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          • Selkies Skins: Chapter Two
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          • Selkies Skins: Chapter Four
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter Five
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter Six
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter Seven
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 8 part 1
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          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 9 part 1
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          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 9 part 3
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 10 part 1
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          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 11
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 12
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 13
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 14
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 14b
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          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 15b
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 16
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 16b
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 17a
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          • Selkies Skins Chapter 17c
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 17d
        • Selkies Skins Section 2 >
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 18
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 19a
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 19b
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 19c
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 20a
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 20b
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 20c
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 21a
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 21b
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 21c
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 21d
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 22
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 23a
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 23b
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 24a
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 24b
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 24c
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 24d
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 25
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 25b
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 25c
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 26a
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 26b
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 27a
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 27b
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 28a
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 28b
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 29a
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 29b
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 29c
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 30
        • Selkies Skins Section 3 >
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 31a
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 31b
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 31c
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 32
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 33a
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 33b
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 34
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 35
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 35b
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 36
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 37
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 38
          • Selkies Skins: Chapter 39
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      • S.S.2. Section 1 >
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 1
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 1b
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 2
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 2b
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 2c
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 3a
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 3b
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 4
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 5
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 6a
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 6b
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 6c
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 6d
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 7a
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 7b
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 7c
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 8a
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        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 8c
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 9a
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 9b
      • S.S.2. Section 2 >
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 10a
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 10b
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 10c
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 10d
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 11a
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 11b
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 12
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 12b
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 12c
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 13
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 13b
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 13c
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 13d
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 14
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 15a
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 15b
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 15c
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 15d
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 16a
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 16b
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 17a
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 17b
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 17-c
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 17-d
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 17-e
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 17-f
        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 18
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        • Selkies Skins 2: Chapter 19
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Selkies' Skins
Chapter Eight part 2
Here and Gone

 “Oilspill.” Kirsty's voice was dull and flat. "That's going to be a pain to clean."

Her father nodded, resting his hands on her shoulders from behind her, gazing at the glaring dot of fire. "You know what this means."

"That you definitely won't be going with me to the station."

He nodded again, then retrieved a quill and parchment from his desk, writing down the coordinates. "Be good for Byron, won't you?"

"Of course, Da."

Finnol nodded, then quietly left the study. Kirsty could hear him walking down the hall to the mudroom, and the squeak of rubber as he put on his response gear. Closing her eyes, she could picture him in the yellow suit easily, though it did not suit him. Perhaps a minute later, at the most, she heard the door open and shut, and she knew he was gone to the Cosantóir.

A gentle tap sounded on the doorjamb. When she turned around, she saw Olan, wild dark hair framing his face in bushy masses that eerily resembled seaweed, and onyx pupil-less eyes regarding her.

"What's the alarm about?"

It sank in that Banu's cries had joined the din, and continued after the painting's calls and the klaxon had subsided. She pointed to the map.

"Oil spill out in the Atlantic. So Da's gone to help deal with it."

"Alone?"

"Doubt Da will be alone. He'll likely meet up on the way with the Merrow family and the Andersen's." She paused a moment, considering the likely trajectories of the others whose home ports she knew offhand without the need of looking up. "Possibly a few other seawitches. Then, of course, the Cowans will have their disaster response crews out. Let's have a look at the weather."

She went to one of the many shelves, tracing her finger over a small silver and gold globe, etched with an accurate map of the planet, then blew over it lightly. On removing her finger, it began to spin slowly, and clouds began to form and pass over the surface. Olan flinched back warily, then approached when nothing struck out at him.

He tapped warily, and Kirsty shook her head.

“It won't hurt you. It's just an enchanted item to show the current weather patterns. Handy thing when planning voyages, but not good for predicting weather.”

With a tap of her wand, she planted the coordinates of the spill onto the globe, and it stopped spinning. She frowned at the size of one of the fronts in the northern sea, and sighed.

“At least the spill is on what looks like the trailing edge, and not the leading edge of a storm system. Biggest problem will be the Tritons, if I'm remembering Da's map of known locations rightly.”

“So, Lady Kirsty... What do we do here?”

“Here?” She looked at him, and her voice dropped to a whisper and flattened. “A dhath ar bith... Nothing at all... Just fish from shore with the nets, help Byron tend his sheep, keep the Lady company and bring her anything she desires, see to any that wash up on the shore, or go fix Mrs. Kitsch's water problems if she sends word.”

A tap of her wand, slightly harder than needed, wiped the globe of its clouds, and Olan winced at the contrast of the sharp sound with the silence that had followed her statement.

“Let's get back to bed Olan...”

He nodded, following quietly and shutting the door, making no comment on her clenching fists or her paleness. Instead, he slipped up the stairs and into the room he was sharing with the other Selkies.

“Well?” Connor whispered, after the door clicked.

Olan continued looking at the doorknob, not quite ready to raise his eyes to the tangle of limbs, discarded skins, blankets and pillows on the floor of their erstwhile lair. Banu had begun with his soft snores again, but the stirring next to Connor's voice told him that Mani had not gone back to sleep yet.

“In the morning. Hopefully she won't start having nightmares about this too.”

“Do... You think we should ask her if she wants to come and den with us tonight?” Mani whispered.

“I think she might take offense right now, though she could use the contact.”

~~~~*~~~~

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Copyright 2012 Teresa Garcia

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