Holder of Lightning

She saw her attacker now, and shock nearly stole the breath from her. The creature's torso had risen from the water with her, its arms around her-the face nearly featureless, its body the blue-black of the depths as if it were made of the water itself. A finned row of spines ran from its smooth-featured crown down the back of its sinuous body, and the hands that encircled Jenna and snagged the cloch's chain were webbed, long-hungered, and wide. The eyes were dead black and shining-emotionless, cold shark eyes-and thin fanged teeth glistened in a gaping round mouth. Jenna tried to scream once more but the creature folded its arms around her and with a powerful wriggle of its body and a splash, yanked her away from the rock and back under the water. Lamh Shabhala’s chain broke and tore away; she grabbed for the cloch, but it vanished, drifting down.

Eyes open in terror, Jenna struggled, trying to strike at the creature though the water softened and slowed her blows. She pulled at the thing's hands, and felt it bite at her shoulder and neck. It bore her down to the bottom, turning her under its body. She felt rocks and mud on her back and she

knew that she had only seconds, that the first breath she took would be her last. She saw another dark form speed toward them, churn-ing white foam on the dappled surface, and she despaired. Yet at the same moment she was about to give up and take the breath that would mean her death, the form above dove and struck her assailant hard. The creature shrilled in pain, releasing Jenna to respond to this new attack. Jenna pushed herself up from the rocky bottom, surging toward the rippling promise of sunlight above. Her head broke the surface and she took a desperate breath, her arms slapping at the waves. She could feel herself going under again, the weight of her clothing dragging her down. She gulped water. .

A hand caught hers and pulled her up: O’Deoradhain. She choked and gasped, bleeding and coughing up water, as he helped her onto the shore. "Lamh Shabhala," she managed to say. "They took it. ." She started to plunge back into the lough, but he held her back, grasping her from behind. She struggled in his arms now, trying to get loose, screaming and crying as she fought to dive back in and find the cloch, but he was too strong.

"Jenna, you can’t go back in there. ." he was saying to her, his lips close to her ear as he hugged her to him. "You can’t. ."

She continued to try to break free, but exhaustion took hold and she hung limp in his arms, struggling to catch her breath. The surface of the lough showed nothing, then a silken head surged up through the small wind-driven waves several yards out: a seal. It roared at them once and dove again, surfacing closer to the shore. Bright blue highlights glinted in its ebon fur where the sunlight touched it. Metal glinted in the animal’s mouth and Jenna cried out wordlessly. She pushed out of O’Deoradhain’s grasp and floundered into the water toward the seal. It waited for her; wading in waist-deep, Jenna snatched at the broken chain with the silver-caged stone. Her hand closed around Lamh Shabhala; the seal opened its mouth and released the necklace at the same moment. Sobbing, Jenna clutched the stone in her hand. The seal stared at her with its bulbous chocolate eyes, its whiskered snout wriggling as if it were sniffing the air. "Thank you," Jenna told the seal, tightening her right hand around the cloch.

She would have sworn that the seal nodded. Its head lifted, the mouth opening, and a series of wails

and coughs emerged: like words but in no language Jenna understood. Then, with a flash of shimmering lapis, the seal turned and dove back into the water.

"It said that the Holder should be more careful, and warned you that not only humans want to possess a cloch na thintri, especially Lamh Shabhala."

Jenna turned. O'Deoradhain stood on the bank, his hand extended to her. "Come out of the water," he said. "I'll start a fire, and we can get you warm and dry."

She didn't move. Waves lapped at her waist. "You understood it?"

"Her, not it. And aye, I understood her." He stretched out his hand again. "Trust me, Holder. I will explain."

She ignored the hand. "I thought I knew you," she said.

His mouth twitched under the beard. "Not all. Come out of the water, Holder; I don't know if that creature will be back."

She took a breath, shivering. Then she reached for his hand. "Then tell me," she said as he helped her from the lough. "Tell me why the seals come to you."

He nodded.