Sammy dropped the hand now free from the orb to her side as she shielded her eyes with the other from the beacon’s orb, which now blazed as the sun in front of her. As her hand fell away, the orb rose to hover several feet above its pillar. A dark panel appeared out of nowhere and began to move back and forth opposite the mirrors. At the same time, the flames of her Land Contract dancing around about her withdrew, absorbing back inside her tattoo.

The girl ducked out through the space between the mirrors and the black panel in its arcing motion. She descended the few stairs necessary to bring her even with Geoff. Stopping, she turned to look at the beacon room again.

“Well, that was actually a little more impressive than when the Count made me a stupid noble, but it still seemed kind of anti-climactic.” Sammy let out a big sigh of resignation. She wanted to do something really impressive with all this supposed power she had from that stupid land contract.

Geoff stared at the strange girl, his mouth slightly ajar and utterly bereft of words for several long seconds. “You . . . . You. Hmm.” He fingered his chin, composing himself. Finally he said, “You really are strange, lass. Well, I suppose it must be one of those things that if you do it right, you really don’t know just how awesome the effects are.”

Sammy tilted her head at him and frowned. “That almost sounds like what they say about punching someone. I totally didn’t punch anyone.”

“Ha!” the old man answered in an explosion of air. “You understand then. If you hit someone correctly, that poor sap feels it all while you don’t feel anything.” He leaned toward Sammy and beeped her nose with his finger. “Lass, the punch just now that you say was so anti-climactic destroyed the heart and pulped the innards of a freaking dragon.”

Sammy reached up and grabbed the beeping finger and pulled it away from her nose. “Enough of that, sir. Besides, dragons are way far more awesome than you think they are. Have you ever even met one?”

“Twice in my lifetime,” the old man said smugly. “And that’s the point I’m making. What you did is easily up to the comparison.”

The two stared at each other for a long moment. Finally, Sammy looked away blushing. “Wha, whatever. Anyway, let’s get going before someone figures out how to get over here.” She ducked past the old man and hurried down the long spiral stairs. Caught off guard, Geoff fell far enough behind that he never did catch up to her as they descended.

Sammy fled out the lighthouse well ahead of Geoff. She ran over to the pier where the old mariner’s skiff bobbed against its mooring. She stopped and turned to face the lighthouse as Geoff emerged.

Calling out so he could hear her, she said. “I promised to play with them. Go on ahead without me.” So saying, she ran to the end of the pier and jumped.

Play with us, Beritha. She plays with us. She is here. She will play. Play. The cacophony of musical whistles and trills washed over Sammy as she submerged under the surface of the harbor. A dolphin slid between her legs from behind, her butt catching on its upper dorsal fin.

Sammy surged forward and up, her head and body coming out of the water. The dolphin sped toward the harbor’s entrance and quickly took the bewildered girl out into the open ocean.

As their Beritha rose above the surface, the waters of the harbor erupted as a multitude of marine creatures burst into the air. Once out in the open ocean, more and more creatures swirled around her in a great, watery cyclone of life.

The dolphin Sammy rode dropped from under her and the human had to tread water. More and more creatures bumped against her, pressed a nose into this hand or that, brushed against her hips to spin her around.

A massive form darkened the water under her. A moment later, a giant tail caught her from beneath and sent her sailing high into the air. Sammy squealed as she flew, but then reflex took over and she twisted around to plunge into the water feet first. A rhapsody of whistles and clicks exploded in her ears and shook her body as a thousand creatures sang their approval.

A porpoise slid up under one of the human’s arms. Hold your breath, she command-sang just before diving. Pressure began building in Sammy’s ears, but then the pressure vanished as flames enveloped both girl and guide. The Berithant glory. Sammy heard the phrase sung around her, but did not understand what they meant.

A massive form appeared beside her, startling the air out of the girl. She gasped in water. Sammy’s eyes widened in shock as she did not choke, but breathed water as air.

The animal she clung to dove deep to the sea floor. The flames around Sammy made all visible, the hidden life of the ocean sending thrills up and down the girl as more and more beauty revealed itself to her. She had never thought there would be such diverse beauty in the whole world, let alone in the limited sphere of light that extended a mere hundred feet around her.

Sammy sensed something new behind her and spun around, her hair dancing in the water. Three human children floated in the water a short distance away, two girls and a boy. They wore bright colored body suites that left their arms and legs bare and their eyes were larger than any Sammy had ever seen before in her whole life. One of the girls and the boy had long hair tied into a thick ponytail that floated behind them, while the other girl had short hair just a little too long to be called stubble. It danced and rippled in the water like a field of grain in the wind. The two long haired children had dark skin, while the short haired girl’s was bright blue.

All three casually held long poles with colorful, barbed spearheads. The two long haired children also had miniature bows strapped to their hips, though Sammy had never seen ones designed like those before. They appeared to have been mated with a pistol.

The long-haired girl swam closer and then did a loop-T-loop to stop in front of Sammy. She narrowed her eyes and sang in a beautiful voice, “You are Beritha?” The tone quite clearly conveyed utter disbelief.

Sammy stared at the beautiful child for a long pause and then shrugged. “Maybe? Do you or I really have a say in the matter?”

“Sango, be respectful,” the short haired girl sang, laughter in her voice. “She is different than the previous Beritha. I look forward to seeing how you grow up child.” The short haired girl swam to float next to the other, the boy accompanying her. “But you look exhausted, child. You are of the land, so you should return there for now. Come visit the mien soon, when you are not so exhausted.” The girl swam closer and placed both hands on either side of Sammy’s face. She looked deep into the human’s eyes and then laughed. “Yes, you will be much more fun than any of the counts and countesses in near memory, though the one cut short had some good potential. It is sad she passed before becoming Beritha. Now,” and she kissed Sammy fully on the mouth before swimming backwards, “Ddgroa, take this fun, intriguing but ever so young Beritha to the docks in the harbor. Two there worry for her welfare.”

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Before Sammy could break out of her kiss-induced shock, the very water congealed around her and she accelerated away from both the three children and the mass of marine creatures still swimming around her. Bye, bye, bye, those creatures sang to her, apparently accepting her departure in good grace.

Sammy rose out of the water within an arm of water. Below her, the harbor wharves were filled with people, all staring up at her. The wharf the girl hovered near cleared a space.

A strange voice, unlike any she had yet heard, though the power behind it hinted at dragons, gave her instructions even as the arm lowered to set her upon the wharf. Following those instructions, Sammy took a deep breath of water just before the arm withdrew. In one mighty exhale, she expelled all of the water from her lungs in an impressive stream that shot almost halfway to the harbor’s center island. She coughed a few times, but then her lungs felt completely normal again.

Sammy turned to face the crowd. The crowd stared back at her, a sea of strange faces with a multitude of expressions. Sammy mentally cursed her luck. Why in all the world had that stupid water thing put her in a place without an escape route? Well, she sighed to herself, I can always just jump back in the water, so there actually is one I suppose.

Two forms sailed over the people to land in the open space between Sammy and the crowd, a man and a woman the young girl knew well. The man turned to face the crowd while the woman walked over to Sammy.

“Hear you me,” the man said, his voice magically amplified for all to hear. “I am Prince Jerome ver Dista ky Ista.” He paused as the crowd grasped his identity. “Listen well. You see the testimony clearly,” he pointed at the central lighthouse, “and you have witnessed the Marinor fan Elem honor this child. Know you all, this young lady is the new land contracted, the bloodline Iona’s chosen successor. I shall suffer no harm be done to her.”

The crowd froze in shock as he spoke, but then an elderly man gave a little cry and knelt to one knee. The people on the piers and those on the shore beyond knelt in a wave as the whispering rose, “The noble of Iona,” some in awe, some in confusion.

Jenna stopped a few feet from Sammy and tilted her head to consider the child. Her eyes moved up and down the girl’s clothing. “Sammy, you are wet.”

The laugh escaped Sammy’ lips before she even knew it was there, but then she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Jenna’s waist. “Help me, Jenna. Please help me.”

Jenna placed a comforting hand on the girl’s mop of wet hair and smiled gently down at the top of the young adolescent’s head. “Of course. That’s why the prince has followed you even till now. Please trust him a little bit. He cares for you greatly.”

Sammy let out a big sigh. “Can we talk about that later?”

“Of course. Come, take my hand. Walk with your head held high. Don’t be afraid.”

Sammy pulled away far enough so she could see Jenna’s face. She regarded her friend for a moment and then said, “I’m not afraid. I can still escape on my own. I just need to jump in the water again. I just don’t want to.”

Jenna sighed to herself, but then laughed easily. “The Marinor fan Elem might just toss you back onto land again.”

“That would be a problem,” Sammy admitted readily even as she gripped Jenna’s hand with her own. The two stepped forward to stand next to Prince Jerome. The three moved toward the kneeling crowd, which shifted to allow them passage. Sammy shuddered as they moved down the corridor of people. Really, this was like willingly entering a trap hard to escape from. She might not even be able to reach the water if they all rushed her at once now, which of course was not really the trap she was most worried about.

Despite everything, the three reached the end of the wharf and then the edge of the crowd without mishap. A small group of people waited there who had not knelt with the rest. They in fact kept a certain distance from those who had. Sammy recognized the three military leaders from the inn and wrinkled her nose. Still, there were two people that had interesting auras, an older man and a boy about her own age. She kind of liked the sparks that flew between them. They actually tasted fun.

The three stopped together and Prince Jerome said, “Mayor Porapa.”

“Prince Jerome,” the older man with one of the interesting auras answered while bowing respectfully. The old man straightened and glanced at Sammy, a somewhat lopsided smile touching his lips. “Is this child then our new noble?”

The prince indicated Sammy, “I would introduce to you Sammy Micaels, land contracted of this region and the successor of the Iona bloodline.”

The older man, Sammy estimated him to be around forty or so, regarded her for a long moment. Turning to the younger man, he said, “Mayor Elect Mottie, it appears that your time may be coming up shortly.”

The younger mayor frowned. Sammy re-estimated the man’s age, now thinking him in his mid-twenties or something, so much older than herself after all. “I don’t know what you are implying, old man.”

The older mayor gave him a condescending smile. “I think you do. With the noble line reestablished, my own line will of course take up our mantle as the mayorship of Trisk.”

“Naw,” Sammy said without thinking. “I like it the way it is. Well, I do want to meet the third mayor.” She pointed at the younger mayor, “His mommy. I’ve heard some dark things about her running around making people scared, so I need to meet her first.”

More than one person within hearing drew in their breaths, and the two mayors and three military officers stared in almost shock at the newest noble. Both Jenna and Dista gave a little snort-laugh.

Dista said, “It would be wise to be cautious gentlemen. This young lady is not someone you will be able to handle normally, because she is anything but normal.”

Sammy glanced out of the side of her eyes at the prince, but remained fully facing the Tristan leadership. “Jenna, seriously, can I please slug him again.”

“Absolutely not,” Jenna said firmly and without hesitation.

“Yes, one black eye from you is quite enough,” and Dista let out a little laugh. “Fortunate for me you did it before becoming a noble.”

Sammy felt quite irritated, but at the same time she did not miss the startled looks on those she faced as the stupid prince revealed that she was indeed the one who had blackened his eye, nor the guarded looks that passed over the military officers when he revealed that it was done before becoming a noble. That stupid jerk was obviously opening his big mouth fully knowing what he was doing, or at least thinking he knew.

“Anyway,” she said, wrapping her arms around her midriff and giving a little shudder. “I’m wet and cold here. I have a room back at the Redoubt, so I’m heading back now if that’s alright.”

“My lady,” Mayor Elect Mattie quickly asserted, “there is a room for you at my manor.”

“No, you will stay at the mayoral manse,” Mayor Porapa half talked over him.

“No way,” Sammy said, her eyes big, but then narrowed dangerously. “I don’t know you and I certainly do not trust a couple wanna-be stupid nobles.”

“They would be Commons,” Dista said.

“Shut up, stupid Dista,” Sammy snapped. “I said wanna-be.” She crouched.

“Sammy, please do not run away again,” Prince Dista said.

Sammy glared at him.

“I would like to talk to you a little at least,” the prince said with a smile. “If I might meet you back at your inn, the Redoubt was it?”

Sammy let out a big sigh. “Fine. But give me time to dry my clothes at least.”

“In an hour then?” Sammy vanished down behind a building even as he spoke.

Dista turned back to the two mayors. “As you can see, the new noble of this land is quite unique. May I suggest you reconcile your differences and try to survive? While I have grave doubt as to my success, I will do what I can to convince her to meet with you again.” He then turned to the three officers. “I believe you know where this Redoubt is located?”

“Yes my lord,” Admiral Valanse said, bowing her head. “But is it wise to go there immediately?”

“Oh, she’ll dry her clothes in her room. If we wait down in the main room, it should be okay. If she knows Jenna’s there, she might even ask for her help.” The prince glanced at the two mayors who obviously intended to invite themselves along. “You will retire for the time being. I have some things to discuss with her.”

The two men jerked a little but then nodded. “As you will, my prince.”

Prince Jerome allowed a smile to touch his lips, but forbore mentioning that he was in fact not their prince anymore.