The Selkie Song

by H. K. Varian

  Despite his advanced age (Sefu was, after all, just as old as Jiichan), Sefu leaped nimbly out of each fireball’s path. From the sidelines, Jiichan quickly cast enchantments to destroy the fireballs in midair. They fizzled out even as Mack prepared to launch another round at Sefu. Again and again, Sefu skillfully dodged each one until, at last, he nodded respectfully at Mack—then turned toward Gabriella.

  Mack’s forelegs were trembling from the exertion of creating so much fire, but he didn’t feel disappointed at not hitting Sefu. Even thought Sefu had dodged every attack, Mack had proven himself against one of the First Four, and that was no small thing.

  Sefu approached Gabriella next, but she was ready for him. Her agility was uncanny as she feinted, dodging his every attack, almost anticipating Sefu’s next move before he even made it. Mack realized that Gabriella wasn’t just avoiding Sefu.

  She was exhausting him.

  That’s awesome, Mack thought. Her defenses were so sophisticated that she never even had to swipe at Sefu. Before long, Sefu bowed to Gabriella. Her trial was over.

  Now only Fiona was left.

  Mack tilted his head, watching with interest as Sefu approached Fiona. How will Fiona defend herself from a land Changer’s attack? he wondered. It was no secret that Fiona couldn’t really use her selkie abilities on land.

  Mack wasn’t in suspense for long. Fiona let the selkie cloak fall from her shoulders, causing an immediate transformation back to her human form.

  “I won’t fight you,” she said. “What would be the point?”

  The air crackled with tension as everyone waited for Sefu to respond. He stared at Fiona, giving no indication to his thoughts.

  “I’m useless,” she continued. “I can’t defend myself on land—not without the selkie songs.”

  Sefu transformed then, but still didn’t speak. Fiona turned to face Ms. Therian.

  “I want to find my mother,” she said. “I’m ready to learn the songs.”

  One, two, three: Mack, then Darren, and finally Gabriella transformed, all in fast succession. Mack shot a glance at Darren, who looked as baffled as Mack felt.

  Fiona’s mom is dead—right? Mack asked Darren telepathically.

  That’s what I thought, Darren replied.

  But how come none of the First Four looked surprised by Fiona’s request?

  Or Gabriella, for that matter?

  “Fiona,” Yara began.

  Ms. Therian held up a hand to stop her. But Yara would not be silenced.

  “She has a right to know,” Yara continued, with an urgency in her voice that Mack had never heard before. “Fiona. Your mother isn’t just another selkie. She’s their queen.”

  Chapter 4

  fiona’s Mission

  Darren’s face scrunched up in disbelief. What was going on? Had Yara really announced that Fiona’s mother wasn’t just alive, but that she was the queen of the selkies? How can selkies even have a queen? he wondered. The First Four were the leaders of all the Changers. Everyone knew that.

  “She’s their queen?” Fiona gasped. “My father . . . He told me—he told me that the selkies split from the Changers—”

  “Yes,” Mr. Kimura said, nodding his head. “That is correct.”

  “So they’re not really under the rule of the First Four?” continued Fiona.

  “No, they’re not,” Yara confirmed. “The selkies are a sovereign nation unto themselves. They answer to no one—no one but their queen.”

  Fiona’s hands fluttered toward her temples. “How did this happen?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” Mack spoke up. “What you’ve told us . . . You’ve always said that the Changers have to be united. Strength in numbers. But you just let the selkies abandon everyone else?”

  “Hey—that’s not fair,” Fiona said, frowning. “They didn’t abandon anyone!”

  Yara held up both her hands. “This is a very complicated chapter in Changers history,” she said. “But rest assured, you will learn all about it in the course of your training. What matters now is that Fiona’s mother, as queen of selkie-kind, is the keeper of a powerful song that can stop, and, if sung under ideal circumstances, even strip away one’s magic. It is one of the most effective weapons available to Changers.”

  A song as a weapon? Darren thought. How could something as innocent as music be considered a weapon? Then again, Darren realized, he’d never actually seen selkie magic in action. Darren glanced over at Fiona and wondered, for the first time, exactly what she would be capable of achieving once her powers were unlocked.

  “Rather, it was available to Changers,” Ms. Therian quickly corrected Yara. “Since the severing of our nations, we have not had access to this song.”

  “This time is different!” Yara argued. “We have an emissary—an ambassador—someone to bridge the gap between our worlds! If Fiona can reach her mother, if she can convince the selkies to fight with us, her mother can seize the magic of Auden Ironbound and his entire army.”

  “And the Changers would have a fighting chance,” added Sefu.

  “Why does it have to be Fiona?” Gabriella spoke up protectively. “Wouldn’t it be better if the First Four talked to the selkie queen? After all, Auden Ironbound is a threat to selkies, too, isn’t he?”

  “For many years we have existed under a fragile peace,” Mr. Kimura explained. “The terms of our treaty specifically state that only selkies—and no other Changer—are allowed to enter their territory. That includes, of course, the islands off the coast, where we believe Queen Leana resides.”

  “The Isles of Saorsie,” Sefu spoke up.

  Mr. Kimura turned to Fiona. “That is why we cannot approach the selkies, but you can,” he explained. “You are the only one who has the right to pass through those waters. Sending anyone else would be a declaration of war.”

  “Of course I’ll go,” Fiona said.

  Ms. Therian shook her head. “You don’t have to decide on the spot,” she said. “We’re asking a great deal of you, Fiona. You haven’t even seen your mother for nine years.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Fiona replied. “It’s the only way we can stop Auden. Besides, I—”

  For a moment Fiona faltered. When she spoke again, though, her voice was stronger than ever. “I need to find my mother. She’s been gone for so long, and I have so many questions. I have to know why she left—I have to know the selkie songs—I have to know—”

  Gabriella crossed the room so quickly that Darren thought she had to have used her nahual speed. “Are you sure?” she asked, locking eyes with Fiona. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  Fiona nodded. “More sure than I’ve ever been about anything,” she replied.

  “You must make the journey alone, as soon as possible,” Ms. Therian told her. “Tomorrow at dawn, I think; it will be a swim of several hours, and you must seize the light while you can.”

  No, Darren thought suddenly. This is nuts. It’s too dangerous. He remembered all too well what had happened when his desire to master his powers had gotten the better of him, making him vulnerable to a sneak attack that helped Auden Ironbound’s underling Jasper repair the Horn of Power. It was clear that Fiona was just as desperate to unlock her selkie powers—but was anyone else thinking about the risk involved?

  “Hang on a minute,” Darren spoke up. “Are you sure this is the only way?”

  Everyone stared at him, but Darren pushed on.

  “Am I the only one who thinks this is a bad idea?” he asked. “You’re just going to, like, send Fiona out to who-knows-where in the middle of the ocean, searching for her mom who, may I remind you, faked her own death?”

  Fiona shook her head. “It’s more complicated than that,” she said.

  “Yeah, sure, I have no doubt,” Darren replied. “But . . . I’m worried about you. You haven’t seen your mom in years. Do you even remember her?”

  Then he spun around to face the First Four. “What do you know about her mother? Have you even spoken to
her since the split? What if she, like, kidnaps Fiona and keeps her with the selkies? Did you think about that?”

  “That’s enough,” Yara said sharply. “We never said this plan was without risk. But it is still Fiona’s decision to make.”

  Darren was quiet, but the answer didn’t satisfy him. For the first time he felt a little uneasy about the First Four’s intentions. Desperate times called for desperate measures, but to risk Fiona’s safety . . .

  I’ll be okay. Fiona’s voice rang through his head. Darren looked up at her, and she met his gaze. There are things about my mom I haven’t told you and Mack yet. I’ll explain later.

  “We have been formulating an alternate plan,” Sefu spoke up, breaking Darren’s concentration. “But right now, it is even riskier, and more likely to fail, unless we can figure out a way to—”

  “We should continue those discussions at once,” Mr. Kimura spoke up suddenly. “No doubt great numbers of Changers will descend upon Willow Cove soon. We must prepare for their arrival. I believe we have seen what we need to see from your students, Dorina. You should be very proud of their progress—and so should they.”

  “Can Darren, Gabriella, and Fiona come over to our house?” asked Mack.

  Mr. Kimura nodded slowly. “Of course,” he said. “It would do us all well to remember that in these dark times, the light of friendship burns brightest.”

  Back at Mack’s house, the First Four disappeared into Mr. Kimura’s study, closing the door firmly behind them. Gabriella stared at the door’s intricate latticework and translucent rice-paper panels. “Wish we could hear what they’re saying,” she said wistfully.

  “Not a chance,” Mack said. “I always used to wonder why I couldn’t hear through the panels. I mean, they’re literally paper. That’s made of rice.”

  “But it’s enchanted, right?” Fiona said with a knowing look.

  “Must be,” Mack confirmed. “I’m sure Jiichan has some kind of magic protecting his entire study.”

  Fiona rubbed her temples. “This day,” she began. “I can’t even.”

  “What happened this morning?” Darren asked her. “That news about your mom . . . You must be reeling.”

  “It’s like a crazy dream,” Fiona said. “I keep expecting to wake up and realize that none of this is actually happening.”

  “You should tell them,” Gabriella spoke up, nodding toward Mack and Darren. “What you told me, I mean.”

  “Only if you want to,” Darren said quickly.

  “Of course I do,” Fiona said. Then she launched into the whole story of her dad finding the cloak, and the tale he’d told her. When she finished, Mack shook his head in astonishment.

  “That’s intense,” he said. “Your mom really is alive, huh? And you’ve been seeing her in the ocean! Can you believe how close she is?”

  “No,” Fiona said simply. “It’s— It doesn’t seem real.”

  “Does this make you a princess?” Mack blurted. “Fiona! You’re royalty!”

  A pink flush crept into Fiona’s cheeks. “Who knows?” she said. “Maybe queen is just a title, like president.”

  “You think selkies have elections?” Darren asked. He meant it as a joke, but Fiona seriously considered it.

  “I have no idea,” she repeated. “I hardly know anything about my kind.”

  Something in her voice made Darren melancholic. True, Darren had been able to find more information on impundulus than Fiona had on selkies, but still . . . Having never met another impundulu, Darren often felt sort of . . . lonely. Will I meet a Changer like me soon? he thought. Will I ever have a teacher or a friend or someone who truly understands what these powers are like?

  “It’s sort of scary, to be honest,” Fiona continued. “I have no idea what to expect. And no way to find out.”

  “Hang on,” Darren said. “What about The Compendium? Maybe there’s something—something we missed before, because we didn’t know that the selkies had left the Changers. It’s worth a try.”

  “But the First Four took it back, remember?” Fiona asked. “Who knows where it—”

  Mack jumped up from the couch. “Jiichan has The Compendium in his study!” he exclaimed. Then he charged across the room and knocked loudly on the door.

  The door opened a crack, just enough for Mr. Kimura’s wrinkled face to appear. “Yes?” he asked.

  “Can we borrow The Compendium?” asked Mack. “We were thinking Fiona could read it before her mission.”

  A small smile flickered across Jiichan’s face. “Yes, of course,” he said. He slipped back into the study for a moment and then reappeared with the ancient book, filled with thousands of years of knowledge about Changers. “Fiona, you may borrow this for the night. Please bring it with you to the beach tomorrow so you can return it to Ms. Therian before your journey.”

  “I will,” Fiona said gratefully. “Thank you.”

  Darren watched as Mack placed the heavy book in Fiona’s outstretched hands. “Books have always helped me get through tough stuff before,” she said. “Let’s hope The Compendium doesn’t fail me now. Thanks, Darren.”

  “It’s nothing,” he said. “I wish there was something more we could do.”

  “Me too,” added Mack. “Your first solo mission . . .”

  “You have to text us the minute you get back to the beach tomorrow night,” Gabriella told Fiona. “Seriously, I’ll be going crazy until I hear from you.”

  “Of course I will, but I’m sure it’s not going to be that big of a deal,” Fiona said. “I might not even find the selkies’ islands. Or my mom. Besides, you’ll be just fine without me. It’s not like I’ve been able to help out much, anyway.”

  “What are you talking about?” Darren asked incredulously. “Without you, we never would’ve found The Compendium to begin with. Or learned that the Horn of Power can’t affect younglings. Or discovered Circe’s Compass in that shipwreck.”

  Fiona smiled but waved away the praise with a flick of her wrist. “I know you’re trying to make me feel better, but the truth is, I’ve been deadweight during our battles—especially lately. I can barely defend myself on land, let alone fight alongside you. Sooner or later, it’s going to happen: I’ll drag us all down.”

  “Cut it out,” Gabriella said firmly. “Tomorrow you’re going to find the selkies—find your mom!—and start learning the selkie songs. Tomorrow. And after that, everything changes. Forever.”

  “Does it, though?” Fiona asked. Her eyes looked sad, but her voice sounded as practical as always. “Who really knows what the selkie songs can do? Or how long it takes to learn them? It could take years—decades, even—before I can master my powers.”

  “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” Mack said suddenly.

  “Huh?” asked Darren.

  “Sorry,” Mack replied. “I was just trying to channel Jiichan. He says stuff like that all the time. And you know what? I don’t think he’s wrong. I thought I’d never figure out how to transform, but once it happened, everything opened up for me. It will be the same for you, Fiona. I know it will. And so does Jiichan. Otherwise he wouldn’t even let you go on this mission.”

  Fiona managed a smile. “I hope you’re right,” she replied.

  But she didn’t sound convinced.

  Chapter 5

  Dachaigh

  Dinner at Fiona’s house was unusually subdued that night; Fiona had way too much on her mind to keep up a conversation. Luckily, Dad seemed to understand, for which Fiona was incredibly grateful.

  “You can talk to me any time, Fee,” he said near the end of their meal. “I want to make sure you know that.”

  “I do,” she replied. “Thanks, Dad.”

  But the truth was, Fiona already sensed that there were things she would never, ever be able to tell him. After all, Dad was a regular human, and though he understood a whole lot more about Changers than most normal people, Fiona knew that keeping the Changers’ secrets was necessary for ever
yone’s safety. How did Mom do it? she wondered as her gaze drifted, like always, to the ocean view through the kitchen window. How did she figure out what she could tell Dad . . . and what she needed to keep secret?

  Fiona couldn’t help it; she sighed heavily. Just more questions to add to my list, I guess, she thought.

  “Hey, I have an idea,” Dad said suddenly. “Want to watch a movie tonight? Your pick. We could make popcorn and ice cream sundaes!”

  Fiona had to smile to herself. She knew full well that Dad wasn’t a big fan of movies; he’d rather spend a Saturday night poring over a new volume of poetry. But she appreciated the effort all the same.

  “I’m actually pretty tired,” she said. “But another time, definitely.”

  “Sure,” Dad said. “Whenever you want.”

  “I think I’ll go upstairs after we finish the dishes,” Fiona said. “I kind of want to read for a little while before bed.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Dad replied. “I’ll do the dishes tonight. You’ve had a big day—and tomorrow will be even bigger.”

  Fiona glanced up in alarm. “You know?” she exclaimed.

  Dad nodded. “Your teacher Ms. Therian called me this afternoon,” he said. “She explained that you might not be able to tell me about the mission, but she said, as your father, I deserved to know that you’re going to the selkies’ isles.”

  “Are you going to let me go?” Fiona asked, clenching her fists so hard that her fingernails dug into her palms.

  Dad tilted his head and stared at her. “Could I stop you if I tried?”

  “Probably not,” admitted Fiona.

  “That’s what I thought,” he replied.

  Fiona stared at the table, unsure of what to say.

  “I know there may be things that you can’t tell me,” Dad continued. “But you can tell your mom, and whenever you need me, Fiona, I’ll be here for you.”

  Then he crossed the room and kissed her forehead. “Don’t stay up too late reading,” he warned. “I want you to be well rested for . . . whatever tomorrow might bring.”

  “Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll go to bed soon,” Fiona promised. “Good night.”