by B. J. Smash
“Hey!” I screamed. It momentarily looked me in the eyes, blinked once, and flew off over the rocks and out of sight.
“Ivy!”
I turned to see my aunt Clover running down to the dock in her pink fur-lined robe and matching pink fuzzy slippers. “Get inside.” She pulled me up by my arm. I yelped; it was the same arm that Magella had pulled on, sending shooting pains all the way up my shoulder.
“I'm fine. I'm fine. What's wrong with you?” I asked.
“Just get in the house.” Her face was frantic, and as I followed her from the dock and toward the café, I soon realized why.
On a bench a short ways down from the café sat an old man: Izaill. His cane was by his side, and he had on the same green pants and brown jacket. He had a perma-smile, and through his yellow-brown stained teeth, he laughed. It wasn't a sinister laugh but more of a humorous laugh, as though he'd just heard the best joke in town. You could feel the cold emanating in the distance between us.
“Just keep walking.” She kept her head down and hurriedly walked to the café door. I couldn't take my eyes from the old man, and Aunt Clover was having trouble with the doorknob. “It's stuck!” she yelled. She panicked and pounded on the door. “Cora! Wake up! Get the door open! Coraaaa! Help us!”
Finally it gave in and opened. Just before we walked through the door, he tipped his bowler cap at me and said, “Bravo. Twas a good show, young lady.”
And with that, my aunt hauled me through the café door and bolted it behind her.
Chapter Thirteen
“What were you doing out there? And how did you attract the attention of the old man?”
We stood in the impeccably clean kitchen of the café.
“I was…” I paused. How could I tell her what I was up to? Could I tell her that I was trying to steal from one old witch from the sea because another old witch from the forest told me to do it? And would I be lucky enough after telling her that, to not be committed to an asylum? “I was…well, I saw Zinnia over there, I told you I did. I just saw her again inside the houseboat. And what do you know about that old man?”
“You were inside the houseboat! Oh my…oh no. Oh no, no, no.” She paced the floor, wringing her hands. “That's nonsense. Zinnia is at Becky's!” She spun around, grabbed the coffeepot, and filled it with water, and then she turned to fill up the coffeemaker. Her hand shook, and she spilled more water on the floor than she poured in the coffeemaker. She turned it on to percolate. “That old man…let's just say that the whole town knows of that old man. We avoid him at all costs. All costs! Once he has his eyes set on you, forget it! It's bad, bad news. His sister…she is just as horrible. Oh what have you done, Ivy!” She put a shaking hand onto my shoulder and looked me in the eyes.
“Everything will be fine,” I said. I didn't dare tell her that I also knew Izadora. That would certainly send her up to the cuckoo's nest, but I had to know what she and the town knew about these…beings.
“No, it won't be fine.” Her eyes filled with tears, and she walked out of the kitchen and sat at a table in the café.
I followed her, sitting down.
“We must tell my mother, your grandmother. She might be able to help you. We have wards on the café and the house. You'll have to stay inside. You just can't go outside anymore.” She put her face in her hands.
“I can't do that. Just tell me. Who are these…people? Magella and her brother?”
“They aren't people. They are some sort of…witches or something. I don't know what to tell you, but you must understand, we go years without them bothering us, and now…what have you done?”
What had I done? Could it all be my fault? All I wanted was to have my father back. My task had been to retrieve a rolling pin, and I had almost accomplished that. I didn't know how I would tell Ian and Izadora that I had failed, that an eagle with a crystal around its neck had uprooted it from my hand. And if I had failed that task, would Izadora not help me find my father?
“I don't know,” I said.
“These beings, these witches, they…” She sighed. “They take people when they have been angered. And we do not discuss them. Discussing them only gives them power. The whole town knows that. Anybody who just witnessed the birds attacking that boat—they will ignore it. Or they will fear the consequences.”
“My sister was there, Aunt Clover. She was there in the houseboat,” I said.
“No. You have to be mistaken. She is at Becky's. I talked to her mother myself after you hung up the phone. I went in my room and called her. Becky's mom said she was there…in the bathtub.”
It would be no use to argue. If Becky's mom told my aunt that, how could I convince her otherwise? She wouldn't believe me; she was in a state of shock.
Before I could speak, a clunk, clunk, clunk sounded on the stairs, and the door opened into the kitchen. Aunt Cora walked out in yesterday’s clothes, with one hand on her head.
“I smell coffee. What are you two doing up this early? The bakery doesn't open today; it's Sunday.” She poured herself a cup. “You want some?”
“Ivy was on the houseboat. Birds flew at it, and we saw the old man sitting outside on a bench,” Aunt Clover rambled.
The coffee cup slipped from Aunt Cora's hand, splattering coffee everywhere. The cup bounced once on the floor and stood upright, unbroken.
My aunts stared at each other, and silence filled the room.
I couldn't read Aunt Cora's expression; it was blank. I was about to get up and clean the coffee from the floor when a loud bang sounded from behind us, causing everyone to jump a foot in the air. Someone was at the door.
Aunt Clover jumped up and ran to the door, peering through the window to see who it could be. Apparently she knew the person. “Come in, come in.”
“Everyone okay?” A middle-aged man stood in the doorway. He wore a police uniform. “I got a call about some birds attacking the houseboat. I'm just checking to see if everyone is okay.”
“We're fine,” said Aunt Cora. “Thank you.”
“Okay. You know the protocol. We keep this amongst ourselves. Not a word.” He pretended to zip his mouth.
We all shook our heads. He walked back to his cruiser and left. A short time later, people in black uniforms were picking up the dead birds, cleaning the area. The street was quarantined off until midday. But no one else came out on the streets for the remainder of the day.
Some of the people of the town must have witnessed the event. Whether they saw from their windows or hid behind lampposts, who knows? They may gossip some, but they wouldn't dare speak too much of it. It would not be in the news. It would not be in the papers. The fear of the “witches” was too great. The people knew that if they did such a thing, a chain of bad events would follow them forever, or worse. This little event would remain a secret, forever.
Chapter Fourteen
I finally arrived at Gran's late in the afternoon. My aunts didn't dare to leave until they were sure the old man, Izaill, wouldn't return. Aunt Cora went to her room, probably to sleep. GG Edmund sat in the living room, and Gran told me that Zinnia was upstairs sleeping. She'd fooled everyone; they all thought she'd been at Becky's house.
Gran disappeared somewhere, never mentioning the day’s events. As soon as she left, I headed to the stairs. I would shake Zinnia awake and demand an explanation.
My plan was thwarted when GG Edmund called to me, “Come sit with me, Ivy.”
“I will in a minute. I have to check on Zinnia,” I said.
“Zinnia is fine. Now come and sit with me,” he said firmly. Something in his voice was final, and so I did as he said.
I sat in Gran's favorite red Victorian chair, staring out the big bay window. Things were silent for a few minutes before he finally spoke.
“There comes a time in one’s life when things are not as they may seem,” he said. I thought this was the beginning of a speech, but instead he pointed to the shelf where the games were held. “How about a game of Yahtzee?”
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br /> “Okay,” I said. I took the game down, and we began to play. He was ever adept at Yahtzee. I had played him many, many times and only won a few times. I had begun to believe that it wasn't a game of luck and that it could be a game of manipulation. GG Edmund loved his Yahtzee game. When we played, we had to play three games or five. That's how he liked to do it.
About midway through the game, I decided to bring up the subject of Izadora. He had to know something about the legends and lore of these woods.
I asked him, “Have you ever heard about the old woman that lives here in the forest? Her sister who lives on a houseboat? And the brother Izaill, a bad, bad warlock?”
The corner of GG's mouth turned up into a half grin. He looked out the window for a moment, and then he turned to speak to me. “Why yes I have, as a matter of fact. I know the story all too well.” He rolled the dice and began the story.
“Izadora and Magella. Two old old women, with the power of demigods. The legend says that the two sisters have always been rivals. They were born to an old woman who goes by the name of Augusta. People called her ‘Aggie’ back in the day. Aggie was rumored to have been the child of a great sorceress. Her father was of some unknown lineage of great power as well, with a royal line of some sort, giving Aggie mega powers. She also married a fairy—or Fae man, rather. She had four children who also inherited this power.
“Two of the children, Izadora, the oldest, and Izaill, the next born, seemed to have more power than the other two younger children, Magella and Montague. This caused numerous problems, and the children were always at war, bickering, fighting. It was said that it never ceased. Especially between Izadora and Magella. Magella couldn't stand that her older sister had more power. On her twelfth birthday, she opened up Aggie's book of spells and turned Izadora into a white horse.
“Aggie couldn't figure out what had happened to Izadora for almost half a year. She thought she'd run off with a boy from town. She finally put two and two together. The white horse had grazed their fields for some time, and at first Aggie thought the neighbors had gotten a new horse, but they never came for it. She finally kept the horse, and one day she caught the two middle children, Izaill and Magella, laughing about Izadora's fantastic misfortune. It was then that Aggie figured it out and reversed the spell.
“Izadora didn't seem to be too upset. She said she enjoyed being a horse. But inside she fumed. And it was said that Izadora could be relentless when she was crossed. She couldn't control her temper. She turned Magella into stone and tossed her in the river.
“Old Aggie knew something was wrong when Magella didn't return home for two nights. She searched high and low, to no avail. She had a feeling that Izadora was at fault, and she forced her to speak by threatening to turn the honeybees on her.
“When Magella was finally recovered—it took weeks to find the proper stone in the riverbed—the spell was reversed. Aggie had had it. She cursed the two, plus Izaill for taking part in the covering up of Izadora's disappearance. The curse was this: Izadora would be bound to the air, she could never touch the ground. Magella would be bound to the sea or water, she could never walk the earth. And Izaill would be bound to walk the earth. He could never touch the ocean, and he could never climb a tree into the air.
“Earth, air, water. That left fire. This is what happened to fire.
“She adored the youngest, who hardly gave her any problems. She let him free of the curse, but in order for the spell to work, she needed to assign fire to someone. So, the youngest wasn't cursed, and he was blessed with the gift of controlling fire.
“It is said that the children have never been freed from this spell, nor do I think they ever will be. They do not know how to free themselves, and so they have adapted to their lifestyles. Over the years, Aggie disappeared. It is said that she finally died. And so the spell will never be broken.
“And there you have it—the story of Izadora, Izaill, Magella, and Montague.” He rolled five 6’s. “Yahtzee!”
After the story, I was silent until GG Edmund spoke again. “They aren't ones to be toyed with. In fact, it's best to steer clear of them.”
“It might be too late for that,” I confided to him.
He ran his hand through his white hair, causing it to stand up everywhere. “I feared as much. And I heard about the houseboat incident from your grandmother. Tell me what you were doing on the boat.”
“It's a long story,” I said.
“I have nothing but time. Go on, tell me everything.”
I told him everything, from Ian sending me into the woods to Izadora sending me to the houseboat for a rolling pin.
“What did she say she needed the rolling pin for?” he asked.
“To break a curse.”
“Did she say anything about the curse that was to be broken?”
“I found out that it's a curse done by Izaill, to Izadora. She needs to break it to help my father return.”
“I see.” He began to stroke one of his eyebrows, and he stared out the window, into the night.
Gran walked in. She didn't look too happy. I got up to leave so they could talk alone. “Sit.” Gran scolded me.
“Ivy is already in too deep,” GG Edmund said.
“I have heard. She mustn’t go into the woods again. How could you break my rule?”
“I…well, I…,” I began to say. I didn't want to blame Ian. I never had to go into the woods; it was my choice.
“She must go back into the woods. What's done is done. The girl cannot stop what she has started.” GG Edmund appeared solemn and final, leaning back in his chair.
“No doubt. If she did, there could be repercussions from Izadora.” Gran contemplated his decision.
“You know Izadora too?” I asked Gran.
“We all know of Izadora. We don't speak of her or any of them, unless they make it impossible. You have now gotten yourself involved, and you must finish what you've started.”
“I did it for Father. She can get him back,” I said.
“How do you know that she isn't the one that stole him in the first place?” Gran raised her voice.
“Simmer down, Eilish,” Great-Grandpa said to my grandmother. He hardly ever used her first name. “Everything happens for a reason. She will continue to help Izadora until she is released. Then we will have to move her away from this house. She can go live with your best friend in Scotland. Far away from here.”
“Move? I don't want to move,” I whined.
“You may have to,” he said.
Gran started to sniffle. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw her wipe a tear. It surprised me, as I had never seen her cry, and she was not of the affectionate sort.
“What about Father? When he returns, I will live with him again,” I said.
Both of them remained silent, with grave looks upon their faces.
“What?” I asked.
“If he returns, you will live with him. But, Ivy”—he ran his hand through his hair once again—“don't count on his return.”
I felt as though someone had grabbed my heart and gave it a good squeeze. “He will return. She said so…Izadora said so!” I yelled out.
He looked at Gran and then me. “You can never count on them. You just never know…” GG Edmund stopped midsentence.
Gran, who continued to sniffle, was now wiping her eyes with a hanky. “We tried to keep you from them. I've got to go. That infuriating Ian!” She left the room.
“Ian must have had good reason to believe Izadora could help you. But, Ivy…you must do whatever it is that Izadora wants of you. Then only will she release you.”
“I will. And she will get Father back. May I be excused now?”
“Yes,” he said, “But, Ivy…when you are in that forest, make sure you are with the boy, Drumm.”
I hadn't mentioned Drumm. “What do you know about Drumm?”
“You'll remember. Good night, Ivy.” He laid his head back in the plump chair and closed his eyes.
&n
bsp; Chapter Fifteen
I lay in my bed with my clothes on, turned my lamp off, and stared at the ceiling. The room was cast with light; the moon must be almost full, as it was the only source of any light. Normally without any lights on, it was pitch black.
I had walked into Zinnia's room to see her sleeping on her bed. Gran intercepted me and told me to leave her be for the night. My plan was to lie here and wait for Gran to sleep, and then I would wake up Zinnia and begin the questioning. Why had she put me to sleep? Why was she hanging around Magella?
Lying in bed, I reached for my useless cell phone to set the alarm. I was so tired, but I couldn't sleep. I had to talk to Zinnia.
And then I was dreaming.
***
At first she appeared to be on a balcony in some grand building that I don't think could ever really exist, looking over a grand ballroom luxuriously decorated in shades of burgundy and gold. The room overflowed with elegantly dancing people; women were dressed in extravagant gowns, and the men in classy frocks and breeches.
She was up so high up on the balcony that it appeared to be, upon guessing, maybe five stories high, overlooking the ballroom floor. Half of the room was enclosed by a glass dome that, when peering up through it, one could see the stars and full moon. The other half of the ceiling, the side she was on, was covered in paintings, like something done by Michelangelo. Painted in rich pastels, I could not make out what these paintings were, as they were blurred out. However, for some reason, I sensed that if I could see them properly, they would be maddeningly beautiful. A brilliant chandelier the size of a car hung midair, lighting the ballroom. Sconces upon the wall had blue and gold flames that danced along with the music. And the music was like nothing I'd ever heard.