The Witch and the Hellhound (The Seaforth Chronicles Book 2) Read online

  “You old fool.” She laughed. “Follow me.” And up the golden ladder, she went.

  “I’ll have to take some of these on my trip to Scotland!” he said. Easily, GG Edmund was at the top of the ladder in seconds, with me in tow.

  “Scotland!” I said. This shocked me, as he barely ever left the house, let alone traveled abroad.

  Reaching the top of the ladder, I intended to continue on with this subject. However, when I saw the gate before me, I shut my mouth.

  “Land sakes!” GG Edmund said.

  “What IS this place?” I asked.

  Before us stood a rather large, white gate covered with beautiful flowing flowers cascading all the way to the ground. Rather, the ground was in the air, but it was solid. You could see about a foot of fresh dirt under the greenest grass in the world. Possibly it was a clump of land taken right from Ireland itself. The sun shone down through puffy white clouds, bright rays falling entrancingly onto the other side of the gate and into the garden.

  Izadora smiled smugly. “This is my own private garden.” She turned and placed her hand on the golden latch of the gate. A zinging noise sounded out as the handle lit up and the gate creaked open wide.

  “This is magnificent,” I said softly. “It looks fake.”

  “Oh it’s real. Step inside,” she said.

  The three of us slowly walked inside, GG Edmund and I both looking around us in every direction.

  “I must say, Izadora, nice job!” GG Edmund said.

  A path went straight down the middle and curved out of sight. On either side were mounds of vibrant-colored flowers and fruit trees. One in particular caught my eye.

  “You have a dragon-fruit tree?” And as I walked on, I was amazed to see more tropical fruit trees. “You have a JACKFRUIT tree?!”

  “Indeed. Would you like to try a piece?” she asked.

  “I would, yes, please.” I had heard about this fruit that grew in Asia. My father had told me he’d tried some before.

  She took out a large knife from her blue robe dress. I had no idea how she carried things around, as you could never see any bulge or any indication that she had anything in her pockets. Things just seemed to…be there.

  She then proceeded to cut down a huge, oblong-shaped ball with green and yellow prickles on the outside. Although it was as big as two basketballs, she had no problem in maneuvering it around. She then laid it upon the ground and hacked it open with one swing. She definitely was no weakling.

  “Here, try it.” She leaned down, grabbed out two yellow pods the size of apples, and handed it to me and GG Edmund.

  Biting into it, I could already tell that it was my new favorite fruit. To me, it tasted like Juicy Fruit gum, only the texture was a tad rubbery, but the taste was fruity and sweet.

  GG Edmund’s eyes lit up. “I always did like this fruit. I didn’t know how much I missed it until this very moment. It tastes like a combination of banana and pineapple.”

  Talking with my mouth full, I asked, “You’ve had this before?”

  “Sure, years ago we stayed in Thailand for a spell. Izadora had her house built in a dense grove of coconut palms.”

  “I love this stuff,” I said. And it really came as no surprise that they had lived in Thailand in the past. They were both ancient.

  “I’ll bring this back and make jackfruit chips. Wait until you taste those. The kind I make will sustain you for the day—you won’t even need to eat anything else. It might, uh, come in handy for you in the future,” she said to me.

  I knew she was hinting at something, but at the moment I didn’t care in the slightest.

  “The fruit is good, but that’s not what I brought you here for. We must continue to walk on to the back of the garden now,” she said.

  As we moved along, I continued to eat another piece of the fruit she’d given me. We passed many beautiful flowers and interesting plants. I couldn’t help but notice little white lights flitting from flower to flower, some hovering above, but most scurrying around. I had a feeling I knew what these were. As one flew around my ear like a bee, I had to ask.

  “Izadora? Are these, um…fairies?” I pointed to the small, drifting light that now was in front of my nose.

  She stopped and turned to look at me, leaning upon her staff out of habit. “You bet your life they are. Let me show you.” She hit the ground once with her staff. “Wohs Fles-ruoy.”

  Almost instantly, they slowed. They were between three and four inches tall. The little creatures were stunning. The one in front of my face moved slowly and I could see the intricate dress she wore, much like that of their human-like cousins the Fae, but in miniature version. Her dress was light blue and white, hitting mid-thigh, ruffling out at the bottom. Her little legs were smooth and ivory colored, and she bent them slightly, appearing like she was about to land on the ground. But she hovered, with her glorious wings that only fluttered slightly. The wings were opalescent, a pearly color with rays of shimmering greens and pinks and blues.

  She cocked her head back and smiled, seeming very proud of herself. I couldn’t resist myself, and I reached up to touch her wing, and I was brusquely greeted with a swat to my finger with her tiny hand that felt almost as bad as a bee sting.

  “Youch!” I said.

  “They don’t like to be handled.” Izadora stated the obvious.

  The fairy’s face seemed to shift by increments as she focused on me, almost as if she vibrated and couldn’t totally hold still. She gave me a final once-over and fled, her long brown hair flowing out behind her.

  I was amazed as I scanned the garden. There were at least a hundred fairies, both male and female. Their skin tones varied in different shades, just like human beings’ skin tones varied.

  “Beautiful,” I whispered.

  “As you were,” Izadora said, and they all went back to light form. “They have to slow down their vibrations in order for you to see them well. It takes much energy for them to do this. Now, we must move on.”

  We carried on, and no one said a word until about fifteen feet away stood, of all things, a spindly rowan tree. Mysterious lush plants grew around both sides of the tree.

  “Now be careful. Vera might not let you pass right now. But if she’s in a good mood, she won’t mind.”

  “Who the heck is Vera?” My face scrunched up in confusion.

  Izadora pulled a two-pound raw steak from her robe.

  “Jeepers! What else do you have in that robe?” I asked.

  GG Edmund snorted and then let out a laugh. “Don’t ask.”

  She focused her eyes to mine. “That…is none of your business.” Stepping forward, she held out the steak. “Oh, Vera, dear one, I brought you a treat.”

  Nothing happened, and GG Edmund stepped forward a few feet to peek around Izadora’s shoulder.

  “Stay back! By gosh, Vera could take on a shark,” she said while GG Edmund jumped back.

  “Vera! Come out and get your treat, I say! I don’t have time for games today,” she said.

  Something stirred in the bushes to the left. A low grumbling sounded as Izadora stepped even closer. Within seconds a humongous red head, about four feet across, busted out of the bushes, its mouth wide open and a hiss escaping its mouth. The teeth were jagged like a shark’s but bigger. Vera was none other than a Venus flytrap.

  I screamed like a little monkey who had just lost its meal to the group leader, and I stood behind the closest tree. GG Edmund laughed with mirth. He acted like we had our own comedy show going on here.

  Vera roared like a cougar and, covering a great distance, snapped her head forward and grabbed the juicy steak from Izadora’s hands. The steak disappeared in her maw, and she jerked back to her spot with her mouth partly open and tilted her head to the side.

  “Oh, Vera, shut your mouth or you’re going to spook the girl off.”

  Vera only slightly shut her mouth, moved lower to the ground, and started to snore lightly. Or perhaps it was a hiss that emitted from her
mouth. I wasn’t quite sure, but either way it was disturbing.

  “Come on now, Ivy, she’ll let you pass. She is in a good mood today,” Izadora said as she and GG Edmund strode forward.

  I had been hugging a tree. Gently I let go and, holding my breath, took large steps to stand next to Izadora.

  “Breathe, you silly girl. Now, let me show you something. This here rowan belonged to Mother. It’s the tree that the rolling pin was fashioned from. It was given to her by someone of the greatest importance, and she passed it on to me. My gift to you, which you will be needing…” She reached up and snapped off a twig about the size of a pen. “A wand.”

  “Oh that’s a splendid gift, sister,” GG Edmund said.

  “I’m afraid…where she is going, she’s going to need it.”

  “Stop messing around and giving me hints. Just tell me where I am going.”

  “To get Aggie’s book of spells back from Zinnia.” She paused and then mumbled, “Upon consensus, the Elven and I agree it is the only way to break the spell that binds the entrance to the land of the Elven. We need the book back, and you must do it.”

  I thought I imagined it, although I could have sworn that when she finished her sentence, she herself gulped.

  However, I didn’t think much of it at the time. I already knew that we were going. This was nothing new. So, what was the problem? She had to be hiding something else from me.

  Chapter Five

  Finally, I could go home and grab the purple scarf and wear it to Cora and Clover’s Café. I couldn’t wait to see the expression on Aunt Cora’s face and ask a few questions. This whole time I had thought that both aunts had never been allowed in the forest.

  I had left GG Edmund to eat chicken soup at Izadora’s. Today, I did not want chicken soup. Instead I had taken a cucumber from one of her plants and consumed it, peel and all.

  Drumm and the other elves were nowhere to be seen, most likely out for a run or exploring some Elven drill that needed practicing. I barely got to see him anymore. How could I complain, though? After all, they were all getting ready to fight the Unseelie so that me and Izadora could find Zinnia and take back Aggie’s book. A chill flew up my spine.

  It wasn’t my sister that had me nervous, it was the Unseelie themselves. The power they held was great, and although I usually wore my mother’s Elven necklace with the powerful opal-like stone, I didn’t think it would be enough. And this new wand thing that Izadora held onto for the time being was probably not going to be of much help, either.

  But that was tossed into the back of my mind for now. I had entered Ian’s garden and was walking along cherry tree lane, when I saw her with her short, yellow sundress and brown, curly hair. Silvie.

  Trying to swallow over the lump that always formed in my throat when I saw her, I lowered my gaze. She sat on the edge of a rustic fountain made of old stones. The water flowed through a gargoyle head and trickled down into a pool. Her legs were crossed and she swayed her foot back and forth, her hands folded in her lap. Being a ghost, she was pretty solid looking, but today I could vaguely see the stones through her body as the sun shone upon her.

  I wanted to turn and walk the other direction, or just walk right by her. That was out of the question, though. Even though she creeped me out, politeness was in order, and so I waved. After all, she was Ian’s sister.

  She giggled and waved for me to come closer. Oh, great. What a day this had been so far. Things couldn’t get any better than this, now could they? Automatically the hairs on my arms stood up on end. And as I drew nearer, I saw that she held onto something black. Holding it up to me, she opened her hand to show the contents.

  My hand flew up to my mouth to control the puke that threatened to spill forth. A small, black bird with maggots on its feathers lay in her hand.

  “Oh gross, Silvie. Why are you showing me this?”

  Her crazy, creepy eyes opened farther, and her smile faded. She pointed toward the woods, and then toward me.

  “Is this some type of warning? Am I in danger?”

  She shook her head once, and then, without looking at the bird, cupped it in both hands. When she opened them, the bird sat alive and well. Tossing her hands up, it flew away toward the back gate.

  “How did you—how did you…um…What in the heck was that all about?” My whole body was covered in goose bumps now.

  She lifted her shoulders once and dropped them, as if to say, “Ah, it was nothing.”

  There was no use in asking her any more questions. She never spoke audibly to anyone…or humans, anyway. Only laughed.

  I stood there just the same, trying to get a grip on things. Then I noticed her waving to someone behind me, a broad smile again on her face. Hearing footsteps, I turned slowly to the direction she was focused on, only to find that there was no one there.

  Walking briskly away, I yelled over my shoulder, “Time to see Ian, gotta go. Bye.” And with that I took off running.

  I never got out of breath after running; running was my thing. However, when I reached Ian’s sunroom, I burst in, panting like a dog on a hot day in the Sahara.

  “Greetings, Miss Seaforth.” Ian sat in his wheelchair, and three men were gathered around the sunroom brunch table. “Miss Seaforth, why are you panting? Did you find a sale going on at the local farmers’ market?” He knew my new love of vegetables. “Come closer and meet my brothers.”

  Composing myself, although I couldn’t stop the jitters, I stepped forward and said, “Hello.”

  “They have arrived earlier than expected.” He forced a fake smile. “What a nice surprise?” He was being sarcastic in saying that, and I hoped his brother’s didn’t pick up on it.

  “He loves to have us visit,” said a dark-haired, handsome man in his early twenties. He was being sarcastic as well. “Nice to meet you.” Unlike Ian, who had brown eyes, this brother had deep blue eyes. He stood to shake my hand, and the rest of them followed suit. If anything, they were gentlemen. “My name is Alexander. Although you can just call me Alex.”

  The next young man was his identical twin. Same dark hair, same blue eyes. His eyes met mine with sincerity as he said, “Hey there. Name’s Trent. Good to meet you.”

  “Likewise,” I said sheepishly.

  The next man was probably closer to Ian’s age. Maybe thirty-five? “Call me Hugh, and your name is what? I don’t intend on calling you ‘Miss Seaforth’ as my brother does.” He shook his head and then smiled. His demeanor seemed closer to Ian’s than that of the other brothers. His speech had a touch of arrogance and know-it-all to it. While Ian was pretty cool and laid back, he could still be pompous at times.

  “Ivy. Just call me Ivy.” I glanced at Ian and caught him rubbing his temples, giving me the impression that he had a headache coming on.

  “And this would be my nephew, Lucian.” Ian pointed toward the entrance of the sunroom. A young man about my age had just walked in, holding a platter of meats. Setting it on the table, he scrambled over to me, grabbed my hand, and squeezed it once. A shock sparked in our hands.

  “Ouch,” I mumbled.

  “Oh, sorry.” His brown eyes met mine for a moment as he pulled his hand back and ran it through his dark hair. He then sat down at the table and plopped a large amount of sandwich meat on two slices of sourdough bread, taking almost half the sandwich into his mouth.

  “Adam is still in bed—er, uh, food poisoning or something. You can meet him later,” Hugh stated.

  “We have some important matters to attend to. If you don’t mind, Miss Seaforth, maybe you could show Lucian around town or something. It’s not much to speak of, but maybe he’d like to see where the café is located.” Ian raised his eyebrows and bit his top lip, hoping that I’d accept.

  Clenching my teeth, I said, “Sure,” although the last thing I wanted to do was babysit some boy, even if he was quite attractive. I didn’t care and I didn’t want to do it. “I’m headed there now. I just have to stop at the house and get something.”
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br />   “Excellent. Thank you.” Ian nodded.

  “I’m ready,” Lucian said with his mouth full. He downed his glass of iced tea and stood, pushing the chair in. He stood slightly taller than the other brothers and had to be a few inches over six feet. He grabbed a sweatshirt from the back of his chair and slid it over his head.

  “Good! You remembered your sweatshirt, Lucian. The extra three maids don’t arrive until tomorrow. And you know how Uncle Ian likes things tidy and not left about the house.”

  “Huh? Oh. Yeah. See ya,” he said and speed-walked to the door.

  I gave Ian a smug look. I mean, really, how ridiculous could he be? He shrugged his shoulders and ignored me, averting his attention to the others.

  Outside, we walked through the gate and toward Gran’s. It was a cooler day than most, although the sun was out full force. The leaves were getting ready to change, and most likely we’d have an early fall.

  Walking alongside him, I started up conversation. Not knowing what to say, I just blurted out, “So…you guys come here every year?”

  “Yeah, we have to.” He answered quickly, and he seemed a bit shy.

  “Why?” I looked up at him.

  “It’s what we McCallisters must do. This will be my third year coming here. My father says we have to come here, as we must always be prepared.”

  “Prepared for what? Which one is your father?” I know I sounded like a nosy neighbor, but I couldn’t help myself.

  “My father is Adam. He’s the oldest,” he said, ignoring the first part of my question.

  “Oh. I thought Ian was the oldest male.”

  “Nope. He’s not.”

  We walked on in silence. At one point I caught him looking at my ears. I’m sure Ian had filled them in on my elvy-ness. Around here, I always let them show, but most of the time my thick hair covered them up anyway. I mean, they weren’t huge Dumbo ears—just pointed at the top.

  We arrived at Gran’s, and I told him to sit at the kitchen table while I went up and retrieved the scarf. I had stuffed it on a shelf in the closet with my bras. I also grabbed something else that I needed to give to my Aunt Cora. It was time to finally give her the red-knotted love rope. The rope Aggie had placed a spell upon for Aunt Cora, to call forth her true love. I had waited for things to settle down, and now, it was time to hand it over to her. Why not kill two birds with one stone? It was time she stopped sulking, and I believed it was time she found her true love. I shoved the red-knotted love rope into my pocket.