I swam off the coast, watching the city from my wide black eyes. From the sea I should have been able to hear the sounds of people in the market, selling their wares to eager patrons. But nothing came to my ears but silence, an eerie stillness that almost made me turn around and go back.
I turned my thoughts to Altan, gathering courage as I swam up to the sandy beach. He had developed a sickness that seemed to be eating him alive and none of our harem had known what was wrong. The merpeople, the wise ones of the sea, said that only the humans had the cure. That if we wanted to save Altan then we had to go to a nearby human city by the sea called Verna. I chose to go against my harem’s wishes. They didn’t trust those that lived on land. Altan was the leader of our harem and I was his chosen mate. To not want to help would be an affront to him. I was scared about interacting with these humans, but I would do whatever I had to if it meant that I could save Altan.
I beached myself, gliding across the wet sand in my sleek seal form and scanned the area once again. I didn’t want any humans to see me shift forms. They barely knew we existed.
I was a selkie, a creature of the sea. My natural form was that of a seal that could cut through the ocean’s waters like a great white shark. But if I wanted to, or in this case needed to, I could transform from a seal into a human. The only sign of my natural form was the sealskin that shed off of my human self when I changed.
I shifted forms and was careful to hide my pelt in the reeds at the ocean’s shore. Humans had odd rules about killing sea creatures such as seals, and I didn’t want them to distrust me for carrying a seal’s hide.
I stood up and wiped the sand off of my bare legs. I never liked being human. It felt like I was being forced into an unnatural position. I knew that I couldn’t go to Verna naked; that would give off the wrong impression. I cautiously walked along the shore, looking for anything to cover myself with. The humans often used the hot sands of the beach to dry their laundry. Sure enough, a peasant’s blue dress and traveling cloak were drying nearby. Not far from them were a belt and some boots. I quickly changed into them. I hoped that the human that these belonged to wouldn’t realize that they had been missing before I returned. I ran my fingers through my buttercup yellow hair, hoping that I looked presentable by human standards.
I walked to the gates of the city, making up my story as I went. I would say that I was a part of a band of travelers; one of them was hurt and we needed the medicine. I would leave out the part where the merpeople told us about it. I knew that some humans knew about selkies, but I wasn’t sure on their take of merpeople. I didn’t want to bring any unwanted attention to the wise ones.
As I approached the gate, the city guard walked out of a small shack just to the right of the gate. He wore the colors of Verna¾red, silver and black¾over thick armor. His hair was brown, cut short so that his enemies couldn’t use it against him. He wasn’t handsome, but his ridged posture and steely brown eyes told me all that I needed to know. Looks didn’t matter to him; protecting his city did. I curtsied low and smiled, hoping that I was acting humble and not coy.
“What is your business here, my lady?” asked the guard. His eyes roamed over my body, and I was happy to know that the humans’ standards of beauty hadn’t changed since the last time I was on shore five years ago.
I said the lines that I had rehearse on my way here; “Please sir, I need your city’s help. I belong to a caravan of traders that have been attacked by thieves. One of my people was hurt in the attack and we need,” I thought for a moment about what the merpeople said, “we need Salver’s root.”
“Salver’s root?” he asked. I nodded, wondering what the odd look on his face meant. “What is your name?”
“My name?” I asked. This wasn’t going well. Most humans just asked your business and then let you pass. The merpeople never did explain what Salver’s root was. “My name is Salena.”
The guard looked at me, unsure of what he should do. His expression changed slightly when he looked into my eyes. I sighed and lowered my black eyes to the ground.
“Please sir,” I begged. “Every moment that I spend here is a moment in which he could die.”
“Do you know what Salver’s root is for?” asked the guard. His armor glinted in the sunlight. My eyes settled on the sword at his hip. It didn’t gleam like his armor did. I wondered if it had been passed down from his father to him.
“No.” It was an honest answer. Besides, I wanted to know what the merpeople “forgot” to tell us.
“Salver’s root is for people who have been cursed by magick. What did your friend do to piss off a sorcerer enough to be cursed?”
I blinked in surprise, but tried not to let it show on my face. Altan was cursed. My heart pounded as I realized that someone did this on purpose. A human probably would have been dead by now with a curse on him, but Altan wasn’t human. He was a selkie, like me, and we didn’t die so easily.
I thought about Altan, and his many trips into the human world. He liked humans, although he preferred his seal form. He liked to wander around their cities and explore their cultures. It was how our selkie harem came to know about the humans and their beliefs. It was because of Altan that we knew how to speak the language of humans. It was fully possible that he angered a sorcerer in the process of learning these things.
“Honestly sir, I don’t know,” I answered. The guard examined my face, almost expecting a lie instead of the truth that was so obviously written in my features. He sighed and signaled for someone to come out of the guard shack.
“Go get what she asks,” he told the other guard. The other guard, a short burly woman, bowed and left without a word. “I don’t want you in my city,” he said. “Whatever sorcerer cursed your friend might seek revenge on those that have helped him.”
I didn’t say a word. I just waited for the woman guard to return with the Salver’s root. I didn’t care about sorcerers and magick. All I cared about was the ocean and the peacefulness of the sea.
The woman guard returned with the Salver’s root inside a small leather bag. I tied the bag to my belt as the two guards watched me through curious eyes.
“Thank you so much for your help,” I said as I did a curtsy. I wanted to get back to Altan and the harem as soon as possible.
The sun shimmered off the ocean, making it look dazzling white instead of the calm blue that I knew that it was. Looking out to sea, I could see several seals playing tag. I recognized them as members of my selkie harem. I waved to them and they barked in reply. I knew the message that their bark held; Hurry! Altan doesn’t have much time.
Footprints other than my own were in the sand. I ignored them. It wasn’t unusual for humans to take walks along the ocean’s shore, I thought as I ran over to the reeds and searched for my sealskin. I tried retracing my steps and found those reeds empty as well. Panic rose up inside of me as dune after dune of reeds didn’t hold my sealskin. I looked along the beach until my eyes came to a man beside a small fire. I ran over to him, hoping that if he had found my pelt then he would be willing to give it back.
It was said that if a human found a selkie’s sealskin, then he would control the selkie until one of them died. The human could force the selkie to do almost anything, as long as he promised to give them back their pelt in return. I wasn’t sure if this tale was true, and I wasn’t in the mood to find out.
The man beside the fire wasn’t a peasant from Verna, that much was certain. He wore the latest fashions in velvet and silk with large gold rings on his thick, sausage like fingers. His black hair was slicked back. His cerulean eyes held something like triumph as he watched me walk over to him. It wasn’t until I was almost standing next to him that I noticed what was in the fire. The sickening stench of burnt hair and skin reached my nose, and I cried out as I dove for the fire. The man had put my sealskin in the fire! The man grabbed me before I could get to the flames, and I felt a connection flare up between us.
“Oh no, dear selkie,” he whispered in my ear as he held me close to his body. “You are mine now.”
He held me in his arms until the fire burned down to embers. I struggled and fought, but as a human I didn’t have much strength. If I could only get my pelt and transform back into a seal, then I could escape back to the sea. Back to Altan so that I could give him the Salver’s root that I was gripping like it was my only hope.
The man put the remnants of my sealskin hide from the fire into a small, leather bag much like the one that the Salver’s root was in and tied it to his waist. Then he turned to me.
“Dear selkie, I’ve been looking for you for quite some time,” he said as his eyes took me in. I struggled in his grip, hoping to slip away and run. “Stop,” he commanded.
The laugh that came out of my mouth was too close to a sob. He thought that he had full control over me because he had my pelt, even though it was now just ashes. He would always know where I was and what I was thinking, but he would never have full control over me. He would never have all of me.
I lashed out and slapped him across the face with all the strength that my little human body could muster. Anger filled his face as his big, meaty hands gripped the front of my dress. The dress ripped in his hands like it was made of the most delicate material. Naked, I fell to the ground in shock rather than in fear. He tossed the dress aside and grabbed a handful of my hair. He dragged me to my feet and gripped my shoulders. His eyes once again traveled over my body, but this time nothing was left to the imagination.
“Dear selkie, my name is Lord Breylan, Lord of Verna, and you will learn to call me husband.”
He covered me with my own traveling cloak, which had somehow escaped damage, and led me back into Verna. He left the torn dress in the sand. I couldn’t care less about his behavior. He had wanted to show me that he was in charge, to show me that my free will was gone. I knew this to be true because I could sense his thoughts like they were my own. I had a glimpse of what he was thinking. As we approached the gates, the two guards that had helped me get the Salver’s root wouldn’t meet my eyes. This had all been a trap. It was obvious from Lord Breylan’s attitude that he had wanted to take a selkie as his wife for quite some time. He must have paid a sorcerer to curse a selkie, my Altan, in order to persuade one on shore.
Verna was oddly quite. I looked up at the sky, seeing that was a little after noon. The market that we were passing through should have been bustling with vendors and shoppers. The den of the market should have been overwhelming to me. But all that was there were the empty wooden stalls for the vendors. The houses we passed by were locked up tight, not a single window open. I knew that there were people inside because Lord Breylan knew. I felt his satisfaction with the thought that his own people were afraid of him. My stomach churned as we approached a large, gray stone palace; Lord Breylan’s palace. Verna seemed to be nothing but a hollow shell, seemingly devoid of all life.
The palace doors were locked when we approached. I looked around for a guard to let us in, but they didn’t make any move from the ramparts to open the doors. Lord Breylan held out a hand and pressed it firmly against the door. Light flared from the palm of his hand and seemed to go into the door. The lock clicked and the door swung open. I looked at the man beside me with shock and fear written on my face. He hadn’t paid off a sorcerer to curse Altan. Lord Breylan was the sorcerer.
“It’s just a simple ward to protect against unwelcome intruders,” he said, thinking that my shock was about his using magick. I felt like telling him that I had seen magick before, and his little display was nothing. But I was afraid that by doing so then Lord Breylan would kill Altan. I couldn’t have my mate’s death on my shoulders.
He led me into the foyer of the palace, shutting the door behind us. He pressed his hands against the door again and closed his eyes. He was probably replacing the ward he had talked about. I stood in the middle of the foyer, looking up in awe at the ceiling. Painted up there was the ocean and it’s inhabitants. It looked so real. Tears came to my eyes and threatened to spill over when I saw that a harem of seals were to focus of the mural. Lord Breylan’s hands settled on my shoulders and I turned my eyes to the floor.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
I didn’t care to answer. A door swung open and a balding man in robin’s egg blue robes came into the foyer. His leering eyes traveled over me and I pulled the cloak tighter, trying to make sure I was fully covered.
“Is this her?” he asked. Lord Breylan nodded and the man smiled. “Good. Everything is ready. Have you two picked the special day?”
“Tomorrow,” answered Lord Breylan. “We will wed tomorrow.” He looked at me and said, “
The balding man nodded, taking my hand and leading me upstairs.
“You will need to clean up and get ready if your wedding is tomorrow,” muttered Milton, more to himself than to me. “There is much for you to do. Ah, here it is.”
He opened a door to a bedroom that was very simple, yet ornate. A four-poster bed sat against the far wall, covered in the best sheets and comforters that the Lord probably had. A large window opened up to a balcony that over looked the ocean. I could hear the waves even though the window was closed. A desk sat in the corner opposite to the bed and a large, soft rug lay in the large empty space between them.
“This is your room for the night,” he said. “After tomorrow, your room will be that of your husband’s. Goodnight.” He closed the door quietly and I heard a key slide and the lock turn. They didn’t trust me to stay in here all night. I walked over to the window and threw it open. The scent of the sea overtook me and I collapsed onto the floor, sobs wracking my body. Sleep washed over me as the sounds of the sea sang their age-old lullaby to me.
I stood at the alter that was set up in the foyer of Lord Breylan’s palace,
The ceremony ended sooner than I anticipated. I retreated to my room as my new, unwanted husband ate, drank, and got merry with the wenches. I was now allowed to come and go from the palace as I chose, even though I was enslaved to the man that I was now forced to call husband. He knew that I could run away, but he would always know where I was. If I did run, he would find me. I quickly changed into a simple dark blue dress and pulled on my hooded cloak. I needed to go down to the beach.
The ocean waves lapped up to shore, smoothing out the sand that had been disturbed by footprints and sandcastles. Although night was my favorite time on the beach, I also enjoyed the afternoon sun that shone through the clouds and warmed my face. It seemed like I was all alone in the world, seeing the ocean and its beach before man had come and ruined it like they had ruined so much. The world was a beautiful place until man arrived.
I longed to go home. I longed to go back to the place where everything was pristine and untouched by man. My bare feet on the sand were a cruel reminder of what I had lost. I clutched my cloak closer around me, even though the barest hint of winter was months away. I felt so alone. So lost.
I spun around as I heard someone clear their throat. The man behind me looked like a younger version of Lord Breylan. He bowed low to me, although his eyes never left mine. Such anger shown in those eyes.
“Do I call you mother now?” he growled.
“Excuse me?”
“Do I call you mother?”
It didn’t surprise me that Lord Breylan had children. I shook my head and turned my eyes back to the sea. A seal jumped out of the water and my heart stopped. I knew her and she knew me. I knew that she could sense that I was no longer a true selkie. That I was now trapped in my human form. I thought back to the Salver’s root that was on the desk in my temporary room and wondered if Altan was still alive.
“What should I call you?” he asked. His voice softened, but the anger was still there.
“They called me Salena,” I whispered, my eyes still on the seals in the water.
“Salena. It’s such a beautiful name.” His eyes followed mine. We stood there on the ocean’s shore, watching my kin play.
“What do they call you?” I finally asked.
“Arlin.”
“It’s a pleasure, Lord Arlin.”
I turned and walked back up to the palace. The sight of the playing seals was becoming too much to bear. Lord Arlin ran up beside me.
“Not Lord Arlin,” he said. “Just Arlin. I may be his child, but I am not his heir.”
“Why not?” I asked. His anger flared up and I realized that it wasn’t all for me.
“He wants a selkie for the throne. I am merely human.”
“You have nothing to worry about,” I said. Rage filled me as I realized what tonight entailed. “If I have my way there will be no children.”
Arlin stopped walking and I turned to him. His eyes were on the ground, thinking very hard about something. He looked up and said, “I have a question for you.”
He walked over to me and cupped my face in his hands. Magick flowed through me and for the first time since my pelt had been taken, I didn’t feel Lord Breylan’s presence in me. Arlin smiled.
“Will you help me?” I asked.
“Help you with what?”
“I don’t belong here. I want to go back to the sea.”
“I would like to help,” said Arlin softly.
“Verna will die under Lord Breylan’s rule,” I said, trying to convince him. I needed this sorcerer’s help.
“I don’t want to see Verna go to waste,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I’ve never wanted to become king, but I will try for Verna.”
I understood his sentiments. I had never wanted to become the mate of the leader of a selkie harem, but love did odd things sometimes. I nodded in agreement.
“What do I need to do?” Arlin asked.
“I need to get my pelt away from your father.” My eyes burned as tears threatened to fill my eyes. “But he burned it. My sealskin is ashes now.”
“You just get it away from him, I’ll take care of the rest.”
“And your father?”
“And I’ll take care of my father.”
We didn’t say another word as we walked back up towards Verna. We both knew that tonight was going to be interesting.
When I returned to the palace I was led up to Lord Breylan’s bedchambers. Milton, still dressed in those robin egg blue robes, was waiting at the door.
“Go inside, undress, and warm your husband’s bed,” he commanded. “My lord will be with you momentarily.”
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Arlin go into the bedchamber next to Lord Breylan’s. He didn’t give me a second glance.
Milton opened the door and ushered me in before he closed it again and locked it. I was alone in Lord Breylan’s room. I walked over to the bed and ran my hand across the silken threads. I heard a noise in the room next-door and I spun around to face the wall.
“What did you do Arlin? Why couldn’t I feel her!?”
Lord Breylan’s voice, filled with anger and surprise, pierced through the stone wall. A loud explosion shook the palace as the wall between Lord Breylan’s room and Arlin’s crumbled. Lord Breylan strode through the rubble over to me. I tried to dive out of the way as Lord Breylan’s arms wrapped around me and forced me onto the bed. I screamed and struggled and finally my hand gripped my goal; the leather bag with my sealskin ashes in it.
“Arlin!” I screamed his name as Lord Breylan groped me with one hand and tried to untie his pants with the other.
Hands gripped Lord Breylan’s shoulders and pulled him off of me. I scrambled across the bed, trying to get some distance between the fighting sorcerers and me as possible.
“Salena!” shouted Arlin. I turned to him as he tossed his father into a wall, stunning him for only a moment. Arlin wrapped an arm around me and pressed his lips to mine. I felt his magick flow into me, filling me to the brim. As he pulled back I gasped for air, looking up at him in shock. I never expected him to share his magick with me.
“Use it to get back home,” he whispered to me as he thrust another leather bag into my hands. It was the one with the Salver’s root in it. “Now run!” I heard Arlin’s words, but I couldn’t uproot myself. Magick started to flow from Arlin’s hands as Lord Breylan tried to get back on his feet. “Run Salena!”
I ran from the palace as fast as my human feet would allow. I was on the ocean’s shore when a large fireball erupted from the palace, sending Verna up in an inferno of flames. I screamed wordlessly, pain searing me from the inside out, as I felt the connection between Lord Breylan and I break. I knew in that instant that neither Arlin nor Lord Breylan survived their battle of power. I sat in the sand, trying to deal with my pain and mourning Arlin’s death until dawn came.
I opened the leather bag that contained my pelt’s ashes and dumped them into the ocean. Somehow I knew exactly what to do with Arlin’s gift of magick. I put my hand in the water and let the magick that Arlin had given me flow out, turning the ashes into skin and fur. I picked my sealskin out of the water and hugged it to me. I looked one last time at Verna, the city that was no more, and shifted back into a seal.
The search for my selkie harem didn’t take long, for they stuck close to the shores of Verna. Altan swam with them, no longer sick. He told me that during the night his fever broke and within hours he was better. I guess the rumor that a sorcerer’s curse dies with the sorcerer that created it was true. My harem wondered what had happened to Verna. I didn’t tell them about the sorcerer’s curse on Altan in order to trick a selkie onto the shore and into marriage. I told them that I got what we needed and left. We left the shores of Verna as fast as the ocean currents could take us. Just like the ocean is full of secrets, so are selkies. No one needed to know about the tragedy at Verna, just as no one needed to know of the sorcerer that had the magick to make me whole again.
Heather Kuehl is in cahoots with a library gnome and has to lock up her husband on the night of the full
moon. More information about her works can be found at http://heatherkuehl.blogspot.com.
0 comments:
Post a Comment