Chapter 2 – Wild Camping and a Revelation
Beth and Jay woke in the warmth of the mid-morning sun. Both had dozed, damp and laughing, curled on the rug.
And now… there were three of them.
The third lay nestled between them, fast asleep. Pale limbs, slightly iridescent in the light, curled beside Jay’s back. An arm draped gently over Beth’s shin as if he’d always been there. His skin was seal-smooth, downy with faint hair, cool but not cold. His small face—a boy’s face—rested without fear.
Jay tensed. Beth didn’t move.
He looked at her. She raised one finger to her lips.
It’s time they’d each have a name.
From the pond’s edge, another figure watched. Only her eyes were visible above the surface, still as a croc in morning patrol. The shape was unmistakable now. Not an animal. Not a child. Something between. Freya.
Herschen shifted, made a slight noise, and opened his eyes—startlingly clear, like polished river stones. He looked at Jay. Then, at Beth. He didn’t speak. But he knew.
Slowly, he scooted back, limbs awkward on dry ground. He didn’t stand. He slid. Crawled. Then, at the edge, dove—not splashing, but gliding, disappearing into the mirror of the water.
Twin ripples followed.
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