Page 45 of The Wonder of You
We lay in silence until the darkness and peace of sleep takes us.
Chapter 33
Mortal Land
Bath, England
1923
Henry doesn’t even knock as he rushes into the cabin, disturbing my coffee time with Phoenix.
“I’m sorry,” he wheezes. There is a glimmer of panic on his features, which is rare for him. It instantly makes me anxious. Phoenix stands.
“The witches are back and they’re causing chaos,” Henry says frantically.
“How? We’re in the mortal world. It can’t be possible!” Phoenix says with wild eyes. My heart drops. The witches seem to find us wherever we go. A part of me feels guilty even after everything they’ve done. I wonder if things would have been different if we had just accepted them in. But there’s no use looking to the past. We have to wonder how we’re going to get out of this mess.
“I don’t know how it’s possible, but it is! We have to fix this!” Henry shouts before running out the door again. Phoenix rolls up his sleeves, anger flashing in his eyes. I grab his arm.
“Phoenix, what are you going to do? I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”
“Everything is going to be okay, I promise,” he murmurs, but his soft voice doesn’t reassure me. He looks too nervous.
“Say it back to me,” he adds as his hands place themselves on my cheeks. He gently lifts my face so I’m looking at him. His thumbs feel so soft and reassuring as he rubs them on my jawline.
“Everything is going to be okay.” My voice is weak and I don’t believe my own words. We don’t even know what they’re capable of. What if the witches hurt someone? What if they set the circus on fire? I don’t trust them, none of us do. Phoenix didn’t seem so concerned the first time, or even the second, but it’s gone on for too long now, and it keeps getting worse; they won’t stop coming back and it’s putting everyone on edge. Seeing Henry even shred a hint of panic is enough to send me over into freak out mode.
Phoenix quickly kisses my forehead and rushes out the cabin to join his crew.
I stay in the cabin for a few minutes, waiting anxiously, but when it becomes too much, I rush out to see what’s happening.
I catch sight of the witches. This time there are far more of them than the usual one or three who have visited before. They are a group of older women wearing large brown coats and odd pointed hats shouting all sorts of words and insults. I can barely understand what it is they are saying this time, although every now and then I overhear them mention clowns. Something they seem greatly offended by. I catch sight of Phoenix in the thick of it all, facing off with a witch I haven’t seen before.Alam bells start ringing in my head. This woman looks different. She’s taller. Her back isn’t as hunched over as the others who seem to linger behind her as if she is their leader. Her long hair is full and black and she seems younger than the rest.
“You threaten my coven with dogs?” she hisses. Her face so close to Phoenix who immediately steps back. There is a much larger audience around us this time. Toni and her acrobat girls are here. One of them closest to me gasps.
“Claudia, that’s Claudia. I’ve only heard about her in stories. She’s a Grand High Witch. I thought she was a myth.” I can’t tell if her voice is filled with fear or admiration. A flicker of fear crosses Toni’s face. I’ve heard about Grand High witches and their powers, but I’ve never heard that name be spoken before. What don’t I know?
I have no time to think any more on it.
“I’ve told you; we have nothing here. I am sure there is something else for you.” Phoenix’s voice is soft, but stern. He’s lost his patience. One of the women hits out, but Phoenix moves back quickly. I see Lukas run over and Maudie attempt to follow. I want to see if Phoenix is okay, but I know he has this under control, so I run to grab Maudie, pulling her back towards my chest.
“Daddy!” she cries out, probably fearing she will soon lose him too. She still doesn’t understand that her mum has left for good, constantly asking when she’ll be back to tuck her into bed. Her requests for her mother have only heightened since the scary event she witnessed with the witches. She can’t understand why her mumisn’t here to check she is okay, to want to protect her. It’s heartbreaking and unfair.
“It’s okay,” I say, feeling bad for lying because I know things are far from okay. I feel like this time, something big is going to happen. I don’t know what, but there is something about the atmosphere that feels off. I wrap my arms tighter around Maudie to stop her running forward. I know she’s afraid of the witches, but she wants to make sure Lukas is okay too. She’s only a child; I need to keep her safe.
“I wish you were my mum,” Maudie cries. I hold her close, feeling like I’m shielding her from an uncontrollable fire.
“I am sorry for everything, Maudie, things will get better.”
As a witch from behind Claudia suddenly steps forward and punches Henry square in the face, I am not so confident about my words. Maudie and I gasp.
“Leave! I won’t ask again! You have come back repeatedly and attacked my staff, why would you believe for even a moment that we’d allow you here?” Phoenix shouts as Lukas helps Henry stand. He doesn’t look hurt, more just shocked by the unexpected hit. Luckily, he chooses not to respond or make things worse.
Claudia swings her long hair behind her back and smirks.
“We are better than using physical violence.” She straightens herself as she continues to talk in a loud voice full of authority, she does this without looking at the coven of witches behind her. They instantly step back and bow their heads, in some kind of agreement orapology for going against their leaders wishes. I watch in terror. Would Claudia even want her witches working for the circus? She seems to hold so much respect for herself, and that respect is clearly given by how the other women respond to her. They seem so disgusted by elements of the circus. It makes me wonder; was all this a test? Did they want to create a problem with us to have an opportunity to prove themselves as powerful?
“You’ll be punished for this! Look at the state of all of you,” Claudia lifts out her arms, her voice hoarse, she points at Phoenix. “Youdon’t deserve happiness!”
