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deck of a great ship as it
broke up underneath his feet. She had heard his thoughts, felt his
belly-shaking fear….
    Abby's eyes
flicked to Mrs Hunter. She was standing in the hallway blinking
disconcertedly, as if she had been woken from a deep sleep. Then
her mind seemed to catch up to the situation and filled in the
blanks with whatever was at hand. Both Charlie and Abby watched
fearfully as Mrs Hunter took in their soaked appearances with
confusion.
    'I was
wondering when you'd arrive,' Mrs Hunter said after a small breath,
'I saw you coming through the front door this afternoon, but when I
looked up I realised that it must have been much later.' Mrs Hunter
nodded at her statement, as if she believed it to be the most
clarifying thing that could possibly have been said in the
situation.
    Abby locked
her gaze onto Charlie, and he shared her wide-eyed shock. Mrs
Hunter was using second sight.
    'All
afternoon, ever since you left – I've not been able to get you off
my mind,' Mrs Hunter continued unabated. 'I kept on seeing you
coming through that door and taking the bracelet off me – over and
over and over again.'
    It wasn't only
witches that had second sight; it was a fairly common gift.
Traders, merchants, and bankers all had it to some degree, though
nothing compared to a fully grown witch.
    But now Mrs
Hunter was standing there dripping on her carpet, relaying a
completely accurate prediction with a frightening matter-of-fact
tone.
    'My Pembrake
is in trouble,' Mrs Hunter walked up to Abby, ignoring the bracelet
at her feet, and staring directly into Abby's eyes, 'you saw it
too, he's going to-' Mrs Hunter broke off and shook her head.
    Abby would
have wanted to deal with this situation better. She would have
wanted to be free of the eerie tingle that was snaking over her
back, the bell-bottom dread that was dragging at her stomach, and
the ear-splitting buzz that was ringing in her ears.
    There was so
much energy in this room. Mrs Hunter was still crackling
form the effects of the bracelet and the bracelet itself seemed to
be drawing the rest of the room into it like a giant hole sucking
in all of space.
    For Abby it
half seemed that everything she had been trying to avoid today –
all those terrible portents and predictions – they were all coming
to a head in this room. They were all coming to a head and being
sucked straight into that bracelet….
    'Abby, I knew
you would come, I know you can fix this,' Mrs Hunter's voice
suddenly broke with pure emotion and Abby realised that the old
woman had been holding herself in before. But now her watery eyes
were dancing with fear and uncertainty.
    'Pembrake?'
    'My son. He's
in trouble, Abby, he's… Abby you have to go and save him now! You
have to take that broom of yours and fly like the wind! Abby,' Mrs
Hunter grabbed Abby by the shoulders, ' you have to save my
son!'
    It was too
much information to process. Abby nodded weakly, her skin slick and
prickly with sweat. The confrontation, the proximity – Abby was not
used to such unbridled emotion. 'How did you know I was… a witch?'
Abby's cheeks were burning with shame from the admission.
    'Don't worry
about you being a witch, child; I've known since the first time I
met you. I've seen you flying on the broom trying to reach my top
windows several times, and I've heard Charlie chiding you even
more. It doesn't matter. All that matters now is that you save my
son!'
    Abby tried to
back away, but there was nowhere to go. She tried to make her limbs
move, but there was nowhere to run to. And she realised, with cold
regret, that she had just walked into a burning tower.
    Abby was a
witch. Mrs Hunter knew, and now she was charging Abby with rescuing
her son from certain death.
    She had to do
it….
    'Abby!' Mrs
Hunter and Charlie both snapped at once.
    Abby startled.
'Okay.'
    Abby knelt
down and picked up the bracelet, covering her hand with her sleeve
so her skin did not touch it.
    She had no
choice now, right? She