"No."

Sadie growled lightly at the tone of voice that faro answered in, I put my hand on her collar not to hold her back, but to comfort myself. Faros voice was cold, I had heard him speak in that tonne only a few times before and it seemed even thought he must be weak from the climb he still had some of his power from Ingo left in him. His tail pounded against the water and I saw the dirt from the stream moved with each powerful stroke that propelled his human half form out of the water his hand pulling him up further as they pushed down on the rocks and grass beneath him.

For some reason I felt frozen, unable to speak and to move and I could still feel Sadie softly vibrating under my hand. I had felt so strong only a moment ago, but I guess I was wrong, I hadn't felt strong at all. I had wanted to be strong. I had wanted to get Faro away as quickly as possible, but I wasn't strong, at least not enough.

"Go." I ground the words out from my teeth and looked down; I couldn't keep his eyes locked with mine. I was sure I had hurt him, but it wasn't like Faro to give up when he was hurt. No, when he was hurt he only struggled harder, when he was hurt he brought himself away and he became cold, his pride wouldn't let him be proved wrong.

"Not until you let me explain."

"I don't want your explanation." I muttered. "I want you to leave." I knew his eyes where on me, they burnt my skin like hot coals, even though there was no such thing in Ingo.

"If you don't want to hear what I have to say Sapphire, then you should leave, but I will stay here until you listen to me. Even if that means I have to be put in a cage."

I ground my teeth together but despite myself, despite wanting to just leave and go back to Dave, I couldn't. I couldn't just leave him here when I knew he'd get caught and I knew something terrible would happen when someone noticed him. I reasoned that it would be because I never could deal with that happening to anyone and not because of something else. The silence hung for a while though, Faro showed no signs of backing down and Sadie was still.

The tension in the air seemed to choke me almost as much as the bundled up emotions and tears that crowded my throat. My finger nails clutched into my palms until I thought they would draw blood, they didn't.

The loud, echoing hoot of an owl rolled over the hills and sent a sudden chill through me. I twisted to see where the sound of the bird had come from, waiting to catch a glimpse of fiery amber eyes and sharp talons. Even the birds of preys haunting figure would remind me, distract me, from this.

There was no owl behind me though. Only the wrinkly, withered old form of a women who had more earth power than anyone I knew.

"Granny Crane?" I asked, automatically putting myself between her and Faro by an instinctive though. As if my blood knew that earth should never be this close to the sea.

"Hello Sapphire." Her eyes scanned over Faro as she took another step closer to the stream and the power rolling of her in waves for a second made me stumble to the side wanting so badly to be out of her way. Her hand brushed Sadie's head as she did so, staring now with those harsh bright eyes to the glare of Faro. "You are far out of your element, boy." Faro didn't speak back and for a moment I remembered that he spoke a different language altogether. Did he even understand Granny Carne? She was completely earth? She could only speak human, not mer. "You should go back, before the earth water makes you sick." She stated again and now I knew Faro must understand.

"I'm not leaving until I can explain-"Granny Carne cut him of with a hand, holding it firmly in the air. For a moment I saw something like Sawldor in her. They where one of the same really, I think Faro saw it too as he stopped without questions.

"Go. You will not get what you want this way. Hearts take longer to heal than what you may think and trust is not easy to rebuild." Faro blinked, for a moment I though he might disagree, might argue and I dreaded what Granny Carne would do, I knew she had power in herself. I had seen it.

I was glade when he didn't after a pause that seemed like too long, he curled backwards on himself into the water and started to slide back down the stream. I watched as did Granny Carne as the shadow of his body flickered in the murk until it all but disappeared and even after that I still watched. As if by watching I would be able to make sense of it all, by watching I would help him get there safely and by watching I would not have to face what happened next.

I felt a hands press on my shoulder, no longer scary or threatening but full of love and kindness. Before I knew what I was doing I had spun and my arms wrapped round the comforting old figure that everyone went too in times of trouble, who I felt like I needed now, to fill me with earths warmth and kindness and life. She stood still and I felt distantly like I was hugging a tree. A tall standing oak that had been here for thousands and thousands of years. She didn't move or question, just stood supporting me for as long as I needed as my tears ran down my face and sobs broke into quiet crying, salty tears in a earthen world.

But no matter how much I tried to fill myself with earth… there still seemed to be a place that would stay empty.

One big, black hole in my heart.

A/N: Ok, this isn't proof read much, nor is it long. Reason, I'm going on holiday tomorrow, but I really wanted to put something up. I knew this was how it was going to go and it just turned out to have a nice little ending to it as well.

I have got someone in mind to be a beta for the next chapter… (they should know who they are…) anyway, I hope this is enough to get people though three weeks and enjoy. Please read and review! Cause reviews make my day!