The moment her feet left the sand, Sarah began to swim. Her body shook with each stroke, but she forced herself to keep going. Just a little farther. Just to the big rock that lines up with the lighthouse. She could see it now, the rounded top poking up out of the water like the head of a submerged giant. Another stroke and another, and at last her hand slapped against the slick stone. Her breath came quick, and her shivering had subsided slightly with the exertion of her swim. Around her shoulders, she could feel her hair floating and tickling against her neck. Mrs. Gullwithe will have another fit about the loss of those hairpins. She didn’t really care at the moment.

Keeping a hand pressed to the rock, Sarah took a deep breath and plunged underwater. It was pitch black, so she used her hands to feel along the rock as she swam downward. Suddenly the rock vanished from beneath her fingers. Sarah kicked harder, pulling herself down and forward into the hidden hole that had been carved into the rock. Soon her head was bursting out of the water into a little pocket of air. She opened her mouth and drew in several deep breaths, shaking the water from her face.

A light flared in the darkness, throwing deep shadows on the domed rock above her. Sarah blinked, eyes stinging a little, then looked toward the source of the light as her sight adjusted. A hand reached out for her, and she took it, allowing herself to be pulled through the water until she bumped into something soft and warm.

“Vand,” she said, wrapping her arms around him as she bobbed in the water. “I’m sorry I’m late. Mrs. Gullwithe was watching more closely than usual.”

“I am glad you were able to get away,” Vand said, returning the embrace. “You are cold.” He released one arm and reached up to his neck. A series of long necklaces hung there, small shells strung together on old strands of rope. Lifting one over his head, he draped it gently around Sarah’s instead. It settled comfortably against her skin, the larger shell in the center giving it weight as it hung against her chest in the water. At once she felt warmer; she didn’t know exactly how, but something about wearing the necklace shielded her body against the cold.

“Thank you,” she said. “How are the seas tonight? Have there been any sightings?”

“Not yet, but the currents are troubled. If not tonight, it will be soon.” Vand gazed down at her with worry in his face. “Perhaps it was unwise to meet tonight.”

“Too late now,” Sarah said. “Besides, we aren’t out far enough to be in the shipping lanes. It ought to be safe.”

Vand opened his mouth, then closed it again, hesitating. Sarah waited for him to speak, taking the moment to study him as she had done so many times. If he were ever to be on land, he would be tall. The thought made her smile. Tall with a strong physique, like a champion swimmer. His hair would be tidier, though. Personally, she liked his unevenly-cut hair. It was such a contrast to the sharp, almost shaved heads of the sailors and soldiers that seemed to be everywhere these days. And his eyes… that deep blue-green that matched the water in the only place she had called home before this horrible war began…

“What is it?” she finally asked, nudging him a little.

“I was going to ask if you wanted to see my home, but with the unrest in the currents…,” his voice trailed away.

A feeling of nervous excitement bubbled up within her at his words. “I would love to see your home.”

“It could be dangerous.”

“Everything in the water is dangerous.”

Vand laughed at that, a low chuckle that rumbled deep in his chest. “I ought to have known you would not be afraid.” Still keeping hold of her, Vand pushed her a few inches away and reached into a small pouch that hung among his many necklaces. He fumbled with it for a moment, then removed a tiny object and held it up so that she could see it. Pinched between his finger and thumb was a small white pearl.

“What is that for?” Sarah asked in a soft voice, eyes widening.

“It will make you like me,” Vand replied. “At least for a time. It takes stronger magic than this to bring about a true transformation.”

A true transformation… her heart was beating wildly again at the mere thought of it. “How do I make it work?”

“Open your mouth a little,” Vand said. Sarah obeyed, and Vand placed the small pearl between her teeth. “Hold it like so. When I tell you, you must crush it. It will shatter to dust. Then comes… comes my part.” He looked embarrassed suddenly, as sheepish as a school boy who had been caught playing truant. “It won’t hurt,” he added quickly. “I would not do anything to harm you.”

Sarah nodded, still balancing the pearl between her teeth. I trust you, she tried to tell him with her expression. He seemed to have understood. “Crush it now,” he said, taking her into both of his arms again. Sarah took a deep breath through her nose, then bit down hard on the pearl.

Immediately the pearl broke apart, dust filling her mouth like fine sand. Then Vand was leaning down and pressing his lips gently against hers. A tingling sensation swept through her, and then everything went momentarily dark. She felt herself slipping, and then he was there again, holding her in his firm grasp.

Blinking, Sarah gazed at him for a long moment. “What happened?”

“See for yourself.” Vand reached up with one hand and picked up the glowing rock he had set on a tiny ledge. He plunged it beneath the water and let go of Sarah with his other arm. The light sparkled off of something sleek underneath the water… something that now existed where her legs and feet had been…

Sarah gasped, plunging backward in surprise. Her head went under and the salty tang of seawater entered her mouth. It felt warm as it rushed into her lungs, not burning but comforting in a way that felt at once strange and wonderful. I’m breathing underwater! She came up again, not sputtering, and saw that Vand was smiling broadly.

“Come, we must be swift. The change will only last an hour, perhaps two, and we have a ways to go.”