“Why would we want her here? If she’s a queen, she’s going to expect to boss us around,” said the tall witch.
“Yes, I will!” cried Lenore. “I’ll tell you what to do every minute of the day. You’d hate having me here.”
“When I first saw them, Queenie there was saying how much she didn’t want to live with the likes of us,” said Norelle.
“What makes you think we’d let her live with us?” asked a woman with long, curling white hair. “How do you know we wouldn’t just pitch her in the water and let her drown?”
“Because I brought this,” Liam said. Using his knife, he pried open the hasp that kept the crate closed and lifted the lid. Inside was a side of beef, a slab of cured bacon, and a collection of new pots and pans. “If you let my mother stay here with you, and don’t let her leave, I’ll bring you more food every month.”
“Including more bacon? I love bacon!” cried Hennah.
“Including more bacon,” said Liam.
“Good!” Hennah declared. “’Cause I’d do anything for bacon!”
“You’re going to say yes just because he’s trying to bribe us with food?” asked Rugene.
“I sure am!” said Hennah.
“Sounds good to me!” Rugene announced. “I’m getting real tired of fish! But she’s going to have to make her own hut and help out with the chores. Just because she’s a queen doesn’t mean she’ll get special treatment.”
When the others nodded, Annie had a feeling that Liam had won his case. But then Lenore started talking and Annie wasn’t quite as sure. “I don’t care if you’d let me live here,” the queen cried. “This place is terrible! The only buildings are run-down shacks that are probably vermin-infested or worse. And I’m not going to spend the rest of my life with a bunch of snaggletoothed hags who wouldn’t know a hairbrush if it swatted them on their backsides!”
“That’s not fair!” said Norelle. “Cadmilla brushes her hair two hundred times every day.”
“And yet she lives in a hovel!” shouted Lenore. “I demand that you take me home right now, Liam! For once in your life, do what I say!”
“Sorry, Mother,” said Liam. “You lost any right to tell me what to do a long time ago.”
Lenore’s face was turning red when she cried, “You always were an ungrateful wretch!”
“And you were always a terrible mother,” Liam said, and turned back to the witches. Although Norelle looked distressed about the exchange between mother and son, the other witches appeared to be gleeful.
“That’s exactly how my daughter used to talk to me!” said Rugene. “I miss it. Maybe I shouldn’t have turned her into a muskrat the last time I saw her. I wonder where she is now?”
“Would any of you ladies happen to know where the sea monster lives?” asked Liam.
“Which one?” said Norelle. “At least five live around here.”
Annie tried to remember everything that Pearl had told her about the monster. “We’re looking for one with short arms, a pronged tail, and a tall fin on its back. Have any of you seen one like that?”
“I think I saw one that looks like that by the big drop-off,” said Hennah.
“Don’t listen to her,” said Norelle. “She’ll tell you that it went over the drop-off and want you to follow it.”
“It did go over the drop-off!” Hennah cried.
“A monster like that used to live in the coral reef,” said another witch. “But that was before Emma stole the pearl for Nastia Nautica.”
“I passed it in the seaweed bed just last week,” said another. “It scared me half to death when it popped out of the weeds. That thing has a mouth like a cave! I thought it was going to swallow me whole.”
“I think it lives on the far side of Nastia Nautica’s old sunken ship.”
“You’re wrong! That monster left after Emma stole its pearl! I haven’t seen it since!”
Hennah shook her head. “You see why I don’t tell the truth very often? Nobody believes me when I do. Might as well make something up, I say to myself. But not this time. That monster went over the drop-off slick as a slug slipping over the edge of a water barrel. Its pronged tail was the last thing I saw of it. Pretty thing if you ask me.”
Liam and Annie gave each other a look. None of this was very helpful because they didn’t know whom to believe. “Thank you, ladies,” Liam told the witches. “You’ve given us plenty of places to look.”
“How are you going to look for a sea monster? You don’t have gills,” said Rugene.
“And magic doesn’t work on you,” Norelle said to Annie.
Liam smiled. “We have our ways.” Turning to Annie, he asked, “Are you ready?”
Annie nodded. “Let’s see if we can get this done today.” Taking Liam’s hand, she started toward the water. She used her free hand to pat the amulet hidden beneath the neck of her gown, reassuring herself that it was there.
The witches followed them to the water’s edge, arguing among themselves about how Annie and Liam were going to survive without air.
“Maybe she’s really a mermaid,” said one witch.
“Or they have a giant bubble waiting for them just out of sight,” said another.
Remembering how difficult it had been to swim from Pearl’s shipwreck while fully dressed in a long gown and shoes, Annie thought about taking off her clothes so she could swim in her undergarments. Norelle seemed to be the nicest of the witches, and Annie could ask her to watch over their clothes and shoes and … Annie shook her head. She didn’t know what Norelle was really like. The postcards were in Liam’s pocket and she didn’t trust anyone else with them. Glancing at the witches, Annie decided that she shouldn’t trust any of them. She certainly wasn’t about to ask Lenore, who was sitting on the crate, pouting.
Although Annie knew how well Audun’s amulet had worked before, she still felt uneasy as the waves washed over her feet and up her legs. What if the amulet didn’t work this time? What if she took her first breath and her lungs filled with water? Faced with the vastness of the sea, the little amulet didn’t seem like much protection.
“Good luck!” Norelle called.
“Yeah,” shouted Hennah. “Good luck and don’t let the sea monsters bite!”
The other witches must have given Hennah a funny look, because she paused and said, “What? I want more bacon and I won’t get it if a sea monster eats them!”
CHAPTER 18
Annie and Liam had nearly reached the point where the waves broke when they stopped and glanced at each other. Annie nodded and they dove into the heart of the next wave, still holding hands. As the ocean floor dropped lower, they followed it down.
Swimming underwater meant that they didn’t have to fight the waves, but using one hand to hold on to Liam made swimming that much harder. They swam side by side until Annie’s arms ached and she wasn’t sure she could go much farther.
“Just a little more,” said Liam, as if sensing Annie’s fatigue. “Pearl said we should swim straight out for four hundred yards, and we’re almost there. I’ve been keeping track; we should turn in a little while.”
A large sea turtle swam past, surprising them both. Suddenly, Annie was worried about more than just the amulet not working or the sea monster lurking somewhere in the ocean’s depths. Now she had to worry about what else might be down there. The witches had said that there were five sea monsters in the area. And what about the fish? She had seen fish as long as boats when Millie carried her to the ice-dragon stronghold and had heard about fish with very sharp teeth and equally big appetites. The water was clear enough that she could see for a very long way, but what good would that do if a fish or sea monster was a faster swimmer?
Annie was looking around her when Liam tugged on her hand. It was time to change direction. Soon they could start looking for the castle that was their first landmark. They should probably start looking for the sea monster now, though. They were going to look in certain places, but it might be anywhere, even righ
t below them. At that thought, Annie glanced down, then quickly looked behind her. The sea monster wasn’t anywhere in sight, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t close by.
“There it is!” Liam finally exclaimed. Annie thought he meant the monster until she spotted the castle lying right in front of them. The castle was made of coral with wide windows and a shell door at ground level. Tall spires rose about the castle, and Annie was sure she saw pennants made of seaweed.
“Both Millie and Pearl said that Coral lives there. Should we stop and ask her if she’s seen the monster?” asked Annie.
“There’s no need,” said Liam. “Pearl gave us good directions.”
“But Coral might have seen the monster recently and could give us an idea where we should look first.”
Liam shook his head. “We don’t need to. I can handle this.”
Annie sighed, but she didn’t ask again. If Liam didn’t want to go, there wasn’t much she could do to change his mind.
They swam past the castle, heading for the wall of seaweed that they could just make out beyond it. The seaweed was tall, reaching from the ocean floor to just below the waves. As they got closer, they saw that it was also dense; each strand was at least a foot wide. Anything hidden in its depths would be nearly impossible to find. It reminded Annie of a regular forest, but unlike trees with sturdy trunks that didn’t move, every bit of the seaweed plants undulated in the ocean’s current, endlessly swaying back and forth.
“I hope we don’t run into the monster in here,” Annie said as they neared the forest.
“I hope we don’t run into anything in here,” said Liam.
They tried to swim side by side, but the seaweed made it difficult. After a little experimentation, they ended up with Annie holding on to Liam’s shoulders as he pulled her through the plants.
Annie was lost before they’d gone a few yards into the seaweed. She was sure that if she were leading the way, they would be going in circles. Liam, however, seemed to be able to go in a straight line and was moving right along when suddenly they were in a cloud of tiny fish. Faster than the blink of an eye, the fish changed direction, going back the way they had come.
Liam turned his head to glance at Annie. “Did you see that?” he asked.
“I did!” Annie replied. “I didn’t know that fish could move that fast.”
“I didn’t know anything could,” said Liam.
They continued on, encountering a few curious fish and a pair of delicate sea horses that seemed to be playing tag. Annie was wondering if they would ever get through the forest when Liam pushed aside a wide strand of seaweed and came face-to-face with an enormous eel. The eel’s head was as wide as Annie’s arm and had eyes that looked as big as her fist. Annie thought it must be almost as big as a dragon. When she let out a small shriek, the creature turned and fled, swaying the seaweed on one side, then the other as its tail swept back and forth.
“I think you startled him,” said Liam.
“Thank goodness!” Annie replied. “I don’t know what we would have done if he’d stuck around.”
“I really don’t like this,” Liam said as he started swimming again. “I hope we get out of here soon.”
“Are you sure we’re going straight?” asked Annie.
“As sure as I can be,” Liam told her.
In only a few more minutes, Liam pushed past one more strand and they found themselves in the open. Annie sighed with relief as she let go of his shoulders and took his hand so she could swim beside him. “Isn’t that the shipwreck over there?” she asked, spying something with a vaguely shiplike shape.
“It might be,” said Liam. “It’s hard to tell with all that coral growing on it.”
When they swam closer, they found that it was a shipwreck nearly covered in coral. Fish darted in and out of gaping holes in the ship, and Annie spotted at least three sea snakes when she peeked inside. “Millie said that this was where Nastia Nautica used to live. I wonder if it was this bad when she lived here.”
“There’s one good thing about all these holes,” Liam noted. “You can see all the way through. I don’t see any monsters yet. I guess we should go in to look around.”
“Not with sea snakes in there!” cried Annie.
Liam turned to argue with Annie, but stopped when he saw something behind her. “Annie, watch out! A little sea monster is coming right at us and it’s got a knife!”
Annie spun around and saw the creature facing her from only a few feet away. Mottled skin covered a sack-like body and eight long tentacle arms, one of which was brandishing a knife at her.
“Put that knife down, Octavius!” called a melodious voice. “Can’t you see they’re humans?”
The monster’s eyes swiveled toward a beautiful mermaid with silver and dark blue hair. The arm holding the knife drooped as the creature backed away.
“You can talk to the monster?” Annie asked her.
The mermaid laughed, a bright, happy sound that made Annie smile. “Octavius isn’t a monster! He’s an octopus and my butler. He believes that he’s my protector as well, although I really can take care of myself.”
“Is your name Coral?” Annie asked her. “My friend Millie told me that was the name of a mermaid who lives around here.”
“You know Millie! How is she? I haven’t seen her in ages!”
“She’s doing well,” said Annie. “She and Audun are expecting their first baby.”
“That’s wonderful! I’m sure Emma and Eadric are thrilled. I know that … Octavius, put that knife away. It’s obvious that these people aren’t going to try to hurt me. In fact, you can go back to the castle now. I believe we’ve solved the mystery of the two-headed monster.”
“There’s a two-headed monster here?” asked Liam as the octopus scuttled away.
Coral laughed again. “If I’m right, you were the two-headed monster. Did you swim close together when you came through the seaweed?”
Annie nodded. “Liam swam while I held on to his shoulders.”
“Then that explains it!” cried Coral. “At least half a dozen fish came to tell me that there was a monster with two heads in the seaweed today. Octavius and I came to scare it away if necessary.” She held up a long tube that didn’t appear to be at all threatening. “It may not look like much, but it can knock a three-thousand-pound sea monster from here to tomorrow. If you don’t mind my asking, why are you here?”
“We’ve come looking for a sea monster,” said Annie. “Do you know of one with a pronged tail and a tall back fin?”
“Don’t forget the monster’s short arms,” said Liam.
“Of course!” said Coral. “That would be Old Warty. Why do you want to find him?”
“We want to return something that belongs to him,” said Annie. “We wanted to do it anyway, but then we met a sea witch named Pearl. She thought it was a good idea, too.”
“You know Pearl! She was one of my best friends. We used to do everything together until she ran away from her horrible mother. Where did you see her?”
“On the other side of the world,” said Annie. “Her mother is there, too, so Pearl said she has to move again.”
“Let me guess,” Coral said. “You want to return the giant pearl to Old Warty. Don’t look so surprised! It’s the only thing that monster has ever lost. I think it’s a wonderful idea! Maybe I can help you. Just a minute.”
Turning away from the shipwreck, the mermaid cupped her hands around her mouth and made high-pitched squeaks that ended in a long, drawn-out squeal. A moment later, a school of fish emerged from the seaweed and swam straight to Coral. The mermaid made a few soft sounds, and the fish swam back into the forest.
“We should have some information for you in a few minutes,” Coral told Annie and Liam. “Now, when you find Old Warty, you need to be careful. He’s been very grumpy ever since Emma stole the pearl for Nasty Nautica.”
“Oh, but she wasn’t the one who had it,” said Annie. “Emma gave it to Pearl, who took it
with her when she ran away. We got it from Pearl, who was trying to keep it from her mother.”
“Really! That’s marvelous!” the mermaid exclaimed.
“And now we’re giving it back to the sea monster for safekeeping.”
“I’m sure it will make Old Warty happy to have it back,” said Coral. “Ah, here are my helpers now. Let’s see what they learned.”
Although Annie strained to hear what the fish were saying to the mermaid, she didn’t hear much other than the normal sounds of the ocean. They must have said something, however, because Coral replied with a small squeak and the fish all swam away.
“They say that Old Warty is napping in the seaweed, but should be waking soon. He usually heads into the drop-off after his nap. If you want to give the pearl back, you need to do it now. The pressure in the drop-off is too much for you and it’s so dark, you wouldn’t be able to see a thing.”
“Could the fish show us the way to Old Warty?” asked Liam.
“There’s no need to ask them,” said Coral. “They told me where he is, so I can show you.”
Annie held on to Liam’s shoulders again as he followed the mermaid into the seaweed forest. Although Coral didn’t take the same route that Liam had, it all looked the same to Annie. They had been swimming for a while when Octavius appeared, using all eight of his arms to shove the seaweed aside and force his way through. Coral turned, tilting her head as if she was listening. She looked upset when she faced Annie and Liam again. “The witches from the island are back. They come down here now and then and get into trouble every time. I’m sorry, but I’m afraid that I have to go. I need to stop them from doing whatever they have planned. Look, Old Warty is straight ahead, right through there,” she said, pointing. “Just be careful. He’s always grumpy, but he’s even grumpier when he wakes up from a nap.”
“Thank you for your help!” Annie told her.
“You’re welcome,” Coral replied. “I’m just sorry I couldn’t go with you to give the pearl back. Old Warty might be more cooperative if I was there. Ah, well. It can’t be helped. Good luck!”
“A grumpy sea monster,” Liam muttered as Coral swam away. “Can this get any better?” Shaking his head, Liam started swimming again. He hadn’t gone far when the seaweed in front of them bent and swirled as if something big had swum past.