Wish and Xar only just left in time, for:
Knock!
Knock!
Knock!
KNOCK knock KNOCK knock KNOCK!!!!!
The person knocking frantically at the eastern door was Xar’s father, Encanzo.
The eastern door was the official entrance, so it was enormous and had a stone with big curly sprite-writing on it saying “Pook’s Hill, the Learning Place for Spectacularly Gifted Wizards,” just in case anybody had any doubt where they were.
Encanzo wasn’t just knocking with both fists, he was drumming on the door with his feet, shouting, “COME ON! COME ON! FOR MISTLETOE’S SAKE, LET US IN!!!” for he was in a terrible state.
Riding through the forest on their snowcats, Encanzo and Looter, Xar’s elder brother, had been ambushed by Witches. Encanzo had begun by fighting them off with Magic, but there were too many of the creatures, so in desperation Encanzo had to set up a force field over the two of them, and they had only just reached the learning place in time. Now they had their backs against the door, and Witches were attacking the force field with terrible cries.
Looter was tall, handsome, good-looking, and extremely pleased with himself. He had just spent three months changed into a Graxerturgleburkin,* but he seemed to have recovered from the experience. In fact, it may even have improved him somewhat. He was ever so slightly less self-satisfied than he had been three months earlier.
But right at this very moment he was looking absolutely petrified. Looter had never come this close to a Witch before, and he was cowering at the back of the force field, scrabbling at the door as the terrifying creatures swooped and struck. It was so dark that you could not really see them, but you could hear the appalling noise as they dived and see the red of their eyes.
Knock!
Knock!
Knock!
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!!!!!!!!
And then, to Looter’s and Encanzo’s intense relief…
“All right, all right!” came a rather harassed voice from a long way away. “I’m coming! I’ve just forgotten the password. What is it again? Oh, I remember now… ARDEN!”
C-R-e-e-e-akkkkk! The door opened. The light was so dazzling that Encanzo and Looter couldn’t quite see what they were stepping into, but they and their snowcats FELL in through the door, Encanzo exploding the force field simultaneously so that the attacking Witches fell back with terrible screams of pain.
SLAM! The door closed behind them with the sound of a rain of talons landing as it shut.
“Thank the green gods…” gasped Encanzo, and Looter was so out of his mind with fear that he could only just gulp slightly. Even Encanzo’s very dignified ancient snowcat had his fur standing up like the quills on a hedgehog, and his equally distinguished sprite was a mess of anxiety.
But when Encanzo’s and Looter’s eyes adjusted, to their surprise they were not standing in the large impressive entrance hall that the appearance of the eastern entrance for the Learning Place for Spectacularly Gifted Wizards might suggest.
No, they were standing in a small, very tidy study. There was only one person in the room and that person was Queen Sychorax, sitting down with her hands on the desk.