“Come inside.”
Inside, the front room was small and dark. The sun barely made it through the thin curtain over the one window to light the room. The furniture was old and mismatched, a few chairs and side tables scattered almost at random throughout the room, as if they’d been added only as an afterthought and without much care.
Josh and I sat down on an old small couch covered with a ragged afghan. Callum eased himself into a chair across from us, still clutching his mug in his hands.
The room was quiet for a long moment, then Josh said, “Can you tell us about your sister?”
I cast an impatient look at him. He had come here to ask Callum about his family?
Callum looked amused. “What about her?”
“You told Sailor that your sister was a ‘gem from the ocean.’ What exactly do you mean by that?”
The two stared at each other for a long moment, neither speaking or moving. Somewhere within the house, I could hear the tick of a clock, slow and steady.
“She was a beautiful, kind woman,” Callum said at last. “Kinder than she should have been in many cases. Patient and accepting.”
“Anything else?” Josh asked.
“What else do you think there might be?” Callum responded.
“Something more,” Josh said.
Callum’s gaze drifted to me and I swallowed hard. “Your sister is something more than what she seems, is she not? What did you say your last name was? Mooring?”
I wasn’t sure whether to confirm or deny this, but Josh nodded. “Yes, she has her mother’s family’s name. I have our father’s name. We’re half-siblings.”
Callum took a slow sip from his cup. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.
“People say these islands are magic,” he said after a moment. “Strange things happen around here. People vanish without a trace. Whole islands appear and disappear within the sea.”
I knew if I let this go on, they’d continue this stupid dance around the truth all day, each trying to outsmart the other. This was stupid. Callum had already heard me sing, and he must have known what the song was.
“Tell us what you know,” I said, crossing my arms.
Now Callum’s bright green eyes flicked to me. “I might, if you ask the right questions.”
“Are you always this irritating, or are we special?” I let out a frustrated sigh, then said, “What do you know about finfolk?”
Now Callum’s smile stretched wide and he had the look of a contented cat about to trap its prey. “Now we can get somewhere.” He pointed at me. “You are as finfolk as they come.” He looked back at Josh. “And I would assume you are as well, though you don’t have a finfolk name.”
“I am,” Josh admitted. “Through my great-grandmother on my father’s side.”
“Do you know what her last name was?”
“Moray,” Josh answered.
I couldn’t hide my surprise at this. I’d known our daddy was finfolk through his grandmother, but I hadn’t known which family she came from since I knew so little about him. The Morays were no longer in Swans Landing. The last of them had left when I was young, unable to deal with the harassment finfolk endured back home.
“I knew some Morays once. Good people.” Callum set his cup on a table and leaned forward. “Aye, Pearl was more than ordinary. Like you, she was finfolk.”
“And so are you,” Josh said.
Callum inclined his head once. “I was, at one time.”
I blinked, not understanding his words. “You were? What does that mean? How could you stop being finfolk?”
“Genetically, I am still finfolk,” Callum said. “But I can no longer take the form. I’m banished, an outsider, and therefore I have no right to claim the heritage. I have been...remade.”
“Banished from where?” Josh asked.
My breath got stuck somewhere in my chest when Callum said, “Hether Blether. The vanishing isle.”
We were silent for a long time, each staring at the other but afraid to speak.
“So it does exist,” Josh said at last.
Callum nodded
Inside, the front room was small and dark. The sun barely made it through the thin curtain over the one window to light the room. The furniture was old and mismatched, a few chairs and side tables scattered almost at random throughout the room, as if they’d been added only as an afterthought and without much care.
Josh and I sat down on an old small couch covered with a ragged afghan. Callum eased himself into a chair across from us, still clutching his mug in his hands.
The room was quiet for a long moment, then Josh said, “Can you tell us about your sister?”
I cast an impatient look at him. He had come here to ask Callum about his family?
Callum looked amused. “What about her?”
“You told Sailor that your sister was a ‘gem from the ocean.’ What exactly do you mean by that?”
The two stared at each other for a long moment, neither speaking or moving. Somewhere within the house, I could hear the tick of a clock, slow and steady.
“She was a beautiful, kind woman,” Callum said at last. “Kinder than she should have been in many cases. Patient and accepting.”
“Anything else?” Josh asked.
“What else do you think there might be?” Callum responded.
“Something more,” Josh said.
Callum’s gaze drifted to me and I swallowed hard. “Your sister is something more than what she seems, is she not? What did you say your last name was? Mooring?”
I wasn’t sure whether to confirm or deny this, but Josh nodded. “Yes, she has her mother’s family’s name. I have our father’s name. We’re half-siblings.”
Callum took a slow sip from his cup. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.
“People say these islands are magic,” he said after a moment. “Strange things happen around here. People vanish without a trace. Whole islands appear and disappear within the sea.”
I knew if I let this go on, they’d continue this stupid dance around the truth all day, each trying to outsmart the other. This was stupid. Callum had already heard me sing, and he must have known what the song was.
“Tell us what you know,” I said, crossing my arms.
Now Callum’s bright green eyes flicked to me. “I might, if you ask the right questions.”
“Are you always this irritating, or are we special?” I let out a frustrated sigh, then said, “What do you know about finfolk?”
Now Callum’s smile stretched wide and he had the look of a contented cat about to trap its prey. “Now we can get somewhere.” He pointed at me. “You are as finfolk as they come.” He looked back at Josh. “And I would assume you are as well, though you don’t have a finfolk name.”
“I am,” Josh admitted. “Through my great-grandmother on my father’s side.”
“Do you know what her last name was?”
“Moray,” Josh answered.
I couldn’t hide my surprise at this. I’d known our daddy was finfolk through his grandmother, but I hadn’t known which family she came from since I knew so little about him. The Morays were no longer in Swans Landing. The last of them had left when I was young, unable to deal with the harassment finfolk endured back home.
“I knew some Morays once. Good people.” Callum set his cup on a table and leaned forward. “Aye, Pearl was more than ordinary. Like you, she was finfolk.”
“And so are you,” Josh said.
Callum inclined his head once. “I was, at one time.”
I blinked, not understanding his words. “You were? What does that mean? How could you stop being finfolk?”
“Genetically, I am still finfolk,” Callum said. “But I can no longer take the form. I’m banished, an outsider, and therefore I have no right to claim the heritage. I have been...remade.”
“Banished from where?” Josh asked.
My breath got stuck somewhere in my chest when Callum said, “Hether Blether. The vanishing isle.”
We were silent for a long time, each staring at the other but afraid to speak.
“So it does exist,” Josh said at last.
Callum nodded
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