Natasha hadn’t warned her to be careful in her panic. She wasn’t sure what she should be thinking about. She wasn’t sure what she could do that they couldn’t.
They must let go of me.
RELEASE ME!
I have a bubble. I have the bubble. Maybe the bug bubble will keep them away from me!
Dorothy thought hard about the bubble that Natasha had put around her to keep the bugs away and hoped that it would activate to protect her from the mermaids.
There was much splashing and noise. Her small gasps of air when she broke through the surface were pushed out as she was dragged beneath the waves once more. She knew if the mermaids took her beyond the reef that she was as good as dead. She didn’t give up, she kicked and punched, her hair floating around her, wrapping into the seaweed.
She was pulled abruptly into the sky by her broomstick, Natasha holding her tight as she sat on her own broomstick along with three other witches who also held her high, dripping wet with water.
The witches flew back to the beach. They carefully lowered to the ground and stepped off their broomsticks.
“Natasha! You should have warned me! Those monsters nearly drowned me. Why didn’t you tell me before we even came here about what was going on?” Dorothy yelled. She ran across the sand to get away from the water’s edge, her body soaking and shivering.
“You know all the ways,” Natasha said. “You know we cannot speak out loud, for you don’t know who is listening and you don’t know who to trust and who not to trust in these times. I couldn’t tell you where we were going because I don’t know who has followed us and I don’t know if the person who keeps haunting you will come and steal my secrets and I can’t afford to have that happen.”
“I know who it is,” Dorothy said. “I don’t think there’s anything to fear.”
“There’s always things to fear. Betrayal is huge and we’ve seen it over and over again. If we told you we were coming here to protect the plants tonight, the mermaids may have gotten wind of it and then they would have been prepared for our attack. This way, no one has to get hurt. We just sweep them back. They can’t cut them; they can’t return until the next time the plants are in bloom.”
“What happens now?” Dorothy asked. She was so cold and wet that she was shaking.
Natasha and the three witches held their hands up to Dorothy. Warm waves of heat emitted from their palms. Dorothy shivered as the seawater evaporated. The four women raised and lowered their hands, spreading heat across her body. Her flesh tingled as heat overrode the cold; excitement fanned through her as she thought about the events of the night. So much had happened and there was still so much more to come. The women hummed deep, bass tones, the sound resonating inside her bones, weaving warmth, peace and strength through her.
They collectively dried Dorothy with their energy: they dried her clothes and they dried her hair. With a final flourish of her hands, Natasha wove the protective spell back over Dorothy to keep the bugs from bothering her.
“That was just the beginning,” Natasha said. “Don’t worry, we have no more creatures to fight. The other witches have kept them back, making sure they won’t return over the rocks while we go do the next part.”
The five witches joined six others, walking from the beach, floating over the rocks and then walking into the wood. The remaining witches stood guard at the water’s edge, listening to the sea creatures sing and wail their eerie screechy voices across the waves.
I hope they aren’t calling for backup, Dorothy thought. And wow, fireflies sure came out early this year.
Several witches had corralled groups of fireflies that formed a trail of flicking lights, illuminating the narrow path for the ladies. The glowing insects pointed the way to a huge field filled with thigh high foliage.
The foliage had a translucent glow so even though the night was dark with not much illumination from the moon, the plants were visible as far as the eye could see. Dorothy sensed a sweet, minty fragrance, with a musky undertone. The smell was distantly familiar, and she knew she had encountered it many times over the years.
“How many are there?” Dorothy gasped.
“I told you, the entire island is full of the plants and now we must gather as many as we can before the mermaids return.”
“You said we swept them into the ocean so, we’re fine, right?” Dorothy asked.
“Perhaps. It’s wise to always be aware and prepared,” Natasha said. “There have been... instances... where the creatures have returned, armed to the gills with weapons.” She chuckled, her eyes twinkling in the darkness. Dorothy nodded, her stomach knotting.
What kind of weapons?
“In fact, I’m always surprised they don’t bring weapons when they first arrive,” Natasha sighed.
“You know why they don’t use weapons,” Amelda said in a know-it-all tone.
“We... don’t want to bother Dorothy with that today,” Natasha said, waving her hand to silence the woman who was speaking.
“Bother me with what? What don’t I know now?” Dorothy asked.
“Don’t worry about it right now,” Natasha said, waving her hand by Dorothy’s face. “Let’s get the picking done so that we can enjoy the rest of our night.”
Plenty to worry about.
Dorothy nodded, the desire to discover more about this mysterious island, the mermaids, and the plants was bursting within her, but she knew better than to press Natasha too hard.
“How do we pick them? Is there is a special way? Do we need tools? Do we pull them by the roots? Do I pluck the leaves? Sweep? How does it work?”
“We pick them by hand, firmly and quickly. It’ll take a while to gather enough for everyone. And, yes, pull just the leaves. The root can stay in the earth, ready to sprout more leaves.” Natasha leaned in close. “Don’t bring the roots because if they’re still living, if they aren’t completely drained of life when they leave the island, they will be... Just don’t do it.”
Dorothy crouched by a patch of leaves and stared at them, glowing and bobbing, a dark forest that spread out as far as she could see.
Dorothy pinched the leaves off the stalks as she saw the other witches do while the fireflies lit the way.
Suddenly she was aware of the sound of a violin, mournful music filling the night air. She turned around and saw Natasha playing.
The plants began to sway, and they became even easier to pick.
More witches joined them, some coming from the sky on broomsticks, others coming from the beach, leaving only a few left to guard against any remaining mermaids.
Huge strips of cloth were laid out across the ground. The plant leaves were gently tossed onto them. As each swath of material was covered, the witches rolled the fabric into giant balls and tied the ends into loops.
Dorothy continued to pick by the light of the fireflies as the material continue to fill. The leaves were soft, growing softer with the music. She couldn’t help but poke her finger into the earth and loop her fingers around the roots of one of the plants. The roots tickled her fingers.
Pick me. Pick me.
She knew she shouldn’t, but she had an overwhelming urge to do it. In fact, her mind hurt so much, urging her to pick a plant and sneak off with it. She resisted for a moment and then another moment, but her hand ultimately ignored her. Into her pocket went a little piece of plant with its twitching roots and some dirt.
After an hour or so, the witches had plucked all the plants that were ready. Surrounding them were many dozens of giant balls of rolled up material, ready to be carried back to their covens.
As the witches prepared to take flight, they looped the handles of the giant pieces of material around their broomsticks. Off they flew, the brooms easily carrying dozens of the rolled-up plants all around the world, back to the witches’ home covens.
“How many packages are we taking?” Dorothy asked Natasha. “Where we taking them to? Are we going to Lucy’s?”
“Yes, we’re taking t
hem to Lucy’s,” Natasha said as she put her violin back into her case. She waved her hands and the violin case shrank until it was tiny enough to slip into her cloak pocket.
“Have you been doing this by yourself all this time, gathering these plants? For our coven?” Dorothy asked as she looped several balls of material through her broomstick as she’d the other witches do.
“No,” said Natasha. “I used to go with Lucy when she was young; she was really adept at keeping those mermaids in line. We have brought her an extra gift. A trophy as it were.”
Dorothy nodded, not really sure what Natasha was talking about but she focussed on preparing her broom for flight.
Dorothy and Natasha flew over the ocean with several balls of material hanging from their broomsticks. The sky had shifted, millions of stars twinkled above them while waves rolled and splashed below them. This time, they flew very high up so nothing from the ocean could grab them or their wares.
At last, Dorothy spotted the lighthouse and they swooped down lower, circling Lucy’s house before landing in the back gardens.
Natasha disembarked from her broom which hovered in the air, keeping the large bounty from being crushed on the ground.
“We can leave the plants here in the garden,” Natasha instructed. “Lucy still has the strength to sort them and put them where they need to go around the estate.”
Dorothy helped Natasha unhook the bags and stored them in the maze.
“That being done,” Natasha said, “I do want to show her the trophy.”
“What trophy?” Dorothy asked.
Natasha ignored her question and set off for the front of the house. Dorothy followed.
Natasha rang the bell and one of the night servants opened the door.
“Good evening. I’m sorry we’re arriving at such a late hour. I must speak with Lucy.”
Natasha nodded at Dorothy to give the servant her cloak. Before Natasha gave the servant girl her own cloak, she took something from one of the pockets that was wrapped in yet another piece of material. Dorothy looked at the package in curiosity.
“Lucy’s in the parlor,” the maid said. “Follow me,”
“Thank you,” Natasha said.
Natasha and Dorothy entered the parlor where Lucy sat in her giant chair. She looked very tired, long grey hair sprawled down and across her shoulders and arms. Though her head had been bowed, perhaps she had been napping, Dorothy surmised, Lucy’s head bobbed up quickly. Lucy’s eyes glowed as she watched the women enter the room.
“The harvest was successful this time?” she asked.
“Yes, it was, Lucy,” Natasha said. “It was very successful, and Dorothy did a good job for her premiere experience.”
“That’s wonderful. Dorothy,” Lucy said. A smile crossed her face. “It will be nice if you can help out now and again with this task. You don’t have to do it every time but now that you’re trained, we know we can count on you.”
“I didn’t even know about any of this,” Dorothy confessed. “It’s all such a surprise.”
“Nothing to worry your head about,” Lucy said. “Now that you’ve been awarded the broom and are learning its power, you will have more responsibilities with the coven. Some of them, as tonight, will be dangerous and others will be more fun.”
“I appreciate that, Lucy,” Dorothy said. “I’ve been working hard to hone my skills. I’m greatly honored you chose me for this task tonight.”
“I brought you something, Lucy,” Natasha said. “We had to take payment.”
“What happened?” Lucy asked.
“When one of the mermaids tried to drown Dorothy, we went after her. They sensed Dorothy’s weakness, her naivety, her confusion, and dragged her down into the water, hoping to kill her. It took five of us to get Dorothy back, but we were successful. Obviously.”
“I didn’t mean to be such a bother,” Dorothy said. “I didn’t know...”
Lucy raised her hand. “Silence, my dear. This is not unusual at all. This is why we need many witches to combat the mermaids, for the mermaids are sneaky. We have run-ins with them all the time.”
“Even with us not telling Dorothy a thing, they still sensed her weakness, that she was new, that she was the vulnerable one.”
“And you fought them magnificently,” Dorothy said.
“So, what is it you brought me Natasha?” Lucy asked, turning her attention to the package that Natasha still held in her hands.
Natasha placed the package on one of the coffee tables. She opened the material very slowly as a waft of the pungent smell of ocean mud filled the room. She carefully pulled out and held a long swath of hair with part of a mermaid skull skin still attached.
“We have hair now. We have some of the mermaid that we need. I pulled her hair right off her head, right off her skull and some of her scalp came with it. Now we have the flesh that we need... for the battles.”
“Show no one, Natasha. Tell no one, Dorothy.” Lucy raised her hand, preventing the women from speaking. “I appreciate this gift, Natasha. Thank you and let us not speak any more about its uses and such for we don’t know who’s listening.” Lucy’s eyes grew wide for a moment as she waved her arms. The room grew warmer and Dorothy was grateful as she was still feeling the chill from their broomstick ride over the ocean. The edges of the room glowed purple for a moment and then the color disappeared, and the room returned to normal.
“Very well,” Natasha nodded.
“This is a great gift, Natasha. You went above and beyond as you always do. And, Dorothy, it’s magnificent that you were able to help us get this.”
“I feel really bad, actually. That this poor mermaid... I didn’t realize she had died.”
“No one said she died. She wanted to kill you, Dorothy. If she had left you alone, we wouldn’t be holding her scalp now. And besides, we badly needed this material to proceed with some of the work our coven needs to do.”
“Shhhh,” Lucy said again. Dorothy clamped her hands over her mouth. Natasha sighed impatiently.
“And what about the plant’s leaves?” Dorothy asked. “What do we do with those?”
“Don’t worry, the staff is already working on them. Sorting them and putting them where they need to go in, organizing them into the compartments, into the spells that we sell to the tourists. You don’t have to worry about any of that part, all you have to do is keep the mermaids away every now and again when we call upon you to do so.”
“Thank you, Lucy.” Dorothy bowed her head. “Thank you for trusting me and believing in me enough to promote me to this level of responsibility within the coven. I’m very honored and very blessed and I do appreciate this gift you’ve given to me. This gift of responsibility.”
“You are most welcome, Dorothy. And with that, I must ask you both to leave me to the rest of my night. And you to yours.”
Chapter Nine
Ace of Pentacles: Unexpected gifts may come to you.
Dorothy flew home. After she parked her broom, she looked at herself in the mirror.
To think, all I wanted to do was go watch the TV show being made and instead I had this crazy adventure.
Dorothy could smell the ocean mud on her, the thick stink of low tide and dead fish in her hair as she stepped into the shower. The shower was soothing and hot. She washed her hair with her favorite shampoo, hoping it would kill the stench of the rotting ocean.
It wasn’t that late for the middle of the night, she thought. They were likely still shooting the show since they shot from sundown to sunup. She still had time to go see and meet Oscar Dominion.
Dorothy chuckled as she was blow-drying her hair. Her plush velvet bathrobe warmed her up, getting rid of the wind chill once and for all, and the warm dryer on her head made her believe it was summer at last. She thought about all the secrets that she suddenly realized she didn’t know. She thought she had a lot of things figured out about the coven and the life she had been leading but it turned out that she didn’t know anything at a
ll it seemed. What was the truth about any of the witches? Did Maggie, Toni, Adele and the others go to pick leaves and battle mermaids? Was she allowed to ask them about it? How did they keep such fantastic adventures a secret if they did? Maybe they knew nothing as she did before today. Did they have any sense that any of this went on? Were they all as naïve as she was or was she the last one to the party?
I wish I’d had known there was so much more to this coven, I’d have done things differently. Why doesn’t anyone talk about this stuff?
She knew why. Because you never knew who was listening, who was watching. For good or for evil.
She’d have to watch and study her coven sisters and see if she could glean anything from their actions.
Oh! The plant!
She put down the blow dryer and ran out of the bathroom. How did she nearly forget?
She put her hand into the pocket of the cloak she had worn when she was picking the leaves. Something moved and she curled her fingers around it. She pulled out the plant that she had plucked, roots and all.
She looked at the little plant nestled in her palm. It twitched a bit, leaves and roots rustling. A wave of energy passed through her, a warm heat, an exciting surge of new electricity. The vibrations pulsed in her palm, travelling up her arm and then spreading through her body like a wave.
“You’re so cute. I wonder what you’re called, what kind of plant you are? Can I Google you?” Dorothy whispered to the little twitching leaves. The smell they gave off seemed stronger than on the island. Maybe it was because she was inside now, without the wind and other smells to get lost in.
“Should I put you in water? Will you run away? Will someone smell you?” She looked hesitantly at the window.
Taurus: A Hearse of a Different Color Page 10