mystery | Words of Delights

ERIN A. CRAIG

An odd and charming fairy tale that gradually becomes darker and frightening as ghosts and gods make themselves known

2019

The 12 Thaumas sisters live a privileged life in Highmoor, an expansive house on one of the Salann Islands. Their father is the nineteenth Duke of the Salann Islands and is newly married to Morella, his first wife having died. Tragedy seems to follow the family and the community believes the family are cursed as one by one the sisters die in mysterious circumstances. We enter the story as Eulalie is being interred in a sea cave used as a mausoleum and Annaleigh lingers behind as everyone leaves.

“Did you trip and fall?” My words echoed in the tomb. “Were you pushed?”
The question burst from me before I could stop to ponder it. I knew without a shadow of a doubt how my other sisters had died: Octavia was notoriously accident-prone, even Elizabeth… Drawing a short breath, I dig my fingers into my skirt’s thick scratchy black wool. She’s been so despondent after Octavia. We’d all felt the losses, but not as keenly as Elizabeth.
But no one was there when Eulalie died. No one saw it happen. Just the brutal aftermath.

The world the author has created is full of reference to the sea that surrounds the islands. They swear by the salt, pray to Pontus the sea god, are guided in religion by the High Mariner. The sea is part of all their lives.

“We, the people of the salt, come together on this special night,” the High Mariner intoned, “to give our thanks to mighty Pontus for his great benevolence, blessing us with a season of bountiful plenty. Our fishermen’s nets – filled to bursting. Our winds – strong and sure. And the starts – clear and true. Now he churns the waters, changing the season over to a time of rest, replenishing the sea, taking care of us as he has for thousands of years.”

To distract themselves from the tragedies, the sisters search for a doorway mentioned in an old tale. They unexpectedly discover it and find themselves in another world where they find a large estate with a ball taking place in the house. They join in the dancing and are mesmerised by the other participants and the escape into dancing and excitement. They are compulsively drawn back time and again until Annaleigh starts to wonder whether there is something malevolent in this other world.

My stomach churned as I watched her swirl away. Why couldn’t she sense the danger I felt? She looked as carefree as a butterfly, fluttering from partner to partner.
“Dance, Annaleigh,” the dragon man urged, bringing me back to the present.

Annaleigh starts to search for the truth behind her sisters’ deaths and, a little at a time, the frightening truth unveils itself. Why is her step mother determined to conceive a male child? And why is she so upset when she is told the oldest female inherits the estate? The family, friends, step mother and world are not what they would seem.

“No!” Morella cried, struggling to stand on the uneven mattress. “No! I gave you your son. You’ve taken two of the Thaumas girls. Our deal is off. I want this bargain broken!”

A great story that gathers pace after a few chapters with some unexpected turns and a little sprinkling a unworldly love thrown in for good measure. I enjoyed the read.