He wasn’t as sure. “If we were to let go, do you think we’d fall to the ground?”
“Only one way to find out.” She sent him a timid smile.
Fin closed his hands around her waist and eased his frame from hers. He let one hand drop to his side and felt a shift of weight lurch from beneath him.
His fingers gripped her stable hip. Her hands reached out and grabbed hold of him. He floated higher. Without a doubt, he’d fall to the floor without her hold.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
She drew in a deep breath and nodded once. Her hands lifted away from his forearms.
Fin braced for impact and let go.
He crashed to the ground, his arms ready to catch Liz. She leaned forward as if to catch him and slowly floated down. When her feet touched the carpet, the flames dwindled into nothingness.
After scrambling to his feet, Fin clasped onto her hand.
“Wow. Talk about intense,” Selma exclaimed. “Is it always like this with you two?”
“No,” Fin said.
“Yes,” Liz contradicted at the same time. “Come on, Fin, everyday is another crazy series of events with this family.”
“Maybe of late.”
“Yeah, well, all I can go on is what I’ve seen. Of late, nothing is normal. Nothing is easy.” Liz collapsed onto the sofa taking Fin with her.
“You can let go, love.”
“And sail to the ceiling again? I don’t think so.
What is happening with me? I’m going to have to wear a lead vest before going outside.”
He wasn’t going to point out that she’d kept his weight in the air as well. A heavy object wasn’t likely to keep her grounded.
“You need to channel your gift, Liz,” Selma told her. “Pretending it isn’t there or denying it will result in what just happened.”
“Floating without cause?”
“Or worse.”
The palm of Liz’s hand grew damp. Fin patted her fingers with his free hand. “You should spend some time trying to control this new power.”
“We don’t have time right now, Fin. We have to get back.”
He felt her panic and added his own. “I’m working on the how, now. Why don’t you and Selma work together to force your power into submission.”
She opened her mouth to argue.
He cut her off. “I’ll work on this.” He picked up the paper and waved it at her. “You work on that.
Flying above the heads of people here or back home would be difficult to explain. ’Tis best you master things soon.”
She ran a shaky hand through her hair. “You’re right.”
Fin smiled. “Would you mind saying that again, love?”
Liz snatched her hand away from his, the fire returned to her eyes. “Don’t press your luck.”
He chuckled at the retreating backs of the women as they left the room.
Chapter Twenty
The large metal cylinder held enough wood to keep the fire going for several hours. They’d watched the amber glow of the horizon fade into a deep blue over the ocean. The only people left on the beach were those surrounding bonfires and enjoying a few adult beverages.
Selma sat beside Jake and Fin held Liz between his legs, her back against his strong chest. He drew lazy circles on her jean-clad thigh and listened to Selma talk of her life.
They were running out of time, Lizzy knew it.
She’d worked with Selma for hours with her new gift. The more frustrated she became, the quicker Liz was to find her ass floating above the ground.
Luckily, with a little focus she could manage to plant her feet back to earth. If everything didn’t feel so dire, Liz would be happy to explore her new power.
How high could she go? How fast?
They’d exhausted their theories on how to get back. The tapestry had to hold some answers, but the answers eluded them. Maybe after a good night’s rest the answers would come.
The waves crashed on the beach. The nearly full moon cascaded light on the white-capped water giving it a silver glow. Something inside Liz’s mind clicked. She stilled and sat forward.
“What is it?” Fin asked sitting up along with her. She wasn’t sure. Like a word sitting on the tip of your tongue, Liz reached for awareness. “Something about the water, the glow of the moon.”
“There’s a lot to be said about the lunar pull.
Legends have been built on full moons for centuries,”
Selma pointed over to a group of people who’d set up a telescope nearby. “I wonder if anything is happening in the sky that may give us a clue.”
“Oh, man. Next you’re going to ask everyone their sign.” Jake rolled his eyes.
“You’re a real killjoy, Jake. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“Yeah, my ex-wife. Right before the divorce.”
“She and I would get along great.”
Liz blocked out their squabbling and stared at the moon. The answer was there, she could taste it.
“Sometimes when I’m trying to solve a problem, focusing on another one allows my brain to rest enough to see the solution for the first.” Selma stood and placed her back to the fire searching for warmth. “Has your family considered what to do to destroy Grainna?”
“We’re in constant debate on the subject,” Fin told her.
“How can you kill someone who’s immortal?”
Jake chuckled. “For someone who claims to be up on legends, you don’t pay much attention to pop culture.”
“Meaning?”
“All the vampire flicks on TV right now.”
“I don’t think a stake through Grainna’s black heart is going to destroy her. Besides, she’d be impossible to get that close to.”
Fin agreed. “Still, the Ancients said to consider this time when finding a way to destroy her.”
Liz remembered the visit from Elise well. She appeared like a goddess in gold light, her voice was like a thousand voices of a choir. She’d told them they were the chosen, the only ones who could destroy Grainna. Her cryptic riddle didn’t give them a lot to go on and frustrated them more than helped.
“If a stake isn’t going to do it, then cremation or beheading should do the trick.”
“It’s a good thing you’re talking about someone who doesn’t exist in this time, or I’d have to haul you all in,” Jake took a swig from his beer and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“You’re all talk, Jake.”
Liz leaned back into Fin’s arms. “We’d have to hold Grainna down to set her on fire. She would just shift into a raven and fly away.”