Apologies for the late post. Personal matters came up. I still am surprised that what I'd intended to be one book is actually going to be several. The future books in the series will also each be written in three sections, as numerologically I like the significance and for functional editing purposes that has proven handy. Without further ado...
Selkies' Skins 2
Temple and Skinquest
Installment 3
Chapter 2 (part one)
Forest Circles
Merrison clung to the rock and pulled himself up. His dark eyes narrowed as he looked out over the sea, which broke on the rocks in the middle of nowhere. These same rocks under another view of reality were at the edge of the world, where worlds collided and overlapped like tectonic plates. The rock's song was muted now, sated by his blood and the flotsam he was still searching through.
Time always meant little at the edges, so he was not certain how long it had been since the wreck. He only knew that he could not leave it yet.
“Etain! Brinetreader! Sea Witch, where are ye?” His voice boomed over the waves again.
As every other time there was no answer besides the circling terns crying for fish and swooping down hoping for something to pick over. He slipped off the rock again and plunged back below, canvassing the area again.
Still there was no selkie, living nor dead. The current had changed once he had passed through the gate, and he could only hope that she hadn't been caught between the realms. The current pushed away from the rocks in any direction he swam, when on the other side he, Etain, the Sea Witch, and that strange sea through seal pup had been pulled into the rocks.
Down and down he dove, to where the water began to press in on him firmly. Further down he let gravity make him fall, allowing the waters to press in on his ribcage and drive more of the air from his lungs. Merrison controlled his direction with careful positioning of his powerful green scaled tail, allowing his trident to glow so that he could see further for any forms caught in the rocks or in the kelps.
After an eternity of eternities and making his way through still slowly sinking boat bits his eye was caught by a bit of shining black the size of both of his very large hands. How it shone he couldn't guess, but shine it did, an ebony-hued tiny dolphin figurehead floating ever so slowly into the hungry shadows of this darkest area of the sea. Merrison made for that and stretched out his hand to catch it.
“I'm positive the Sea Witch didn't have a figurehead... Where is this from and where was she hiding it? And why?” Merisson pondered, turning it over and over in his fingers.
The carving was smooth, far smoother than it had even looked to him, and despite the frigid water it was as warm as a living thing. It even had a subtle pulse.
“You wouldn't have seen me and Etain was unaware there was already a figurehead hidden on the prow.” The voice came into his mind, as heavily accented as Etain's, a somber mixture of salt, rum, and port.
“Sea Witch?” He nearly dropped the carving.
“The oldest and most important part of what was once the Sea Witch, at any rate.” The figurehead answered. “I don't currently have a name now since my last body just got fed to the Rock that Drowns. I can't feel my mistress either. She's not here.”
“What do you mean she's not here?” He grimaced and his frothy white hair and beard broke into waves to rival a storm.
“She's not here.” The Sea Witch spoke slowly from the figurehead. “She didnae make it all the way through when we rammed that rock that just up and popped up in the middle of the portal.”
“So she's between somewhere.” He sighed deeply, his heart panging. “I failed, I said I'd find her the safest path back.”
“She might have come out into some other plane. She might not be in between on the rocks. We can only hope that Lady Mara can reach her now.”
“So then what do I do?” He clenched a fist, longing to drive it into one of the rocks and force them to let Mara's priestess go.
“Take me home. I have to get back to Seal Point, or to the Order of Fisheries and Water Conservation offices currently in Southend-on-the-Sea, north of Herne Bay.” The voice answered him, showing him maps and visuals to get to where she needed to be.
Merisson sighed, swimming back toward the surface toward the light, finding the sweet spot for underwater travel, and then turning in the direction the little carving wanted him to go.
The further away from the Rock that Drowns he swam, the more he could feel time and space regaining a hold on him. Time became relevant, and the ticks were as real finally as a dolphin's radar.
Time always meant little at the edges, so he was not certain how long it had been since the wreck. He only knew that he could not leave it yet.
“Etain! Brinetreader! Sea Witch, where are ye?” His voice boomed over the waves again.
As every other time there was no answer besides the circling terns crying for fish and swooping down hoping for something to pick over. He slipped off the rock again and plunged back below, canvassing the area again.
Still there was no selkie, living nor dead. The current had changed once he had passed through the gate, and he could only hope that she hadn't been caught between the realms. The current pushed away from the rocks in any direction he swam, when on the other side he, Etain, the Sea Witch, and that strange sea through seal pup had been pulled into the rocks.
Down and down he dove, to where the water began to press in on him firmly. Further down he let gravity make him fall, allowing the waters to press in on his ribcage and drive more of the air from his lungs. Merrison controlled his direction with careful positioning of his powerful green scaled tail, allowing his trident to glow so that he could see further for any forms caught in the rocks or in the kelps.
After an eternity of eternities and making his way through still slowly sinking boat bits his eye was caught by a bit of shining black the size of both of his very large hands. How it shone he couldn't guess, but shine it did, an ebony-hued tiny dolphin figurehead floating ever so slowly into the hungry shadows of this darkest area of the sea. Merrison made for that and stretched out his hand to catch it.
“I'm positive the Sea Witch didn't have a figurehead... Where is this from and where was she hiding it? And why?” Merisson pondered, turning it over and over in his fingers.
The carving was smooth, far smoother than it had even looked to him, and despite the frigid water it was as warm as a living thing. It even had a subtle pulse.
“You wouldn't have seen me and Etain was unaware there was already a figurehead hidden on the prow.” The voice came into his mind, as heavily accented as Etain's, a somber mixture of salt, rum, and port.
“Sea Witch?” He nearly dropped the carving.
“The oldest and most important part of what was once the Sea Witch, at any rate.” The figurehead answered. “I don't currently have a name now since my last body just got fed to the Rock that Drowns. I can't feel my mistress either. She's not here.”
“What do you mean she's not here?” He grimaced and his frothy white hair and beard broke into waves to rival a storm.
“She's not here.” The Sea Witch spoke slowly from the figurehead. “She didnae make it all the way through when we rammed that rock that just up and popped up in the middle of the portal.”
“So she's between somewhere.” He sighed deeply, his heart panging. “I failed, I said I'd find her the safest path back.”
“She might have come out into some other plane. She might not be in between on the rocks. We can only hope that Lady Mara can reach her now.”
“So then what do I do?” He clenched a fist, longing to drive it into one of the rocks and force them to let Mara's priestess go.
“Take me home. I have to get back to Seal Point, or to the Order of Fisheries and Water Conservation offices currently in Southend-on-the-Sea, north of Herne Bay.” The voice answered him, showing him maps and visuals to get to where she needed to be.
Merisson sighed, swimming back toward the surface toward the light, finding the sweet spot for underwater travel, and then turning in the direction the little carving wanted him to go.
The further away from the Rock that Drowns he swam, the more he could feel time and space regaining a hold on him. Time became relevant, and the ticks were as real finally as a dolphin's radar.
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Live Journal
Dreamwidth
Copyright 2012-2013 and onward by Teresa Garcia
Book Two will be put on Top Web Fiction after I have several installments of it posted.
The ebook's official release for Book One (Castle and Well) was March 16th on Smashwords, and is currently also on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The print edition is available in paperback on Amazon, and hardback on Lulu. Illya Leonov is currently narrating an audio edition, working on the Glossary as of now.
Got a question? Ask it and maybe the answer will be revealed in the story, or in a comment on the extras page if not part of the story itself. Spy a typo? Website code broken? Would you like the episodes to be longer or shorter? Please let me know!
Installment Uploaded here: Aug. 3, 2014
Uploaded to Dreamwidth: Aug. 3, 2014
Book Two's Landing
(manuscript in progress, be watching for installments)
Live Journal
Dreamwidth
Copyright 2012-2013 and onward by Teresa Garcia
Book Two will be put on Top Web Fiction after I have several installments of it posted.
The ebook's official release for Book One (Castle and Well) was March 16th on Smashwords, and is currently also on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The print edition is available in paperback on Amazon, and hardback on Lulu. Illya Leonov is currently narrating an audio edition, working on the Glossary as of now.
Got a question? Ask it and maybe the answer will be revealed in the story, or in a comment on the extras page if not part of the story itself. Spy a typo? Website code broken? Would you like the episodes to be longer or shorter? Please let me know!
Installment Uploaded here: Aug. 3, 2014
Uploaded to Dreamwidth: Aug. 3, 2014
Book Two's Landing
(manuscript in progress, be watching for installments)
If you'd like to have another episode in the update schedule, feel free to use the Paypal button below. Alternatively you can buy an ebook, print book, or audiobook from me through Amazon, B&N, or Smashwords. Basic schedule will be biweekly release.
As of this writing I am working on Chapter 6 for Book Two.
As of this writing I am working on Chapter 6 for Book Two.