“It means someone summoned her here to kill warlocks.”
Evelina trembled, remembering how close she’d come to the Reef Hag on the beach. “I didn’t see any wound on him.” She licked her dry lips. “How did she kill him?”
“It’s not like that,” Frankie said in a low husky voice. “There is no mark. A Reef Hag kills you from the inside out. She poisons your spirit—a slow and painful death. Most never find the mark until it’s too late.”
Evelina swallowed hard. “We need to do something.”
“You’re right.” He leaned closer.
Chapter Five
Evelina held her breath.
For a minute it looked as though Frankie might kiss her.
Instead, he said, “I’ll meet you at the fountain on Monday, after work—around five.” He squeezed her hand. “Gotta go.” He turned and raced off through the jungle.
It took her a moment to understand what he meant. She’d almost forgotten about the Wave Wire. Of course her brain never worked very well when Frankie was around.
What had it said? ‘Count the coins at Cutthroat Cove’, which was ridiculous, if not impossible. There were millions of coins in that fountain, even if they emptied it regularly. Everyone that walked by it must make a wish, or several. Wishes were endless. At least hers were.
Right now she wished it was Monday. But it wasn’t, and nothing could change that.
She had to find Abby and Tally.
They had to get back to camp before they were caught.
***
Evelina rolled out of the hammock with a groan.
Sunlight streamed through the palms in beams of red and gold. It stabbed at her eyes. Too many hours wasted laying awake thinking of Frankie.
She stumbled to the bar toward the coconuts they’d cracked opened the night before.
She lifted one up to take a swig of the sweet milk inside.
Poof!
Burble appeared.
Coconut milk spurted from Evelina’s lips, like spray from a blow hole.
“Good morning, girls!” A cheery smile accompanied Burble’s robust greeting. “I trust you slept well and are in tip-top shape.”
Evelina wiped the drips from her chin, attempting to appear alert—not so difficult it turned out. Burble’s sudden appearance had jump-started her brain along with her heart.
Abby rolled out of her hammock like a soldier at reveille.
Tally stumbled behind with a dazed look.
“I’ve brought your assignment for the day.” Burble bugled on. “
Lake
of the Isles will act as score keepers. Mentors will join us at the challenge for further instructions. Apprentices will, of course, assist as well.”
Tingles of excitement chased over Evelina’s skin. Mentors and apprentices were a wealth of information. Hopefully, there’d be a question and answer session like they’d had at the Flurry. She was bursting with questions, mostly about the warlocks and their mysterious society.
At last they might learn some more magic.
“Before we begin, I must inform you,” Burble looked each of them in eye, one after the other, “there has been a death!”
“Wow!” Evelina shifted her gaze from Abby to Tally, then back to Burble again, hoping they all appeared sufficiently shocked. “I mean that’s terrible.” She assumed a grim look. “Who died?”
“A novice warlock by the name of Melvin Ruggles.”
“What happened?” Tally’s voice trembled.
“Apparently, he was poisoned by a Reef Hag” Burble intoned. “We’re not sure when it entered his nervous system. All good memories were erased until there was only bad. He died of a broken heart. It simply snapped in two—not a clean break, mind you, but a jagged crack that did unspeakable damage, according to the Soul Sifter who examined him.”
Abby’s dark brows converged. “I thought Water Witches had many lives.”
“Nine to be precise, but only one spirit.” Burble’s voice grew low and quiet. “When that is gone, you are lost forever.”
“What happened to him?” Evelina couldn’t help but ask.
“We cannot be certain.” Burble flattened her lips. “He’s wandered into the mist—an unconsecrated part of the firmament. Very difficult to trace.”
“To oblivion?”
“Heavens no! Worse than that!” Burble warbled. “Only the Witches’ Council can send you there. And only they may call you back.”
“Can’t something be done?” Tally’s features scrunched. “Can’t the Council do anything—send out a search party?”
“His cosmic twin is searching for him now. With any luck, she’ll get a lead, but there are no guarantees.”
According to Grammy Crimm, all Water Witches had a cosmic twin watching over them, but they rarely revealed themselves. Few witches discovered the identity of their cosmic guardian. It wasn’t necessary.
Evelina disagreed. She had a burning desire to know who hers was. After all, didn’t she have a right to know who was shadowing her every move? Shouldn’t there be an interview process or something. What if there was some conflict of interest. How did you know if they really had their heart in it?
“In the meantime,” Burble’s voice interrupted her thoughts, “be careful out there.”
“Careful of what?” Abby spread her hands wide. “We don’t even know what this Reef Hag looks like!”
“I do.” Evelina said.
A collective gasp followed.
“Take care,” Burble’s voice rose. “Contact is never random when a Reef Hag is involved.”
“She’s after Evelina?” Abby’s chest puffed out like she was bristling for a fight. “Is that what you’re saying?”
“Or someone close to her.” Burble leveled a long look on Evelina, as though she might pull it from her brain. “It’s difficult to say.”
“What can we do?” Tally shifted her gaze from one end of the tree fort to the other, as though expecting the Reef Hag to leap out. “I understand she can take other forms.”
“Don’t talk to strangers.” Abby cocked her head at Tally. “Especially the kind who want to brand a branch on your heel.”
“What if it happens?” Evelina felt it prudent to ask.
“Know your heart.” Burble sounded grave. “Trust in your powers and no poison can leak in. There is no other cure.” Burble pulled a sea sponge out of her pocket, tossed it on the bar, then pulled her ear. “I have great faith in you, girls!” She trilled.
And
Poof!
She disappeared.
Abby appeared miffed. “We don’t even have our powers yet.”
“That’s why she’s targeting novices.” Evelina trembled. “We have no confidence. We don’t know the full source of our powers.”
Tally stared at the spot Burble vacated. “Which means we’re sitting ducks.”
***
“It’s ugly.”
“It’s stupid.”
“It’s gross!” Evelina said with great feeling, weighing in after Abby and Tally.
“How did we get stuck doing this?” Abby scrunched up her nose, staring down at the slimy squid in her hand. “Damn! I was hoping for messenger duty. When do we get to drive one of those Air Jet things?”
“Possibly next time.” Tally grimaced, plopping another squid down on the table for Abby to squeeze the ink out of. “Of course, only pages deliver official council news.”
As though on cue, Lily zoomed by in an Air Jet, smiling and waving madly at Evelina from the white flying scooter.
Evelina waved back, wishing she could talk to Lily for just a few minutes. She was anxious to hear news from White Water, or anything Lily might know about the sudden death of Melvin Ruggles.
Right now she had to concentrate on getting through this competition without puking.
“Petrified. Did you get that?” Abby nudged Evelina’s arm. “For
Oceana
.” Abby tossed the squid into the tank under the surfboard.
Evelina gazed into the bamboo bucket to see if she’d heard right. The word ‘puddles’ floated in the water in black ink where Abby squeezed the squid. “Petrified.” Evelina scrawled the word on the chalkboard behind her. “They each have three.”
“Two more.” Tally gave a shiver. “Then they can unscramble the words and chant the correct spell.”
Evelina pondered the list.
A tough challenge.
The wind was high and the ocean choppy.
The novice warlocks had to dive from their raft into the ocean to retrieve squids, tagged with their tribal color, then swim to shore and deliver it to the recording station—their job. When squeezed each squid spelled a word. Abby wasn’t liking that a whole lot. After delivering all five, the last warlock must unscramble the words to complete a spell. The first team who did won.
Apprentices and mentors cheered them on from shore. Warlock councilors kept watch from a podium, which resembled a large crow’s nest on the edge of the shore. The pressure was on.
“
Hummm
.” Evelina considered the list. She read
Oceana’s
aloud, “Papaya, petrified, puddles.”
Abby gave a hoot of laughter. “What kind of spell is that?”
Evelina continued to read, White Water’s this time. “Fixed, for, locks.” Her gaze shifted to
Lake
of the Isles. “Thunder, battle, and blood.”
CRACK!
A bolt of lightning split the air, slicing the surfboard in half, catapulting the bucket into the air.
The squids screeched in the tank below.
Evelina jumped back. “Whoa! I thought you had to have all five for the spell to work!”
“Wow!” Abby waved at the smoke, rising from the burnt surfboard. “You added an ‘and’ I think.”
Nebula Sludge stalked toward them, appearing out of nowhere. “Don’t speak the words, Crimm!” Her face puckered in outrage. “Only write them.” Her slanted green eyes narrowed to slits. “I thought I made that perfectly clear.”
Evelina’s cheeks flamed. She blurted the first thing that popped into her head. “I didn’t know you were here.”
“I am not here,” Sludge gritted. “Except to watch over you novices.” Her lips curled in a look of distaste. “This is the Glaring. Witches don’t interfere.”
“Sorry.”
“Get this mess cleaned up,” Sludge hissed. “Now!”
Evelina cringed as she watched Sludge storm away, serpentine curls twisting in the wind.
“Here they come!” Tally pointed at the next round of novices thrashing over the breakers to make it to shore. “We’ve got to do something.”
Evelina swung round, searching the dunes—the grove of palms—left, right, looking for something—anything, to hold up the surfboard.
Ah ha!
A chunk of driftwood, the size of a small stump.
The problem was, how could they get it here?
There wasn’t enough time.
The warlocks splashed out of the surf with their squids toward the recording station.
The problem was, they’d just destroyed it.
Evelina’s palms oozed sweat.
They were in big
poo
poo
if they screwed up this competition.
She raised her finger, tracing the outline of the stump, as though sketching it on a page.
And with a flick of her finger.
Poof!
It was under one busted half of the surfboard.
Abby’s mouth dropped wide.