Always Remembered Read Online Free PDF Page B

was low enough that only I heard him. Apparently, he mistook
my hesitation for fear. I wasn’t afraid.
    “I’ve got it.” I gave him a small smile.
    The murmurs of those gathered in the cave
grew to a thunderous roar. I spoke loudly, my voice carrying across
the large space. “Thank you for coming. I’m sure you’re wondering
why we called you here.”
    The silence that followed was encouraging.
All eyes were on me again. Many of the Selkies wore bemused
expressions. Some looked curious, others worried. No one seemed
annoyed or angry. That was a good sign.
    Clearing my throat, I continued, “At the
beginning of summer, two members of our clan were found dead. We
now have reason to believe they were murdered.”
    A collective gasp traveled through the room.
One deep voice called out, “What makes you say that?” The question
echoed as others speculated.
    “The Blue Men of Minch,” Kieran announced,
effectively silencing the murmurs. He paused for impact, and then
added, “Meara and I met one, and he warned us.”
    “And you can trust him?” Someone in the back
shouted.
    “He was dying,” I answered. “And angry at
being betrayed by his brothers. He had no reason to lie to us.”
    “Why are you telling us this?”
    This came from Arren, one of the adolescents.
He was near the front, fear as plain on his face as it was in his
voice. His pale innocence made him look younger than me. I knew he
was much older in years.
    “We can no longer count on a few to protect
the many.” I said these same words to my father days earlier.
“Kieran and I are here to make you an offer.” I paused and looked
at Kieran. He nodded in encouragement. This was my show, and he was
letting me run it.
    A sweeping glance told me that I had the
attention of every Selkie there. My family stood in the
back — Uncle Angus, Ula, and Paddy. They
would intervene if necessary, but there was no need. No one spoke.
All eyes were trained on the platform where Kieran and I stood.
    “We will teach you to fight, to protect Ronac
and yourselves. This is voluntary. No one will be forced to
participate, although I strongly encourage you to consider it. By
show of hands, who is interested?”
    For a moment, I held my breath. No one
responded. Then, Arren’s hand shot in the air.
    “Aye,” he said. “I am.”
    Several more followed his lead. I watched in
amazement as hands continued to rise. The only ones who didn’t
volunteer were elderly, young children, and a few mothers.
    “When will we begin?” Ula asked. From across
the cavern, I could see her huge grin. Her enthusiasm was
encouraging.
    I turned to Kieran. He crossed his arms and
waited, leaving the decision to me. We both faced Ula, and I said,
“Now. We’ll begin now.”
    Kieran and I had planned the first session
ahead of time. We decided to start with a demonstration. As we
climbed down the steps to the main floor, Kieran said, “Anyone not
participating may stay and watch this demonstration, if you wish.
Otherwise, you are free to leave.”
    A handful of individuals left. We arranged
the remaining crowd in a wide circle, giving us most of the floor
to move about. When the space was set to our satisfaction, we faced
each other in the center.
    “You ready?” he asked with a cocky grin.
    I met his gaze with what I hoped was fierce
calm and a wicked smile. “Always.”
    As we sparred, the crowd faded out of my
awareness. The occasional gasp or murmur was just background noise.
I needed to concentrate. Kieran immediately attacked and placed me
on the defense. It didn’t last long. I overtook him by adding magic
to my moves, throwing energy balls that distracted him. Eventually,
I took hold of his arms and flipped him down, placing my knee on
his chest and conjuring my knife. I pressed the blade against his
throat and smiled slowly. “Do you surrender?”
    “Always.” He purposely echoed my response
from earlier.
    I shifted my weight and stood, offering him
my hand. “We’ll