The Keys of Queen Mab.
The only complete copy of this book to survive the Great Burning was the one discovered by Ruby Gilbert and Davey Tachard. To discover the fate of that book you must read "The Legend of the Witch Wolves" and its sequels. Today only a few scorched fragments remain. These were passed on to me by my great grandmother and I have reproduced some of the pages here, though only those parts deemed safe for publication.
Fashioning a Bridle for a Nightmare.
The making of the bride is a simple enough task. Take a length of fine silk rope and weave into it the sound of a newborn infant's first cry. Loop the rope into a noose and catch the death rattle of a man one hundred years old.
A Nightmare is most like to be found on a lonely moor, at the sight of an ancient battle or in an abandoned church yard. The creature is attracted by the scent of fear so you should imagine yourself surrounded by vampires, ghost, ghouls and werewolves. If you can manage to weep and cringe and gnash your teeth in terror, all the better - the Nightmare will like this.
Once you can feel the ice cold breath of the Nightmare on your cheek, jump up and throw the bridle over his head and jump smartly onto his back. He will try hard to throw you off but if you hold fast he will submit to be ridden. A Nightmare makes a fine steed and will carry you over land and sea at astonishing speed but you must take great care never to let go of the bridle. If you do so, for even a moment, the enchantment will dissolve, the Nightmare will leave you marooned.
Weaving Clothes from the Wind.
Take a loom built of hazel wood and a shuttle of silver. Find a windy place, such as a sea cliff or a lonely hilltop. Take a feather plucked from a swallow in flight, cast it upon the air and recite the spell:
Calastae sevara, sulamae catara
Samarae catara, falasae shekara
Chant the spell as you weave and do not cease in singing until the cloth is made. Make certain that no human hand touches the cloth until it is fully spun and has taken on solid form, or all will melt away into thin air.
Once the wind cloth is made it will be light and strong and soft as silk. It may be cut and worked as any other material.
Cloth made on on a cloudy day will be rain grey. Cloud cloth makes a fine travelling cloak, protecting the wearer in all weathers. Sky Cloth, woven on a clear summer day will be pale blue and makes fine sails for boats. Storm cloth is dark and ripples with lightning and is said to make its wearer invisible. Cloth made by starlight is greatly prized for beauty and magical properties. A cloak of Star Cloth is said to enable its wearer to ride upon a beam of light and traverse the deeps of space in order visit distant worlds.
On the Language of Moles.
It is of great benefit to understand the speech of these shy and marvellous creatures.
To begin, make an ear trumpet from leaves of oak and willow, stitched together with spider silk and the light of a falling star. Lie still and quiet on the ground near to a fresh dug mole hill and place the thin end in your ear and the trumpet end against the earth. You will soon hear mole conversation. Listen well. Once you have a good understanding of their ways then put your lips to the trumpet's mouth and whisper. Be sure to speak softly, or the moles will flee.
It is wise to offer moles delicacies, such as locusts dipped in honey, earwig eggs or buttered carrots. Once you have won their trust your kindness will be rewarded a hundred times over, for moles are highly intelligent, loyal and eager to please. They are most helpful when searching for buried treasure.
Charming Birds from the Trees.
Birds are great gossips and most of what passes in the world can learned from their twittering. Some sorts also make fine messengers.
At sunrise on the first day of the new moon pluck a hollow reed as long as your hand and catch in it the song of a skylark. Take a newly forged silver knife and cut one end of the reed at an angle to make a whistle. Cut finger holes along the length of the reed and whisper into the flute the sort of bird that you wish to charm. If you can copy the song passably well then the flute will call the bird down from its nest to sit on your shoulder. It will whisper all it knows into your ear and carry messages for you.
The best birds for carrying messages are the raven, the thrush, and the sparrow. Larks are flighty and unreliable. Cuckoos are not to be trusted under any circumstances. Seagulls may be used but they are uncouth and their language is course. Eagles and falcons are great sources of news but you should never, under any circumstances, ask them to carry messages. They consider such servitude far beneath them and are likely to express their displeasure with their claws.
The Hounds of Queen Mab:
Long ago, Queen Mab made these beasts to be her servants. They are seven in number and they resemble wolves, though they are larger than any mortal wolf and their coats are dark as a sunless night. These creatures were once men and they retain the souls and wits of men and have a speech all of their own that is awful to hear. Their voices may be used to cast enchantment upon the minds of mortals and it is for this that they are named the Witch Wolves.
The Witch Wolves must be summoned in darkness and, once called, they may only remain in the waking world for the span of a single night. The summoning is perilous and the cost of the charm is steep. Rare spices must be burned, pledges made to the dark powers, and the beasts must eat of the bones of the long dead, freshly dug from the earth. The summoner must let the creatures lap at his own life's blood in order to bind them to his will.
The spell is as follows:
In a bowl carved from bone place the dust of a coffin nail and the ashes of . . .
NB: After this point the manuscript becomes illegible.
