The Ancient Wish: The Direbright Series, #1

By S. A. Beattie

One lost girl. One ancient wish. One chance to get home.

 

Being sixteen is hard enough, but now Maxena Saltash's best friend has a new boyfriend, is bullying the shy girl at school, and thinks Max's choice of career is as lowly as the rocks she wants to study. Grateful to be away camping with her family, Max follows a strange creature deep into a cave system. But when she emerges, everything is different.

 

Frightened and lost in an unfamiliar world, Max is on the run from bandits who mean to kill her and kidnap the creature she names Roo. Along the way, she meets cranky Hazel, who blames Max for destroying his home, and mistrustful Peng, a disfigured half-man, half-bird who just wants to be accepted. But when Max discovers she holds the key to a powerful prophecy it's up to her to solve the clues, endure five trials, and claim the ancient wish. 

 

If Max fails, her murderous adversaries will use the wish for their own malicious intent. She will never see her home or family again, and the magical world will fall to ruin. Will Max find the strength to stand and fight, or will she remain forever lost?

 

Join the magical quest in a fantasy world with a steampunk twist, laugh-out-loud moments, and edge-of-your-seat action in The Ancient Wish.

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: S. A. Beattie
• Release date: Dec 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9780645010107

Book preview

1

Bully

With all her heart, Maxena Saltash wished she could be anywhere but here at the school lockers, watching in awkward silence as Sophia meted out a savage tongue-lashing to Eulalie Weaver. Unfortunately, Eulalie had accidentally bumped into Sophia with her wheelchair while trying to push her schoolbag into her locker.

Can’t you wait over there instead of being a human traffic hazard? said Sophia, pointing to the other side of the corridor. "And do you honestly need that thing? I’ve seen you move your feet."

Slamming her locker door shut, Sophia rolled her eyes at Max before skipping over to her boyfriend Dante. She instantly gripped his hand and they walked off to class, a broad smile on her face where only moments ago had been a scowl. Since it was the last day of first term before the Easter school holidays, Max was looking forward to not having to watch her best friend spend all of her time with her boyfriend. Sophia and Dante had been dating since the end of the previous year and all through the summer holidays Sophia seemed to choose Dante’s company over Max’s. It had been a tough start to year ten.

The sick dread Max had been harbouring for months worsened whenever she saw them together. She didn’t understand why Sophia couldn’t occasionally choose her, especially as they’d been friends since kindergarten. What made it particularly sore was Max had been nurturing a growing crush on Dante ever since he’d come to the high school back in year seven. Most, if not all, of the girls had swooned over the tall, handsome footy player, and there’d been many a sleepover spent talking about whether his hair was naturally styled or if he woke up with it like that; did he work out to have the prominent muscles in his arms; what his parents’ jobs were; what his bedroom looked like.

Though Max still wondered at some of these things, the deep conversations with her best friend had stopped the moment Sophia accepted Dante’s Will you be my girlfriend? question.

And then there was Eulalie Weaver. Max couldn’t understand why Sophia had taken an instant dislike to the new girl who was wheelchair-bound and just trying her best to fit in, or so Max thought. Max had overheard teachers saying that Eulalie suffered from juvenile arthritis, a condition that apparently caused her a lot of pain when she tried to walk. Max had only understood arthritis to be something really old people suffered from, but after researching online she learned there were varying degrees of how bad the disease was, and so Eulalie would remain in her chair unless she was able to get hip replacements. Again, something Max thought was only a problem for the elderly.

Whatever the circumstance, she knew that even though Eulalie could move her legs, it caused her a lot of pain and she needed the wheelchair to move about the school. Max had often seen her making her solitary way to the library at lunchtime. Eulalie didn’t have many friends—in fact, Max wasn’t sure if she had any, and she didn’t understand why.

Why don’t you like Eulalie? she remembered asking Sophia in one of the rare moments she had her friend alone, without Dante. She hoped to explain why Eulalie needed the chair, knowing that Sophia would never bother to look it up online.

Dante says she’s a pathetic attention-seeker, and I can’t stand that kind of play-the-victim attitude, as though she’s some kind of martyr we all should admire and bow down to.

There’s a chance she could walk, Max persisted, running her tongue over the gap between her front teeth. Sophia’s mean streak wasn’t something Max had encountered until recently, and she was still trying to understand the sudden outbursts of maliciousness she would receive in response to some of their conversations. If she qualifies for an op—

No, interrupted Sophia. It’s a show of weakness, which is seriously annoying. If she could walk, she would be just like the rest of us, and that wouldn’t get her the attention she craves, would it?

Weakness? questioned Max. She has an illness, it’s not her fault.

That’s what they all say, ‘It’s not my fault.’ Wrong. It’s all in her head, and if she ever wants to improve herself, she needs to grow up.

Max hadn’t understood how growing up would help Eulalie with her health, but she had dropped the subject. For the first time in their entire friendship she began to censor herself before making any comments or opening any conversations with Sophia in case it turned ugly, and made Max feel worthless. Her concern for Eulalie was far outweighed by the change in attitude of her friend. Ever since she’d caught Dante’s attention it seemed nothing and no one else mattered to Sophia.

Watching Eulalie go, Max wondered if the girl regretted having come to this school in the first place. Sophia had been on Eulalie’s case the first day of school, which was when the endless stream of online posts—which Sophia took rather disturbing pride in—began. Dreadful memes Sophia titled ‘Useless Beaver’ were constantly popping up on Max’s feeds, so whenever her phone pinged with a new notification, she would feel a terrible chill creeping over her shoulders.

Useless Beaver, Eulalie Weaver, get it? said Sophia in the first few days of school, a cruel grin splitting her face.

That’s really mean, Soph, said Max in a quiet voice. The vicious nickname had only been the beginning. Max hadn’t realised then how bad Sophia’s loathing of Eulalie was.

Don’t be so melodramatic, Sophia said, shaking her head in disbelief. Dante thought it was really funny. It’s just harmless fun, the girl needs to grow a backbone and get over it, or better yet, get off her arse.

Max had wanted to argue, but it had been so hard to get Sophia on her own that she didn’t want to spend the time arguing. Max didn’t know if Eulalie had seen any of the awful pictures and messages, but there’d been several occasions where girls grouped around each other’s phones were giggling until Eulalie went past and everyone stopped to watch her before bursting into fits again.

The bell rang and Max hurried to get to history before Ms Lee shut the door. She didn’t mind history class, and it was one of the few subjects she shared with Sophia without having to worry about Dante being a distraction.

Did you finish the essay? whispered Sophia when Max slid into the seat next to her.

Yeah, I emailed it through to Ms Lee last night. Max was thankful it was the last piece of work due before the holidays, which meant she could enjoy herself and not worry about having to complete schoolwork for next term. Homework-free holidays! she whispered excitedly.

"I know, I can’t begin to explain all the plans Dante and I have. He’s promised to take me shopping, and we’re going to go to the movies, and he’s even invited me to meet his parents over dinner one night! Can you believe it?"

Yeah, said Max slowly, though she shouldn’t have expected anything different. As it was, her family were off camping for the first week of the holidays to a favourite spot on the other side of Melbourne in the Buchan Reserve. She was looking forward to it, but wondered if she’d get to spend any time hanging out with Sophia if she was going to be with Dante the whole time.

Anyway, you’ll be off gutting fish and making fire won’t you?

Camping, said Max flatly. It’s called camping. I like camping, it’s fun to be so close to nature. And we’re going to see caves and—

Blah, blah, blah, really don’t care, Sophia interrupted. You can keep your sleeping on dirt, and leaves in your hair, and eating worms.

We don’t eat worms!

Is there a problem, Maxena? called Ms Lee.

No, Ms Lee, said Max, her face burning.

Let’s concentrate then, shall we?

Yes, Ms Lee.

As the day progressed, Max found herself wishing all the more that it would end, so the school holidays could start. The next subject was Art, which was relaxing since it was the last Art lesson of the term, and they’d already completed their watercolour projects. This meant they could mostly just sit around chatting, though Max took to drawing a few sketches of birds on a scrap piece of paper. It helped her relax and restored some of her waning excitement. She would soon be free.

She was also happy to attend science, since it was her favourite subject, and even more so because today they would be receiving back their geology assignments. Over the years, Max had become particularly fond of the topic, finding the structure of rocks and minerals fascinating. Of course, Sophia didn’t share in her enthusiasm, and with her new persona didn’t have any qualms telling Max exactly how she felt about it.

"Honestly, Max—rocks? she said in a withering tone. You do realise it’s studying dirt? Do you want to be known as the person who likes to look at dirt?"

Well, we’d be in a lot of trouble without it, otherwise what else would we walk on? said Max hoping to lighten the mood.

Sophia rolled her eyes. Lame.

Tired of the constant snipes, Max steeled herself. No worse than your succulent collection. They need dirt like any other plant, otherwise they’d be living on air.

I don’t have my succulents, said Sophia, a note of frailty in her voice.

What? asked Max, turning to her. Along the windowsill of Sophia’s bedroom were fourteen tiny pots with differing succulents. Each had its own name, and even a personality, according to Sophia. Sporting buff though Sophia was, Max had come to understand her friend’s love of the unusual little plants with their odd-shaped leaves and soft colours. Why would you—?

They were stupid.

Max wanted to find out what had happened. Sophia had doted on her succulents, at one point asking Max to draw them so she could make name plaques. But Sophia wouldn’t make eye contact, instead focussing on the classwork. Max decided she would ask another time. Whatever the reason, it only added to her worry.

While studying geology in class, they’d also been covering earthquakes, how volcanoes formed, and how the passage of time could be analysed by simply looking at the layers of rock in a cliff. Her favourite by far, though, was when Mr Clements brought up the topic of gemstones. Their intricate compositions and the way they manipulated light made them simply mesmerising. Max could scroll through her phone for hours reading up on the differing types, and not just the classics like diamonds and rubies, but the lesser-known ones like carnelian and malachite.

The assignments were handed back and when she saw the A-plus on the front page, Max was close to bursting with pride and happiness.

Calling Doctor Mud, Sophia singsonged under her breath while Max tried to control her smile and flipped to the back to read Mr Clements’ glowing remarks on the work.

Give it a rest, Soph, I find it really interesting. She knew she had no hope of convincing Sophia otherwise, but it hurt that her friend who had once supported her love of rocks was now using it to upset her. Again she wondered about Sophia’s succulent collection, and her reasons for getting rid of it.

Sophia gave her a look. There is nothing interesting about a bunch of rocks, Max. Dante says they’re totally boring. I’m looking forward to PE this afternoon. We’re playing basketball and that is a lot more exciting than Mr Clements’ pebbles.

Of course, PE was Sophia’s best subject. She was on the school’s basketball team, was captain of the girl’s cricket team and had tennis coaching twice a week. Max didn’t know how she managed to get all her schoolwork done with all the sporting practice she did, but Sophia was exceptionally intelligent and handed in every piece of homework and assignment, never achieving less than an A-minus. The proof was in the geology assignment, which despite Sophia’s indifference to rocks, Max saw had still pulled an A-plus.

Since it’s our last day, we’ll finish the term with what I know you’ve all been hoping for, began Mr Clements. The class gave a wholehearted sigh assuming he was about to announce a bludge class, where they could kick back, chat, or do whatever they liked as most of the other classes had already been. A quiz! he said, smiling and holding up a sheaf of paper. Now I know you might expect to do this on your tablets or laptops, but as you know, I prefer old-school, so you can break out a pen and do something a lot of you should have practised more of during primary school. That is to say, your handwriting.

Snarky teachers are the worst, muttered Sophia under her breath. If it were any other class Max might have agreed, but since it was going to be a test about geology, she felt rather elated to find out how much she remembered.

I don’t think Mr Clements told us half of what was in that test, said Thalia, one of Max’s classmates, as they were leaving the classroom.

I couldn’t remember what ‘seismic’ meant, said Xavier, Dante’s best friend. Was that to do with earthquakes or tsunamis?

That was easy, Max whispered to Sophia.

Easy for you and your stupid rocks, Sophia snapped. Chastised, Max clutched her laptop to her chest and duly followed Sophia out of the classroom. She knew she’d aced the test and was inwardly hoping for a really good mark when they resumed science next term.

Lunchtime brought some relief since Dante had football practice with his mates, so she and Sophia could hang out at their usual haunt under a wide awning where a bench seat ran along the length of it. It gave a good view of the oval so despite Max having Sophia to herself, Sophia could still watch Dante play.

During a break in the game, Dante jogged over to them. He was sweating and held a drink bottle from which he was sucking down water like a fish.

You’re the best out there, babe, said Sophia, standing. I can’t wait for tomorrow’s game!

You’ve got a game tomorrow? asked Max.

Dante nodded, taking another drink before he spoke. First of the season. Coach reckons we’ll smash it this year.

It was at that moment Eulalie wheeled herself around the corner. Max saw her hesitate when she saw them. Dante nodded in Eulalie’s direction, and the poor girl had no hope of retreat when Sophia’s gaze landed on her.

Well, well, if it isn’t Useless Beaver, she snarled.

Don’t, Soph, said Max, but Sophia ignored her.

Can’t you see this is a private party? Or are you blind as well as stupid?

Nice one, Soph, said Dante, still taking glugs of water. A whistle blew and like a trained dog he ran off back to the oval.

Eulalie was trying to back away, but a rock behind one of the wheels was making it difficult.

Allow me, said Sophia marching over, she grabbed the handles, pulled Eulalie off the rock, and with a strong shove sent her back down the path towards the classrooms. If you can’t drive the thing properly, try walking, Useless Beaver! she called after her. There, that takes care of that.

You shouldn’t have done that, said Max.

Oh please, don’t give me any more sob stories about how it isn’t her fault. Dante’s seen her walking, everyone knows she can, so this— she waved a hand around trying to think of a word, "—performance she’s giving is getting really old, really fast."

She sat back down, and Max joined her. It was easier to keep her mouth shut. Then she could just be with her friend and not have to compete with either Dante or Eulalie, and they could just talk about normal things like they used to before Sophia became so engrossed in her boyfriend rather than their friendship.

Sophia had been in a particularly sullen mood all day, but it all changed when it came to the final period and Max was relieved that she was becoming the happier, normal Sophia she knew and loved, since she was able to indulge in her own favourite subject, PE.

Dante says we can wear our PE uniforms home, said Sophia excitedly as they were changing. At least, that’s what he said Mr Tippett said. She finished lacing her sneakers and began bouncing on her feet waiting for Max to finish tying her own shoes. Come on, come on, she urged. It’s basketball, I want to be a captain so I can choose my team!

Just go, said Max, expecting Sophia to decline and wait, but instead she made a dash for the door and Max could hear her sneakered feet pelting down the corridor towards the gym. It was nice to have Sophia in a good mood again, but the dark cloud of Sophia’s temper hung over Max like a heavy blanket, the scratchy kind.

True to Dante’s rumour, Mr Tippett allowed the class to go home in their PE gear. It meant they had extra time to clean out their lockers before heading home for the holidays.

Max, having not been picked to join Sophia’s team for basketball, just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. Sophia gave the simple reason that she wanted to win, and Max preferred rocks to sport. Her tone had been so indifferent that Max had to clench her fists to stop herself from crying. It was just a stupid game of basketball, but Max had never felt so betrayed. After Sophia had achieved her win, she gave Max a hug, smiling broadly and began chatting about the holidays as though nothing were amiss.

Grabbing her bag, Max began pulling out old assignments and homework and the few books she had. There was an apple that she’d totally forgotten about, which was so dry and wrinkled it looked like the head of an ancient being. She checked her phone, which, like everyone else’s, was strictly forbidden during class time, and saw she had two messages. One was from her mother saying that she would be home late, and the other was from her brother Hudson asking if they could go past the local shops on the way home from school.

Dante had the locker adjacent to hers and he was busily shoving everything into his bag with a sweep of his arm. In spite of his attachment to Sophia, Max always got a small thrill whenever he smiled or spoke to her. Being locker neighbours, it was as though they had a secret connection that Sophia wasn’t part of. Of course, once she’d started dating Dante, Sophia had all but demanded that Max swap lockers with her. In an effort to keep things as they were, Max had gone to the school office, where the girls were told flatly that lockers were not to be swapped unless there was a medical need to do so. Sophia had been furious, but Max did a mental victory dance, doing her best to hide her smile.

Dante slammed his locker door shut and hoisted his bag over his shoulder. Be glad to get out of this hole for a while, he said.

Yeah, she breathed, smiling a little and tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. Of late he usually only ever spoke to Sophia, or through Sophia, or gave Sophia an opinion to give to everyone else.

See you next term, then, he said. Or guess I’ll see you when you come over to Soph’s. He headed towards Sophia’s locker situated a few doors down.

Sure. Again, Max felt the twist of frustration that she was having to share Sophia over the holidays, or at least during the days when she was back from the family camping trip. She missed the days when they would head into the city and trawl the shops, trying on clothes and makeup.

She had cleared her locker and was replying to the two texts when she heard a cry and a crash. Closing her locker door, she saw Eulalie sprawled across the floor, her school dress rucked up and showing her underwear, the stuff from her locker spilling out, and Sophia standing over her, glaring angrily.

You stupid excuse for a human being! Sophia barked. "I told you to get out of my way! Look, you can move your legs, why not use them like everyone else, since you clearly can! Useless bloody Beaver!" She stepped over Eulalie and finished hauling out everything from her own locker. Everyone was laughing, much to Max’s disappointment, because she couldn’t see anything humorous about bullying a disabled girl.

Oh dear, Eulalie, said Mrs Hollis, the maths teacher, as she came along the corridor. Had a bit of a spill, have you? Come on, let’s set you right. She pulled up the wheelchair as Eulalie tried to stand.

Let’s go, said Sophia pointedly at Max, her eyes still menacing when she grabbed up her bag. Dante put his arm across her shoulders.

Horrified, Max saw everyone give Eulalie and Mrs Hollis a wide berth, ignoring Eulalie’s need for assistance. Eulalie managed to stand unsteadily, but her face was contorted in terrible agony.

There you go, said Mrs Hollis gently, helping Eulalie back into the wheelchair. The girl grunted in pain when she set her feet on the rests, but with a grateful nod to Mrs Hollis, she continued to empty her locker as though nothing had happened. Her cheeks, however, were burning red, which Max wasn’t sure was from the pain or the embarrassment.

With a final pat on Eulalie’s shoulder, Mrs Hollis left, dodging students as they hurried to catch buses and rides home. No one said anything about Sophia’s treatment of Eulalie, that it had been her fault Eulalie had ended up on the floor in the first place.

She’s upset, said Max. Eulalie’s humiliation was irrefutable; tears flowed down her cheeks, spotting her uniform, and her hands were still shaking.

She’s an idiot, said Sophia with finality, her glare widening as indication that Max had better come along—or else.

2

Creature

Max bid Sophia farewell at the school bus stop, leaving her and Dante to have their own moment, with plans to keep in touch and catch up during the holidays. She wondered if Sophia’s words were just empty promises, since she was bound to be spending every waking moment in the presence of Dante anyway.

Max set about getting her bicycle from the secured cage, and then went to collect Hudson from the primary school further down the road. He was in year six, his final year of primary school, and although he was old enough to ride alone, he would wait for her so they could ride the rest of the way home together. Theirs was one of the rare sibling relationships where they managed to get along for the most part. Max had overheard several conversations at school about brothers or sisters who were annoying, stupid mistakes, but Max remembered the day her mother told her she would soon have a baby brother or sister. Ever since Hudson had been brought home from the hospital Max had felt an instant attachment to him.

You’re quiet, he said when they had ridden along for several minutes in complete silence. Usually you’re telling me your teachers are being really annoying, or how much homework you’ve got. You know, all the stuff I have to look forward to next year.

Max was deep in thought about how she truly felt about her best friend. Her change in behaviour had been so sudden, especially her behaviour towards Eulalie. Then there was the unspoken competition with Dante for Sophia’s time and attention. It all gave Max a lot to think about, including how she could fix it.

She eventually smiled at Hudson. She’d lost count of the number of times she’d overheard her parents murmuring about how lucky they’d been to have had two kids that, more often than not, got along with each other. Sure, they had their moments, but Hudson had his own interests, none of which seemed to include driving his older sister crazy.

I don’t have any homework, she offered. That means I can enjoy our holiday and not worry about having to come back to it. Both Max’s parents had loved camping as kids and seemed determined to instil the same passion in their own children. Their favourite camping site was located in the Buchan Reserve, several hours east of Melbourne. It was beautiful and quiet and had no network reception whatsoever. It was a lot for her to have no connection to the outside world, but Max was almost thankful there wouldn’t be the constant bleeping on her phone every few minutes with notifications of Sophia and Dante’s relationship.

Besides, she was looking forward to the prospect of evenings spent stargazing and toasting bits of bread over an open fire to have with butter and jam. Her father had long ago taught his children to fish, which she’d surprisingly found to be both relaxing and exhilarating at the same time. The real highlight, and what Max was looking forward to most, were the caves. Fishing and stars and campfires aside, Max was really excited that she would again have the chance to explore them.

Had a good last day of school? asked Alyse, Max’s mother, over dinner. I’d have thought you’d be letting us know how glad you were to be on holidays.

Oh, yeah, said Max, stopping herself from picking at her chipped nail polish and grabbing up her fork. Yeah, it was good. She couldn’t get the image of Eulalie spread-eagled across the school corridor out of her mind, and the torment in her screwed-up face as she was hauled back into her chair by Mrs Hollis. None of the kids had stopped to help, which only reinforced Sophia’s treatment of her. It seemed Eulalie didn’t have a single friend in the entire school.

Everything okay? asked Jarod, her father. You’re awfully quiet tonight.

Sure, she replied, smiling weakly. Just glad it’s over for the term. She was having difficulty getting her food down since the situation had taken away her appetite. She remembered Dante’s cruel laugh, and Sophia’s wrath over a girl who, for reasons beyond her control, was just a bit different.

After dinner and dishes were done, Max went to her room to pack. But even as she began to stack clothes and shoes into her duffle bag, all she could hear was Sophia’s voice ringing in her ears. Useless Beaver! and She’s an idiot. Her phone blipped and she saw a text from Sophia wishing her a safe trip, mourning the fact that they wouldn’t be able to keep in contact while she was away, and promising to make plans once she was back. It sounded