that didn’t need to be swallowed but could be thrown at people to produce the result you wanted. Granny said it saved a lot of time trying to trick people to drink things. But after her accident many of the potions she brewed didn’t go quite to plan. Now Willow knew the truth, she thought it wasn’t fair that Granny Flossy had been blamed for that accident. And it certainly wasn’t fair that her career had ended because of someone’s jealousy and spite.
Willow looked around Amora Spell’s shelves now. There were only three bottles left, and she was loathe to leave them behind. ‘These belonged to my grandmother; we should take them, and they might help—’ She drew a breath. ‘Granny Flossy wouldn’t want her to have them anyway.’ For a moment the purple hat swam before her eyes, and she felt the fear that she’d pushed down in a corner of her heart, black-tinged and pointed, the fear that something may have happened to her. Willow swallowed. Where was Granny Flossy?
Shaking the fear from her heart, Willow opened her bag and handed the potions labelled ‘Forget’, ‘Wait’ and ‘Sleep’ to Oswin, who put them next to the dragon egg, giving her hand a sympathetic pat with his green paw. Sometimes a real friend knows what to say without speaking a word. Her eyes smarted, but she drew courage from him.
15
Wait and Forget
Willow’s mother was putting away the cards and placing the crystal ball back into its velvet-lined box when Willow, Essential and Sometimes entered the caravan. Willow was determined this time to convince her mother they needed her help. But when Raine looked up she sighed, her emerald-green eyes incredulous.
‘Oh, not again!’
The sentiment was echoed by Willow’s sisters, who entered hot on their heels.
Camille snorted. ‘Ooh, you’re going to be in so much trouble!’
‘Yes. Big trouble,’ said Raine. ‘How did you—’ She stopped then, seeing Essential, and shook her head. ‘So that’s how you got out? Essential, I’m shocked at you. Rubix entrusted you to look after my wayward daughter and yet here you are. I suppose she fed you the same sorry tale, and you believed it?’
‘I-I’m sorry, but yes, I do,’ stammered Essential, pushing up her glasses on her button nose.
Willow gave her a grateful look, then sighed. ‘Look, Mum, I’m sorry, but you are wasting time and we need your help—’
Her mother spluttered in shock. ‘I don’t know what has come over you, Willow. When we get home your father and I will—’
But they didn’t get to find out what Raine Moss planned to do as Nolin Sometimes interrupted. ‘Where does Moreg Vaine live?’
Raine’s eyes snapped to Sometimes, and then did a triple blink, as if this was the first time she’d noticed he was there.
But, before her mother could demand that he explain himself, Sometimes keeled over with a loud crash.
‘What on Great Starfell?’
‘He’s all right. He’s a forgotten teller – he can see the past, and that sometimes makes him faint—’
‘I do not faint.’
They all turned to look at Sometimes, but his eyes were still cloudy. ‘Parsnip Lane, Troll Country,’ he murmured.
‘What?’ said Willow with a frown.
Sometimes turned his misty eyes on her mother. ‘So you dye it? Really?’
‘What?’ said Raine, lifting a bejewelled hand to pat at her hair nervously.
‘Light brown is a perfectly acceptable hair colour …’
Raine’s eyes bulged. Her mouth flapped open. ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about …’
Camille let out a squeak. ‘You dye your hair, Mum?’
Sometimes sat up, then cocked his head to the side with a small grin. ‘So, this is Camille, eh?’
The humour died on Camille’s lips and her green eyes flared. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
He shook his head. ‘Oh, nothing, but it’s handy having your sort of skill around when people want to hear from their dead relatives, isn’t it? I mean, all you have to do is lift the rock outside with your mind and bang it against the door to make people believe that their dead have come knocking … Quite a clever trick.’
Camille had gone pale. ‘W-what?’ she gasped, and then looked at her mother. ‘How does he know that?’
Her mother turned to Willow, her expression somewhat embarrassed. ‘It’s not what you think …’ Then she glared at Sometimes.
Willow blinked. Her mother was a fraud?
While her family were shouting, Sometimes looked up at her mother. ‘Parsnip Lane, in Troll Country …’ he repeated. ‘I’m right?’
Raine’s face blanched. ‘How did you know that?’
‘What?’ asked Willow, thoroughly confused.
‘It’s where Moreg’s house is.’
Willow