the sea witch pointed at a wall where a long-bladed knife rested on two curving hooks. I gulped and backed away.
Pearl's mouth dropped open when she heard her mother's threat, but her amazement quickly turned into anger. "A beheading, Mother? Isn't that a little severe?"
"Not if they want a favor."
"But they're friends of mine. You can't threaten to cut off my friends' heads!"
"I can do whatever I want to, my dear. This is my home, and they came here to ask something of me."
"You're always saying, 'Pearl, why don't you ever introduce me to your friends?' This is why, Mother! This is exactly why I never bring my friends around! I like my friends the way they are—with their heads still attached!"
Eadric took my arm and pulled me to the side. "Maybe we'd better go," he whispered. "We don't want to get in the middle of a family argument."
I nodded. "We can come back later."
"Believe what you want, daughter. Your friends will have to get that pearl from the sea monster or I'm using my carving knife!"
We fled the cabin without waiting to hear the end of their argument. The moment we were outside the wreck, Eadric turned to me and said, "Emma, we're going home. That sea witch is crazy. No hair is worth losing your head! I'm sure your aunt wouldn't want you to take any unreasonable risks, and I'd call this unreasonable."
Getting the hair was going to be far more dangerous than I'd expected. If Grassina knew what the old sea witch had threatened to do, she would have whisked us away in an instant, but she wasn't there and I couldn't forget the look of fear in my mother's eyes and the worry on my father's face.
"I can't give up now, Eadric. You can go home, but if I don't get that hair, Grassina won't be able to turn Haywood back and she won't be in any condition to help my father. If Greater Greensward goes to war without any magic on its side, East Aridia will win, my father will lose his western land and I'll have to marry Jorge. I am going to get that hair with or without your help!"
"Huh," grunted Eadric. "If you put it that way... We should hurry if we're going to find that pearl before sunset."
Suddenly, someone raced through the gap in the wall. I thought it was Nastia Nautica coming to cut off our heads without giving us a chance, but I was wrong. It was Pearl.
"I wanted to tell you where to find the sea monster. It never occurs to my mother to give directions. The seaweed thins out on this side of the ship. Swim straight ahead until you're in the clear. Follow the first reef you come to. It will look like a ridge made of coral. When you reach a gap in the reef, turn right. Look for the biggest cave and you'll find the sea monster. It's one of the old species that you don't see very often anymore. The Old Wizard of the Sea cast a spell on it so it would guard the pearl until he came back. It's been there for as long as anyone can remember. Do you have all that?"
"Sure," said Eadric, tapping his forehead. "I've got a mind like a wolf trap."
I rolled my eyes. "Thanks for your help, Pearl."
Pearl shrugged. "Any friend of Coral's is a friend of mine. I should keep an eye on Mother and make sure she doesn't pull any of her tricks. See you when you get back."
Twelve
The seaweed thinned after only a few yards. We spotted the reef right away, a great colony of coral that must have been growing for many years. The pinks, greens, yellows and oranges were as beautiful as any flower garden, the branching towers more intricate than any castle ever built. We passed sea fans like those that had decorated Coral's table and fish so brilliantly colored they could rival the most exotic birds. More than once I noticed eyes watching us from niches and tails disappearing into crannies.
The reef curved like the arc of a giant circle, seeming to go on forever, but we finally reached the gap Coral had mentioned. A sunken island lay ahead, its base riddled with caves, its top worn away by the scouring waves. Even from a distance,
Pearl's mouth dropped open when she heard her mother's threat, but her amazement quickly turned into anger. "A beheading, Mother? Isn't that a little severe?"
"Not if they want a favor."
"But they're friends of mine. You can't threaten to cut off my friends' heads!"
"I can do whatever I want to, my dear. This is my home, and they came here to ask something of me."
"You're always saying, 'Pearl, why don't you ever introduce me to your friends?' This is why, Mother! This is exactly why I never bring my friends around! I like my friends the way they are—with their heads still attached!"
Eadric took my arm and pulled me to the side. "Maybe we'd better go," he whispered. "We don't want to get in the middle of a family argument."
I nodded. "We can come back later."
"Believe what you want, daughter. Your friends will have to get that pearl from the sea monster or I'm using my carving knife!"
We fled the cabin without waiting to hear the end of their argument. The moment we were outside the wreck, Eadric turned to me and said, "Emma, we're going home. That sea witch is crazy. No hair is worth losing your head! I'm sure your aunt wouldn't want you to take any unreasonable risks, and I'd call this unreasonable."
Getting the hair was going to be far more dangerous than I'd expected. If Grassina knew what the old sea witch had threatened to do, she would have whisked us away in an instant, but she wasn't there and I couldn't forget the look of fear in my mother's eyes and the worry on my father's face.
"I can't give up now, Eadric. You can go home, but if I don't get that hair, Grassina won't be able to turn Haywood back and she won't be in any condition to help my father. If Greater Greensward goes to war without any magic on its side, East Aridia will win, my father will lose his western land and I'll have to marry Jorge. I am going to get that hair with or without your help!"
"Huh," grunted Eadric. "If you put it that way... We should hurry if we're going to find that pearl before sunset."
Suddenly, someone raced through the gap in the wall. I thought it was Nastia Nautica coming to cut off our heads without giving us a chance, but I was wrong. It was Pearl.
"I wanted to tell you where to find the sea monster. It never occurs to my mother to give directions. The seaweed thins out on this side of the ship. Swim straight ahead until you're in the clear. Follow the first reef you come to. It will look like a ridge made of coral. When you reach a gap in the reef, turn right. Look for the biggest cave and you'll find the sea monster. It's one of the old species that you don't see very often anymore. The Old Wizard of the Sea cast a spell on it so it would guard the pearl until he came back. It's been there for as long as anyone can remember. Do you have all that?"
"Sure," said Eadric, tapping his forehead. "I've got a mind like a wolf trap."
I rolled my eyes. "Thanks for your help, Pearl."
Pearl shrugged. "Any friend of Coral's is a friend of mine. I should keep an eye on Mother and make sure she doesn't pull any of her tricks. See you when you get back."
Twelve
The seaweed thinned after only a few yards. We spotted the reef right away, a great colony of coral that must have been growing for many years. The pinks, greens, yellows and oranges were as beautiful as any flower garden, the branching towers more intricate than any castle ever built. We passed sea fans like those that had decorated Coral's table and fish so brilliantly colored they could rival the most exotic birds. More than once I noticed eyes watching us from niches and tails disappearing into crannies.
The reef curved like the arc of a giant circle, seeming to go on forever, but we finally reached the gap Coral had mentioned. A sunken island lay ahead, its base riddled with caves, its top worn away by the scouring waves. Even from a distance,
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