Sorcery & Sirens
Page 1
About the Book
Crystal’s life is a mess.
Homecoming sucks, her best friend wants nothing to do with her, and she has nothing better to do than hang out at a lame medieval faire with Stu and her other friends.
Just when she’s starting to relax and have fun, she finds a doorway in a changing room. Curious, she enters to find a parallel world. The boy she’s been crushing on is there but everything else is bizarre. Demanding to be taken back to the faire despite how hot Jake is, Crystal discovers Stu is missing.
Heartbroken and thoroughly confused, Crystal’s search for Stu begins a wild adventure that brings her deeper into a mysterious land where no one is who or what they seem.
Along the way, she must battle her own personal demons, strange and frightening new creatures, and must find a sacred dagger or else her world and friends will vanish forever.
Great. No pressure.
Sorcery and Sirens is perfect for lovers of magic, vampires, sirens and snarky teens. Fans of Tricia Barr and Jaymin Eve will love this.
Sorcery & Sirens
Iris Woodbury
Copyright © 2019 by Iris Woodbury
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Dedication
To my mentor. For prodding me with a big stick when I needed it. And to James. For all the coffee.
Contents
1. A Former Friend
2. The Green-Eyed Monster
3. Through The Curtains
4. The Forest of Shadows
5. A Lost Friend
6. Otherworlders
7. Flight Into the Woods
8. The Sulfur Caverns
9. Eternal Agony
10. A Gentle Rider
11. The Wall
12. Kaze
13. Somnia By Day
14. Nightmares
15. Stu's Story
16. Strange Magic
17. The Quest
18. Dinner and a Movie
19. Somnia by Night
20. Ursula
21. A Stranger at the Inn
22. Soul Wells and Sirens
23. Blood Bank
24. A Close Shave
25. The Marquis
26. A Restless Night
27. Strange Guardsmen
28. The Sacred Dagger of Caducus
29. A Touch of Normal
About the Author
Also by Iris Woodbury
A Former Friend
Crystal opened her eyes, and for a delightful moment she still wasn't in her bedroom. In that twilight moment between sleep and wakefulness, she experienced the delicious thrill of Jake's hand in hers. Then the newly crowned Homecoming King tilted his face toward hers, while his strong hands caressed her neck softly.
This was it! This was what she'd been waiting for all term. Every inch of her body exploded in sparkles of anticipation; it was coming, that long-awaited, first kiss. Crystal, the newly crowned Homecoming Queen, rose up on her tiptoes, closed her eyes and held her breath. Any second now, his lips would brush hers and she would melt in utter happiness. Her mouth opened, she took a deep breath, and then….
“Get your lazy backside down here right now!"
The delightful image vaporized, and the dream was gone.
Crystal groaned, wiped the dry spit from the corner of her mouth and stared wistfully at the ceiling. Homecoming week had been... not good.
"Are you coming down or what? I'm leaving in five minutes if you want a ride. Otherwise you'll have to wait for the bus."
Ugh, no thank you. "I'll be there, Mom," she hollered back. "Just give me a minute."
She rolled over, and hugging her pillow to her chest, would have lost herself in that dream again, given half the chance.
"I'm not waiting for you, Crystal!"
The bedroom window was cranked open just a little, and there was a cutting bite to the air, just enough to keep her from falling back to sleep. It was no use - she had to get up. With a heartfelt sigh, Crystal kicked her comforter to the end of the bed and slid her butt over the side.
In zombie mode, she picked up two tees from the floor and shivering, grabbed her thick, navy school sweater. She first pulled on the tees, then the soft fabric of the sweater over her head, thankful for its warmth. Single tee-shirt time was well and truly over. Crystal then reached up inside the clothing and applied a ton of roll-on deodorant to her armpits. Her dad's picture was just in front of her on the dresser, sitting on top of the very book of fairy tales he used to read to her from. Adventures in Caducus. A great, green acid monster was on the front cover, towering over a mighty queen. Funny. He used to call her his little queen.
She looked thoughtfully at the book. How long had it been since she last opened the pages? Too long. In an instant she was reminded of the hero's quest amongst the vampires, mermaids and sirens of a strange, fantastic world. Now the book was just a prop to a photograph.
"Come oooooon!" her mother screamed up the stairs.
Crystal finished dressing, and after a quick trip to the bathroom to brush her teeth and splash water on her face, she thundered downstairs. Her mom was skulking moodily by the door. She gave Crystal a quick once-over and grimaced with disapproval.
"You're not going out like that?"
"Like what?"
"Crystal Baliski, just look at your hair. It's a mess."
When isn't it? Crystal hated her wild, naturally curly mop that somehow had a mind of its own. She had her dad to thank for that. "I'll brush it in the car. Stop nagging me, Mom."
"It's no wonder you didn't make Homecoming Queen. You're a pretty good-looking girl, sweetheart. A little eyeliner and lip gloss and you'd be quite lovely."
"It's not the eighties Mom. That's not what people are wearing now. Anyway, we can't afford all that keeping up with the Joneses, so why bother?"
Her mom's brow crinkled in an ugly knot. "I think my budget will stretch to a little make-up, Missy, thank-you-very-much. Get in the car now or we're gonna be late."
Crystal scoped up and down the hall. "Where's Jade?"
"Where do you think? She's sitting in the car waiting for you, already."
Jade was Crystal's adopted kid sister. Crystal's mom and dad had brought her over from China just a few years back. Shortly after that, her parents had divorced. Jade had never known her real mother, and now could hardly remember her face at all. She was tiny, cute, and no matter what happened, was always quietly happy. Crystal adored her.
They left the house, and Crystal jumped into their banged-up Ford SUV while her mom locked up the house behind her.
"Move over, Squidge," said Crystal. She threw her backpack on the seat between them and strapped in beside her sister.
”Morning Kwystaw.”
Crystal loved everything about Jade, including her terrible lisp. She reached across the car and gave her a little squeeze.
"Did you bwuth your teeth? You thmell."
"Toothbrush in the bag kiddo, have to do it at school. But thanks for the heads up."
"Buckle up girls, we're outta here," said their mom.
As the car pulled onto the street, Crystal spotted Ella Michaels' mom pulling out of her drive just a few doors away. Crystal sank a little lower in her seat but failed to avoid the glare of hatred from Ella as the two cars passed each other on the road.
Mrs. Baliski glanced at Crystal in the rear-view mirror. "You and Ella still not made up yet?"
Crystal bit her lower lip and stared moodily out of her window. "Err, that would be a no."
"Kwystaw, what happened with Ella?" asked Jade, innocently.
Something in Jade's enormous brown eyes always won over Crystal's bad mood. Her sulk melted away and she took her sister's tiny fingers in her hand and kissed them.
"Just something silly, Squidge. It's a girl thing."
"Like what? I thought you were besties."
"We were. Then for some reason, I don't know why, she became super cool and I didn't. Ella doesn't wanna hang out with me anymore. She's the Homecoming Queen and I guess I'm not good enough now." Crystal saw her mom looking at her quizzically in the rearview mirror. She looked like she was about to say something, then appeared to think better of it and focused on the drive.
Crystal shrugged. Jade sat back and the motion of the car soon lulled her to sleep; she always nodded off within seconds of leaving the house. Her school was only a short drive away and though she woke up with a jolt she was still as happy as ever. Jade rarely cried. Once their mom hit the parking brake, she raised her pudgy little hand and blew everyone an imaginary kiss goodbye. One final grin later, Jade jumped down out of the car and ran off to find her friends.
"You know the difference between you and Jade is just that she doesn't over-analyze everything. She takes things just as she finds them. You might try and be more like her, Crystal. You'd be a lot happier."
There she goes again. The advice queen. Sometimes she wished her mom knew just how she felt - maybe then she'd leave her alone. "If you say so, Mom."
Crystal slipped her buds into her ear and turned the volume up high enough to blot her mother out. Deep down she knew she was right. She did over-think things. Always had. Always would. She wished she was different. A different Crystal wouldn't have spent hours lying on her bed at home, staring at the ceiling, wondering why she was so unpopular. She had two arms and legs, same as everyone else. Her grades were good, but not like, 'geeky-good.' And she was pretty-ish. She put her hands to her face and traced every crevice. Acne had been kind and missed her entirely. So, what was it? Her dress-sense? Maybe. Her Mom did her best, but money was always tight, and Crystal soon learned how to make things last.
They were coming up to the school. Oh crap, my hair! Crystal pulled out her buds, rummaged in her backpack and pulled out a very hairy hair-brush full of gnarly loose ends. Still, it would have to do. One day she'd get around to cleaning it. She'd just finished a single pass over her head when the car came to a halt and her Mom looked back at her.
"Okay kiddo, off you go. No need to kiss me, I'm late for work as it is."
Crystal gave her mother a well-practiced teenage-sneer, opened the rear door of the car, and slid off the backseat.
"Bye."
Without a backward glance she hitched her bag over her shoulder, closed the door behind her and sauntered along to class.
"Hey Crystal, how's it going?" Nic O'Doherty didn't wait for an answer. Instead she put her empty lunch box inside her backpack, threw her arms around Crystal, and gave her a big, fat uncomfortable squeeze. "Guess who I just saw?"
There could be only one answer. Jake Williams, this year's Homecoming King, had been the only thing they'd talked about for days. They both worshiped the ground under his feet.
"Fight yer for him," Crystal laughed.
"Like he'd look at either of us," Nic said.
Crystal frowned, a little annoyed. What Nic had just said was probably true, but she still didn't like to hear it.
"So, where was he?"
"I just saw him go by with Ella," Nic replied.
It was like someone had just dropped an acid bomb in her gut. "Oh." Arrrgh... Must sound cool. "Err... where were they headed, did you notice?"
"No idea. Wanna stalk 'em?"
Yes. But mustn't look too needy. "Nah, let's go find the boys." Crystal meant John and Stu. The four of them were now part of a gang and had been inseparable of late.
"Okie dokie."
It wasn't hard to find them. John and Stu were creatures of habit, and the girls found them quickly over at the track. Not that they were doing anything sporty or anything - the two boys were crouched low over their iPhones and were competing against each other at 'Words-with-Friends.' How geeky was that?
Crystal sat down beside the boys but didn't interrupt their game. John and Stu nodded their hello's but didn't speak as they were locked in fierce competition. She felt the smooth wood in the palm of her hand and took a deep gulp of fresh fall air. The fallen leaves were crunchy under her feet and she amused herself by stomping on them and watching them crumble into a million pieces. She was just thinking the day hadn't started so bad after all, when in the corner of her eye she spotted Jake and Ella, heading in their direction.
Crystal should have smiled and said hello, like any reasonable person would have done, but her mouth was suddenly dry, and for some stupid reason she was worried she hadn't yet brushed her teeth. Words, which usually came so easily to her, were now strangled in her throat. Instead she did the worst thing possible and glared at them both.
Ella whispered something to Jake, and the two looked across to Crystal and her friends. Whatever they said, Crystal couldn't hear. She suspected she wasn't meant to. She dug her nails into the wooden bench and looked down. Why can't I just act cool when he's around? He makes me feel like such a complete psycho. And why won't she just leave me alone?
Stu looked up from his iPhone long enough to witness the exchange. "Still got the hots for Jake then?"
Crystal's face would have turned the deepest pink if it hadn't already been red from the cold. She turned to Stu and treated him to a glare dripping is disdain, then jumped down from the bench.
"Come on Nic, let's leave them to it. See you both at the Homecoming dance tonight?"
"Sure," the boys said in unison.
"See you tonight outside the gym," Stu added.
"Will do," said Crystal.
The two girls left the benches, and with their heads locked together, they wandered back to class, talking of nothing but Jake and Ella all the way. Though she loved Nic dearly, Crystal couldn't help but wish for things to go back to how they had been before, back to when they were all buddies together, and life had been real good. Still, she could wish all she liked, it wouldn't make any difference, now. Crystal would never admit this to a living soul - she missed her friend so much the pain was eating her alive. And it was the kind of pain she feared might never go away.
The Green-Eyed Monster
Crystal wouldn't admit it to the others, but she thought their morning classes had been pretty cool. In history, they had talked about the Vikings, and their teacher had put on an old movie, so they were able to close their books and just enjoy the class.
"Imagine having to row one of those boats from Norway to England," she whispered to Nic.
"My butt aches sitting on these wooden benches for an hour, let alone months."
They giggled.
Later in English, Mr. Cecil came in and dropped a big fat book on his desk with a loud thump! He was a large man, with one too many chins and had a thing for calling out Crystal and Nic in class. They secretly referred to him as the fat grub.
”Right then, you horrible monsters. For the rest of this semester you're going to learn a little bit about another culture. Greek to be precise. And all their lovely mythology."
"Isn't that Greek though, not English lit?" said Mick Matthews dryly, the class nerd who sat at the front desk in every class.
"Shaddap, smart Alec." Mr. Cecil mimicked smacking the book around the student's head. "We're going to look at their literature. Beautiful words translated into English for high school morons like you, Mick Matthews. You think you can cope with that?"
Mick recoiled into his own buttoned-up shirt while most of the students smirked.
”Now, over the last month you were supposed to read The Odyssey. Open your books up. This morning we'
re going to dive right in and see what you've learned. Can anyone tell me what a siren is?"
By the silence, Crystal guessed he was staring at a sea of blank faces. "Weren't they like mermaids?" she said. "Their voices were so alluring that sailors would die to hear more of their song."
”Exactamundo," said Mr. Cecil. He turned to write the word Sirens on the backboard.
Crystal leaned into Nic while Mr. Cecil had his back to them. "Sirens are pretty sexy, don't you think?"
Nic stopped typing notes in her computer and thought for a moment. "I dunno. Being driven mad to hear anyone sing is not my idea of a good time," she whispered back. "Odysseus. He sounds pretty hot, you know, stringing that bow and all. Crazy women, lolloping about on rocks, calling you to death - maybe not so much.”
”Crystal Baliski and Nic O'Doherty! If the two of you are quite done, maybe I can get on with teaching my class?" Mr. Cecil boomed.
The two girls lowered their heads and smirked at each other. Fat grub! Nic mouthed. They giggled.
"You know it wouldn't hurt to fill your pretty heads with something more than boy talk," he continued. "There are real monsters out there in the big bad world. Maybe if you paid attention for more than five seconds, you might learn something to help you combat them."
As soon as he turned back to the board the two snickered again. Monsters, really!
The rest of the lesson passed without incident, and the remainder of the afternoon was totally forgettable, since all anyone could think about was the school dance. At long last, the final bell rang. Crystal just had to go home to change, and she and Nic had agreed to meet up later outside the gym.