Page 22 of The Sea Witch's Son

Too messy, she said. And far too inconvenient to package for shipping.

I tap the jar holding dear Delta’s eyeball and make my way into the darkened cavern. Only lit by candlelight, the room is kept dim to help keep the ambience for my mother’s clients.

Typically, there’s two or three decomposing bodies strung up in the corner, directly beneath a cooling fan to keep the smell down, but at the moment, the beaded chains hang empty.

Business must be slow.

“I’m looking for the box of tongues you had, is there any chance… Ah, you do have company.” I sigh, tucking my hands into my pocket, “Would you like me to come back later?”

The man strung up by his ankles looks at me with wild bloodshot eyes. A gag holds his bleeding mouth together while his arms are strapped to the board behind him. Water splashes from buckets nearby, the dark ripple beneath the surface telling me the eels have come out to play.

“Mommy’s a little busy right now.” She heaves a sigh, patting her ample bosom, “But I suppose Triton here isn’t going anywhere.”

The man makes a gurgling sound when the Sea Witch turns around. Her black dress swishes across her knees, the plunging neckline and tight fit making her look like a plus-sized pin-up girl long past her prime. Long fake eyelashes blink at me, her white hair pulled into an elaborate up-do that showcases the gold pendent swinging from her neck.

It's the shape of a seashell. I asked her once, what was inside, and she told me it held the last piece of my father.

I didn’t ask what body part it came from.

Tilting my head, I watch a vein bulge out of the man’s purple forehead, “You’re working late tonight.”

She waves off my comment, “The night is still young. Triton and I have so much more to talk about before he’s free to go.”

The man jerks his head back against the boards. Ursela chuckles, turning her eyes back to me, “Well, if I decide he can leave, that is.”

“Charming as ever, mother.” I pause, taking another look around the room, “I was wondering where I can find the box of tongues? You seem to have moved it.”

“It's over by the kidneys. I found the fish were getting too excited when I kept them next to the blood worms.”

“Naturally.” Stepping over the crate of fish pellets, I wander over to the makeshift pantry.

“Did you hear Anton has called for an early election? It will be held two years from now.” Pale eyes glitter at me, “I can’t help but wonder if you are still too young to take on such a role. Boyswith too big aspirations tend to end up like… well, like Triton here.”

Pushing aside the beakers of colourful liquids, I poke around the pantry until I find the box. The tongues have been dried out and salted, making them look eerily similar to pieces of beef jerky.

Shuddering at the thought, I carefully pull two out and drop them into my bag.

“Many things can happen in two years.”

“Mm, indeed.” She purses her plump lips, “Are you going to tell Mommy what your great plan is, or will she have to find out like everyone else?”

I smile, “Hunting for my weaknesses already? Mother, you wound me."

“I can’t help it. A woman of my grandeur is inclined to wonder what a mayor with a backbone could do with a town like this.” Her face splits into a grin, “Imagine if the Seaborn family became the rulers of Wolf Hollow. No more orders from the Drache women.”

“That would mean no more paycheques. Try not to let your ambition bite the hand that feeds you.”

Ursela sighs dramatically, throwing up a hand as if I was about to hit her, “My only son refuses to give me the simplest of satisfactions. Why couldn’t I have had agirllike I wanted?”

“That wouldn’t solve the problem of you being a terrible mother, now would it?” I step back over the crate and kiss hercheek, “I’ll leave you to it. Try not to keep me up tonight with his screams.”

Ursela huffs, shifting her attention back to Triton, “Children are so demanding, aren’t they?”

The splash of water and a gurgled moan are the last thing I hear as I leave the cavern, cautiously stepping around the human bones scattered along the floor.

I bypass the main house and take the exit that leads to the forest at the edge of our property. The Seaborn Mansion is the only house in town that sits on the waterfront, the rolling waves of the ocean smashing onto the rocky shore.

There’s a dock near the end of the beach that was once used for international shipments, but ever since the Dragon took over the town, it has laid dormant.

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