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Without further ado...
Selkies' Skins 2
Temple and Skinquest
Installment 48
Chapter 18
Into the Box of Souls
“I place her in your charge. The wounds came as a result of man, you carry some of their blood, thus it is my hope that you can begin her healing.” The young aspect of Mara waited for Justin to release his hold on the unconscious Kirsty, then gently placed Etain into her son’s arms. “You bear her blood, it will be well, though long.”
The young aspect frowned as she looked on them, her eyes glazing as information exchanged between herself and her elder self. The assimilation process already begun that aspect grew less and less substantial as she dematerialized.
“You’ll have to make sure your mother gets back to the human world safely, and to be safe yourself. There are two beings seeking for her that although they are on her side for now they are not on yours. Mimir will see you a threat, and like this your own father will not recognize you.” The elder Mara’s voice fell soft and sorrowful. “Perhaps one day he will, if your efforts are successful.”
Justin held his mother carefully and inspected the delicate, frail creature. Etain was already slipping back into sleep herself and had her hand curled in some of the random seaweed and tangles that always clung to him. “But she did.”
“Mothers usually do, that’s part of the curse.” Mara cast a glare at the clergy still in the room that tried to find some sort of dignity. At her glare they slipped out the doors, seeing the darkening brought on by their reliance on ritual and eavesdropping. “And here so near where souls and skins are granted, the veil cannot hide the essence from the gateway.”
“What do you mean?” Justin turned his head to the side and regarded the deity.
As Amehana and Vadise found their way home, facilitated by the passage between her mirror and the doors, Mara gestured to the gazing shell. Justin very carefully rose, still holding Etain, and peered curiously in. Rainbow hued liquid, heavier and stranger than the seawater that surrounded them, rippled and flowed with its own currents before forming another form of mirror. From within a young man, pale and healthy, peered back at him from deep sea-blue eyes beneath teak colored hair. There, not a trace of the taint that disfigured and overshadowed him marred him. In that pool Etain’s face mixed with another that he knew from the times he spent around Seal Point. A younger, thinner version of Finnol bore up under its own cares.
“Remember, we’ve known you before you were even pupped.” Mara’s smile was gentle, though with its own menace.
“Even stolen, you are yet ours.” The fragmented aspect of the Lady agreed, visibly trying to reconnect with her greater whole and still unable to find her main self. She sighed and hugged herself.
“Peace, sister. Ride our priestess. When she is returned thus so shall you.”
“I would stay to see the pup placed in the box for the transformation.”
“And so you shall, but not to see her emerge.” Ven’thrith soothed. “Time has been messed with on her and horribly tangled, who knows what staying that long would wreak on you, on my Acolyte, or on the Priestess.”
Mara gently swept up Kirsty and carried her across the chamber. Space moved around the occupants and though the others did not move they too were all swept through and behind the veils that curtained off the stone box. Though it was as small as a jewel cask at first it grew swiftly large enough to accommodate even the largest man or largest seal. Mara fed Kirsty to the sarcophagus, then closed the lid with more than a flash of fang.
“The child dies and the woman live so long as she has the strength to rise.” Mara’s voice was a literal purr now, filling the hall in unseen dimensions. For a moment Justin saw primordial creatures swim through the room and be absorbed into the shark goddess, now no longer hiding her true form from him. Though she was unhidden his own mind still filtered her, and the Megalodon gazed at him with the eye of life and death that few of her priests, and usually only those drawn to the Hunt, ever Saw.
Justin grimaced. “What happens if she dies in there? That’s my sister.”
“Then she is in the box to be reborn again at some other point, just as any of you are whether you earn the right to have your skin with you or not. It would sorrow me, and put a very large dent in my hopes and plans, but she would be Home.” The eye pinned him. “In my long experience those of your blood are stubborn and do not die easily. A little pocket dimension box won’t harm her.”
“No,” broke in Ven’thrith, “It’s the narwals that might. They’ve kept some of your uncles in the past. She’ll be out at some point though I’m sure.”
“Why are you so sure?” Justin kept from spitting, but only barely, well aware that if he offended right now he would put not only his life but that of his mother on the line before the Old Ones. “Is she a Chosen or something?”
“Aren’t you all?” Ven’thrith’s voice was far milder than expected. “We need our entertainment and we have our favorites, but you Mortals also have a habit of Choosing yourselves.” He cocked his head, listening to something Beyond Justin’s ears. “Seems someone feels a change.”
Caught in the quantum entanglement caused by a mischief laden and halfway well-intentioned snake, in the medical wing of Cair Carrick David wiped Kirsty’s glistening forehead with a moist washcloth and squeezed her hand during his visit. At another point in time, in what was his future David looked up from his own quest toward the sea beneath the moon and howled, disturbed by the lessening of the tides hitherto unnoticed in his veins.
The young aspect frowned as she looked on them, her eyes glazing as information exchanged between herself and her elder self. The assimilation process already begun that aspect grew less and less substantial as she dematerialized.
“You’ll have to make sure your mother gets back to the human world safely, and to be safe yourself. There are two beings seeking for her that although they are on her side for now they are not on yours. Mimir will see you a threat, and like this your own father will not recognize you.” The elder Mara’s voice fell soft and sorrowful. “Perhaps one day he will, if your efforts are successful.”
Justin held his mother carefully and inspected the delicate, frail creature. Etain was already slipping back into sleep herself and had her hand curled in some of the random seaweed and tangles that always clung to him. “But she did.”
“Mothers usually do, that’s part of the curse.” Mara cast a glare at the clergy still in the room that tried to find some sort of dignity. At her glare they slipped out the doors, seeing the darkening brought on by their reliance on ritual and eavesdropping. “And here so near where souls and skins are granted, the veil cannot hide the essence from the gateway.”
“What do you mean?” Justin turned his head to the side and regarded the deity.
As Amehana and Vadise found their way home, facilitated by the passage between her mirror and the doors, Mara gestured to the gazing shell. Justin very carefully rose, still holding Etain, and peered curiously in. Rainbow hued liquid, heavier and stranger than the seawater that surrounded them, rippled and flowed with its own currents before forming another form of mirror. From within a young man, pale and healthy, peered back at him from deep sea-blue eyes beneath teak colored hair. There, not a trace of the taint that disfigured and overshadowed him marred him. In that pool Etain’s face mixed with another that he knew from the times he spent around Seal Point. A younger, thinner version of Finnol bore up under its own cares.
“Remember, we’ve known you before you were even pupped.” Mara’s smile was gentle, though with its own menace.
“Even stolen, you are yet ours.” The fragmented aspect of the Lady agreed, visibly trying to reconnect with her greater whole and still unable to find her main self. She sighed and hugged herself.
“Peace, sister. Ride our priestess. When she is returned thus so shall you.”
“I would stay to see the pup placed in the box for the transformation.”
“And so you shall, but not to see her emerge.” Ven’thrith soothed. “Time has been messed with on her and horribly tangled, who knows what staying that long would wreak on you, on my Acolyte, or on the Priestess.”
Mara gently swept up Kirsty and carried her across the chamber. Space moved around the occupants and though the others did not move they too were all swept through and behind the veils that curtained off the stone box. Though it was as small as a jewel cask at first it grew swiftly large enough to accommodate even the largest man or largest seal. Mara fed Kirsty to the sarcophagus, then closed the lid with more than a flash of fang.
“The child dies and the woman live so long as she has the strength to rise.” Mara’s voice was a literal purr now, filling the hall in unseen dimensions. For a moment Justin saw primordial creatures swim through the room and be absorbed into the shark goddess, now no longer hiding her true form from him. Though she was unhidden his own mind still filtered her, and the Megalodon gazed at him with the eye of life and death that few of her priests, and usually only those drawn to the Hunt, ever Saw.
Justin grimaced. “What happens if she dies in there? That’s my sister.”
“Then she is in the box to be reborn again at some other point, just as any of you are whether you earn the right to have your skin with you or not. It would sorrow me, and put a very large dent in my hopes and plans, but she would be Home.” The eye pinned him. “In my long experience those of your blood are stubborn and do not die easily. A little pocket dimension box won’t harm her.”
“No,” broke in Ven’thrith, “It’s the narwals that might. They’ve kept some of your uncles in the past. She’ll be out at some point though I’m sure.”
“Why are you so sure?” Justin kept from spitting, but only barely, well aware that if he offended right now he would put not only his life but that of his mother on the line before the Old Ones. “Is she a Chosen or something?”
“Aren’t you all?” Ven’thrith’s voice was far milder than expected. “We need our entertainment and we have our favorites, but you Mortals also have a habit of Choosing yourselves.” He cocked his head, listening to something Beyond Justin’s ears. “Seems someone feels a change.”
Caught in the quantum entanglement caused by a mischief laden and halfway well-intentioned snake, in the medical wing of Cair Carrick David wiped Kirsty’s glistening forehead with a moist washcloth and squeezed her hand during his visit. At another point in time, in what was his future David looked up from his own quest toward the sea beneath the moon and howled, disturbed by the lessening of the tides hitherto unnoticed in his veins.
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Live Journal
Dreamwidth
Copyright 2012-2019 and onward by Teresa Garcia
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 with Samantha Buckley's stunning cover depicting Kirsty and the storm. An audio edition of the first book in the series narrated by Illya Leonov and now available on Amazon, iTunes, and Audible, with other venues pending. (click to hear what he sounds like in past recordings of other projects)
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: May 2, 2020
Uploaded to Dreamwidth: May 2, 2020
Patreon: March 1, 2020
Book Two's Landing
(manuscript in progress, be watching for installments)
Live Journal
Dreamwidth
Copyright 2012-2019 and onward by Teresa Garcia
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 with Samantha Buckley's stunning cover depicting Kirsty and the storm. An audio edition of the first book in the series narrated by Illya Leonov and now available on Amazon, iTunes, and Audible, with other venues pending. (click to hear what he sounds like in past recordings of other projects)
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: May 2, 2020
Uploaded to Dreamwidth: May 2, 2020
Patreon: March 1, 2020
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 or the Patreon button. 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 Chapters for Book Two.
As of this writing I am working on Chapters for Book Two.
