Ari bowed and watched the Sea Queen retreat to her watery domain, the waves coursing gently around her as she walked deeper and deeper into the water. Soon, she sank from sight, and their last view of her was of a wide mammalian tail fin, which flicked into sight and disappeared beneath the surface without leaving a ripple.
“Magnificent,” Bere said, looking longingly out to sea.
“Certainly very attractive,” Ari replied. “Come on, before you walk into the water after her.” She threw Bere a sly glance and turned to face the rising sun.
The susurrus of surf masked the soft sounds of their steps on the sand, the wind whistling around crevices and hardy bushes clinging to the cliff hanging precipitously above them. Ari was rapt and silent, just as Bere appeared to be, but probably for an alt
