sad that Morana had left without telling them, but she understood that everything Sephy had told her was a lot to take in. She didn’t blame her for wanting to clear her head, she just hoped that she was okay and in time would come to realise that they were all here to help her. Half-sister or not, Dora felt a love for the woman so deep and a bond that she knew would be unbreakable now she had found her. Then she felt a horrible, sharp stabbing pain in her back that knocked her sick and she let out a small shout.

‘What’s the matter, dear?’ Sephy asked, running to her side.

‘Something is wrong with Morana, I can feel it. Something bad has happened to her.’

Dora closed her eyes as a picture of a beautiful black mansion with seven gables appeared in her mind. ‘She’s in trouble down by the House of the Seven Gables, we have to help her.’

Lenny grabbed the van keys from the dish on the side and all three of them ran out, not bothering to lock the door behind them. They clambered inside.

As Lenny reached Derby Street that led to where they needed to be, Dora pointed to the black clouds looming above the area. Brilliant flashes of bright red shot up into the darkness and Sephy whispered, ‘Oh my, this is bad. We shouldn’t have let her sneak out on her own.’

‘What the hell has she done?’ Lenny’s voice was filled with fury.

‘It’s not her, it’s Clara,’ said Dora.

‘I knew that old bat was up to no good.’

Abandoning the van in the car park where a group of tourists were staring at the clouds and flashes of red from outside of Ye Olde Pepper Company across the street, Lenny shouted to them, ‘Private party, pyrotechnics.’

Dora took off running. The buildings were in darkness, but the gardens would be accessible, maybe, if she clambered over. Unsure whether her aunts were up to that, she didn’t wait for them. She heard Hades cawing. She jumped the turnstile and ran to the gate, and squeezing through it she ran towards the noise then stopped in her tracks when she saw Morana on the floor, blood seeping all around her. Clara was battling with Hades. She swiped at him with the dagger she was holding, and the bird fell to the floor with a thud.

‘Hades!’ Dora screamed and ran towards him.

Clara looked like a woman possessed. She aimed her finger at Dora and pointed, and a stream of red energy flew towards her, but Dora stood still, held up the palm of her hand and deflected it back towards Clara. It caught Clara off guard and Dora zapped her with so much force it took her off her feet for the second time.

‘Thou should not do evil under the guise of being a good witch, Clara,’ Dora said, striding towards the woman.

She saw Hades, his feathers a mess on the floor.

He looked broken. He was staring at her and she bent down, tears falling down her face.