Page 70 of The Secret of Drulea Cottage

Several village men were racing across the beach, yelling and waving knives at the seals. Briony’s vision was hazy, but she recognized Mr. Stubbins, Mr. Levins, Mr. McGuff, and Laird Oliver among the group.

But the shrieks weren’t coming from them. They were coming from—

“Alastair!” Briony cried. The boy’s left leg was in the large seal’s mouth, and one of the other seals held his right leg. They were shaking him and dragging him toward the sea! Blood darkened the sand as Alastair got farther and farther away, all the while screaming for help.

It was only then that she noticed how dark the sky had gotten. It looked like it was about to rain buckets of water on everyone, and the clouds were sparking with lightning.

The villagers reached the seals just before Alastair’s head was submerged in the water. They wasted no time in attacking the seals, stabbing at them in a wild fury. The animals released Alastair immediately and bit at their assailants a few times before trying to escape. The two smaller ones were successful, but the large one got stuck between Laird Oliver and Mr. Stubbins.

“Briony!” The pounding of feet hit Briony’s ears, and she turned from the horrific scene before her.

The voice belonged to her mother, who was charging across the beach. “Get away from them!”

Briony tried to obey, but a burst of pain in her leg made her slip and end up on her side again. The alpha seal yelped, drawing her attention to it.

The beast was staring straight at her, its deep eyes full of distress.

“Briony!” Bethany shouted again. The woman reached her daughter and stood in front of her, blocking Briony’s view of the seal.

But not her view of the third man’s back. Someone new had joined Laird Oliver and Mr. Stubbins in the water, knife high in the air. He slammed it down into the seal’s body, and a deafening howl came from the animal’s throat.

Briony could hardly process what had just happened; all she knew was that it was the saddest sound she’d ever heard in her life. Tears flooded her eyes until she could see nothing but blurs. “Mum, wha—”

“Don’ talk, dearest. We must leave.” Bethany sounded choked too as she lifted Briony and held her close.

“But what about the boy? Is he safe?”

“Who? Alastair? The men got him and are taking him to the doctor.”

“Nay, na him…The boy!Did he get away?” she moaned weakly.

“There’s no other boy here, Briony…” The voice trailed off as Briony fell into unconsciousness.

*

As Briony came to, the first thing she noticed was pressure on her hand. Then she heard someone speaking.

“Briony?” The voice sounded funny in her ears, almost as if she was underwater.

She slowly opened her eyes, blinking a few times until her vision cleared. She was lying in her bed, and someone was standing over her. “Doctor! What are you doing here? What happened?”

Dr. Ewan Sherwin released her wrist. “According to Mr. Mendes, you fainted about two hours ago. Yer pulse seems normal, though, and you don’ look ill. Do you feel well? Do you remember what happened?”

Briony placed her hand on her head.Everything’s fuzzy. The last thing I remember is the party. I was dancing with Niall, and—

Briony gasped as the rest of the night came back to her: Niall’s claim about their shared heritage, his accusations of the town, the freak thunderstorm.

And the dream.

Nay, na a dream. A memory. All o’ that really happened. Those were the things I’ve never been able to remember. The things I did na wish to remember.

The seal that day… Was he my father? Am I truly a selkie?Briony shook her head in disbelief.

Dr. Sherwin held out a glass of water, which she readily drank. Right then she would have gladly taken something much stronger, anything to numb the feelings and slow the thoughts rattling in her brain.

“I remember—”

“You’re awake!” Santiago barged in and knelt next to her. His smile brightened the room as he squeezed her hand, paying no mind to the doctor’s disapproving gaze. “I was so worried! I didn’t know what to do, so I got Dr. Sherwin.”