Shattered by the Sea Lord - Starla Night Page 0,63
glared at him again. “Now am I glowing?”
“No.”
She tensed all her muscles, then abruptly relaxed and rubbed her cheeks. “Ah, I’m going to give myself wrinkles.”
His presence was definitely hindering rather than helping, and they had no time to waste. He squeezed Dannika’s hands. “I will leave this with you.”
She clung on. “Can we really be ready in a week?”
The others stopped practicing to listen to his answer.
He hoped so. “The only one who knows that answer is you.”
The Life Tree made a cleansing, tinkling sound of hope.
But it was so fragile and unprotected here. No wonder the castaways had avoided showing them.
The world outside was hostile. If the Luscans learned of its existence, the king would likely violate the sanctuary just to rip it out by the roots.
Dannika and the other women must develop their powers.
Everything depended on them.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ciran kicked out of the little hollow, the gorgeous upside-down snow globe cavern that encased the Life Tree, leaving an encouraging squeeze with Dannika.
It was up to her.
She kicked to Angie. “I am guessing that you’ve been phenomenally successful in your life.”
The older woman wrinkled her nose. “I used to think so. But it has been a very long time since I’ve practiced yoga.”
“The point of yoga is to put yourself into a meditative, focused state, and open yourself to possibilities.”
“Like the possibility of failure?”
“Mom.”
“Any new skill requires a period of learning,” Dannika said calmly. “But if yoga doesn’t put you into the right mindset, then let’s brainstorm different ways you can release your tension and open yourself to the universe. Or the Life Tree.”
She nodded, her lips pinched, and Dannika tried to tease out of her the things she did to relax, feel centered, and make decisions.
Meanwhile, Bex zoomed around the small arena, and Meg watched in awe.
“How do you make it look so easy, Bex?” Meg asked.
“Focus on what you want.” Bex’s human feet elongated and stretched into fins. “And shift.”
Dannika closed her eyes.
She had the power. She had the power. She had the power…
Ciran’s voice echoed in her head. His words of encouragement, his kisses, his patience.
I believe in you, Dannika. Anchor your faith to me. You can turn back the storm.
Her toes tingled. She stretched and opened her eyes. Her feet flattened out, long and slender, and her polished toenails looked funny spread out at the ends of a scuba diver’s flippers.
She could do it.
Angie made a noise of frustration. “You, too. I’m the only one who will never get this.”
“Did you flex?” Meg rotated her right ankle, which was half-shifted to fin. “Or what?”
“I want to see Ankena and Lukiyo again,” Bex said. “And then I thought, ‘Let’s go.’”
“You thought, ‘Let’s go,’ and your fins went?”
“Yeah. More or less.”
“That makes sense,” Dannika interjected. “You are in touch with your true desire, and it empowers every movement. Good job.”
Bex smiled shyly.
“Okay.” Meg closed her eyes and lifted her index fingers. “I want to see Ankena and Lukiyo again. Let’s go.” She kicked, and her half fins rolled up into ordinary feet again. She opened her eyes and laughed. “Whoops. Wait, wait. I want to see Itime and Tulu again. … Mm, apparently I don’t. What do I want?”
“I feel very content,” Angie said. “Is that the problem? I’m too able to accept the deprivations of island life?”
“You don’t fall asleep dreaming of carrot cake,” Meg said.
“No. Maybe my favorite facial cleanser and whitening serum.” Angie rubbed her cheek. “You will swim out of here and leave me behind.”
“I’m not going anywhere until I solve the squid problem. How about…I want to have a nice swim without being swarmed by flying squids?” Meg flexed her human feet. “Nope. I thought I wanted that, though. Man, it’s a mystery what I want.”
They tried on a bunch of “I want” phrases trying to get clear on their true desires, and even though they didn’t make a lot of progress, their uplifting encouragement and jokes and laughter seemed to make the Life Tree glow.
Little sparkles winked on Meg’s skin like glitter.
“You’re sparkling,” Angie told her.
“Oh? Again!” Meg closed her eyes. Her body glowed, and the Life Tree chimed, and the sparkles all floated away. She opened her eyes, the smile breaking over her face as if she were awakening from a wonderful dream, and she shivered. “All gone.”
Huh.
“What was that?” Dannika asked. “What did you do just now?”
“Oh, that was just my Disney princess power again.” Meg swirled her fingers through the water and the flecks of glitter twinkled. “At