Wirl's End Chapter 5.

Chapter Five.

 

Calizone.

 

When they reached the place where Brian and James had first met, the riders stopped and dismounted.

“Right,” the leader announced. “This is as close as we’re going to the Witch’s Cottage. You can find your own way from here. Go through there.” He pointed to a barely visible path through the trees.

“But King Rogan said to take us to the Witch’s Cottage,” Brian protested.

“Listen, sonny.” The forester leaned in so close Brian could smell the leather of his jerkin. “King Rogan can give as many orders as he likes, but the last time one of my men went to the Witch’s Cottage, she turned him into a crow. He’s still flying around up there somewhere.” He jerked his chin at the canopy. “I’m not taking the risk.”

He straightened. “We’ll look for your lady friends. If we find them before dark, we’ll take them to the castle ,  and in the morning, back to Wirl’s End. If you find them, go there and wait. We’ll come for you tomorrow. Good luck.”

Before Brian or James could protest, the whole troupe mounted and rode away.

“Great,” Brian muttered.

“I’m scared,” James whispered.

“Me too. Is Calizone really as bad as everyone says?”

James nodded miserably. “She’s the reason the families moved away from Wirl’s End. They were terrified of her. And now the King wants them to move back. It’s all my fault ,  I wanted to marry Verity Turnkey.”

He looked close to tears. Brian turned away ,  and froze. Two cats were watching them: a large grey long‑haired one, and a smaller white short‑haired one. Four green eyes stared without blinking.

“We’re not alone,” Brian whispered.

The white cat purred, low and deliberate.

“Maybe if they go home, we can follow them,” Brian said.

The white cat purred louder, as if approving.

“Do we really want to see the Witch?” James whispered. “I don’t want to be turned into a crow.”

The grey cat hissed sharply.

“If the girls met the Witch, we have to go,” Brian said. “I’d rather be a crow than explain to Lexa’s mum where she’s gone.”

The white cat licked his hand, slow and deliberate.

James sighed. “I suppose I’d rather be a crow than live without Verity.”

The grey cat purred.

“You’d think these cats understood every word,” Brian said.

The white cat purred again.

Feeling foolish, Brian bent down. “Could you show us the way to the Witch’s Cottage, please?”

The cats stood, turned, and walked into the trees without looking back.

Brian and James followed.

The cats led them along a narrow path until they reached an old cottage in a clearing. As they approached, a flock of rooks exploded from the trees, cawing furiously. No one could ever sneak up on this place.

The door opened. A tall, dark‑haired woman stepped out. “Well now. What have we here?”

“Are you the Witch?” Brian blurted.

She raised an eyebrow. “And who else would come out of the Witch’s Cottage?”

Brian stared. She wasn’t old, bent, or ugly. No black hat. No cloak. Just a long skirt, a blouse, and a face far too young for the stories.

“But you’re… you’re too young. And… er… handsome.”

Calizone smiled, a sharp, pleased smile. “Flattery. Yes, I am Calizone, Witch of the Dark Forest. And I seem to be getting a lot of visitors today. Where have you sprung from?”

“If it pleases you, ma’am,” Brian said. “My name is Brian, and I come from Wirl’s End, ”

Calizone drew in a sharp breath and pointed a finger at his chest.

Before she could speak, both cats hurled themselves between her and Brian, hissing and yowling. James dove behind a tree.

Calizone held her finger pointed for a long, terrible moment. Then she lowered it. The cats stayed in front of Brian, bristling.

“You appear to have friends,” she said coldly. “Answer quickly. Are you a wizard?”

“No! Everyone keeps asking me that. I’m just an ordinary boy who happens to live in Wirl’s End.”

Calizone stepped forward. “Stand still. If you try anything, I’ll turn you into a worm.”

She placed her hands on his head, muttered, waited, then released him. “You speak truly. Ordinary. Lucky for you.”

Brian sagged with relief.

Calizone turned to James. “And you? Are you from Wirl’s End?”

“Wirl’s End,” Brian corrected. “And no, he just wants to go there. His family used to live in the cottages.”

Calizone made a gesture. James stumbled out from behind the tree, unable to resist.

“So you’re one of the idiots who ran away from their duty. Why?”

James stammered. “They were afraid to live so near you. I’m sorry. It wasn’t me ,  it was my grandparents.”

“Idiots,” Calizone snapped. “They were told long ago that as long as they lived in those cottages, no witch would harm them. An unbreakable oath ,made when we got rid of those unspeakable evil beings.”

James brightened. “Then that must be the family secret that was lost when Great‑Grandfather Custos died! This is wonderful news!”

Brian cut in. “Please ,  did you see two girls? Lexa and Verity?”

Calizone smiled. It was not a kind smile. “I may have. Or I may not.”

She grabbed Brian’s ear. He squeaked.

“When you came through the Gate in the hedge, did you feel something going the other way?”

“Ouch! Yes ,  it sort of went through me rather than past.”

“Did you sense anything from it?”

“It felt… happy. But also very, very evil.”

Calizone released his ear. “Good. Better in your world than mine.”

Brian rubbed his ear, relieved he hadn’t mentioned Mr Warder catching the thing.

“Please , what about Lexa and Verity?”

Calizone laughed ,  a cold, spiteful sound. “I’m sure they’re not far from you, even now. You just need to look harder. And I have had enough of boys for one day. Leave. Now. I must speak to King Rogan about sending those Guardians back.”

Brian and James had no choice. Their legs carried them away from the cottage and back to the road.

“I think we were very lucky,” James said, sinking onto the road.

Brian agreed. “But we’re still no nearer to finding the girls, and it’s getting late.”

Something brushed Brian’s leg. He jumped.

The white cat had returned, winding itself around his ankles. The grey cat rubbed against James.

“At least we still have these two,” Brian said.

James stroked the grey cat. “I don’t suppose you can remember where the cottages are from here?”

Brian sighed. “My notches vanished. I wish these cats could lead us back like they led us to the Witch.”

The white cat purred, turned, and walked toward the trees.

When the boys didn’t follow, it came back and scratched Brian’s hand ,firmly.

“I think it wants us to follow,” James said. “You’d think they understood everything we say.”

The grey cat purred.

“Well, the forester did say to go to Wirl’s End and wait,” Brian said. “And I’d feel safer in the old cottages than anywhere near her.”

The cats led them through the trees and out into a clearing. At the far end stood the four cottages and the hedge with the Gate.