Page 113 of The Secret of Drulea Cottage
The sun hadn’t fully risen, and the water was still waiting for light to brighten its depths. It would be very difficult for a human to see anything underwater right then.
But na fer a seal.
Briony pulled out her sealskin. There was no time for decorum now, so she stripped off her clothes and lifted the pelt above her head. Before she put it on, though, she hesitated.
I don’ know what will happen once I transform. What if I get so lost in the thrill o’ the sea that I forget myself? Will Briony Fairborn no longer exist?
But this is my best chance.
Briony put the pelt on, and as she did so, a warm tingling sensation swam through her body. The second skin melded with the first, and she marveled at how perfectly they fit each other. Her body shifted from human to seal so fast that her mind almost couldn’t keep up with the transition. Colors vanished as black-and-white vision took over. The hands and feet she’d always known suddenly became flippers. And the sound of the sea roared in ears that felt like they could hear everything.
Again she looked down at the ocean, but this time, she recognized it for what it was: home.
Briony plunged off the cliff, her body streaming through the air. When her splash of arrival soon followed, it would have seemed insignificant to anyone passing by, but to her, it was one of the most glorious moments of her life. Though she had swum before, that moment was nothing compared to the bliss of sliding through the water as a seal. As she was meant to.
The seal opened her eyes and saw beauty stretching out in all directions. An underwater world ready to be explored and delighted in.
But it was not to be.
For the seal remembered. And though she felt alive and whole and free, she knew she didn’t fully belong here.
And someone needed her help.Santiago, I’m coming fer you.
Briony dove deeper, and it wasn’t long before she spotted Santiago and Niall. Locked in a struggle, the two men were oblivious to her presence as she swam up behind them. Santiago tried to escape Niall’s grip and return to the surface, while Niall pushed his opponent downward. At this rate, he was going to drown them both.
Realizing this, Santiago changed tactics and stabbed Niall with Mr. McLaren’s knife. The dagger went into his chest on the left side, undoubtedly close to his heart. Niall grimaced, but he refused to let go even as Santiago pulled out the blade and jabbed at him again. This time, Niall dodged the attack and slammed his hand into Santiago’s wrist, sending the merchant’s only weapon to the sea floor.
Before Niall could do anything more, Briony zoomed forward and sank her teeth into his leg. Niall let out a garbled cry of pain, bubbles of precious air gushing from his mouth.
Niall looked down at his attacker, and his eyes widened in recognition. In that moment of eye contact, two pairs of black eyes stared each other down, one full of envy and the other full of shame.
But then Briony reminded herself of all Niall had done. She reminded herself of what he had taken from her. And she reminded herself he had to be stopped.
Briony bit down harder, feeling bone beneath her teeth. Niall again cried out, but this time, he retaliated with a strike to the top of her head. Briony’s vision went hazy for a second, and she let go of Niall’s leg to reorient herself.
And that was when Niall went after Santiago a second time. The merchant, who had taken advantage of Niall’s distraction to make a break for the surface, once again found himself caught. This time, Niall had a grip on Santiago’s ankle.
But the humans were running out of air. Soon they would slip into unconsciousness, and death would find them.
There wasn’t time to save both of them, not when one of them didn’t want to be saved. Briony steeled herself and went after Niall’s hand on Santiago’s ankle, digging her teeth deep into the flesh.
Niall let out a horrid screech, but he wouldn’t loosen his grip, even as blood flowed freely from the wound. Briony pulled at his hand, and with all the strength she had, she managed to wrench it free.
“Nay! Don’!” Niall’s distorted voice reached her ears as she released his hand and watched him slip deeper into the dark water.
Briony didn’t wait to see if he would try to swim back up. Instead, she turned her attention to Santiago, hoping there was still enough time. The man’s eyes were open, but he wasn’t even trying to reach the surface anymore. In fact, he wasn’t moving at all, and it was as if all the light had faded from his eyes.He does na even seem…
Briony couldn’t finish the thought. She clutched his arm in her mouth and began to ascend.
Please be all right. Please be all right. Just hold on a wee bit longer.
In about thirty seconds, though it felt like hours, Briony’s head burst through the water!
But then a great wave broke over the top of them, sending both seal and man tumbling back below. Briony held on tightly and went careening toward what she hoped was the shore. She waited until they were almost to the beach before coming back up to the open air.
The seal filled her lungs as the sunlight streamed down on them, but there was no intake of breath from Santiago. She pulled him toward the shore, dragging his body onto the sand as the water became shallower and shallower. Until—
Briony released him and turned to look. The man’s eyes were closed, and his chest wasn’t moving.
