Read Online Submerging (Swans Landing) by Shana Norris - Free Book Online Page A

shorter than I was, and he was round and rosy-cheeked, with graying hair just above his ears. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to reveal what I was most interested in to this man.
    “Is there any information on other parts of Westray?” I asked. “Like, myths and legends?”
    The man scratched at the light stubble along his chin. “Like fairy legends?”
    I cringed. I hated when finfolk were compared to fairies. “Yes,” I forced myself to say. “Do you have information on those?”
    “You’ll want the Fae Museum for that. It’s down the road, to the right. A little building next to McIntyre’s Pub. Look for the fairy on the door.”
    I nodded and then left the heritage museum. It was probably a waste going to something called a “Fae Museum.” Likely the only thing I’d find would be tales about little creatures that granted wishes or stole babies or whatever it was fairies supposedly did in this part of the world.
    Without looking for it, I probably would have passed the Fae Museum by without a second glance. The building looked like all the other gray stone buildings around it, and it was small and tucked almost behind the pub.
    A cracked cobblestone path led the way to the door with a copper fairy on it and I turned the knob slowly, cringing when the door creaked, the sound echoing throughout the room. It was small and dark, but there was a cozy feeling to the place and light, tinkling music played from a stereo in one corner. The walls were covered with paintings of fairies and other mythical creatures. A few fairy “artifacts” had been scattered throughout the room on tables, mixed among fairy figurines.
    A woman emerged from a hallway, smiling wide when she saw me.
    “Welcome!” she boomed, throwing her arms wide as she came at me. Before I could react, I found myself enveloped in a hug. “A seeker of the fae, are you? Aye, you’ve come to the right place. Come, look around. If you have any questions, I’ll be certain to answer them. I’m the resident expert on the fae around here.” She grinned, her face crinkling into shiny cheeks and bright white teeth.
    “Um,” I said, extricating myself from her embrace. “Thanks. I was wondering about ancient legends.”
    She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward one of the displays, pointing out what looked like pieces of rocks. “There are many legends here in Orkney,” she told me. “These are pieces of a walking stone. At night, they’ve been seen walking down the water to take a drink.” She moved to the next table, which featured small animal bones. “Fairy bones,” she whispered. “A very rare find.”
    This was definitely a waste of time. “Uh, nice,” I said. “Actually, I should get back. My brother is waiting for me.”
    Her smile faded for a moment, but then she grinned again and gestured toward another display. “Perhaps I can interest you in something else? We have many displays.”
    I shook my head. “Really, I should go—”
    “Are selkies more your interest? Or perhaps finfolk—”
    I paused, turning back to look at her as an icy chill raced down my spine. “You have finfolk artifacts here?” I asked.
    She grinned and then crooked her finger, gesturing for me to follow her to the other side of the room. She led me to a table in a corner, where only a few pieces were kept under a glass box. One looked like silver fish scales collected inside a plastic bag. Next to it sat a string of seashells tied into a necklace and a few drawings of finfolk creatures either leaping from the water or else crawling on the sand, still with fishtails, with a twisted piece of metal holding the paper in place in one corner.
    “The finfolk were once seen often in Orkney,” the woman told me. “They used to travel back and forth between their islands and ours. They had many, you know, but the two we know the most about are Hildaland and Hether Blether. Hildaland was taken by a human who tricked them, and now the island lies visible to human