The Sea Witch and the Mermaid (The Seaforth Chronicles Book 3)

by B. J. Smash

  It still didn’t make sense to me, but apparently our wills and these words would release the souls. I practiced saying it a few times, and occasionally one of them would say, “No…not like that. Do it like this,” and then they’d make a high-pitched squeal. Eventually I had the hang of it.

  And so we did this. It didn’t work the first three times, and it was my fault. I couldn’t reach the high tones. But the fourth time, it worked.

  Eadgar held the belt high up in the air. As soon as we were done speaking the “words,” four topless mermaids sat on the beach before us. A rainbow had started at them and raced over the horizon to what must have been the other side of the ocean. They sat on the beach, their tales pearly white each dappled with brilliant oranges and the deepest black. Their dark silky hair draped over their shoulders covering their breasts. As they looked toward us, their lower halves began to shift into legs and they stood.

  “We are Sakura, Sakae, Sachiko, and Shina. We have lived long lives as prisoners. We continue to live, free, thanks to you,” she said, standing before us fully nude, as they had no bikini bottoms either.

  I noticed Eadgar, and the others glancing down, embarrassed at their nudity. However, Nicoli didn’t seem to mind.

  She continued, “We have suffered at the hands of a tyrant.” Her voice had an echo to it, resembling wind chimes.

  Another said, “We must return to the other side of the world. It has been many years and we know not what has become of our kingdom.”

  The third mermaid said, “We thank you deeply and will return.”

  The fourth said, “Our paths will cross again in the future.”

  In unison, they turned and walked back into the water, their silken jet black hair cascading over their perfect pearl skinned shoulders. The water glistening on their flawless skin and round bottoms. I noticed all of the boys were now paying close attention to their movements. I couldn’t help but give Eadgar a quick jab with my elbow. At once, their legs fused back into their colorful tails as they dove into the surf. With a few flips of their tails they were gone.

  “Well…that was intense,” I said. “Very weird.”

  “Yes. It was plenty weird,” Nicoli agreed.

  Jina and Harleena just stared after the strange mermaids.

  “If they are mermaid from legend I hear as boy, they are mystical, from Orient. Part mermaid, also—how shall I say?—goddess like. They disappear from water long long ago. No one knew what happen. I have no idea Jonesby hold them prisoner,” Eadgar explained.

  We spent the rest of the evening chilling on the beach, mostly in awe of what we’d seen. I had to hope that our paths would cross again. And I know Nicoli was hoping the same thing.

  Soon it would be morning and I would have to return to Magella. We’d heard her calling for me a few times, and she was more than angry. She was livid. She must have removed the spell I’d cast upon her, finding the cure in her grimoire.

  And so it was, the next morning I hugged Eadgar and nodded to the others. I jumped into the waters and swam to my doom.

  Chapter Seventeen

  I’ve said before that I didn’t fear much. It just wasn’t in my blood. Nevertheless, when I approached Magella’s boat, a panic attack took over me. My temples pounded with a speedy beat as my heart raced. I couldn’t see straight as I floated in the waters, watching her while she leaned on the railing. She saw me now and called to me, “I think you’d better get yourself on this boat. Don’t make me come in there after you.”

  I took a few more brief moments to calm myself. It wasn’t the end of the world, and it wasn’t like she could kill me…

  I focused on my breathing and gave myself a pep talk as I swam closer to the boat. When it was all said and done, I was still Zinnia Seaforth. Magella may have humbled me some, but I still had some pride. And I would be damned before I let her get the best of me. Then again, what choice did I have? Right now, I really was at her mercy.

  The ladder was waiting for me when I reached the boat. I imagined it was mocking me, being the only thing that separated me from Magella’s wrath. Regardless, I climbed the ladder one slow wrung at a time until I was over the railing and standing before her.

  Her eyes were so dark and angry that I imagined they were black marbles in her skull. The muscles in her jaw line were twitching, and I could hear the gnashing of her teeth. I could literally see her temples pulsating.

  She pushed her greasy, dark gray hair from her eyes and said, “I called for you all night, and you did not come. How dare you disobey me, you little wench? You think because you cast a spell on me, that you had control of me?” Her voice became shriller as she continued on. “You dare think that you are greater than me? I am the great and powerful Magella! No one can compete with me. I have powers that you could never even imagine!”

  My hands began to shake on their own accord. What was wrong with me? I forced myself to focus. I refused to be afraid of Magella.

  “Do you think you have what it takes to beat the mighty Magella?” A mean and nasty grin engraved itself on her face. “Answer me!”

  The thoughts shot out of my mind now, thirty ideas of how to defend myself. The only one that was highlighted seemed rather corrupt. But I took it.

  I got up my nerve and I said, “I think…” I paused for dramatic effect. “I think…you are a fool. And you are the weakest link in the family.”

  She pulled her head back, shocked beyond words that I had just spoken to her in this manner.

  “Izadora could extinguish you with her little pinky toe,” I said, proud of myself. This was turning into a game, and I knew exactly what game I was playing. I felt a little bit of the old Zinnia returning. “And to be honest, the only reason you can control me, is because I am forbidden to retain the knowledge of magic. But, don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to turn out like you, always benefiting from people’s weaknesses, because you, yourself, are weak.”

  If I thought she was mad before, she was fuming now. But by this time, I was having a rip-roaring good time. And then I had to think twice about what I’d just done. I’d aggravated her to the breaking point, and a black shadow lingered over her form.

  Almost instantly, the thunder was booming above us as though it were a drumroll preceding a grand entrance, and bolts of lightning lashed throughout the sky with no mercy. The clouds were even darker than before, and the waves were crashing into the sides of the boat, taunting us to try and stay afloat. She lunged for me, grabbing my hair, and slammed my head into the wall. She did this over and over until I saw stars before my eyes, and the sharp pains were a little more than I had bargained for. I attempted to reach up and grab her hair but missed. Soon she had me down, sitting on top of me and banging my head onto the deck. I almost lost consciousness, but I’m glad I didn’t or I would have missed out on the next several minutes.

  At one point the boat started to careen, and I thought for sure it was about to tip over completely as water sloshed over the deck. Even Magella took pause to observe her handiwork, and I could tell by the shock in her eyes that she knew she might have overdone it. “Shoot!” she said.

  Nonetheless, my plan had worked, and soon the storm was reversing. Some unseen force had taken over, and most of the clouds were swept away, and the ocean calmed. One last flash spanned the sky, but it wasn’t the lightning this time. We both looked over toward the east to see a bright object sitting on top of the ocean’s waters.

  “No. Zinnia, what have you done? Ohhhh boy,” Magella rambled on.

  “What is that?” I asked.

  On the water’s surface sat a glistening white chariot, decorated with golden ornaments. The vehicle had two wheels and was attached to four white horses with gold bridles and reins. The horses floated just above the water. There were three people inside—the driver who stood at the front and two people that were seated. After a few moments of adjusting the reins, the driver opened the side door and tossed out a small red carpet, which hovered right above the waters. He
then helped the woman out of the chariot and onto the carpet. It was Aggie! I knew that she’d come to help me.

  The driver then stood aside while a man stepped out to stand next to her. The carpet then swiftly flew toward the boat.

  “Who is that man?” I hadn’t seen Magella’s face until now, and when I turned to look at her, I could see the raw fear in her eyes.

  “You don’t want to know,” she said. If I wasn’t mistaken, Magella was bowing her head out of respect to this man.

  By the time I turned back to the carpet, it hovered before us, right over the water.

  A man around fifty to fifty-five years old stood next to Aggie. She was so much shorter than him, it was almost comical.

  His hair was the color of a Damascus steel blade, and his goatee beard was red, with tints of gray. It occurred to me then who this man was. I had heard of him, but had never seen him.

  They stayed back about fifteen feet, and Aggie was the first to speak.

  “Magella.”

  “Yes, Mother?” Magella’s voice went up about two octaves.

  “You know what you have done?” Aggie said. She wore the same burgundy hat with a single black feather and matching coat. She held tightly to her black umbrella.

  “Uh…kind of,” Magella said.

  “You have disobeyed a direct order from your mother, an ambassador to the counsel of nine,” Maximus said cheerily.

  His attire made me smile. I knew of him to be the greatest wizard alive, and he currently was the caretaker of the legendary Hy Brasil. His attire was simple for that of a great wizard, and he wore tan carpenter pants and a white Hawaiian shirt filled with colorful hibiscus flowers. For his wizard’s overcoat, he wore a black cape.

  “Oh no,” Magella said so faintly that I thought I had imagined it. “I-I didn’t mean to. I just lost my temper, and I—”

  He cut her off to say, “You must release this prisoner to us.”

  “What?!” Magella said.

  “Magella, I warned you not to use physical force against Zinnia, but by the looks of her bloodied face, it appears you failed. Big time,” Aggie said firmly. “Maximus was on his way to a meeting, but I called to ask him to accompany me, for the sole reason of setting a just punishment for you. You need to be taught some manners.”

  I’d never thought I’d see the day that Magella would bow a knee to anyone, but right before my very eyes, she knelt down on one knee. “Oh, Maximus”—she clasped her hands—“have mercy on an old witch.”

  “Stand up. You look ridiculous. Besides, I already know what to do with you.” Maximus pointed inshore toward the café. “The lake it is. One year.”

  “Also,” Aggie piped in, “you cannot use conjuring magic. You will have no frills and lace whatsoever.”

  I took this to mean that Magella would not be allowed to magically bring forth material items. No more pearl kitchens, and no more fancy bathrooms.

  “Aghhhh!” Magella called out, gripping the sides of her hair.

  “And for you, Zinnia. You will leave Magella’s boat now,” Aggie said.

  “Yay!” I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. I was elated. This was the best news I’d had in years. But my mood was short-lived.

  “Don’t get too happy. Your punishment has not yet been fulfilled,” Aggie scolded.

  My shoulders slumped. “Not the tree!” I said, nearly begging. I didn’t want to live inside a tree. How boring would that be?

  “No. Not the tree, lassie.” Maximus laughed.

  “You will come ashore and live in Merribay. However, you will not be allowed to return to the ocean nor touch its waters for the remainder of your punishment.” Aggie said. “Also, you will no longer be a mermaid.”

  My heart dropped. No more mermaid tail? She should just take out my heart right now and toss it to the sharks. “But Eadgar! What about Eadgar?”

  “He cannot come ashore for six months.” Aggie dropped the bomb on me when she said this. I felt weak and numb inside.

  “Don’t worry, lassie, if it’s true love, the boy will wait for you.” Maximus winked.

  I felt a little better then. I guess he was right. If it was meant to be, Eadgar would wait. One thing I knew: this was not going to be easy. I heard a splash, and I peered over my shoulder to see the merpeople observing us. Eadgar waved. He had heard my sentence.

  “Can I at least say good-bye?” I asked.

  “Afraid not. Your sentence starts now,” Aggie said. But Maximus raised a bushy eyebrow and interjected.

  “Ah Aggie, can’t she have but a wee moment to say her good-byes? You remember what it was like to be young and in love.” Maximus said.

  “No.” Aggie answered firmly, “but I suppose it would be alright to give her a moment.”

  As I made my way to the railing, I could have sworn that I had heard Aggie say to Maximus, “I don’t remember you being so kind to me when I had my youthful problems.”

  I splashed into the ocean. Eadgar swam to me, and the others stayed back to give us our privacy. His features were filled with concern, and he reached up and cupped my face with one hand. “Six months not so long. I will keep you here while you are away.” He pointed to his heart.

  “You’ll wait for me, then?”

  “Wait for you? Why of course! I have wait for you my entire life. What will six months more do?” He forced a half smile.

  I kissed him on the cheek, and he pulled me in for one last hug. It seemed our time was over before it started, and I was on my way back to the boat. I waved as we parted, and soon we had sailed far down on the beach. The entire time, Magella did not utter one single word.

  Soon, Maximus was standing upon a group of giant rocks. The rocks were covered with thick ice, and Magella was told to exit the boat and walk over the ice. Apparently, if she remained on the ice, she would not turn to dust. She was bound to water, and ice was nothing but frozen water.

  When she arrived at the top of the rocks, Aggie commanded the boat to pull ashore, and it obeyed. It would remain on the sand like a beached whale, untouched for a year. Maximus used his staff to create an icy pathway that led to the lake that was a half mile inland, and we all followed as Magella was forced to walk this path. Through the forest we went, and you could tell Magella was nervous, as she was definitely out of her element. A bird flew overhead, and she ducked down thinking it would attack her. I believe she thought it could be Izadora, who frequently shifted to bird form, and Magella remained skittish the entire walk.

  I’m glad that I had grabbed my purple robe, as it was winter now, and quite cold.

  We arrived at the lake, and I was surprised to see that it was quite large. She’d have plenty of fish to eat and a wide area to swim around in. Although the water would freeze soon and she’d have to ice fish instead. Instead of swimming, she could ice skate. I snorted at the thought of the mean old witch on ice skates.

  Maximus again used his gnarly staff to magically cut down several trees and build a crannog in the outer edge of the lake in a matter of minutes. The logs were driven down to the lake floor, and a small and simple but cozy house was built on top of the logs. The crannog was more modern than I think they used to be, and it looked like a log cabin, with a chimney and everything. Finally, a narrow bridge was built from the house, over the water, and to the ground.

  “I’ll never want to leave,” Magella said sarcastically. She exited the ice path and walked over the planks and into her house, never looking back.

  When the process was all finished, Maximus said, “I must be on my way, I have business to attend to. I wish you well in the future.” He placed his hand on my shoulder, and I swear my spirits were instantly lifted. Removing his hand, he took the red-carpet express back out over the ocean to where his chariot awaited him. What I saw next would be hard for most people to believe. I almost chalked it up to being my vivid imagination. Then again this was Maximus, and so anything was possible, I suppose.

  The white horses that hovered over the water began
to run at breakneck speed. Their legs and hooves began to blur and up they went into the sky, the chariot in tow. When they reached the clouds, the chariot and the horses transformed into a silver disc - it looked like a flying saucer that you hear about on TV shows. It quickly accelerated and did a loop in the sky before disappearing into the clouds.

  I couldn’t close my mouth or blink my eyes the entire time. Finally, Aggie tapped my shoulder. She was trying to contain her laughter, pinching her lips together.

  “How…?” I managed to mutter.

  “It’s hard to explain.” Aggie opened her umbrella. “Come along—loop your arm through mine and get under the bumbershoot. Let’s get to your grandfather’s house.”

  I did what she said, looping my arm through hers. She said some words beneath her breath and soon we were shooting up, the umbrella lifting in the winds, with us in tow. And then we shot through the forest like a bullet, nearly running into a moose. Soon we floated up above the spindly tree limbs, and I could see Ian’s monstrous mansion to the right and the property’s never-ending garden expanding as far as the eye can see. Flowers still bloomed inside the garden’s walls and it appeared to be sunny and warm. We arrived in Gran’s dooryard. Aggie closed her umbrella, and we walked to the front door.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Over the course of the next few months, I had plenty of things to do to keep me busy. My father had insisted I take some college courses, but I refused. I met him halfway with a deal, thanks to Ian and, surprisingly, Izadora.

  They offered to tutor me in different subjects. Ian would teach me math and history—both subjects that I already knew quite a bit about—and one of his favorite subjects, astrology. He also volunteered to teach me a new language. And Izadora would teach me domestic duties, cooking, sewing, knitting, and the tricks and trade of cleaning.

  Father was delighted with this idea. What we didn’t tell him was that the language Ian offered to teach me was the mermaid’s language, the “language of dolphins.” (I’m not even sure how Ian knew of this, but he said he used to enjoy listening to recordings of dolphins.)