Chapter Eleven

“Come on, Amber,” Simon yelled over the sound of the waves crashing along the cliff. The bluff darted out into the ocean all around them. The beach, if you could call it that, was smaller than any Simon had been to in his life. It looked nothing like the beaches in Orange County. From above, the ocean felt massive, but from down here, it was secluded.

But it was the ocean, and he had missed it almost as much as his mom had.

Laird Ian’s man stood far above them, watching.

He seemed a bit pissed for having to accompany them to the beach. But he was far enough away for the three of them to talk candidly, which none of them had had an opportunity to really do since they left home.

Amber lifted her dress so she wouldn’t trip and carried her shoes in her hand.

Cian stood beside him, watching the waves crash on the sand.

“Is this like your home?”

“No. Not at all. The sand is whiter, the ocean bluer. And it stretches for miles like this.” Simon pointed to the water’s edge. Simon sat in the sand, rolled up his pants and walked toward the sea.

“Shit. That’s cold.”

Cian laughed.

“You shouldn’t cuss,” Amber scolded.

“Oh, yeah. Come here and feel for yourself.”

Simon crooked his finger in her direction.

Amber tilted her head to one side, tossed her slippers to the ground, and marched toward him. As soon as the water reached her toes, her eyes widened and her lower lip quivered.

“I told you it was freezing.”

“You said you used to swim in the ocean.”

“Yeah, well, it isn’t this cold back home.”

Cian’s feet were wet and all three of them danced around the crashing waves.

“Do you think you’ll ever go back?” Cian asked.

“If my mom has anything to say about it we will.”

“We need to find the stones before it’s even an option,” Amber reminded him.

“Do you think we’ll find them?” Simon asked her. If any of them could know what the future held, it would be Amber.

“I believe we’ll find them.”

“Have you had a vision, Amber?”

“Nay, simply a feeling.”

Simon looked up to Cian, who had been his mentor since he’d arrived in the sixteenth century. “I think I might hide them from my mom to keep her from making us leave.”

“Once found, it would be noticed should they go missing.”

“Yeah, well…I gotta do something. I’m not going back.” The thought of Mr. Price’s algebra class and all the meaningless hours playing video games just didn’t seem right anymore.

No longer interested in playing in the water, Simon sat in the sand away from the water’s edge.

“You don’t need to be so glum, Simon. We haven’t found them yet. Lizzy isn’t forcing you to leave today.” Amber patted his shoulder.

“By the time we find them, you may well be old enough to make the decision on your own,” Cian added. “Besides, Lizzy wouldn’t leave now even if we had the stones. Not with Grainna threatening all of us.” Simon tossed a rock into the water. “I know.”

“So, Simon, have you tried to change into something other than a bird?” Cian asked.

“No. Do you think I should try?”

“I would if I could do it.”

“Why not try to be a fish.” Amber glanced at the ocean. “I wonder what it looks like under the water.”

Simon considered scales for a few minutes. The thought of a shark coming along and swallowing him in one bite forced the image from his mind. “No thanks. I’d have to become a whale and they don’t move very fast.”

“What about a wolf?”

“Maybe.”

“Or a horse?”

“That could be useful.”

Amber glanced up the side of the cliff. “We’ll have to find a way to be alone to try.”

“That may be a while. I don’t think we’re going to be left alone for some time,” Cian told them.

“Weddings like this go on for weeks. My father said there were going to be several gatherings to firm up our alliances.”

“Then we’ll have to try and sneak away.”

“Since when do you think like that, Amber? It isn’t like you.”

Amber brushed her long black hair away from her face. “I feel like Simon needs to reach higher than he has with his gift. He needs to know what he’s capable of.”

“If you feel strongly about this, we should tell the others and work together.”

She looked over her shoulder again. Simon followed her gaze. Walking down the cliff side was his mom, Fin, Myra, and Todd. The knight posted was gone. Even then, Simon didn’t know if he was ready to get naked and shift in front of Amber and Myra.

“Hey, sport,” his mom called out to him at the same time she stumbled. Fin caught her arm and kept her from falling. Instead of her normal scorn for Fin touching her, she actually said thanks. Maybe they were finally getting along. It seems like all they ever did was fight, mostly about him.

“Hey, guys.”

As soon as his mom reached the bottom, her shoes were off, her dress hiked, and she was walking toward the water.

“It’s really cold,” he warned her.

“How bad can it be? Ah, man!”

I told you!

Fin laughed when she jumped away from the water.

“It is freezing,” Todd exclaimed.

Myra squealed, just as Amber had. Todd kicked water toward her, causing her to giggle and kick back. “Watch it,” she warned.

Todd didn’t listen and kept teasing her. Before long, they were running after each other away from the others. When Todd caught up to Myra and started kissing her, Simon stopped staring.

“Too bad it isn’t warm enough to swim in,” his mom said.

“’Tis only fitting for fish.” Amber nudged Simon’s arm and nodded toward his mom.

“Speaking of fish…”

Liz stared over the water, not hearing him. Or so he thought.

“What about ’em?”

“Ah, well, Amber thinks maybe I should try and shift into something other than a bird.”

That got Fin’s attention before his mom managed to turn in his direction. “Not a fish.”

“I agree with Fin. Not a fish.”

“I didn’t really mean I wanted to try to be a fish.

But maybe a horse or maybe a wolf.”

Fin glanced toward his mom, who stood staring back at him.