‘Are you sure we can’t go home?’ asked Flax.

The pup whimpered again.

But then he stopped whimpering and sat up. He stared towards the building. He sniffed the air.

‘There’s a human,’ he whispered to Flax, ‘coming this way.’

Flax put her ear to the ground and heard footsteps. ‘They won’t be able to see us or hear us or smell us. We’ll just stay here until they go past.’

But she drew her sword, just in case. Then she and the pup stood close to the tree trunk, and waited.

‘There,’ whispered the pup.

A shadowy figure crept between the trees. It seemed to be searching for something.

Not us, Flax reminded herself. Can’t-see-us. Can’t-hear-us. Can’t-smell-us.

The figure came closer. It was a human girl, and she was calling softly, ‘Where are you? Don’t be afraid. I want to help.’

What was she searching for? A bird? Another human?

She’s going to walk straight past us, thought Flax. She won’t even know we’re here.

But the human didn’t walk past.

She stopped. She stared at the pup. ‘Oh, you’re much bigger than I expected.’

‘Who’s she talking to?’ whispered Flax.

‘Me, I think,’ said the pup.

‘You can talk,’ said the human, clasping her hands in front of her. ‘A talking dog. A huge talking dog!’

‘I’m not a dog,’ said the pup. ‘I’m a Spe—’

‘Hush!’ cried Flax, leaping forward. ‘Don’t say it.’

The human bent down to take a closer look at Flax. ‘A pixie? With a sword? A talking dog and a pixie with a sword! Except you’ve got whiskers. And a tail. I didn’t know pixies had whiskers and tails.’

Flax and the pup looked at each other. ‘She can definitely see us,’ said the pup.

‘Of course I can see you,’ said the human. ‘Though I’ve never seen anything like you.’

Flax couldn’t understand how this human could see them when none of the others had been able to.

Unless …

She clutched her sword. She tried to look tall and dangerous (which isn’t easy for a minch-wiggin). ‘Are you—’ Her voice cracked. ‘Are you a w-w-witch?’

The pup rolled his eyes in horror. ‘A witch? NoooooOOOooooo! We've fallen into the hands of a witch!’

You may be wondering why Flax and the pup were so scared. After all, the witches you know are probably nice old women who live in forest clearings with their cats, and use their powers to help people.

They get rid of warts and cure the mumbling sickness. They find lost wedding rings, lost sheep and lost children.

The witches of Hallow are not like that.

The witches of Hallow work in the shadows where no one can see them. They gather on the edge of darkness. They have feathers on their elbows, and silence where their heartbeats should be.

The witches of Hallow do not concern themselves with lost children. Not unless they are making the invisibility potion, which requires ‘three fyngers of small childe’.

Then they will search harder than anyone.