The Witches of Merribay (The Seaforth Chronicles)

by B. J. Smash

“She ate something in fairyland. Once you do so, the process starts. When did she start doing this?”

  “Before Father went missing, probably a few days before.”

  “You don't say? That's interesting news. Perhaps she met up with the Fae before he had ever been taken.”

  “She couldn't have. Could she?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “Anything is possible.”

  When we arrived at the gate, Drumm sat up in a tree waiting. He sat in a cleft between the tree and a branch, his legs dangling. He jumped down as though he'd done it a million times before. “Are you ready?” he asked, smiling.

  “I am,” I said, knowing that he meant getting my father back.

  “Take care of Miss Seaforth. I shall see you back here by sundown,” Ian said.

  We were off, racing to see who would get to Izadora's first. I had to admit, he was slightly faster; over time, maybe I'd be able to beat him.

  When we arrived, we walked to the tree house stairs, and it was then that I realized I no longer came up to his shoulder. Grabbing his arm, we stopped. “Hey! I'm up to your nose now. I grew!”

  “Elves are not short. We are quite tall.”

  “I must have grown three or four inches!”

  “I think that's about right.”

  We ran up the stairs and into Izadora's house. Standing in the doorway was the old Izadora. She looked to be around a hundred.

  “The curse must be broken. You aren't young anymore and it's still morning!” I exclaimed.

  “It's in the process of being broken. I just finished a bread cake. I have two more left.” She looked pleased with herself.

  “When can we get my father?” My whole body was wired with excitement. I felt as though I'd drank a pot of coffee.

  “It must be done at midnight. That's when the Fae travel. There is a lay line not far from here that they ride their horses along. I have seen in the blue bottle that they shall pass by there on this night. We shall remain there and wait for them to pass.”

  “That is why you couldn't get him back before now, because of the spell. You couldn't travel during the night. Right?”

  “Exactly,” said Drumm.

  “The Fae are a tricky bunch. I know, because my father is one. We must be prepared.”

  “I know. My great-grandfather told me the legend. He says your mother married a Fae man or something like that.”

  “Your great-grandfather, you say?” She grimaced and narrowed her eyes, thinking for a few moments. “He told you that? He knows of the legends, then. I will correct you: my mother did not marry the Fae. They don't believe in marriage. However, they were together for some time. She had four children by him. I am the oldest, then comes Izaill, Magella, and Montague. Montague was always her favorite, and mine too. Could never stand the other two.” She put some scones on a tray, and we sat outside at the tree trunk table. “As I was saying, Mother and Harikin—my father's name is Harikin—they were together until my mother decided she liked being on her own better. You would think that it was my father that left her, but it was the other way around. Fae are known for being finicky. But he loved Mother. One day she just up and left, taking us with her. She probably regretted taking us, as we never gave her a moment’s peace. Always arguing, we were. And as you are well aware, we still argue to this day.”

  I realized Izadora and her family weren't your average Brady Bunch members. She talked of them as though cursing and damning each other were just mere arguments.

  “Your mother seemed rather kind. Scary, but kind,” I said.

  “One thing you must know about Mother. She is human, but she is no ordinary human. Her mother came from a line of great sorceresses. She inherited that from them—and beyond what they were capable of. Very talented, my mother is. She was always a great match for my father. Power versus power.”

  “And you—you must have inherited both of their…abilities?”

  “I have. But no one is God. We have our limitations and, I suppose, our weaknesses. Enough about me. What did you say your great-grandfather's name is?”

  “Edmund Seaforth.”

  She looked thoughtful, squinting her eyes. “I see. Edmund must think I am a terror. Most who know of me think that of me, but I am good. Well, as good as one can be from a deranged family. Izaill…he needs to constantly be kept in line. Of course Izaill might say the same about me, but he is wrong. You tell your great-grandfather that I am good. You will tell him?”

  “I will tell him.” I nodded.

  She was acting strange, almost as if she were trying to convince me of something. But what did she care what people thought? I suppose that even she cared about her reputation.

  “One last thing: I know of the one that took your father. Izaill put him up to it. I didn't tell you before, but I shall tell you now. He is a sub leader of a group of Unseelie Fae. Darvon is his name. He is below my father in rank, and a nasty, arrogant bastard he is. But do not worry yourself. I can handle him.”

  “I have no doubt,” I mumbled. Keeping me in the dark until now seemed haughty and egotistic. I suppose she had her reasons.

  “There was no need for you to know until now. There was nothing you could have done about it.” She argued as though she read my mind. Maybe she could read my facial expression or body language as I gripped my chair tightly?

  The realization hit me. “You said your father outranks this Unseelie Fae, Darvon. That implies that your father himself is Unseelie, making you—”

  “Do not judge me. It is a choice to be Unseelie or Seelie. Just like it's a choice for you to be good or bad. The only difference between the two would be that Unseelie are the outcasts. And trust me, the Seelie can be just as ruthless as the Unseelie if they choose. Just upset one if you don't believe me.”

  I guess what she said made sense. Ian had compared them to people as well.

  She leaned upon her cane, preparing to stand.

  “Oh, I almost forgot. Ian told me to tell you that he is sending me in to Merribay for a vial of their spring water. He thinks the curative properties will give him the use of his legs back. I told him I would do it.”

  Both Izadora and Drumm looked at each other, confused. Izadora squinted her eyes up. “The spring of Merribay is bone dry. It has been for years. If he seeks spring water, he won't get it from there,” Izadora spoke plainly.

  This news, I knew, would upset Ian.

  “If he wants healing spring water, we would have to go to my land—or, rather, our land—for that, and that is three days’ travel by horse,” Drumm said.

  “There is another place you can get the spring water. Below the ocean there is a private city, but it would be near impossible for you to get there.” Izadora added, “But that is neither here nor there. We shall discuss this another time. I must prepare for this evening.”

  “How will you travel to the lay line? I thought you couldn't leave the tree house.”

  “I am bound to the air, Ivy. No one ever said I couldn't leave the tree house. You just show up at 11:30 tonight. You'll see how I travel.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Drumm and I arrived at Izadora's tree house at exactly 11:30 p.m. When we entered the house, she was leaning over the stove, blue smoke arising from a black pot. Several different colored bottles were scattered over the counter.

  “Almost ready,” she said as she poured a drop of something out of a green bottle. When the contents hit the water, the smoke turned to black. Pulling the pot off the burner, she poured the contents through a cheese cloth and into a bowl, leaving little black and red granules on the cloth.

  “I'll use this to water my plants.” She set aside the bowl and scraped the granules into a vial with a knife that appeared to be made out of bone. “And this I will use myself.”

  Once in capsule form, she popped the pill in her mouth. “I am ready. Meet me at the farthermost tree at the end of the forest, by Merribay.” She headed for the balcony.

  “You've got to see this.” Dru
mm motioned for me to head out the door.

  We waited under the tree house, watching as Izadora climbed up on the balcony railing.

  “What is she doing? Is she going to jump?” I whispered.

  He didn't answer but looked up at Izadora, grinning from ear to ear.

  Izadora held out her arms and prepared to jump. “Don't do it!” I yelled out. I was about to cover my eyes when she jumped. I held my breath, preparing for the worst; I had never witnessed anyone turn to dust before.

  She jumped.

  Before she hit the ground, she swooped up into the air as a mighty bird. An eagle. This eagle looked vaguely familiar to the one that grabbed the rolling pin from me at the dock in town, at sunrise.

  “What?” I couldn't believe my eyes. She flew up over the trees and disappeared out of sight.

  “Shape-shifting. She can be any bird she wants,” Drumm said, his eyes lit up by the moonlight.

  “Even a crow?” In hindsight, I thought back to the first day I'd come into the forest, and the black crow that watched me on the yew tree, observing the purple scarf that Izadora gave to me later after we'd met.

  “Even a crow. She represents the element of air, and birds fly in the air, live in trees. She can command the birds in the vicinity of wherever she is. We better get moving. She'll be there soon.”

  He took off at a rapid speed and I followed, contemplating how shape-shifting could be possible. She had me stumped. But why should I even be surprised after all I'd learned in the past week?

  It was a cool evening, chillier than it had been over the past few nights. We ran with great speed, dodging the tree limbs that hung down in the path. Fireflies could be seen throughout the forest, giving it an even more mystical appearance.

  Finally we arrived at the aforesaid meeting place. Izadora was already there in human form, standing on some boards up in a tree.

  “She must have little planks throughout the whole forest,” I observed.

  “All through it. You don't see most of them. They are under an invisibility spell,” he said matter-of-factly.

  “We wait,” Izadora said, leaning on her cane up on the tree boards.

  I could see Merribay all lit up. What a sight! The lights had a bluish tint to it, illuminating the city. Waves crashed against the rocks, whooshed, and then retreated, only to start again. The saltwater smell had a hint of fish.

  Around one o’clock, the earth began to tremble. A thousand hoof beats could be heard coming from the east. An eerie green cloud hovered in the forest, causing it to look dreamlike.

  When the hoof beats neared, Izadora raised her cane, which I later learned was her staff. Holding it up in the air she yelled, “I command thee to stop.” The staff shot forth a bolt of electricity, and all was silenced.

  “Who dares to stop us on our journey?” said a voice from the woods. Moments later a horse stepped forth with a highly decorated rider. He was easy to see with the combination of my new eyes and the light of the moon. A handsome face looked back at us, with the features of a supermodel. His wore a burgundy double-breasted coat with black velvet trim. The buttons, no doubt, were pure gold.

  “Well stop my heart. Look who has graced us with her presence,” he sneered. Following him were other Unseelie Fae, men dressed in similar fashion and Fae women dressed in dazzling gowns. The female beings wore their glorious hair up in twists, while some wore it down, flowing to their waists. All females had their hair decorated in flowers, jewels, and shells, looking seductive.

  “Heart? You don't have a heart in that chest of yours,” Izadora mocked.

  A few of them laughed. Several looked bored.

  “What is it that you want, dear Izadora?” Darvon asked.

  “I have heard that you have taken someone from the forest. Someone by the name of John Basil Seaforth. I shall have him returned to us, unharmed.”

  “You are correct. We do have in our company a certain man by that name. In fact, we intend to bring him to Izaill on this night.” His eyes gleamed in the moonlight.

  “I have something else in mind. You hand him over and I let you pass,” Izadora said.

  More laughter erupted from the crowd, but Izadora stood her ground. “I mean it,” she snapped.

  “And how do you intend to keep us here? We shall pass your silly staff. You can't hold us here.”

  Izadora reached into a pocket in her blue frock and took out, of all things, the rolling pin.

  You could hear the wave of gasps throughout the crowd. Who would have known a rolling pin could do so much? To me, it looked like a useless piece of wood. What was she going to do, make him pancakes?

  “So, you will play that card. I see.” He gritted his teeth, showing a tense muscle in his jaw.

  “Albright, bring me John Basil.”

  A woman dressed in a dark blue, strapless gown moved her horse forward. She glanced at us as though we were beneath her graces. Turning her horse, she rode down the line of Fae, her hair flowing out behind her, and she disappeared in the forest.

  My pulse sped up; the anticipation of seeing my father again made my heart swell. I hoped with all my might that he hadn't been harmed.

  Moments later, the Fae he called Albright returned to the front of the line, with my father bringing up the rear. He sat on top of a chestnut mare, his hands bound behind him and a gag in his mouth. No bruises or scratches were visible, but he appeared to be thinner than usual.

  “This man is guilty of partaking of the food that we offered him. No woman or man shall eat from fairyland and be released without a challenge. What do you say to that?” Darvon haughtily raised his eyebrows.

  “What did you expect him to do? Starve?” I asked.

  “Hush,” Izadora commanded me.

  “Who might you be, little girl? With your big mouth and pointy ears?”

  Everyone seemed to like that comment, laughing gleefully.

  I opened my mouth to answer, but Izadora spoke first. “She is with me, that is all you need to know.” She sighed as though she grew weary of their company and said, “What game will you have us play?”

  “Can't we just take him?” I whispered to Drumm.

  “Izadora only has so much leeway, although she won't let them know that. Rules of the Fae kingdom are, if you eat there, you stay there. Unless they chose to release you, and that would normally be decided by the king or queen.”

  Izadora tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for an answer. Darvon rubbed his chin. “A game of Hero.”

  “That would be unfair…,” Izadora began.

  My father tried to talk through the gag, shaking his head no.

  “I'll do it,” Drumm said.

  “So will I,” I said.

  “No! You stay back. You don't even know what the game is,” Drumm said.

  “If you are going to do it, so am I,” I replied.

  “Fine, I know there is no use to argue with you, but you stay back.”

  “Fantastic!” Darvon clapped his hands together and looked to Izadora.

  “Very well,” Izadora agreed.

  My father's horse was led to the edge of the cliff. Trying to get off the horse had only forced him to sit tighter, as though some force kept him in place. Sorrow filled his eyes.

  Five huge Fae stepped out of the woods, forming a line about twenty feet in front of my father.

  “Here are the rules: You get past these guys to touch your father, and he will be released from our possession. You have three human minutes to do this. If you cannot, he remains with us.” He looked up to Izadora. “And there will be no interference from you.”

  Izadora held her staff across her body, giving him a calculating expression. “I told the girl I would return her father. I always remain good on my word. Have your fun if you must, but he leaves with us.”

  “Humph.” He twirled his horse around and moved to the sideline of trees.

  “I got this. When there is an opening, you flee past me and grab your father's leg. I will tend to the
Fae fighters,” Drumm said as he got into a stance with one arm up and one arm to the side. His back legs were apart, bent slightly.

  “Okay,” I said, realizing that he was about to fight what he referred to as the “Fae fighters.” Five of them. My body trembled with something like fear as they lined up in front of my father. My father sat on a horse by the cliffside.

  Smiles were on all the Fae faces as Darvon said, “The time begins…now.”

  Four of the big Fae fighters charged Drumm as he ran full speed toward one; he jumped high into the air and kicked his feet out, swiftly smacking one guy in the face. Immediately, Drumm flipped over in midair, landing on his hands; his feet never touching the ground, he twirled around, knocking the feet out from underneath the guy. That one was down.

  The next guy went to hit Drumm, but he was quicker and ducked, lifting his back left leg up in the air like a scorpion, striking the guy in the face. The blow knocked him out. I was learning that an elf’s legs held a lot of power.

  The man who had stayed behind to guard my father glanced at me as I jogged past the two knocked-out bodies. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Drumm standing on a guy’s chest. He'd gotten a third down. The fourth Fae, the biggest of them all, threw golden dust into Drumm’s eyes, blinding him. The Fae fighter got his hands on Drumm and tackled him to the ground. I had to believe that was cheating, but the game carried on.

  “Never get an elf off his feet,” cried out Darvon as he howled with laughter. “It'll be the end of him.”

  The man by my father sneered and charged toward me. Anxiety rose in my chest like a fire, and I couldn't see straight. I had never hit anyone, let alone fought them. He would crush me. I looked to my father and could see the fear in his eyes. I heard Izadora from up in the tree. “Feel the flame of the light elf within you.”

  I don't know what happened, or how to explain it, but I will try to the best of my ability. I could feel the stone burn on my chest—my mother's stone. Something inside me flared up; it was something like heat. I couldn't see it, but in my mind’s eye it was a white light in my chest and a feeling, a part of the eternal flame. Instantly I ran, and a second later my feet were off the ground, flying through the air. I felt muscles in my legs that I didn't know existed. With a lightness to my feet, I flung around in midair and landed in the center of the man’s belly, knocking him down to his knees. He held his stomach, took in a deep breath, stood halfway up, and pummeled me to the ground.