“Is Heli always gone so late?” I asked Kade.
He glanced around in dismay. “Ray, did Heli come back yet?”
Raiden jerked as if slapped. “Haven’t seen her all day. I’ll check her cave. Maybe she’s sorting her junk.” He lit a lantern and hurried out.
Kade lit a few more lanterns as we waited. Unable to sit still, I hovered near the base of the trail. By Raiden’s worried expression, I knew Heli’s room was empty.
“The sea’s calm today,” Kade said. “No rogue waves or riptides.”
“Maybe she fell and broke her leg or hit her head,” Prin said.
“Which way did she head out?” I asked Raiden.
He shrugged. “She’s always going out. This is the first time she’s been gone so long.”
“She’s alone. Maybe she was attacked,” Prin said.
No wonder Heli had called Prin Ms. Doom and Gloom.
We split into two groups. Raiden, Prin and Tebbs headed north, while Kade, Leif and I turned south. Skippy stayed behind with the still-sleeping Wick just in case Heli bypassed us.
“Signal if you find her,” Kade had ordered.
“How?” Prin asked.
“Send a blast of air and I’ll do the same.”
We marched down the beach. The sand crunched under our boots. Waves shushed in a steady rhythm. We checked caves, inspected shadows and called Heli’s name.
“I keep forgetting how young she is,” Kade said. “She’s been dancing for four years, but she’s only sixteen.”
Leif stopped. He closed his eyes and drew in deep breaths. “Is she…springy? Enthusiastic?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Then she came this way.” He paused. “It’s been a while. No bad scents.”
We continued. The moon crested The Cliffs, casting a pale light over us. Eventually our lantern sputtered and died.
“Now what?” Leif asked.
“We keep going,” Kade said. “Are you still…smelling her?”
“Yep.”
“Let me know if anything changes.”
“Will do.”
My eyes adjusted to the weak moonlight. As I searched for a sign of Heli, I worried she might have drowned. Would the sea deposit her body on the shore like one of her treasures? Did Kade know the currents well enough to trace her through the waves? Now who was being Ms. Doom and Gloom?
“Heli!” Kade cried with delight and ran to a figure up ahead.
By the time I reached them, he had picked her up and swung her around.
“Where have you been?” he demanded when he set her down. She looked like a little girl next to him.
“Out collecting,” she said. “I kept finding these wonderful bits of sea glass.” She held up a bulging mesh bag. “More and more of them all scattered along the beach and well…I guess I went too far. But I couldn’t stop picking them up! The time flew and the next thing I knew, it was too dark to see the glass.” She gave Kade a wry smile. “Just my luck you returned today.” Heli noticed me. “And you brought Opal.” She jumped with glee. “Opal, just wait until you see these pieces. You’re going to die!”
“I nailed it,” Leif said. “Springy.”
I introduced him to the young Stormdancer. Even though she had been busy all day, Heli still had energy to relate to us all her adventures. Before we headed back to the caverns, Kade signaled the others, sending a strong burst of wind up the coast.
Although they chastised her for being gone so long, the others were relieved Heli was safe. She pulled a small table next to the fire and dumped her treasure on it.
Sea glass of different shapes, sizes and colors glittered and winked. The pile beckoned. The desire to hold the pieces and claim them filled me. We were all drawn to the table. The sand and movement of the water had smoothed and polished the bits of broken glass. I picked up a blue piece.
Magic burned my fingers, jolting up my arm and shocking me. I dropped the piece with a cry, but the others grabbed at them, fighting over them. Raiden and even Wick—when did he wake?—clutched pieces as if they were children with candy. Heli scooped a bunch in her hands, yelling at everyone the sea glass was hers.
The arguments turned nasty. Voices grew louder. Soon fistfights would break out.
I pulled at Kade’s sleeve, and shouted for him to stop. But he shoved me away, protecting his hoard. I landed on the ground hard, staring at the horrible scene before me. The violence escalated and I guessed why.
The magic in the sea glass had enchanted them.
16
IF I DIDN’T DO SOMETHING AND SOON, THERE WOULD BE bloodshed. The magic in the sea glass forced everyone to crave it. They all desired the shiny pieces for themselves. Even I had felt the pull. However, as soon as I touched one, I…woke. That didn’t work for the others, who fought and grabbed for the pieces.
The fight bordered on a melee, with Kade and Wick wrestling and Prin punching Raiden. I blocked the ruckus from my mind, and concentrated on what Heli had said about collecting the sea glass. She couldn’t help herself from gathering them until dark.
I glanced at the fire. If I doused it, would the ensuing darkness work? A null shield would be perfect. Unfortunately, Skippy struggled with Ziven. However, Leif knew how to erect one.
Leif crawled on the floor, picking up the dropped glass. I pounded on his shoulders and screamed in his ear. He batted me away as if I were an annoying fly. In desperation, I straddled his back and cupped my hands over his eyes, pinching his nose tight, too. Leif’s magical senses involved smells. If he couldn’t smell, perhaps he wouldn’t be influenced by the sea glass’s magic.