again. “It exists, though not in the way it once did.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, feeling panic rising inside me. I had come all this way and now I was so close. It had to exist.
“What do you hope to find there?” Callum asked, ignoring my question.
I didn’t want to tell him about my mama. He didn’t have a right to hear the sad tale of poor Sailor Mooring, abandoned as a baby.
“We’re looking for answers,” Josh said when I didn’t respond. I shot him a warning look, but he went on, ignoring me. “We need to find out what happened the night our father died, and we think the one person who can tell us might be in Hether Blether.”
I was thankful Josh didn’t mention that the person we were looking for was my mother. Callum tilted his head as he examined us.
“What makes you think this person made it to Hether Blether?” he asked. “It is not easy to find, as you already know. If it was, everyone would know where to look for it.”
“She’s been missing for sixteen years,” I said. “She left to go there, and it’s the only clue we have.”
“There were once thousands of finfolk around Orkney. But when humans started migrating to this part of Europe, some left in search of other land to claim. The finfolk in Orkney sing for lost souls, but no one answers.”
Josh and I exchanged a look.
“We sing,” he said. “In Swans Landing—that’s the island where we live—all of the finfolk there sing on the first night of the new moon each month.”
“I suppose it is a little too far away to hear from here,” Callum said. “Has anyone ever answered your call?”
I shook my head. “No. No one ever comes back.”
“One person did,” Josh said. “Mara.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t think the song had anything to do with bringing Mara back to Swans Landing.”
Josh shrugged. “Still, she came back.”
I shook my head, disgusted at Josh for finding an excuse to bring up Mara. How far did I have to swim before I could get away from her?
“It is not likely the person you’re looking for made it all the way from the States back to Hether Blether,” Callum said. “That would be an almost impossible journey.”
“We made it this far,” Josh pointed out. “We only need to finish the last part of the journey.”
“It’s the only place we can start looking for her,” I added. “So will you take us there or not?”
Callum’s green eyes turned darker as he looked at me. Muscles along his cheeks twitched and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. I squeezed my fists together in my lap as I stared back at him, refusing to break his gaze.
Finally, he said, “No.”
All of the air seemed to escape my lungs and my body sunk into the couch. “No?” I repeated, unable to believe I had heard him correctly.
“I left the island five years ago,” he said. “I vowed to never return.”
I had the urge to throw something at him. How could he sit there, so calm and uncaring, while he possibly held the secret to my finally reaching my mother after all these years?
Josh, apparently sensing my near tantrum, reached over and put his large hand over my small ones in my lap.
“We need your help,” Josh said. “If you can’t take us there, can you at least tell us where to go?”
“The island vanishes and moves,” Callum said. “The fog hides it and not everyone can see it. It is only visible at certain times, for the briefest moment, and still, there is no guarantee you’ll reach its shores before it’s gone again.”
All of my hope slipped away at Callum’s words. A vanishing, moving island would be impossible to find.
“We have to try,” Josh said. “On our own, if you won’t help us.”
Callum shook his head. “It will be a wasted effort. But if you insist, there is a way to increase your odds of finding it.”
“How?” Josh leaned forward, practically on the edge of his seat.
“There is a key,” Callum said. “Nothing very significant about it,
“What do you mean?” I asked, feeling panic rising inside me. I had come all this way and now I was so close. It had to exist.
“What do you hope to find there?” Callum asked, ignoring my question.
I didn’t want to tell him about my mama. He didn’t have a right to hear the sad tale of poor Sailor Mooring, abandoned as a baby.
“We’re looking for answers,” Josh said when I didn’t respond. I shot him a warning look, but he went on, ignoring me. “We need to find out what happened the night our father died, and we think the one person who can tell us might be in Hether Blether.”
I was thankful Josh didn’t mention that the person we were looking for was my mother. Callum tilted his head as he examined us.
“What makes you think this person made it to Hether Blether?” he asked. “It is not easy to find, as you already know. If it was, everyone would know where to look for it.”
“She’s been missing for sixteen years,” I said. “She left to go there, and it’s the only clue we have.”
“There were once thousands of finfolk around Orkney. But when humans started migrating to this part of Europe, some left in search of other land to claim. The finfolk in Orkney sing for lost souls, but no one answers.”
Josh and I exchanged a look.
“We sing,” he said. “In Swans Landing—that’s the island where we live—all of the finfolk there sing on the first night of the new moon each month.”
“I suppose it is a little too far away to hear from here,” Callum said. “Has anyone ever answered your call?”
I shook my head. “No. No one ever comes back.”
“One person did,” Josh said. “Mara.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t think the song had anything to do with bringing Mara back to Swans Landing.”
Josh shrugged. “Still, she came back.”
I shook my head, disgusted at Josh for finding an excuse to bring up Mara. How far did I have to swim before I could get away from her?
“It is not likely the person you’re looking for made it all the way from the States back to Hether Blether,” Callum said. “That would be an almost impossible journey.”
“We made it this far,” Josh pointed out. “We only need to finish the last part of the journey.”
“It’s the only place we can start looking for her,” I added. “So will you take us there or not?”
Callum’s green eyes turned darker as he looked at me. Muscles along his cheeks twitched and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. I squeezed my fists together in my lap as I stared back at him, refusing to break his gaze.
Finally, he said, “No.”
All of the air seemed to escape my lungs and my body sunk into the couch. “No?” I repeated, unable to believe I had heard him correctly.
“I left the island five years ago,” he said. “I vowed to never return.”
I had the urge to throw something at him. How could he sit there, so calm and uncaring, while he possibly held the secret to my finally reaching my mother after all these years?
Josh, apparently sensing my near tantrum, reached over and put his large hand over my small ones in my lap.
“We need your help,” Josh said. “If you can’t take us there, can you at least tell us where to go?”
“The island vanishes and moves,” Callum said. “The fog hides it and not everyone can see it. It is only visible at certain times, for the briefest moment, and still, there is no guarantee you’ll reach its shores before it’s gone again.”
All of my hope slipped away at Callum’s words. A vanishing, moving island would be impossible to find.
“We have to try,” Josh said. “On our own, if you won’t help us.”
Callum shook his head. “It will be a wasted effort. But if you insist, there is a way to increase your odds of finding it.”
“How?” Josh leaned forward, practically on the edge of his seat.
“There is a key,” Callum said. “Nothing very significant about it,
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