The Warlock (The Cave Chronicles #1)

10: The Great Tree Festival

It was twelve o' clock when Penny, Forrest and Riider left the Mason residence. As she walked down the cobbled drive, Penny felt fit to burst. She had been excited to see real meat on the table, and ended up taking quite a few rashers of bacon and minted lamb chops. The pretzels and cinnamon swirls were delicious too.

Meeting Gardien had been an amazing experience. They were interested in her, and not for the first time since coming to The Cave, Penny was made to feel welcome and cared for. Luckily, the news reports had informed them about the Tarquin incident, so there was no need for her to reopen her wounds and relive the moment on the bridge. They had seemed like the type of people who wouldn't have asked, anyway.

"I'm very sorry about the leader, Penny," said Forrest. "He was ruder than I thought he would be."

"That's all right, Forrest."

"No, it isn't. I can only hope he isn't too harsh on you during your time at his house."

"Can you believe that guy?" said Riider. "Getting Penny to do all his work! Penny, if he tells you to clean the toilets, you tell him where to stick it!"

"Riider!" said Forrest.

"Whaaat?" said Riider.

Once they were outside the black iron gates, they walked to the end of Gold Street and waited until a vacant carriage came rolling their way. Riider whistled at it and the driver halted beside them.

"Where to?" he said gruffly. He was a warlock.

"Scare, please!"

"Git on, then."

The trio bundled into the carriage. Penny looked back at the way they had come. Never before had she been to a place that was so intimidating. London paled in comparison to the luxury and grandeur of Gold Street.

Scare was just as busy as always, but there was something different about it. The streets were so packed, the witches were forced to fly over the crowd in clouds of broomsticks. Creeps carried black fir trees in their arms, had tied them to the backs of carriages, or had them in wheelbarrows. Other Creeps carried decorations and boxes of fireworks. When the trio got off the carriage, Penny looked around thoughtfully, a frown on her face.

"Is it Christmas or something?" she asked.

"Whassat?" asked Riider.

"Never mind ... what's going on?"

"The Great Tree Festival happens on Monday," said Forrest. "We need to buy a tree."

"The Great Tree Festival?" asked Penny.

"They say the fifteenth of April is the day Creepen made the great tree where all us Creeps came from," said Riider. "So we all buy trees to decorate our homes for three days leading up to the fifteenth, and then we have celebrations and fetes and fairs. Then, on the day itself, we have a big festival, a carnival, a fireworks display ... all sorts, really. It's one of the biggest days of the year for us Creeps – Hallowe'en being the second."