It’s #BookQW and matters of the heart offer a ‘surprise’!
More from Chapter 10:
The sound of the surf dropped off as soon as they were over the cliff top. They nestled into a patch of dry grass among the heather. On her knees, Luna murmured to the bird, “There, there,” and hummed while she tucked the shag’s body under one arm and his head under the other. Salm unwrapped his shirt from the shag’s neck. Fishing line wasn’t just snarled around the long neck, it was embedded.
Salm whistled.
The bird squirmed at the sound, and Luna hummed with renewed vigor.
“Sorry, laddie boy, but this is quite the mess you’ve collected. I need wire cutters or something with a smallish nose and cutting action. Even nail clippers would be better than my knife.”
“We have wire cutters, in a kitchen drawer,” Luna said. “I’ve used so much energy already that I hate to magic them here.”
Hadn’t her work with the gull flock to make the capture generated replacement energy? Caring for the injured bird certainly would.
“I could go for them,” he offered, “but wouldn’t it be as fast to carry him there? The line is rather tight. We might need other tools. Let me hold the head while you do a better assessment.” They traded positions, and he held the shag.
Still humming, Luna ran her fingers up and down the neck, poking her fingertips between the crisscrossed lines. She shook her head. “The feathers are damaged on the lower side, and—oops, what’s this…no.” She grimaced. “An abscess. It’ll need to be lanced, and we have no more antibiotics on hand. Our healer, Lady Anemone, can get me more, but I need a dosage. Do you know where Mr. Grouse is this week?”
“Nay, but I can find out.” His family connections for thought-speaking were stronger than with other acquaintances on the Isle of Giuthas. He reached his grandmother, and she called their enclave’s wildlife wizard, Merlin. It took a few minutes for her to get back to them.
“He’s on the mainland,” Salm told Luna. “They’re finding out exactly where.” In his arms, the shag strained toward the cliff edge. “He wants out there again.”
Luna flashed a smile. “Do you blame him? The fresh sea breezes, the tides rolling in your dinner, warm sand to rest upon and the excitement of searching the rock crannies for the perfect nesting spot.”
“Maybe the thrill of fighting off the other shags to win the perfect mate.”
“Exactly!” Luna laughed.
“You’ve watched it all happen here.”
“And more. Storms rolling through, massive flocks turning in unison, the cries of the hungry chicks rising at neap tide, the moor in bloom for miles in every direction, then an hour later, the perfect sunset coloring the ocean in the opposite direction. I can’t imagine a place with more activity or wonder than the sea cliffs.”
Salm grinned, but his heart sank. “It sounds impossible to compete with.”
Luna stilled, her eyes showing surprise. She looked out over the cliff, then back to him. “You, Salm of the Seas, are giving it a fair run. And…” She licked her lips. “On a ship or on the shore, we would never leave the coast far behind.”
***
Luna and Salm appeared in Lost Whisperer of the Seas and now have their own story in Keepers of the Seas Cliffs, releasing in 8 short days! (January 23rd). Read more on its book page, including the first chapters. These stories can be read as stand-alones.
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