The Witches of Merribay (The Seaforth Chronicles) (18 page)

“I didn't say that
. I just know that I am supposed to be your guardian. And I will be. Forever. We are connected.”

“Sort of like a bodyguard?
” I laughed again nervously.

“I suppose.
” He gazed around the field, his hands upon his hips.

“This is awkward
.” The tops of his ears had turned red. “Let's go for a run.”

I grabbed his arm before he could take off
. “Well, if it means anything at all, I'm glad you are my guardian.”

“Good
,” he said. “But get used to following in my dust. I am definitely the faster runner.” He winked then took off running, yelling over his shoulder, “Let's return to Izadora . Then I will show you a place you've never seen the likes of.”

Even though he'd sped away, I could easily hear him
. My hearing, after I got my pointed ears back, had improved.

C
hapter Nineteen

When we returned, Izadora had begun the changing process of becoming an old woman. She had grays in her hair, and the wrinkles had progressed. She bent over the stove with a potholder and, opening the oven door, removed something that smelled sweet and yeasty. The rolling pin sat on the counter with pieces of dough stuck to it.

“I've just finished baking the bread
cakes. I shall eat them accordingly to reverse the spell: one this evening, one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and the final in the evening.”

Evidently it was a process to reverse the spell
. “Why do you have to eat four? Why not one?” I asked.

She rolled her eyes as though I should be able to figure this one out myself
. “The number four corresponds to the number of elements. Earth, air, fire, water. We, as brothers and sister who represent those elements, must work with the number four. I must eat each bread cake in correspondence to each element. Then the spell reversal will be underway. That reminds me…When you arrive at the ocean to write in the sand to summon Montague, pick me up some seaweed.” She tapped a piece of the bread cake, which lay on a cooling rack on the counter, and said, “Yow, it's hot.” Then she removed her apron and hung it on a hook by the stove. Instantly, I saw her bend down more, as though her back had just aged before my very eyes.

“Sure
, we'll find some for you.” Then I turned to Drumm. “Where should we go so that I can write in the sand? By my aunt’s café?”

“No
. He will take you to Merribay,” Izadora said.

“I must take you to Merr
ibay. The summoning will work more efficiently there,” Drumm said.

“Merr
ibay?” I had never heard of the place.

“It's way down back from here
quite a ways, but with the speeds you two can run, you should be there well before sundown.”

“That is the place I wanted to show you
. It's beautiful but do not be careless when we arrive there. It may be beautiful, but it can be very dangerous,” Drumm said.

“I'll be careful
. I have you to show me around,” I said. His words confused me. Why would a beach be dangerous?

“Return to me in the morning
. As you know, shortly I will be out of commission for the night,” Izadora said.

“Affirmative
,” Drumm said, and I agreed.

“Be off with you now.
” Izadora waved toward the door.

We turned and fled out the door, down the many plank bridges
, and down the stairs, and we were on our way. For a while we ran side by side, but as the paths narrowed I was forced to fall behind him. The paths became steeper and rockier, some of the rocks the size of basketballs. The forest appeared overgrown and lush. Many times branches hung down and we'd have to duck to avoid being scratched. We were forced to constantly switch sides of the path, as sometimes one side of the path was washed out, and then twenty feet ahead the other side would be washed out, cascading down several feet.

We encountered many streams and leapt over the little ones
, and we ran through the ones that were too wide. We must have run on average 25 mph, briefly hitting speeds of 35–40 mph. An hour later, Drumm slowed to a walk. We broke out through an opening in the woods and into a wide open area. As he continued to walk forward, he held out his arm to slow me. “Look.” He pointed forward with his other hand.

“The ocean!
” I yelled.

We stood above on a high cliff, the salty wind blowing in our faces
. The sky was a pure blue, with little wisps of fluffy white clouds. The sounds of the serf crashed below onto the rocks. I held my arms out to my sides, closed my eyes, and took it all in.

“Come closer and look down
,” he said.

Opening my eyes, I walked forward and peered down
. I gasped at the sight before me. It was a city like no other. The closest to this city I had seen was a picture of an Italian city by the ocean. To the side were cottages with different colored roofs and different shades of blue. They had white alabaster walls and aquamarine spires with gold edging. The city itself was built encased into and upon the rocks, with giant rocks to the side. Each time the ocean hit the rocks in the forefront, water would splash into the front of the city, causing white foam.

“Wow!
” I exclaimed.

“It is the city of Merr
ibay,” he said.

“Why haven't I ever heard of this place?”

He snickered then. “No humans. Unless invited.”

“Wow! It's amazing
. Why no humans?” I asked.

“It's too dangerous for humans
. It's filled with the others,” he said.

We made our way to the oceanfront, well away from the city
. Drumm didn't want to encounter anyone. The sand was hot, but as I moved closer to the water, my feet sank into the wet sand. Finding a shell on the beach, I wrote the words, “Montague, I summon you to come forth. Your mother needs help.”

My instructions were to wait until the tide washed it away
. While I watched the letters disappear, Drumm searched for seaweed by the rocks. “What do you suppose she needs seaweed for?” I asked Drumm.

“Hard to say
,” he said.

I could never get good answers from Drumm
, and I told him as much. “Why do you always give me such short answers? You must have an idea of what she might need it for.”

“You know as much as I do
. I assume she will need it for a spell. You can figure that much out on your own,” he said.

I had to agree
. It was the most plausible answer. “Maybe she eats it. Or needs it for a tea.”

“Your guess is as good as mine
,” he said. He had collected enough seaweed and put it in his midsized backpack. Walking toward me he said, “If there is anything you wish to release to the ocean, now is the time.”

“What do you mean?”

“The ocean is a cleanser. If you have any bitterness, sorrows, or anxieties, release them now.”

“The only bitterness I hold within me has to do with Zinnia
. When Father disappeared, she turned her back on me. Instead of consoling each other, we drifted apart. She turned to Magella, and not her own sister. She pushed me away. For that, I am angry.”

“Let it go.
” He threw a shell in the ocean and turned to me. “You may not agree with your sister’s actions, but perhaps she knew no other way. Perhaps you have misjudged her.”

I felt my face grow hot
. “You’re taking her side then? She turned her back on me,” I said firmly.

“I take no one
’s side. I am only saying, perhaps she had her reasons,” he said. He stood and stared out across the ocean. His rugged features, square jaw, and broad forehead were relaxed and tranquil. The sun shone on his face, and his blond hair shimmered. He almost looked angelic. He towered above me by a foot. I came only to his shoulder.

“Well, I don't see a reason good enough.
” I said and looked away.

“I must tell you something
,” he said, catching my attention.

“Yes?”

“Izadora can do many, many things. She has quite the power. But there are some things she cannot do. I do not want you to get your hopes up about your sister’s return. She may not be able to do it.”

“If she can't, her mother can
. Aggie even said—”

“There is always a price, Ivy
. Always a price. Don't take too many favors from their kind,” he said.

“But you seem to adore Izadora.”

He looked me in the eyes. “I do. But I have my reasons for telling you this.”

“What about my father
? Do you know where he is?”

He looked back out toward the ocean. “I imagine the Unseelie have him
. And I am ready to do whatever it takes to get him back.”

“Thank you,
” I said. “Me too.”

Taking Zinnia's side seemed futile
, and I didn't understand what he was trying to convey to me. She could have confided in me, and we could have consoled each other. But she hadn't wanted that. She turned to a sea witch instead. A horrible, horrible sea witch. I would do what I could to get her back, but no matter what, I needed to get Father back. He would know what to do.

The sun had dropped since we'd arrived
, and the sky had changed to vibrant colors. “This place is so beautiful. Even the sunsets look better here.”

“They do
. Let's go now. We want to be gone by sundown.”

“Why?”

“I'll answer you plainly. You might as well start learning all there is to know. When the sun sets, and the moon begins to rise, especially during full moons, the merpeople come to land to dance on the beach.”

I laughed, snorting as I did so
. He had to be kidding, right? He had to be kidding me.

“Don't believe me
? Some time I will bring you back and we will watch from the cliffs.”

“Why can't we watch tonight
? We don't have to be back for any reason. Not until morning.” Then I thought about it. I should get back to see Gran, GG Edmund, Aunt Cora, and Aunt Clover soon. I hadn't seen them in a while, and they were probably worried.

“Not tonight
. Soon,” he said.

Before we left, I did as he had suggested
. I closed my eyes and released the bitterness I had toward my sister, letting the soft breeze from the ocean sweep away my anger. I pictured the tide sweeping away all bad feelings. He must have known what I was doing. After a few minutes he said, “We must go now.”

As we walked back up the rocky cliff
side, I thought of one more question that I'd like answered before we began our run back. “Doesn't Magella control the ocean? I mean, she's bound to it. Doesn't she have control?”

“Magella has control of whatever small area she is in
. She can control the weather and some sea life. She does not control the entire ocean. The ocean, for the most part, is our friend.”

We used a tree limb to haul us up from the top of the cliff
. I turned once more to take in the beauty of the sunset and the waves crashing to shore. Then we walked back into the forest, only to hear a strange whistling sound.

“What's that?”

Drumm had his bow and arrow ready in seconds. “Get ready to run.”

I glanced around me to see where the whistling was coming from
. Not being able to tell the direction caused me to panic.

“Going to shoot your old friend, are you?
” A voice came from up in a tree. A loud
thump
sounded behind me as something hit the ground. I grabbed my chest so my heart wouldn't escape. Turning, I saw the young man from before, Nicoli. Then another
thud
to the right brought down Jina, the girl with long, golden hair. Her eyes gleamed yellow-orange, almost a golden color.

“You two should watch yourselves
; you almost got an arrow in your behinds.” Drumm laughed and shook the boy’s hand.

“What's up, Drumm
? You've come to spy on us?” said Nicoli.

“Not this time
,” Drumm said with a touch of sarcasm.

Nicoli stared me up and down
. “Hello, Ivy.”

“Hi.” I couldn't take my eyes from his deep blue and
, if I wasn't mistaken, purple eyes.

He ran his hand through his dark brown hair
. I couldn't help but take a glance at his super-toned chest.

“What are you doing here
? Why aren't you in the water?” Drumm asked.

“We are on watch still
. The prowler we told you about? He's back. He appeared out of nowhere. He grabbed the mermaid, Stella, from the rocks, took her comb. I tackled him, but he disappeared in my arms—only to reappear on the cliff.”

“Mermaid
? Did he just say ‘mermaid’?” Then it dawned on me. “You guys are merpeople?” I babbled under my breath.

Jina
, the only one who heard me, laughed.

“Comb
? I wonder…what does this man look like?” Drumm asked.

“He wore some sort of head cover
, or hat, I mean,” Nicoli said.

“Izaill
,” Drumm whispered. “He must be up to something.”

“That name sounds familiar
,” Nicoli said. “Bad news.”

“Very bad news
. I wonder what he wanted with the comb?” Drum shook his head, stupefied.

“A mermaid gets her first comb when she turns sixteen
. It is a prize possession—a sign that she can now come to shore and dance with the adults. The comb is made of shell, and once it has combed the hair of a mermaid, it is a powerful tool for casting spells.” Jina volunteered the information as she twisted her long, golden hair atop her head. She then used a small twig to hold it in place.