The Ragwitch

The Ragwitch
Garth Nix

From the author of Abhorsen comes classic fantasy set in a world dominated by the Ragwitch, a being of sinister, destructive intent.An ancient spirit wreaks death and destruction on the world that sought to cripple her powers.“Julia turned around – and Paul skidded to a stop in shock. He felt like he’d been winded, struck so hard he couldn’t breathe at all. For the person in front of him wasn’t Julia at all, but a hideous mixture of girl and doll: half flesh, half cloth, and the eyes and face had nothing of Julia left at all, only the evil features of the doll.”When Julia finds the ugly doll in the strange ball of feathers on the beach, Paul instinctively knows that his sister has meddled with something that is going to cause trouble. But already it’s too late –the power behind the doll already has his sister in its thrall and, later that night, the Ragwitch claims Julia for its own.Fighting against his natural urge to run from this hideous being, Paul is drawn into the creature’s own world. Can he save his sister –or even himself?

The Ragwitch

Garth Nix

TO SHAHNAZ,

MY FAMILY, AND FRIENDS

Table of Contents

Cover Page (#u9fa91759-4d5a-5a8e-aef6-97bcf7a8c9b7)

Title Page (#u127a93eb-1402-5e68-8dc1-4d4b249ad3fa)

1. The Midden (#u54075c9a-3586-5a4f-82f7-99d9c65c19ae)

2 The Forest of the May Dancers The Sea Caves (#u72175c45-035f-5d7f-b74f-89101ece1175)

3. Awqinn / The Spire (#ud47350d2-063b-5d3f-b22c-f1fd4fe6a3b9)

4. Gwarulch by Night / The Raqwitch Looks to the South (#u93ca28a8-2c67-55ce-948b-46bc78686250)

5. Rhysamarn / The Mountain of the Wise (#u845b1bb0-d3b4-51a7-987a-07d52c25c963)

6. Tanboule’s Advice / The Sack of Bevallan (#u65343dfb-481c-532d-a012-af41f199373c)

7 A Friend of Beasts / Lyssa (#litres_trial_promo)

8. A Guide / The Namyr Steps (#litres_trial_promo)

9. The Wind Moot / Glazed Folk (#litres_trial_promo)

10. The Memory / A Village by the Sea (#litres_trial_promo)

11. The Sed Festival (#litres_trial_promo)

12. The Beast /To the Water Lord (#litres_trial_promo)

13. Golden Fire / The Water Lord’s Catch (#litres_trial_promo)

14. Sleye Midden / Sharks (#litres_trial_promo)

15. Anhyvar / Aleyne (#litres_trial_promo)

16. A Picnic With Lyssa / Master Caqael and Friends (#litres_trial_promo)

17. Reddow Cairn (#litres_trial_promo)

18. Julia Is Summoned / Dancing With Fire (#litres_trial_promo)

19. Within Her Mind/ Rhysamarn (#litres_trial_promo)

20. The Potato Harvest / The Raqwitch Attacks (#litres_trial_promo)

21. The Challenge / Thruan (#litres_trial_promo)

22. The Worm / Dreams and Shadows (#litres_trial_promo)

23. The Spire / The Forge (#litres_trial_promo)

24. The Last Battle (#litres_trial_promo)

Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)

Also by Garth Nix (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

1. The Midden (#ulink_1c397dc0-7ec1-5e53-ab42-f5e680bb701b)

“COME ON, PAUL!” shrieked Julia as she ran down the dune, the sand sliding away under her bare feet. Below her lay the beach, a white expanse bordered by mounds of seaweed. Beyond the seaweed lay the sea, a great mass of slow, tumbling waves, each solemnly dumping another load of the green-brown kelp.

Julia didn’t wait for an answer to her call – a brief backward glance showed Paul atop the dune, staring single-mindedly into the sea. She kept on running, breaking into an erratic skip to avoid the stinging bluebottles cast ashore to die in the morning sun.

Entranced by the view, Paul slowly moved his gaze along the beach, like a swivelling human telescope. He looked mainly to the north, where grey rocks thrust out into the sea, forming a spit, full of intricate pools and dangerous channels.

Above the spit, a strange hill rose out of the sand, a reddish hill, crowned with thousands of gleaming white fragments and shells. The hill dominated the shore, rising high above the lesser dunes that flanked it.

“Come on!” shouted Julia again. Paul looked down and saw that she was already walking towards the spit. He quickly switched from looking to walking mode and took a diagonal path to meet her, half sliding down the face of the great dune.

“Isn’t it fantastic?” burbled Julia, as Paul finally arrived at the spit, panting from his exertions. She spoke without looking at him, intent on the tiny fish that swirled about her toes in the rock pool.

“Yeah, great!” answered Paul enthusiastically. “Do you want to go out on the spit? We might see a dolphin from the end.”

“Not now. Wouldn’t you rather climb that?” asked Julia, pointing at the hill.

“What sort of hill is that?” asked Paul. “I’ve never seen a hill like that on a beach!”

“It’s a midden. Daddy told me about it last night. You can just see it from the house.”

“What’s a midden?”

“An Aboriginal midden,” explained Julia, “is sort of a really old rubbish tip. It took thousands of years to build up, just by people dropping shells in the same place. That’s what those white things are.”