by B. J. Smash
I recalled my last visit to Hy Brasil. Aunt Cora had taken up quarters in the castle on the hill. It was such a magnificent place that she had one wing to herself, while Minimus had another wing to himself. She was the ultimate neat freak, and I would bet, not a single speck of dust ever had the chance to make its home on any of the furniture.
On top of that, she helped Minimus in the observatory and documented many of his discoveries. She also walked the woods with Kepler, and occasionally went fishing for the guardian of Hy Brasil—the great wizard Maximus—Minimus’ older brother. Oftentimes, she would cook for both of them, but not always, because Maximus enjoyed cooking as well. He had mastered the art of cooking. He told me once that there is always room for improvement—but nah—he’d mastered it.
But yes, Aunt Cora had her position at Hy Brasil now, and I knew that she had only returned to rescue Aunt Clover and the café.
“So, how is that ornery sister of mine? Good?” Aunt Cora asked.
“Not really, she has just sprained her wrist. She had another accident,” I explained.
“I am not surprised.” She rolled her eyes and then continued, “She always did have two left feet. Clumsy oaf.”
Everyone smiled. We all knew that it was actually Aunt Cora that had the two left feet, and she could never remember a dance move to save her life; but no one said anything.
“I’ll have to get down there and start to whip her back into shape.” She pinned her coffee brown hair up in a loose bun, folded her cardigan over her arm, and grabbed her oversized handbag. When she went for the door, she reminded me of a doctor from the olden days. Especially the black bag she carried. I had to wonder if she had medicines in there.
Aunt Cora and Aunt Clover had not seen each other in over a year. When Aunt Cora left to find her old fiancé Rodinand, she never said good-bye. He was a Fae leader of the Unseelie sort, and she had to have some sort of closure. Well, kind-of. She ended up placing a horrible spell over him, but that is another story.
While I wanted to see Aunt Cora and Aunt Clover’s reunion, I did not want to see Drumm and Ella. I would just be reminded of how Izadora and Drumm couldn’t trust me enough to tell me what is going on.
Instead, I sat down at the elaborately decorated table, and nibbled at an apple turnover and drank hazelnut coffee. It was Ian who suggested we all follow Aunt Cora down to Gran’s. I declined. He, being nosey and wanting to see the reunion, wouldn’t give in.
He could sense something was wrong with me, but oftentimes Ian (just like Izadora) thought that facing your fears and anxieties was the best medicine. He persisted that we tag along, and he won.
Aunt Cora was ahead of us, but Ian breezed by and wheeled himself to her side. That left me to walk with Lucian. I had to admit – I was overly excited that he’d come back to see us. A bit too excited. As we strolled along, he looped his arm through mine, and I let him.
“So, how is Maximus?” I asked.
“Ah...that is a good question. He’s patiently awaiting your arrival. Kepler’s uh…finding will be ready by the end of the week. Minimus has been working his butt off, trying to get whatever it is ready. And when it is, you need to be there,” he said.
“Wow,” I said. The shiny oval globe that Kepler had discovered while hunting for truffles, was finally ready. I couldn’t wait to see it, and find out what it really was, and why it was so important. As my mind drifted to Hy Brasil, Lucian changed the subject.
“I’ve missed you, Ivy. I’ve missed you a great deal.” He smiled and reached up with his free hand to fluff my hair.
“I’ve missed you too, Lucian.”
And that was all we said. We both were distracted by Ian, who could sometimes be a bit of a maniac with his wheelchair. We had to watch as he zipped away from Aunt Cora, flew down over the hill at a great speed, whipped around the bend and into the driveway. He then muscled his way up the drive within seconds, and sat at the door steps.
“He’s such a show-off,” Lucian said.
By the time we reached Ian, Gran had already noticed he was there, and brought him a set of crutches. When she saw Aunt Cora, tears filled her eyes and she waddled down the steps and embraced her. “Cora! My dear. Oh how we’ve missed you.”
My aunt, who also had tears in her eyes, hugged her back with an adoring smile. “I’ve missed you too, mum.”
By that time, the house emptied out and almost everyone was on the porch. Granddad’s face lit up when he saw my aunt. He could hardly contain his joy. He walked forward and gave her a big squeeze. GG Edmund was next. “Well look at you! I can see that someone is happy.”
When Aunt Clover saw Aunt Cora, she crutched her way down the stairs and gave her a half hug, while trying to manage her crutches. Leaning back she said, “Cora! Don’t you EVER leave this country again without telling me. If you do, I’ll never speak to you again.”
Aunt Cora wiped a tear from her eyes and agreed that she wouldn’t ever do such a thing again. And then the bossiness set in, and Aunt Cora took over. “Now you get yourself back into the house. You shouldn’t be up on that foot. And what is this, that Ivy tells me? You’ve now sprained your wrist? What in the world is wrong with you, Clover Sweet Pea Seaforth? Do you have a death wish?”
It was well known that Aunt Cora loved to boss Aunt Clover. That much had not changed.
Ian chuckled while Aunt Clover defended herself. In a hushed whisper he said to Lucian and me, “I just love reunions,” and then we all followed them into the house.
Chapter Seven
We spent a couple of hours at Gran’s. Drumm and Ella were nowhere in sight. They’d left and had not returned. This disturbed me in ways unimaginable, and I kept looking at the door and out the window.
Soon, it was time for me to leave in order to prepare for the upcoming quest. I couldn’t say that I was happy about it. I wasn’t. At all. Albeit, the task was necessary. I still didn’t have to like it.
The thought of meeting a djinn was a bit overwhelming. To my knowledge, they were powerful beings that could grant just about any wish. I’d read that they could revive a dead person, although, that just couldn’t be true; and they could out power just about any witch. Certain genies held different powers than others. The myths and legends were endless.
I had read a bit about them in one of Maximus’ books in Hy Brasil. He had a thick tomb on djinn’s, and one day while I had been visiting, he suggested that I read about them. I never suspected that I would be searching for one, but in hindsight, I think Maximus had known.
I excused myself from the party, and in Lucian’s company went to Ian’s library. This vast library took up a greater part of the third floor and smelled of old books, leather, and the occasional whiff of lemons. I believe Mrs. Pumbleton used real lemons to polish the sealed wooden floors, and they were shiny.
The library held many comfortable leather chairs, and had many nooks and crannies to lounge in between the expensive oak shelving. There were several crystal clear floor length windows with thick red curtains held back by antique golden cherubs. Occasionally, there would be a handmade Persian rug here and there. But the best part about the library had to be the ceiling. Its dome was hand painted with the planets, the sun, moon and stars – in the fabulous colors of our solar system. My personal favorite was the purple, blue and rust colored nebula in the far corner of the room. Whoever painted this had done a magnificent job. I often wondered if magic had been involved but I had never thought to ask.
Lucian and I found two old antique books on djinn’s and genie’s, and sat at Ian’s favorite study table. What I discovered about djinn’s, is that some were terrible, and some weren’t. Some were actually demons. Some were more like angels. In many ways they were like the Regal Folk, or rather, the Fae. While Unseelie Fae are hostile to humans, Seelie Fae are civil. But both the Unseelie and Seelie had one thing in common: They were easily offended.
Do not cross them, do not offend them, or they will have their wrath upon you. The misc
hief that they will bring into your life will be downright horrible, and the only thing they feared were those that could handle them (which were few and far between); and God Himself.
From what I read, the djinn were similar. There are some that are nice, and some that aren’t. You offend or make one angry – you pay the price. Sometimes it is a high price, too. So, I could understand my own uneasiness. While I knew some magic, I was still a novice compared to these beings. I would have to have my wits about me at all times. For I knew nothing of this certain djinn that Izadora had helped.
I know that Izadora had believed her to be nice, and that is why she had wished to give her a break from mankind. However, the genie must have known that Izadora was a great sorcerous herself. She wouldn’t have treated her badly. Yet, I couldn’t help but wonder if she’d somehow tricked Izadora into making that wish, but Izadora would never admit it if she had been fooled. The whole story didn’t add up for some reason.
“If the djinn look like this picture, you better watch out.” Lucian glanced at my book.
There on the page was the top half of big muscular man…a fierce looking fellow with gold arm bands on his wrists and upper arms. He had long black hair tied at the nape. His eyes were pure white and his cheerless face appeared devilish. Only half of his body showed. The other half was a deep purple cloud that trailed off the page. To my dismay, the edge of the page had been torn out, and coffee or something had stained most of the description.
Lucian saw what I was observing and said, “Looks like Ian got excited, spilled his coffee and tore the page.”
“That’s probably exactly what happened,” I frowned.
“Well, what does it say? The parts you can read…” he said.
“Abda – beloved father of the djinn.” I stopped reading for a moment. “This doesn’t make sense. All djinn had a father; or one djinn had a father. The words below make no sense at all, because they are all either blotted out or the page is missing.” I turned the page to find that it had been torn out too. “Whoever tore these pages must have wanted something kept secret.”
“I’ve found nothing in this book. Just that anyone who comes into contact with a djinn better have another set of drawers handy,” Lucian said.
“What? It doesn’t say that.” It was nice to have my old friend Lucian back. He never failed to put a smile on my face.
“Well, that is what it might as well say. Basically, beware. Even the nice djinn’s aren’t so nice. They tend to be tricksters,” Lucian said.
“That’s wonderful,” I said with sarcasm.
“I wish I could go with you. Ian said that there is no way that I can come along. Maybe I could try.”
It was true that Drumm and I would be going alone. I didn’t fancy even talking to Drumm right now, let alone going on a mission with him. What had he been thinking by asking Ella to accompany him on a walk? And then shushing me. He knew that I hated to be hushed. All because Izadora probably put him up to it.
It was later on that my theory was confirmed, and what had inspired Drumm to do such a thing. I hadn’t seen him until I reached Izadora’s house that evening. I’d said my good-byes and see-ya-laters to everyone except my father who walked me to Izadora’s.
While my father did not want me to go on a mission without him, it was clear that only Drumm and I would be allowed inside the town. Izadora explained to him that we would have to enter the town as her apprentices, and no more than two apprentices allowed.
My father insisted that he go in Drumm’s place but that argument was fought down when we got him to admit that Drumm was a much better fighter. He was swift and when he hit, he hit hard. No doubt he was the quickest elven we knew. Even Drumm’s uncle Conri would admit to that, and he was a fierce warrior with great strength.
As we all sat outside the kitchen door at Izadora’s tree trunk table, she went on to explain the rules of entering the disappearing town.
The sun was now lowering to the point that would be considered dusk, and a cool breeze wafted through the treetops rustling the leaves. The big lilac bush to the left of the front door was highly fragrant, causing my father to sneeze a few times. Now and then, birds would call back and forth as they settled in for the evening to come.
My mind wandered from the conversation at hand, as I thought of Drumm and Ella walking through the forest – my forest. My train of thought was interrupted when Izadora banged her staff on the floor, causing the pickle jar that sat atop the table to tremble and shake.
“Ivy. Are you listening to me?” Izadora said.
“Ahh….yeah,” I lied.
“Then what was I saying?” she had to ask.
I had no stinking idea what she’d been talking about but the last word I thought I heard her say had been, “magic.”
She thrummed her fingertips over the wooden table and leaned on her staff while she awaited my answer. Her white hair was blowing everywhere in the breeze, and stuck up on end. I was still avoiding eye contact with Drumm, and I glanced to my father. His eyes were narrowed and his arms folded over his chest.
“Something about magic,” I said quietly. I was totally guessing. What else does Izadora talk about? Nine times out of ten, magic is the topic of discussion.
She sighed for about ten second’s straight, and then said, “I knew you weren’t paying attention.”
Then my father had to give his two cents worth of criticism. “Ivy. You are going to have to pay attention to Izadora. If you want to make it back out of the disappearing town – you will have to listen!”
It wasn’t my fault that my mind wandered, but I sat up straight and clenched my hands over the sides of my seat and nodded my head. “Okay. Get on with it then. But I don’t see your problem. Drumm will be there to guide me and stuff.”
“What if you get separated?” she asked. She had a good point. The last time I went on a journey, I wished that I had paid more attention to Izadora’s lessons. However, I had learned many things since then, and I knew a little more magic. Although my greatest abilities were knowing how to throw a good punch, and in taking down the enemy.
“Who cares?” I mumbled well enough below my breath so that no one heard. She continued to talk. I would have to sit here and suffer through her speech whether I wanted to or not. Oddly enough, the more I paid attention, the more I realized that Izadora seemed a bit nervous, which was totally uncharacteristic of her. Her leg shook up and down with anticipation, and she kept a firm grip on her staff. What happened next really threw me for a loop. I was stunned. She pulled a cigarette out from a pack, snapped her fingers and lit it up.
My face flushed. “Izadora! You don’t smoke cigarettes. Put that out.” I jumped up from my chair and went for the cigarette. She shielded herself with her staff, leaned back and took a long puff. She did this twice, and then I was able to grab it from her hand and step on it. I then took the pack from the tree trunk table—which was almost empty—stepped on it, and crushed them to pieces. This was not how I’d normally treat Izadora, but I had been on edge all day. And now I felt like a spoiled brat.
“You don’t smoke,” I said quietly.
“I do what I want.” She over-accentuated the word, “want.”
By this time, father was standing at the railing gazing out into the forest. I lost track of my stubbornness, and forgot that I was ignoring Drumm. I looked at him to find a big smile spread out over his face.
“Izaill visited Izadora today,” Drumm said. “He brought her the cigarettes. Tossed them right up over the balcony.”
“Now he’ll have to get me another pack,” she complained, but when I turned back to Izadora – she’d disappeared. The only thing visible were traces of thin blue wisps of smoke.
“What the…?”
“They aren’t real cigarettes,” my father explained.
Just then, Izadora reappeared on the other side of the balcony. “As I was saying before—had you been listening—you would know that I am uncertain about how much magic is
allowed in the disappearing town. They have their own set of rules in there, and I won’t be there to help you.” She was stern with me now, “I had gotten these ‘cigarettes’ from my brother; for a price of course. I was demonstrating how to use them. And now you’ve ruined them.”
“I don’t understand.” Clearly, she’d just smoked a magic “cigarette” that caused her to disappear and reappear on the other side of the balcony, but I was confused. They looked real to me, but come to think of it, I hadn’t smelled any smoke.
“I have heard from a good source that some of the Fae will be present. They will be in charge. I had a plan that you two could take this pack of cigarettes in the town with you. When they search either of you—which they may do—Drumm could say these are his smokes. They’ll let him keep them. Any other form of magic, be it herbs or potions, they might confiscate them. These cigarettes would have been perfect. Instead of inhaling poison, you would have been inhaling an herb that causes you to be invisible. I’d make them myself, but I can’t for the life of me figure out one of the key ingredients. It’s Izaill’s concoction,” Izadora fumed. “But because you lack the concentration that is expected of you, you’ve gone and destroyed them. I don’t even know how to reach Izaill right now. He said he was heading out.”
She continued to ramble on, complaining over and over about my stupidity. Finally, I couldn’t take it any longer. “It’s not my fault. I couldn’t concentrate because of him.” I pointed to Drumm.
“My fault?” Drumm said, scrunching his face up. He was clearly confused.
“Yes! You were the one out prancing around the forest with Ella today.” I knew I sounded like a hopeless, jealous brat, but I didn’t care.
“On her orders.” He lifted an eyebrow and pointed at Izadora.
Izadora rolled her eyes as if to say she didn’t have time for these petty little problems.
“So, I guessed that one right. Always hiding stuff from me. I’m always the last to know. I usually have to find things out for myself.” I knew that I sounded like a whiney brat, but would they ever listen to me?