Andy thinks he's lost forever when his aunt's chimney transports him and his dog, Chip, into the magical world of Emerraine. To get home, he must save the Hearthstone Village with Elsie, a young witch, and her Familiar against a dark plot that has b...
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ELSIE SIGHED FOR the nth time in the past three hours. The girl turned the other end of her hourglass and watched the sand run through its neck into the lower section. It was a countdown for another hour, and Andy still had not woken up.
After he passed out, Elsie conjured a cotton cover from her hat and spread it out on the cold stone floor. She had successfully made him a bed, but the boy was soaked in rainwater, and she had no extra clothes for him to change. So she had Hex get some fresh clothes for Andy from the village. Elsie had no idea how Hex would manage it. The cat was smart enough to decide on his own. But she also expected it would take quite some time, for consecutive teleportation proved to be difficult and dangerous, even for a Familiar like Hex. It would take some hours of sleep for him to recharge.
Elsie didn't care if Andy still hadn't forgiven her for the incident with the Enchanted Tree. He had gotten her worried sick! Elsie would give him an earful for going out to find some food despite the awful weather.
The young witch scooted closer to where Andy lay. Her eyes filled to the brim with tears as the boy let out another pained whimper in his sleep. Then those tears had finally escaped, matching the soft pitter-patter of the rain outside the cold walls of this cave. Chip rested his head on her lap and gave her hand a lick, moistening it with his saliva.
She sniffed as she rubbed her eyes in an attempt to ward her tears away. "It's my fault, Chip. Andy may have gotten mad at me, but it was because I was hungry that he had to go out and find some food."
Some of the berries Andy picked lay untouched on a piece of leaf that she found drifting on a small stream of rainwater. She couldn't afford to eat them due to the guilt prodding her conscience. But at the same time, it was Andy's small effort to mend things between them, and she wouldn't let that go to waste.
"There is no time to cry," Elsie said to herself loudly and looked down at Chip. "Andy needs us, so we will be doing everything we can to take care of him."
The dog barked a reply on what sounded like a yes! in human language. Andy let out another grunt, only this time he was muttering something under his breath. The words came out incoherent, so Elsie couldn't make out what he was saying.
She leaned over to have a check on his temperature. But as soon as her skin came into contact with Andy's forehead, her hand fizzled, and she instantly jerked back. Her yelp startled Chip, making the dog jump and growl at no one in particular; he thought they were under attack.
Elsie stared in shock and horror at Andy's scrunched face. His skin was burning hot. It felt the same when she accidentally poured hot water on her hand before.
The horror soon turned into worry as Andy seemed to have more than just a curable fever. Now, she scrambled her head off any curing spell that could help him. She was afraid of what might happen if worse came to worst. Elsie couldn't afford to lose him.
