Without making a sound, Briana O'Toole slipped out the door to walk the mountain behind her home. In the half-light before dawn her reddish blonde hair swirled around her face. Her brown eyes peered into the mist that hid the valley below.

From the time she was born, Bree had lived in the Wicklow Mountains of Ireland. As if they were close friends, she knew every bush, tree, and stone along the path. What she didn't know was that this September day in the late tenth century marked the end of her old life and a new beginning.

After a steep climb, Bree reached her favorite spot on the side of Brockagh Mountain. When the breeze came, she felt it first upon her face. Moments later, the rising sun broke through the mist. The distant waters of the Irish Sea drew Bree in a way she couldn't explain even to herself. If only I could know what's out there.

For Bree the thought was not new. Years ago it started as a hunger—a curiosity that built with each story she heard about life in distant places. By now her wish to know the world beyond Ireland was a longing that wouldn't go away. What would it be like to see faraway lands?

Still watching the sea, Bree felt the dream of adventure. Then a whisper of fear crept into her thoughts. Would I have the courage I'd need?

Her brother, Devin, seemed brave enough for most anything. But Bree knew an unknown world might be frightening too. Whenever friends gathered in the cottages of Ireland, she heard stories about Vikings and their fast ships with the dragon heads. Fierce raiders from the North countries, they fell like lightning upon a peaceful countryside.

Bree shivered. Please, God, not here. Not ever again.

As the red ball of light grew large, the sun glittered and danced on the sea. Tossing her long hair over her shoulders, Bree shrugged off her worry. She'd let nothing spoil the wonder of this, her thirteenth birthday. In a loose-fitting blue dress that gave her the freedom to climb steep hills, Bree felt ready to celebrate.

When she started down the mountain, the mist still hung in the valleys, but she took the long way home. Even without seeing them, Bree knew every turn of the rivers that passed near her family's farm on their way to the Irish Sea.

Below her lay the place where she took her younger brother and sisters swimming. Beyond that sheltered spot, two rivers flowed together. Close by, her father had nearly drowned as a child. Often he warned them about the stepping-stones just upstream.

MM"People think it's an easy spot to cross," Daddy said. "But if something goes wrong—"

More than once, he had told Bree what to do if the younger children ever needed help. Always Bree felt glad for the way her dad praised her ability to swim. But now she felt the sun on her face and welcomed its warmth in her thoughts.

Someday I'll travel beyond these mountains, she promised herself. Someday I'll see the world beyond the Irish Sea.

In that moment the mist parted, showing Bree the place where the current ran swift and deep. There on the stepping-stones just above the joining of rivers was a lad with blond hair. Tully!

The boy stood on a rock with his back turned, but Bree felt sure she would recognize him anywhere. Wearing long narrow trousers and a sleeveless tunic, Tully was the son of her daddy's best friend. But what was he doing here, so far from home?

Bree's heart leaped just thinking about it. Has Tully come to give me a birthday surprise?

It would be just like her mother to plan something special with the Byrne family. But Bree couldn't wait. Moving on silent cat feet, she hurried down the hill, planning a surprise of her own.

On that September day the river ran full from autumn rains. Swirling water covered the stepping-stones on the far side of the river. As Tully moved from one stone to the next, Bree's excitement about a birthday surprise changed to uneasiness. Can't he see how swift the current is?

When he reached the last big stone, ready to slip into the water and swim the rest of the way, Bree called a warning. "Tully!"

At the sound of her voice he started to turn. Suddenly his foot slipped, and he lost his balance. Arms waving, he tumbled into the water.

On bare feet Bree raced to the edge of the river and followed the stones into the stream. There she found her worst fears true. Tully had hit his head when he fell. He lay facedown just beneath the surface of the water.