The Witches of Merribay (The Seaforth Chronicles) Read Online Free PDF Page A

you can talk if you want, but I need someone I can trust—not your sister.”
    “How do you know you can trust me? Wel l…you can, I think. But we've never met before. And what’s so bad about Zinnia?” Being her sister, I knew the answer to that, but how did he?
    “It's true that you and I have never met . But let's just say that I've an excellent sixth sense on these things, and leave it at that. You are the one to trust.”
    He had to be telling me these things to butter me up to do a good job for him . It was working, I had to give him that.
    And then it really hit me . I had known my sister had gone into the forest once but not that she'd been in there many times. But how did he know this? And so I pressed one more time for answers.
    “About my sister …how do you know she's been into the woods so many times?”
    “I've my ways, Miss Seaforth . I have my ways.” 
    And that was that . I knew he wasn't about to tell me any more.
    We'd passed the old rowan tree and were now rounding the bend to the last stretch before the big iron gate that led into the woods . Everything here seemed dead—all the trees and bushes—with just a shell of their existence to ever prove that they had been here. It was quiet, and the birds’ chatter had ended back on the cherry tree lane. Every serene and peaceful feeling I had was replaced with feelings of uneasiness and doom.
    “Today, you shall find out how I learn some of the things that I know.” He wheeled forward with speed and spun his chair around like some Olympic star, the box of goodies almost toppling from his lap.
    Then he wheeled back some and sat by the gate .
    “Today, you shall take these to an old woman in the woods.” He held out the box . “Her name is Izadora and she is a good friend of mine.”
    “Is that who you normally give them to? The muffins and stuff , I mean. How do you give them to her if she's in the woods?”
    Many questions entered my mind, but as I feared, his answers were brief.
    “Most of the time I open the gate, setting them on the other side. Whoever takes them can have them. Whether the animals or the bogeymen take them, I don't care.” He waved his hand as if to dismiss the conversion. “Someone always takes them.” He gave me his smarty-pants half grin, tossing his shoulders up in the air, like my question was a waste of his breath to answer. “But today, I'd like to make sure Izadora receives them.”
    “You put them out for whoever takes them ? Who the heck is out there? Hobos? You want me to walk around the woods where there are a bunch of hobos?” I couldn't keep my voice from squeaking.
    He belly -laughed loudly.
    “You make me laugh , Miss Seaforth. If there are any vagabonds out there, they will not cause you any harm. Do not worry, you will be safe. For now, you are safe. I promise.” He saluted me.
    Great . For now…I'm safe.
    “How will I find Izadora?”
    “You won't. She'll find you, but I shall send you in the general direction of where she lives. Oh, and take this…” He reached into his blazer pocket and pulled out a white seashell and handed it to me.
    Reluctantly, I took it.
    “You want me to give her a seashell? I thought—”
    “It doesn't matter what you thought . Give her the seashell. That's the only message I have for now.”

Chapter Four
     
    I found myself walking the forest floors with a box of muffins and doughnuts , and with a seashell in my pocket. Ian had shooed me out the gate, shutting its squeaky iron bars behind me. He even had the nerve to pick up his right hand and wave bye to me. Then he yelled, “Have a nice adventure, Miss Seaforth,” whatever that meant. I didn't care at the moment.
    I walked along the dirt path . Every so often a large rock would jut out from the earth, and now and then, the occasional boulder lay off to the side. The boulders had to be a foot taller than me and several feet long. There were thousands of trees, thick as weeds. Branches intertwined overhead,