The Witch and the Bottle of Djinn (The Seaforth Chronicles Book 4)

by B. J. Smash

  The rest of the McCallister’s weren’t able to shift at this time of year. The last time for them to shift had been on the Spring Equinox. However, because Lucian had been bitten by a demon dog over a year ago, he was able to shift at will. He could shift anytime he wished. The problem Lucian had now-a-days, was staying in human form. The demon dog bite had affected him internally. It saddened me that Lucian was less in control of his body, and sometimes even preferred to be a hellhound than a human.

  “I see,” the queen said. She continued to stare at Lucian, like a lioness preparing to attack her prey. “Sign him up.” She exchanged a few words with Darvon who couldn’t wipe the smug look from his face.

  Lucian bit the apple. When it was tossed to fire, the apple burned from within, fire escaping from both ends. And then the outer parts burned. I didn’t need Drumm to explain this one to me. What I saw was something being consumed from the inside, out. I already knew that Lucian fought a great battle to stay in human form.

  “Shall we go over the rules?” Darvon asked the queen.

  “Certainly. Every one listen up. There is only one rule…you must make it through the forest alive in order to race for the djinn bottle.”

  This caused a ruckus throughout the crowd, but the queen gave them a frosty glare, and they shut-up quickly. I didn’t doubt for a second that her temper could elevate like a volcano.

  “The forest is cursed, and you must fight until the death just like they always do. And chances are you will not make it out of there alive. But if you do…you can officially race for the bottle,” she said firmly.

  The crowd grew uncomfortably quiet now. Apparently this was going to be worse than I thought. We weren’t even officially racing for the bottle until we actually made it through the forest? It occurred to me that Izadora said no one had made it out of here alive. There had to be a reason why no one has ever left the disappearing town of Helsberg without the djinn bottle.

  The row of Fae that had been whispering and pointing at us were now silent. They knew what type of race we were about to embark on. Before we could move on, the queen continued speaking. “You all must travel through this forest. We—the Fae—will take our own path, straight to the other side of the forest. You cannot. It is strictly forbidden to you. If you are caught on our trail, we will kill you ourselves.” She screwed her eyes up and scanned the crowd. “Once you make it through the forest—Or should I say, ‘IF’ you make it through the forest—the race begins at noon on the fifth day. We truly hope to see you there. After all, we can never leave this bloody town until someone gets that damn bottle out of here! But it is highly unlikely that we shall meet up again. Regardless, good luck.” She said this with a bit of an edge, and in a way that made me wonder how she really felt about the race. If what she had just said was true, then it was probably tedious and tiresome to have people come into the disappearing town every seven years, only to have them die and never retrieve the djinn bottle. Now things were beginning to make sense. The town folk, nor the Fae could touch the djinn bottle. Only outsiders were able to take it. But none of the outsiders ever lived long enough to race for the bottle. Maybe to her…this was all just a waste of time. Why get your hopes up?

  Then, Darvon spoke, and clarified things further. “On one instance, two wizards managed to escape the forest. But when they raced for the bottle, they ended up killing each other before they could reach it. There is a certain madness that can overcome you when your dreams lay within a single bottle,” he winked.

  “And one last thing to remember…We have wolves. They come out at sundown. Just beware of these wolves; they will take you down,” the queen said.

  Great. Now there were wolves that I had to watch out for.

  The entire time they spoke, I watched Drumm. His body language told me that he had given up on the idea of coming along. He stood there with his hands on his hips watching the rest of us.

  The queen sat astride her horse and turned toward the starting line. All the town members watched as we made our way, but before we could get far, a weird sucking sound came from the edge of the town. Taking pause, everyone looked back to see that the line between this world and Drumm’s world began to blur and waver in and out. There was no turning back now. For five days, no one could enter the disappearing town, and no one could leave. We were about to be stranded in here until the veil, once again, lifted.

  Egbert remained on the other side, in Hunter’s Hollow. Apparently, he wouldn’t risk being stuck in Helsberg. He adjusted his glasses and waved at everyone. “Good-bye!”

  Drumm waved at me, and I waved back. He faded in and out, as the veil continued to waver. He began to pace, and by the way he paced back and forth, I should have known that he was about to do something stupid. Drumm made a rash decision. The entrance was about to disappear, and he made a foolish, foolish move. In the final moments, all that could be heard was a zinging, electrical noise, and groaning. He attempted to jump through. At first he screamed out in pain, and his body writhed inside the void. My jaw dropped as I watched the void close in on all sides. He hung midair, suffering, and my insides melted with grief.

  Jumping from Solstice, I ran toward him. I expected him to drop to the ground, dead or something. I was almost able to reach into the void and grab his hand, but right before my eyes, he disappeared. The woods in Hunter’s Hollow were no longer there. Instead, there was a farmer’s house and a red barn. Beyond that were corn fields as far as the eye could see.

  What the heck had just happened?

  Lucian stood beside me. He had gone for Drumm too, but both of us failed. During the uproar of laughter from the Fae, Lucian quietly told me that Drumm was probably okay and not to worry. It was Lucian’s next words that stunned me. He had said it so the whole crowd could hear, “Well, that bites. Looks like you’re riding alone little woman.” He walked away without a second glance back.

  I wanted to punch him. How could he be so insensitive? He wasn’t best friends with Drumm, but still…It was a few moments later when I realized what his game was. He was only being rude to me so that the queen wouldn’t know we were good friends. For all I knew, she’d make sure we were separated if she knew. Then again, after hearing her explanation of the race, didn’t she want us to get through the forest?

  Drumm could not be seen anywhere, and my only guess was that he was on the other side of the veil in Hunter’s Hollow. I had to imagine he was lying on the ground in severe pain, but I kept hope in my heart. All he had to do was crawl to a tree, and hopefully heal himself. But what if he had passed out? Would Egbert be kind enough to help him? What if the void had killed him? No. I couldn’t let myself think like that.

  The only thing the queen said was, “That was dumb. Who knows where he is now? Fool.”

  Darvon met my gaze and clucked his tongue. “Poor, poor Drumm.”

  Chapter Eleven

  The Fae started to play their heavenly music. They had their own group of stringed instruments, and trumpets. They had their own version of the cello, clarinet, and flute. And if it’s one thing the Fae could do better than anyone in the world – it was play music. I hated to admit it but it was true. I don’t care what mood you are in…When you hear the Fae’s glorious music, your spirits will lift.

  There were notes that the ear couldn’t normally hear, and their voices were of the angelic realm. Drumm had told me that it was rumored that the Fae were nothing but a certain type of fallen angels in the first place. They were fallen angels hoping to one day be given grace, and allowed to enter a place called Paradise. I had asked Izadora about this rumor. She told me to mind my own business and not to worry about the Fae. They were not my concern.

  While this was probably just a rumor, there may be some truth to it. The reason I say this, is that I had heard Izadora once say that if she and her siblings didn’t kick it up a notch, they wouldn’t ever enter into Paradise. God only knows just how long the old Seaforths have actually been here on Earth. I believe Izadora had to be a
t least four hundred years old.

  A majority of us sat upon our mounts listening to the Fae serenade us with this enchanting music, when suddenly the beat changed. They began to pound on their drums: BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The stringed instruments were mesmerizing. The cymbals were almost harsh, but I still wanted to hear more. One of them played a flute that sounded similar to a piano, and a Fae woman sang in words I couldn’t understand. With each verse, her voice would lift, and finally she was hitting notes that caused my heart to beat fast. My chest and arms tingled, and I felt like I was floating above everyone else.

  The music elevated and escaladed. Just when I thought it had peaked, it lifted to notes even higher and more uplifting. My hips and legs began to tingle and shake; I could barely breathe.

  We were all hypnotized by the rhythm. William had his mouth wide open, and drool spilled out. Snake Man sat on his horse and swayed back and forth to the beat. I’m certain that if he could control himself, he would. Ella slouched and shut her eyes. Ish McTish was so entranced that he fell from his deer and flopped on the ground like a stuffed animal. He quickly climbed back on before anyone—except me—seemed to notice. It was comical but the music seemed to absorb my soul, and it demanded all of my attention.

  Solstice’s ears were laid back. I believe he was trying to focus. On the music? Or on the race that we were to embark on? I didn’t know. Nor did I care at the moment.

  Together, a bunch of them began to lift their angelic voices. With the combination of the music and their voices – it was euphoria. At the same time – it was torture.

  It was worth it to be here at the race, just to hear their singing. So what if they all hate Izadora? Who cares if they dislike me? And then the drum beats rolled more quickly. Never taking a single breath, their voices carried up higher. I felt dizzy and I started to slide from Solstice’s back, but an ordinary man from town stepped out from the crowd. Or should I say danced out from the crowd? He seemed to dance. I bet he couldn’t help it. He held a red flag, and some type of long barreled gun.

  The music finally did peak, and suddenly, abruptly…stopped. The voices briefly echoed in the wind like wind chimes. Slowly, everyone pulled themselves out of the clouds, shaking their heads and rubbing their temples. I did the same. It was as though we were now going through withdrawals from the music. Now I felt on edge, and almost…mean.

  This first part of the race would take five days, but it was evident that every single person here wanted to get off the start line as quickly as possible. I believe the sudden ending of the music was meant to cause us to feel this way.

  The man in the field said, “On your mark…get ready…”, and he shot the gun in the air three times. Solstice wasted no time, and he bolted from the line. I held tightly to the reigns, but I had to grab a handful of his hair just to remain on his back. He meant to beat everyone to the forest.

  To the left of me rode the bald headed man with the snake…Snake Man. I must say…he looked wicked weird with that snake wrapped up around his neck acting as a scarf. He leaned forward while gripping the reigns tightly. His face was ultimately stern and the wrinkles around his mouth were permanent frown lines. He was clearly focused.

  Behind me and to my right was Ish McTish and his huge white deer, but compared to Solstice the deer was tiny. The deer frothed at the mouth, and his eyes were a brilliant blue. Ish swore and shook his fist at me, and his white beard flew to side with the wind.

  Behind him was Ladriant the Dark Elf, and his monster-sized horse with piercing red eyes. He appeared calm, and he probably did not care how fast he got off the start line. However, Ish was in his way. He nudged his horse in the flanks, and the horse picked up speed. They nearly bowled Ish McTish over, and pushed him out of the way when they passed. I could tell that Ladriant didn’t have a lot of patience.

  I looked over my shoulder to see how everyone else was faring. I probably should have been focusing on what lay ahead of me, but I was curious about the others. Besides, Solstice had a mind of his own – believe me. The rest of the crowd was far behind us. There was no way they could keep up with elven horses.

  Tom and William were ahead of the crowd, and Ella was right behind them. I couldn’t find Lucian, but there was another man that I hadn’t really noticed before. He was rather large and rotund, and carried a long whip. Over and over he whipped his horse’s backside. I cringed inside. It wasn’t the horse’s fault he couldn’t go any faster. I vowed then and there that if I got the chance, I was taking that whip and burying it in the ground where he’d never find it again. Certainly, I was not a thief. But if he couldn’t treat the horse right, he had no business owning one. It’s not like I could be penalized again. The queen had made it sound like we were on our own from now on.

  Soon, Snake Man, Ladriant and I, were neck to neck, but Solstice had always been a stubborn elven horse, and he dug his hooves into the ground and sprinted ahead of them. We reached the thick woods and the first thing Solstice had to do was jump over a fallen tree. We were pretty high up in the air and the quickness of the jump gave me butterflies in my stomach. When we landed, Solstice continued to run at breakneck speed, whipping through the branches. I couldn’t tell if he had been trying to fly, or if he knew that he wouldn’t be able to fly for seven days. Perhaps, he could sense it?

  Normally, a forty mile race would be nothing for Solstice and I, if it were straight and there were dirt roads to follow. The thick forest would complicate things, and the fact that he couldn’t fly anymore just made it that much more difficult.

  No. This was not going to be easy. We had just gone a good three miles, and reached the top of hill. I couldn’t see anyone around us now. Somehow we had all separated.

  I stopped Solstice so that I could look out at the view. The terrain was wild and jagged. There were many hilly areas, and thick forests ahead. At the bottom of this very hill there were swampy, muddy areas. I didn’t even know which way to go. And where was Lucian? Or Ella?

  I observed the sky to ensure that I was still going the proper way, and told Solstice to carry on. I tried to steer him to the right to avoid the muddy field ahead of us, but he decided he knew the way and kept going straight. He trudged through the mud and splattered it up on his underside, and speckles of mud hit my pants A few times his hooves made sucking noises as the mud fought to keep them. I was afraid that we were going to get stuck, and I tried one more time to veer him to the right. He ignored me once again.

  Then it happened. He pulled up on his hind left foot, and it wouldn’t release from the mud. He tried again, and it wouldn’t release. “Now look what you’ve done. You should have listened to me. Stubborn horse.”

  He whinnied, and I knew he was somehow back-talking me. Jumping down, I trudged my way over to the left hoof and pulled using my leg and back strength. At the same time, he lifted his hoof and soon it was released. That was all great and dandy, but when I went to move…I was stuck. I had planted both feet planted right in the mud, and sank down.

  “You’re going to have to pull me out now!” I called out.

  We were several feet from entering the forest, and there were no trees limbs to pull on. I leaned forward and grabbed his hind leg. He walked forward, and it almost worked. I was almost able to pull my feet out, but his leg was covered in slimy mud, and my grip slid as he walked on. Losing my balance, I fell back and plopped into the thick goo, landing on my butt, and then right onto my back. I could feel the mud squishing down the back of my pants and through my shirt.

  “This is just grand,” I said sarcastically.

  I managed to push myself up into a sitting position. That’s when I noticed a flock of birds in the forest had been disturbed and they all proceeded to fly away. That was never a good sign. There is usually a valid reason when a group of birds just up and fly away.

  A branch snapped in the forest, and I bit my bottom lip. My pulse quickened, and I said, “Oh Solstice! Why didn’t you just listen to me?”

  “Because…it is ev
en worse farther down,” someone answered.

  Peering around Solstice, I saw Lucian standing in the wood line. He was a sight for sore eyes, even if he did have a smirk on his face. He laughed at me then, and I told him to be quiet.

  “You still look good, even when you’re covered in mud,” he said.

  “A little help would be nice,” I said. I wasn’t amused.

  He stepped out far enough to grab Solstice’s reigns and pulled. They walked out of the muddy field and into the forest. A few cracking noises could be heard, and Lucian returned with a large branch.

  I took ahold of the branch and he pulled me up. Finally, I was able to free my mud-caked feet and walk free. My shoes didn’t make it. I had to leave them behind in the mud. It was just as well, I didn’t ever wear shoes at home anyway. Why should I start now?

  As I walked, I could feel the cold mud fall down the back of my pants. “Well, this is just the best way to start any race, isn’t it?”

  Lucian continued to laugh at me, and I punched him in the arm.

  “Ouch!” he complained.

  I was about to lecture him on the insulting way he’d treated me earlier, but he knew what I’d smacked him for. He straightened up and said, “You know I had to act that way around the queen. Ian told me not to let the queen know that we were together. Otherwise, she might not have let me in the race. Precaution. You see what I’m saying?”

  “I suppose that makes sense,” I said. I had guessed as much anyway.

  “What do you think happened to Drumm?” I asked as we walked into the woods.

  “He is more than likely back at Izadora’s by now, sitting in a hot bath, drinking cocoa. He got zapped pretty good.” Lucian paused and then continued, “There is nothing he or Izadora can do for us now. We are on our own.”

  He was right about that. They could do nothing to help us, but I was certain that Drumm wasn’t sitting in a hot bath drinking cocoa.