Read Online Crystal Doors #2: Ocean Realm (No. 2) by Kevin J. Anderson, Rebecca Moesta - Free Book Online

her touch them as they swirled around her.
    Gwen hurried down to the edge of the calm water, delighted. “Remember a few years ago when our parents took us to Disney World, and then afterwards we stayed on the Florida coast? The water in Tampa was so warm and calm we just floated and splashed around all day.”
    Of course he remembered. The thoughts were bittersweet for Vic. Since the day she left, every minute he remembered spending with his mother seemed precious. He tried to divert his mind from the pain of not knowing where she was or if she was still alive. “Yup. I remember you got sunburned as red as ketchup, too,” Vic said, coming up beside her and dipping his foot into the water.
    “Ketchup? Eww.” Gwen punched him in the shoulder. “Anyway, my point is, it was fun.” Together they walked back onto the dry sand.
    “Point taken. I’d rather swim for pleasure than try to dodge merlons, clean up messes from battles, or worry about a ship sinking beneath me.” Vic removed his outer clothes and sandals, tightened the brevi he wore for swimming, and dashed down the sandy beach. Giving his medallion a tug to make sure its cord was secure, he said, “Come on! Last one in is a kraken egg.”
    Gwen shed her tunic, so that she wore only her medallion on its leather thong, and a white brevi that consisted of a cropped tank and briefs. She raced him to the water.
    Tiaret showed no trepidation. Dressed in her tight animal skins, the girl from Afirik thrust her teaching staff into the sand so that it stuck up next to Vic and Gwen’s clothes. With lithe movements, she bounded into the water.
    Since he would not need it while swimming, Sharif had left his flying carpet rolled up and stashed beneath the sleeping pallet in his quarters. He stripped down to his loincloth while considering whether or not to leave Piri behind on the beach. The nymph djinni could survive perfectly well under water in her eggsphere, and she enjoyed teasing the fish by blinking in tempting colors to lure them closer. He put the mesh bag that held Piri back around his neck.
    Lyssandra, wearing a short, snug-fitting chamois brevi that tied over one shoulder, pulled her long coppery hair back in a ponytail so the strands wouldn’t get in her eyes, and joined the others. She waded in up to her knees, then her waist, turning around to look at the empty beach.
    Vic wanted to start by teaching Tiaret his favorite stroke, the butterfly, but Gwen argued that they should begin with floating and kicking. Vic splashed his cousin.
    “Treading water is also a useful skill, especially for a beginner,” Lyssandra pointed out. Gwen surprised her with an impulsive splash.
    Sharif, getting into the spirit of the occasion, said, “Perhaps we should work on holding your breath first.” While he was looking at Tiaret, Lyssandra’s hand skimmed the surface of the water, sending a spray into Sharif’s face.
    “Teach me everything,” Tiaret said. “I will master the skills quickly.”
    Since she sounded so serious, everyone responded by splashing her. Soon they were all laughing and shouting in a friendly water fight. Sharif took Piri out of her pouch so that she could join in the fun, and they all played catch with the twinkling pink eggsphere for quite a while before Sharif tucked her back into the mesh pouch around his neck.
    Tiaret looked up at the darkening skies and grew serious again. “Although this is most entertaining, should we not begin my actual lessons?”
    When it came to athletic endeavors, the girl from Afirik was a quick study. From Gwen, she learned floating and three types of kicks. Sharif added breathing techniques, and Lyssandra showed her how to tread water. Vic demonstrated several types of arm strokes. Trying the dog paddle first, Tiaret thrashed awkwardly halfway across the cove before pausing to tread water and wave at her friends.
    The first shark fin pierced the calm water of the cove like a sacrificial dagger. The sharp,