Serena would have preferred something softer, but that was just feeling sorry for herself. Besides, they found several pleasant areas filled with sand and as comfortable as anywhere they had slept in the last couple of days. It was easy enough to get rid of little biting bugs. It was one of the first spells mom had ever taught her, and Serena could see now why it was always so important.
Thomas had only climbed partway on the rocks and looked around as though testing the site for an upcoming battle. Serena supposed she should look at it the same way, but she was just too tired to care right now. Besides, if the enemy came to them here, they would at least know what they were up against and how to deal with them.
"I'm going to spend the night in the water," Thomas announced. It didn't surprise Serena; she almost complained before he went on. "I can feel magic better in the water than in the air. If anything comes our way and touches the water, I'll know it."
Serena nodded, realizing that this also meant Thomas thought they could take care of themselves. He had his unique talents and was willing to use his abilities to help them.
Thomas gave a little bow of his head in farewell. He turned around to walk back down to the beach. Buffy had moved over to sit with Serena as they watched, and she wondered what the cat thought about this mess. Serena would have asked, but she was just too tired now. Buffy was her best friend, and she knew the cat would stand with her and help her.
"Buffy," she said in a sudden surge of fear. "Promise me you'll be careful. I couldn't stand to lose you, too."
"We have lost no one yet," Buffy replied, settling into Serena's lap.
"You believe Thomas?"
"We were both there. Did you see anybody in the water? Did you hear anyone? I'm not saying it will all be perfect if we find them, but it would have been far easier to let everyone drown if that was the point. I think we chanced not to get caught in the net."
Serena tried to believe those words. She stared at where Thomas walked into the waves and disappeared. Despite Buffy by her side, it still felt scary being so alone.
Serena didn't sleep well. For most of the night, she had nightmares of the ship pulling apart and all of them drowning. Buffy was always in her lap and helped ease her back to sleep. They had no trouble that night, and just before dawn, Serena had an entirely different type of dream.
Mom and Dad sat on a divan, close together and holding hands. They both stared at her, looking intense and not happy. Serena feared what she had done wrong.
But then Mom smiled. "There you are. And Buffy, too. Thomas?"
"In the water," she answered as though this were an actual conversation.
"Yes. Good. No time, Serena. Stay safe. This isn't -- someone --"
A flash of light and everything went away.
"Damn," Buffy hissed. "Mom was just about to tell us something!"
"That was real?" Serena asked and panicked because she hadn't done very well. "Mom!"
"Calm down. Oh, here comes Thomas. Good. He must have had the same message."
He had and was as happy as Buffy about it. "We need to compare what we saw," he said. "We might figure out where they are."
That did sound hopeful. So, as the sun rose, they laid out what they saw, step by step.
"They sat on a divan, side by side," Serena began. It was dark green and had a gold pillow pushed to Mom's side. Both were dressed normally, I think."
"Yes," Buffy said. "That dress Mom wore should be at the bottom of the ocean. That is odd. I had the impression of at least one other person in the room - a sort of shifting of shadows as they talked."
"And I don't think the magic to reach us came from either of them." Thomas looked around, and that made Serena nervous. "I didn't think they were fighting it, though."
"I felt they were safe," Buffy added, but didn't sound entirely convinced. "There was no tension except that the connection was too brief."
"Was it lack of power?" Thomas asked. "Or did someone cut them off?"
"Or did someone try to listen in?" Serena asked. "I think we better go."
Neither Buffy nor Thomas argued. They climbed back down the rocks, and she hoped the other two had gotten more sleep than her.
"Where do we go?" she asked. "Not far if we can help it."
"There is another small island -- though larger than this one -- about seven miles to the west," Thomas said. "I was going to suggest we head there anyway since I found a freshwater spring and some fruit. I think we should be able to see the mainland shore from there, too. It was dark, so I wasn't certain, and I didn't want to go any further."
Both sounded wonderful. "Buffy and I will fly this time, but stay low. Is there a problem with you swimming there?"
"None at all."
"Then let's go." Buffy all but shouted. She took to the air but only circled. "Come on!"
"Yes, Princess Buffy," Thomas said. He walked into the waves and disappeared.
"Serena! "Let's go!"
"Yes, Princess," Serena replied.
This would be a problem, but that was for another time. They had enough problems right now, though. If someone had caught that communication, it might already be too late to get away.
Better to fly rather than stand here and wait for it to happen. Serena took to the air, but she and Buffy stayed close to the water. She watched everything.
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