The Howling Hag Mystery by Nicki Thornton

Author:Nicki Thornton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chicken House
Published: 2021-07-21T00:00:00+00:00

21. Recon and Intel

At some point Raven must have let slip to Morti about the secret den in Beechy Wood and that was it – Morti insisted this was the HQ they needed for solving Operation Pickles.

As Raven paced impatiently, waiting for Morti, she was pleased the table (or at least the slab of wood they had dragged halfway across Beechy Wood) was still there, as were the smaller trunks they’d lugged in to use for seats. It was smaller than she remembered and needed clearing out of dead leaves. But the woodland xylophone remained. Rookery had meticulously put that together by hollowing branches of various sizes. So far it consisted of four notes. Was it too much to hope that Rookery might find time one day to come back and finish it?

Right now, Raven had a new panic. At the end of the school day, Mr Odorless had loomed over the Charming sisters as they walked towards the school gates: ‘Rookery Charming – to my office, now!’

She’d helplessly watched her sister being silently led away. With all the strange happenings at the school, the teachers would be keeping an extra-vigilant eye on everything. Had Rookery let her magic slip again? Was it all over?

Raven had not been quick enough to find answers. After talking to Snapdragon and hearing that Mr Odorless of all people knew about magic she had become even more fearful that Rookery was only a step away from having to Deny Everything and right now her sister was in Mr Odorless’s office, being grilled.

Morti had been quick to scramble off to listen at the door of the office, telling Raven he’d meet her in the den with intel as soon as he could. So Raven could do nothing except pace, hoping for more time to solve Operation Pickles. It couldn’t all be down to Rookery, it couldn’t. Mr Odorless couldn’t have discovered Rookery was a witch. He couldn’t have. Yet finding the right answers felt as far away as ever. Who had been mean enough to want to finish off Mr Pickles and leave him in the pond with his stuffing coming out? Not Rookery. Raven was sure.

The sound of rapid breathing told her Morti had run here all the way from school, although it might also be because he still thought the trees or the spiders might get him. He burst in, ducking under the branches that concealed the den from prying eyes. Raven took one look at his face, saw he was smiling and felt an enormous rush of relief.

‘All OK! He’s not accusing her of being a witch. He’s accusing her of having sweets in school.’

Only a few days ago this would have been terrible news. Being caught with sweets by Mr Odorless was possibly more scary than being caught cheating in an exam. But now the important thing was that their time had not run out. They still had a chance to solve this puzzle and find out why the school was

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