Crowns and Curses

by V. B. Marlowe

  Still . . . even though Izzy had threatened her life, Lily didn't hate her. Sure, she couldn't stand her, but she could never bring herself to bind Izzy to the lake of fire.

  If Izzy were gone, she wouldn't have to worry about her trying to kill her or anyone else. The girls certainly wouldn't miss her, but how would they feel about Lily? Aside from Tress no one really liked Izzy, but she was one of them no matter what she did. Even though Ms. Bea's patience for Izzy's antics had run out ages ago, Lily knew that Ms. Bea loved Izzy just as she did the rest of them and she would never forgive Lily. Aside from all that, whether they liked it or not, Izzy was a vital part of them finding the rest of the pens.

  Even though Izzy would have never granted her the same mercy, the last thing she wanted was to be like Izzy.

  Lily turned the paper over. “I reject this temptation.”

  The paper vanished, and it was only then that Lily realized how quiet everything was. She grabbed her pack and lantern before exiting the alcove.

  When she stepped out, Ammit appeared to be sleeping, but she opened one large yellow eye and glared at her. At first she thought Ammit might repay her for shooting her in the eye with her arrow, but instead, she rose clumsily to her feet and waddled away, revealing another portal. This one was deep red. It would lead them to the last place they had to go. Whatever they had to face in this final stretch would earn them an elixir.

  Ammit had also left behind the maroon box it had been resting on. Lily grabbed the box and shoved it down into her bag.

  She waited for the others to make their way around the lake of fire, then one by one they stepped through the portal to the third location. This was the final stage of their journey.

  25

  MOLLY

  THE NEXT PORTAL TOOK them to Baralku, a hidden island off the coast of Australia. Molly was relieved once she remembered that the temperature of Baralku was just right. She'd had quite enough of being too hot or too cold.

  She tried to remember everything Isleen had told her about the island. It was called the Island of the Dead which didn't sit well with Molly at all. Island of the Dead. What did that mean? Would they encounter ghosts, ghouls, zombies, or restless spirits? They were to meet Barnumbirr who brought the first humans to Australia. She was a kind spirit who caused harm to no one. Molly didn’t worry about her, but the giant crocodile they had to face was a different story.

  The island was breathtaking. According to the map Molly had seen in the atlas, Baralku was shaped like a ring with a massive body of water at the center of it. Though the sun shone high in the sky, a nice gentle breeze kept everything cool. Molly had the urge to lay in a hammock and take a long nap, but it would be a while before she could rest. They still had so much to do.

  The portal had opened up to a beach. The group walked along the white sand of the shore, taking their shoes off and letting the cold water at the shoreline run over their feet. Molly could see right through the aqua blue water. Not far from the shore were throngs of towering palm trees that offered their shade like umbrellas. It had been a long time since Molly had been to the beach. She hadn’t realized how much she missed the water.

  Everyone was either running low or completely out of water, but they needed fresh water, not salt. Molly took a scoop of water in her hand and sniffed it. It didn't smell salty. She tasted it with the tip of her tongue. The water was pure and refreshing. It was freshwater, but it tasted like drinking water that had been filtered. The girls drank their fill and then topped their canteens to the brim.

  “My compass is changing direction,” Oriana announced. “Look. Is that her?”

  Everyone focused on where she pointed at something in the distance. Up high on the rocks appeared to be a large chair formed of stones. It was too far away for Molly to make out anything else.

  “That’s her,” Isleen confirmed. “Get ready to climb.”

  The group traveled a little further down the beach. As they grew closer, Molly realized the chair was actually a throne, and the throne was occupied by a woman who looked like nothing she had ever seen before.

  Molly had been rock climbing a couple of times. She was okay, but she wasn't an expert at it. They didn't have to climb super high, but it was high enough. Scarlett and Oriana climbed effortlessly as if it were something they did every day. Molly had never climbed without safety equipment, so she made sure to take her time. She made her way up slowly, looking out for good footholds and places where she could pull herself up. The edges of the sharp rocks cut into her hands and knees, making her wish for a pair of gloves. Thankfully the boots she wore were perfect for climbing. Scarlett climbed back down to help Gretchen who struggled, and Isleen complained the entire way about damaging her delicate hands. It had taken a little longer than Molly thought it would, but everyone made it to the top.

  At the top, Molly got her first opportunity to take in the full appearance of Barnumbirr. She wasn't quite the way she had been depicted in the book. Barnumbirr had the physical form of a woman, with thin limbs that seemed too long for her throne. She sat with her legs folded underneath her, watching Molly and the girls with warm, dark eyes. If Molly had to guess she was at least seven feet tall. Her skin was plum purple, and her face was painted with colorful dots. Barbumbirr's chin and cheekbones were sharp and angular. She wore a headdress made of palm leaves. Garments made of sackcloth covered her chest and hips. Barnumbirr gazed down on them smiling but said nothing.

  The girls stood behind Molly who wasn’t quite sure what to do next. Should they bow? She was a goddess according to mythology. Should they wait for her to speak first? Since time was of the essence, Molly decided to make the first move.

  "Hello, Barnumbirr. We were sent here by the Moonhaven Coven. Do you have a box for us?"

  The woman nodded kindly. “I do.”

  “What do we have to do for it?”

  Barnumbirr laughed, but not in a mean way. “Nothing. But I will do something for you. I can tell just one of you something about your ancestors or family history.”

  Barnumbirr’s voice was soft and soothing.

  The girls exchanged glances. Scarlett shrugged. "My grandmother and I were the last of our family's bloodline, and she's dead. There's not much else to know."

  Gretchen turned to Molly. “Ms. Dillinger, your family is still living. Let her tell you about yours.”

  The other girls nodded in agreement. Molly certainly was interested in what Barnumbirr had to say. “Okay. You can tell me about mine.”

  She held out her hands to Molly. Molly placed her hands on top. Barnumbirr's hands were soft and warm. Jolts of energy charged through Molly's body almost causing her to lose her balance. Barnumbirr closed her eyes for a few moments and sat perfectly still. No one else moved or made a sound. Finally, she opened her eyes. They were no longer dark, but white and glowing. She reminded Molly of those children from Village of the Damned. “You’ve lost someone.”

  Molly wasn’t sure what to make of that statement because it could mean several things. She had lost her grandfather. She’d lost Clay and Jessica also, but they weren’t family.

  Barnumbirr continued. “You’ve lost them, but you’ve found them. You just don’t know it yet.”

  Molly had no idea what that meant. She knew she hadn't found anyone.

  “You don’t come from the place you think you do.”

  "What do you mean? I'm from Connecticut. I know where I was born."

  Barnumbirr cocked her head to the side, studying Molly. “I am never wrong, but I can sense that you are not ready for the full truth.”

  Molly glanced at Isleen who shrugged.

  “Is that all you have to tell me?” Molly asked. Barnumbirr nodded.

  Disappointed, Molly thought the whole thing had been a waste, but it had cost her nothing.

  Barnumbirr opened her eyes, and they were dark again.

  “A bit of advice, young women. The Moonhaven Coven is only as strong as we allow them to be. Contrary to what people bel
ieve, there are many ways to kill a witch.”

  She reached behind her and revealed a small maroon box, identical to the other two. "With the three puzzle pieces, you will gain entry to the locked door when you come to it. For now, just follow the rocks. It's a bit of a way, but you will eventually come to the old crocodile. You can't miss him. Best of luck to you."

  Molly took the box gratefully, and they said their goodbyes. Following Barbumbirr's instructions, they plodded along the extensive row of rocks. At last, they came to a door made of gold. Opening the boxes they had earned, they found three peculiar looking pieces of metal. Scarlett frowned at the pieces. "Oh, look. I think they screw into each other." Quickly she took the three pieces and connected them. She was right. The three metal pieces formed a large skeleton key.

  Molly slid the key into the lock, turned it, and the door popped open.

  Although it was daytime, on the other side of the door, an ebony sky was splattered with twinkling stars. Molly and the girls stepped through gingerly. A light breeze whipped through the air as the lulling sound of waves gently crashing calmed Molly. They continued along the jagged rocks, taking breaks when they needed to. Molly glanced at her watch. Midnight was approaching. Although Molly's body pleaded for sleep, she didn't feel safe losing those precious hours. With the time changing after the passed through the door, she had no idea if her watch was even correct anymore. Neither Scarlett or Oriana had shifted which was strange. "I know we're all exhausted, but there's no time to sleep. We'll sit for a few minutes and then keep on moving."

  Isleen picked up a stray rock and tossed it, scowling. “Where the hell is this damn crocodile?”

  A vibration came from underneath them, causing everyone to jump up. Gretchen knelt with her lantern, running her fingers over the ground, examining it closely. "Uh, I know this isn't what anyone wants to hear, but I think we're standing on it."

  “No way,” Lily said breathlessly.

  Molly looked down. In the light of her lantern, the black surface underneath her boots were actually a deep, mossy green. If she really looked closely, what appeared to be jagged rock, was actually scales. "I think she's right."

  As she spoke those words, a deep “HMMMMMMMMMMM.” filled the air. The surface beneath their feet jolted, sending them plummeting into the darkness. There wasn’t even time to scream as Molly’s stomach flipped and her heart race. Her body cried in pain as she collided with a hard surface, landing on her shoulder. Her lantern had gotten away from her, but everyone had a flashlight in their packs. Molly retrieved hers and shone it in the darkness. She could make out the immense form rising from the ground. It was impossible to see where it started and ended, but now that she was looking at it, she could make out the crocodile's scaly body and one of its arms. By Molly's estimation, it had to be almost ninety yards long.

  Lily shot an arrow, but it merely bounced off the crocodile, not causing any damage at all. The crocodile made a low groaning sound. Isleen spoke from somewhere nearby but Molly couldn't see her. "I would try to use my sleeping powder, but where's it's face?"

  That was a good question. If Lily’s arrow had done nothing, Molly figured the sword wouldn’t do much either. How were they supposed to defeat this crocodile when none of their weapons were strong enough?

  “Show yourselves!” The voice was deep, slow, and deliberate. It echoed into the night.

  “W-who said that?” Lily asked.

  Oriana swallowed hard. “I think the crocodile is speaking to us.”

  Gretchen's eyes widened in the glow of Molly's flashlight. "Well, we're not going anywhere near its mouth, are we? That would just be stupid."

  “Yes, it would be stupid,” Molly agreed, “but I don’t think we have a choice.”

  Oriana eyed the gigantic crocodile. “What do you mean? There’s always a choice.”

  “Tick-tock. Tick-tock,” went the crocodile. “Your time is running low.”

  “He’s right,” Molly said.

  Isleen’s eyes darted back and forth wildly. “But what’s the game plan? How are we going to beat this giant thing?”

  “I don’t bite,” the crocodile said. “I just want to talk.”

  Gretchen shook her head frantically. “So, we’re just going to take his word for it.”

  Molly had no game plan, and she didn't know what they would do if the croc were to attack them, other than run and hope for the best, but she knew avoiding the crocodile was going to get them nowhere.

  The crocodile chuckled to himself. “Tick-tock. Tick-tock.”

  "Let's go," Molly said, leading the way to the front of the crocodile. She thought back to the story of Peter Pan. The crocodile had been the bane of Captain Hook's existence. It was the reason he had a hook for a hand. It had swallowed a clock, so the ticking sound was a warning to Hook and his pirates that the croc was near. In the end, the crocodile ended up being the demise of Captain Hook, but it lived and got away. That didn’t tell Molly anything about defeating the monstrous croc. They would have to come up with that on their own.

  The crocodile was an island ending with a long snout full of protruding teeth. The girls stood in a tight cluster, waiting. Molly shone her flashlight on the croc, and one of its huge eyes popped open, rolling around in its head. The crocodile chuckled again to itself.

  “’Tis a croc and not a gator.

  Guess two now, the other later.”

  “What does that mean?” Isleen asked.

  The crocodile opened its wide jaws and made a gagging sound. It reminded Molly of a cat coughing up a furball. After a few strange moments of that, something round came flying from the crocodile's mouth. Scarlett sprinted to retrieve it. “It’s a clock,” she announced, bringing it back to the group. Everyone huddled around it.

  "Ewww," Gretchen complained. The clock was covered in some type of ooze or whatever inhabited a crocodile's throat. Scarlett, not one to be squeamish, wiped the gunk off with her shirt.

  It was one of those old-fashioned clocks with a handle and two bells at the top. There was a note taped to it. Molly removed the moist paper and unfolded it. “Open me.”

  Scarlett pried the clock open, and three slips of paper fluttered down to the sand.

  The crocodile spoke again, causing Molly to flinch at the deepness of his voice.

  “If you need some motivation.

  Let this speed your hesitation

  For each riddle you can’t crack

  I will consume a tasty snack

  I wonder who I will devour

  If you’re not done in half an hour.

  Close the clock to start the time

  Make haste to solve the puzzling rhymes."

  Oriana took the clock from Scarlett. “Wait, does that mean . . .”

  "He'll eat one of us for each riddle we can't solve within thirty minutes," Isleen said matter-of-factly.

  Molly scrambled to grab the slips of paper from the ground. The clock snapped shut on its own and started ticking. There wasn't a second to spare. Molly looked at the first slip and read it aloud.

  “Long ago two came from one

  A ring of jewels, a crown of sun

  Betrayal sent the first away

  Blood is not the only way.”

  Everyone remained silent as they took the words in. Molly flipped the piece of paper over. The word LATER was printed on the back.

  “Wait,” Gretchen said. “The crocodile said to solve two now and one later.”

  "Right," Molly said. She shoved the sheet of paper in her pocket, grateful because she would have had no idea where to start. She hoped the other two were easier than that one.

  NOW was printed on the backs of the last two slips. Molly read the first one.

  “A floor of gold

  A roof of blue

  Walls of green

  A bed of hues.”

  Molly closed her eyes already frustrated. She had never been great at solving riddles nor did she find them entertaining.

  She looked around he
lplessly at the girls who looked as clueless as she felt. “Any ideas?”

  Lily looked over Molly's shoulder to reread the riddle. "A floor of gold. A roof of blue. What has a floor of gold?"

  Isleen shrugged. “I’m sure it’s not literal.”

  Molly looked at the clock. They had already lost two minutes. She feared that the half hour would fly by without them solving anything and two of them would be eaten.

  Gretchen bounced nervously on her toes. “Come on, guys. I don’t want any of us to become croc chow.”

  “Can’t you give us a hint?” Molly shouted to the reptile.

  The crocodile rolled its eyes and made a low groan. "You know, you're not the only ones cursed. We creatures have also been cursed and banished to alter-realms to wait for the witches to use us. It would be nice if you could defeat them, but to do that, you must know who they are."

  Isleen gasped. “So this riddle is about the witches. Come on, guys. Think. It mentions a floor and a roof like a house.”

  Lily nodded. “Yes, but like you said, it’s not literal.”

  Molly closed her eyes and blocked out their voices so that she could think. “A floor of gold. A floor of gold.” She thought about things that were gold or close to gold. Her stomach lurched as she thought about what they were standing on. “Sand. Sand can sometimes be described as golden.”

  Scarlett snapped her fingers and nodded. “Okay. Yes. Okay so if the sand is the golden floor, what’s the blue roof.”

  “Water,” Isleen replied. “The water’s the roof and the sand is the floor. The ocean.” She turned to the crocodile. “One of the witches is a Sea Witch.”

  The crocodile snapped its eye shut. "Halfway done with number one."

  Molly thought of locations. The second part of the riddle was Walls of green and beds of hue. She contemplated everything green. Trees were the main thing that came to her mind.

  Isleen took a seat on the ground, resting her head in her hands. For a couple of minutes, everyone racked their brains trying to figure it out. Isleen lifted her head. "I think I got it. Walls of green. Walls are tall. Tall trees. A bed of hues. Hues are colors. A bed of colors—I'm thinking a flower bed."