by Amber Argyle
“I told you to stop callin’ me names!” Garg scowled.
Wardof rounded on Garg, pleased for the excuse to use his fists. “I’ll call you whatever names—”
“Hello there, boys,” a voice interrupted from behind. Wardof whirled and squinted against the bright sun. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a man who looked an awful lot like Mcbedee dart behind a building. He brought one hand up to shade his eyes. But the man was gone.
A balding man and one with a red beard leaned against the weathered boards of a tackle shop. “You lookin’ for a girl?”
Instantly, Wardof was alert. “Yes, shoulder-length dark gold hair, amber eyes, skinny, a little on the short side, fifteen.”
Both men nodded.
“That be her,” the one with the red beard said. “Whatcha lookin’ for her for?”
Wardof gave the same story he’d been using all through Nefalie.
The sailors exchanged glances. “Sister, huh?”
Both men seemed amused, though Wardof couldn’t see why. “She’s a bit muddled in her mind. Would’ve been looking for a hidden place?”
The red-bearded Captain smiled. “There’s an island. Only one way in and I’m the single soul that knows it. My bet is they’re headed there. I run merchandise up and down the coast, but there isn’t much business now. We could take you there for the right price.”
“Name it.” Wardof felt happier than he had in years.
Senna sat on the beach, staring across the water and thinking of the green crescent on the cliff’s face and the gibbous beneath the waves. “We have to get past the cliffs. But how? We can’t get any closer and we can’t swim in.”
Joshen handed her some salted fish and biscuits before plopping down beside her. “Did you see any signs the island is anything but cliffs? I mean, how do we know if there’s even anything inside?”
Senna reached down and scratched behind Bruke’s ears. He groaned contentedly beneath her fingertips. “My mother said if I followed the signs of the Dawn Song, I’d find safety. I can’t believe she meant I should scale the top of a barren cliff and live out my life on lichen and crabs.”
She glanced at him askance. He stuffed a fistful of food into his mouth. “Do you always eat like that?” Senna said in disgust.
He swallowed and she watched the knot of food bob down his throat. “Like what?” He scooped up another mountain of food and shoved it in.
“Like you haven’t eaten in four days.”
After minimal chewing, he swallowed. “I’m hungry.”
“You’re going to choke if you don’t chew better.”
He gave her a dark look. “You’re sounding a lot like my mother.”
Senna blushed. “Sorry. Eat on. I won’t watch.”
He grunted and shoveled in more food. “There ’as to be ’ome way in. May’e a ’igger ’oat? Un wid a crew?”
Trying her best not to comment on his garbled response, she shook her head. “No. I can’t see the Witches letting anyone else know their secret.” She rested her elbows on her knees and dug her palms into her eyes. “Think, Senna, think!” If her mother didn’t explain how to actually enter Haven, then it had to be fairly obvious. She must be over-thinking it. What would any other Witch do in her place? Senna jumped to her feet. “That’s it! The one thing Witches can do that no one else can. Sing!” Then her face fell. “But sing what?”
She ran to her satchel and pulled out her mother’s journal. She dropped next to Joshen. Shoving a bite of biscuit in her mouth, she looked for the section on sea songs.
“And you think I’m a sloppy eater,” Joshen chortled.
Senna ignored him as she skimmed through the songs. And then she found it. Jumping to her feet, she paced up and down the rocky shore as she studied the book. She hummed the tune, trying to perfect her pitch and cadence before she tried the words.
Oh, Sister Sea Plants, I ask of thee,
Take me to the place none but Witches see.
She didn’t know how to explain it, but the song felt right. She grabbed the side of the boat and pushed. “Come on, the only way to find out is to try!”
Joshen’s swollen cheeks deflated as he swallowed. He choked and coughed. He pounded his chest with his fist. “It’s almost dark!” he managed.
Senna glanced around. “Oh, right,” she groaned. “I guess that means we’re waiting for morning.” Deflated, she sat down to practice the song.
It was early. Very early. Eyes closed, Garg swayed as the movement of the ship began to lull him to sleep again. Wardof dug an elbow in his ribs.
Garg winced. “Ow!”
“Well, stay awake, you idiot! We have to keep watch.”
“I thought that was the guy in the crow’s nest’s job?” Garg replied as he rubbed his bruised ribs.
Wardof glanced at the plethora of sailors and said under his breath, “I don’t think they’re that intelligent. I mean, how do they think my so-called sister found this hidden inlet anyway?”
Garg shot a knowing look behind him and then resumed his vigil. A moment later, he lifted his finger and pointed excitedly. “Is that it? Is that the island?”
Wardof squinted into the salt spray and looked back at the red-bearded Captain for confirmation. “That’d be it,” Parknel said. “We should have your sister any time now.”
A wicked smile lit Wardof’s face. “You say you know a hidden way?”
Captain Parknel looked down his nose at Wardof. “You don’t plan on sharing this place with everyone do you? The sealin’ is excellent.”
“No,” Wardof replied. “Your secret is safe with me.”
The Captain looked him over dubiously.
Wardof held up a gold coin. “I promised you another dozen of these, remember?”
Parknel’s eyes lit up at the sight of the gold. “That you did!” He turned the wheel sharply to the south. “We’ll set you down in the hidden lagoon. You can wait for them there.”
“We got ’er this time, boss!” Garg chortled.
Wardof rubbed his hands together in delight. Espen would be so pleased.
The sailors threw anchor a good distance from the rocks, then Captain Parknel dropped a boat. One of the cliffs jutted out farther than the others and another cliff feinted toward it, so what appeared as a small chink in the cliffs was actually hiding a narrow, zigzagging passage. Wardof’s excitement swelled within him. No passing ship would ever notice this channel.
After a good bit of rowing, the passage opened to a small beach covered in seals. When they were close enough, he leaped from the boat into the icy water. He and Garg waded to the rocky beach.
He looked around. The seals shot him huffy looks before slipping into the water. There were no buildings or signs of humans. It wasn’t what he’d expected, but perhaps the power of the place had faded after the Witches were captured. Or maybe it was a front to hide the real city. “Are you sure—”
“Yes, yes, yes,” Captain Parknel assured him. “This is the beach. There’s a cave over yonder. Light a fire and wait for her there. We’ll come back to check on you tomorrow.”
Wardof and Garg watched as the sailors pushed the boat back into the water. “Remember, you get the other half when you come back to get us!” Garg called anxiously.
Captain Parknel’s mouth opened in a throaty laugh. “You’ll see me tomorra’, good sirs!”
Wardof turned and jogged forward as Garg lumbered behind. When he saw the cave, he increased his speed. And then he burst inside. It wasn’t very big and it looked … well, not at all what he’d anticipated. After all, the Witches were well off. Couldn’t they spruce it up a bit?
A plop of something warm dripped on his head. He rubbed the slimy substance between his fingers and brought it to his nose for a sniff. “Uck!” He glanced up to see the ceiling crawling with bats. If the Witches thought bats would drive him out, they were wrong. He flicked the droppings off his fingers. “A fire will clear you out,” he muttered as another dropping d
ripped down his shoulder.
Senna stood at the bow of the little boat as it bobbed on the high waves. Her stomach writhed like a net full of fish. If this didn’t work, she didn’t know what would. She watched the sunlight dance on the water and felt the spray from the crashing waves dampen her face. It calmed her. Closing her eyes, she sang.
Oh, Sister Sea Plants, I ask of thee,
Take me to the place none but Witches see.
Beneath the waves beating mercilessly against the rocks and the gentle lapping of the water against the boat, Senna listened hard for anything. She was fairly certain she’d sung the song correctly, but perhaps one of her notes wasn’t perfect? She tried again. And again. Still nothing. A circling gull called to them from overhead. She watched its lazy flight and then turned back to Joshen. “I guess it didn’t work.”
He opened his mouth to reply when a finger of green kelp erupted behind him. And then another. Senna tried to scream, but no sound came out. The air filled with green kelp. Somewhere, at the back of her consciousness, her mind told her not to fight it. Terrifying as it was, Senna fell back to the bottom of the boat and watched as green surrounded them, blocking out the cliffs.
Bruke and Joshen were not so inclined. Bruke struggled and bit as his ingrained wildness erupted. Joshen produced a knife and started slashing. “Be still!” Senna ordered. But the two either didn’t hear or were too afraid to stop themselves. The plants reacted by binding them both, gripping the boat and jerking them toward the cliff.
Faster and faster they raced. She must have sung it wrong. The kelp was going to smash them into the rocks! She opened her mouth in a wordless scream.
As if in response, kelp roared from the water, weaving itself around the boat until it blotted out the sun. Only the sound of the crashing waves told her they were coming closer to the cliffs. The traces of light grew fainter by the moment, proof the kelp surrounded them. Faster and faster they raced toward the churning sea. “The Creators save us!” She braced herself for the impact.
The boat pitched stern downward, throwing her into the kelp. She threw her hands out to steady herself against the waterlogged plant. The watertight drum Mcbedee had thrown in with the boat slammed into her, forcing all the breath from her. If not for the kelp, she’d have been tossed into the ocean. At least it kept her companions steady, though they wriggled and fought like snakes in a bag.
Then the sound went wrong. Muffled. Like they were underwater. Wide-eyed, Senna stared at the kelp as it bulged inward beneath her.
They were under the water!
She scrambled back. All around her, the timber groaned as if the boat were a creaky old man. Every muscle tense, she held so tight to the boat seat that her hands went white as driftwood. Creators, please let this corn cob hold! she silently begged.
Movement to her right. Her head swiveled in time to see Joshen’s hand free, his knife pale and silver in the dimness. “No!” She lunged for him as the blade disappeared in the wall of green.
Water roared into the boat like a wild animal, clawing and biting her with bitter cold teeth. Her mouth open in shock, Senna gasped for air. Her clothes swirled around her as the water rose up to her knees. Gripping what she thought was Joshen’s arm, she heaved him out of the water.
She felt Bruke struggling beneath the surface. She lunged for him, straining to lift his head out of the water. She clenched her teeth against the cold. Her hair clung to her face.
With an ominous ripping sound, the kelp heaved and water roared into her ears. The world darkened. Her hair floated free and her ears buzzed. With a pop, the pressure dug knives into her brain until Senna couldn’t feel the cold. Only the pain. Writhing, she tried to fight her body’s desire to breathe in the water. How long could she hold her breath?
When she thought she couldn’t bear it any longer, Senna felt the pressure lessening. They were rising. Up. Up. Up.
Like a bobbing cork, they erupted above the water. Her face and lungs felt like they would explode as she waited an eternity for the water to drain away. When she couldn’t stand it anymore, she gasped for air. But it was too soon. Water invaded her lungs. She leaned forward as wracking coughs shook her thin frame. She vomited. It mixed with the water around her. Senna felt the boat settle back into the water. Fighting for air, she watched the kelp retreat.
The light was soft. Not like the light from the sun, but the warm, yellowish flicker of fire. She glanced around. They floated in a pool of water inside a cave. Her senseless companions lay still beside her. But they were breathing. Even as she slumped back into the puddle of water, she was aware of the boat landing against something soft. The last thing she saw before the points of black joined was someone peering down at her and a strange laugh grated her sore ears. The voice said something, something like there was an easier way to … Senna couldn’t hold on. She drifted away.
The fire might have cleared out the bats, but it did nothing for the smell or the guck at Wardof’s feet. In his rush to find Senna, he hadn’t brought much water or food. As far as he could tell, the only fresh water on this cursed island was the small cave pool coated with a thick layer of slime.
The longer the day wore on, the more he began to think the sailors must have tricked them. No Witch would call this nasty hole in the ground a refuge. Or hidden, for that matter. If any common sailor could find it, surely Espen wouldn’t have searched for years.
Singing a sailor chantey off key, Garg rumbled back into the cave with a handful of clams. “Espen gonna be so happy when we catch that little Witch!”
Wardof lurched to his feet and stormed out of the cave. Garg watched him go. “Don’t you like clams?”
Wardof scooped up a handful of rocks and hurled them at Garg. “They tricked us, you idiot! This is a cave! Not Haven!” He turned and stumbled on a seal. With a bark of indignation, the animal bit his leg.
Teeth ground against his bone. “Ahhh!” Tripping, Wardof hit the rocks hard and scrambled away.
Hunching its back, the seal scooted for the water.
Snatching a handful of stones, he hurled them at the seal.
Garg grabbed Wardof’s arm and tried to help him up. “Sure this is it, Wardof. We just have to wait a bit longer.”
“Get off me!” Wardof jerked away. He launched the biggest stone he could find at the seal, but it splashed harmlessly in the water. He wanted to sink his knife into the animal, but it was out of his reach. Just like his little Witch. Holding his injured leg a few inches above the ground, Wardof clenched his fists to his sides and roared in frustration. “I’m going to get you, you little Witch!”
He was sitting in the same spot when the boat came to a halt a little way from shore. The red-headed Captain looked around, a smile plastered on his smug face. “We’ll, did you find them?”
It took every ounce of Wardof’s control to keep his voice even. “You know very well we did not.”
Captain Parknel shrugged. “You asked me to take you to a place no one knew about. No one really knows about this cove. Unless a course you’re countin’ the seals.” He pointed to Wardof’s bloody leg. “Bad night?”
Wardof struggled to his feet. Garg reached out to help him but Wardof fended him off. “You’ll pay for this—”
Parknel tipped his face to the sun and roared in laughter. But the sailors around him didn’t so much as crack a smile. Wiping his eyes, the Captain cleared his throat and continued, “In reality, you’re the one who’s going to pay. You owe me the second half of our agreement.”
Wardof’s expression was pinched. “You want more money? I want the money I paid you back!”
The Captain shrugged and motioned for the sailors to bring the boat around. They pulled at the water with their oars.
“Hey, where you goin’!” Garg shouted. “You can’t just leave us here!”
The Captain smiled. “Maybe you can tame the seals, convince them to give you a ride to shore. Maybe another ship will come by—someday. Maybe it really is the Witches’ is
land and you’ve only to wait. At any rate, I hope you enjoy seals.”
Wardof charged them, water erupting around him. He splashed next to the boat, heaved himself up and lunged for the Captain with his knife, but he stopped cold when he saw a pistol trained on his face. “You don’t have the manpower or the weapons to make any threats, sea slime. Witches are the Keepers of the sea and we do them reverence.” He sniffed the air above Wardof in repugnance. “Now you get your stinking Hunter carcass away from my boat before I make you shark bait.”
Wardof released the boat and backed away. With a look of disgust, he reached inside his jacket and flung the remaining amount of money at the Captain. “Fine! Here are your coins!”
Parknel picked up the dripping money bag and pulled out its mate. With a jerk, he chucked both bags of gold. Wardof watched them twist and twirl in the air. They landed with a clinking sound. Gold spilled out, catching the light and standing out against the dreary stone shore. “Keep your money.” The mirth was gone. “Come on, boys. Let’s take her in.”
The other sailors pulled on their oars as Wardof watched them growing smaller.
Garg splashed into the water beside him and howled, “You can’t leave us here!”
No one in the boat looked back.
Garg kept going past Wardof, but he was a good head shorter. When he was standing on his tiptoes, he flung himself forward and flailed pitifully before going under. Wardof watched in revulsion as Garg clawed helplessly from under the shallow water. “Just push yourself back one step, idiot.” When he couldn’t stand any more of Garg’s floundering, he swam forward, gripped his collar and dragged him to the shore.
Garg, spitting and sputtering, gargled, “They can’t leave us!”
Wardof glared down at his lifelong companion. “They just did.”
11. HAVEN
“Pogg takes good cares of you. Yes. Yes. Pogg keeps you life.” Pogg? Who? Senna thought. Disconnected pieces of information swirled in her head until she became dizzy. She felt a soft bed beneath her, but hadn’t she been in a cave? She struggled to open her eyes. Thin slits of blurry light appeared with a black blob in the middle. She blinked and the blob became a … thing.