The Orange Cat and Other Cainsville Tales (Cainsville 3.5)

As for the fae herself, Ricky could just barely make her out under the water, a light blur against the darkness. She'd gotten a serious head start on them, and they had to swim fast underwater just to keep her in view. Then they hit a snag with their pursuit--unlike the fae, they needed a little thing called oxygen.

Liv would never be the first to give in. If he went up, though, she'd follow, and she did. A quick gasp of air and back down . . . to discover they'd lost the fae.

Ricky swore Liv's growl of frustration vibrated through the water as she whipped around, looking in every direction. When he swam past her, his hand scraped rock. When they'd surfaced, they'd been under the rocky overhang, and Liv had found the cavern by jumping from that spot. Presumably, it was nearby. Also presumably, that's where the fae would go to hide.

As he felt his way along the rock, Liv got the idea and did the same, staying within sight. It was Ricky's foot that found the opening first, right when he'd been about to go up for air. He dove down and found that, yes, this was a passage leading into a cavern. He was about to suggest they take turns getting air first, but Liv shot past him through the cavern passage. He followed, and they surfaced, their gasps echoing in the chamber.

When Ricky caught his breath, he said, "I heard what you were saying up top. Cold air? Warm mouth?"

"Are you proving it's really you?" she said. That was a trick they used if they thought she might have passed into a vision.

"That works, too," he said. "But I was just pointing out that I did hear your offer, and I plan to take you up on it. You are forewarned."

"I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't mean it. Rain check?"

He chuckled. "I wasn't going to take you up on it right now. You have a mystery to solve. I'll wait until I can get your undivided attention." He looked around. "So, now we need to find a second passage, right?"

"Correct."

They found that and went through. When they emerged, Ricky looked around and said, "So we have another spooky, dark cavern. Any idea where . . . ?" He turned to see a faint glow behind him. "That way to the castle?"

"I believe so."

They swam until they reached a rocky ledge. Liv hauled herself out, and he paused to watch. She reminded him of the selkies in his gran's fae books. There was one picture he'd been particularly fond of as a boy: a selkie pulling herself onto a rock, transforming as she went, her back end still in seal form, the naked human half, coming out of the water. Unlike in most such pictures, the selkie's hair had not been modestly arranged to cover her breasts. That's exactly what Liv looked like, arching up from the water, hair flowing back, water streaming down. Just a split-second image, but enough for a mental snapshot he'd enjoy later. And possibly convince her to recreate. Which never required much "convincing" with Liv.

Liv climbed onto the rocks, allowing Ricky to enjoy the scene from the rear view before he climbed out.

As he heaved himself onto the ledge, he heard the bells. Liv had described them as tinkling, like wind chimes. That wasn't quite what he heard, but they were definitely bells, light and airy, and as soon as he heard them, he spotted something deep in the cavern, the glow beginning to take form.

A castle? He could say that the basic shape matched--tall and rectangular--but he fought to keep that image out of his head. What he saw was just a glowing shape in the distance. Unreasonably far in the distance, given that they were under a mountain.

"What do you see?" he asked.

"I don't know," said Liv, on all fours as she moved into the cavern. "Not necessarily a castle this time. Something glowing. It's indistinct. Almost . . . shrouded? That's the word that comes to mind."

She was right. It was like seeing the glowing object through fog, wispy gauze throwing the light out of focus. Ricky crawled up alongside Liv. Ahead, that glow continued to waver as the bells continued to ring and--

"It's not fae," he said.

"What?" She looked over her shoulder at him.

"I--"

I don't know why I said that. Which wasn't true. Not really. It only took a moment's reflection to realize where the words came from. If it's weird shit, it must be Arawn.

Ricky peered at the distant glow and listened to the bells, and then he closed his eyes to focus on the image and the sound.

What am I seeing? I feel like it's not fae. Yet it is. It is, and it isn't. Explain.

Arawn remained silent.

Ricky grumbled under his breath and opened his eyes. As he did, he caught movement in the shadows. He turned fast to follow it.

The shadows . . .

What was wrong with the shadows?

Nothing's wrong with them. It's you. You're looking at them the wrong way.