As Amrita strode away to face her next magical snafu, the tension between Will and Zani was palpable.
“We need to talk about this,” Will said once they heard the door to Amrita’s office close. “About your deal with Cosimo.”
“I know,” Zani said. “And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I just... didn’t know how.”
“After everything we’ve been through?” Will couldn’t keep the hurt from his voice. “I thought we were past keeping secrets from each other.”
“Do you still want to go to the festival?” Zani asked. “Amrita seemed certain we should be there.”
“I don’t know about that. It feels like the bloodstone has dominated our entire relationship, and now it’s driving a wedge between us,” Will said, the weight of it all pressing down on him. “Maybe it truly is cursed.”
Zani didn’t flinch at his words this time. She stood stock still, arms folded. “So that’s it? You’re just going to walk away from all this? I thought you didn’t believe in curses.”
“No.” Will shook his head. He wished he could shake his whole self, and shake off the terrible feelings he was feeling. He wanted to run away. But it wasn’t an option. “I can’t ignore what’s at stake.”
“Good. And I still want to go back to the train,” Zani said curtly. “To the moment the stone was stolen. We might find answers there, we could find the stone.”
Will’s frustration boiled over. “And if you found it? What then? Are you still planning to give it to Cosimo?”
“I don’t know. I made a deal, Will.” Zani’s voice was small but steady. “My word means something. Maybe that’s what I’m supposed to do.”
“Even knowing what he plans to do with it? What it could do to the ley lines?” Will was incredulous.
“Well, I wouldn’t just hand it to him and walk away! Of course I’d try to talk to him,” Zani insisted. “Reason with him. Appeal to his better nature.”
Will laughed wretchedly. “And what makes you so sure that creature has one? I’m not sure he has any humanity left.”
The silence that followed was heavy with unspoken words and hurt feelings.
“I think I need some space,” Will finally said. “I’ll take you back to the Mudpuddle now, but maybe you should make other plans to travel to the festival.”
“What about contacting Burnside about the photo?” Zani asked, her voice resigned.
“I’ll think about it,” Will said, not meeting her eyes. “But I’m not making any promises.”
With that, he knelt, giving her time to climb onto his back. In the brief nothingness, it was just the two of them again, but he had never felt more alone. The familiar sensation of movement through empty space failed to distract him from the hollow feeling in his chest. For the first time since he and Zani had begun their adventure together, Will wondered if some connections, no matter how strong they seemed meant to be, could be severed after all.
Chapter27
Time and Tide
Two days had passed since Goldie’s strange encounter with Cosimo. Her conversation with Cosimo haunted her. He’d disappeared before she could demand clarification, leaving behind only cryptic riddles and the hint of centuries-old regret. Two days of questions with no complete answers that made sense to her.
Her mind buzzed with fragments of recovered memories and the bizarre revelation that she was, of all impossible things, a mermaid. The proof was sitting beneath her bed in the film reels. And it was confirmed by her own body’s recent post-seawater transformation. But a century of believing herself human made the truth seem more like a fever dream.
Goldie pushed open the heavy door of the Los Angeles Central Library, stepping out onto the street and into the afternoon heat. The glare of the sun made her sneeze. The scent of dusty old books and disappointment clung to her clothing. She’d gotten more than a few strange looks that morning, and it had taken her a moment to puzzle out why. Her tailored sweater set and sensible rubber-soled leather loafers looked perfectly acceptable to her elderly self. But now it was all wrong. She appeared to be borrowing her country-club bound grandmother’s clothes.
She’d ignored the curious stares and managed to stay on task. But despite hours poring over obscure references to sapphires and cursed gems, hoping to identify the odd necklace taken from the bassinet in her vision, she’d found nothing even remotely similar.
“Another dead end,” Goldie muttered, adjusting her oversized sunglasses.
Locating Burnie had proven equally fruitless. No public records, no property listings, not even a phone number. It was as if her mother’s half-brother hadn’t existed at all. Which, given what she now knew about her own origins, seemed increasingly possible. The Maine property that she recalled so fondly was now the site of a strip mall. The theaters he’d owned showed no records with his name. Who was her uncle, really?
* * *
The ferry rideback to Catalina was mercifully empty, allowing Goldie to sit outside, alone with her thoughts. She closed her eyes, the gentle rocking of the boat and the hum of the motor comforting and familiar. She felt the wind lift her hair and smiled at the gulls that trailed in the boat’s wake. With every wave, the boat crested and conquered, water slapped against the hull, knocking the sides of the boat in a rhythmic greeting. The sound was like music to her ears—a melody in a foreign language that she almost understood. She’d always loved that sound, along with the sound of waves crashing. She’d loved the insistent call of the water despite her alleged allergy.
A lifetime spent avoiding the very element that, it now seemed, was her birthright. More than that. It was part of her lifeforce.
