The Sea Witch and the Mermaid (The Seaforth Chronicles Book 3)

by B. J. Smash

  “Let her alone, John Basil. Yes, she’s young, but she knows better than you what her heart is telling her.” My father had pursed his lips, but several seconds later he nodded his head up and down.

  “I suppose you’re right.”

  We were married at midnight on the 25th of April, during a full moon. The stars were shining full force that night, and the tranquil flow of the tide spilled peacefully up onto the sands. It just so happened to be relatively warm that evening, but it was due more to the fact that Izadora had cast a spell over the general area: a warm-me-up spell.

  Waves of warmth spilled over the small crowd, and I was able to wear a one-sleeved white wedding dress. It was simple but elegant. Not like the dresses I’d worn when I had been with the Fae, but I preferred the dress I wore now, any day.

  I had something borrowed, which was Gran’s single pearl necklace set in gold; something old, which was antique diamond earrings that used to belong to Ian’s mother; and something blue: a blue feather from a legendary bird. It was Izadora’s, but Ivy had fashioned it into a garter that sat above my ankle. She figured that it would be more stylish to wear as an ankle bracelet.

  My brown hair cascaded over my shoulders, and the last time I looked in the mirror back at the house, I had to admit to myself that I looked pretty darn good.

  But it was Eadgar that appeared dreamy. He wore a white button-down shirt and tan dress pants. The shirt wasn’t buttoned all the way, and I could glimpse his muscular chest.

  Father walked me down the aisle, which was between two groups of standing people. White rose petals lined the path. On poles were colorful jars filled with water and glow fish from caverns in the ocean. Mermaid legend said that glow fish were good luck. Each person held onto a sand dollar, and at sunrise they were to make a wish for me and Eadgar and toss it to sea.

  Everyone was there—well, except Lucian. He had to return to Maximus. The wound he’d received at the land of the elven was taking its toll on him. Maximus would have to try a new technique to heal him. This caused me some anxiety. I was part of the reason he had been clawed by a demon dog. I could sense that Ivy was upset too, but she put on a good show of being happy for me.

  Also, my Aunt Cora and her new love Minimus weren’t able to make it. They had something going on in Hy Brasil that they couldn’t miss. Something about a comet…

  Ivy, Drumm, Jina, Harleena, Stella, Nicoli, and Byron were all in the wedding party. The girls wore simple pink pixie-cut dresses that hit right above the knee. The guys wore white T-shirts and tan shorts.

  Eadgar and I stood barefoot in the sand, holding hands. We exchanged our short vows, and believe it or not, Ian married us. We spent the evening dancing on the beach with several merfolk, having a merry good time.

  When the sun rose, it was time to go. Before Eadgar and I swam away into the ocean, we promised my father that we’d return in a month and live ashore. One of the rules of being a mermaid was you could stay out of the ocean for seven days at a time. And while we could live inland, we’d still have to spend a day in the ocean every seven days. But this would be no problem.

  However, it was agreed that during our time in Merribay, Eadgar and I would work for Ian. We decided that being “treasure hunters” might turn out to be a fun job. And with Ian funding our travels, we would have no worries about money. So, we were set to come back in one month.

  After we had decided on this, Aggie showed up. She flew in using her “bumbershoot.” Pulling me aside, she took her book of spells out from the inside of her burgundy coat. I noticed right away in the background that Izadora, who sat up in a tree on the cliffside, was scowling at us. She looked uneasy and unsure of what was about to take place.

  “Zinnia, I’d like you to have my book of spells, as a present,” Aggie said.

  “Uh…are you sure that’s a good idea?” Personally, I didn’t want the book, and yet…I did want the book. Something inside me wanted that book badly. I can only describe the feeling as to what it’s like to be an alcoholic or a neat freak, a workaholic, or even a shopaholic. The need to do something just haunts you. And you have to have a strong will to refrain from caving. I had to commend anyone that had a will strong enough to beat these diseases. Kudos to them.

  I was trying not to be a “magic-oholic.” And this book was taunting me. “No thank you,” I said.

  But Aggie insisted and put the book right into my hands. When I felt it, the old brown leather and the still-firm binding, I cringed.

  “You take it. The book will be fine in the waters. It can even withstand fire!” Aggie said, impressed with herself.

  I swallowed hard and said, “Thank you.”

  I don’t know how long I stood there holding the book, but eventually Ivy nudged my shoulder. “Eadgar’s waiting for you,” she said and started walking away.

  By this time, the sun was rising high enough to blind me with its bright rays. I used my hand to shield my eyes, and I ran after Ivy.

  “Come here,” I told her, grabbing her arm. I hauled her over by a large rock outcropping and said, “Aggie gave me her book of spells.”

  “I know, I see it in your hands. Izadora told me that she came for it. Izadora tried to keep it for herself, but Aggie insisted that it would be an excellent wedding present,” Ivy said. Just then, Drumm called for her, and she turned and walked a few feet toward him.

  I yelled, “No!” and started walking after her but tripped on a rock. The book went flying out before me and landed with its pages splayed open. I fell face-first with a thud, right into the book. I loved the musty smell of old paper, and I sniffed at it before I pulled my head back. My nose hurt from slamming into the book, but it wasn’t bleeding.

  As I lay on my stomach, it was then that I saw it. A spell on the two pages before me. It was labeled “The Ultimate Power.”

  I jumped back, sucked in my breath, and tried to stand, but the rock beneath my hand shifted and I fell back on my butt.

  “What ails you, Zinnia?” Ivy said. “Aggie wouldn’t have given it to you if she didn’t trust you. You have changed. We all know this.” But still, even Ivy looked doubtful when she said this. She had no idea what magic could do to me. Or did she?

  “Take the book. Keep it safe for me.” I stood and walked away. I looked back over my shoulder to see that she was picking the book up. She would keep it safe. And I could tell by her facial expressions that she too knew I shouldn’t hold onto the book. What was Aggie thinking? Was it some sort of game? Some sort of test? But on my wedding day? C’mon!

  I turned to see Aggie standing in front of me. I jumped a foot. How did the old woman move so fast?

  “I see you turned the book down. And, yes, it was a test. Good job.” Her eyebrows lifted. She turned and walked away.

  It was a warped and distasteful test, but apparently in her eyes I had passed. I wasn’t really surprised, though; the whole family had a bit of madness to them. Apparently, Aggie hadn’t seen me fall right onto the book. And apparently Aggie did not know what I had just memorized: “The Ultimate Power” spell.

  I felt eyes boring into me now, and I turned to see that Izadora had seen what had just transpired, but all she did was pick up her hand and wave.

  I focused for a minute and took the spell and hid it in a vault in my mind, and I locked it away with a “do not enter” sign. I would never access it, and eventually I’d ask Izadora for the forgetting tea. But not now. Not on my wedding day. I would come back for the tea.

  Forcing a smile, I walked toward the sea, where Eadgar was waiting for me. It was now that everyone took their sand dollars and threw them into the ocean, wishing us well. Even the dolphins were jumping about and throwing their own party. I hugged Father one last time and walked to Eadgar.

  Right before everyone’s eyes, he changed me into a mermaid. A turquoise aura surrounded me as I changed. Silver sparks filled the air. It was mesmerizingly beautiful, and I felt rapturous emotions flood my body. It didn’t hurt this time; it only felt
like I was changing my clothes.

  We waved one last time before we went under. Eadgar grabbed my hand and smiled at me as we headed to his home, our new home, under the sea.

  Epilogue

  Ivy’s Point of View

  The wedding had been even more charming than I’d expected it to be, and that it had been held at midnight was even better. I wished my sister and her new husband well in their journey together. I knew that Zinnia had made the right choice and that Eadgar was her true love. Things couldn’t have gone better.

  And then, Aggie had shown up and given Zinnia the book that had almost destroyed her in the past. I knew that it had been some sort of test—and it was necessary, I suppose—but I still didn’t agree with it. Nevertheless, my great-great-grandmother had her own ideas about what was fitting and proper. And, yes, Zinnia had passed the test. She had refused the book. But…I saw what happened. I had seen the look of hunger on her face when she’d fallen into the opened spell book. She’d taken a snapshot with her mind. She hadn’t meant to, I’m sure.

  Normally, something like this could just be brushed aside. My sister had changed; I was certain of it. The only thing was, about a month and a half ago, the family banshee had shown up. Why had she shown up? Nothing bad had happened to any of us—until today.

  Maximus had told me something about my sister. She was forty percent bad and sixty percent good. But she could turn the tables easily, and be rid of her dark side. It had been crucial for her to pass the tests they gave her. The deciding factor would be when she found out who she really was now that she was Eadgar’s wife. Eadgar knew, as did Izadora, Ian, Maximus, and Drumm; we all knew who she was. Didn’t she ever wonder why it was just Eadgar and Harleena with a certain tattoo on their arms?

  Had the banshee known that Zinnia would see that spell on this day? Because my gut was telling me that’s what it had all been about.

  I loved my sister dearly, but I knew…I knew that this spell would torment her, haunt her. And one day she’d open it and reread it in her mind. Would it become a problem? I’m not sure. I just know that the look on her face had been like that of a hungry animal.

  But I didn’t have time to think about that now. I stood next to Drumm, waving at my sister, wishing her well. A beautiful, sparkling turquoise aura encompassed her, expanding out about five feet all around. And then she had a mermaid’s tail. A pang of jealousy swept through me, but at the same time, I knew that was her path—not my own. She turned to us and waved, and the last thing we saw was her blue tail in the air. She swam off with Eadgar, the beautiful, sleek dolphins following in their wake.

  “Until we meet again,” I said aloud.

  Drumm and I turned to go. We had a destiny of our own to fulfill. Hy Brasil called to us, and the magic of the land and the great wizard Maximus was in our future. According to Maximus, we’d better hurry. As soon as we were finished with the wedding, we had better make haste to the island, for there was a problem afoot. A problem that needed fixing. Kepler the pig had made a discovery some time ago, and it was now time to act upon it. We were about to learn a few things about our universe that had been kept secret for a long time. And one day, Maximus told me, Drumm and I would be asking Zinnia for help—and hopefully she’d be on our side.

  ***