Free The Water Witch by Juliet Dark

I was surrounded by supernatural creatures, but I still knew little about them—or about my own powers. I hadn’t even known that I wasn’t supposed to use a spell in Faerie. The fact was, I kept blundering into situations I knew nothing about and making things worse. That was why Liz and Diana had exchanged that look when I asked if I would be able to keep the door open. They weren’t sure I could.
    I circled the house and collected a handful of nails, Brock’s hammer, and the iPod I’d given him for his birthday last month. The iPod was still playing. I tucked one of the buds into my ear expecting … I don’t know … Viking sea shanties? But instead I heard the reedy voice of Bjork rasping out her rendition of “Pagan Poetry.” It sort of made sense, I thought, my eyes filling with tears. I tucked the iPod in my jeans’ pocket, thinking I’d give it to Ike.
    When I came around the house I saw that Ike and others had arrived along with a woman with long ash-blond hair. She knelt beside Brock, the skirt of her long green dress spread out on the grass. Her hair was draped around her face, and she held her hand to Brock’s chest. Ike, flanked by two men who looked like they could have been Ike and Brock’s cousins, stood holding an umbrella over her. Liz, Diana, and Soheila gathered on the other side. The scene looked like a Pre-Raphaelite painting depicting an episode out of the Norse eddas—
Death of a Viking
or
A Hero’s Journey to Valhalla
. All it needed was a ship and a funeral pyre.
    As I approached the group, the blond woman lifted her head and shook her long hair back from her face, revealing strikingly beautiful features. At the sight of her, I heard bells and felt slightly woozy—invariably my reaction when in the presence of Fiona Eldritch, the Fairy Queen.
    “I believe he’s journeying in Niflheim,” Fiona declared.
    “The Shadow Land” popped out of my mouth. Fiona looked up and pinned me with two razor-sharp green eyes. She rose to her feet, the folds of her green dress rippling like sea water, and then I was the one looking up. Fiona could make herself seem taller when she wanted to.
    “Ah, Cailleach McFay. Are you the one who brought the storm back from Faerie?”
    “I asked Callie to herd the undines back, Lady,” Liz interjectedon my behalf. “And it was an undine who raised the storm.”
    Fiona’s eyes swiveled toward Liz. As glad as I was to have the force of her gaze off me, I could hardly let Liz take the blame for me.
    “I’m afraid I made the storm stronger by using a spell,” I admitted.
    “You fool! You didn’t know not to use a spell in Faerie?” Fiona roared, growing even taller as she turned once again on Liz. “Has no one taught this doorkeeper how to use her power?”
    My attempt to spare Liz blame for my behavior had backfired. I didn’t seem to be able to do anything right today. When Fiona had finished berating Liz, she turned back to me.
    “It’s unfortunate you’ve been trained so poorly,” she said, managing to encompass both Liz and me in her icy green glare. “But still you should have known better than to attempt a spell when you didn’t know its consequences. It’s your fault this has happened to Brock.”
    “Your Majesty,” Liz said urgently, “I don’t think we should blame Callie …”
    “No,” I interrupted, “Fiona’s right. It
is
my fault.” I turned to Ike and his two companions. “Tell me what I can do to help him.”
    Ike shook his head. “I don’t hold you accountable, Cailleach McFay,” he said formally, “nor do I know if you can bring my brother back from Niflheim. The Norns, who are here on other business, may be able to bring him back …” His eyes flicked toward Liz. “For that I believe we need to call a spell circle.”
    “A spell circle,” Diana echoed, her face pale. “We haven’t had one for …”
    “For too long,” Liz said grimly. “I’ve been too lax. It’s time we marshaled our