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rainstardragon
Book one (Castle and Well) of Selkies' Skins is available in entirety in ebook format as of March 16th, beginning at Smashwords. The print edition is now available on Amazon and 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. He is currently working on "Book of Seals: Pearls of Sea and Stone" which accompanies and precedes' Skins: Castle and Well. (click to hear what he sounds like in past recordings of other projects)
So... this chapter went much differently than I originally expected it to. Sorry Vadkun, that is part of what took so long. You know how Justin are Kirsty are though... And it didn't help the story wanted to write itself out of order and everything else that was happening/not happening.
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Selkies' Skins 2
Section 1: DescentInstallment 16Chapter 7 part 3
Soul Pipe
Section 1: Descent
Soul Pipe
“I didn’t do a thing to you and didn’t lay any geas on you! I was a little busy, Finman.” Kirsty spat it out at him.
“Then why does it matter to me that things aren’t right? Why does it matter that I don’t want to haul you off like the others would, hm? You’re wanted by Astereth, that should be enough to keep me following the wishes of my Jarl.” The binding magic in Justin burned and he could feel it trying to command his muscles. He gritted his teeth.
“How should I know? Maybe you’re just a lousy Finman. Every race has those one that just are terrible at being what they’re supposed to be. Maybe you were really meant to be just an ordinary fish.”
“Maybe you aren’t a seal. Maybe you’re a troglodyte.”
“Clever, for a lad with seaweed growing from his scales. Maybe a fish was an overestimation.”
Both the selkie and the Finman paused in confusion, looking at each other warily. “Whatever,” Justin said after a moment. “Enough insults. We sound like siblings and that is ridiculous. I’m not going to help you in your quest, but I do feel honor bound to say that maybe next time our meeting will play out differently.”
“Good. I don’t want or need help from the likes of you.” As soon as she said it she felt the energies around them shift. “I have to do this on my own anyway.” The energies shifted once more, and she wasn’t sure that she actually liked either shift or of what the fluxes meant.
“I’d be disappointed if you did need my help.” Just wasn’t sure what the feeling was that welled up in him. He tensed, his stomach churned, he flashed hot and cold, and the desire to stuff a foot up the annoying female’s backside conflicted with an even more confusing urge. The confusion on his quarry’s face deepened and they blinked at each other.
They both felt the weight of unseen eyes watching and peering into their souls. Then the moment passed. Energies shifted again, this time not only around the pair but within the pair. The gaze of various deities withdrew, leaving both with the sense that their lives were merely stories for the entertainment of larger beings, and that they had somehow done something that rippled into other oddly related stories to change their courses.
Justin’s hand went to his pouch then slipped within the depths. His fingers brushed the coral pipe that held his soul. It was warmer than he could ever remember it being. Slowly, with his eyes on Kirsty’s, he pulled it out. Only when he’d made it obvious he had no intentions of playing it did he turn his gaze to it. It glowed blue and purple briefly. Kirsty’s eyes widened, then narrowed.
“It’s never done this before...” He observed. “What does it mean?”
“I don’t know. But those are the colors that the magic of my Ladies take. I don’t know why it would show up on something of yours though.”
“Hmm...” He slipped his flute back into his pouch. “I will think on the matter. Maybe I’ve done something correctly. You should go. You’re not getting any further on your quest standing here, I think. Maybe.”
“Maybe.” Kirsty nodded, her own tone thoughtful, though she hesitated. “Maybe.”
Thank you for reading along with the webnovel version of this book. This has gone up on the Web Fiction Guide, so reviews of the current story developing are welcome, as are votes.