Shapeshifting Magyk

4: Sally Mullin

        Lily noticed the woman before the rest did. She was waving her hands at them from a distance. The kitten stood hesitantly from her lying position on Boy 412's shoulder to paw at his neck. He barely had time to look at her when the woman began to yell.
        "Silas Heap!"
The five figures, minus Lily, jumped out of their skins and stared at Sally. "Shush!" four voices whispered as loud as they dared.
"I will not shush!" declared Sally. "What do you think you are doing, Silas Heap? Leaving your wife for this ... floozie." Sally waggled her forefinger disapprovingly at Marcia.
"Floozie?" gasped Marcia.
"And taking these poor children with you," she told Silas. "How could you?"
Silas waded through the rubbish to Sally. "What are you talking about?" he demanded. "And will you please be quiet!"
"Shush!" said three voices behind him.
At last Sally quieted down. "Don't do it, Silas," she whispered hoarsely. "Don't leave your lovely wife and family. Please."
Silas looked bemused. "I'm not," he said. "Who told you that?"
"You're not?"
"No!"
"Shushhh!"
It took most of the long stumble down the dump to explain to Sally what had happened. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open as Silas told her what he had to in order to get her on their side - which was pretty much everything. Silas realized that they not only needed Sally's silence; they could do with her help too. But Marcia wasn't so sure. Sally Mullin was not exactly the first person she would have chosen to help. Marcia decided to step in and take charge.
"Right," she said authoritatively as they reached the solid ground at the foot of the dump. "I think we can expect the Hunter and his Pack to be sent after us any minute now."
A flicker of fear passed over Silas's face. He had heard about the Hunter.
Marcia was practical and calm. "I've filled the chute back up with rubbish and done a Lockfast and Weld Spell on the rat door," she said. "So with any luck he'll think we're still trapped in there."
Nicko shuddered at the thought.
"But it won't delay him long," continued Marcia. "And then he'll come looking - and asking." Marcia looked at Sally as if to say, and it will be you he'll be asking."
Everyone fell quiet.
Sally returned Marcia's gaze steadily. She knew what she was taking on, Lily realised, she knew it would be big trouble for her, but Sally was a loyal friend.
She would do it.
"Right, then," said Sally briskly. "We'll have to get you all far away with the pixies by then, won't we?"
Sally took them down to the bunkhouse at the back of the cafe where many an exhausted traveler had found themselves a warm bed for the night, and clean clothes too if they needed them. The bunkhouse was empty at this time of day. Sally showed them where the clothes were kept and told them to take as much as they needed. It was going to be a long, cold night. She quickly filled a bucket with hot water so that they could wash off the worst of the mess from the chute and then rushed out, saying, "I'll see you down at the quay in ten minutes. You can have my boat."
        Jenna and Nicko were only too pleased to get rid of their filthy clothes, but Boy 412 refused to do anything. He had had enough changes that day, and he was determined to hang on to what he had, even if it was a pair of wet and filthy Wizard pajamas.
        Eventually Marcia was forced to use a Clean-Up Spell on him, followed by a Change of Dress Spell to get him into the thick fisherman's sweater, trousers and sheepskin jacket plus a bright red beanie hat that Silas had found for him.
        Ten minutes later they were all down at the quay.
        Sally and her sailing boat were waiting for them. Nicko looked at the little green boat approvingly. He loved boats. In fact, there was nothing Nicko loved better than being out in a boat on the open water, and this looked like a good one. She was broad and steady, sat well in the water and had a pair of new red sails. She had a nice name too: Muriel. Nicko liked that.
        Marcia looked at the boat dubiously. "How does it work, then?" she asked Sally.
        Nicko butted in. "Sails," he said. "She sails."
       "Who sails?" asked Marcia, confused.
        Nicko was patient. "The boat does."
        Sally was getting agitated. "You'd better be off," she said, glancing back at the rubbish dump. "I've put some paddles in, just in case you need them. And some food. Here, I'll untie the rope and hang on to it while you all get aboard."
        Jenna scrambled in first, grabbing Boy 412 by the arm and taking him with her. He resisted for a moment but then gave in. Boy 412 was getting very tired at this point the only thing keeping him awake was Lily, who whacked him with her paw or tail anytime he started to get anywhere near sleep.
        Nicko jumped in next, then Silas propelled a somewhat reluctant Marcia off the quay and into the boat. She sat down uncertainly by the tiller and sniffed. "What's that awful smell?" she muttered.
        "Fish," said Nicko, wondering if Marcia knew how to sail.
        Silas jumped in with Maxie, and Muriel settled a little lower down in the water.
        "I'll push you off now," said Sally anxiously.
        She threw the rope to Nicko, who skillfully caught it and stowed it neatly in the prow of the boat.
        Marcia grabbed at the tiller, the sails flapping wildly, and Muriel took an unpleasantly sharp turn to the left.
        "Shall I take the tiller?" Nicko offered.
        "Take the what? Oh, this handle thing here? Very well, Nicko. I don't want to tire myself." Marcia wrapped her cloak around her and, with as much dignity as she could muster, shuffled awkwardly around to the side of the boat.
        Marcia was not happy. Maxie, on the other hand, was very excited. He managed to tread on Marcia's precious shoes and wag his tail in her face at the same time.
        "Shove over, you daft dog," said Silas, pushing Maxie up to the prow where he could put his long wolfhound nose into the wind and sniff all the water smells. Then Silas squashed himself in beside Marcia, much to her discomfort, while Jenna, Lily, and Boy 412 curled up on the other side of the boat.
        Nicko stood happily in the stern, holding on to the tiller, and confidently set sail for the open reaches of the river. "Where are we going?" he asked.
        Marcia was still too preoccupied with her sudden proximity to such a large amount of water to answer.
        "Aunt Zelda," said Silas, who had discussed things with Sarah after Jenna had left that morning, "we'll go and stay with Aunt Zelda."
        The wind caught Muriel's sails and she picked up speed, heading toward the fast current in the middle of the river. Marcia closed her eyes and felt dizzy.
        "The Keeper in Marram Marshes?" Marcia asked rather feebly.
        "Yes," said Silas. "We'll be safe there. She's got her cottage permanently Enchanted now, after she was raided by the Quake Ooze Brownies last winter. No one will ever find it."
        "Very well," said Marcia. "We'll go to Aunt Zelda."
        Silas looked surprised.
        And so the little green boat disappeared into the night, leaving Sally a distant figure on the shore, waving bravely.