Bruno completed the thought. “There’s no such spell on the books. So there’s no way to re-create it or counter it. The spell could do anything. It could close the rift, open it, or destroy the world. We just don’t know without activating it and letting it run its course.”
I pointed to the smoking circle. “We didn’t just let it run its course?”
They both shook their heads and Bruno said, “No. When you pulled the horn away from your lips, the spell stopped. We channeled the power, but I have no idea what might have happened next.”
“How would the person blowing it know when the spell is done?” I was careful in my choice of words. I was still hoping someone else could do the deed.
Creede raised his hands with a shrug. “Honest opinion? The horn would probably stop blowing. It’s likely only sounding now because it senses the rift—that’s probably what has activated the spell.”
I didn’t buy it. “That’s a lot of guessing. So far I’m the only person who can make the triton blow. But that doesn’t mean I’m the only one. It might well be that there’s a hundred people who can do that. I don’t know whether it would have sounded a year ago because I’d never seen it before Adriana brought it to me.” Which raised another question I’d been meaning to ask. I turned my head to catch her eye. “Why did you bring it to me, anyway? Why not have Okalani take you straight to the rift?”
She shrugged gracefully in that special way that only dancers can pull off. “I foresaw myself giving it to you. And frankly, you’re the only person I know on the mainland. I could trust no one else with something of this value.”
Hard to argue with that logic. Creede rose to his feet and offered me a hand. I took it and he pulled. In fact, he sort of overpulled and I wound up pressed against him for a brief moment before I could back away. He didn’t seem to mind and neither did my body.
Just to play it safe, I offered my hand to Bruno and repeated the exercise. Strange, but for all my former fiancé’s superior power, I didn’t react the same way to him. There was just something about Creede’s magic that made my body sing. But oh, the eyes and smile on that big Italian lug made my stomach flutter with nearly the same intensity. Yum.
Dr. Sloan hadn’t noticed our little song and dance, but the two women did. Dawna was looking amused and I’ll bet she couldn’t wait until she had me alone and could grill me about every minute detail. But Dr. Sloan’s voice pulled my eyes away from her, back to the shell in his hand: “I see your point about the reason and scope of the spell. But we really need to test the king conch—see if you can also make it sound. We need to go out to the beach.” He stood and proceeded to do just that, a horn in each hand. I shrugged and motioned that we might as well go with him. I didn’t want anyone or anything to swoop down and take them away.
* * *
Twenty minutes later, we were no closer to an answer than when we’d started. No, I couldn’t blow the king conch. Nor could anyone else. The triton sounded only for me and with the barest of breath.
Once they started doing testing circles on the shells alone, I relegated myself to the shadow of the biggest palm I could find, because the sun was getting low on the horizon and was becoming painful to be out in it. I needed another liberal application of sunscreen—which I didn’t have handy. I’d apparently left the bottle I’d used in the hotel back there somewhere, because I couldn’t find it in the SUV. There was another bottle in my luggage, but we’d packed in such a rush that I had no idea where it might be.
I also needed another shake even though it hadn’t been four hours yet. The people on the beach were starting to glow and pulse, and it wasn’t helping that there was magic flying all over the place.
As I sat hunched in a tiny pool of darkness, it occurred to me that for too long I’d been letting situations rule me. The break I’d sought at the spa hadn’t turned out to be what I’d hoped for. Well … certain parts of my body had gotten nicely relaxed. I supposed it was good to find out everything down there still worked after the bat bite—before I started doing any serious dating again.
But there were too many disconnects between body, mind, and spirit. And I knew just the cure. Fortunately, there was just enough room in shade, if I sat right next to the tree trunk, to assume a lotus position. I’d done yoga for years, but lately, with all the things that had been happening, I hadn’t stolen back the time it takes. Now, with everyone otherwise occupied, I figured I had at least ten minutes of good, solid meditation time available.
I took a deep, centering breath and crossed my legs. My thighs reminded me I hadn’t done this in some time. Ow. But getting past the pain is part of the process, so I cupped my fingers and rested them on my knees. Closing my eyes made the world disappear, and soon the only sounds I could hear were the crashing of the waves, the calling of the gulls, and the wind in the palm fronds overhead. I imagined the water around me and soon I was floating on the waves, letting the ocean take me where it would.
I’d taken a dozen slow breaths when I heard Bruno’s voice near my ear: “Celie? Hon? Um … not to interrupt, but we sort of need the beach back.”
I blinked my eyes and tried to focus on his face. The waves sounded louder and I felt sort of … damp. I looked down to find that the tide had come in … but farther inland than I’d ever seen it. Water was lapping around the tree’s shadow but not actually touching me. Seriously weird. I looked up and there were at least a dozen gulls perched in the tree overhead, staring down at me with curious black eyes.
What the hell? “What’s happening?”
Bruno shrugged. “Your cousin said it’s your doing, but I have no idea how to fix it.”
I raised a hand and motioned toward said cousin, inviting her over. Adriana gave an exaggerated sigh and splashed her way toward me, pants rolled to her knees and tan boat shoes in her hands. She started speaking before I could ask the question: “The water responds to you as it does to the other sirens. It seeks you out when you call—as it did when sirens of old would call the ocean onto the rocks to wreck ships and strand sailors. Unfortunately, I don’t have the ability to send it back. I don’t know if this will help, but Mother simply motions it back like a puppy who’s strayed from the yard.”
A puppy. The ocean is not a puppy. Still, who was I to argue? I made shooing motions with the backs of my hands. “Go on. Get back in the yard.”
Bruno laughed and I shook my head with bemusement for thinking it would work. At first, I thought I was imagining it. But damned if the waves didn’t start to lap farther from the tree with each inward flow. Maybe it would work with the gulls, too. I looked up and made the same motions. “Go on. Shoo. Go find some fish to eat.”
With flaps of massive wings, the birds took to the air and soared into the distance. “Oh. Wow.” I looked up at Adriana. “I probably need to tell the queen about this, huh?”
She tipped her head with wide eyes and nodded. “I would. You need training to control what appear to be growing abilities. They’re completely natural to our kind but can be a nuisance when the waters come at unexpected moments.” She gave me a significant look before turning and walking back along the sodden beach to where the others were waiting.
Yeah. Unexpected would be bad. I needed to make sure that in future meditations I visualized grass or wildflowers. Or maybe flatland prairie or a nice sandy desert.
Anything but water. I wouldn’t want to find the waves scratching at my front door because I’d finally relaxed into a true meditation. The door’s on the second floor. My car is on the first.
“Maybe this is a hint it’s time to wrap things up for today. I need to fee—eat, and I think all of us need some rest. Tomorrow’s going to come too quick already.”