Chapter Twelve
Mildred stared at the letter, trying to process the information. Tuesday evening... that was tonight. That didn't leave much time to decide what to do. The idea of coming face to face with Hecate Broomhead again was not a pleasant one, but Mildred now knew that she had the power to defeat Broomhead, even if she was still struggling to control it. This could be her chance to get Constance's magic back! But Constance would never approve of her going after Broomhead, especially on her own.
She couldn't tell anyone where she was going, or Constance might find out... but they'd notice she was gone, and get worried about her. What if she left the letter to show where she had gone? By the time anyone found it, she would already have left... Constance would probably come after her, but then Broomhead would have two powerful witches to deal with!
With her plan decided, Mildred pulled on her cloak, and placed the letter on her bedside table. She made her way downstairs and out to the courtyard, collected her broomstick from the broomshed, mounted it, and took off.
"Have any of you seen Mildred?" Maud asked her friends as she entered the Great Hall for dinner. "I can't find her anywhere."
"We thought she was with you," Enid replied. Maybe Miss Hardbroom knows?" Jadu suggested.
"I haven't seen Mildred since she left my lesson," said Constance. "When was the last time any of you saw her?"
"I gave Mildred her mail after she came back from your lesson," said Maud. "We haven't seen her since then."
Constance thought about this. "I had better go and have a look for her. Goodness knows what she's managed to do this time."
Constance didn't have to search every nook and cranny for her daughter; their ability to sense each other was growing stronger, and they could now sense each other across a room. Constance merely had to walk into a room and feel for Mildred with her mind to know whether she was there or not.
Having determined that Mildred wasn't on the ground floor of the castle, Constance made her way upstairs to check the bedrooms. She checked the third year corridor first, but as she walked past the row of bedrooms, there was no sign of Mildred. Constance stopped at Mildred's door. Perhaps her bedroom might hold clues as to where she had gone? Entering the room, Constance noticed the letter sitting on the bedside table. She picked it up, and was shocked by what she read.
Constance knew that Amelia would be in her office, finishing some paperwork before dinner, so she crossed her arms and materialised in Amelia's office, startling the Headmistress and causing her to knock a stack of paperwork flying. "Oh! Constance! You'll give me a heart attack one of these days! My office does have a door you know."
With a flick of her fingers, Constance caused the door in question to slam shut. "I apologise, Amelia, but we have a situation."
"What kind of situation?" Amelia asked.
"It's Mildred- She's gone after Hecate Broomhead by herself-"
"What? But why...?"
Constance pushed the letter into Amelia's hands. "Read this. I found it in Mildred's bedroom."
Miss Cackle's expression turned to shock as she read. "But how did the letter get to Mildred in the first place?" Amelia asked. "The pupils' mail is collected and handed out by staff, surely someone would have noticed...?" Constance picked up the letter and envelope and inspected them closely; most people wouldn't be able to tell, but to her expert eye, there were traces of magic lingering on the paper. "There's been magic used... a spell that's worn off. Broomhead must have used a concealment spell to hide the letter's true content."
"What are we going to do?" Amelia asked. "Surely Hecate is expecting you to follow Mildred?"
"I suspect as much. Unfortunately, Mildred can be rather gullible, and I believe Hecate's plan is that by getting Mildred to come to her, I will follow, allowing her to get us both away from the Academy, and away from help."
"Surely you're not going to walk straight into her trap..."
"Mildred is my daughter, and therefore my responsibility," said Constance. "I will go after her."
A short while later, Maud, Enid, Ruby and Jadu were coming out of the Great Hall after having dinner, when they saw Miss Hardbroom, with her cloak and broomstick, accompanied by Miss Cackle. Wondering where Constance was going at such an hour, and whether it had anything to do with Mildred's whereabouts, they followed behind the teachers and hid near the stairs, listening.
"Do be careful, Constance," said Amelia. "Please just get Mildred and come straight back, I don't want any you, or Mildred, in any more danger than you need to be."
"Please be quiet, Amelia," Constance hissed. "We don't want any young ears hearing anything they shouldn't..."
When Constance had left, the four girls stepped out from their hiding spot, much to Miss Cackle's surprise.
"Where is Mildred?" Enid asked. "What's happened?"
"You weren't listening..." Amelia began, but the looks on their faces told her that they had been.
"We need to know, Miss Cackle," said Maud. "She's our friend."
Amelia sighed. "Come with me." She led the four girls into her office and closed the door.
"We believe Mistress Broomhead has lured Mildred away from the Academy, out into the woods... Constance seemed certain that Mildred is in danger, and has gone after her."
There were shocked gasps and shouts from the group.
"Why didn't anyone tell us?" Maud demanded, "We need to help them, Miss Cackle!"
Mildred stood in the clearing in the woods where the Academy celebrated Halloween. Facing her was Hecate Broomhead.
"I knew you would come." Hecate's mouth twisted into a menacing smile. "Mildred Hubble. Who would have thought that such a clumsy girl could be Constance Hardbroom's daughter- and an Astral Witch to boot."
"An Astral Witch?" Mildred asked, confused.
"Did Constance not tell you what you are?"
"She said that I- we- have powers beyond those of other witches..."
"That is correct," said Hecate. There only a few remaining Astral lineages, of which Constance and yourself are one. Astral Witches, or Witches of the Stars, were thought to be goddesses in ancient times- hence the name. Constance and yourself possess magical power that most witches could only dream of. Which is why I need you, your power is the key to pushing back the very limits of magic."
"What do you mean?" Mildred asked, suspicious.
Hecate continued. "Many years ago I experimented with the limits of magic, to see just what was possible. But go too far, and magic backfires, with disastrous results. People turned into lizards, buildings frozen in ice... but there is an answer. I came across an ancient book which talked about Astral Witches. The Witches Training College provided a means of coming into contact with promising young witches. It was when a certain Constance Hardbroom achieved, in a matter of weeks, what took me years of study to master- materialising from place to place- that I knew I had found what I was looking for. I became Constance's personal tutor, in order to more closely study her magic-"
"You experimented on her and tortured her!" Mildred shouted.
"That is all in the past," said Hecate dismissively. "However, Constance realised I was 'up to something' as you might put it, and took to avoiding me until she sat her exams, and then left, leaving no evidence of where she had gone..."
"Until you came to inspect the Academy!" Mildred realised.
"Yes, being an Offwitch inspector was useful for getting into many different schools. I knew she would be working as a teacher as that's what she was studying toward." The menacing smile reappeared on Hecate's face. "But now, I have you, and your power will work just as well."
Hecate began casting the same spell she had used in her attempt to take Constance's power. The magic flowed toward Mildred, and she felt it hit her like a punch to the stomach. Mildred staggered back a couple of steps, struggling to stay standing up. At that moment, she felt a familiar presence in her mind. Mildred felt her mother's panic. Constance was nearby!