Belladonna

Glorianna could feel the heart that acted as the anchor for Raven's Hill.
    Solid. Steady . It would need the help of a Landscaper to strengthen the bedrock that would protect Ephemera from the chaos that lived in the human heart, but... Not me, Glorianna thought as she and Caitlin made their way to the harbor. There was an appeal to the solid steadiness of that anchoring heart that made her uneasy. There was temptation in its resonance. Not because there was a dark intent toward her, but because it was comfortable and could turn her away from the path she needed to follow — and the man who was part of that journey.
    "I've never seen a landscape do that," Lee said, staring at the open, empty sea.
    "We're not supposed to be that truthful," Glorianna replied.
    "Any ideas about why it did that?"
    Glorianna looked toward the stern. How far would they need to go before the island began to reappear? Would they have to sail for hours to cross the same amount of water as the length of the island? "A couple. One is that, since my resonance and Caitlin's are tangled on the White Isle, it didn't shift completely when I altered the landscapes to protect the Place of Light from the Eater."
    "What is the other idea?"
    Glorianna kept her attention focused on the island. "A conflict of wills and heart wishes." She thought that over and frowned.
    "Actually, it's not so different from your island and mine."
    "More like yours," Lee said, nodding. "A place that can't be reached unless you truly need to reach it and your heart resonates with it. But your island doesn't hold a town's worth of people hostage. They need to be connected with some part of the world, Glorianna."
    "I know. But the first task is to find a way to reach the island and get Brighid to Lighthaven." Half turning, she called, "Caitlin.
    We need you up here."
    "Do we?" Lee asked quietly as Caitlin hurried to join them.
    "She's connected with this island. She should be part of anything that's done here. And we're going to need a bridge. I can cross over without one, but the ship can't."
    "All right, I'll —"
    A malevolence in the water up ahead. A knot of Dark currents that felt unnatural in a way she understood intuitively but couldn't explain.
    Spinning around and almost knocking Caitlin to the deck, she screamed, "Turn around! Turn away! Now! "
    For one frozen moment, Kenneday stared at her. Then orders were shouted and men scrambled. Sails luffed before catching the wind again. Then the ship was turning away from the Dark water.

    Glorianna sank to the deck and closed her eyes to block out the visible world and focus on the feel of that part of Ephemera, but something powerful washed over her as the ship brushed the edge of that undiluted darkness, and the world, like the island faded away.
    Moments later, she floated on a cushion of warmth and solid strength. Protected. Cherished. And she could hear music, lovely music, with a beat that was steady as a heart. But it was faint, so she moved toward the sound, trying to hear it better.
    "That's right, darling," a voice said close to her ear. "That's right. Come back to us now. Your brother doesn't want to be turning gray-haired with worry at so young an age — and neither do I."
    "I like your voice," she said, not interested in his confusing talk about men turning gray. She didn't really care what he said; she just wanted to hear that lovely music in his voice.
    "Open your eyes for me, darling, and I'll talk all you want."
    She obediently opened her eyes and discovered she was braced between Michael's thighs and held firmly against his chest.
    Turning her head a little gave her a dear view of Lee's white face.
    "You promised you wouldn't faint again," Lee said accusingly.
    "I didn't faint," she grumbled.
    "Did a good imitation of it," Michael muttered.
    "Then what did you do?" Lee asked, grabbing her land in a bone-pinching grip.
    "I —" What did happen? "Did we get clear of those Dark currents?" she asked, trying to free her hand from Lee's grip so she could grab his hand in turn.
    She didn't think he could get paler, but Lee paled.
    "Yes, we turned away before we caught more than the edge," he said. "Although I think you scared Kenneday and the crew out of half their wits when you started screaming."
    "I wasn't screaming."
    "Trust me, darling," Michael said. "Before you didn't faint, you were definitely screaming."
    "Just caught me by surprise is all."
    "Then remind me not to give you any surprises."
    That didn't