The Witch's Revenge (27 page)

“I shall not let you pass,” she said, her soft voice ringing
out clearly in the semidarkness. “I have reason to believe you mean to bring a contaminant into Marnoch Mor.”

“What are you talking about?” Morag snapped. “Let us enter. We have Montgomery on board. He needs help.”

“Hand over the tooth and you may enter,” the Queen replied sharply, holding out a white hand. Morag was suspicious. Why did Flora want the tooth?

“I don't have it,” she said. “Now let us in.”

Flora's eyes flashed angrily and she pursed her lips.

“You lie, little girl,” she growled. “Give me the tooth and I
may
let you pass,” she added with a hiss.

Morag glared back at her.

“Why do you want it so badly?” she asked. “It's brought nothing but trouble.”

“I—I want to destroy it! For the safety of all Marnoch Morians,” replied the Queen haughtily. Morag watched her intently. She didn't trust her, but she could see no alternative. Montgomery needed help urgently.

“In that case,” she said, “I'll go and get it.”

The Queen smiled as the girl ran back to the train and climbed aboard. She watched as Morag spoke with the dodo and the rat, before climbing back down from the cab and walking back toward her.

Morag grimaced as she handed Flora the tooth. She didn't know what the Queen wanted it for, but she was sure it was not to destroy it.

Queen Flora's face lit up with joy as she held Mina MacPhail's tooth aloft. She stared at it in wonder and laughed out loud.

“Now I can be truly powerful,” she cried, “and rule Marnoch Mor as I wish!”

Morag hurried back to the train and instructed her friends to disembark. Shona helped Montgomery to stand and carried him off; still frail, he looked around, bewildered. As Bertie and Aldiss jumped off, Morag grabbed Henry from the dashboard and placed him round her neck. She joined the others on the track and together they made to make their way forward.

“Just a minute,” snarled the Queen. “Where do you think you're going?”

“We're taking Montgomery home,” replied Morag.

“No, you're not,” Flora said to her. “Guards, arrest them!”

The sergeant stepped to attention, saluted and ran forward, then halted, puzzled.

“What's the matter?” screamed the Queen. “Why have you stopped?”

The guard pointed and the Queen's mouth went into an O shape. Morag turned to see what she was looking at. Montgomery, still in Shona's arms, was bathed in a pure, white, pulsating light. It emitted a buzzing, which grew louder as the brightness increased. Montgomery's long white hair started to shrink and darken, the deep lines in his face smoothed away and he straightened up until he was standing without Shona's support. As they watched, the wizard inhaled deeply and smiled. Then, as suddenly as it began, the light and the buzzing stopped and the Montgomery they knew and loved was standing before them once again.

“That's better,” he said. “It's good to be so close to the Eye—to feel its energy again.”

“Oh no you don't!” shouted the Queen, holding up the tooth. She began to recite a spell in a low, ominous voice.

Everyone held their breath. But nothing happened.

The Queen tried again. Still nothing. She shook the tooth furiously, but without effect. With a screech, she threw it at them and ran back up the tunnel toward the station.

“Guards—go after her!” Montgomery instructed. “And place her under arrest.”

The men, momentarily confused, snapped to attention and pursued the Queen. They caught her as she was trying to climb onto the platform.

“What happened to the tooth?” asked Montgomery, retrieving it from the tracks. “It was one of our most powerful magical artifacts. Has it lost all its power?”

Morag smiled. “Nothing's happened to it,” she answered. “That's not Mina's tooth, it's Shona's. She broke it on the train.” She pulled something from her pocket that shone eerily white in the darkness. “
This
is Mina's tooth.” She handed it to the wizard.

“Good thinking,” he said, then sighed. “Come on, let's get back to the town. We've got a lot of work to do.”

Marnoch Mor Station was still as they had left it after the crowd had smashed their way in. The big wooden doors, their glass panels broken, lay to one side of the entrance. Morag, Montgomery and the others stepped over them as they made their way to the devastation outside.

The sun was just rising as they stood looking at the town square. The crowd from the other night had dispersed, but there were a few stragglers sleeping on the ground. They looked up blearily as the friends made their way past.

Montgomery's eyes filled with tears as he saw the broken buildings and torn-up streets of his beloved home. He said nothing as he wandered about, surveying the damage the earthquake had caused.

“Do we know if anyone was hurt?” he asked Bertie.

The dodo shrugged. “We had to leave before we could find out,” he replied.

Montgomery nodded.

“Very well,” he said, putting his arms out to make a space for himself. “Stand back.”

As the friends watched, the wizard closed his eyes, frowning in concentration. The glow and the buzzing they had witnessed earlier returned, surrounding him in a bright welcoming light.

Morag looked up to the top of the Town Hall. With Montgomery's return the Eye of Lornish was restored, just as Montgomery had been restored by his proximity to it. The stone appeared to be throbbing and sent waves of light across the town. An explosion of sound followed: an immense creaking and whirring as stone collided with stone. A particularly loud bang made them jump. Morag looked at her friends, who were all stunned into silence.
What's happening?
she fretted.

A large rift in the road nearby began to open even farther, exposing a dark crevasse below. The friends were
preparing to run when suddenly the sides snapped back together and to their amazement, the road appeared to heal itself.

“You've put everything back together,” Morag said breathlessly, and they watched as Marnoch Mor was slowly rebuilt. Morag felt her heart bursting with joy as she witnessed this amazing transformation. She was so proud of Montgomery.

When he had finished, the wizard opened his eyes and smiled. “That's better,” he said, surveying his work with satisfaction. “Who's for something to eat? I'm famished. Let's go to the Town Hall and see if they can rustle up something.”

“Great idea,” said the rat, racing off toward the hall's stone steps.

“Don't have to tell
me
twice,” joked the dodo. “I wonder if they have any pickles …,” the dragon mused as she followed. Only Morag hesitated.

Montgomery frowned. “Morag? What's the matter?” he asked.

“Well,” she began, “I don't know where to start. When I was captured in Irvine, Queen Flora told me something that I just can't believe is true.”

“Come inside and tell me all about it,” the wizard said, putting his arm around her slim shoulders. “Tales are always better told over a nice cup of tea.”

The Town Hall's janitor was more than happy to whip up some tea and scones for the tired friends. They sat in a study that was used by Montgomery when the WWWC met. The sofas were squishy, the fire was warming and the soothing lighting made it very hard to stay awake. Morag felt herself growing drowsy. Her eyes closed, but she was still aware of what was going on around her.

“Well, my friend,” she heard Bertie say to Aldiss, “I think it's about time we retired to our respective homes. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted.”

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” replied the rat.

There was a scuffling as Aldiss scampered down from the sofa.

“Don't forget your satchel,” he said to his friend.

“Oh! Silly me!” exclaimed the bird. “Wait a minute, what's this? Morag's paintings! What on earth did she want these old things for?”

At the sound of the word “paintings,” Morag jolted awake. In all the excitement of the day, she had forgotten about them.

“Give them to me!” she snapped, hand outstretched for those precious bundles.

Bertie looked at her, startled by her brusque manner, but handed over the paintings without a word. Morag carefully unrolled them and spread them out on the floor. Isabella and Nathan's faces beamed at her.

“Sorry,” she said, “I should have unwrapped you before now. I was tired.…”

“You don't have to explain yourself, child,” said Isabella
kindly. “We're just glad to be away from that dreadful place. Thank you for rescuing us.”

Morag stared at them, a lump rising in her throat. She was so overcome with emotion, she could not talk. It was Montgomery who noticed her strange reaction to the oil paintings.

“Morag,” he said, “perhaps now would be a good time for you to tell us why these paintings are so important.”

Eyes starry with tears, Morag turned to the wizard. “Montgomery, I'd like to introduce Isabella and Nathan,” she said. “They were trapped in these paintings by Mephista.”

There was a pause while she thought about how she was going to say the next bit. “They're also my parents.”

There were gasps all round. Shona covered her mouth with a claw, Bertie clasped his chest, Aldiss stared bug-eyed at the girl and Henry looked smug, as if he'd known all along. Montgomery looked the most shocked of all.

“You mean you … you're the missing princess?” he stuttered.

“Yes,” replied the girl. “It seems so.”

“How can that be?” Shona wanted to know. “You're human.”

And then everyone started talking at once until Morag's head began to hurt.

“Stop!” she cried. “I want to hear what my mum and dad have to say.”

All eyes turned to Nathan and Isabella.

“I should have known,” said her father. “You're as beautiful as your mother. You have her eyes. Why didn't I notice that before?”

“Are they saying something to her?” Aldiss whispered to Bertie. The dodo shrugged.

“Oh, Morag, I'm so glad we have you back,” said her mother. “When we lost you it felt like our whole world had crumbled. We searched for you … we looked everywhere.”

“I know, Queen Flora told me,” said Morag. “It was she who took me in the first place.”

“What?” Nathan gasped. “My mother caused all this?”

“Yes,” replied Morag, “but let's not talk about that now. I'm just so happy to have you both back. I knew you hadn't abandoned me, I just knew it! And I promise I will do everything I can to find a way of releasing you so that we can be a proper family again.”

“How are you going to do that?” Nathan asked.

“I don't know,” she said, “but I'm sure my friends will help me.”

She looked around to Bertie, Aldiss, Shona and Montgomery, who was holding Henry. Although they had only heard one side of the conversation, they had got the gist of it and were all nodding in agreement. Morag smiled. She had a real home at last!

D. A. NELSON was born in Glasgow, grew up in Neilston, and currently lives in Cardross, Scotland.

On leaving school, she became a trainee reporter, working for various newspapers in central Scotland, before moving into public relations. She started writing at an early age and still has a pile of books she wrote as a child. She loves books, and her favorite pastime is sitting in a bookstore, cup of tea and muffin at hand, reading a fantastic new novel.

The DarkIsle books were inspired by a huge stone dragon, created by Roy Fitzsimmons, that overlooks Irvine Beach on Scotland's west coast.