Disclaimer: See Introduction

Chapter 1

With a bit of difficulty, the girl crawled from under the bush and stretched out her legs. Ada winced when she heard a grading cracking from the little joints. Quickly she scanned the skinny body and Ada did not like what she was seeing. The girl´s waist long hair was slightly damp from the snow and also the black undershirt that reached down to her calves, had wet spots on it. The skin was pale, almost translucent, with blue veins visible through it. Here and there Ada could see a few scratches that most likely stemmed from the bushes the child had been hiding in. Other than that the girl was simply dirty but not seriously injured. Ada sighed in slight relief and smiled when the girl stuck her other hand out and presented Ada´s pink hat to Ada.

"I like your hair the way it is." The girl whispered.

Ada whispered a grateful thank you and deposited the hat on her brown, slightly wavy hair. She also tugged the girl a little bit closer, when she noticed her moving her bare feet uncomfortably from side to side. She saw the child move the fingers that had been just a moment ago holding her hat and heard her whisper something. Within seconds, the snow started to cover their heads and shoulders again and the birds could be heard singing. Impressive.

"I´m going to transfer us now, don't be scared, alright?"

The girl shook her head and grinned for a second.

"I´m not scared of transferring. I can do it myself."

In surprise, Ada´s eyebrows rose quiet high on her forehead but she chose not to comment on the fact that a child of four or five was able to use a transferring spell. Though very unusual, there were much more pressing matters that needed to be attended to. Namely, finding out where the girl had come from and getting her into warm and cosy clothes.

"Brave girl." Ada praised and smiled before she clicked her fingers and the force of her magic pulled the two witches through space and time and directly into Alma Cackles office.

When they materialized on the warm wooden floors, Alma Cackle gasped, startled out of deep contemplations over her monthly calculations.

"Goodness gracious, Ada!" Cackles headmistress scolded, standing up from her armchair. But when she got over her first scare and took a closer look at her daughter, she paused immediately. When had Ada grown an additional pair of legs and why would they be bare, covered with dirt and so small?

When Alma had screamed out, the girl had jumped behind Ada and attached herself to the back of her coat, fisting the material in her hands like a lifeline.

"Ada…what…?"

"I´ll explain everything in a moment, mother." Ada said, reaching behind herself, gently lying a hand on the cold arm.

"I sure hope so." Alma muttered, now calm again but very confused. She watched her eldest daughter turn around carefully, crouching down in front of a small child. She couldn't hear what Ada was saying, but the girl nodded and looked up at Alma. The witch took that as permission to come a little closer.

"Well met, dear child." She greeted, while taking in the dreadful state of her young visitor. When she didn't get any other reaction except a rather cold stare, she took another step closer, halting immediately, when she saw the girl flinch back.

"I won´t hurt you." She explained calmly. "I see you´ve met my daughter already. I am sure she can vouch for me. I am much scarier looking than I really am."

As if asking for Ada´s protection, the girl moved closer to her and nodded again.

"Well met." She finally said, albeit rather quietly and stiffly.

Both, mother and daughter, smiled happily. Ada finally got back up to her feet and cast a quick shower spell on her new charge.

"You mustn't warm up too quickly. We are going to make ourselves comfortable on the couch now, dear. The fire will warm you up gently." While she was talking, she slowly steered them all to the soft, deep red sofa her mother had standing right next to the fire place. There had been so many discussions held on that piece of furniture, that Ada regarded it as a part of the family and a trusted friend. It would serve them well for this particular crisis as well, she was sure.

She watched the girl sit down gingerly on the soft cushion, looking around herself with something akin to wonder in her eyes.

"Now," Ada started. "My mother and I will go fetch us some tea, while you get warmed up, ok?"

Just when the last word left the young witch´s mouth, the girl had jumped up and grasped for Ada´s coat once again.

"Don't leave." She whispered, her voice shaking.

Ada met her mother´s gaze, asking for help, but Alma just shook her head, smiled warmly and walked away. Now left alone with the girl, Ada patted her on the head and moved away a fraction.

"Dear, nothing is going to happen to you here. And I won´t be far. You will be able to see us over there, preparing the tea." She said and pointed to a high table, where her mother was already cluttering around with the tea cups. When she finally got a tiny nod from the child, she turned around and joined her mother at the tea table. Before she could start talking, Ada felt the movement of her mother´s magic around her. A silencing spell covered them and Ada sighed.

"We need to find out where she came from." Ada stated, quickly vanishing her hat and coat, before reaching for the cattle to fill it with water.

"Maybe you should start by telling me where you found her."

"You know where I always go on my walks? The path between the forest and the meadow?" she waited till Alma nodded and continued with a sad expression. "I must have startled a bird and that in turn scared her and she threw up an impressive protection shield. She just accidently caught me in it and I finally realized that it wasn't one of our students when I spotted her underneath a bush." Ada paused for a second, sighing. "Goodness, Mother, she was sitting there in the snow with bare feet, legs and arms! Can you imagine that?"

Alma lay a soft hand on her daughters shoulder, trying to sooth her.

"She must have run away." She said, already thinking of what the next step would have to be. "We need to call the Council."

"She said that her mother told her she was no one. She doesn't seem to know her own name, the poor thing."

Alma shuddered at that information.
"Maybe she is from one of the Witch Orphanages?" she though out loud. There weren't too many around Cackles. Maybe two within the next 50 Kilometres.

Ada shrugged. The girl hadn't said anything about an orphanage, but who knew? Maybe she´s been there for only a short time and wasn't coping too well and decided it was better to run away. Or she was trying to escape her mother. Which would make the search for her identity and home so much harder. Not just logistically, but Ada wasn't sure if she would be able to let the child go back to such a toxic environment.

"Maybe she was just evading your question? She might want to keep her name secret in order to not go back." Alma interrupted her thoughts.

The younger witch mulled over that option. Sure, it was possible. She looked back, discreetly looking the child, that was sitting rather stiffly on the couch, over.

"No." she finally said. "I believe her. She is frightened and slightly too young for such a conspiratorial plan."

Her mother smiled indulgently.

"You have a soft spot for her, don't you?"

Ada scoffed, pouring the first tea into a rose-gold china cup. The lavender smell alone helped to calm her nerves down already,

"I thought you said I am too soft in general when it comes to children."

Alma clicked her tongue, rolled her eyes and filled the other two cups.

"I know you, Ada. You feel responsible for her because you found her. You feel, already after not even an hour of knowing the girl, protective of her."

Ada groaned inwardly. Sometimes she thought her mother had the power of mind reading. She didn't. But that left only Ada displeased with herself, for wearing her heart and soul on her sleeve, visible for practically everyone.

With no further discussion of the matter, Alma pulled back the silencing spell and made her way back to the girl, balancing the two tea cups in her hands. A lot slower, but also steadier, Ada carried her cup of tea back to the couch. Her tea cup had almost reached the small coffee table without any spillage, when her mother started to speak. "Did you run away?" And Ada let the cup fall.

To everyone's astonishment, the little girl threw up her hands and suspended the cup, saucer and liquid in mid-air, before it could hit the table cloth.

"Well…" Alma whispered. "I see we have a talented one here."

It was very rare that a child of such a young age would be able to use their magic in such a natural and confident manner.

Ada quickly plucked the floating items out of the air and situated the cup underneath the hot beverage that was still glisteningly hovering over the table. With wonder she watched the girl lower her arms and the tea harmlessly pour back into the cup.

"I need to protect Morgana sometimes. I need to be quick." The girl said matter of factly.

"Who is Morgana?" asked Ada curiously.

"My Familiar."

"Aren´t you a bit young for a familiar?" Alma questioned, earning herself a glare from her daughter. And that was exactly why Alma was worried, that Ada was a bit too indulgent with children. Sometimes you needed to push a little to gain a little. Her daughter preferred the gentle, understanding approach, hoping to gain the trust of the pupil.

"No." the girl said, straight face in place and confident voice sounding through the room.

Alma´s eyebrows rose in surprise and Ada smirked. The girl, though scared and obviously bodily frail, seemed to have a strong mind, with quiet strong opinions.

Not wanting to aggravate the child more than necessary, both older witches kept quiet and Alma handed one of the cups to the girl.

"I did." The child suddenly spoke, after taking a sip of the tea.

"Did what, dear?" Ada asked, making her way around the table and sitting down next to her.

"I ran away. From Mother."

Ada glanced at her own mother with a look that said very clearly "I told you so!". Just when she wanted to voice her opinion, she felt a slight tug at her jumper. The girl was leaning over to her, obviously wanting to tell her something. Ada leaned forward and turned her head sideways, so that the girl had better access to her ear.

"She wanted me to do something bad. I didn't want to." She whispered, leaning back immediately when she was done telling Ada what she wanted her to know.

"May I use your toilette, please?" she asked aloud, working her way to her feet and wringing her hands as if she was nervous about the request.

Ada jumped up from the sofa and nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course! But let me get you some appropriate clothes first. I can´t let you walk around the castle in just your undergarments."

With a quick flick of her hand, Ada magicked some pink slippers onto the small feet, grey woollen stockings onto the almost painfully thin legs and a long sleeved black dress onto the bony body.

"Take my hand, dear. I will take you to the bathroom facilities."

Obediently, the girl took Ada´s hand and followed her through the office and out of the door.

Alma watched the two witches go and sighed. She needed to make some calls.

Not even ten minutes later, the headmistress of Cackles Academy found herself sitting in her armchair and staring out of the window, deep in thoughts. It hadn't taken her long to find information about the unknown child. Hecate Hardbroom. Five years and three months old, living with her single mother in Spofforth, around 8 Kilometres from the Academy and had gone missing three days ago. The mother, Lilith Hardbroom, seemed well known in the Spofforth witch community. She had formidable powers and was a constant visitor at the Witches Council. Why exactly that was, her informant couldn't tell her. He also couldn't tell her much more about little Hecate either. The only very interesting information that he did give her, was that Lilith was taking Hecate with her when she visited the Council. Curious indeed.

Alma tuned slowly towards the entrance door, through which her daughter would be stepping through with Hecate any moment. The Council had already informed Lilith and it was only a matter of time until Hecate´s mother would arrive at the Academy. Alma had a bad feeling about this whole situation, but couldn't find a good solution either. Ada, and Alma didn't kid herself that it would be anyone but Ada, would be furious at her when she found out that she had already called the Council and Lilith was notified, before they could find out why Hecate had actually run away. Alma herself hadn't expected to hit the jackpot with only one phone call and the innocent question "Do you have any missing children registered".

As predicted, the door opened and Ada led Hecate back into the office. Obviously she had taken the opportunity of being in the bathroom, to brush the girl´s long hair. It looked soft and started to curl at the ends.

"Wow, Hecate, don't you look so much better now, my dear."

When the girls name left Almas mouth, both Ada and Hecate stopped in their movements and stared at her.

"Hecate?" Ada asked surprised, looking back from her mother to the girl at her side. "Is that your name?"

"The man in the palace call me that."

Alma made the educated guess, that the mentioned palace was in actual fact the Councils headquarters and the man were the Council members. What was going on here?

"Hecate is your name, sweetheart." Alma told the girl and stood up. "Can you tell me what those man and your mother do at the palace?"

Only when the word mother had been flung into the room already, Alma realized what a big mistake she had made. Hecate had become deathly pale, her eyes widened unnaturally and her right hand searched helplessly for Ada´s. The girl turned to the older witch and looked up at her with tear-filled eyes.

"Don´t let her take me there again. You promised! You promised you would protect me!" her voice had become high pitched, dangerously shaky and desperate. Alma knew, that with those words from Hecate´s mouth, Ada was lost to any reason. Being her mother, she knew every nuance of expression on Ada´s face and the look she was giving her at this very moment was a mixture of pain and pleading, but also an apology. Alma could now do two things. Either turn a blind eye on Ada´s future actions regarding the child, or she could fight her. Glancing down at Hecate, still hanging on to Ada´s skirt and turning her pleading eyes now at Alma, the headmistress had to admit, that the child had a very strong and besotting aura around her. And with that realization, the fates of two third of the Cackles family were basically sealed.

To be continued...

Note: Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you think, cause you know how it is. we authors thrive on comments:D