The Serpent in the Stone - By Nicki Greenwood Page 0,4

half-expecting to see blood where the glass had sliced it in his dream.

Nothing.

He tried not to admit to relief. He’d never experienced real pain in a dream before, and he hadn’t had a nightmare in years. Must be coming to this place, seeing Sara. Everything was messing with his senses.

Your own fault, he scolded himself. He’d been the one to follow her. He’d been the one to ask for Shetland.

What the hell was he thinking?

He grappled for his watch on the table beside his cot. Almost five o’clock. With a sigh, he swung out of bed and onto his feet to start work.

****

Hvitmar had been made with a shapeshifter in mind.

Sara ran as a wolf, with the wind whistling through her fur and reveling in the shape. It brought her speed. Power. Joy in the simple act of being alive. Freedom she’d never known as a human. She galloped along the shoreline, her broad paws eating up the ground. The air was crisp with the scents of earth and ocean. Cries of seabirds rang out in the sky.

Ian’s birds, she thought with a snort.

She hadn’t even gone in the direction of his camp yet. Skirting the dig site to avoid leaving tracks, she’d explored the northern edges of the island. Gulls scolded her, and she spied a seal dozing among the rocks offshore.

She decided to head up to Ian’s camp before the fog burned off and left her visible to any observers. She’d start by asking him down to breakfast, a safe enough opening. Then she’d follow it up with Get off my island and see how he took that.

But first, she owed her sister an apology for their spat yesterday. She set off toward Faith’s tent.

Sara approached it with caution. A long yawn came from within. Tongue lolling, she padded to a halt outside and snuffed aloud.

She heard a rustle. The door flap opened and her sister ducked out, struggling into a heavy wool sweater. “What are you doing outside like that?” Faith whispered.

Sara didn’t bother to shapeshift back to her human body. She twitched an ear and glanced around the foggy moor, then back to her sister.

Faith crossed her arms. “All right, so no one’s up. I hope you didn’t leave tracks everywhere for me to scuff out.”

Sara shook her shaggy lupine head.

Faith looked southward toward Ian’s camp, then smiled at her. “You’re planning to go see him, aren’t you? Told you, you should.”

Sara flattened her ears. God, she loved having ears that flattened. Very eloquent.

“Get out of here before the guys get up. Say hi to him for me.”

Sara sent her a last, annoyed glare before loping away.

****

Ian tossed a fleece vest on over his thermal shirt, then hooked an extra set of carabiners to his climbing harness. He glanced around his tent before realizing he must have left his rope bag hanging outside last night. In his hurry to record data on yesterday’s climb, he’d dropped most of his gear and gone straight into the tent to write as soon as he got back.

Outside, he threw the coil of rope over his shoulder and headed for the sea cliffs. He’d spotted a nest sheltered in a crag about halfway down, and itched to get a closer look.

When he reached the cliff edge, he looked out over the ocean. The view took his breath away. The sunrise had just begun, burning off the fog and painting the few clouds with a champagne-pink blaze. Unst made a faint, misty shadow on the horizon. This, he could handle. To hell with people and supernatural powers and all that head-case stuff that made living day to day such a pain in the ass. A view like this made it all go away.

He’d learned from a young age to spot good holds, and which surfaces were secure enough for a chock or cam that would support him. The southern cliffs of Hvitmar were high and challenging, but not impossible. He hitched up his anchor points and auto-belayer, then secured a mat at the cliff edge to prevent rubbing on the rope. “All right, lady,” he said, “let’s see what else you’re hiding.” He hooked the rope to his belt, then started over the edge.

Once he found his seat in the harness, he touched the toes of his shoes against the cliffside and pushed off, feeding the rope along and rappelling downward. The sun went from pink to brilliant red and began to turn golden. Birds squabbled far below on the beach