Chapter 3

I ran to answer the door. I knew who it would be – Kika. Kika Rorrit-Mogg. One of my two best friends.

I opened the door, and Kika hurled herself at me. “Flo!” she screeched. “It has been SO long!”

Well, actually, it had been two weeks. Because Kika has been away, visiting her dad’s family in Taklik. Which, if you don’t know, is one of the Farflungs – those five small islands way down in the Serpent Sea.

I went away, too. To our holiday villa, on the coast at Kronebay where South Witchenland meets Witchenfinn. But we only had a week there, because Mum had to get back for work.

We packed a lot into that week, though. We trekked on three-humped dongladrons. We had a picnic by the Wailing Waterfalls. And on the last day, Mum did a transforming spell, and we spent all day being mermaids.

Kika stopped the hugging and stepped back. Then she whipped something out of her pocket. “What do you think, Flo?” she beamed. “My new look. What do you think?”

I gaped.

Kika had just stuck a pair of specs on her nose.

Nothing surprising about that – lots of witchkids wear specs. But Kika’s were very big, very purple and shaped up at the sides like pointy wings. They had little crystals – twinkling and shining – studded all along the arms. And they covered half her face.

“Oversized and glamorous, with butterfly frames,” Kika said proudly, beaming out from behind them. “The perfect choice for my face shape.”

Then she clasped my arm. “Because, Flo,” she said, “if you have a square face with a strong jaw, like I do – you can afford to go dramatic. Making butterfly frames the perfect choice.”

Then she beamed. “Page seventy-one,” she said. “Choosing specs that suit.”

Page 71 of the Book.

The Book is something Kika gave my other best friend, Lily, for her last birthday. Two Hundred Utterly Important Things a Witchgirl Should Know. Which was a lie, as none of it was utterly important, not to me.

But ALL of it was utterly important to Lily and Kika. And Kika found it so utterly important, she bought herself a copy too. Now she hardly ever talks without quoting the Book.

Kika was looking around, frowning. “Where are the witchpaps, Flo?” she said.

“They’ve gone,” I said.

“Gone?” gasped Kika. “Gone?”

“Yes,” I said.

Kika looked concerned. “Poor Flo,” she said. “Your sudden stardom – gone!” She patted my arm. “Sometimes, Flo, there will be difficult times in your life. Times when things aren’t going your way. Times—”

“Kika,” I said. “Shush. This is NOT a difficult time. This is a good time. I am glad the witchpaps are gone.”

And I was. I really was.

Me and Kika both live near the very top of Moaning Mountain, in Upper Haggspit. We set off from my house to walk down to Lily’s.

Lily Jaggwort, my other best friend.

Lily lives further down Moaning Mountain, near the edge of Upper Haggspit. Usually it takes about twenty minutes to walk to Lily’s house. But not today. Today it took almost forty – because of Kika. She was SO slow.

It was her shoes. I was too busy noticing the specs to notice the shoes at first. But I noticed them now.

They were very sparkly – but also very clumpy. With heels like fat wedges of kronkel-milk cheese. And so heavy it was a big effort for Kika to even lift her feet off the ground.

It wasn’t just Kika’s shoes that slowed her down. It was also her robes. Which were short, stripy, and tight – extremely tight.

So, what with the shoes and the robes, all Kika could manage was to totter, with tiny wobbling steps.

“Hurry up,” I said.

“Flo,” said Kika, struggling. “Do these shoes, and my on-trend stripy bandage robe, look like the sort of outfit a witchgirl can hurry in?”

“You should wear flat shoes then,” I grumbled. “And looser robes. I am, and look – I can stride. I can run. I can jump.”

And I showed her. I started striding, broke into a run, and jumped right over a boggle-poop bin.

But Kika just threw back her head and did a tittering sort of cackle. “Flats, Flo?” she tittered. “Looser robes? I think NOT!”

Then she shrieked, as a swarm of tiny zizzwings flew past – all buzzing and turning from bright blue to bright green to bright yellow as they flew.

Still – at last – we got there. Kika tottered the last few steps to Lily’s house. And Lily flung open the door before we even rang the bell. “Hi!” she shrieked. “Hi!”

Because Lily also went away for two weeks. To Lakktarn in the Narrowlands.

There was a LOT of shrieking after that. Kika shrieking at Lily. Lily shrieking back. Both of them shrieking at me – and the three of us jumping around in a big group hug.

“Back with my witchbesties,” beamed Lily. “I am so happy!”

I was gaping. Something was different about Lily.

Lily has grown a lot lately, and her legs have done most of the growing, so they’re long and skinny, like pelloligan legs. And her face is long and skinny too, with huge round eyes. But right now – she had long black fake eyelashes.

“Kika, Flo,” said Lily, batting those eyelashes. “What do you think? Super-stylish?”

“Definitely,” said Kika, nodding hard. “Super-stylish. Definitely.”

I wasn’t entirely sure they were super-stylish. They looked a bit like spiders to me. And anyway, I had something I wanted to ask Lily.

Because Lily and her mum stayed in a hotel near the Churnings, the Fourth Wonder of Witchworld. And I really really want to see the Churnings – see all those vast crashing waves. Those waves that roll over and over in the Wildwaters but never come to shore. Those giant waves, with glimpses – if you’re lucky – of sea creatures found nowhere else in the whole of Witchworld.

“So – what were they like? The Churnings?” I said.

“Oh … big, rolly,” said Lily vaguely. Then she grabbed me and Kika by the arm. “And now,” she said proudly, “I have something to show you.”

I stood in the doorway of Lily’s bedroom and gaped. It was all different. Last time I was here, it was full of Destiny Daggett stuff.

Destiny Daggett – fearless witchkid who roams Witchworld sorting out villains in Skyhunter. Our favourite witchscreen show.

Last time Lily had a Destiny Daggett dartboard. A Destiny Daggett duvet set. A Destiny Daggett poster. And a pinboard with lots of Destiny Daggett stuff pinned to it.

Not any more. There was no Destiny Daggett anywhere. It was all gone. Even the duvet had changed. No Destiny Daggett – instead some flowery, swirly patterns, and a small fluffy rug by her bed. Her pinboard was covered with pictures of witchscreen stars and witchboy bands.

The whole room was twinkling with little sparkling green lights. And on Lily’s desk, she had a mirror with lights all round the edge. And a stack of boxes with little compartments for jewellery. And a small fluffy rug by her bed.

“Page seventy-eight,” Lily said proudly. “Turn your bedroom into a boudoir.”

Then Lily stopped. Listened.

We all listened – because we could all hear it. A low moaning sound. A moaning, groaning sound… Coming right from the heart of the mountain.