The Witches of Merribay (The Seaforth Chronicles) (12 page)

Chapter
Fifteen

I lay in my bed with my clothes on, turned my lamp off, and stared at the ceiling. The room was cast with light; the moon must be almost full, as it was the only source of any light. Normally without any lights on, it was pitch black.

I had walked into Zinnia's room to see her sleeping on her bed
. Gran intercepted me and told me to leave her be for the night. My plan was to lie here and wait for Gran to sleep, and then I would wake up Zinnia and begin the questioning. Why had she put me to sleep? Why was she hanging around Magella?

Lying in bed, I reached for my useless cell
phone to set the alarm. I was so tired, but I couldn't sleep. I had to talk to Zinnia.

And then I was
dreaming.

***

At first she appeared to be on a balcony in some grand building that I don't think could ever really exist, looking over a grand ballroom luxuriously decorated in shades of burgundy and gold. The room overflowed with elegantly dancing people; women were dressed in extravagant gowns, and the men in classy frocks and breeches.

She was up so high up on the balcony that it appeared to be, upon guessing, maybe five stories high, overlooking the ballroom floor. Half of the room was enclosed by a glass dome that
, when peering up through it, one could see the stars and full moon. The other half of the ceiling, the side she was on, was covered in paintings, like something done by Michelangelo. Painted in rich pastels, I could not make out what these paintings were, as they were blurred out. However, for some reason, I sensed that if I could see them properly, they would be maddeningly beautiful. A brilliant chandelier the size of a car hung midair, lighting the ballroom. Sconces upon the wall had blue and gold flames that danced along with the music. And the music was like nothing I'd ever heard.

Unexpectedly, she was then down on the ballroom floor at a buffet table
. Upon this table were the most beautifully displayed desserts, with everything from a fifteen-foot-tall chocolate fountain, to little tarts sitting on multi-tiered silver trays. These tarts, mind you, would make even Aunt Cora and Aunt Clover jealous.

I couldn't see any of the people
’s faces; they were all a blur. She was standing next to a man who was back to eating away. Something resembling a small dragon (about the size of a puppy) would fly the biggest strawberries I'd ever seen into the chocolate fountain, and then it would bring them back to Zinnia, setting them on a golden plate.

She was laughing and flirting with this man with the blurred
-out face. Then the dream faded out and darkened until she was in a forest, a gloomy forest, full of fog and damp, dark trees. She held onto the hem of her beautiful red gown so she could run, and she was running…running from something. I couldn't see exactly what, but it was after her, and there was no escape. Reaching the edge of the forest, she tried to run out, but at every turn she would run into a thick, foggy substance that couldn't be penetrated; she reminded me of a fly in a spider’s web. It was impossible to move through. Impenetrable. And she cried and cried out something, but I couldn't hear the words! It was as if she were ensconced in a soundproof room. I could see her mouth move but hear no words. Off in the distance, I heard a wolf bay. 

***

I was abruptly awakened by little tinkling bell sounds. I bolted upright, gasping for air and holding onto my throat. It had grown rather cold in my room for a summer night, but sweat poured from my face. Forcing myself back to reality, I realized the bell’s sounds were coming from my cell phone. The problem with that was my cell phone didn't work at Gran's house. It wouldn't receive any signals, and the only thing I ever used it for was an alarm clock.

I grabbed for it on my bed
stand, knocking it off to the floor, never hearing it land. As I leaned over the bed to pick it up, my breath caught in my throat. Lying on the floor was something I never wanted to see. There was a young woman with curly brown hair, wild eyes, and a crazy smile looking back at me. Ian's sister.

I felt the air grow colder, raising the hairs on my arms
.

She held onto the phone and mouthed something to me, something like “Silly,” and then she was gone
. The phone had stopped ringing. I lay back on my bed, not daring to move a muscle. Fear clenched my very heart and made my stomach tight.

I made myself let the air I'd sucked in, back out, and then I breathed as quietly as possible
. Silence filled the room, and the only thing I could see was a tree limb's shadow on my wall.

My heart began to beat normally
, and I closed my eyes just in time for the phone to ring again. “Oh God,” I said aloud. Again, I slowly leaned over my bed, with the covers pulled up to my chin. There lay my cell phone by itself. All I could picture was putting my hand down there to get the phone, just to have Ian's sister grab it and haul me under the bed.

I finally forced myself to snatch up the phone before it woke Gran, and
I quickly lay back on the bed. Answering, I said, “Hello.”

“Ivy?
” said a familiar voice, but I couldn't place it.

“Yes
?” I said. “Who is this?”

“It's Ian
. You just called me.”

“Ian
? I didn't call you. You called me,” I said.

“No
, you called me and said, ‘Silvie,’” Ian said.

“Silvie?
” I asked.

“Well, apparently you are quite the prankster
. Silvie is my sister's name. Oh by the way, did you get the rolling pin?”

“Yes and no.
” I paused. “Ian…I think I was dreaming. I just saw Sylvie under my bed.” I expected him to laugh.

He sighed
. “Did you, now?”

“How is that possible?
” I asked.

“Ivy
…my sister is dead.”

My whole body froze with terror.

“What? The one that sleeps under the willow tree? I just saw her the other day, in the garden.”

“My
sister. Is. Dead. Hence, she sleeps under the willow tree. She is the ward that I was trying to tell you about. She guards the McCallister gate. She's dead. She's a ghost.”

“Wh
—what are you talking about?”

“She's the ward
. Ahh, never mind. You're in shock. Just get over here. She must be trying to warn you about something.”

“Ok
ay,” was all I could muster to say.

“I
’ve sent my driver to come for you. Meet him at the end of your driveway.”

“But Gran
—”

He interrupted me
. “Knows that we have a few problems that need fixing. I got you into this mess, and I'll be the one to get you out.” He hung up the phone.

I changed my cloth
es and put my hair up into a ponytail, all the while glancing around my room. I did not want to see Silvie again. Panic ran through my whole body, causing me to feel faint. I felt like I was in crazy world. What had happened to normalcy? I had nothing normal left in my life. All of these things were happening to me, and all I could say was, “Why me?”

I had always thought myself to be pretty brave and daring
. I loved a good horror movie, but I didn't appreciate living in one. I had always liked going to haunted houses with my friends on Halloween. I liked to read a good scary book now and then, but my life had turned into a horror story. I just wanted a pizza at a beach somewhere in the sun, far away from the creepy, mind-numbing mess my life had become.

Before I left, I checked on my sister
. The dream I had just had seemed so real. Walking to her bed, I gave her a good push to wake her up. My hand sunk into something. “Zinnia?” I whacked her again, hitting something soft. They were pillows. My sister had left, probably a long time ago.

Slipping out of my house with a flashlight, I walked to the end of the drive where Ian's driver awaited me
. I got in the big black car that must have cost a zillion dollars, and the driver brought me up to the McCallister house.

Ian awaited me at the door
. “Okay, so you say you saw my sister?”

“I believe so.”

“We've no time to waste. Let's go.”

In no time, we were at the back gate of the garden. The only light was the moon and a single lit lamppost hidden behind globs of plants that I hadn't noticed before
. There she stood, in the same yellow dress that I had seen her in on two prior occasions. The wind ruffled her hair just as it ruffled mine. If she were a ghost, how was that possible?

“Sister
,” Sylvie mouthed silently.

“Her sister is in the woods now?
” Ian asked.

Sylvie nodded her head.

“Doesn't she talk? Your ghost sister…doesn't she talk?” I asked.

“No. She never talks
. Only laughs.” He waved his hand at her.

Sylvie giggled.

“How does she know Zinnia is in trouble?” I asked.

“She roams the garden
, but she has a friend that roams the woods—a certain friend.” The way Ian said
friend
sounded as though he didn't approve.

“How will I find Zinnia?
” I asked the ghost Sylvie.

She pointed at me.

“She is saying your sister will find you,” Ian said.

“I must go then
,” I said.

“Be careful
. You must be very careful,” Ian called after me.

Not wasting another moment, I took off running until I came upon the
yew tree. Fireflies were everywhere tonight. I recalled how my sister and I used to catch them in glass jars, poking holes in the lid for air.

I walked past the big tree and all of its décor, faintly hearing music
. I followed the music, but I couldn't figure out which way it came from. One minute I thought it was to the left of me, the next to the right. After a while I could tell that it was straight ahead. I had lost all sense of direction with the many turns I had taken.

Finally, ahead I saw a white wooden bridge
, and I went for it. Stepping upon the bridge, it creaked loudly, as if warning me to turn back now, while I still had the chance. I didn't heed its warning, and I stepped a little louder just to spite it. As I was about to disembark from the bridge, I felt a wave of wooziness sweep over me, and then felt as if I were walking through a marshmallow. The air seemed thick, and I gasped. Suddenly I was off the bridge, and everything was back to normal. Or as normal as things could be, under the circumstances.

What the heck was that all about
? As I caught my breath, it was then that I noticed there were noises off in the distance. They were not forest noises but people noises and party noises, and laughter and music, with people clapping hands. Fiddles were being played, and whoever played them surely knew what they were doing.

A thick cloud stood between me and the party
. Walking on, it seemed as though it took me several minutes to get through the clingy fog, although I could have sworn I walked but a dozen feet.

After a few moments, seconds
, or minutes, I finally stepped through the fog. To my left and right, the forest was dark, imposing, and threatening, but dead straight ahead, it appeared illuminated, shining so brightly that it could have almost been daylight. I looked behind me, only to see the fog still lurking there.

Something in the air smelled of spice
. It was a woodsy, sweet smell, like patchouli, but even better. I followed my nose and the light, and the music was getting louder. An uproar of laughter sounded throughout the area, making me feel lighter on my feet. I could hear someone talking now, as I glided closer. I eagerly closed in on the light, and hid behind a mighty big oak tree. My back to the tree, I took in a deep breath of the lingering patchouli smell. Getting up my nerve, I crouched down low and peered around the oak.

I can tell you now
that nothing I had ever experienced or had seen before could have prepared me for this moment. I felt as though I was suspended in time and space, gazing upon something that man was not supposed to witness.

At this point and time, my life changed forever
. I will try and explain to the best of my ability what was taking place, although the words to describe it elude me.

Down below, in a little valley,
lit by some sort of illuminating bonfire and what resembled thousands of white fairy tree lights hanging in trees, nestled into groups of many colored orchids, a group of beings danced to the most glorious melody that I had ever heard. My soul soared and awakened in me feelings I'd never knew existed. It was a fast song, and yet at the same time, it was a slow song. Fiddle players, backed up by some sort of bagpipers, encompassed the circle of beings. I would see the musicians, and then I wouldn't, and then I'd see them again in a different location. It was maddening but mystifying, and it seemed as though gratification of the senses was close but not close enough. I could hear, but I only wanted to hear the next note, and the next. More and more!