EXTRACTS FROM THE WITCH’S SHADOW – 10

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books, childrens books, enjoy reading, good read, James McKenna, young adults

The Witch’s Shadow, the 2^nd in the Mind Traveller series, is available now from Amazon.  To give you a flavour of Rosie’s adventures into Mind Space here is the final extract from Chapter 2.

Extract from Chapter 2 

                “I’m only a Grade 4 Angel trying for Grade 3.  But if she leapt into parallel time she’s in Mind Space and Mind Space is dangerous. If you want the truth you’ll need to find it yourself.”  She shrugged.  “Sorry about that, but at least I can get a little assistance.”  From amongst the arrows in her sheath she produced a small, silver trumpet and leaning from the window blew a long, shrill note that carried far up the building.  Gradually the sound faded, replaced by the flutter of wings, the noise growing in volume as if a swirling flock of birds flew in formation.  When Rosie looked out, dozens of White Angels swooped and soared in double ranks, each ready with bow and arrow.

“The SAS, Special Angel Service.  Our barracks are just above.”  She took Rosie’s hand and stepped up onto the windowsill.

Rosie came beside her and looked at the portal of light giving entrance back into her own world, far, far below.  “I’m not sure about this,” she said and swallowed hard.

“In this world you either do or you do not.  Me and me mates will fight a rear-guard action.  You just fly like your life depends on it, because it does.”  She nodded and leapt into space, dragging Rosie behind.  For seconds both flew side by side, then Elissa drew her sword and swept overhead.

Rosie deltered her arms, the wind buffeting her face and hair, tearing at her clothes as she swallow dived towards the light.  At first she heard only her own scream, then a loud, sucking noise as billowing dark shadows emerged from the surrounding void.  All at once the angels were shouting and white arrows darted through the air, embedding into the undulating shapes of scrowlers who threw long, sucking tentacles to snatch at their victims.  She heard Elissa slashing with her sword and then the shouts of her comrades as they became locked in combat.  Next moment something gooey wrapped around Rosie’s waist and yanked her off course.

“Elissa,” Rosie yelled, unable to stop herself being lifted towards a gaping mouth.  Powerless she hammered her fists against the tentacle whose suckers pulled at her clothes.  From under the shadow appeared a face, a hideous crone with glaring eyes and twisted nose.  For seconds Rosie stared at the monster, the air shaken by its vicious howl, then like the guardian angel she was, Elissa flashed by swinging her sword to cut the tentacle in half.

“Scramble girl, go, go, go.”

Rosie ripped the remaining coil from her body, throwing it aside as she returned to her dive.  The light now rushed towards her and glancing back over her shoulder, she saw two more scrowlers descending, yellow eyes fixed on her, their bodies spreading like undulating blankets, their tentacles reaching towards her.  For seconds she saw Elissa dart between them, cutting with her sword, then her friend disappeared as Rosie hurtled into the light portal and the passage to her own world.  She heard the scrowlers crash against the entrance, their body mass too big to follow.

“Elissa,” she shouted and then thumped on to the dormitory floor to look up at the underside of her mattress.  “Elissa,” she whispered.

“You all right?” Paula asked from the bed beside Rosie’s.

“Yeah, sure.”  Rosie stood and rubbed a bruised arm.  “Had a bad dream, that’s all.”

“I’ll say.  You were shouting your head off.”  The girl turned over and snuggled down.

Rosie calmed her breath and slipped off her trainers before sliding under her own duvet.  For minutes she lay in darkness, listening intently.  In her mind she whispered Elissa’s name, calling her over and over, but Elissa did not answer.

My Amazon Author’s Page is at http://tinyurl.com/c9ultl3

EXTRACTS FROM THE WITCH’S SHADOW – 9

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books, childrens books, enjoy reading, good read, James McKenna, young adults

The Witch’s Shadow, the 2^nd in the Mind Traveller series, is available now from Amazon.  To give you a flavour of Rosie’s adventures into Mind Space here is another extract from Chapter 2.

Extracts will continue every Wednesday and Saturday.

Extract from Chapter 2

“I’m confused.  How can I read my mother’s diaries when they’re at home in Haston Manor?  My Uncle Hugo forbade me to read them till I’m eighteen.  Though I admit, I have sneaked a couple of views.”  She looked down at the ground.  “And used my iPad to photograph lots of pages.  Especially the last diary so I could find out what happened.  Except I didn’t read too much because, well…”   She shrugged her shoulders.  “I don’t like to deceive Uncle Hugo.”  She looked to Elissa who stroked her in angelic understanding.

“Then you have them, your mother’s last diaries.  So if you want to help save your world from the Dark Angels, if you want to finish your mother’s mission regarding the White Dove, I suggest you get reading soon as possible.”  One arm produced a huge cake which the head began to eat.  “But don’t forget your main mission to find Livinia and release Tiago.  We didn’t spend weeks influencing your uncle by using subliminal hypnosis over the internet for nothing.  There is a reason why you must visit Southwold in Suffolk.  And it’s not to play on the pier or write your school essay on Southwold’s history.”

“You influenced me to pick that subject, how?” Rosie asked.

“Subliminal psychotic induction, particularly via the Web, is a modern and useful influence over the unaware,” the head said and munched another bite of cake.

“That’s secret hypnosis, that’s sneaky.”

“I’m a sneaky sort of person.  But it’s covered by the Manual.  Of course, the SAS will give you what help they can.”  He screwed up his face.  “Except out of Mind Space in the parallel worlds, that help is limited.  Fortunately the same applies to Gizeda and the Dark Angels.  I do know this, a fragment of the White Dove is also in the vicinity of Southwold.  Your mother hid it there, her diaries will tell you.  Just don’t take it through Mind Space, it’s far too dangerous.  Enemies of the Light are everywhere.  Now off you go, there is no time to lose.”

“On my own!”  Rosie looked up at the head.  “Why me?  There must be others Mind Travellers”

“Not that many and they’re all busy.  In your sector you’re the only one available.  For goodness sake, we’re in the middle of a war.  Besides, Elissa is always around.  The good are never far away.  So, get on with it.”

“Elissa can’t be everywhere.  Give us a chance.”

The head huffed breath and rolled its eyes.  “OK, OK, I’ll let you have Sid.”

“Sid?  Who’s Sid?”

“Who’s Sid, everyone knows Seagull Sid,” the head exclaimed and disappeared.  The bulbous green body sank into the hole like a deflating balloon, leaving a globule of gunge the size of a tennis ball.

Her mind in turmoil, Rosie turned to Elissa and raised both hands.  “I don’t even know where to start,” she said to the angel, “and where’s this Sid?”

“Here,” said the ball of gunge which looked like pooh.

“Yuck.  And what are you meant to be?”

“Well thank you very much,” the gunge said.  “I’ll have you know I’m Seagull Sid and can mould myself into anything.  But I’m best at seagulls, hence the name.”  With that the ball popped and vanished.

“This is typical of them that make the rules,” Elissa said.  “They ask the impossible, give you what looks like pooh, then clear off.  So,” she put her hands on her hips, “OK, let’s get the dove sorted, then we can concentrate on our main mission.  Your iPad with copies of your mother’s diaries.  You got it?”  She reached out her hand.

“No.  It’s at school, by my bed.  I didn’t think I’d need an iPad in Mind Space.”

“Humans, humans.”  Elissa shook her head.  “I just hope Gizeda hasn’t sent one of her creppins to steal it.  Creppins might be stupid but they have full mobility in the parallel worlds.”  She crossed to a window and peered cautiously out.

“What about the scrowler creatures?” Rosie asked.

“Well, they’re a law until themselves.  Where Gizeda can’t go, they can.  Problem is, they know you’re here and they’ll be waiting.  See that glimmer down there?” She pointed to a faint light far below in the mist of clouds.  “That’s a portal to your world, not your standard time lift, just a direct escape tube.  That’s your quickest way out of here and home.”

“It’s a long way off.”

“True, but we’re way above floor zero.  If we can pick up speed we can hopefully outrun them.”

“Hopefully,” Rosie said and squeezed the angel’s hand.  “You got to tell me, Elissa.  If I can place leap from parallel worlds and through time, could my mother have done that when her plane crashed?  Is she alive somewhere?”

My Amazon Author’s Page is at http://tinyurl.com/c9ultl3

EXTRACTS FROM THE WITCH’S SHADOW – 8

Tags

books, childrens books, enjoy reading, good read, young adults

The Witch’s Shadow, the 2^nd in the Mind Traveller series, is available now from Amazon.  To give you a flavour of Rosie’s adventures into Mind Space here is another extract from Chapter 2.

Extracts will continue every Wednesday and Saturday.

Extract from Chapter 2 

Seconds passed then a small head popped from the top as if it had exploded from within.  The bubbly rubber gradually formed a long nose, two bulging eyes, a wide mouth and droopy ears.

“Of course I’m Grubalot,” the head said.  As if to prove the point it plunged one hand into its own body then pulled out what appeared to be a chip butty sandwich.  Holding this aloft, it stared down at Rosie as if observing a lesser creature, then took a large bite, munching as it talked.  “I’ve been waiting for you.  Page 3,000,000, 4,642 sub-section 6, paragraph 11 of the Mind Traveller’s Manual states that as a Mind Traveller child, you inherit all responsibilities subject to Health and Safety as dictated in Manual 17.”

“I do?”

“Yes.  So that makes you both a Mind Traveller and a Warrior of the Light, bound to all consequent rules and regulations.”

“It does?”  Rosie screwed up her nose.  “I’m a fifteen year old schoolgirl; not eligible to vote.”

“You’re a Mind Traveller, aren’t you, just like your mother?”

“Yes, but …”

“Then chapter 8 of sub-section 6 of the aforementioned pages clearly states you are subsequently responsible.”  The head stared down at her and took another bite of its chip butty.  “Don’t waste my time, girl.  I have an important mission for you.  Due to Prince Tiago and his main army of Cloud Riders being trapped in the Valley of Stone, your section of Mind Space is now overrun with these wretched scrowlers.  They’re eating everything, even a member of the Procedures Committee.  The situation is impossible.  The White Angels can no longer cope and the Dark Angels, to whom these creatures belong, are starting to win the Angel Wars.  I have news that Hisdrillo, leader of the Dark Angels, is preparing a major offensive.  We, I mean you, must stop him.”

“I must.  How?”  Rosie wrinkled her nose and looked to Elissa who stood shaking her head.

“Easy.”  Grubalot took another bite.  “On your last mission when you helped defeat Hisdrillo and his Grolack army, Bastet the White Witch gave you a key which will open any lock.  You collect this key then travel to Southwold, Suffolk, to the year 1672.  When Tiago was attacked and trapped three months ago his wife, Princess Livinia and her baby escaped by travelling into the parallel worlds.  They are hiding amongst the reeds in Southwold, 1672.  You must find her and take her to the Valley of Stone.  With the key you open the stone gate blocking the valley.  This will free the Cloud Riders and if Princess Livinia embraces the stone encasing her husband, her love will melt the stone.  Tiago and his Cloud Riders will then be free to drive these scrowlers back into Hisdrillo’s hell where they belong.  Having done that you will have saved the human race, helped the White Angels and made Mind Space a much safer place.”

“Is that all?” Rosie asked in a small voice.

“No.  Secondary to all this you must continue with your mother’s long term mission, to collect all fragments of the White Dove of Peace and reassemble it.  It’s now your duty to finish the job.  Once the dove is whole and flying in your section of parallel worlds it will help restore peace, so weakening Hisdrillo and the Dark Angels.  Tiago first, then the White Dove second.  Lucky for you I have arranged to combined the missions into one.  I’m good at that sort of thing.”  He took another mouthful of chip butty.

Again Rosie turned to Elissa who had stopped shaking her head and was instead biting on her lower lip.

“OK.”  She looked back to Grubalot.  “Just tell me how you expect me to do all this.”

“Easy.  Just do it.  Fortunately in the parallel worlds the Dark Angels appear to lose a lot of their brain power and common sense.  So, a bright young thing like yourself can surely outwit them.  But just be careful of Mind Space because there they have super powers.  Hence we need Prince Tiago back and hence,” he pointed a finger.  “You don’t take fragments of the White Dove there.  Too dangerous.”

“I don’t even know where fragments of the White Dove are.”

“Then read your mother’s diaries.  Because it’s too risky to take fragments into Mind Space she hid a piece at Dunwich just down the coast from Southwold,” Grubalot said before his head was suddenly sucked back into his body.  Moments later a second head popped from the side.

“Hang on, who are you?  You’re different.”

“No, I’ve never been different.  I’ve always been me,” the head said, thrusting one arm into its body to produce a large, green hamburger.  It began to eat.

“Are you Grubalot?”

“I’m eating aren’t I?  Of course I’m Grubalot.”

“So who was he, the head with the nose?”

“Grubalot.  You see, I’m me and he’s him.”

“Grubalot?”

“You’re a bright girl,” the new head said.  “Quite right, Grubalot is Grubalot.”  The head pushed more food into its mouth and disappeared back into the body.  Moments later a third head popped from the opposite side.  Squinting eyes glimmered above a broad, flat nose and big mouth.

“Grubalot?” Rosie queried.

“You still here?” the head said.  “Thought I’d sent you on a mission.”

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