Rose 3: Rose and the Magician's Mask by Holly Webb Read Free Book Online

and I don’t want to make Bella cross.’
    Freddie moaned, and slumped back against the window seat.
    ‘There’s no guarantee that its influence would be malign.’ Gus stroked the tip of his tail gently over the china face.
    ‘It’s an enchanted doll!’ Freddie wailed. ‘It’s horrible!’
    ‘It might be useful.’ Gus purred at the doll, and licked it delicately. ‘Mmm. Warm. I do not think you can destroy it now, Rose.’
    Rose cupped the doll close, protectively. ‘I won’t let you hurt her, Freddie.’ Then she shivered, and shook her fingers, as though something had stung them, and stared down at the doll. ‘She’s moving!’ she whispered.
    ‘I told you! I told you it was horrible!’ Freddie wriggled away with an expression of disgust on his face.
    But Gus came closer, his whiskers a fraction of an inch from the doll, staring at it, fascinated. ‘What is it doing?’
    ‘She twitched, I’m sure she did.’ Rose stroked one finger down the china face, and this time the doll moved enough for everyone to see. Gus sneezed in a sort of surprised amazement, and Freddie backed right into the corner.
    The doll stood up, delicate china fingers gripping Rose’s finger. It turned, and looked up at her. ‘He’s watching you,’ it said, in a silvery little voice. ‘He knows that they are watching him. The snow man. He sees you staring. He’s hidden away in all that water. He’ll pull you under with him. Take care.’ Then it froze again, but this time with one hand held open, where it had been clutching Rose’s finger.
    Swallowing, Rose laid her down in one of the doll’s house armchairs – which of course as a maid she shouldn’t sit in, but Rose felt she deserved it. ‘We need to go and see Mr Fountain.’
    ‘You had better bring it with you— Ah. No need. He’s coming.’ Gus turned to look at the door, purring.
    Mr Fountain flung the workroom door open, a bewildered expression on his face. ‘Rose! Freddie! What is going on? I’ve just had the strangest feeling…’ His eyes fell on the doll. ‘So it is true…’ He crouched down next to Rose. ‘It spoke to you?’
    Rose nodded, and Gus arched his back, purring andrubbing against his master. ‘It warned her. She bled on it, did you know?’
    ‘That’s an old, old charm… A poppet…’ Mr Fountain peered down at the doll. ‘You’d better not ever let it out of your sight. I mean it, Rose. It could be used against you, terribly.’
    ‘What did she mean? She said they knew we were watching, that they could see us.’
    Mr Fountain sighed. ‘They caught me scrying, Rose. I found them last night. After I sent you all away, I looked for him, in the snowflakes. His winter magic was his great strength, but sometimes, if you rely on something too much, it can be a weakness too.’ He sighed. ‘I wasn’t going to tell you this today. It seemed cruel.’
    ‘Tell me what?’ Rose whispered.
    Mr Fountain sat down, and took her hand, so that he was holding the doll, too. ‘I didn’t see where Gossamer is, just the feel of him. And his plans. Such a sense of excitement, and menace, and evil glee. He has the mask of course, His Majesty was right. But as yet, I don’t think he knows how to use it. He seemed frustrated. Angry, almost. My guess is he’s fighting with the spells to work out its secrets. I searched for him again early this morning, and it was easier to find him. I was so relieved, so desperate to see more, that I was careless.He felt me watching him, and he was furious. His mind was almost burning with it. But it wasn’t me he was angry with, Rose.’
    ‘He wants the child?’ Gus mewed sharply.
    ‘Me?’ Rose squeaked.
    ‘Gossamer is still furious with you for thwarting him in his plan to steal Jane. It would have meant every magician in the country driven underground. Can you imagine? All of them, hurt, angry, frightened. Searching for an escape. Someone to rescue them. A leader.’
    ‘You mean, he wanted us to follow