Read Online Children of Poseidon: Rann by Annalisa Carr - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Annalisa Carr
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Seawitch sat upright, staring into space. She didn’t move when the two women came in. Jewel took her tea and sipped it tentatively. She didn’t want to burn the creature’s mouth. Adding cold milk, she held the cup up to Seawitch’s lips. They stayed closed, so she pressed the edge of the cup to her lower lip. Seawitch opened her mouth obediently, and Jewel tilted the cup. She swallowed, and Jewel let her drink half the cup before offering her a spoonful of the mousse cake. She managed to persuade her to eat the portion, but Seawitch gave no indication that she’d tasted it or enjoyed it.
Sitting down next to Maya, Jewel picked up her own tea. “What did you learn?” She glanced sideways at Maya. “Seawitch needs to be at the top of our to-do list. She’ll die if we don’t do something fast.”
Maya licked chocolate from her finger.
“Could we take the nullsilver bracelets off?” Jewel thought about it. “Rann said she was dangerous.” She wished Maya would put the cake down and concentrate.
“She is,” Maya said. “The nullsilver stays on.” She swallowed the last of her cake and took a gulp of tea. “I talked to two of the senior coven members. Charlie Tollworth and Maria Thorn. You must remember them.”
Jewel screwed up her face in thought. She never concerned herself with her mother’s coven when she was a teenager. They were all miles above her, and she hadn’t been encouraged to hang round during their visits.
“Charlie Tollworth? Tall, dark man, going a bit gray?”
“Almost white now.”
“And Maria Thorn is that tall, big woman. Looks arrogant.”
“Yes.” Maya rolled her eyes, looking like the stroppy teenager she’d once been. “She is arrogant. But they’re the most knowledgeable of the lot. The oldest.”
“So?”
“They didn’t know anything.” Maya’s lip curled in an expression of contempt. “Maria said she thought seawitches died out at least a thousand years ago, but they agreed to ask the coven at their next meeting. That’s not for a week, though. And it’ll be without a leader, so they’ll be more indecisive than usual.”
The two women stared gloomily at the seawitch.
“If we have to hand feed her everything, she’ll probably starve to death.” Jewel finished her tea and put the cup down on the coffee table. “I’ll ring my mother tonight.” She squashed the instinctive reluctance. She would have liked to have a few days to get to grips with the idea, but she supposed she should get it over with. And Seawitch needed help as soon as possible. “Maybe she’ll see me tomorrow.”
Maya put her own cup down. “I’ll come with you if you like. Kara really has gone a bit strange recently. She used to be pretty cold, but now she’s rude as well.”
“It’s okay.” Jewel forced her face into a smile. “I know what she’s like. She might have been cold to most people, but she was pretty unpleasant to me even then. You must remember.” She glanced at Maya.
Kara treated Maya with respect and admiration. She never unleashed the nastier side of her personality on her. She’d mentored Maya during her magical transition years, something she never did for her own daughter. Maya let it be known that she didn’t like Kara much but she had been willing to put up with her, to learn as much as possible. Maya was ambitious, and Jewel had never told her friend exactly how bad her home life had been. Though Maya’s parents were dead, she had a close relationship with her sister, who had brought her up, and anyone could see that Lila would have done anything for her. So Jewel had always felt as though she had something wrong with her, something that made her less than loveable. Maya still didn’t know about the times Kara hit her or the times she’d been locked in her room without food. She wasn’t going to either, Jewel had moved past that, and she had her pride. She was strong enough to face her mother without help or support.
Maya ordered takeaway
Sitting down next to Maya, Jewel picked up her own tea. “What did you learn?” She glanced sideways at Maya. “Seawitch needs to be at the top of our to-do list. She’ll die if we don’t do something fast.”
Maya licked chocolate from her finger.
“Could we take the nullsilver bracelets off?” Jewel thought about it. “Rann said she was dangerous.” She wished Maya would put the cake down and concentrate.
“She is,” Maya said. “The nullsilver stays on.” She swallowed the last of her cake and took a gulp of tea. “I talked to two of the senior coven members. Charlie Tollworth and Maria Thorn. You must remember them.”
Jewel screwed up her face in thought. She never concerned herself with her mother’s coven when she was a teenager. They were all miles above her, and she hadn’t been encouraged to hang round during their visits.
“Charlie Tollworth? Tall, dark man, going a bit gray?”
“Almost white now.”
“And Maria Thorn is that tall, big woman. Looks arrogant.”
“Yes.” Maya rolled her eyes, looking like the stroppy teenager she’d once been. “She is arrogant. But they’re the most knowledgeable of the lot. The oldest.”
“So?”
“They didn’t know anything.” Maya’s lip curled in an expression of contempt. “Maria said she thought seawitches died out at least a thousand years ago, but they agreed to ask the coven at their next meeting. That’s not for a week, though. And it’ll be without a leader, so they’ll be more indecisive than usual.”
The two women stared gloomily at the seawitch.
“If we have to hand feed her everything, she’ll probably starve to death.” Jewel finished her tea and put the cup down on the coffee table. “I’ll ring my mother tonight.” She squashed the instinctive reluctance. She would have liked to have a few days to get to grips with the idea, but she supposed she should get it over with. And Seawitch needed help as soon as possible. “Maybe she’ll see me tomorrow.”
Maya put her own cup down. “I’ll come with you if you like. Kara really has gone a bit strange recently. She used to be pretty cold, but now she’s rude as well.”
“It’s okay.” Jewel forced her face into a smile. “I know what she’s like. She might have been cold to most people, but she was pretty unpleasant to me even then. You must remember.” She glanced at Maya.
Kara treated Maya with respect and admiration. She never unleashed the nastier side of her personality on her. She’d mentored Maya during her magical transition years, something she never did for her own daughter. Maya let it be known that she didn’t like Kara much but she had been willing to put up with her, to learn as much as possible. Maya was ambitious, and Jewel had never told her friend exactly how bad her home life had been. Though Maya’s parents were dead, she had a close relationship with her sister, who had brought her up, and anyone could see that Lila would have done anything for her. So Jewel had always felt as though she had something wrong with her, something that made her less than loveable. Maya still didn’t know about the times Kara hit her or the times she’d been locked in her room without food. She wasn’t going to either, Jewel had moved past that, and she had her pride. She was strong enough to face her mother without help or support.
Maya ordered takeaway
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