Selkies' Skins
Installment 67
Chapter 35
Tampered (part two)
A piercing scream wrapped around him, even as hands roughly pushed his spear to the side. The tactic he had expected, she’d seemed oddly good at that the last they had met. What he wasn’t braced for were the welts and stings forming as hair tendrils wrapped around him. Some he had expected. To lose vision was not expected.
As she assailed the membrane the scent and feel of danger intensified. A sharp object was brought to it from the other side, and a black aura surrounded the blade that threatened her. The form she now knew to be male, and it bore down on her with all its weight and fury as it tore into her world from his.
Kirsty moved as fast as she could while also casting her shield spell, pressing the blade down enough that she could grasp the spearshaft and hoped to use that to springboard herself over the Finman.
He brought his head up into her own as hard as possible and she let go. Kirsty tried to hit him with her tail as she passed over. The membrane, ripped by his passage, let her through and she landed roughly on a rock before bouncing to the ground.
The water drained, leaving the passage half air and half water. Kirsty bounced from the ledge she’d landed on back into the water. Stars filled her vision and the ringing in her ears dulled the sound of his movements. She drew a breath, flopping and trying to move despite how each move further made it difficult to keep her breath.
Justin turned as swiftly as he was able after her powerful tail, and likely more than a little magic, drove him into the floor of the passage. His skin tingled and he could feel his blood moving in ways he’d not felt before. When his eyes fell on her she seemed to shine for a moment, but it was only momentary.
He grinned and advanced on her as she fought to move. Seaswimmer hissed at him and raised her hands. Her pupils were wide and didn’t seem to focus on him as he moved, and he grinned wider.
She flopped her tail and moved another body length. Kirsty pulled what energy she could from the water to replenish what she’d used and prepared to channel it toward him. She operated more on feel than sight, the stars refusing to leave her vision.
He was on her as she felt the water leave her hands. The kiss of stone never came, only the power that radiated off his own hands and tried to control the flow of her blood. Her heart slowed, and more black crept across what little vision she had, leaving only the infuriatingly familiar eyes locked on hers while wills battled. Their energies tangled, snarled, and pushed even as hands tried to grapple or press away.
The unused wand in its sling crackled to life, transmuting some of the energies that passed between the pair. The selkie hair within screamed in protest. Another consciousness flowed through their blood and attempted to press both youths down, to drag them apart. In the backs of their minds a half-remembered face formed, marred by a deep frown and dark hair gaining another streak of silver. Pearl teeth glinted in these recesses the longer she stayed between them. The scent of tears went unnoticed while each fought to be the victor.
Again what saved Kirsty was more feeling-based than sight-based. She found a gap in the webbing his energy was casting, mercifully kept slightly away from herself by Marsali’s hair. The knot was loose, as if he was not used to manipulating energy and only doing so on instinct. Kirsty focused her own energy through that point, visualizing a blade as she did to further widen the hole. She was already disengaging as fast as she could, and so did not notice when the same energy that gave her space placed itself between her strike and target enough to slightly deflect it. The electricity from her hair released again at the same time, only ripping away due to his movement.
The netting fell away even as the focused rush pressed him back. Unaware of the contortions of her face Kirsty managed to get over to her belly again and moved as swiftly as she could along the stream, using her arms more than her tail. Just above her back was beginning to go between fire and ice, and she tried to use the water’s flow to further move herself along.
Behind her Justin landed against one of the stones, his own head contacting as hard as her own, temporarily taking his sight and breath. Electricity continued to dance over him for a moment, and where her nails had scratched were beginning to already swell and spread red roots.
Kirsty moved as fast as she could while also casting her shield spell, pressing the blade down enough that she could grasp the spearshaft and hoped to use that to springboard herself over the Finman.
He brought his head up into her own as hard as possible and she let go. Kirsty tried to hit him with her tail as she passed over. The membrane, ripped by his passage, let her through and she landed roughly on a rock before bouncing to the ground.
The water drained, leaving the passage half air and half water. Kirsty bounced from the ledge she’d landed on back into the water. Stars filled her vision and the ringing in her ears dulled the sound of his movements. She drew a breath, flopping and trying to move despite how each move further made it difficult to keep her breath.
Justin turned as swiftly as he was able after her powerful tail, and likely more than a little magic, drove him into the floor of the passage. His skin tingled and he could feel his blood moving in ways he’d not felt before. When his eyes fell on her she seemed to shine for a moment, but it was only momentary.
He grinned and advanced on her as she fought to move. Seaswimmer hissed at him and raised her hands. Her pupils were wide and didn’t seem to focus on him as he moved, and he grinned wider.
She flopped her tail and moved another body length. Kirsty pulled what energy she could from the water to replenish what she’d used and prepared to channel it toward him. She operated more on feel than sight, the stars refusing to leave her vision.
He was on her as she felt the water leave her hands. The kiss of stone never came, only the power that radiated off his own hands and tried to control the flow of her blood. Her heart slowed, and more black crept across what little vision she had, leaving only the infuriatingly familiar eyes locked on hers while wills battled. Their energies tangled, snarled, and pushed even as hands tried to grapple or press away.
The unused wand in its sling crackled to life, transmuting some of the energies that passed between the pair. The selkie hair within screamed in protest. Another consciousness flowed through their blood and attempted to press both youths down, to drag them apart. In the backs of their minds a half-remembered face formed, marred by a deep frown and dark hair gaining another streak of silver. Pearl teeth glinted in these recesses the longer she stayed between them. The scent of tears went unnoticed while each fought to be the victor.
Again what saved Kirsty was more feeling-based than sight-based. She found a gap in the webbing his energy was casting, mercifully kept slightly away from herself by Marsali’s hair. The knot was loose, as if he was not used to manipulating energy and only doing so on instinct. Kirsty focused her own energy through that point, visualizing a blade as she did to further widen the hole. She was already disengaging as fast as she could, and so did not notice when the same energy that gave her space placed itself between her strike and target enough to slightly deflect it. The electricity from her hair released again at the same time, only ripping away due to his movement.
The netting fell away even as the focused rush pressed him back. Unaware of the contortions of her face Kirsty managed to get over to her belly again and moved as swiftly as she could along the stream, using her arms more than her tail. Just above her back was beginning to go between fire and ice, and she tried to use the water’s flow to further move herself along.
Behind her Justin landed against one of the stones, his own head contacting as hard as her own, temporarily taking his sight and breath. Electricity continued to dance over him for a moment, and where her nails had scratched were beginning to already swell and spread red roots.
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Live Journal
Dreamwidth
Copyright 2012-2013 and onward by Teresa Garcia
Like the story? Vote here at Top Web Fiction. Don't forget to check out the other great stories at the Web Fiction Guide. If you wish, you can also add the book to your currently reading or to read list on Goodreads. 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 Chapter 21 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: March 15, 2014
Uploaded to Dreamwidth: March 15, 2014
Check back around March 30th (normal post) or March 23rd (possible extra post).
Live Journal
Dreamwidth
Copyright 2012-2013 and onward by Teresa Garcia
Like the story? Vote here at Top Web Fiction. Don't forget to check out the other great stories at the Web Fiction Guide. If you wish, you can also add the book to your currently reading or to read list on Goodreads. 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 Chapter 21 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: March 15, 2014
Uploaded to Dreamwidth: March 15, 2014
Check back around March 30th (normal post) or March 23rd (possible extra post).
If you'd like to have another episode in the update schedule (February 23rd), feel free to use the Paypal button below. A total of $10 earns everyone an extra episode. Alternatively you can buy an ebook, print book, or audiobook from me through Amazon, B&N, or Smashwords, then comment on a post on here (or pop me an email) with the amount of what you spent on the title and I will credit that to the pool. If the ten dollars is not met, then the amount rolls over toward the next early episode. You can see how close we are to having an extra episode by checking the meter on the sticky post.
Book one (Castle and Well) has 39 chapters. I will be taking a posting break between books one and two to focus more on generating a backlog and having time to edit and polish. Book two will have it's own separate listing.
Book one (Castle and Well) has 39 chapters. I will be taking a posting break between books one and two to focus more on generating a backlog and having time to edit and polish. Book two will have it's own separate listing.
