Chapter 4

Where before their hike up the slope had taken them a good twenty-five minutes, Walker was down it in less than five. She was impressed with his ability to walk on those rocks like that and without actually looking. It was like he trusted his hooves would always step just right, and then they did and she hardly felt the ride.

Walker stopped short of the tree line, well inside of the canopy, and pointed to the shore. There was a sandy-haired man pulling his metal boat ashore. "Do you know him?"

"I can't tell from here," Rikki admitted. There was just too much vegetation in the way. What did this guy have for powers, anyway? Super x-ray vision?

Before either could react further, the other one called out. "Rikki? Rikki! Are you here?"

"I guess that answers that." William looked back to her as she waved him on.

"Take me out there. I'm still weak."

"As you wish," he chuckled, but Rikki didn't care. She needed water and she was developing a headache. Walker clopped through the trees and onto the sand to an utterly floored Lewis. The young man couldn't snap out of it like he had for his mermaid friends. However, upon seeing that the person hung around the centaur's waist was none other than Rikki, he was at her side in a moment, pulling her off, and trying to back them away from the new mythological creature.

"Just back off! I don't know what you did to her, but get out of here, now!" Lewis yelled as Rikki protested.

"Lewis, you idiot! He helped me. I'll explain later. You got any water in here?" she asked, stumbling over to his boat and tossing things about. Finally, a bottle of water! She got it open, only to end up spilling some on herself. Mermaid Rikki finished the bottle on the sand, feeling better by the second. She grinned back to Lewis, as he seemed to want to stare down the centaur. Motioning with a finger, she managed to get him over to her.

"Leave him alone, Lewis. No experimenting, no tests, no nothing! Or else!" she added, holding up a hand, fingers clenched. Lewis grimaced, taking a step back as she dropped her hand. She then motioned with her finger for Walker, and he clopped over, stopping close enough to kneel and drop to the sand next to her.

"Thanks for healing me, and putting up with my—attitude. You're a nice guy, if a bit weird."

"So says the half-fish!" They both chuckled at that.

"Touché. Look, we hang out at Rikki's Café, that includes Lewis, and yeah, there're more of the mermaids. Two to be exact. We manage to keep that secret, like you, I'm sure."

"I've been like this for a couple of years now. So, if no one has seen me in all that time, and I haven't heard of any mermaids, then I'd say we're doing pretty well so far."

"So far. Let's try to keep it that way." She looked past Walker to Lewis, a look of dejection on his face. "Lewis! Wake up! We need to get back now. And you didn't tell anyone did you?"

"Well—" he started, only for two other people to walk up behind him, arms crossed at first, then with their jaws dropped.

"Lewis, how is it you're able to keep our mutual secret but not anyone else's?" Rikki chided, looking up to Walker and shaking her head. "I might as well introduce you. Walker, that one is Cleo, and the other is Emma. When they can pick their jaws up out of the sand, maybe they'll be able to say something back." Walker had turned at his waist to look back, though it was more comfortable for him to get up and face them, bowing that time.

"Pleased to meet you both, Cleo, Emma. So, is this the whole group? Are you a merman, too, Lewis?"

"What? No!" That just made the girls laugh and Lewis blush. Cleo was at his side, giggling with the rest, though still keeping an eye on the centaur.

"How did you get to be a centaur?" Cleo asked, having to look up less than the rest of them. Her height was an advantage for once.

Walker looked over at Rikki and she just held up her hands. "We may be here for a while," he said. "Sure you don't want to swim home anyway?"

"I'll listen again. You can tell us about your healing ability."

"Healing?" Emma asked. "Were you in the mermaid pool, too?"

"If I was, I'd be a merman, I think. Here, let me tell it from the beginning," he said, first glancing around and getting everyone to follow. Rikki had to do a little quick-drying once everyone was clear and joined the rest over behind a rock outcropping for cover. As he took up a position nearest the rocks he sat down again, kicking his rear legs out to the side for comfort.

Walker launched into his tale, including details he hadn't given Rikki originally, such as where he lived, how no one else knew his secret, how he kept a supply of magic water at home, and the fact that it probably required a person to drink it during a full moon like he had before a change would take effect.