Legends from The Warlock's Chair - Book One - Ravengaard

Chapter Three - Caranaxus

Just the other side of nowhere.

IN THAT SPLIT SECOND BETWEEN SLEEP AND CONSCIOUSNESS, Danielle wondered if it had all been a dream. But as she came fully awake, she knew it had all been very real. Three days had passed since their adventure with Rosewing and the Elves in Whytewytch Wood. Since then they had neither seen nor heard anything of them.

Because it was a Saturday morning, and there was no school. She wondered if George and Jessica would like to attempt trying and find them again.

But it did not look like it would be today, she mused. Looking out of her bedroom window she could see it was still raining heavily. Her room was on the southeast corner of the house. From the front, she enjoyed an almost unrestricted view out over the valley, and from the side window, she could see a substantial part of the woodlands and the hills of the Warlocks Chair.

The rain had started on Thursday evening and had not stopped since. Steely grey clouds hung across the distant hills. In the deepening gloom below them, Whytewytch Wood stretched away dark and sodden.

She thought she saw a wisp of smoke rising from the trees far back in the woods. But through the downpour, she could not be certain.

Behind her, her bedroom door clicked open. She turned as George poked his head in. 

He stepped into her room. 'You're awake then?' he said blearily.

'Yep,' she replied. 'I've been awake for a while now. It's still raining so we won't be going far today.

'Oh,' he sighed. 'I was looking forward to exploring again.' 

'We'll have to stay in and explore the house instead,' she went on. 'Let's see if Jessica's awake, we can start before breakfast. But let's not wake Mum and Dad just yet.'

They walked down the passage to Jessica's room. Her room was in between Danielle's and George's and their parent's rooms were at the far end of the landing.

Jessica's bedroom door was partly open. 

'She's already up,' said George quietly.

He pushed the door open and looked in.  Their sister's bed lay empty, and there was no sign of her.

'Perhaps she's gone to Mum and Dad's room,' Danielle whispered. 'Let's check.'

All their bedrooms and bathrooms were on the second floor of the house. Upstairs on the third floor were more of the same. For guests, Dad once told them. They were not supposed to go up there. A lot of work still needed to be done before the rooms were ready. Starting down the passage towards their parents' bedroom, they passed the stairway leading up to the third floor. A faint voice drifted down from above.  

They stopped and listened.

'Is that Jessica?' George questioned.

Danielle nodded. 'It certainly sounds like her.' 

She appeared to be talking to someone.

Running up the steps to the next level, they looked along the passageway. It was empty and Jessica was nowhere to be seen.

'She must have gone into one to the rooms,' Danielle told her brother. 'Let's check.'

'Look,' George said pointing.

Opposite the stairway was another door, it was slightly open.

'That should be locked,' Danielle noted. 'Dad said it leads up into the attic. We're not allowed up there.'

Pushing the door open they stepped through. It was just another staircase stretching up into the darkness; it smelt musty and old wallpaper peeled off the walls. In the gloom at the top of the stairs, there appeared to be another door. George flicked the light switch, but nothing happened.