The Little Selkie (retail) (28 page)
Read The Little Selkie (retail) Online
Authors: K. M. Shea
“Sopranos, with me!” Maili shouted.
“Basses, tenors, begin!” King Murron boomed, his voice carrying over the water.
The choir of selkies gathered, their eyes hinged on the storm as they approached it, their volume building. Their voices moved together, like waves tossed on the ocean, swooping up and crooning low.
“Lead singers, begin!” Queen Gwenllian said.
Each ship contained a lead singer. Dylan was the undisputed lead for the royal boat, and she and Callan stood on the forecastle, as far in front as they could get, gripping the wooden railings. As she launched into her part of the song—the lead singers from the other ships sounding like a far-off echo—the ship dove straight into the storm.
Rain pelted them like hailstones, and the waves crashed against the sides of the ship. Lightning flashed overhead, and thunder boomed, like giants slamming clubs into a mountain.
The ship rolled on the ocean like a toy, but the selkies’ song grew louder in spite of the violence they faced.
A wave hit the forecastle, almost tossing Dylan over the side, but Callan was there. He yanked her back into the ship.
Dylan pitched her voice high and keening—not unlike the whale songs they had heard on the beach. Her sea serpents burst from the ocean, reaching towards the sky. Barely visible through the rain were the water-shaped, magic-made creatures from the other soloists—one was a killer whale; the other was a polar bear that appeared to walk on the ocean’s surface.
The magic-forged animals roared.
There was another crack of lightning and a peal of thunder, but the rain lessened, hitting in giant spatters as opposed to stinging pelts. The ocean moaned, but the selkie chorus swallowed the sound up, soothing it and teasing apart the waves.
When the howling wind lessened enough that the three lead singers could be heard—their voices combining in a beautiful croon—most of the fight was over. The ocean waves calmed, and the rain stopped falling. The wind still blew with more force than necessary, but this time it was to their advantage, for it broke up the cloudy skies.
After half an hour of selkies singing, stars peeked through the wispy clouds, and the ocean was calm again.
“That,” Prince Viggo said, his eyes bugging, “was incredible.”
“Tidy work. Well done, everyone,” King Murron said.
“I wonder how one might go about harnessing such power,” King Rory said.
“
Dear
,” Queen Etain hissed, glaring at her husband.
“I have often wondered as well,” Mairead said, jumping the last few rungs from the ladder that led up to the crow’s nest. “I found a book about water wheels, but it seemed to me that it was thinking on a scale that was unnecessarily small.”
“I’m glad,” Callan said, leaning over the edge of the boat with Dylan to look out at the ocean.
“That we took the storm apart? Me, too,” Dylan said.
“That, and that our families get along so well,” Callan said.
Dylan looked back at the two sets of royals. “I worried,” Dylan admitted. “I
like
your family. But some of my sisters can be intolerable.”
Callan laughed and shook his head. “I suspect you think so because they were forced to rule you with an iron grip lest you go off and get yourself killed. No, I was more worried about my father being offensive with his curiosity, or mother being ungracious. Or Fianna taking too much interest in your cousins. Come to think of it, I’m still worried about Fianna taking too much interest in your cousins,” Callan said, narrowing his eyes at his sister.
“As you recall, Da was my original concern,” Dylan said. “My mother I could eventually bring around. Besides, she is the one who brought the sea lion selkie blood into our family. What more damage could a little human blood bring?”
“Ahh, yes, your father. He’s been remarkably pleasant since I met him, as long as I take care not to publically ravish you,” he said with his polite smile.
“That’s because he decided right off you were the best choice for me.”
“Why?”
“The first time I formally introduced you as my…as the man I loved, was when the bandits were still being rounded up.”
“I remember.”
“I wanted to go with you to round them up.”
“I remember that, too,” Callan said.
“And you said no, so I stayed behind.”
“…and?”
“Maybe you didn’t hear me. You said
no
, and I stayed behind,” Dylan repeated.
“You mean he admires that I got you to do something you didn’t want to do?” Callan asked.
“Yes. He thinks I’ll be safe with you, well-guarded and well cared for.”
“I’m glad he thinks so. Although I can’t take credit for finding you such good guards. I don’t think there’s anyone in Ringsted who could beat Oisin at daggers or Morri at wrestling,” Callan said, still watching his sister by the light of the brilliant moon. “Are you going to be okay?” Callan asked after several moments of silence.
“Okay?” Dylan asked.
“About your pelt and your sea lion body? We haven’t talked much about it, and you’ve had time now, but…it must be difficult.”
“It is,” Dylan admitted. “But I love you, and the sacrifice was worth it. I don’t mind giving up the ocean for you.” Dylan smiled, leaning into her fiancé.
“I love
you
, and I don’t want you to be sad or disappointed,” Callan said, drawing close to her so his lips almost brushed hers.
“AHEM!” Maureen said from the quarterdeck.
“See what I mean? An irritant,” Dylan said when Callan sighed.
Callan laughed. “It’s the duty of older siblings. If you’ll excuse me, I must go be an irritant to my little sister. I don’t like the way she’s ogling your cousin. Take care,” Callan said, pressing a quick kiss to Dylan’s temple before Maureen could protest.
“You’ll be twenty paces away,” Dylan laughed.
“I know, but it’s you. Anything could happen,” Callan said with a smile—his real smile that was sly and a little sarcastic—before he walked away.
Dylan waited until he was gone before she folded herself over the side of the boat, grinning at the sight below her.
A kelpie,
her
kelpie with the light gray dapples, swam around the prow of the ship, looking cross but determined.
Maybe
, a thought in the back of Dylan’s mind whispered.
Maybe I lost my sea lion body…but I imagine riding a
kelpie
in the ocean would be a good supplement.
Dylan’s smile grew. “There’s only one way to find out.”
The End
Other books by K.M. Shea
Robyn Hood:
The Magical Beings’ Rehabilitation Center:
King Arthur and Her Knights:
Three pack (Enthroned, Enchanted, Embittered)
Timeless Fairy Tales
The Little Selkie
Coming Soon
Enlighten: King Arthurs and her Knights Book 5: June 2015
Timeless Fairy Tales: Puss in Boots: Summer 2015
About the Author
K.M. Shea is a book lover, champion web surfer, and all around geek. She’s been writing for over ten years and has worked as librarian and a newspaper reporter. K.M. lives in the quaint countryside with her pets: Perfect Dog and Fat Cat.
Follow K.M. Shea on Twitter: KM_Shea
Visit her blog:
www.kmshea.com
Visit her Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005ANPMZU
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