by Sophie Moss
Glenna’s gaze dropped to the marks on her arms, the burns that were no more than scars now. “You accused me of never asking for help earlier. I need you to help me now, Sam. I cannot do this alone.”
“There has to be another way—”
Glenna laid a hand on Sam’s arm. “Bring me my cloak, Sam. It’s time.”
Every muscle in Sam’s body clenched at the thought of what might happen to this woman when she called her mother back. But he fetched her cloak, draping the soft material over her shoulders. He let his fingers linger there when he felt her bones protruding. Rage coiled like a snake inside him when he realized how much weight she’d lost this week. “I want you to tell me what’s going to happen.” He turned her around, catching her chin in his hand and holding her gaze. “Exactly what’s going to happen when your mother steps out of that fire.”
“I don’t know,” Glenna admitted. “If I knew the answer to that question, I promise I would tell you. But all we can do tonight is try to open a passageway for Liam. Once a land-man is turned into a selkie, he has to choose to come out of the water on his own. Liam will have already lost all his memories of his friends and his family. Of his home, this island. His love for Caitlin. The only way we can bring him back is to find a way to get that memory to him. If we can find a way to reach him, we might be able to bring him back.”
“And if we succeed? If we open this passageway, will Liam be able to walk through it on his own?”
Glenna shook her head. “All we can do is help open a passageway. Caitlin will have to pull him through.”
“What happens if it doesn’t work?”
Glenna looked away. “He’ll be lost forever.”
Sam waited until her eyes swung back to his. “What happens to you, Glenna?”
Glenna reached up, brushing his hand away. Sam gritted his teeth when Glenna hooked her arm through Tara’s, letting her friend lead her toward the door. He grabbed the flashlight off the table and switched it on. He stalked to the door, opening it for these two stubborn, reckless women and followed them out into the darkness.
If they made it through the night, he would personally make sure Glenna put every ounce of the weight she’d lost back on. He would drag her to the pub every day for a month if he had to, and make sure she ate every bite of every meal. Even if she refused to talk to him, and shot daggers out of her eyes at him the whole time, he wouldn’t stop until she was as strong and healthy as she was the first time he laid eyes on her.
They walked in silence through the deserted village—the homes dark and empty. When they got to the top of the bluff and the rocky path leading down to the beach near the harbor, Glenna paused. Candles flickered over the sand where groups of islanders huddled together, praying for Liam’s return. She spotted the keepsakes, the piles of mementos the islanders had built in his honor. “How long have they been here?”
“All week.”
“They don’t have to stay for this.”
“They won’t leave her,” Tara said gently. “They won’t let Caitlin—or you—face this alone.”
“They know that if they join us, if they cross a white selkie—even one whose powers have been stripped—they could be destroyed. Their homes, their livelihoods, this island could be destroyed.”
“They know,” Tara said quietly. “We all know.”
Glenna’s honey-colored cloak floating out around her ankles as she started down the cliff path. “So be it.”
***
Caitlin clutched Owen’s hand tightly in hers when she heard the footsteps in the sand behind her. She turned, watching Glenna walk across the beach with Tara and Sam. Her friend’s face had grown thinner, her cheekbones more prominent. She’d lost some of her color, too. But she was still Glenna. She held her shoulders straight and the amber eyes that met Caitlin’s were focused and determined. “Is everything ready?” Glenna asked.
Caitlin nodded. The roses lay in a circle now around the driftwood fire, petals to stems. All of the most precious memories of her and Liam’s love were inside the circle, inches from the flames. She held Owen close to her side, the most precious gift of all. No matter what happened tonight, she would love and cherish Owen more than a mother had ever loved and cherished a son.
Glenna stepped toward the flames, watching them curl and hiss. Steam rose up from the fire as a thick yellow fog spread over the beach. The stench of sulfur drifted into the night and Glenna reached for Caitlin’s hand. “Whatever happens, I want you to know that Liam did love you. I knew it the moment I first saw you together. And every moment since.”
Caitlin nodded as the islanders rose, stuffing trinkets and mementos into their pockets and shuffling over to join them. Tara took Glenna’s other hand, linking her with Kelsey and Dominic. Sam hooked his hand through Owen’s, reaching for Sarah Dooley and the string of islanders she’d begun to form. One by one, they came together, forming a circle, a ring of linked hands around the fire.
Glenna bowed her head, closing her eyes, and began to chant. The flames danced, kicking up into the night. They stretched higher, the heat building until they grew as high as the cliffs. An orange ribbon of fire illuminated the islanders’ faces through the yellow fog. Caitlin held Owen to her side as Glenna’s voice rose over the waves like an ancient song. The fire crackled and popped. The sea shuddered under her words, the surface stretching and snapping together as fingers of smoke dripped from the cliff edge into the sea.
When a familiar laugh floated out of the flames, Caitlin stepped inside the circle. Glenna reached for Owen’s hand, closing the ring as Moira’s image formed. Caitlin stood her ground, facing the woman who’d tried to take everything from her. She was so close to the fire, the heat of the flames nearly scorched her skin. “You cannot come through.”
Moira laughed louder as the flames swirled up, snapping and crackling. “Says who?”
“Says me.”
“With what power?”
“With this power,” Caitlin breathed, stepping into the fire.
Moira’s eyes flashed as the flames parted. Seals edged out of the water, calling out to each other in the fog. Moira lifted her arms, sending a bolt of lightning twisting up into the sky. It shot through the night, illuminating the ocean. She gasped when she spotted the seals—a mass of them coming up out of the sea—heading straight toward her.
All over the beach, the islanders called out to each other through the fog, squeezing each other’s hands, refusing to let go of the circle. They formed a wall around the fire, both man and seal. Moira hurled a ball of fire at Caitlin, but she just stood there as it split, passing around her.
“How is this possible?” Moira cried. “You don’t have magic! You don’t have powers!”
“I’m protected,” Caitlin answered. “By something you could never understand.”
Glenna’s chants grew louder. Moira writhed, twisting in the flames. She hurled daggers of ice at Caitlin, but they melted in the flames. The sea surged into the cliffs. The waves built, crashing over the sand. The water rose, spilling over the beach as more seals came, howling into the night.
Caitlin stood in the flames, inside the circle of islanders, protected by the love of her friends, protected by her love for Owen and Liam. Through the fading image of Moira, she could see the pulsing ocean. The surface opened, revealing the glittering gates of a kingdom far below. She reached for it, the passageway leading into the sea. But her hands shrank back when she spotted the lone seal swimming back and forth outside the gates.
The seal turned, and Caitlin staggered back. She recognized the pale, colorless eyes—Nuala’s eyes. But her pelt was no longer white. It was dark now, as dark as the rest of the seals. Nuala stared back at her through the ocean, her eyes wide and pleading. She was trying to tell her something. But what? What was she trying to tell her?
Nuala turned, rubbing against the gates, trying to get into the kingdom. She was locked out. But where was Liam? Nuala looked back at Caitlin, her eyes begging her to do some
thing. What? What was she supposed to do? Caitlin took another step into the fire, toward the ocean. She heard Owen shout, breaking free of the circle. He ran to her. She caught him, pulling him away from the flames as the passage closed and the image vanished.
“Wait!” Caitlin cried as the flames shrank around her. A wave crashed over the beach, the tide swallowing what was left of the fire.
***
The fog slithered away. The sea sucked back, leaving a pile of wet wood and smoke. Caitlin watched the line of the horizon, her heart pounding. Please. Please come back, Liam. She squeezed Owen’s hand. She could hear Glenna’s labored breathing, Tara’s whispered prayers. The circle of islanders had turned. All of them were watching the sea, waiting to see if he would come.
The surface quieted, the storm clouds passing. They stood for what felt like hours, until Glenna collapsed.
“Glenna!” Caitlin ran to her friend, trying to lift her friend up. But she was so weak, she could only hang limp in her arms. Her eyes fluttered open. “I’m sorry.”
Tara knelt beside her, feeling for her pulse. She looked up at Sam. “We need to get her back to the cottage.”
Sam lifted Glenna into his arms, carrying over the sand. Glenna glanced back at Caitlin, tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
Sorry? Sorry meant it didn’t work. Sorry meant there was no other way. She shook her head. No. Her gaze searched the horizon, scouring the line of the surf. But there was nothing. Not a single shift in the wind, not a single wave in the harbor. One by one, the seals bowed their heads, laying them down on the sand.
No! Caitlin pulled Owen into her arms, hugging him to her. “He’s not gone. He can’t be.”
Tara walked up to her, tears streaming down her face. “Caitlin,” she whispered brokenly. “He’s gone.”
Chapter 31
Caitlin stayed on the beach until dawn, in denial. Unwilling to believe. She stayed until everyone else had gone. When a red sun rose, shimmering over the surface of the sea, Owen stood and held out his hand. It was over. He was gone.
They walked in silence back to the village. When they got to her cottage, she knelt in front of the door, putting her hands on Owen’s shoulders. No matter how painful this was, she had to be strong for Owen. He was the only thing holding her together right now. And she had to make sure he knew every day how happy she was to have found him. How much he meant to her. How much she loved him and would cherish the rest of their days together. Despite everything that had happened.
“I want you to know that I don’t blame you,” Caitlin said gently. “This isn’t your fault.”
Owen nodded, but he looked down at his feet. She knew he didn’t believe her. “Do you think, before we go in, we could go to the cottage one more time?”
“The one by the bogs?”
He nodded.
“Why?” She brushed a lock of dark hair from his eyes. “We’ve looked everywhere. He’s not going to be there.”
“I know.” He scrubbed his toe in the mud gathered outside her door. “I wanted to see if the last petal had fallen.”
“And if it has?”
“Then I’ll know.” He lifted his eyes to hers. “I thought it was marking my time here. But I was wrong. It was his. I just want to see it. One last time.”
Caitlin nodded. What would it hurt to go one more time? If it meant something to Owen? If it would make him feel better? The raw ache settling into her chest was only the beginning. It would be years before either of them—before anyone on this island—got over this storm. She was not going to sleep anytime soon.
“Of course,” she said, taking his hand and leading him back out into the wet fields. They walked slowly, their shoes seeping into the squishy earth. Birds flew over the sunlit pastures. The sparkling ocean stretched out calm and subdued in the distance. The sunrise glowed over the walls of the cottage when it came into view, painting the stones a warm peachy-pink.
Owen slipped his hand free from hers, jogging over to the pile of dirt and the fallen rose. “Look!” He snatched it up off the ground, holding it out to her. “There’s still one petal left!”
She saw the hope swim into his eyes and she swallowed the lump in her throat. A cool breeze quivered over the bogs, blowing the last petal off and Owen grabbed it before it fell. Dropping the white stem into a puddle, he walked over to Caitlin, lifting her hand and placing the petal in her palm. “Close your eyes and make a wish.”
“Owen.”
“It’s a magic rose. It has to be. It couldn’t have grown in winter if it wasn’t.”
She felt the pulsing in her palm, saw the warm glow as the petal started to change colors, as the textures softened from ice white to velvety gold.
“See!” he said, cupping his own hands around hers to protect it from the wind. “I knew it! There is some power left in it. Maybe if we both hold onto it together and wish for him to come back at the same time, we can bring him back.”
Caitlin felt the petal throbbing in her hand, but she shook her head. “We tried using magic, Owen. It didn’t work.”
“But we didn’t try using this magic.”
“I’m not a magical person. What happened last night was all Glenna. She drew power from my love for Liam. From my love for you. But it wasn’t our magic. We couldn’t have done it without her.”
“I think you’re wrong. I think last night opened up a doorway for Liam. And we have to help pull him through. I think that’s what my… what Nuala was trying to tell us. You said you saw her. You said she was trying to tell you something.”
Caitlit bit her lip, nodded.
“Maybe she was trying to tell you to come here, to find this last petal. Maybe if we wish hard enough for both of them, we can pull Liam through and she can get back into the kingdom.”
Caitlin swallowed. “Is that what you want, Owen? Do you want us to help Nuala get back in?”
He looked up at her. “I don’t think it was all her fault. She doesn’t deserve to be punished forever.”
Could she do this? Could she forgive this woman for stealing her child? For taking the love of her life away from her? Even if Nuala was a pawn in the sea witch’s master plan, it was still Nuala’s doing. But when she looked down at Owen and she saw the kindness, the compassion, the sheer love in his eyes, she knew. She had to find a way to forgive Nuala. She had to let go of this terrible hurt and move on. Maybe that was what Nuala had been trying to tell her. Maybe all she had been asking for was Caitlin’s forgiveness.
“I think we need to help her,” Owen whispered. “And I think we can. We can help Nuala and we can bring Liam back. But you have to believe first.”
“Okay.” Caitlin nodded. She didn’t know if she had the heart to hope again. But she could forgive. And she could find the strength to believe. One last time. For Owen. “I’ll try.”
Owen put his hands over hers. “You promise you’ll really try? That you’re not just saying it?”
“I promise.” If she did anything to keep the spirit of Liam’s memory alive, it would be to dream and wish and believe. To teach Owen to have an imagination. Even after everything that happened, she would not take that away from him. She closed her eyes and Owen’s small hands squeezed hers.
***
“Selkie royalty?” Dominic stared at the single candle burning on the table in the pub. “How?” His face was pale, grief-stricken. His clothes were still damp, covered in sand. “How is this even possible?”
Tara sank into the chair beside him and Kelsey crawled up into her lap. There were strings of seaweed tangled in her hair. Mud from the caves streaked up the arms of her sweatshirt. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. “Uncle Liam can’t be gone.” Her voice faltered. “I mean, he can’t really be gone… can he?”
“I don’t know.” Tara fought back tears, running a soothing hand over her daughter’s blond curls still damp from sea spray, from the hours spent searching the shoreline. “I don’t know, Kelsey.”
Dominic and Kelsey h
ad stayed on the beach with Caitlin and Owen, searching the caves for hours in case they’d missed anything. Sam had carried Glenna home and Tara had done all she could. Glenna was stable and Sam was still with her. He wouldn’t leave her side until she was healed. “Glenna says they’ll let Liam into the kingdom. But Nuala will be banished forever and without her powers to protect her, she won’t last long.”
Kelsey buried her face in her mother’s shoulder. “What does that mean?”
“It means Glenna’s mother—the sea witch—got Nuala’s powers in exchange for her time here on land. But since Liam was never supposed to be taken, since he is not a true land-man, they will let him stay.”
Dominic’s eyes lifted, haunted and bloodshot. “I knew there was something off about Nuala. The first time I saw her. The first time I spoke to her. But I didn’t heed the warnings. I didn’t look any closer. I could have saved him.”
Tara squeezed his arm. “You cannot blame yourself for this, Dominic. This was bigger than any of us could have foreseen.”
“Except for Glenna.” Dominic looked away, his face tight.
Tara pulled her hand away, wrapping her arms around Kelsey. “I think there’s a lot more to Glenna’s story than she’s ever told anyone.”
Dominic shook his head, his fingers curling around the glass candle-holder. “Her mother is a sea witch who’s been playing with our lives since we were children. What else is there to know?”
“Her mother did this to Caitlin and Liam,” Tara argued softly. “Not Glenna.”
“But she knew things,” Dominic growled, tilting the candle so hot wax spilled over the edge, dripping onto the table. “She held things back that she should have told Caitlin. That she should have told us.”