The Witches of Merribay (The Seaforth Chronicles) (16 page)

I shook my head to release my current thoughts
. I had to remember why I was doing this in the first place. My father. I would soon have him back, and Zinnia. I could help her too.

They were the reasons I did this.

As I forcefully slammed the shovel into the ground, I hit something. It hadn't sounded like a coffin, nor a wooden box. It rather clanked.

“Did you hear that?
” I whispered loudly to Drumm.

“I did.
” His attention was brought to me, and he stood up and looked down into the grave.

I knelt down and started digging with my hands, tossing the dirt aside
. After what seemed like forever, I touched a cold surface. Digging a bit deeper with my hands, I expected to find the hard surface of a coffin. Instead, what I uncovered was a hand.

I jumped back about three feet and grabbed Drumm's leg
. “Oh dear God, what is that?”

“A hand
,” he simply said.

“No duh! Why isn't it in a coffin or something?”

“Just look for the ribbon. When you see it, recite the words and take it, and let's get out of here,” he said, looking around the woods.

“Easy for you to say.
” I couldn't imagine why he remained so calm.

I continued to pull back and scrape the dirt from around two folded hands
. The right hand had a rather large ruby ring upon its finger. That must have been what my shovel had hit. Shoving aside the dirt, I thought luck was on my side when I saw that they clasped a yellow ribbon.

The hands were cold and brittle
, albeit they still had skin on them. She couldn't have died too long ago. I took out the paper, recited the words, and then pulled on the ribbon. It wouldn't release.

“How long has she been dead
? She still has skin on her hands.”

Before he could answer, the hand that I was trying to pry open
moved. Abruptly it reached up through the earth, caught my arm, and pulled.

I let a scream out of me that would wake the dead buried next door in the graveyard
, in the consecrated ground.

Drumm pulled on my other arm, but the hand continued to pull me in.

“Holy God!” I screamed.

Suddenly, an old woman sat up, spitting dirt from her mouth.

“If God got involved, we'd all be in a heap of trouble,” an old, croaky voice said. “I'm not trying to pull you in, dear. I'm trying to pull myself upright so we can talk.”

I fainted.

Not sure how long I was out, I awoke to Drumm patting my face and then fanning me with a big leaf. On the ground, he leaned over me. “Ivy? Ivy, wake up.”

It took a moment for my eyes to focus
. “Was it a dream?” I asked.

Drumm shook his head
no. He held back a smile.

I pushed myself up onto my elbows and looked down into the grave
. There she sat, the old woman, Aggie, smiling up at me. From the waist up she was free of the dirt, and her lower half was still under the earth. “Scared you, did I?” She wore an ivory shift dress with a shimmering blue belt that tied around her waist. Although her face and hands were dirty, the dirt had barely touched the dress. She appeared thin and frail; however, she definitely was not dead.

“You could say that.
” I lay back down and took a few deep breaths, covering my eyes with my hands. The earth smelled moist, and I recognized something that smelled like sandalwood.

“Time to rise, child
. You don't have much time, and we must discuss a few things,” she said pleasantly.

Drumm helped me up
, and then he sat on the grass. I sat on the grass, but I swung my legs into the grave so I could face Aggie.

“What is it that you need
? The yellow ribbon? I shall give it to you, for Izadora,” she said. “My dear Izadora.”

“Yes, ma'am
,” I said.

“Take it then
,” she said as she held up one hand holding the ribbon.

I stepped into the grave and took the yellow ribbon from her long
, skinny fingers. As I got closer, I noticed something altogether strange about her. One of her eyes appeared green and the other white, almost like an opal with faint shimmering blues, pinks, and greens.

I gulped.

“Ah, yes. The eye. You see, I may be buried under the earth. However, I still see the goings-on of Merribay. I am no fool, and I wish to tell you so. I try to keep my children under control. They normally don't bother the human race, but alas, they continue to torment one another—and now me. Look at what Izaill has done to me. He put me here himself to get me out of the way.” She flicked a worm off from her dress.

I stepped back and sat on the grass
.

“Izaill
? Your own son put you here?” I couldn't believe it. First he cursed his sister, and then he cursed his mother? This guy was a real screwball.

“Oh yes, he did
. He doesn't want me to interfere any longer. In his defense, it's just a game for him. He doesn't see the madness of his ways. Ah, none of them do. It's but only a game to them all, and I must admit, it was a brilliant idea to put me here. It's kept me out of the way. Unruly children. And the only one that has any kind of sense is Montague. He was always a good boy. But I had to punish the others. Always fighting. I separated them you know, but they still find ways to torment one another. Having ordinary people run their errands for them. Poor souls. ”

I nodded my head
. I was one of those “poor souls”; I could relate.

I had forgotten about the herb charm Izadora had made
, and I pulled it out of my pocket and handed it to Aggie. She clasped it with her bony hand, smelling of its contents. “Ah, this is the first stage of breaking the curse that I am under. Imagine that, Ivy. You just killed two bats with one stone.” She chuckled. “You're helping me as you're helping Izadora. The first part of undoing the spell was to get a willing soul to dig me up—and there aren't many in these parts that would be willing to do such a task. They all fear me. It's a dreadful life.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “The second part was to hand me a charm of fresh herbs.”

Izadora must have known this
. I gritted my teeth. What would have been so wrong with giving me a heads-up about a few things? She could have mentioned that her mother wasn't dead. She could have mentioned that I would be starting the process of breaking yet another curse.

“So, now you are free to go?
” I asked.

“Posh! I'm not free to go yet
. You must cover me back up,” she said.

When the words she had just spoken had sunk in, I la
y back on the ground and rubbed my head. Immediately I sat back up. I was afraid to take my eyes from her for too long. Who knew what she'd do? She seemed sweet and kind, but how did I really know that? She was, after all, the mother of crazy Izaill and secretive Izadora, not to mention insane Magella.

“I don't think that I can cover you back up
. I mean…” This was too much for me. The things I was asked to do just became creepier and creepier, and…twisted. I looked at Drumm for support. He shrugged his shoulders.

“You must
. I am under a spell, and you surely can't break it until certain things have been completed. Bad, bad things would happen to you. But once the spell is broken, I shall grant you one wish. Anything you desire that is within my power.”

I had a feeling many things were within her power. “Anything
? What must I do next?”

I couldn't believe it
. Here I was running around, doing things for Izadora, and now I'd be doing things for Aggie. Would it never end? On the other hand, if she granted me one wish, and Izadora failed to bring my father back, I would wish for his return…but did I really want to be the one that freed Aggie?

She smiled at me kindly
. For all of her reputation, she seemed to be quite a nice old lady. She even had a sweet, gentle face. But the eyes were mesmerizing and scary as heck.

“I know what you are thinking
. But it would be in your very best interest to get me out of here. Not that I've minded it, as it's been a nice resting place.
However, the point is, Izaill gains power. And I shall have to put him in his place before Izadora has a chance to. I fear what she will do to my boy.”

It amazed me how she still refereed to her children as if they were but young kids.

Out of nowhere, a bat flew by, ruffling my hair. I ducked and swatted at it. Drumm did the same. Just as we were getting our bearings back, it flew by Aggie, and she reached up and grabbed it out of midair.

“Harm none, little bat
,” she said, and let it go. It flew off and didn't come back.

“Now back to what I was trying to tell you
. Izaill knows you are helping us. You will need something to ward him off.” She unpinned a silver broach from the inside sleeve of her dress. “I had to hide it there, or he would have taken it. Anywho, you take the broach. Wear it. By the end of the tomorrow, this will all be over. For the good or the bad, I cannot say. Everything is nothing but a circle of events. It started with you, and it ends with you.”

I shuddered to think Izaill would be after me
. He was horrifying. I took the broach, looked it over—it was a silver rose—and I pinned it on my shirt.

I couldn't speak
. How would it all end? I wished that I could jump ahead to tomorrow and see what happens.

“Any
who, for the third and final part of breaking this curse, you will have to find my son, Montague. He will know what to do,” she said as she picked little pieces of dirt from her dress. “Also, something you must understand about my family and me: Sometimes we work together. Sometimes we work against each other. It is but a game we play.” She winked a sagging eyelid. “But we will always be family. Now, are you in?”

I sighed and wiped the sweat that had formed on my brow
. “Okay. Where will I find Montague?”

“No one knows where Monty is
. He's been under the radar for years now. Just go to the sea and write a message in the sand, asking him to come forth. If you are who I think you are, he will come.” She lay back down in the dirt and folded her hands over her chest. “Now cover me back up.”

I wanted to vomit
. In fact, I did get up and vomit behind the white hawthorn tree.

“Now
, now, Ivy. Remember what I said; it's a game we play. No harm comes to me. It is about who can outwit who, and who can outplay who. Izaill is one up on me, that's all. For now.”

As I tossed the dirt over her, she hummed a tune
. The more dirt that landed on her face, the more mumbled it became, until…nothing. I patted the dirt down a bit with the shovel and turned to Drumm.

“Let us go now
,” he said.

“Gladly
,” I agreed.

The whole run back, I was skittish
. I had jumped when Drumm grabbed my arm, warding me away from a skunk. We would have been fine had I not yelled out. Too bad for us when the skunk turned and sprayed. It had to be the most putrid smell I'd ever come upon.

“Good going, Ivy
. We shall have to bathe in the river, but first we must deliver the yellow ribbon to Izadora.” His face scrunched up like a prune, and all the while he couldn't help but smile.

“I have a headache
,” I stated firmly. The smell was so potent, it was a wonder I could see straight.

“I do as well
, but things are as they are.” He took off running, and I followed closely behind him.

***

“So, how was Mother?” Izadora answered the door as the beautiful young maiden, clenching her nose. Her red-brown hair was glossy and vibrant, bouncing around her shoulders. “I see you had a run-in with a skunk.”

“Aggie is fine
. She told me to find Montague.” I rubbed my temples.

“Montague
? No one has seen him for ages.”

“She told me to head to the sea and write a message in the sand
. I have to do it today.”

“A message to summon him
? I suppose it will work. Did you get the ribbon?”

I pulled the ribbon out of my pocket
. In the light I could see some sort of black letters along the length of the ribbon.

“Ah
, I see you have her broach. I've always wanted that broach. Good piece, it is,” Izadora said.

“She told me to wear it to ward off Izaill.”

She glanced at the broach again. “It might help.”

Drumm set the shovel beside the fireplace
. “I'll be outside waiting. This smell is making me ill.”

“And by the way, you missed one important piece of information when you sent me to dig up your mother's grave
. You could have informed me that she was alive! And she wasn't even in a coffin!” I exclaimed.