Chapter 35 A Wickedly Late Witch
The Ubiquitous Uncle
The Isle of Wittica from afar was an impressive grouping of towers.
Some were rounded at the top, others pointed.
Some had peaked windows, others circular.
Some tower walls were covered in climbing vines, others bare stone.
Given each tower’s uniqueness, it was hard for one to make a strong impression.
However, one did still manage to stand out: the thickest, square tower, which sat in the center of the island.
Light beamed in from a circular window on its face beneath its pointed roof, and a waterfall poured from a cavernous hole in its core, flowing into a pool on one of the stone balconies.
Against the sky and Alcide Sea, it was a stunning image.
Though many of the island’s structures were impressive, Tam and Henrietta learned that they meant something that did not impress them: hills and stairs.
Even if he were in his human form, Tam doubted he would have been able to follow Kraken’s brisk pace without growing weary and out of breath.
Finding the next tunnel exit had been the easy part.
The three of them had appeared in a vast, round room, with a staircase made of white marble that touched the wall on each side. It had appeared to be an entryway… one that was remarkably empty.
“Shouldn’t there be guards, or a patrol… ?” Tam glanced around nervously.
Kraken purred. “They’re a little busy right now.”
“What do you mean? What’s going on?”
The feline merely trotted toward the stairs. “It’s a surprise. Come along, kitten. We don’t have all day.”
“This isn’t the time for surprises, Kraken!” Tam bolted after the cat, his trepidation tripling as he followed the fluffy haunches.
Kraken still didn’t elaborate; he merely guided Tam and Henrietta up the stairs, then took a left.
After moving down a narrow hall with beautiful, whirling golden patterns in its floor, he took a right into another narrower staircase.
They climbed up another two stories, then exited into a hall that looked similar to the one they had left, but a frantic rush of voices could be heard on the opposite end.
Tam paused as he heard the words. “I don’t want to fight him!”
“He won’t kill anyone! We just need to tire him out!”
“Kitten!” Kraken barked. “Keep moving!”
Tam wished he had the muscles to frown.
Henrietta panted quietly behind him. Glancing back, Tam noticed that the chicken witch was half slumped against the wall, her hands on her knees.
As much as he wanted to let the poor woman rest for a moment, something felt off.
“Come on,” he encouraged quietly as he hopped up the stairs after Kraken.
Henrietta gave a beleaguered nod and continued to trudge onward.
By the time they had finished climbing the stairs and exited the hall, even Kraken gave a long huff out before sweeping his head to the left. “This way. It’s just past the waterfall. The door on the left.”
To get to said door, Tam realized that the walls disappeared and the floor merely acted as a slick bridge over the waterfall itself.
Tam took a tentative step forward and listened. He couldn’t hear anything over the roar of the waterfall, so he bolted across the open chasm, splashing through puddles as he went.
Henrietta’s steps were close behind him.
She hastily opened the door that was, thankfully, unlocked.
Slipping inside, Tam balked at the sight that greeted him.
There was a large stained-glass window, more colorful and beautiful than any he had ever seen before.
It depicted a large tree with four trunks, and intricate roots that webbed down through the glass.
One of its higher branches was aflame; leaves artfully blew around another.
Fine, gleaming water droplets that almost looked like they were moving covered the leaves of one branch, and lastly, white blooming flowers filled a final branch.
Above the image, a banner of pale yellow bore the phrase: nature is all.
Then at the bottom of the image were the words: without it we are nothing.
An intense prickling sensation coursed through Tam as he stared at the window.
“You are on your own in here, kitten. ” Kraken’s voice broke through Tam’s whirling thoughts, making him blink.
“Right. Henrietta?” Tam swung around to see Henrietta’s own gaze fixed reverently at the image. “We need to learn how to banish the first witch. Any idea where to start looking?”
The chicken witch visibly struggled to move her attention, but when she finally did, she swallowed and nodded. “There is a history section. I’ve heard the other coven members mention it.”
Henrietta shuffled around the room, her eyes drifting over the signs as she peered down the aisles and aisles of books.
Meanwhile, the longer Tam waited, the more he ruffled his feathers.
The silence and lack of witches they’d encountered was bothering him more and more. They should have had to dodge a patrol or even just someone casually going about their day…
It didn’t help that the smell of lightning lingered in the air.
“Found it!” Henrietta called from the far back left of the library.
Doing his best to keep focused on the task at hand, Tam bobbed his way over to where Henrietta stood.
A long row of shelves greeted him, all of which were filled with thick tomes in leather bindings—though some looked like they might crumble at the slightest touch.
“Perfect. We need books about the Forest of the Afterlife, and about the first witch. Pull out any texts you think are relevant. We’ll take them with us.”
Henrietta’s hands gripped into fists as her eyes scanned the shelves.
Who knew how long they’d have? Still, worrying about it would just waste time they could have spent looking.
Having come to this same revelation, Henrietta plunged into the history texts while Kraken sat at the end of the aisle, his ears twitching, and his sights fixed on the doors.
★ ★ ★
The trio darted out of the archive as soon as they’d found three promising tomes. It hadn’t taken them long, but they hadn’t been able to be thorough in their search. Tam hoped that the books weren’t useless.
As they ran back down the corridor they had originally come from, they reached the walkway over the waterfall. From there, Tam could see that the sky outside had darkened with thick storm clouds. Thunder cracked in the distance.
They were halfway across the walkway over the waterfall when a loud shriek sounded.
Tam’s heart lurched, and he froze in his tracks. Then Kraken’s head swung around, and he bolted back the way they had come as quickly as his legs would carry him, moving past the door to the archive. “CHANGE OF PLANS!”
Tam didn’t even get the chance to ask what in the world was happening as Henrietta followed Kraken in a sprint while clutching the satchel of books to her chest. Tam kept up as much as his two scrawny legs would let him.
Just before the end of the hall, Kraken attempted to stop and turn left. But his fluff worked against him, making his back paws slide as he scrambled clumsily down a different narrow staircase. This allowed Tam and Henrietta to catch up.
The three of them raced down the stairs, though Kraken darted out of the tower on the next floor. Tam still didn’t get the chance to ask what was happening before Kraken shot out the doorway and then entered another doorway directly beside the stairwell… that led to more stairs.
At this point, Tam was becoming dizzy, not just from the winding staircases, but also from the island’s confusing layout.
As they descended the new set of stairs, it almost seemed as though they were crossing into an entirely different structure. One that was less winding. The halls, doors, and windows were squarer, made of coral-colored marble.
Kraken didn’t falter for an instant. He barreled to the right, down another set of stairs that appeared to lead outside, then stopped.
With a rush of clucks, Tam skidded to a halt beside the familiar.
“What is going on?” Tam managed, vaguely aware that Henrietta had hung back out of sight.
A low growl rumbled in Kraken’s throat. “Look.”
Turning, Tam was doused with icy horror.
In the middle of the stone balcony stood a young boy.
A boy with red hair.
He wore a blue blindfold as a man with shoulder-length black hair crouched down in front of him, whispering something to him that made him flinch.
“ Antony.” Tam choked on his nephew’s name. Then a flutter of movements out of the corner of his eye drew his attention over to where he found his other two nephews by the balcony railing, along with… Lord Aster Fuks.
The thirteen-year-old’s hands were tied, his mouth covered in a gag. Tam felt what little magic he still possessed as a chicken gathering in his chest. The need for violence thrummed in his being.
Charlie and Asher weren’t bound or gagged. They sat on a stone bench on either side of a woman with curled chestnut hair, their hands folded in their laps, their small faces lined and pale.
Tam turned back to the doorway, where Henrietta peeked around, her expression distraught. Her breaths came quicker and quicker…
“Henrietta. Turn me back. Now.”
“But… I don’t know how we’ll… How we will be able to leave I can’t turn you back after—”
“NOW!” Tam knew he had essentially just released a chicken shriek.
He felt the stares of the witches on the balcony swivel to the back of his neck.
Henrietta was trembling, tears already glistening in her eyes, but she held out her hand. Tam felt the unpleasant sensation of exploding from his skin, and the ripping out of feathers. But when it was finished, he stood as himself once more.
But that wasn’t all. He’d had time to prepare before he left for the island, and so he wore light armor and a sword across his back.
“UNCLE TAM!” Tam heard Asher shriek.
“KRAKEN!” Charlie shouted next.
Antony whipped around, his blindfold stopping him from seeing his uncle, but the witch behind him clamped his hands on Antony’s shoulders and started whispering.
Tam drew his sword. “YOU!” he bellowed.