The Witches of Merribay (The Seaforth Chronicles) (10 page)

Drumm and Izadora were going to have to be more vocal with their information
. I should have already known this. Izaill was behind a curse that he had cast upon Izadora, and that's why she needed this rolling pin. It was somehow magical.

Before she could answer, the front door flew open
. In walked a person that I had not expected to see. “Zinnia?”

“You're back
, then. Good girl. Look who we have here…,” said Magella.

My sister seemed to squirm
, and her face turned the color of Gran's prize red roses. She stepped forward and leaned on the kitchen counter.

“I'm sorry, Ivy
. You should have stayed away from here.”

“Why?
” said Magella. “We can mark her, too.” She turned and went into the parlor and through the shell curtain.

Zinnia rubbed the inside of her lower right arm; I noticed then a mark the size of an apple
. It was an upside-down triangle. “The element symbol for water,” Zinnia said.

“For water?
” I said.

Magella returned
, holding a needle in one hand and ink in the other.

I tried to move but my hands were tied too tight
. I kicked her in the shin instead, making her grit her teeth and snarl. Spit flew out of her mouth.

“Be still
,” she commanded. And I could move my legs no more.

She held the needle above my arm and let go, causing it to hang midair
. Then she dumped the ink out of the bottle, and it floated as if it were a soap bubble.

“Ink so black, work your magic, for tonight, power is mine.
” The needled dipped itself into the ink, swirled around, and positioned itself over my right arm. Although it tried like heck, it could not pierce my skin; it was like trying to write on metal. A slight glow emanated from my skin, and the needle bent.

“N
o!” she yelled. “She has already claimed you.” She paced back and forth. “You have drank her blood.”

I nodded my head
, and I did so proudly. Hey, if Izadora's blood spared me from an unwanted tattooing, who was I to complain?

My sister looked relieved
. “Let's just let her go. There is no harm in it. She won't have the rolling pin. Can't we just let her go?”

“No
. Make the tea. I will cleanse her of the blood. But she must be willing to do so, or it shall not work,” Magella said.

Zinnia walked about the kitchen, disappearing once through the seashell curtains and back out
. She put water on the stove to boil. Magella paced and I thought it was time they answered some questions.

“Zinnia,
” I said, “Why are you here? What are you doing with this old hag?” I may be tied up and my legs frozen in place, but I felt like being cocky.

“Hag
? You call me a hag?” Magella asked. “Izadora is the old hag. She has never played fair.” She walked to the stove and nudged Zinnia out of the way.

“We don't have time to waste
. She needs to drink this right away,” Magella said, and she blew into the pot of water. After about fifteen seconds, it began to boil. She added some type of dark leaf to the pot.

“Izadora could have had that water boiling in an instant
. She wouldn't take that long at all.” I couldn't stop myself; I wanted to get a rise out of her. Even if it meant she would harm me.

“Shut your little tramp mouth
. Or I'll feed you to the sharks.” The muscles in her face flexed as she ground her teeth together. “My sister may have more power during the day, but she does not have any…at night.” She snorted a laugh.

Zinnia stood staring at me
. Her face was filled with sorrow and concern. “I never meant for any of this to happen, Ivy. Things just took a turn and got out of hand. I—”

“You put something in my mint tea that caused me to
pass out!
” I emphasized that point as well as I could.

“I had to
…I had to leave. And you were wide awake from all the sugar you'd had.” She sighed.

“Where have you been going
? Ian says you've been traipsing the woods. He told me you couldn't be trusted. I should have listened to him. And yet you called him Mr. Holier Than Thou.” I wriggled in my chair, causing the ropes to tighten.

“Stop talking
,” Magella said. “Get me the strainer and a cup.”

Zinnia did so.

“Zinnia, it is probably not too late, whatever you have done. Maybe Izadora can help you,” I suggested.

That comment seemed to push Magella over the edge
. It was like waving a dried-up stick at fire, and I was the stick.

“You are the one who will change sides
…right now!” Her face had grown angry, and her lips pursed as she brought the cup to me. “Drink this.”

Of course, I refused.

She put it up to my lips, and the steam from the cup burned them. Trying to buy some time, I said, “It's too hot.”

“Get an ice
cube, girl,” she said to my sister.

Apparently she moved too slow
ly, and Magella again nudged her out of the way and took out a small block of ice from the freezer and hit it with an ice pick.

“Put this in the cup
,” she commanded my sister. She left the ice on the counter to melt.

My sister
’s fingers trembled as she put the tiny piece of ice in the cup.

“This is pointless, I won't drink it
,” I said.

Outside, the storm had calmed
, and I couldn't hear any wind. The silence must have overwhelmed Magella. She paced back and forth in front of me. “It is almost dawn. The storm I cast has come to an end. She
must
drink the tea before dawn.” Her face had paled, and she no longer looked angry; she looked concerned.

“I won't
,” I said stubbornly.

She sighed
. She began to speak and then stopped. She paced back and forth a couple more times and then stood in front of me.

“Look
, Ivy, listen to me carefully.” She spoke calmly, almost softly. “Izadora has too much power. If you give her the rolling pin, you may be begging
me
for help.”

“But I won't even be leaving here with the rolling pin.
” I doubted I'd ever get it out of here alive.

“Once she sent you for the rolling pin, she claimed it
. Now it knows she calls for it. You have woken it up. And it will return to her.”

“What are you talking about
, Magella? It's a stupid rolling pin, it doesn't have a consciousness,” I said.

“Ha! You are not very bright, child
.
It
knows. It's made from a branch of my mother’s personal old rowan. She always liked Izadora best. And it knows.” She sighed. “Now you've got to drink this tea, and you have got to rebuke Izadora,” Magella said.

I almost believed Magella for a moment
. She sounded so convincing that I could almost cave. But I stood my ground and looked to my sister for help.

Zinnia stood wide eyed, her arms crossed
and sweat beading above her brow. When we made eye contact, she shook her head and mouthed the words, “Don't do it.”

I shut my lips tight
ly.

Magella turned to my sister
. “We must get her to drink this. Before dawn. Or you don't want to see what happens.” She walked to my sister. She stood in front of her, put her hands on her shoulders, and stared into her eyes. For a minute I thought she would threaten to do harm to Zinnia, and then I would have to admit defeat and drink the damn tea. Instead, she dropped her hands and turned toward the window behind me.

“The first rays of dawn appear on the horizon
,” Magella said.

Almost instantaneously
, the first birds of the morning began their song. Magella stood frozen for a few moments, and then she said, “It's too late. She comes.” And if I thought her face was pale and ashen before, it was white as paper now. Her eyes were like circles sitting in her wrinkled face.

Whoever was coming
had scared the living daylights out of Magella.

A
thunk
hit the window, causing everyone to almost jump out of their skin. Then there was another
thunk
and then another, even louder.

“Get her out of here
!” she screamed to my sister. They both fell upon me, untying my hands. “Move!” she screamed at me.

Thunk
. Thunk. Thunk.
The noises grew louder. Birds flew into the windows with such impact, they shattered. So many were around that they were tipping the boat.

Magella grabbed my arm with such force that you would never guess she was an old woman
. Before she got me out the door, I attempted to grab the rolling pin from the counter, but it slid to the floor. Bending down, I grabbed at it again, missing.

“Oh no you don't!
” Magella yelled. She grabbed my hair and pulled me upright, and then she threw me into the door. My head smarted, and I turned to see that she held a handful of my hair in her hands. A big grin spread across her face, showing a scattering of missing teeth. Her breath smelled like rotting flesh.

Birds continued to puncture the boat
, and she opened the door. She pushed with so much force that I flew out to the railing and over the edge of the boat and into the water. The water was calm, but the boat had drifted from the dock about fifty feet—purposefully, no doubt. I would have to swim.

As I did the doggy paddle, I turned back to see hundreds of birds flying
toward the boat. There were huge black birds, seagulls, and many others. Magella stood on the small deck, trying to make it back to the door and swinging her fists at the birds, which were attacking her whole body. Unbelievably, my sister pushed past her out the door with the rolling pin in hand and threw it toward me. Why would she try to help me?

“
No!
” Magella shrieked.

It sank
, and I went for it.

I swam down a
ways, and the water was dark. Immediately I somehow grabbed at it, and it was in my hands. I heard a loud splash. Something had jumped into the water, sending chills down my spine. I could only hope that my sister had come to her senses and escaped the boat.

Almost to the top of the water, I felt something hot grab my ankle
; it was torridly hot. It yanked me down, and I looked over my shoulder in the darkness to see Magella encased in a reddish aura. Her eyes were bloodshot and her hair cascaded out to the sides, causing her to look Medusa-like. As my eyes focused better, it occurred to me that it wasn't hair after all but sea snakes swimming past her head—and toward me.

A scream tried to escape my throat
, and bubbles came out of my mouth. Squirming, I couldn't break free. My lungs burned badly. She pulled me down farther, and I knew I had to break free now, or die. With all my might, I hit her in the head with the rolling pin, as snakes entwined themselves around my arms. I didn't think the rolling would move very fast in the water, but it sailed through, smacking her upside the head, stunning her and causing her eyes to cross. Her grip loosened, and I whacked her again. Her hand continued to hold and burn my leg.

I hauled the rolling pin back to hit her a good one but paused as a bright light appeared overhead, lighting up the whole area
. Then it faded, only moments later to return, lighting everything up as though it were the sun.

Birds began diving in
. Big, black birds with sharp beaks. Some of them ripped the snakes from my arms, and others went farther down to reach Magella.

Releasing my foot in a hurry, she swam backward
. An unnatural scream of anger escaped her mouth along with big bubbles, and she swam away, disappearing into the ocean.

I was so mesmerized that
for several moments I’d forgotten the pain from not breathing; it finally returned when I saw the light fade and the birds retreating. I swam to the surface, my head breaking out through the water, and I hauled in long, gasping breaths. When I finally reached the dock, I plopped the rolling pin down, hauled myself out, and lay there, staring at the birds flying overhead. I had to wonder if Zinnia threw the rolling pin to me on purpose—that she did it to help me. I'd like to think so. But Magella had said it knew Izadora wanted it. Had it used some sort of power to make Zinnia throw it?

The birds were leaving, going back to wherever it was they'd come from
. Some had died with the impact they had given to the houseboat, and they floated in the water.

The sunrise shone over the horizon, with a big
, thick orange band and red and pink clouds. I finally felt a moment’s peace, but I wanted to get out of there. Pushing myself up, I reached for the rolling pin. My hand had just set upon it when a huge eagle swooped down and grabbed it right out from underneath my grip, and it stood about five feet from me. The eagle wore a crystal stone around its neck that glowed and dimmed. It had to be the source of light I'd seen in the water.