I needed to sleep and eat, and not necessarily in that order. As the evening approached, I tried to draft a plan that included finding a way to steal back Brendan’s skin without getting caught. I didn’t really come up with much. Since I needed to wait on Abhainn for more information, the most I could accomplish was trying to convince Daniel to stay with Brendan while I went out on some secret mission. He was reluctant at first, not because he didn’t want to do it, but because I told him that he wasn’t allowed to tell the others. It had been made quite clear that Kain and Carissa wouldn’t be spending a bunch of extra time with me, so it shouldn’t have been too difficult to understand why Daniel would be the only one invited to my room.
“Why won’t you tell me where you’re going?” Daniel asked for at least the hundredth time. “I hope you’re not thinking about going after those selkies on your own.”
“That would be idiotic,” I replied from the bathroom while trying to discretely pack a small bag of extra clothes. I didn’t know how long I’d be gone, and I wanted to be prepared in case I had to shift.
Daniel made a small noise that led me to think he didn’t believe a word I said. It didn’t really matter though. As long as he didn’t tell the others, especially Brendan, then maybe I could slip out undetected. I walked past the two boys on the bed and looked at them. Daniel sat on top of the covers with ankles crossed, flipping through the channels while biting his nails. Brendan wasn’t moving much at all. He hadn’t come out of his sleep for more than a few minutes at a time, and although I hated to leave him, I knew his time was quickly running out. I had no other option at this point.
“Okay, I’ll be back in a little bit.” Daniel looked at me suspiciously and I had to turn my head toward the floor to hide the guilt and my fear. “Thanks again for helping, Daniel. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
“Just hurry back, all right?”
I smiled at him and quickly left the room. Dusk was upon us although it seemed the night already arrived since the sky was covered with a layer of thick, dark clouds. I silently walked to our car seeing no one else in the parking lot. But just as I unlocked the doors, two mysterious shadows appeared, blocking me against the driver’s side.
“And just where do you think you’re going?” Carissa asked.
“I think she’s going to try to take on an army of selkies alone,” Kain replied.
“Now why would she do such a stupid thing?” Carissa continued.
“Probably because she thinks that there is no other way to handle this situation.”
“Oh for God’s sake. I’m standing right here!” I snapped. Turning to face them, I leaned against the side of the car and crossed my arms over my chest. “There’s nothing you guys can say that will stop me from going.”
Kain nodded. “We figured as much.” He suddenly yanked the keys out of my hand and held them above his head when I tried to grab them back. “You’re not going.”
I attempted to jump and reach his hand, but he was one step ahead of me. This wasn’t happening now. I got so angry that I let out a scream of frustration, pushing against his chest and forcing him to take a few steps backward.
“I have to go. Brendan is dying and this is all my fault!”
“No, you misunderstood. You’re not going alone,” he corrected.
I looked back and forth between the two of them, taking a second to put it together. “No. You guys can’t come.” Shaking my head, I began to pace along the length of the car. “I can’t let you do that. It’s too dangerous.”
Kain laughed this time as he pushed past me and opened the driver’s side door. “You don’t have a choice.” He slid in behind the wheel and Carissa jumped in the backseat. I stood there like a statue in awe of what my friends were doing for me. They’d already risked so much, and now they were probably risking their lives for a selkie boy they didn’t even know or like. Kain started the car and waved me inside with an urgent look. Stunned and overwhelmed, I climbed in.
“Where to?” he asked while backing out of the parking spot.
“The Chesapeake Bay Bridge. And we need to be on the east end by eight.”
He glanced at me but didn’t ask any more questions. In fact, no one said a word. It took us nearly an hour to get to our destination and almost as long before anyone asked me why we were meeting at this location.
“You flushed Abhainn down the drain?” Carissa asked in dismay.
“It’s not like I flushed him down the toilet. It was the bathroom sink and it was his idea.” A ball of nerves twisted up in my stomach washing over me in a wave of panic. I really hoped the water sprite would be here. He was the only semblance of hope I could cling to right now.
“Do you think he can find them?” Kain asked softly.
I turned to look out the window. “I hope so,” I whispered.
We finally made it to the beginning of the bridge and instead of paying the toll we pulled off the road and into the visitor’s center parking lot. I jumped out of the car and ran toward the first pillar, right where the land ended and the waves fought against their impeding barrier.
I heard Carissa and Kain walk up behind me, although they chose to stay a few feet away. Maybe they were giving me privacy, or maybe they were apprehensive about all of the creatures we now knew may be waiting under the surface.
“What time is it?” I yelled back to whoever would answer.
“Five after eight,” Kain briskly replied.
Great. Abhainn was late and all of the hope I’d been hanging on to started to seep from my bones like melting ice. Brendan was going to die and it was because I didn’t protect him. I’d relied on him for so much of everything I’d done, and the one time he needed me, I failed.
My shallow breaths were a sign of an oncoming panic attack, and I tried to control my breathing so I wouldn’t lose it in front of my friends. Kain started to walk closer toward me, but I quickly retreated to the water’s edge. He didn’t need to see me crying.
“Thought I forgot, eh?” a raspy, accented voice called to me. Turning my head quickly, I tried to find the source. “Over here, lassie.”
In the darkened shadows of one bridge piling stood a lean man in a long trench coat and a bowler’s hat. Using the leg propped up against the side, he gracefully pushed away from the structure and glided toward me.
“Abhainn?” I asked. “How…?” If I wouldn’t have known any better, I would have passed him off as a mere human. Albeit, an oddly dressed one.
“Ye like?” he asked. With arms spread, he turned in a circle several times, allowing me to take note of his solid and non-aqueous body. “It’s been a while since I’ve been able to do this.” He smiled broadly and pulled down on his jacket.
“You creatures can do that?” Carissa tactlessly asked.
Abhainn shot her a glare. “I am no more creature than ye. And yes, when we’ve had our fill, the magic is stronger and more useful.” He waved his hand toward the closing visitor center. “I’ve spent the last half hour wandering amongst those things. Not a one suspected I was anything but a curious tourist.”
“What do you mean by having your fill?” Kain questioned.
I looked up at his face and noticed suspicion written all over it. Abhainn’s laugh sent shivers down my spine. He slowly sauntered over to us, feigning picking something out of his teeth. With his new body, he reached eye level with Kain but my friend didn’t give up any ground. I, on the other hand, unwillingly stepped back at the sudden change in the sprite’s demeanor.
“I think ye know what I’m referring to, lad.” The two stood in silence, locked in a bitter stare.
Carissa came up behind the other side of Kain and slapped Abhainn lightly on the shoulder. “Well, I don’t know what you’re talking about, so would you please enlighten us?” She attempted to break the tension.
Abhainn took one step away and looked between Carissa and me several times before he let out a laugh. “Ye really don’t know, do ye? What are they teaching ye si
rens nowadays? Are we no more than a fairy tale?”
“Abhainn…” I pleaded. “What helps strengthen your magic?”
A wicked grin appeared on his face and for an instance, I thought I saw his bone structure elongate slightly before flashing back to the non-threatening human façade. “Well, lassie. All we need is a good meal to keep the body strong.”
“A meal?”
“He means a human, Eviana.” Kain turned his head toward me. “He ate a human.”
“Two actually,” Abhainn chimed in.
I looked at the water sprite with a new sense of disgust and fear. There were stories about the water fairies and their desire to consume human flesh, but we were never told this was how they survived. Then again, we were told that no more of their kind existed. I thought back to the naiad in the lake and wondered how many human hikers she’d consumed over the years.
“Was that really necessary?” Carissa asked jokingly, although I heard the nerves fluttering amongst her words.
Abhainn rubbed his hands over his belly and groaned. “I probably could have done without that last one. He was a bit pudgy ‘n I fear I may ‘ave over indulged.” He was enjoying this way too much. “But alas, I needed my strength. It’s been far too long since I’ve had a decent meal.”
I wanted to ask about this lifestyle. Whether it was fascination or just morbid curiosity, I wanted to know more about him and his kind. But my thoughts were cut short when Kain asked Abhainn what we really needed to know.
“Did you find them?”
“Aye.”
“And….?” I prodded after a few seconds of silence.
Abhainn sighed and walked nearer to the water’s edge. I followed closely behind, with Kain and Carissa staying back where we’d stopped.
“There are seven of them ‘n they’re holed up in a dump just outside of the town of Severna Park.”
“Did you see them? Do you know if they have Brendan’s skin?”
Abhainn placed a hand on my shoulder for comfort. “No, I didn’t see them. An…acquaintance reported back to me about their location.”
I pushed his arm away. “Well, how do you know your acquaintance is telling the truth or that they even know who you’re looking for?” My voice screeched. The tightness in my chest came back again and I struggled to breathe.
“I’m confident in her assessment. She could identify a selkie from a mile away.”
“Did you find them?” Kain asked. He must have heard my panicked cry and decided he didn’t care if this was a private conversation anymore.
I looked at Abhainn again, wondering if I could believe a sprite that ate humans and who outsourced his obligations.
“As I was telling your friend, aye. But I don’t know if they ‘ave the skin or if it is the group being controlled,” he continued. “Since yer selkie seems to believe living in a group is rare, then we deduced this must be the selkies you’re looking for.”
“Who’s ‘we’?” Kain asked.
“His acquaintance,” I snapped.
Abhainn looked at me with little patience and much annoyance. “She’s to be trusted,” he stated as though that was the end of the conversation. “You’ll find them at this address.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tightly folded piece of paper. But before we could make the exchange, a sickening sound pulled our attention back to Carissa. The ominous crunch of a soft body being beaten and the thump it makes when it falls to the ground was unmistakable. The bridge lights from above cast an eerie shadow over our meeting place and I saw that Carissa now lay in a heap at the foot of a large man. His silhouette revealed a long object dangling from his hand that appeared to be a bat or baton of some sort.
“Carissa!” Kain cried and darted over to her. The man that had knocked her out raised the bat and pointed it at Kain.
“Not another step or the next hit will meet her skull.”
Kain froze and I stepped up beside him. “Did you kill her?” I cried out.
He looked down at Carissa and used his right foot to push her over onto her back. The way her body moved like a rag doll caused my stomach to drop. She couldn’t be dead. Not this way. Not because of me.
“She’ll live,” the man stated coolly.
Three more figures made their way into the light. From where we were positioned, tourists and drivers wouldn’t be able to see us. The land sloped slightly down to the water, and right now we could either run up the hill past our assailants or used the water as our escape.
“Don’t even think of it,” a female sneered at me. “We’ve covered that area as well.”
As one, Kain, Abhainn, and I turned toward the bridge and the dark waters splashing underneath. At first I didn’t see anything, but when Abhainn inhaled a sharp breath, I followed his gaze to the first piling. Twenty tiny heads popped up at once and began to swim toward us. Their synchronized movement caused a large wave to form, and the sound of the rolling water was nearly overwhelmed by the cackling and laughing coming from the sharp toothed creatures.
Large wings sprouted on a few of the approaching bodies and they took to the air like it was as natural as the need to breathe. In an instant, our escape to the sea was blocked by six human-like figures. At least as tall as Kain, I couldn’t tell if the leathery bodies were male or female. Each one had long hair that hid their slightly slanted eyes, an elongated crooked nose, and fangs that were too large to be concealed. Although naked, their bodies were anatomically indistinct from one another. And they also smelled. Bad.
“Nereids…” Abhainn whispered in awe. “Where did ye find them?” He reached toward the largest of the group as though needing to touch it in order to believe it existed. The creature snapped at Abhainn and let out a screech that reminded me of an owl. Or more like that of a mouse being caught by an owl.
“I think she likes you,” the man said. “Calypso, you may take him.”
In an instant, chaos broke out. Kain ran at the man that had attacked Carissa and I pulled on Abhainn’s arms as the nereid’s tried to drag him back into the water. They seemed to be equally matched as I watched Abhainn fade in and out of existence when he melted into a liquid form making it difficult for any of the nereids to grab him. As it was quickly evident that Abhainn wasn’t incapable of handling himself, I focused my attention back on the fight taking place over top of Carissa’s limp body.
“Stop!” I cried out and jumped on the back of a smaller man who had Kain in a choke hold. Without missing a beat, the man threw me off and I landed on the ground with a smack. Immediately, the female selkie pounced on top of me, straddling my hips and holding my arms down.
“So, you’re the one he wants?” She cocked her head to the side like a ravenous bird. “What’s so special about you?” Grabbing my chin with her hand, she turned my head from side to side as though her answers hid somewhere on my face. “You’re just a child. Just an ignorant, hideous, ahh…”
She screamed when Kain’s foot landed hard in the side of her ribs, nearly knocking her off of me. I used her forward momentum to toss her the rest of the way and sent her rolling down the slight hill. Kain pulled me to my feet and looked around. He breathed heavily and I thought I saw blood above his eye. But before I could check, my legs were yanked out from underneath me and I went sprawling to the ground. The air was knocked from my chest and I saw stars for a few seconds.
At the same time I was incapacitated, the three remaining selkies attacked Kain in unison. He didn’t have a chance. Two of them held his arms behind his back while the large man, who seemed to be the leader, punched and pummeled Kain in the face, ribs, and stomach. The only female of the group pushed her knee into my upper back and yanked on my hair until I was bent as far backward as my body could go.
“You are so weak,” she hissed into my ear. “Just like that boyfriend of yours.” Each time I struggled, she pulled on my hair until I was sure it would rip out.
Abhainn let out a horrified scream and I turned as much
as I could to see that one of the nereids had torn off his arm. There was no blood, since his body was only magically induced, but the sight was still gut-wrenching and had apparently caused him pain. That thought made me forget about my own body for a moment and focus instead on what I needed to do to help my friends.
Pulling my arms around to the front of my chest, I launched myself off of the ground, slamming my head back into the female selkie’s face. The crack of her nose sent a trickle of satisfaction through my bones and gave me the energy I needed to face off with her. She fell backward onto her butt and covered her nose with both hands; blood pouring out from between her fingers. I smiled, but little did I know that my glory wouldn’t last very long.
Upon seeing his companion on the ground, the smallest male let go of Kain and rushed at me instead. I barely had a chance to block the fist he intended to knock me out with. He hit the back of my neck instead but the force was still great enough to cause me to stumble. I fell to my hands and knees and instantly the man jumped behind me to wrap his arm tightly around my neck.
From this position, I got my first real look at Kain and I nearly lost all desire to fight for my own life. His eyes were already swollen and blood covered his face. Only one selkie held him now, while the leader landed one punch after another. When I saw the man raise the bat to take a swing at Kain, something inside of me snapped.
“Stop now!” I yelled.
And when I did, it seemed as if time slowed. A bundle of energy from deep within me rose to the surface and exploded from my skin. It felt like a million tiny pins pricking me from the inside out, yet the sensation wasn’t painful. The energy rolled off of my body leaving it quivering and wanting for more. Something had happened. Something had changed.
I belatedly realized no one held on to me anymore. The female and male selkies that had attacked me now knelt on the ground and stared at me in awe. Cars continued to rhythmically bang over head as they crossed the pieces of bridge pavement. There were no more fighting noises, no more cries.
I stood on my own and looked at Kain’s attackers. The large man had stopped mid-motion with the bat still raised high above his head, readying for a swing. But he no longer looked at me or Kain. Instead, he stared at his minions with his jaw hanging open.
The man behind Kain knelt like the other two and watched me like a lost puppy. Kain crumpled to the ground on his hands and knees, wheezing and spitting up blood. When he finally looked at me, I could see a hint of fear on his face.
“Eviana?” he whispered.
That sound seemed to be enough to break whatever spell the selkie leader had fallen under. He lowered the bat and shook his head. Running his hand through his hair, he let out a partial laugh. “You’re strong, but not strong enough.” He turned to face me and straightened his shoulders. “These ones do not belong to you.”
I didn’t even have time to interpret his declaration. The man took two giant steps toward me and swung back his arm. I remembered trying to avoid the blow just before I felt the sharp pain from the impact and everything went black.