Untitled Starfell #2 (Starfell #2) - Dominique Valente Page 0,23

waist and she felt bad for staring.

‘You’re Willow?’ he asked.

His voice was like the raven’s cry, low and oddly haunting.

She nodded. ‘H-how did you know?’

‘Moreg.’

Suddenly Willow remembered something. It was a morning she would never forget, when she’d left her cottage with Moreg to find the lost day. Ravens had circled above them then too, in the dark woods. Among them Willow had seen a strange one with a dark, smoky blue wing … and then the witch had raised a finger and seemingly made the bird disappear … This was him.

Willow stared as she realised. ‘Moreg sent you?’

‘Yes. She told me to give you that,’ he said, pointing at the broomstick in her hands. ‘Said you’d need it.’

Then he turned to leave, and a shudder went through his body, followed by a ripple and a flash. For a moment there was a trace of feathers, then his body shuddered again and he was back to being a boy.

He sighed and sat down by the side of the boat. ‘Would you mind if I rested here a while? It’s been a long journey.’

Willow shook her head. ‘Of course not.’

She looked at Holloway for confirmation, who nodded and said, ‘Stay as long as ya need, son.’

Willow went to fetch the boy a glass of water, which he accepted with gratitude, downing it in one. ‘Thanks,’ he gasped.

What did it mean, Moreg asking this boy to bring her broom, Whisper? Where was the witch? Did she know about Nolin Sometimes? Why hadn’t she come herself?

‘Do you know where Moreg is?’ Willow asked. ‘Can you take me to her? I need her help. Our friend has been taken – it’s really important.’

The boy looked up at her, his eyes glazed with fatigue. ‘She—’ His eyelids started to flicker. He was struggling to keep awake.

Holloway said, ‘Poor lad looks tuckered out. C’mon, it can keep a little while. I’m sure he’ll tell ya everything when he’s rested.’ And he led the boy below deck to sleep.

The boy slept well into the evening, while Willow paced outside the bedroom, waiting.

‘If the witch sent yew the broom, mebbe it means she’s working on getting the forgotten teller back too,’ said Oswin.

Willow nodded. That was true. She bit her nail, wishing the boy would just wake up so she could ask him if that were true, if the witch had some kind of plan for rescuing Nolin Sometimes.

‘C’mon, lass. Nothing to be done right now – might as well have some dinner,’ added Holloway.

The boy woke at last to the scent of fish frying in the small kitchen. The wizard had speared a ferntail, which was large enough to feed everyone comfortably.

The boy ran a hand nervously through his dark, messy hair as he found them all sitting just outside the bedroom. Willow had been playing a round of Witchstyx with Oswin, trying to distract herself from her impatience, but when he reappeared she stood up so fast that she made her chair wobble.

The boy didn’t notice. He just looked round and said, ‘This is some boat.’

‘Thanks,’ said Holloway.

‘I’m Sprig,’ said the boy. ‘I didn’t introduce myself properly earlier, sorry.’

‘You were tired,’ said Holloway. There were still deep circles beneath the boy’s dark eyes.

Barely containing her impatience, Willow tried to be polite. ‘This is Oswin, and Holloway,’ she said quickly, indicating the old wizard with his long grey hair and glass eye, who waved a spatula at Sprig in greeting.

Sprig smiled. He seemed to find the sight of Oswin the most diverting, and couldn’t help staring. The kobold looked up from matching a cauldron card with one of Willow’s, his green fur turning ever so slightly orange at the edges, and said, ‘Wot?’

‘I’ve just never seen a ca—’ He broke off at Willow and Holloway’s violent head-shaking.

Willow mouthed, ‘Don’t call him a cat!’

The boy’s eyes widened, but he nodded and seemed to hide a grin as he said, ‘I just haven’t seen that game played in a while is all.’

The kobold nodded, his fur going back to green.

Willow cut to the chase. ‘Do you know where Moreg is? I need to speak to her urgently. My friend is missing and I think she might know something about it!’

Sprig’s eyes widened. ‘Oh. I – um, no … She didn’t say anything about that to me. Besides, she’s gone – some Enchancil business. Be away for a while, I gather.’

Willow felt her heart sink down to her toes. The Enchancil was the official body for magical people in Starfell,