Chapter 10

"The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round…"

Patty's quavering soprano was barely audible over the roaring of the wind that chased after Agda's truck. They were on their way to Treetham, the old woman having insisted on driving them. She knew Ireland "from every grain of sand to every blade of grass," and wasn't about to let a group of teenagers venture into the unknown with the likes of the Brolla on the loose.

Kid had decided she wasn't dangerous—at least, not to them. She had an incredibly powerful soul, and could most certainly inflict the worst kind of damage on anyone who crossed her. Plus, she had an army of fairies on her side. As an ally, Agda could be indispensable.

"So, how is ol' Death these days?" she asked Kid. He was riding shotgun, with Liz and Patty in the backseat.

"Do you know my dad?" he said.

Agda shrugged. "We've crossed paths. He may not even remember the likes of me—it was a long time ago that we fought."

Kid started. Fought? Was Agda not to be trusted after all?

She chuckled, seeing the look of panic cross his face. "Fought together, I mean. On the same side. Don't worry, your father and I were strong allies back in the day."

"You should come to the DWMA!" said Patty. "Be a professor! It'd be so cool!"

"Oh, I could never be a teacher there. I love Ireland too much," said Agda. "Besides, I'm…well, let's just say I wouldn't exactly fit in too well at the DWMA."

It was an odd thing to say, considering one didn't have to do much to "fit in" at the Academy. Just off the top of his head, Kid couldn't think of a single person there that could be described as "normal."

"So, what is this interest in the mysterious town of Treetham?" Agda said.

"Our friends are looking to find their parents' identities. Their family is supposedly from Treetham," said Kid.

Agda tilted her head toward him with a knowing smile. "But you're not with your friends right now, are you? Coincidence?"

Liz reached forward and grabbed Kid's sleeve, terrified he would say something stupid. She still didn't completely trust Agda.

Kid ignored her. "We…"

"Got separated!" Liz interjected. "We were together from the very beginning, but now we're not, and it's because we got separated! That's the whole story!"

"Get ahold of yourself, Liz!" Kid hissed, wrenching himself free from her grasp. "Agda, I'm going to put my trust in you for now, but please know that if you make a single move to hurt me, my weapons or anyone from the Academy, I can and will destroy you. Do you understand?"

She nodded. "I mean no harm to any of you, I promise. However, I do understand your caution. Go on."

Kid told her everything—the trip to St. Daniels, the dream, and of course the Brolla that had led them off course. "Eve and Macy just want to know where they came from and how they were orphaned, but I think there's something bigger going on around Treetham," he said. "I think that the Brolla blocked our path on purpose, and I'm afraid it's going to target the others next."

"Plus, there's that crazy dream you had," said Liz. "All those witches with horns, knitting? Weird."

"They're from an old Irish myth," Agda said, "The Horned Witches. In it, a wealthy woman is invaded by twelve witches with increasing numbers of horns, who sit and knit with her in silence until one of them asks the woman to make them a cake. The woman is saved from the witches by a disembodied voice coming from her well, which tells her to cry out: 'The sky above the mountain is ablaze!' She does so, and the witches all flee in a panic. The voice of the well then guides the woman through placing various enchantments around her house to protect against the witches' return."

"And did they come back?" asked Patty.

"Yes, but they were blocked from the house by the spells the woman had put in place: water she had used to clean her children's feet, bits of cloth the witches had woven in her home, pieces of the witches' cake, which had been filled with blood, and a heavy crossbeam used to bolt the front door."

"Geez," said Liz. "I thought you were going to say she just sprinkled salt around. Isn't that what they usually do?"

Kid shook his head. "Salt works only to hold off less powerful monsters. One needs more power than that to protect against witches."

"So does this mean those horned witch thingies are real?" said Patty.

"Who knows," said Kid. "I'd say so. A nightmare that vivid, that just happens to correspond with a particular folk legend? I doubt it's a coincidence."

"I agree with Kid," said Agda. "This dream is no coincidence."

"What?!" said Liz. "Does that mean these witches are coming after us?"

"They tend to show up as omens," Agda explained. "The Horned Witches like to keep to themselves, and it's been centuries since any of them took part in any real conflict. I believe the Brolla is what you and your friends should truly be worried about."

"Why does this always happen?!" Liz wailed, slumping against the car window. "Why can't we just have a normal life, without creepy monsters coming after us wherever we go?"

"Because it's our job," said Kid.