Witch Bewitched (New)

Chapter 25

"What the blazes are you doing?"

Misa ignored the question, running her hand along the uneven bottom of the fountain base. The water was freezing against her skin, and her fingers numbed enough that she thought they'd fallen off, but she had to check.

"In all of Harthem," Misa said, pulling her arm back to look at the captain, "is this the only fountain shaped the way it is."

Captain Bentham frowned. "Miss Carpenter, if this is your way of—"

"Just answer the question." Misa shivered as cold water slithered down her arm, raising goosebumps in its wake.

"Every fountain in Harthem is unique in its structure. They were built specifically based on the people they were dedicated to. This particular one was constructed for the witch slayer, Eragner Bell."

It was just as Misa had suspected. She studied the fountain, wondering how she had mixed up the bell for a chalice. Then, she scowled. "Who in the world thought it would be a good idea to build a bell upside down? It'd take more than one glance to figure out what it's supposed to be."

"I don't have answers to architectural questions. Why do you even—" He paused, and Misa could tell he had just figured it out himself. "Ludicrous! Absolute ludicrosity!"

Misa's mouth twitched. "It's worth looking into, Captain. I think we may have just found the location of the door to the witch market."

The night air was cool, and Misa loathed to do what she thought of next. She kicked off her boots, sending them sprawling on the ground. Then, she peeled off her socks and tucked them in one boot. Her cloak, she had already put aside with her sketchbook on top.

Rolling up her pants, she dipped a sensitive toe into the freezing water of the fountain. It sent a shock through her nerves, as if lightning had pulsed through the wetness. Misa wanted to jump back, to slip her feet back into the warmth of her woollen socks.

Hesitation would only convince her to come another day, so Misa forced her whole foot to sink to the floor. With a hiss, she dunked her remaining foot and tried her best to stop her teeth from chattering.

Captain Bentham came up next to her, leaning forward to glimpse the bottom of the shallow pool. Misa grinned. "Care to join me?"

He caressed the surface of the water. "It's freezing cold. You're a mad woman to jump in here."

"How else would I search the fountain thoroughly? If you don't want to come in, then make yourself useful and feel around the perimeter. I'll see if I can find anything at the center."

"Giving orders now?" Despite his words, Misa could detect a hint of resignation in his tone. He wasn't challenging her. No, it was something else, something Misa could have sworn was teasing.

She huffed. "You're free to leave if you want, but I'm going to see through to finding this door. I want to make sure this is the correct location, so we don't have to panic if it turns out to be wrong."

"A wise decision."

There it was again. Misa let herself smile at his compliment. She trudged towards the centerpiece, keeping her mind on the door instead of the numbness devouring her feet. Finding the door was another riddle in itself. Simply finding the location had only been the first step. She avoided the trickling water as best as she could, though there wasn't much she could do when it spilled over the entire thing.

Misa felt around the stony bell, looking for anything that would give way when her fingers pushed against the surface. It was difficult to ignore the freezing cold waterfall that drenched her sleeves and splashed her thin nightshirt. She searched every inch of the centerpiece before moving to the bricks that patched up the base. Her hands had gotten so numb that she could barely feel anything.

It had to have been hours of searching. By the time Misa took a short break, her fingers had turned pruny and her feet were about to fall off.

"Maybe it's not here," Misa said, her shoulders slumping. She pounded them, trying to loosen the knots that had formed from hours of stooping. Her shirt was soaked now, and she wished she was indoors, cozied up by a fireplace.

The captain shook his head, pulling his arm from the water. The sleeve of his uniform had darkened even though he had tried to keep it dry by rolling it up. "It was worth a try, I suppose, and a good guess."

His sigh of disappointment sent Misa back to work. She was going to find the door. She had to, if only to prove her worth to him. To prove she wasn't just some girl who only knew what to do when told.

"I think I missed a few places," Misa said, dragging her stiff fingers along the rough, cold stone.

"It's late." The captain watched the bell tower, waiting for it to ring. "We should head back. The search can continue tomorrow."

"Just a little more," Misa insisted. She went around the centerpiece once more, searching the carving for a sign. Anything that would open a door.

Captain Bentham pushed himself up and pounded on the discomfort on his leg. "It doesn't make much sense. It's impossible to have built anything under the fountain without destroying its foundation."

"Maybe..." Misa sighed. She glared at the upside bell like it was its fault for not giving her the answers. What was the point of the riddle when it was impossible to solve, when there was an answer that fit so perfectly that didn't lead her to what she needed it to? She sloshed towards the edge of the base, ready to give up and go back to the warmth of her bed.

The cold night air bit into Misa's toes, the wind slashing at them when she lifted her foot from the water. Her teeth chattered. "It's freezing."

"As I've said," Captain Bentham remarked.

Misa chose to ignore him. She dragged her feet over the base and jumped to the ground, sending an arc of water to splatter the stone. She wrapped her cloak tightly around herself.

The fountain yielded no answers, and a plume of disappointment suffocated Misa's thoughts. Her energy was spent. All she wanted now was some rest.

He was standing near the fountain, eyes fixed on a brass sign. Misa approached him, her feet still bare.

"What is it?"

"A plaque."

Misa tilted her head and read the words engraved in the sign.

Dedicated to Eragner Bell, Witch Slayer of the North, for his years of service protecting the innocents.

"If only he'd slain Nisha in his time, so we wouldn't have to go through this mess." Misa glared down at the plaque, almost wishing Eragner would show up just so she could ask if he knew what the riddle meant, to ask why his fountain fit the answer.

She kicked at the sign. "Useless."

"Careful. It won't do you any good to disrespect the dead."

But Misa wasn't listening anymore. Her heart pumped, harder as she crouched to examine the brass piece stuck on the fountain. She could have sworn she felt an odd power emanating from it. She thought back to her meet with the fortune teller.

The enchanted words trigger a spell. What if...

She reached for her sketchbook lying dangerously close to the water and shook it until the strip of paper fluttered to the ground. She grabbed it before the wind could carry it away.

"What is it?" The captain looked over her shoulder.

Misa could hear the blood rushing through her ears. The words were wobbling, almost jumping out of the paper. They became more erratic the closer she brought them to the plaque. The letters blended, reorganising themselves into an entirely new set of words. The language was unrecognisable, but the knowledge of what they were sprung into her mind. She touched the plaque and recited the words, her tongue somehow forming the correct pronunciation as if it had a mind of its own. Her magic reacted almost immediately, tingling through her fingers and warming the brass plate.

"Captain," Misa breathed as she felt the spell taking effect. "I think...I think I've found it."

The letters of the plaque emitted a soft glow. Misa stood and backed away in awe, bumping into the captain as she did so. Her magic traced through the plaque and there was an odd clicking sensation that reminded Misa of a turning key.

The ground trembled. Stone scraped against stone as a staircase began to open before her, spiralling beneath the fountain. She heard the captain's sharp intake of breath.

"Impossible," he whispered.

She turned to catch his eye and said in a sweet voice, "I did it."