Interested in helping support this free version of the book and other projects?
http://www.patreon.com/Amehana
Without further ado...
Selkies' Skins 2
Temple and Skinquest
Installment 49
Chapter 19
Within The Box of Souls
Kirsty awoke on a stone slab in near darkness. It took a moment to get her bearings. Bubbles floated lazily away from her face, but her vision was too unfocused still to see, only feel. Finally she figured out which way was relatively up by rising and dangling her legs, then tail, then legs again off the side of the slab. The water around her pulsed and pulled with a familiar current, neither warm nor cold. The paste had worn off long ago, of this she was certain. She should be human, yet even when her form wavered back she breathed the thick water.
Kirsty rubbed in her hand where Ven’thrith had earlier embedded his boon. Perhaps it was this that kept her from drowning.
Why was the water so thick? Why did it feel good in her lungs?
Who was she? Really?
Kirsty recalled herself, her life on land. She recalled other times that she faced this same question, both within that life, this current quest, and yet before she had also faced this question. Dimly she was aware of the business of life going on around her in another time and place, blue eyes looking into her own dark with concern. As tempting as those eyes were and the quiet voice she pushed them away.
Before what though? Life?
His voice floated to her, and the sensation of his hand around hers. The press of linen on her back and the bitterness of something forced between her lips. Kirsty had to fight to stay where she was, to finish this and stay in this time. Then came the feel of the summer sea as she sank below it. Whatever happened to her between that school day and the day she really left the land on her quest did not matter, no matter how snarled time now was. She was HERE.
What was she?
The answer came to her. She was the song and the keeper of it, a part of the sea. She was the wave and the wind, and the mist that shrouded the land beyond the sea. She was part of the dance of moon and tide, and the dance of the rivers through the forests. Yet, she was herself, single, small, none of those things at the same time that she was them.
She was seal, she was fish, she was human, and her body of the line of Kay wedded with the blood of the Marainion. She bore the blood of Mara and the Lady. More importantly, she was alive and what she was didn’t matter, no matter what anyone else thought or imposed on her.
Kirsty pulled at herself, gathered herself. She found a bit trapped under the Sorting Stone at the threshold of Caer Carrick, and little bits all along the way of the path she’d swam since the decision to take up the Serpent’s Solution to speed time for herself. Her eyes looked inward and backward observing the tangled mess she’d made of this quest to return to herself from that point onward. The net of her life she was supposed to be weaving had some rather interesting holes because of that choice which would take a few years after this to fix… should she get rebirthed with her skin.
If not… well, her physical body was probably drowned on the sea floor somewhere, there was going to be a sad werewolf up on land, Da was probably never going to recover, and she was going to be stuck in a stone box as a pelt until she was born elsewhen. Who knew what would happen to Byron after he finally died. She’d never paused to consider what would happen to Marsali and Byron if whatever remained of her ancestor’s skin was never located without a descendant.
She snorted and grimaced at the ridiculous musings.
Kirsty pushed up off the tab. For now, she would be selkie. She came for her skin and she would find that skin and bring it with her even if it was the last thing that she did. The darkness around her began to lift, as if somewhere some sort of sun was beginning to rise. What sort of sun could rise below the waves though, and much less within a stone walled room? Walls slowly came into view, somehow never parallel, neither square nor oblong.
Was this Mara’s stone box of souls?
Those walls seemed to close in. The light continued growing. Looking down and taking a deep breath to push back what had to be an illusion she discovered that the light was coming from herself. When she looked up again there was a clear door with a passage to what she hoped wasn’t just more maze. Kirsty felt the walls constrict, and then relax.
She shuddered. It was another of those life points, clearly.
With no where to go but forward she swam for the door as fast as she could and prayed that the passage was not going to close on her.
Kirsty rubbed in her hand where Ven’thrith had earlier embedded his boon. Perhaps it was this that kept her from drowning.
Why was the water so thick? Why did it feel good in her lungs?
Who was she? Really?
Kirsty recalled herself, her life on land. She recalled other times that she faced this same question, both within that life, this current quest, and yet before she had also faced this question. Dimly she was aware of the business of life going on around her in another time and place, blue eyes looking into her own dark with concern. As tempting as those eyes were and the quiet voice she pushed them away.
Before what though? Life?
His voice floated to her, and the sensation of his hand around hers. The press of linen on her back and the bitterness of something forced between her lips. Kirsty had to fight to stay where she was, to finish this and stay in this time. Then came the feel of the summer sea as she sank below it. Whatever happened to her between that school day and the day she really left the land on her quest did not matter, no matter how snarled time now was. She was HERE.
What was she?
The answer came to her. She was the song and the keeper of it, a part of the sea. She was the wave and the wind, and the mist that shrouded the land beyond the sea. She was part of the dance of moon and tide, and the dance of the rivers through the forests. Yet, she was herself, single, small, none of those things at the same time that she was them.
She was seal, she was fish, she was human, and her body of the line of Kay wedded with the blood of the Marainion. She bore the blood of Mara and the Lady. More importantly, she was alive and what she was didn’t matter, no matter what anyone else thought or imposed on her.
Kirsty pulled at herself, gathered herself. She found a bit trapped under the Sorting Stone at the threshold of Caer Carrick, and little bits all along the way of the path she’d swam since the decision to take up the Serpent’s Solution to speed time for herself. Her eyes looked inward and backward observing the tangled mess she’d made of this quest to return to herself from that point onward. The net of her life she was supposed to be weaving had some rather interesting holes because of that choice which would take a few years after this to fix… should she get rebirthed with her skin.
If not… well, her physical body was probably drowned on the sea floor somewhere, there was going to be a sad werewolf up on land, Da was probably never going to recover, and she was going to be stuck in a stone box as a pelt until she was born elsewhen. Who knew what would happen to Byron after he finally died. She’d never paused to consider what would happen to Marsali and Byron if whatever remained of her ancestor’s skin was never located without a descendant.
She snorted and grimaced at the ridiculous musings.
Kirsty pushed up off the tab. For now, she would be selkie. She came for her skin and she would find that skin and bring it with her even if it was the last thing that she did. The darkness around her began to lift, as if somewhere some sort of sun was beginning to rise. What sort of sun could rise below the waves though, and much less within a stone walled room? Walls slowly came into view, somehow never parallel, neither square nor oblong.
Was this Mara’s stone box of souls?
Those walls seemed to close in. The light continued growing. Looking down and taking a deep breath to push back what had to be an illusion she discovered that the light was coming from herself. When she looked up again there was a clear door with a passage to what she hoped wasn’t just more maze. Kirsty felt the walls constrict, and then relax.
She shuddered. It was another of those life points, clearly.
With no where to go but forward she swam for the door as fast as she could and prayed that the passage was not going to close on her.
Previous Contents Next
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: May 2, 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: May 2, 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.
