Evelina and the Reef Hag (14 page)

 
The conch shell sounded.

The witches edged closer.

The Diviner stood and a hush fell over the crowd.

“Welcome!”
Cordelia
Nawfar announced, raising both arms to the heavens.

A flash of lightening lit the sky, as though in answer.

Or had she done it?

The laws of nature didn’t apply here.

All bets were off.

A witch’s life was a freak show.

And the Glaring was getting freakier by the minute.

“Tonight, you must get your rest,” Nawfar continued. “Tomorrow is another day of competition. The regatta begins at nine sharp.”

“Sounds like a canoe race or something.” Abby looked like she’d swallowed a lemon. “How boring is that?”

“There must be more to it,” Tally mused.

“There always is.” Evelina agreed.

“Before you go!”
Nawfar’s
voice silenced the crowd. “An added word of caution. The recent deaths are thought to be the work of a Reef Hag. Reef Hags may take any form, but usually use the same host for years, so be on your toes. The Council has stepped up its efforts to apprehend it, but in the meantime we must do all we can to remain safe.”

Evelina stretched on her tip toes to peer above the crowd. “I need to find Lily.” Removing the sharp barb had reduced the swelling in her finger, but she still felt a bit wormy—not quite her self. The sooner she got the results back and knew what she was dealing with the better.

“Wow!” Lily exclaimed when Evelina finally tracked her down. “Nasty.” Lily stared at Evelina’s finger with an expression of awe, adjusting her spectacles to get a better look. “How did you get that?”

“From this.” Evelina held up the small sample bag. “It was stuck in my ring. Do you think you can find out what it is?”

“Sure.” Lily stuffed the bag in the side pocket of her white tunic. “If you don’t mind waiting until Monday when I get back to the lab. Mother won’t allow me to use the equipment on my own. Spider research comes first, but I’m sure I can slip it in.”

Gratitude swelled in Evelina’s breast. “Thanks.” Pleasing her mother was like a religion to Lily. Evelina couldn’t fault her for that. If her mother was alive, she’d probably feel the same way. “It’s better if we keep it quiet for now.”

“Maybe you should see a doctor or something.” Lily eyed Evelina’s finger with a look of wonder and disgust. “In case it’s infected or something.”

“It’s fine.” Evelina squeezed Lily’s shoulder offering a reassuring smile. “Gotta go,” she said, though she hated to. Seeing Lily was like going home—her only real connection with the past, except her Cosmic Calls to Grammy Crimm. Growing up together at St. Cecelia’s had forged a bond like family. “See you later.”

“Be careful.” Lily looked concerned. “The Reef Hag could be anywhere.”

“I will.” Evelina waved. “You too.”

Evelina caught up with Abby and Tally at the edge of the jungle.

“Shake a leg!” Abby called, waving furiously.

Evelina sprinted forward and in seconds was plunged into darkness, out of sight of the firefly chandelier.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the gloom and locate the path. When she did, she spotted Tally a few feet away.

Abby raced on up ahead.

After a mile of twists and turns they skidded to a halt out of breath.

“Sorry,
Ev
!” Abby slapped her on the back. “Sucks about the arranged marriage thing. Cliff told me all about it. But you know what they say, there’s lots of fish in the sea, or in our case, warlocks. Unless,” she huffed, “you want to be his concubine. And then I’ll understand.”

Evelina slanted her a dour glance. “No thanks.” As usual, Abby had the sensitivity of a bull moose. “I’ll pass.”

“Hey, you never know.” Abby spread both hands in the air. “It could be the perfect thing. I thought you artist types liked your freedom?”

“We do, but…”

“No ties. No commitment.” Abby’s tone grew introspective. “Doesn’t sound half bad, come to think of it.”

“What’s that?” Tally pushed ahead of them, pointing.

“It looks like a sign.” Evelina moved closer. The noxious odour of rotten eggs wafted past her nose.

The sign read,
The Putrid Pothole
.

“Holy stink pot!” Abby pinched her nose. “What a stench!”

“I don’t remember passing this before.” Evelina tried not to gag. They certainly would have remembered if they had. “We must have taken a wrong turn.”

“Too much chatter,” Tally said. “We shouldn’t have been talking so much. Now we’re off course.” Since she hadn’t been the one talking, clearly she was chastising them.

Abby marched closer. “Something’s bubbling.”

A mist rose around them.

The ground began to move.

Something hissed.

Evelina spun around. “What was that?”

Abby froze. “I didn’t say anything.”

“I thought I heard something—a whisper.”

Abby took a few steps back. “It wasn’t me.”

“Let’s go.” Evelina turned back in the direction they came.

The ground rose up beneath her, undulating like a serpent’s back.

 
Her heart gave a jolt.

“Run!” she yelled.

She sprinted at top speed, but gained little ground.

What was happening?

Evelina shook her head, attempting to clear it.

Something was wrong.

She didn’t feel quite right. Her skin tingled. Her blood rushed—faster and faster with every step.

She began to sweat. Her swollen finger throbbed. Her hand shook as she wiped the dampness from her lip.

Tally screamed.

Evelina spun around.

She could only see Tally from the waist up.

The bog was swallowing her like a digesting stomach.

Evelina raced back.

“You’ll never make it!” A raspy voice whispered inside her head. “Go back! Go back! Run! Save yourself while you can!”

Evelina sliced a look at Abby, racing beside her.

Her expression failed to alter, as though she hadn’t heard it.

Evelina shuddered.

What the H!

She must be losing her marbles.

Her vision blurred.

She attempted to blink it away.

She grasped Tally’s arm, just as Tally sank to her armpits.

Evelina stretched as far as she could, taking care to avoid the burbling ring around Tally. She held her breath. The sludge stunk like rotting cabbage, making her eyes water.

Abby grabbed Evelina by the waist to keep her from slipping.

“Don’t interfere. Let her go! It’s meant to be!” The voice screeched in her head. “You don’t belong here. This isn’t your concern. You’re not really one of them.”

“No!” Evelina gritted, hanging on to Tally with all of her might.

“It’s over!” the voice hissed.

“One, two, three,” She huffed. “Pull!”

With a loud
slurp
and a
pop
, they jerked Tally out.

A ginormous orange snake shot out of the ground. It was covered in scales the size of platters. Two spiked horns rose above its glowing yellow eyes.

It hissed, displaying huge silver fangs the length of samurai swords.

“Oh no you don’t!” Abby picked up a branch, wielding it like a club. She hammered it on the head. “Get lost! Get out of here!”

Its eyes rolled back in its head.

It landed with a thud in the green slime, as though knocked out cold.

“
Whoo
hoo!” Abby cheered, shaking the club in the air.

Another silver scaly head rose from the mist.

Evelina’s heart gave a leap.

“Holy crap!”

The thing had two heads!

It grabbed the club in its fangs, knocking Abby on her bum, as the rest of it slithered out of the muck. It rose higher and higher, spitting the log miles in the air. The log landed with a crash, somewhere in the trees.

Evelina’s head whirled.

“It’s too late!” the voice whispered.

Evelina’s finger throbbed. Talons of doubt clawed at her heart. A deep misery weighed her to the spot.

The serpent pulled back as though to strike.

Tally screamed.

A jolt of electricity shot through Evelina’s veins. She raised her hands in the air. “Thunder, battle, and blood!”

Crack!

A jagged bolt of lightening hit the snake straight between the eyes.

It shrank by half, but kept on coming, blue smoke puffing from its slanted nostrils.

Evelina’s mind raced.

She only knew a few spells.

But, time was running out.

She had to do something!

She snatched up one of the reeds at her feet. She raised it in the air, and drew with her other shaking finger, as though coloring it like a picture. “Initio Infra!”

Poof!

The reed transformed into a long rapier.

Okay… she was going for a gun, but it would have to do. She’d never held a sword let alone used one. But there was no time to worry about that.

The glint of the steel must have caught the snake’s attention.

It narrowed its yellow eyes and headed straight for her.

The shine of its enormous fangs almost blinded her.

Luckily the rapier had a life of its own, by enchantment or prayer it made a wild slash in the air, slicing the snake’s head off.

It flew into the bog in a spray of blood.

The body flopped to the ground like a giant piece of spaghetti.

“
Whoo
hoo!” Abby cheered. “Way to go!”

Evelina’s finger burned.

Her breath came hard.

A crippling pain shot to her chest.

She dropped to her knees.

Everything went black.

Chapter Eleven

Evelina
woke to swirls of green and blue.

Her pulse raced.

She must be underwater.

She must be drowning!

She blinked and her vision cleared.

She expelled a gasp of relief, realizing she was staring into the eyes of Dr. Proteus Pringle, who held the particular distinction of possessing one hazel orb and one blue.

She squinted against the light, streaming past his blond head, as she rose up on her elbows. “Where am I?”

He smiled, displaying brilliant white teeth. “My office, of course.” He said it so casually, as though everyone had their temperature taken on a canvas cot, in a palm thatch hut, by a mad scientist in a Hawaiian shirt. “How do you feel?”

“Fine.” Evelina scanned the hut, from the top of the multi-drawer medicine cabinet to the exotic floral pillows on the rattan settee. “How did I get here?”

He didn’t appear surprised by the question. “Burble brought you in the wee hours.” His gaze narrowed. “Don’t you remember?”

Evelina searched her memory.

“I remember a giant snake.”

“Good.” He nodded. “Anything else?”

She thought for a moment, but the whole thing seemed fuzzy. “I’m not sure.”

“Let’s have a look.” Proteus fetched his wand from the table scattered with bubbling test tubes. He held the wand, a white circle on a stick, against one of her ears, then the other. Then, very carefully, he folded each ear over, peering behind them. “Nothing there. Perfectly clean.”

Evelina came upright on the cot. “Of course they are!”

“Hmmm… unrequited love I see,” he said, holding the wand in front of her face. “That could be it.”

“What?”

He rubbed his chin between his thumb and two fingers. “Perhaps, that’s why all you remember is the snake.”

“Ha!” Evelina expelled a huff of exasperation. “Of course it isn’t. What do you mean?”

 
He smiled, spreading his hands wide. “Just saying.”

Evelina’s temper sparked. What did he mean prying into her life like that? Was nothing sacred? Being a Water Witch had its advantages, but privacy sure wasn’t one of them. “I thought you were a doctor, not a Soul Sifter?”

He tilted his head to one side. “Difficult to say. The mind and body work in tandem, so I suppose I treat both.” He stared off into space. “I had thought of becoming a Soul Sifter once, but my heart led me in a different direction, that, and a certain fascination for microbes, due to an irritable bowel. Not very pleasant I must say.”

“Right.” Too much information. Moving right along. She swung her legs over the side of the cot. “I’m sure it will all come back to me eventually.”

“I wish I could help, but having been awakened from a rather vivid and distinctly disturbing dream involving an ill-tempered
Morwitch
I was in a bit of a fog.”

Fog?

Evelina searched her memory with studied concentration—something about fog. Or was it a bog! Yes, that was it. The Putrid Pothole. “Now I remember.” It slowly came back to her—the uber large snake—the sinking sludge sucking them down. “Abby and Tally! Are they okay?”

Poof!

Burble appeared.

“They’re fit as fiddles,” she lilted. “Eager for you to join them at the competition.”

That’s right. It was morning. The competition started at nine sharp. Panic seized her. “Oh no! I’m late!” She had to get there fast.

“Not to worry, my dear,” Burble carolled with conviction, turning to Proteus. “What say you, Doctor? Is she fit to fly?”

Proteus swung round, test tube in his hand. “Just as I thought.” He examined it at eye level. “Ghost Ray venom. All the symptoms. Now it’s confirmed. I couldn’t find the barb, however.”

“I took it out,” Evelina said, wondering if that was what she’d seen in the ocean the night she tumbled from the pirate ship.

“A good thing you did.” Proteus’ tone grew serious. “It wasn’t in long enough to do much damage.”

“And if I hadn’t?”

“You’d be dead.”

A shiver rattled up Evelina’s back.

“But you’re not!” Burble trilled. “Thank heavens for that,” she said with great feeling. “Now, we must be off.” She marched for the door of the hut, saying over her shoulder. “Thank you, Doctor. Send your bill to the Witches’ Council, if you please.”

“Thanks!” Evelina waved to Proteus as she hurried after Burble. She didn’t want to miss a moment of the competition. She told herself that it wasn’t because Frankie would be there, only simple curiosity. But deep down, she knew that it was. Frankie Holler had a hold on her she couldn’t seem to shake.

She hadn’t clamped eyes on him since he hauled her out of the water at the wharf. It felt like an eternity ago. Her heart seemed to call for him, despite how many times she told herself to let go.

“What’s a
Morwitch
?” Evelina said when they reached the beach.

“
Shh
!” Burble spun round, appearing to search the dunes behind them and the jungle of palms beyond. “Where did you hear that?”

“Proteus said he had a dream about one.”

“Did he?” Burble firmed her lips. “I see. Most unfortunate. They are dark creatures, existing between life and death.” She shifted her gaze right, then left. “Best not to speak of it.”

“Why?”

Burble leaned closer. “Speaking of them,” she said in hushed tones. “Even thinking of them, might summon them from the shadows. At the very least it brings ill luck.”

Evelina swallowed hard.

Burble clasped both of Evelina’s hands. “Ready?”

Evelina nodded.

They shot up into the air.

Wind rushed in her ears.

Bubbles of excitement percolated in her belly, rising to her chest, through all four limbs, rushing tingles over every follicle of hair—every inch of flesh.

They soared higher and higher, into the clouds.

A smile spread through her body like a bright ray of light.

Wind battered her cheeks.

But the thrill ended all too soon.

They touched down on the sand, like being sucked down a funnel.

It was the quickest flight yet.

“It’s about time!” Abby set her hands on her hips. “I thought you were going to miss it.”

“Me too.” Evelina gazed around, taking in the picnic baskets and beach towels on the beach. “What’s up? What are we supposed to do?”

“Nothing,” Abby said, striding for an emerald umbrella.

“Just watch,” Tally agreed following along behind.

“Really?”

As if to confirm it, a swarm of sparkling Sun Fairies flew up to them, offering coconut shells brimming with ice cold lemonade.

Evelina
did a double take. For retired Moon Fairies they moved fast. They were pretty strong too. The paper cups had to be three times their size.

“Thanks.” Abby accepted a cup. “It’s more of an exhibition.”

“It’s a race.” Tally scrambled down between them on the striped towel like a child between two parents. “But it doesn’t count. Each tribe is in their own war canoe.”

Canoes?

Was that it?

Just some paddling race?

Abby was right.

It sounded boring.

“Come on!” Abby hopped to her feet to head toward the crowd at the shore. “It’s about to start.”

“The entire tribe takes part—including apprentices and mentors.” Tally huffed and puffed keeping pace beside them. “It’s a beating of the chest thing. Even though it doesn’t count in the competition, the winning tribe gets bragging rights.”

“It’s a tradition,” Abby piped in. “It psyches the other teams out.”

Evelina stood on her tip toes, craning her neck to see if she could spot Frankie and Cliff.

“There’s Cliff!” Abby pointed over her head. “In the canoe with the dragon at the bow.” Abby gave a bright bark of laughter. “Looks like he’s really into it.”

Tally pulled a pair of opera-sized binoculars out of her pocket. “He looks angry.”

“That’s his look of concentration.”

“Or constipation,” Tally said out of the corner of her mouth, passing Evelina the binoculars. “Check it out.”

Evelina squinted one eye, peering through the binoculars. “Wow. He looks intense.” She swung the binoculars left, then right, taking in the other three massive war canoes. When she spied Frankie a few seats in front of Cliff her hand froze. Frankie appeared just as serious—gold eyes narrowed, paddle poised in the air, ready for battle.

“No magic allowed,” Abby said. “It’s all muscle.”

“And skill,” Tally chimed in.

“And determination,” Evelina added.

The conch horn blew.

The canoes shot forward, gliding across the rippling surface of the water.

Paddles flew.

The course appeared to weave in a Z around giant white buoys, before cutting back to the finish.

Oceana
and White Water sliced through the surf, bow to bow.

Then,

Oceana
plunged ahead.

They were out in front.

But the Swamp Hogs were moving up fast.

They appeared to have a sudden surge of power.

Then,

Something crazy happened.

The Swamp Hogs pulled out in front.

Evelina couldn’t believe her eyes.

No, No, NO!

They couldn’t win!

She held her breath.

Abby sucked in air between her teeth.

Tally grabbed Evelina’s arm, squeezing it like a stress ball.

Only a few feet to the finish line.

A cheer rose up from the Swamp Hags on the beach. They jumped up and down. They whistled and shouted, slapping each other on the back.

The Swamp Hogs had won.

“Too bad, suckers!” one of the Hags yelled.

Sneers and snickers followed.

Disgust twisted in Evelina’s belly. Not that she should be surprised. The Swamp Hags weren’t exactly known for their sportsmanship.

Evelina trekked back to the tree fort with Tally and Abby in silence. No dirges or pontificating—just serious contemplation—three suffering souls weighing the ramifications of the Swamp Hogs victory.