Not wanting to mention it in front of him (or even think about it too loudly), I turn the conversation to the most important thing on my mind. ‘Tom saw something while he was asleep, didn’t you?’

He cuts me a look, unhappy at being put in the spotlight, and then seems to catch himself and nods. ‘Yeah, I saw Ivy’s mum.’

Morgan narrows her eyes, her expression darkening. ‘What did you see exactly?’

‘There was a man wearing a long robe, standing in a glass tower. He was speaking in a weird language and Ivy’s mum was with him, locked in a cage. It felt real and yet I knew I wasn’t actually there. How was I able to see it?’

She arches her eyebrows. ‘My guess is that your mind became linked to the demons under Merlin’s control.’ Tom looks horrified and she adds, ‘If you haven’t seen anything since, hopefully it won’t happen again – though I would like to offer you some healing.’

He coughs. ‘Um, that’s very nice of you, but I don’t know if …’

She beats her wings and he gulps. ‘OK, thank you.’

I touch Morgan’s arm, almost too afraid to ask. ‘What does Merlin want with my mum? Will he hurt her?’

She speaks quietly, choosing her words carefully. ‘Merlin knows that once you step into your power, we will be strong enough to enter the portal. He will be devising a counter-attack.’ I frown and she explains. ‘If Merlin has kept your mother alive, then it is for a reason. He perhaps wishes to make a bargain with you. If she has a use, then her life has value to him. We can only hope that we reach her quickly.’

She glances at the door and I nod to show I understand. The sooner I become a witch, the sooner we can rescue my mum.

23

I find them below the shallow cliffs, lounging around a rock pool. Several dangle their feet in the water, splashing noisily. One sits behind her sister, picking bits of the sea out of her hair and eating them, while another stands and tosses pebbles into the pool. With their long wild tresses flowing in the wind, they have a look of mermaids about them.

I’m halfway across the beach when they see me and rush over. Damp sandy hands stroke my cheeks as salty wet lips cover my forehead in kisses. My ears echo with their cackles and I find myself smiling, wrapped up in their joy. As they circle around me I search the group for Glitonea, and my heart sinks when I realise she’s not there.