05. July 2017 - The Desert

## Introduction

> *A sky sheet, a burn hole, Black clad & squawking silhouettes, Lapping waves of fire to fell each creature, Lunging jaws open to savour their sticky hearts.*
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### Wild Angelica's Playlist

* Tlahoun Gessesse - *Sethed Seketelat*
* Cat Power - *Moonshiner*
* Phosphorescent - *At Death, a Proclamation*
* Waxahatchee - *Bonfire*
* Mazzy Star - *Into Dust*
* M. Ward - *Poor Boy, Minor Key*

## The Puzzles

### (i)

Anna thirsts in the dust of the desert for days. As exhaustion sets in and panic takes hold, she comes upon the site of the long-lost coven of The Wild Angelica; now, apparently, merely a sandswept altar of stone.

* **Hint**

> Break out your cryptic crossword skills
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* **Hint**

> You're looking for a single standing stone on (ii)
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* **Solutions**

> SE
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* *In Silence I begin and end* - The first and last letters of silence are SE
* *I am in Presence and Absence both* - SE is together in both words
* *The first in Seven days to write* - SE starts seven
* *Missing from the ERA that wipes us clean* - eraSE
* *And the DEN that packs us tight* - denSE
* *I live on one side of a house* - houSE
* *Where the wise end up last of all* - wiSE
* *And I sit at the front of my seat* - SEat
* *At the universe end; at the fall* - univerSE

### (ii)

One the standing stones surrounding the altar, the girl recognises the symbols of the coven's four houses: The Serpent, the Wolfspider, the Gila Monster, and the Mantis

* **Hint**

> What did you learn from (i)?
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* **Solution**

> The Mantis sits in the SE
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### (iii)

Anna approaches one of the stones, and as she does, the animal appears. It leads her to a dense labyrinth of dried branches, where something glints in the sun. She observes the creature navigate the dead bones of the trees and retrieve the object.

* **Hint**

> It's not just the destination, it's the journey
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* **Hint**

> The maze lines trace the symbols on (iv)
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### (iv)

Anna takes the object, speaks its true name, and places it on the altar as an offering to the creature of the house. She lights a ceremonial candle and repeats the ritual with three more objects as a sign of respect to all the houses of the coven.

### (v)

As though a veil were lifted, the entrance to the coven of the Wild Angelica appears; upon its door a scrambled tesselock

(not a hint, but it would probably best to make a photocopy rather than cut up your CPP...)

### (vi)

The door opens on the last living Angelican, appearing in three guises to offer salvation from the relentless heart of the desert.

* **Hint**

> What sign did the tesselock make?
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As Cryptogram Puzzle Post is still running a competition with prizes for the first season, the guide will stop here for now. Once the Season 1 prizes are completely handed out, this will describe the solution for (vi) and (vii).

### (vii)

An invocation is scribed upon the wall. The sister stares expectantly through six silver eyes. Anna is moved to speak....

## References and Rabbit Holes

Helpful hints on Cryptic Crosswords

* http://solving-cryptics.com/
* http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/solve-cryptic-crosswords/

Wild Angelica

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelica\_sylvestris/
* https://www.eatweeds.co.uk/wild-angelica-angelica-sylvestris