The Selkie Enchantress by Sophie Moss Page A

struggled to contain her growing panic. “I’m not your mother, Owen. You’re in shock. I’m going to take you to see a doctor. It’s going to be alright.”
    “Wh-what happened? Where are we?”
    “You’re on Seal Island. Your mother is renting a cottage here for the weekend.” She stood, scooping him up. “We’re going to find her and get you to the doctor. Now!”
    “Wait!” He scrambled out of her arms, catching sight of the book lying in the mud.
    “Owen, leave it!” Caitlin’s voice was edged with panic as she fought to keep her footing in the gusting wind.
    He grabbed for it, wiping the mud off the spine. “I…” He trailed off, cradling the book in his good hand. “I… remember.” He looked up at her, rain streaming down his hood and into his eyes. “I remember!” he shouted over the crash of the sea. “This is why we came here.” He lifted the book up, waving it at her.
    “That’s not why we came here!” Caitlin shouted back. “We came here to fix up the cottage!”
    Owen shook his head. “No.” He fumbled with the pages, flipping through them and then pulling The Little Mermaid book out of his coat. “We came here to talk about the sea witch who comes on land to steal the prince away from his true love!”
    “ What? ” Caitlin shoved at the wet locks of hair plastered to her face. “Owen, what are you talking about?”
    “It’s right here,” he cried, tapping the soaked pages with his frozen fingers. “She steals him away from the girl he’s supposed to be with!”
    “Please, Owen.” Caitlin held out her hand. “That’s only a fairy tale. We need to see Tara, now .”
    “No.” He shook his head, hugging the book to his chest. “You can’t tell her. You can’t tell anyone!” Owen froze when a voice calling his name over the wind reached him. He shoved the books into his pocket, stuffing them away as fast as he could, visibly shaking as his mother ran up the path toward them.
    “Owen, I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
    Caitlin spat rainwater out of her mouth and stared at Nuala in a long white hooded cloak, swirling around her ankles, not a splash of dirt or mud on the hem. She ran to her son, snatching him up into her arms. “Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick about you!”
    Owen held Caitlin’s gaze over his mother’s shoulder, his eyes pleading with her not to say anything.
    Nuala set Owen back down, clutching him to her side and taking a minute to catch her breath. She glanced over at Caitlin. “Has he been with you the whole time?”
    Caitlin nodded.
    “He said he was going to the market and he’d be right back.” Nuala shook her head. “I’ve been all over this island searching for him.” She let out a long breath, pressing a hand to her chest. “Owen, please.” She looked down at her son. “Please, don’t ever do that again.”
    “I won’t,” he mumbled, gripping the front of his jacket and stuffing the books deeper into the folds.
    “He needs to see a doctor,” Caitlin called through the rain.
    “What?” Nuala’s eyes snapped up, her voice panicked. “Why? What’s the matter?” She bent down, cradling Owen’s face in her hands. “What happened?”
    “Nothing,” he said, edging away from her. “I’m fine.”
    Caitlin opened her mouth to protest, but the wind whipped her hood back from her face and rainwater soaked down the back of her neck. Planting her feet against the wind, she fumbled with the twisted rubber material, yanking it back over her face. Her gaze dropped to Owen’s hand and she stared as the faint shimmer of blue faded and he began to wiggle his fingers.
    How? How was that possible? She lifted her eyes to Owen’s. He shook his head, small snaps from side to side, his eyes pleading up at her not to say anything.
    The sea surged, black waves crashing against the rocky coast to the north, spraying white foam into the air. Caitlin swallowed. Why didn’t he want his mother to know about the book? Or