I peeked into Ula's room. She was my closest friend here, and also my aunt and confidant. I had so much to tell her. I felt bad about abandoning her at the farewell celebration for Uncle Ren. I couldn't tell her about the plan for Kieran and I to rescue Evan—the more people that knew, the greater the chance that my dad might have found out and stopped us.
At the moment, she seemed to be in a good mood, listening to reggae music and reading a dog-eared Nancy Drew book. Then again, she hadn't realized that I was there yet. I rapped loudly on her door, and she pulled her earbuds out.
"Want to get some fresh air?" I asked.
Her green eyes narrowed in irritation. "Where have you been? You bailed on me the other night."
"I'm sorry." The apology was heartfelt. It was a crappy thing to do. I was so mad at her the first time she left me at an event, and here I did the same thing to her. To be fair, it wasn't as if we were hanging out. She spent the evening with Uncle Ren and his family saying goodbye, so it wasn't like she was alone. I cleared my throat. "I have a good reason."
"I know." Her expression softened. "Evan. Did you find him?"
"No. Ken kidnapped him. They were already gone when we got there."
Ula frowned. "Isn't he the guy who financed Evan's internship?"
"Yes," I said.
"I don't understand."
"I don't either, but I'll tell you what I know." I bit my lip, my thoughts still on my little cousin, Nico, and my uncle and aunt. "Uncle Ren...they made it home okay? Do we know?"
"They're fine," Ula said. She didn't seem worried at all.
"How can you be sure?" I persisted. It wasn't as though Selkies had phones or even email.
"You know my parents' necklaces and how they work?" she asked. I nodded. "Ren has a similar communication with David. A silver chain they wear on their wrists. Have you seen it?"
"Yeah, I guess." I vaguely remembered seeing a flash of silver at my dad's wrist. It almost looked like a watchband.
"All of us have one. They were gifts from our parents, although Brigid, Paddy, and I don't wear ours since we live here. David keeps his on to communicate with Ren, and our other brothers, Murdo and William."
Murdo. William. I repeated the names silently to myself. It was the first time I heard of them. Two more uncles I hadn't even met yet. I forgot that my dad once told me there were seven children in his family. It was difficult to believe I went from my mom being my only family to this large Selkie family. What would Mom have thought? I guessed she would've liked them. I blinked my eyes and forced myself to focus on something else. Thinking about Mom always made me cry. My uncles...where did they live? Did they rule clans like my dad? Did they have wives or kids? I could ask Ula, but that would sidetrack us into a long conversation about family. There would be time to talk about that later. Right now, I needed to update her on what we learned at Ken's house. I took Ula's book and marked her spot. After setting it on the shelf, I offered my hand to pull her up. "C'mon, it's gorgeous outside. Let's go for a walk."
"Okay." She smiled and grasped my hand. The next thing I knew, we were standing on the shoreline and Ula was beaming at me.
"You're really getting good at transporting," I said. While she grinned, something nagged at the back of my mind. "Ula, why is our family the only one in our clan with powers?"
"I don't know. It's always been that way." She gave me a curious look. "Why?"
"You've been practicing transporting, and your abilities have grown stronger." I paced, thinking about what I wanted to say next. "Why couldn't we try to teach the others? Maybe they can do magic, and they just don't know how."
She bit her lip, mulling it over. Finally, she consented. "It's very possible, although David may not agree."
"Why not?" I asked. "He's already agreed to let Kieran and I train the clan on weapons and combat."
Her eyes widened. "He has?"
"We're holding a meeting tomorrow. He made me promise not to force anyone, but those who want to be trained, will be."
"I didn't know about it. Why didn't you tell me?" Ula frowned slightly. I didn't mean for her to feel excluded or unwanted. "Can I participate?"
I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and squeezed. "I just told you. Besides, you don't even have to ask. Of course you can participate."
We walked along the shore. The nearness of the water soothed and irritated me at the same time. I could taste the brine. That small sip made me want more. I longed for the freedom of the waves. My dad and aunt left this morning for the strait. With any luck, they'd find Ken, rescue Evan, and put an end to this. I couldn't live my life in fear, and worrying about Evan was giving me an ulcer.
"Will you?" Ula asked.
"Will I what?"
"Will you teach them magic?"
"I'd like to try." The ability to change forms, the most basic of Selkie magic, was in and of itself wonderful. Yet, the other magic I could perform was amazing—influencing the weather, conjuring items, transporting from one location to another, blocking others from entering my mind, and reading other people's minds if I focused hard enough. I had more abilities than most of my clan. On the other hand, the average Selkie could only change form. If I could help them bring out even a little magic, it would improve their lives and improve Ronac. The island and fortress would be better protected if everyone could defend it and not just Dad's guard. Ula seemed worried though, and I wondered why. "What's the harm in teaching them?"
"If you give them power, they may try to overthrow your dad."
"Nonsense." I paused in my pacing and faced her. "You don't really believe that, do you?"
"No," she answered quickly. "My brother is a fair ruler. There is no reason to overthrow him."
"Exactly." My initial thoughts were of Arren and the other teen Selkies. They were harmless as puppies. I could teach them to fight and protect themselves. It wouldn't hurt to explain about human life, too. Their ignorance made me wince. Which reminded me... "How was the concert?"
I missed the first concert that Arren and his band held at the last Selkie celebration. Given the costumes they were wearing, I could only imagine the probable mashup of songs from Madonna and the Beastie Boys. Not pretty. I wasn't sorry that I missed it, although it might've been entertaining.
Ula shuddered. "As bad as you thought it was going to be. I told you my ears bled the first time I heard them. This wasn't any better. Thanks again for leaving me there."
"Sorry, Ula." I ruined my apology by laughing. The teenage Selkies really had no clue about humans. If I educated them on humanity while teaching defense, we might not have to hide so much. We could blend and, therefore, interact. We certainly wouldn't be just sitting here, waiting for someone or something to attack.
"Meara?" Ula's hand on my arm brought me back to the present. "You were going to tell me something. Was that it? Teaching Selkies magic?"
"You know I went to rescue Evan." When she nodded, I said, "Kieran came with me." Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't interrupt. "We went to the house, but it was too late. They left in a hurry, but everyone was gone. All, except one."
"Who?"
"Evan's professor, Ted Nolan. He was beaten and locked in a cell."
Ula's hands covered her mouth. "Is he okay?"
I shook my head. "He's dead. He died in front of us."
Ula gasped and squeezed my arm. "No! How awful!"
"It was. He looked horrible." Clearing my throat, I added, "He was one of the Blue Men, Ula. He changed before he died to show us."
"What?" Her reaction reminded me of my dad's. She paled in shock and swayed on her feet. "How is that even possible? They can take human form?"
"Clearly, they can," I said. "Ted is the one who told us that Ken has Evan. Ted also said Ken is the leader of the Blue Men."
"Oh, Meara." Ula stopped walking and turned to face me. She searched my face, her eyes full of sympathy. "What are you going to do?"
I shrugged. "What can I do? Dad and Brigid are in the Minch right now. I promised him I wouldn't leave the island. I'm going to do the only thing I can."
"Which is...?" She raised one eyebrow and waited.
"Train the hell out of everyone and build an army." My resolve was set. I would arm our people for success. "The Blue Men won't know what hit them."
****Don't miss the rest of this exciting conclusion to Meara and Evan's story. Always Remembered can be found on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Smashwords.****