Chapter 1 1
GRIMMELINGS: the first or last gleams of the day

The same evening Josh Underhill went missing, the black horse appeared on the hill above the house.

It was Ella’s favorite time of day, when magic could happen: the sky a deep indigo, bleeding to pink at the horizon, and the last of the mauve light draining from the land. The grimmelings. As she stood upstairs at her bedroom window, Ella could just make out her piebald pony, Magpie, and the other horses moving around the paddock contentedly.

She opened the window and leaned out.

“Maggieee!”

An answering whinny from Magpie carried on the breeze and settled inside her like a promise. Tomorrow they would ride.

The first star hung bright and low over the horizon. Ella took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp air. She should make a wish. But what would it be? Nothing so big as asking for her father back, or for her gran, Grizzly, not to die. That was the same wish she made nearly every night when she glimpsed Venus in the sky. Something simpler.

A friend.

She’d like a friend for the school holidays, so she didn’t have to be alone.

Beyond the paddock, a chattering disturbance erupted in the sky. A cloud of birds reeled in the air, darkened shapes barely visible against the coming night, making it seem alive, a pulsing shadow. She couldn’t tell from here what kind of birds they were but she’d never seen a flock behave like that before.

Another movement caught her eye. Outlined against the light on the lower slopes of the Ben, the great hill that overlooked the property: another horse. Not one of their own. It moved restlessly, back and forth, then stopped. It was just a shape, really, but she sensed it: a dark horse, with power in its muscles, half unlocking a memory that stayed just out of reach.

The bird cloud hovered above as if waiting, holding its breath. The dull ache that had been in her lower belly all day flared and she heard her own voice in her head: You’re cursed, Josh Underhill.

Ella jerked back from the window. She didn’t know where the horse had come from or who it belonged to, but she got the distinct feeling it had been watching the house, watching her. She closed the curtains, shutting it out.

As she came down the stairs, her mother’s phone rang.

“Hello?” Her mother flicked a tea towel over her shoulder. “Oh, Raewyn, hi. What’s up?” Her voice was stiff. The locals never rang Morag for a chat, or for anything friendly, really. “No, I haven’t seen him. I’ll ask them.” She took the phone from her ear. “Girls, did you see Josh Underhill after school at all?”

Ella and her little sister, Fiona, looked at each other. “Yes, he was on the bus.”

What they didn’t say was that they’d been glad to get off it, away from Josh and his honking voice. He’d tried to trip Fiona as they walked down the aisle, even though she was only half his size.

“Get lost, dafty,” Ella had called back to him, channeling Grizzly. Josh had grinned at her with a puzzled look, so she’d tried again: “Go jump in the lake!”

“Whatya gonna do?” Josh sneered. “Put a curse on me? Get your gran to do it? Or your mum? My dad says you’re a house of witches and you can’t pay your rent.” He nudged the kid next to him, who wriggled away and refused to look at anyone.

“Yes,” said Ella, turning as she followed Fiona off the bus. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do.” She pointed at him. “You’re cursed, Josh Underhill. Better watch out!”

She felt uneasy at the memory.

“Did you see him after that, maybe?” asked Morag.

“No. Why?” said Fiona.

Morag held up one finger—wait—and went back to Raewyn. “No, they didn’t see him after the bus. What does Susan think happened to him? Does he have any friends he might have gone to see? Yes, of course you have. I’m so sorry. Let us know what we can do.”

She hung up.

“What is it?” asked Ella. But she knew. You’re cursed.

“Josh has gone missing. They’re sending out a search party.”

And just like that, a shiver of darkness descended on the Basin.