We piled out of our vehicles. The parking strip was empty except for us. I carried the bag of charms and the shell, along with my horn. I had bought a belt to go with my wetsuit and strapped on the homemade sheath I used to carry the unicorn horn.
Camano Island was a long, finger-shaped island that looked a lot like an upside-down comma. It was heavily wooded, with about fourteen thousand people living there year round. Originally a target for loggers, it was now a haven for birdwatchers and tourists. The island boasted a beautiful state park, as well as numerous other public beaches. The Camano Island State Park was composed of 244 acres of camping, with almost seven thousand feet of shoreline. While there were plenty of people here even on a weekday, we should be able to find enough privacy for what we needed to do.
As I shaded my eyes, looking across the rocky beach, I basked in the wind that swept by us. I loved the water as much as I loved the deep woodlands. “There’s a bathroom over there we can use to change in. While I’m not shy, I want to draw as little attention to us as possible.”
“Agreed.” Shade gave a half-shrug. “I’ll get the wetsuits.”
Shimmer, who was almost as tall as Smoky, lifted her chin, inhaling deeply. “The water calls to me. I wish I could turn into my dragon self and fly, but at least they left me my natural form in the water. I think I wouldn’t have much to live for if they hadn’t left me that.” She shook her hair back, the black strands streaked with purple and blue flying as a gust caught them up. “Oh, I am glad I came with you, even if there’s danger. I needed to be by the water today.”
I joined her at the edge of the pavement. Just beyond, the beach started. In Washington State, the beaches along Puget Sound were often rocky and littered with giant trees that had washed in the water long enough to become huge, polished driftwood logs.
“You miss being in the water, don’t you? It’s not like my husband. Smoky’s content on mountain tops or in the city, though he prefers the mountains.”
“He’s a mixed blood—silver and white. They aren’t as tied to an element as I am, or as Shade is tied to the Netherworld. Blue dragons are connected at a core level, at the heart, with the Ocean Mother. She sings to us, she calls us, she summons us, she commands us. Every drop of rain contains her essence. Every bath, every glass of water, every snowflake. All tied to the great tides of the Earth.” She looked almost starry-eyed and it hit me: she didn’t just like the water, she wasn’t just connected to it, but she worshiped and loved it like I worshiped and loved the Moon Mother.
“I think I understand. That’s the way I feel about the Moon Mother. Her essence is in my soul, in my magic. I run with her on the Hunt. I hear her calling to me even in the dark nights when she’s brooding and has turned her face to the earth.” I shivered, folding my arms as I stared at the wide stretch of rocks between us and the water. “I’m not afraid of the water, but I respect her. The Moon Mother rules the tides.”
Shimmer nodded. “You and I, we have this in common. I value the moon for her movements on the ocean. She’s a powerful force. And the ocean, she sings to the moon.”
After a moment, I said, “So, I’d better go get dressed. What will you wear?”
She laughed. “My skin. Well, I’ll come with you. I have a bathing suit on beneath my jeans and top. I won’t need the wetsuit to stay warm.”
I stopped short, realizing how far we would have to swim out. We had to dive deep enough to reach K’thbar and while we had the rough coordinates, it meant going out a distance. While I knew how to swim, I hadn’t been in the water for a while and I felt a pang of fear. What if my stamina gave out? What if I wasn’t as good of a swimmer as I remembered?
Shimmer glanced down at me. “Don’t worry. I will be there. I’m quick enough and alert enough to notice if one of you ends up in trouble. I won’t let you drown, Camille.”
Her words stoking my courage, I looped my arm through hers as we headed toward the bathroom.
I STARED DOWN the neoprene monster. Two attempts and I still hadn’t managed to get it on. I could lace myself into complex corsets, I could manage stilettos on city streets. Hell, I could even run in them. But as I stuck my foot through the leg of the wetsuit, willing myself to try again, I began to think that maybe I could handle the chill of the water.
“This is worse than the one time I tried to fit myself into a pair of Menolly’s jeans. It just didn’t work,” I grumbled, staring at the damned thing. “Can you help me?”