fence for his treat. “You are such a beggar,” she scolded, giving him the carrot she’d stowed in her pocket. Argyll, her father’s huge piebald, lifted his head but chose to stick with the grass he was munching on. He was old now and less apt to make an effort for such things.
The house seemed unusually quiet for this time of day and Airy felt a shiver of apprehension. But then she heard a yell from her brother and her mother’s high-pitched reprimand. She followed the flagstone path around the side of the house spying them hard at work in the vegetable patch.
“There you are,” her mother called, standing up to wipe the sweat from her forehead and leaving a streak of mud behind. “The chives are waiting.”
Maeve was flushed, bright red hair pulling free of the kerchief she’d tied over it. As soon as Airy saw her she wanted to blurt out all her fears, but instead she shooed the thoughts away. Strange island or not, sixteen was too old to be acting like a baby. “Do I need to weed or pick?”
“A little of both,” her father called from a large patch of asparagus. He had on a straw hat that shaded his hazel eyes, a plaid shirt unbuttoned over his cotton T-shirt. Beside him her brother Kenneth played in the dirt, getting mud all over his face and clothes. She shook her head in irritation. As usual he played while everyone else worked. In her opinion he was a spoiled brat.
Airy stepped into the patch of chives and bent down toward the little weeds that threaded through them. As she pulled them out she asked their forgiveness for this act of cruelty. Her mother had warned her about her overactive imagination but she was sure she heard their tiny cries. She gently laid them by the weed pile, pressing their roots into the ground—maybe they could re-root here.
She tried to concentrate on what she was doing but her mind kept wandering back to the sight of the island. Finally she couldn’t stand it another moment and turned toward Maeve. “Mama, what do you think it means that I saw an island that MacCuill couldn’t see?”
Maeve turned and stared at her. “I have no idea. How about we take a walk after dinner and you can point it out?”
It seemed like hours before the meal was finished, the dishes washed and put away and the counters wiped clean. Airy pulled the wool cloak Maeve held out over her shoulders and followed her mother out the door. Even though it was still late summer, the evening breeze off the ocean was chilly.
Airy hurried ahead down the hill and across the river and on toward the beach. Maybe she’d just imagined the entire thing. But once she passed the woods and the horizon came into view the island was right where it had been before. “Do you see it, Mama?” she called, pointing.
Maeve joined her and then stared into the distance. She shook her head.
“But you have to be able to see it. I can’t be the only one!” Airy wailed.
“I’m sorry, Airy. I don’t know what to say. Perhaps this is meant for only your eyes.”
Airy wiped at the tears that were sliding down her cheeks. “But it scares me and I don’t understand it. What does it mean?”
“That’s something for you to figure out. You’re nearly sixteen and will soon come into your own powers. Maybe a trip to your namesake is in order.”
Airy frowned. “Airmid is the goddess of healing and the keeper of the spring—how can she help me? I’d rather talk to Corra.”
Maeve thought for a moment before nodding her agreement. “I can see how disturbed you are, but I don’t think it should worry you. The goddess of prophecy will have an answer.”
Before they headed back Airy took another look at the dark mound that only she could see. It shimmered in the dusky light and if she wasn’t mistaken it had moved closer. She grabbed hold of her mother’s arm, walking next to her all the way back to the house.
Airy was lying in bed unable to sleep when her mother came through the open doorway. “I sent a message through the ether, Airy. Corra will arrive tomorrow. Think about your question. The wording will make a difference to the crane goddess.”
She sat up and pulled her arms around her knees. “Can’t I just ask what the island is doing there?”