Halfway down, she felt a sudden wave of dizziness. She reached out to steady herself, and Jack caught her arm. “You okay?” he asked.
“Just…one sec…”
It faded. She took a deep breath of salty sea air.
On her shoulder, Steve chirped worriedly.
“I’m fine,” she said. “Let’s keep going.” She didn’t know what that was about. Maybe they were at a different altitude here? Or maybe there was something in the air that was messing withher balance. Jack seemed fine, though. She shook her head to clear it and marched onward. In a few minutes, they reached the edge of the village.
At the edge of town was an empty house: broken windows, a brick chimney covered in lichen, and a front door that swung wide in the wind. Inside she could see an overturned table and a thick layer of dust, as well as an old-fashioned TV with a shattered screen.
The second house looked lived-in. It had an herb border in front that looked well cared for (after all their yard work, she could tell immediately that someone had weeded these plants), as well as a pair of boots next to the door, but the windows were dark and there was no sign of movement.
The third building was larger and had dirty white walls, heavy shutters that framed the windows, and a trellis with roses so deeply red they looked black. It was three stories tall and boasted an array of antennae on its roof between its brick chimneys. An inn, maybe? Or a restaurant? It had a stone sign planted in front of it with no words but an image of a turtle. Warm amber light glowed in the windows, and Calisa heard the buzz of voices within.
Calling something unintelligible to someone inside, a woman came out backward. She was carrying a basket on her hip, and she turned as soon as she was through the door—and froze. She stared at them, and they stared at her. Her eyes were black, her hair was white, and instead of skin she was covered in silvery scales, not unlike the sea dragon. Without a word, she darted back inside the building.
“Okay, so they’re not overly friendly here,” Calisa said.
Close to her ear, she heard a rumbling from Steve’s stomach vibrating against her neck and wondered if that was his version of a growl.
“Should we leave?” Jack asked.
“Auntie Zee could be in there.” Or she could have passed through. Someone in this village might have seen her and know where she is. “We have to try to talk to them.”
“She literally saw us and fled.”
“We could try a different house?”
Before they could decide what to do, the woman rushed out again, this time pulling a man with her. He also had silvery scales, as well as a white beard that was so fine and wispy that it looked to be made of silk strands. They halted and stared at Jack and Calisa. Pointing at them, the woman flapped her hands and began whispering urgently to the man.
Calisa stepped forward and cleared her throat. “We’re looking for an older woman, my great-aunt. Everyone calls her Auntie Zee. We think she might—”
Staring at Jack, the man interrupted. “You’re right. He looks just like Thomas.”
Thomas? Who—
Beside her, Jack went as still as the statue. “You know my father?”
Exhaling so loudly that she sounded like a gust of wind, the silvery-scaled woman pointed toward the water. She had light webbing between her fingers. “He’s on the sea.”
Calisa turned to look out at the white-crested waves. Theclouds had gathered above them, and it looked as if it was about to burst into rain. The horizon was streaked with gray and purple. For all she knew, that was how it always looked here.
Jack’s father?
Was this why the statue had pointed to this door? Not because of Auntie Zee, but because of Jack’s father, Thomas? Could this have been the door he’d gone through, the one that Auntie Zee hadn’t been able to open? Her heart pounded so fast that it felt ready to fly out of her rib cage. She couldn’t imagine how Jack must be feeling—the hope leaping inside him so hard it had to hurt.
“He’s been missing….” Jack’s voice cracked. He swallowed hard, as if the words were lodging in his throat. “He was supposed to be gone three days. It’s been three years. We opened the portal…. She opened it…. This is Calisa. I’m Jack, Thomas’s son. What do you mean he’s on the sea? Doing what? When will he be back?”
“He’ll be back with the tide,” the man said. “He’s taken to fishing. Has quite a knack for it. Rigged up a better kind of net with a pulley. He’s been talking about designing a new kind of lobster trap. You’re his son?”
Jack nodded, as if unable to speak.
“Extraordinary.”
“He’ll be so pleased,” the woman said, pressing her hands to her heart. “Overjoyed. You cannot imagine what he’s gone through, thinking he’d never see you again.”
“I’m sorry,” Calisa said, “but who are you?”
