Wild Irish Heart (The Mystic Cove Series Book 1) by Tricia O'Malley Page B

panic.
    "Okay, okay. I got it. Respect the cove. I will do as you say." Keelin ran her hand gently down Fiona's arm. She would reserve her opinions on the cove for later.
    "The cove has a long and varied history. I'm sure your mother filled you in on most of it. All I can say is that the cove has power. Whether the chalice lies there or not, the cove will reveal its secrets to whom it chooses. Some come here for help in becoming pregnant. Others come to take the water for healing those who are gravely ill. Only those who properly respect it will walk away unscathed. You can only enter these waters with a purity of purpose. Treasure hunters are often hurt or killed. Grace's Cove is as close as you can get to sacred waters. Grace O'Malley made her living on the water and while she was a ruthless woman, she pledged her heart to the sea, and the sea alone. Her greatest gift to it was coming to this cove and enchanting it. At the end of her life, she came here to rest in these waters."
    Keelin had always loved folklore, especially those tales related to the sea. Pirates, sirens, and mythology always enraptured her and left her usually logical mind daydreaming for hours. She had a fiercely romantic side that often left her in tears.
    "She came here to be at one with her only love she could trust – the sea," Keelin murmured. Her eyes pricked with a soft sheen of tears. There was something so very sad about how Grace O'Malley chose to end her life yet at the same time, it was strangely romantic. Keelin understood the call of the sea. The sea was a tempestuous woman, roughly angry one day, silkily soothing another. No other natural phenomenon reflected their moods as deeply as the sea. It was beauty. It was wrath. It was everything. Keelin could identify with Grace's last wish. To become a part of – one with – the sea was enchanting. Keelin's blood hummed at the thought.
    Fiona led Keelin over a rocky path that wound through the pastures with the punk-rock sheep. The gentle breeze picked up speed as they neared the cove and the seabirds circled looking for their lunch. They approached the edge of a ledge and Keelin gasped as her soul sang.
     

     
     
    Chapter Nine
     
     
    The cove stretched before them, its waters a crystal blue hugged by jagged cliffs. The steep cliffs cupped the water and allowed a small opening for boats in the exact middle of the cove. The cliffs tapered in a perfect half-circle, meeting at a small sand beach, hundreds of yards below them. A small path crossed the cliff below them, switch-backing down the steepness of the ledge. The cove was impossible in its beauty, untouched in its rawness, and so quietly alone. There should have been people on the beach, dogs running, and kids splashing in the water. Nothing marred the beauty of the beach. The birds flew over, never dipping into the water. The hum in Keelin's blood increased.
    "Welcome to Grace's Cove. You'll be safe walking along the path. It isn't until you reach the beach that you should be concerned. We'll begin our protection at the beach."
    "Grandma, do you hike this by yourself? This is not an easy climb." Keelin's breath huffed out as she began the walk down.
    "Ah, you Americans. This is but a small walk. Try climbing Mt. Brandon if you'd like a nice hike." Fiona breezed on down, years of hiking the hills making her steps confident. Keelin followed more slowly. Her klutzy side was bound to make her trip and go rolling off the path to meet her death on the sharp rocks below.
    Keelin watched as her grandmother gathered flowers on the way down. She kept up a constant lesson of various herbs and bushes, and Keelin began to notice that many of them were tied with ribbons.
    "What are the ribbons for?" Keelin asked.
    "I harvest herbs based on the moon and other astrological elements."
    Keelin laughed.
    Her grandmother stopped and looked at her. She shook her head and kept walking. Keelin could have sworn she heard her say, "There is more to heaven and