Kira's Secret by Orysia Dawydiak Page B

floor, noting landmarks they passed by. She might have to return this way, she thought, and she had no other way of marking directions if their escort decided not to return with them.
    The finfolklings turned out to be tight-lipped; they did not show their teeth and they did not speak much. When they did speak, they only addressed her cousins. At first she felt left out and a little hurt. But she reasoned that they were not the most pleasant creatures she’d ever met, and likely she wouldn’t enjoy them as friends. Anyway, she was used to being excluded by human kids her age, so it was nothing new to her.
    They slowed down to eat once again, just as Kira felt she couldn’t go any farther. This time she watched the finfolk fish, and managed to catch her own supper. As she was chewing on her seaweed sandwich, she noticed a few seahorses dancing by. She shooed them away before the others saw the tiny creatures.
    â€œHow much farther, Borin?” she asked her cousin as they prepared to speed up again.
    â€œThey told me it wasn’t very far now, much less than a meal’s swim away.”
    â€œOkay, but I don’t want to swim right up to this island prison, because they’re sure to have some nasty guards, maybe with weapons. I want to come up to the surface to have a look from way off. Then I need to get back home. Can you make sure they know that?”
    â€œOf course,” Borin assured her, and he zoomed off.
    Kira nodded, thankful, but still a little apprehensive. She watched Borin ahead of her, conversing with the finfolklings. A meal-to-meal swim was a good way to measure distance underwater, she supposed. No one had watches and there was no sun or moon to gauge the time of day or night.
    They swam for about half an hour when Kira noticed the entire group waver and shudder. She slowed down and tried to attune her ears to any new sounds. Then she picked it up—the distant crashing surf on land ahead.
    Kira stopped and the finfolklings around her scowled, waving their arms at her to continue. She shook her head, and before they could react she shot straight up to the surface. She figured she’d only have a few seconds to look around before they caught up to her if they decided to follow.
    As she broke into the air she saw an island in the distance. It appeared to have a mountain in the middle, with a band of green at its base. The shore was rocky, with a few narrow lighter-coloured strips, sandy beaches perhaps. But what was even more remarkable was the fog—a thick wall of fog surrounded the entire island, and she was just on the inside of it. Nothing was visible on the other side of that soupy grey mist.
    A head popped up beside her, then another and another. She heard snapping, growling noises and noticed that the heads had developed dark scaly snouts and long, gleaming teeth. Kira felt herself being tugged back under the water, but she didn’t resist. In fact, she twisted herself so she was diving back down, head first, using all her strength to propel herself as fast and far as she could.
    The tactic worked. Clawed hands broke free from her tail as she lashed it against the finfolklings who tried to restrain her. Kira screamed as she beat her tail, “Swim away, it’s a trap!” She had no idea if Borin and Amelie were in on it, or also surprised. She didn’t plan to wait around to find out. She was certain that if the finfolk wanted her to go to the island, it was a bad idea. She was not going to prison!

Chapter Sixteen—
Flight
    Kira did not look back, not for a long time. She swam fast, with a clear head and focus. She remembered her first dream of swimming underwater, escaping the giant dog and predatory fish. This time she kept a different image in mind, that of the medusa in pursuit. Only this version was not a beautiful woman with snaky hair, but a scaly head with a pointed, greenish snout and sharp, metallic teeth. Meanwhile, her eyes scanned the