by B. J. Smash
But this subject was not new to me, and it had been spoken of before. She had been right… Magella had been right. Memories flooded my mind to when Zinnia and I sat on Magella's houseboat. There we were again, sitting on the light blue love seat, with Magella before us and the rune stones laid across the table. She had said to my sister, “Give me your hand, and don't take lightly what I'm about to say. I don't cater to the faint of heart.”
And then Magella had leaned in to peer at the stones and paused to examine my sister's palm. Her face sagged, and her mole eyes opened up wide. “You are not who you think you are,” she said to my sister.
Grabbing my hand, she pulled me forward so that I had been forced to lean over the table. “And you…you mystify me.” She had released our hands, and looked to rune stones and said, “You have similar but different lineage lines that I can tell you. And you are not who you think you are.” She looked at us menacingly. “But you share a common tie…and that tie will be taken from you. Your father will go missing. Whether he returns will be up to you.”
“Ivy.” Izadora brought me back to the present.
I hadn't realized I was holding my breath, and I let out a long sigh. “Yes?”
“What are you thinking about?” she asked.
I took a moment to gather my thoughts; I hadn't believed Magella. I believed what she said to be the ramblings of a senile old woman, but Zinnia had believed her. I had to believe that that is what had caused us to pull apart—more so on her end.
“Nothing. Just that…that means my real mother is still alive then,” I stated and turned to see their faces.
“Indeed she is,” Izadora said. Drumm nodded his head up and down.
I continued to stare at them for answers. Finally Izadora cleared her throat and spoke. “After your mother died—let me correct myself—after Zinnia's mother died, your father was distraught. He came up to Maine for solace. Your grandmother would take care of Zinnia while he roamed the woods for hours upon hours. He loved the woods, and it became his only escape from the pain he felt.” She took a sip of tea and continued. “After about three months of traipsing the woods, he met a beautiful elven woman. They fell in love and he went away with her.” She stopped to bite into her scone.
“First of all, how do you know all of this?” I asked. It was hard for me to believe what she was telling me.
She reached down beside her chair and picked up a basket and set it on the table. Inside, something was covered in a black cloth, and she removed it to show a blue bottle.
“This may seem cliché to you, but I have the sight sometimes. With this bottle, I see the goings-on of the forest. Sometimes it's clear as day, other times it's as though I am looking through a fog. However, it's my blue bottle, and it's how I see things.”
“Okay. So, then what happened to my father and this elven woman?”
“Your father did not return to your grandmother or Zinnia for quite some time. Until he was forced to.” She stopped talking, drank her tea, and took another bite of scone.
I waited for her to continue, and when she didn't I said, “And? What do you mean he was forced to return?” It was Drumm who spoke this time.
“The elven people frown upon their kind and human relationships. When it was brought to King Alanir's attention of their romance, your father was banned. Your mother was taken to the castle and locked up. When word spread that she was with child, King Alanir told her she must bear the child and give the child to your father.” He paused for a moment, not wanting to continue, but then he pressed on. “Anah-Lilli, your mother, reluctantly set out on a warm summer's evening during a full moon. She brought three other elven people along with her, and one of them was her sister.
“Your mother carried you to the Seaforth wood line, and there she stood while her sister brought you to the door. You were wrapped up in elven blankets made of leaves and spider-web thread—and placed in a basket made of twigs. She knocked and ran back to the wood line. It is said your mother watched as you were taken into the house. Afterward she could be heard weeping in the forest as she left.” He stopped to let me register everything he'd said. He took a sip of his tea and waited. Izadora watched me, and I could feel the heat rising to my face.
“Why would King Alanir make her give away the child? Um, I mean, me?”
Drumm and Izadora exchanged looks.
“His daughter had to set the example for the other elven people,” Izadora said.
Further stunned, I grabbed the railing for support. “King Alanir…his daughter—my mother—is an elven princess?”
“She is,” Drumm simply stated.
Suddenly it was all too much information for me to handle at once. I don't know why I did it, but I turn and ran. I could hear Izadora yell out, “You must tell her the rest!” And I could hear Drumm running behind me. The board planks bounced each time a foot fell upon it. I flew over the bridges and down the stairs at a speed that exhilarated me. Once my feet hit the ground, I took off at a speed so great that I felt free, free from the weight of this new knowledge. How could any of this be true? And yet I knew in my heart that it was.
A vision of the past played out before my eyes. I had dreamt several times of a woman in a silver and blue gown standing beside a waterfall, with the full moon glowing in the night sky. I hadn't seen her face, but I'd seen her long blonde hair. She had meant something to me, but I never understood how or why—but she had meant something to me.
I could hear Drumm's feet pounding the earth as he followed closely behind me. Golden rays of sunshine shimmered down through parts of the thick canopy above, causing the forest to look mysterious, and magical. I almost felt like I was in a dream.
I ran for a few miles before I abruptly stopped at a crossroad, and Drumm stopped and stood beside me. “Let's go to the field,” he suggested. He took off running, and I followed.
We walked through some thick branches and into the open field. He continued to walk to the white bridge—the same white bridge that we’d been to before.
We walked through hundreds of wildflowers, and I stopped briefly to pick a white daisy. I continued on, as thoughts of the past flooded my mind. I now remembered myself as a young girl picking the petals off one by one, and I proceeded to do so.
Soon, we had reached the bridge.
“You remember when I told you that your grandmother and father thought it would be best for you to forget your childhood?”
“I remember you telling me that. I must have chosen to forget.” As I said that…it occurred to me, that maybe I hadn’t “chosen” to forget anything. And it didn’t take me long to realize what had happened. Izadora had mentioned giving me a tea to forget my elven ears. A forgetting tea…
And that was the next thing out of Drumm's mouth.
“The tea. They gave you the tea and told you not to remember.” He looked at me solemnly.
“But why would they do that?”
“I told you before…they thought it best for you to forget.”
“I understand they had wanted me to forget my mother. But what else could they possibly want me to forget?” I couldn't possibly imagine what I had forgotten now. I mean, what could he say that would possibly mean anything to me? I had already learned enough.
“We are more than just friends…I am your guardian.” He looked me in the eyes. “King Alnir had a change of heart after he sent you away. He sent my family and I to live here for a time. Your father would bring you here to play with me. We grew close, you and I. After you moved to New Hampshire, my family went home but I stayed, knowing you'd return someday. I knew you'd be back. And I would guard you with my life. No harm will ever come to you. I…”
I stood dumbfounded. What was he trying to tell me?
“We have a tie, you and I. In the elven way of life, there is such a thing as soul matching. When your soul color, which shows in the color of your aura, matches one another, you are meant to be.”
“What? Meant to be what?” I prodded him to
answer.
“Together.” He cleared his throat and turned to look at the sky.
“You're trying to tell me that…you and me…we are soul mates?”
Turning he said, “That's what I said. And when you left, even though we were young, it saddened me greatly.”
At first, I couldn’t think of how to respond. He was trying to tell me that we were meant to be “together” like boyfriend and girlfriend? I decided to change the topic just a bit, and I asked about my soul color. This was interesting stuff.
“What color aura do I have? Or rather…what color do we have?”
He looked around my head, and scanned my body, as if he were searching out something. “White with green-blue waves. I mean, lots of elven have similar colors, but ours is exactly the same. In elven tradition, they believe that means you are from the same soul, but who knows really?”
“So, you're saying we are supposed to be um…dating or something. I don’t get it.” I couldn't help but laugh. This sounded ridiculous, but a part of me hoped that it was true. I felt drawn to this guy for some reason; but I didn’t want him to know 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. It was evident that he was nervous, or even… a bit embarrassed.
“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 raised an eyebrow 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 had got my pointed ears back—had improved.
Chapter 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’s 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; the beach part.” Izadora said.
“I must take you to Merribay. The summoning will work more efficiently there,” Drumm said.
“Merribay?” I had never heard of the place.
“You’re actually in a part of Merribay now…sort of like the outskirts. But the part you must go to, is 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 then 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, and some of the rocks were the size of basketballs. The forest appeared overgrown and lush, and 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, dropping down several feet.
We encountered many streams and leapt over the little ones, but we ran through the ones that were too wide. We must have run on average 25 mph, briefly hitting speeds of 30-35mph. I was so amazed at how fast we could go, and I was loving it! It felt like…freedom. It was like having…power. And I was having the time of my life.
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 high above the water on a cliff, with the salty wind blowing in our faces. The sky was a pure blue, with little wisps of fluffy white clouds, and 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, and in the hills, were cottages with many different colored roofs, and cobble-stoned pathways that led to the city itself, and down to the ocean. The larger buildings were set closer to the water, and they were tall structures that had alabaster walls and aquamarine spires with gold edging. The buildings looked like they cost millions, and the city itself was built into the cliff and upon the rocks. Each time the ocean hit the jagged rocks in the forefront, water would splash over them and into the front of the city. This would cause the water to have white, frothy foam that lingered at the base of the buildings.
“Wow!” I exclaimed.
“It is the city of Merribay,” 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.
I was about to ask who the “others” were but he said, “Let’s get to the beach.”
We made our way to the oceanfront, well away from the city, because Drumm didn't want to encounter anyone. The sand was hot, but soon my feet were in the water.
I found a shell on the beach and started writing in the wet sand. I wrote the words, “Montague, I summon you to come forth. Your mother needs help.” I even put a smiley face for good measure, hoping he’d be nicer than his siblings.
My instructions were to wait for the tide to wash 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.”
This was a random statement, but it interested me. “What do you mean?”
“The ocean is a cleanser. If you have any bitterness, sorrows, or anxieties, release them now.”
I thought for a moment, and I realized that, yes, I had been bitter. I’d pushed it aside, but the truth was: I was angry.
“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 of 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 in the light. He almost looked angelic. He towered above me by almost a foot, and 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.”
