Read Black Wood (A Witch Rising) for Free Online Page A

she talked to his
ghost?”
    Sam chuckled, then looked at
Emily with raised eyebrows. “If I think that? I don’t think that. I know it ‘cause Grandma told me. She said she’d see
him at least once a week.”
    A cold shiver ran down Emily’s
spine.
    Clifford inched nearer. “Is the
mirror up there then?”
    “Yep.” Sam pushed Emily forward.
“You go first ‘cause you’re the youngest.”
    “You’re such a chicken.” Emily
rolled her eyes, but Sam just shrugged. “I still don’t get what the
portal’s good for. What kind of world is it?”
    “A magic one,” Clifford said.
“Aunt Aurelie never told me what’s behind the mirror, but she said
you need to learn to open it because your grandmother would have
wanted you to. You can’t learn until you open the portal.”
    “Wait! Learn what?” Sam
asked.
    Clifford shook his head. “I
don’t know.”
    Emily stopped in her tracks.
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”
    “Look, if you want more magic,
you need to open the portal. It’s where the magic diary comes from
and it still draws its magic from there,” Clifford said. “Are you
coming or what?”
    Emily nodded and climbed up the
ladder with the boys following behind. Rubbing her arms, she looked
around the semi-dark room. Dim light sipped in through two muddy
windows that needed a good scrub. The smell of crow poo lingered,
faint but there.
    The wooden floorboards creaked
under her feet as she pulled a string to switch on a naked light
bulb and took several steps forward until she stopped in front of
what looked like a huge cupboard covered with a black sheet. Her
grandmother had never allowed her to see what was hidden
underneath. “This is so creepy.” Her hands trembling with
anticipation, Emily grabbed hold of the sheet and pulled it
down.
    Sam sneezed. “Someone should
dust in here once in a while.”
    “Is that it?” Clifford stared
ahead in awe.
    It was the largest mirror Emily
had ever seen. The rusty gold frame was thick and adorned with
beautiful flowers and gemstones, now dull from dust and years of
neglect. Emily’s breath caught in her throat as she looked up.
Above the frame was carved the face of a beautiful woman staring
down at them. Her eyes glinted like precious emeralds and her mouth
was the colour of ripe cherries. As she stepped forward, the
woman’s gaze seemed to follow her. In an instant, Emily knew this
was no ordinary mirror. The thought made her shiver again and she
rubbed the goosebumps on her arms with her hands.
    “It’s beautiful,” Emily
whispered. When she looked down she saw Clifford cowering at her
feet. “What’re you doing?”
    “Nothing.” He cleared his throat
and jumped up, brushing the dust off his pants.
    “Right! Now that we’ve found it
what’re we supposed to do?” Sam asked as he walked closer. He
seemed back in charge.
    “The words,” Clifford whispered,
“Emily must speak the words.”
    Sam glared at him through
squinted eyes. “Why Emily?”
    “Cause she’s the one who owns
the diary, remember?” Clifford snapped. “Can we get on with
it?”
    “Hurry up, Em! I want a diary of
my own,” Sam said.
    Emily sighed. “Okay. What am I
supposed to say?”
    Clifford rose to his full height
and put up his arms. “Porta, manifeste et fac quod vis!”
    “What does that mean?” Sam
asked.
    “Shush! Emily, you’re supposed
to say those words. Porta, manifeste et fac quod vis!”
    Emily repeated the words several
times until she knew them by heart. She looked from the mirror to
Sam and Clifford and then back to her reflection in the mirror.
Nothing happened.
    Sam frowned. “Why’s it not
working?”
    “I…I don’t know,” Clifford
stammered. “Something should be happening.”
    “Well, it clearly isn’t and I’m
hungry.” Sam stomped back down the ladder. “You’ll have to share
your diary with me, Em, ‘cause it looks like I won’t be able to get
my own PlayStation.”
    “What about the mirror? Grandma
said it