Witchlings

A group of curious townspeople gathers around the Witchlings, but only the Town Gran and the Town Uncle come to their aid. Seven is barely conscious because she used magic above her proficiency level, which is illegal, but the Gran covers for her. The two adults bring the Witchlings to the Gran’s home, Starlight Cottage. On their way, they pass the Cursed Forest. The Uncle sees a menacing shadow and hurries into the woods. Seven fears he’s being eaten because she hears “terrible ripping and crunching sounds” (124). He is unharmed when the Gran carries him from the forest, but his hat is missing.

Inside Starlight Cottage, Seven marvels at the Celestial Sword, a weapon so powerful that only the Ravenskill Town Gran can wield it. The Gran wishes that she could help the Witchlings with their Impossible Task, but she warns them that this is the last time she’ll be able to intervene directly. The Gran contacts the girls’ parents, and Seven notices that Valley looks afraid at the mention of her father. The Gran suspects that the cuco took the Uncle’s hat to track him or someone who has touched the hat, such as Beefy or Seven. The cucos haven’t touched the jelly bean fish, and it’s also strange that one tried to attack the Uncle even though it was injured.