Kira's Secret by Orysia Dawydiak

court” Borin said. “When we told our parents what you said, they just laughed and said to forget it. So that made us mad because no one is ever allowed to talk to us like you did.”
    â€œYeah,” Amelie cut in. “So we stayed just outside the chamber, and we heard old Chance talking to them. It was about the time your parents were fooled into some kind of meeting. The finfolk ambushed them, and put them in prison.”
    Borin shook his head. “What she means is, the finfolk never meant to have a peace conference. It was a trap. And you were supposed to be captured, too, but you got away.”
    Now it was Kira’s turn to shake her head. This was a lot to take in. “Are you saying that my parents are still alive?”
    â€œYes, they’re alive! That’s what Chance, you know, the chancellor, was saying.” Borin looked at Kira with an earnest expression.
    â€œWe had no idea before this,” he continued. “Honestly, if we hadn’t eavesdropped, we would never have known.”
    â€œYeah, so we decided to tell you,” Amelie added. “You still want to find them, don’t you?”
    â€œDo you know where this Hildaland is?” Kira asked.
    Borin scratched his head, covered in the same ropes of hair as his mother and sister. “We’ve never been there, we’re not allowed. But our finfolk friends, the younger lot, they talk about Hildaland all the time. It’s a famous, magical place. They said they’d take us there anytime we liked.”
    Kira pondered this. Those horrid finfolk stories came back to her and she shuddered. If indeed her parents were prisoners of the finfolk, she had a duty to find them and maybe even try to rescue them. But what if it was another trap?
    â€œOkay. I’d like to see this island, but I wouldn’t go alone. It sounds dangerous. And why should I trust you or your finfolk friends?”
    Borin and Amelie exchanged glances. “We’d go with you,” Borin said. “We want to see it, too. That would be a real adventure and our parents wouldn’t even know.” Borin smiled with great pleasure and rubbed his hands together. “Anyway, if they weren’t our friends, the finfolk could have taken us prisoner anytime they wanted to. We can trust them. And we just want to see this place, especially since our parents have lied to us.”
    â€œWe never get to go on adventures,” Amelie piped in. She bobbed up and down with glee. “It will be thrilling!” she squeaked.
    Kira appraised the two merrowlings. They appeared to be sincere. “But you’re already on an adventure. How did you find me? You’re not allowed outside the palace without guards, are you?”
    Amelie snickered. “We were at the top of the play court when we saw you leave. Hardly any guards at that end of the palace. So we followed you, and here we are on a grand adventure.” She rubbed her hands together, mimicking her brother.
    Kira had to choose. Go with these two slippery fish and trust they weren’t taking her into danger, or call her dolphin friends to help find her way back home. She was running out of time. But she had come on a quest to find her real parents, the true king and queen of the merrows. And now she had a chance to do it.
    â€œI have an idea,” she said “Why don’t you ask your friends how far it is, and maybe they can tell us how to find the island. I don’t have time to make a long trip right now. I need to get back home.”
    Borin waved his hands in agitation. “But don’t you want to find your real parents?”
    â€œSure I do. But I’ll come back another time. I don’t want my human parents to worry.”
    â€œLook, I’ll just ask our friends. They said Hildaland is not that far away,” he looked at Kira hopefully.
    â€œI don’t know,” she started.
    â€œI’ll ask them and they’ll tell us.