“I think that it matters,” Winnie said, just as heated as I was. “You’re just as bad as the mob that’s formed in this town that’s trying to hunt the poor creature down.”
“I’m not,” I protested, but I could see what she meant. “I am,” I said quietly after a moment. She looked at me shocked. My nightmares had continued and were putting me on edge. I kept seeing a woman who looked a lot like me only a bit older, dying, over and over again. I couldn’t escape it, and because they started here, I thought that the sooner we left, the quicker I’d be rid of them. I realized now, that probably wasn’t the case.
“You’re not,” Winnie back tracked. She wasn’t expecting me to agree and the pair of us often said things we didn’t mean when we argued.
“I am, you’re right,” I nodded. “I’ve been so caught up in wanting to leave, I forgot how important a creature’s motives are. If he is kind and lonely, and just trying to keep Tracy safe we can use that. We’re offering to bring him to a land full of his kind.”
“You think that if we can figure out how to get that message to him, then he will come to us?” Winnie was pacing now, trying to think of what we could do to contact him. Water creatures spoke a multitude of languages, and it was hard to know which he would understand. Without knowing where he was, even if we chose the right language, it would be impossible to guarantee that he would get the message.
“If we can manage it.” She and I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to figure this puzzle out. We decided to combine a few spells and create our own magic. It was rare that you had to do this, there were so many spells out there, but in this instance it was necessary.
What we would do is craft our message in English first. If he had really been here for twenty years, it’s possible he'd picked some of it up. Then we crafted a small box, what we were calling a translation box. It would then rebroadcast our message in every language we could teach it. Our cross-species dictionary was coming in handy and not for the first time either. We’d had to use it before after a terrible misunderstanding over the word “milk” between a group of trolls and elves that nearly started a war. Tiny spears and arrows flailing around...oh yes, it's all fun and games until a projectile lodges in your eye.
Once that was done, we submerged the box under the lake water. It was the way we could get the message out the fastest. Each translation would be sent out over a ripple in the lake. Hopefully, the echo from the water would be loud enough that the creature would be able to hear it even if he wasn’t in the water. It was in a frequency that only the paranormal could hear though, so it wouldn’t disturb the residents. For all our differences, every paranormal creature could hear on the same frequencies, separate to that of normal humans. It definitely made for some interesting music back home.
Chapter Seven – Alan
My wings felt heavy as I battled against the raging winds. The weather hadn’t let up, but neither had I. Tracy was in trouble, whether the lake creature had taken her or not. Whether the creature was violent or not, there was a chance that she was might get hurt or had already been hurt. I was our best shot of locating her. I could go where no one else could. Even with magic, Winnie and Vana could only do so much. Their brooms were no match for this weather, and they couldn’t fly in such thick forest.
Vana was worried about me. That much I knew. I could feel her worry in the pit of my own stomach as though it were my worry. I should have turned back by now and returned to the cabin, but something made me keep going. I didn’t know if it was Tracy’s kindness at the bakery, or the fact that I had felt consistently incapable of helping lately. I recalled a time when I was far more imperative to missions than I was now. Lately, I felt more like a common pet than a trained companion with abilities beyond that of any regular animal. I need to be needed, and this was where I had that. I was their best shot at finding her.
My flying had slowed. I'd been battling with the weather non-stop. The rain, wind and fog had barely let up for a moment. It seemed only to let up once I landed to take a break or rest up a bit. Then once I leapt up to continue my search, another downpour would start. It hadn’t made things easy, and I could have missed Tracy and the lake creature. I’d gone in circles without realizing it a few times already.
I hadn’t slept much since Tracy went missing. I was worried for her. The lake creature might not attack her or hurt her on purpose, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t get hurt in the process. I thought like Winnie, that the creature was lonely. It sounded as though he'd been attempting to drag people underwater to be with him all these years. If he were violent why hadn’t he just attacked people? He was pulling people down under to his home to be with him. I hoped that he hadn’t done that to Tracy, otherwise she’d surely be dead. If he’d learned his lesson from the shipwreck, he would have realized that humans cannot breathe underwater like he can. Vana wasn’t so sympathetic to the creature’s plight.
She believed he was violent and purposefully so. A malevolent creature bringing people to watery graves for decades. I didn’t typically disagree with her, but this time I did. Though, I understood she really only wanted to be prepared for anything. If she wasn’t ready to face the worst case scenario then she considered herself under prepared. It was something that we'd both learned in training. Vana had definitely taken it to heart more than I had. Winnie seemed to not remember most of her training, despite being a damn good witch. I’d never say that to her face though, she wouldn’t ever let me forget it.
I’d have to take a break soon; I could feel myself slowing down unintentionally.
“Where to stop?” I asked myself aloud. I never liked being quiet or being alone. It was the most difficult part of having to act as though I couldn’t speak. There was too much I wanted to say, more than once my mouth had gotten me into hot water. “Where would they have stopped?” I asked myself this each time I’d taken a break.
I was on the lookout for caves near the lake. It would be convenient to stop in one, they’d be dry and insulated from the wind. I might even be able to get a fire started once inside. Magic wasn’t only for Vana and Winnie. A cave could also be where the lake creature was keeping Tracy. There were water creatures like the lochness that had to stay underwater and couldn’t survive otherwise (outside of Nikatomia that is). This one was likely not that though. He’d been spotted too many times to have to stay beneath the surface for survival. Regardless, the lake creature would stay near to the water even if it didn’t need to be in the water to survive. It was their home, and no one wanted to be far from home.
The wind made a whistling sound and I dove towards where it came from. A whistle likely meant there was a cave nearby. I wasn’t even searching for Tracy any longer. I could feel myself slowly falling, my wings almost giving out completely. It was sheer luck that I was close to a cave at the same moment my wings gave out entirely. It was even luckier still that the cave I was close to had exactly what I'd been looking for inside of it.
“You’re not serious!” Tracy’s voice flitted from the cave. I stopped, staring into the cave, wide eyed. She laughed lightly. She didn't sound or look like someone who'd been kidnapped. I stood as still as possible and against the side of the mouth of the cave so she wouldn’t see me. Another storm was starting outside...I wouldn’t be able to fly away any time soon so I needed to keep a low profile.
“I am serious,” a deep voice replied. It was silky smooth, and I thought instantly that it was the lake creature. No other being could have a voice that lilted like that, almost as if it were a brook babbling over rocks. “It’s completely in my control.” The wind howled outside of the cave, and I wondered if this was further confirmation that he could control the weather. I’d never heard of a water creature that could.
“I can’t believe it, after all this time,” Tracy said. I could see her dimly in the light of the fire they had lit. She was smiling, beaming even. She looked younger than she had at the bakery, lighter as though she didn’t have a care in the world. I
couldn’t get a good look at the man with her, but just from the silhouette he wasn’t what I expected.
He looked like just a man. Not a fish-man, or a man-like-fish. Nothing like a lochness or a creature at all. He stood facing away from me. His hair was long and auburn, he was tall, and powerful looking. It reminded me of how the water creatures looked in Nikatomia, but one wouldn’t have the power to transform in the normal realm, it was impossible. Maybe the creature hadn’t taken her at all, and it was simply a man. We could have all been wrong – maybe Tracy wasn’t taken at all. She seemed happy enough to be with him, she must have run off with some man from the town.
I felt anger flash hot within me. The whole town of Charybdis was out looking for her. Judy was beside herself with worry for her daughter. Worry had consumed me to the point where I was too exhausted to fly. Yet, she wasn’t in danger, clearly. It took all my strength not to run out from the shadows and give her a piece of my mind.
“You have barely changed,” the man spoke again. He lifted a hand to Tracy’s cheek and pressed gently. She closed her eyes and leaned against his hand. “It’s been too long since we’ve seen each other.”
“I always thought you were my imaginary friend,” she laughed again. “The strange boy from the water who became my friend that day on the beach.”
“I assure you, I’m not from the water, nor am I imaginary,” the man chuckled softly. “I guess I thought the same of you though. You were my imaginary friend, until I realized there was no such thing and you were very much real.”
“I don’t think I realized until we met again on the beach that you weren’t a figment of my imagination. You didn’t have to come; I was perfectly alright.” Her tone was serious now. If I weren’t so annoyed with Tracy, I might have actually felt guilty over listening in on her conversation. Though, I basically eavesdropped professionally.
“That man was going to do harm to you,” he said with authority. “I could tell from his voice. Had I not showed myself he would have hit you most assuredly. He was already assaulting you with his words. I would not allow him to do so with his fists.”
“I appreciate it, I really do, but I can hold my own in a fight. Especially one with Billy Joe,” she snorted softly, a dark chuckle. “Everyone is going to be worried sick. As much as I don’t want to leave, I have to get back.” Maybe she hadn’t gone of her own free will after all. It was dark, but I had taken stock of the surrounding landscape. Tracy might not be able to get back to town without the help of this man showing her the way. It could just be an act to survive a kidnapping. Guilt gnawed at me for being so angry at her and quick to assume. If I actually paid attention, I thought there might be some fear in her voice.
“You can’t go now,” the man said quickly. “We’ve got so much to discuss. Besides, the weather is far too dangerous to risk going back.” The wind blew powerfully, a rock smashed into me. I fell from my hiding spot and shouted out in pain and surprise. For a moment, Tracy and I locked eyes. She recognized me from when we were all at the bakery, that was plain as day. It was only for a moment though.
“What are you doing here?” She asked me sweetly, though she had no idea I could have replied. The man with her stomped out the fire and lifted her onto his shoulders as though she were a sack of potatoes and ran further into the cave. He moved so fast that neither of us had time to react at all.
“What is happening here?” I asked myself staring into the darkness. I couldn’t follow them; I had wanted to but there wouldn’t have been much I could do if I caught up to them. Primarily because I was so exhausted. Even if I were in tip top shape though, the best thing for me to do would be go back to Vana and Winnie and tell them what I had seen. I could barely manage to shake my wings out; they were so heavy with water. I had to get back to them though, it was imperative that I spoke to them as soon as possible. Before Tracy disappeared completely all over again. I had to shake it off and get back to the cabin. The wind and rain beat against my head and feathers and I felt myself falling from the sky...fatigue getting the better of me.
I was in a daze but could vaguely hear someone shouting my name “Alan!” The person yelled. I didn’t really know where I was, I had flown towards the cabin, but I don’t think I quite ended up there.
“Alan!” It was Vana yelling my name. I had something to tell her. I had something I needed to tell her.
“Lake creature, not a lake creature, he has Tracy in a cave on the other side of the lake towards the north.” My words felt garbled as they tumbled from my beak.
“Are you alright?” Vana had lifted me into her arms. The warmth sunk deep into my bones paradoxically making me shiver. I heard Winnie chant and my shivers stopped slowly. I was completely dry and warm all over.
“I’m fine,” I replied, though they didn’t really believe me. I’d made it close to the cabin, landing on the dock that was still covered in water. Vana and Winnie had seen me through the window and feared the worst when I just dropped and didn’t get up. Admittedly, I’d pushed myself a bit too hard. “Tracy is with some man.”
“A man?” Winnie asked. They had brought me inside the cabin. “She’s just run off with a man?”
“I don’t think she ran off,” I said. My strength was quickly returning, no doubt thanks to Winnie’s spell. “I’m just not sure that we're after a lake creature. She seemed to know him, and even like him, but I don’t think she could leave him. I think he was holding her. As soon as they saw me he grabbed her and ran away.”
“Where were they?” Vana asked. She was still holding me tightly, concerned for my well-being. After being away from her, I didn’t mind.
“At a beach way up north on the other side of the lake...they were inside a cave. When they ran, it was deeper into the cave so it might connect to the water somehow,” I suggested. “I flew back as quickly as I could, but I’m sure they’ve moved by now.”
“It’s still worth going to check it out.” I tried to hop up, but Vana wouldn’t let me. “Tomorrow,” she said firmly.
Chapter Eight
It turned out that the beach where Alan saw Tracy and the creature (that might just be a man) was near where the school was for the small settlement. I had assumed everyone was home schooled, there couldn’t be that many young people. So it was a surprise to learn that they had a school at all. We asked Roger about it, and the best way to get there. Judy didn’t need to be bothered with this. To Roger we were only curios tourists still trying to have a good trip despite the missing woman. Only 20 kids attended the school, and it was a mixture of elementary, middle and high school students. Essentially it was a place where they could go to be home schooled, that was not home.
“I don’t think we’ll find much,” Winnie said kicking the sand as we walked towards the cave. “They already bolted.”
“Maybe we can figure out once and for all what we’re actually looking for. If Alan’s right, we might not even be after a lake creature. We’ll have to change our strategy if that’s the case.” We could be dealing with a warlock or a wizard, perhaps a water nymph of some kind. Whatever he was, he was more powerful than we'd been expecting.
Alan had recounted everything to us, every word he had heard from Tracy and the man. It seemed like he was right, and she was taken, but maybe she didn’t mind. Winnie thought she might have run off with a lover and it was all just for show. I didn’t think would do that to her mother, or to her own future. She seemed ambitious to me, like someone who wanted more than the typical small town life she might end up with if she stayed here.
“If he isn’t a water creature, then why did it say he was when we got assigned the job?” Winnie asked.
“I think our boss can be wrong sometimes too,” I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t up for another argument with Winnie about management. I knew as much as she did, whether she believed me or not. I had been awake almost all night looking after Alan. He said he was fine, and Winnie had given him a rejuvenation spell that had set him right but I still worried about
my feathered friend.
“Maybe they knew and are testing us.” I tried not to be curious about the management. I was blindly following them, and therefore had to trust them. They had given me a job, a purpose when I hadn't even a memory of who I was. To me that was enough. Winnie had chosen this path when she applied to be my intern for college credit.
“Maybe,” I said bored. “Are we almost there?” I asked Alan.
“Almost,” He looked with squinted eyes around the beach. I’m sure things had looked different before when the weather was bad. He began to say something, but I was distracted by shouting. A young woman was being continually pushed down by a group of larger girls and boys. They couldn’t have been older than preteen years. The raucous shouting of the kids had first grabbed my attention, but what kept it was the girl who kept getting back up.
She was pushed down hard, her face landing in the sand. There was a cut on her lip and her knees where cut up from the sand. Each time she landed with a thud she stood back up again, only to be pushed back down again. It was one other girl that was doing the pushing. She was much larger than the girl being bullied, maybe even older too. The other kids stood around watching and laughing at their victim. They were actually holding another girl back who looked as if she was trying to help the girl being pushed but wasn’t strong enough to break free.
Winnie gave me a look; we were in agreement on what needed to happen. Alan had already flown towards them to scare the brats off. “Hey, you!” I shouted, causing the large girl to pause and look up.
Come Witch or High Water Page 5