Stolen Scales

Chapter 48

The sound returns faintly from the same direction the dolphins went in, and Lyss sets off towards it. As they swim towards the distant point the whistle reverberated back from, there is another whistle that bounces off of them to go back into that direction. Lyss grins at that and picks up speed, confirming to Kyma that they are swimming towards Alai, Nami, and Fala. Lyss and Kyma finally reach the rest of the group and Kyma lets her tail rest for a moment, tired. Lyss signs to Alai.

"Are you ready to head back?"

Alai nods. "Yes." Then her attention turns to Kyma. "What's in your bag?"

Kyma looks down at her bag, surprised. The abalone shell is almost too large for the bag, causing it to stretch the material awkwardly. "It's a shell."

Alai frowns. "That's a very big shell then, but why are you taking it with you?"

"A dolphin was very stubborn about it. Not only did the dolphin eat the former inhabitant to make me take it, it also wouldn't let me leave the shell behind. The dolphin blocked my movements."

Subconsciously, Kyma rubs the palm of her hand where the pearly spot is, and Alai's eyes narrow in on it. "What's wrong with your hand? Does it hurt?"

Kyma shakes her head and releases her hand before giving Alai a partial truth. "No, the dolphin just kept poking me there with its beak. My hand feels a bit tender." Both Lyss and Alai look concerned by that, so Kyma tries to calm them down. "I'm fine, I promise. Should we head back now, before the Borderguards lose their minds with worry?"

Alai looks like she is about to burst out laughing at that, and Kyma grins at her. Lyss flicks her fingers in front of them to get their attention.

"Kyma is right. We should head back now, especially if we want time to go to the waterfall cave."

With that, Lyss turns towards the Kingdom and heads towards it. Kyma is momentarily surprised how easily Lyss could find it, but then remembers that Lyss has lived here her entire life, so she is quite familiar with the area. Kyma can also feel warmth emanate from her pendant when she is facing that direction but not the others, so the larimar pendant must also be a guidestone. They see a Borderguard as the approach the Kingdom, and he looks shocked to see them.

"Why were you outside the Kingdom?"

Alai sighs, bubbles escaping from her mouth to spiral up to the surface. "We were having some fun with dolphins, and I was doing a bit of scouting."

"Okay, but why did you let the princess go with you? She shouldn't leave the Kingdom."

Kyma gapes at him and Lyss scowls before responding, her signed words scathing. "She was guarded by me. I am her personal Crownguard. She was in no danger outside the borders."

His reply is meek, and he is flushed in embarrassment. "Sorry. You may reenter the Kingdom."

Lyss gives him a sharp nod. "Good. See to it that you don't act that ignorantly again."

She breezes past him with a single flick of her tail, and the rest of the group follows mutely. She stops several meters past him before a small chunk of the coral reef and turns to face the group. When she sees their expressions, she is confused.

"What?"

Alai signs again. "You acted like a cow again."

Lyss' eyes widen in shock before fading into anger and then resignation. "Sorry. I'm trying to get rid of that mannerism and break down the shell."

Alai smiles gently at her. "I understand that it must be difficult to tear away that mannerism and let it leave with the ebbing waves, but we should still tell you when you act that way, yes?"

Lyss nods. "Please do."

She leads the group towards the shore, stopping when their tails are just a couple meters away from the sea floor. Nami and Fala wave at Kyma, and Nami signs. "We'd better go now, but we'll see you around. You'd better come and see us soon. I don't want to wait two months to see you again."

Kyma nods. "I'll definitely come out, but it doesn't mean I'll be able to easily find you. I will try though."

Fala grins. "I'm holding you to that."

The pair turn and swim away towards deeper waters and the kelp groves, leaving Kyma to float in the water with Alai and Lyss. They swim to shallower waters and transform when their tails easily brush against the sand. Alai is out of the water first, and Lyss finishes rewrapping her clothing at the same time but waits in the water with Kyma. With one last silent clasping of the buttons, Kyma finishes redoing her clothing and stands in the thigh-deep water. She waves out onto dry land, and lets her bare feet dig into the stone covering the shoreline. They quickly reach the hill-cliff and clamber up its slope. When they reach the top, Kyma looks around and is about to open her mouth to question which direction the waterfall cave is in when Alai starts off along the perimeter of the island.

They move along the hilltop among the grasses, and Kyma soon begins to hear the familiar sound of the river. Instead of turning towards it to follow its course, Alai continues her path along the perimeter. Kyma looks ahead to see something curious in the distance. The hill-cliff is disappearing and is being replaced by a true cliff. When she looks over at the river, she sees that it is going in the same direction, cutting straight through the two sides of the top of the cliff to run off the edge at the center.
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What do you think they'll find here? Where exactly are they going? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter! Stay healthy out there!

~Goddess of Fate, signing out.