The Witches of Merribay (The Seaforth Chronicles) (20 page)

“Always making messes for me to clean!
” She scolded Aunt Clover while wiping and spraying once again.

“You know, people can be exposed to a few germs and it's actually better that way
. It makes you healthier, if you ask me,” Aunt Clover replied.

“Ah
, but no one asked you, did they?” Aunt Cora sprayed the area again and wiped one more time before she continued on under the table.

“Look at you
—you’re actually going underneath the table!”

“Move your feet.”

“Bye,” I yelled as they continued to bicker back and forth. They didn't acknowledge me, but I left anyway.

The door at Ian's opened before I could even ring the bell
.

“Mr. McCallister awaits you in the sunroom
,” Mrs. Pumbleton informed me. She led the way as though I'd never been there before, and pulled a chair out for me to be seated at the exquisite table. Today there were Belgian waffles, strawberries, whipped cream, eggs Benedict, and cappuccinos. I scanned the table for any celery but to no avail.

“Miss Seaforth
. Good to see you.” Ian had food in his mouth, but that didn't stop him from talking.

“Why do you call me
‘Miss Seaforth,’ and not ‘Ivy’?” The question had always plagued me; I had to ask.

“Why, Miss Seaforth
”—he chuckled—“do you care?”

“I don't know
, just curious,” I said.

“I inherited the habit from my own father
. He rarely calls people by their Christian names. Would you prefer me to call you ‘Ivy,’ Miss Seaforth?”

I thought about it for a second, and I couldn't picture Ian using my given name
. “No. I like ‘Miss Seaforth.’”

“Well, now that we have gotten that important issue resolved, would you like to hear your instructions for the day
? Or do we have any more pressing matters to further discuss?” I believe one of the reasons Ian and I got along so well was due to his sarcasm.

“Ha
! No, we can get on to business. I must get to Izadora's soon. She promised to get my father back once the spell is broken, and it should be broken today.” I'm sure he could sense the excitement in my voice; there was no way he could miss it.

“Precisely so
. Now I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Yeah?
” I realized the time had come. I had always known he expected me to do something for him.

He held a fork in one hand, a knife in the other
. A sly smile spread across his face. He laid the utensils down, patted his mouth with a white cloth napkin, and sat back in his chair.

“After your father's return, I need a vi
al of spring water from Merribay.”

“
You know about Merribay?”

He rolled his eyes
. “It's on my property, Miss Seaforth. I own it.”

“But it belongs to the
—”

“It belongs to me
, but they are welcome to it. Not that I could actually take it away without them chopping my head off, but just the same, they are welcome to it.”

“How can I get the water from the spring
? Where is it located in the city?”

“You are half elf, half human
. You walk right in to the center of the city, place the vial
in the spring, walk out, and, voilà, bring it back to me.”

“What do you need it for?”

“Full of questions, we are.” He tapped the table with his fingers, narrowed his eyes, and said, “I have more money than God Himself, but I cannot use my legs. The spring water has curative properties. I have accepted my fate. However, if there is something out there that may help me to walk again, I would be a fool not to try it.”

“I understand
. I will try to get it for you.”

“Thank you, Miss Seaforth
. I have no doubt.”

I could feel the stone from the necklace that GG Edmund had given me
. I felt safe and secure wearing it, right on top of the world.

“Are you going to eat
? Mrs. Pumbleton specifically made you the waffles.” He waved his hand at the table as though it were a showcase of diamonds.

“I would rather have celery
, if that's all right,” I said.

“Celery
? Are we dieting? You are like a beanpole as it is.”

“Thanks.” I scowled.

“Mrs. Pumbleton,” Ian yelled out, “bring me some celery, if you would.”

“Uncut
,” I said.

“Uncut,
Mrs. Pumbleton.”

He looked at me for a few seconds as though he seemed confused about something
. “You know, you look taller. Anyway, go get your father back and then proceed to the city of Merribay for the spring water. I will be sure to reward you, even if you try and fail.”

Mrs. Pumbleton
carried in a plate of crisp celery. Overly excited, I grabbed the plate and pulled out a celery heart that was nice and tender. “Thank you,” I mumbled as I chewed.

Both
Mrs. Pumbleton and Ian watched as I devoured the celery. I chewed and swallowed several times. A koi fish made a splash in the pond, but no one took their eyes from me.

“Must be something you need in the celery that you crave
,” said Mrs. Pumbleton.

“Would you like a bag to take with you?
” Ian asked. He sat with his back to the chair and his hands folded in his lap, eyeballing me.

“This will be fine.
” I grabbed a few more stalks and jumped up to leave.

“I'll go with you to the gate.
” Ian pushed himself up and swung over to the wheelchair.

As we made our way to the gate
, he informed me that my craving for celery meant that my body was changing.

“Otherworldly beings rarely eat meat
. They tend to enjoy vegetables and, I have found on occasion, wine.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “In fact, sometimes if you leave wine outside during a full moon, the next morning you will find the cup empty. Just ask my father. He used to leave a cup out and find it empty in the morning. Ah well, sometimes it was me that drank it, but usually it was the fairies.

“
Now, when you arrive at Izadora's, explain to her what I have asked you to do. And take the boy with you; you'll need him to guide you into the city. Good luck with getting your father back.”

“Wait
. I have a question about Zinnia. She also ate nothing but celery and vegetables before she went with the Fae. She started to look pale and scrawny. Do you suppose that—”

“She ate something in
fairyland. Once you do so, the process starts. When did she start doing this?”

“Before
Father went missing, probably a few days before.”

“You don't say
? That's interesting news. Perhaps she met up with the Fae before he had ever been taken.”

“She couldn't have
. Could she?”

He shrugged his shoulders
. “Anything is possible.”

When we arrived at the gate, Drumm sat up in a tree waiting
. He sat in a cleft between the tree and a branch, his legs dangling. He jumped down as though he'd done it a million times before. “Are you ready?” he asked, smiling.

“I am
,” I said, knowing that he meant getting my father back.

“Take care of Miss Seaforth
. I shall see you back here by sundown,” Ian said.

We were off, racing to see who would get to Izadora's first
. I had to admit, he was slightly faster; over time, maybe I'd be able to beat him.

When we arrived, we walked to the tree house stairs,
and it was then that I realized I no longer came up to his shoulder. Grabbing his arm, we stopped. “Hey! I'm up to your nose now. I grew!”

“Elves are not short
. We are quite tall.”

“I must have grown three or four inches!
”

“I think that's about right.”

We ran up the stairs and into Izadora's house. Standing in the doorway was the old Izadora. She looked to be around a hundred.

“The curse must be broken
. You aren't young anymore and it's still morning!” I exclaimed.

“It's in the process of being broken
. I just finished a bread cake. I have two more left.” She looked pleased with herself.

“When can we get my father?
” My whole body was wired with excitement. I felt as though I'd drank a pot of coffee.

“It must be done at midnight
. That's when the Fae travel. There is a lay line not far from here that they ride their horses along. I have seen in the blue bottle that they shall pass by there on this night. We shall remain there and wait for them to pass.”

“That is why you couldn't get him back before now, because of the spell
. You couldn't travel during the night. Right?”

“Exactly
,” said Drumm.

“The Fae are a tricky bunch
. I know, because my father is one. We must be prepared.”

“I know
. My great-grandfather told me the legend. He says your mother married a Fae man or something like that.”

“Your great-grandfather
, you say?” She grimaced and narrowed her eyes, thinking for a few moments. “He told you that? He knows of the legends, then. I will correct you: my mother did not marry the Fae. They don't believe in marriage. However, they were together for some time. She had four children by him. I am the oldest, then comes Izaill, Magella, and Montague. Montague was always her favorite, and mine too. Could never stand the other two.” She put some scones on a tray, and we sat outside at the tree trunk table. “As I was saying, Mother and Harikin—my father's name is Harikin—they were together until my mother decided she liked being on her own better. You would think that it was my father that left her, but it was the other way around. Fae are known for being finicky. But he loved Mother. One day she just up and left, taking us with her. She probably regretted taking us, as we never gave her a moment’s peace. Always arguing, we were. And as you are well aware, we still argue to this day.”

I realized Izadora and her family weren't your average Brady Bunch members
. She talked of them as though cursing and damning each other were just mere arguments.

“Your mother seemed rather kind
. Scary, but kind,” I said.

“One thing you must know about
Mother. She is human, but she is no ordinary human. Her mother came from a line of great sorceresses. She inherited that from them—and beyond what they were capable of. Very talented, my mother is. She was always a great match for my father. Power versus power.”

“And you
—you must have inherited both of their…abilities?”

“I have
. But no one is God. We have our limitations and, I suppose, our weaknesses. Enough about me. What did you say your great-grandfather's name is?”

“Edmund Seaforth.
”

She looked thoughtful, squinting her eyes
. “I see. Edmund must think I am a terror. Most who know of me think that of me, but I am good. Well, as good as one can be from a deranged family. Izaill…he needs to constantly be kept in line. Of course Izaill might say the same about me, but he is wrong. You tell your great-grandfather that I am good. You will tell him?”

“I will tell him.
” I nodded.

She was acting strange
, almost as if she were trying to convince me of something. But what d
id she care what people thought? I suppose that even she cared about her reputation.

“One last thing
: I know of the one that took your father. Izaill put him up to it. I didn't tell you before, but I shall tell you now. He is a sub leader of a group of Unseelie Fae. Darvon is his name. He is below my father in rank, and a nasty, arrogant bastard he is. But do not worry yourself. I can handle him.”

“I have no doubt
,” I mumbled. Keeping me in the dark until now seemed haughty and egotistic. I suppose she had her reasons.

“There was no need for you to know until now
. There was nothing you could have done about it.” She argued as though she read my mind. Maybe she could read my facial expression or body language as I gripped my chair tightly?

The realization hit me
. “You said your father outranks this Unseelie Fae, Darvon. That implies that your father himself is Unseelie, making you—”

“Do not judge me
. It is a choice to be Unseelie or Seelie. Just like it's a choice for you to be good or bad. The only difference between the two would be that Unseelie are the outcasts. And trust me, the Seelie can be just as ruthless as the Unseelie if they choose. Just upset one if you don't believe me.”

I guess what she said made sense
. Ian had compared them to people as well.