The Selkie's Song

by Nancy M Bell

  “They’ll be gone back to the depths now. They only stayed long enough to be sure we received the warning. If he lives, things will not go well for Vear with the Council,” Sarie remarked, coming to stand with her.

  “The Council condones this? It’s nothing short of attempted murder,” Bella growled.

  “It’s an old feud between clans. In some ways, the Council will be relieved that it’s finally come to a head. They won’t interfere.”

  “It’s bloody barbaric.” Bella snorted and turned back to Vear.

  Chapter Nine

  Bella knelt by Gwin and heaved the massive head into her lap. She laid her hands on either side of the snout and willed him to recover. The piskie moved around the inert shape, muttering and waving his fingers in arcane shapes, drawing sigils that shimmered in the light before falling in rainbow mist over his friend. Finally, he stumbled to his knees and Sarie lifted him away.

  “That’s enough for now, little man.” She carried him to the fire and settled him in a nest of blankets. “Sleep now, there’s no good will come of wearing yourself so thin you disappear altogether.”

  “He’s still sore hurt, Mistress Sarie. How can I rest when the big black one hovers on the brink of the worlds?” Gwin struggled to rise and Sarie restrained him with gentle hands. “Bella’s with him. You’ve done what you can. Maybe she can call him back from the abyss where we can’t.”

  “Perhaps you speak truth.” Gwin lifted his weary head and gazed across the fire at the woman whispering to the selkie.

  Sarie set the kettle on the hot ashes and went about preparing a pot of hot cocoa. Bella watched them from the corner of her eye, never letting her concentration waver. Vear could not die, it was just unthinkable. The tight pain in her chest made it hard to breathe, and the faint rise and fall of the massive chest was blurred by her tears. Her legs were numb from the weight of his head and shoulder but she refused to move. She closed her eyes and focused on reaching Vear somehow by sheer force of will. A shock ran through her when his voice sounded in her mind. Faint and far away, but definitely him.

  ‘Bella, my beautiful Bella. What are you doing here in the nether lands? You must not follow me. I go where you cannot follow.’

  ‘No! Don’t leave me. If you go, I’ll follow you, wherever you go. To the ends of the earth if I have to.’

  ‘There are fields beyond the ones you know, little love. Where you cannot follow.’ The voice faded and the huge body on her legs sighed and lay still.

  “You will not die. You will not leave me, damn it! Vear Du, you come back this instant. I love you, do you hear me? I love you.’

  Frantically, Bella pounded on the still chest. Gwin scrambled across the sand on hands and knees and joined her. His twig-like brown fingers glowed blue as he spun globes of rainbow light that enveloped the selkie. Sarie came and laid her hands on the little man’s shoulders and the light increased as she added her strength to his.

  “You will not die. You will not die, do you hear me?” Bella chanted over and over, as if saying it would make it true.

  The crash of the surf on the cliffs echoed through the cavern. Sarie raised her head and stared at the entrance. She got to her feet and moved to look at the cove below.

  “What is it?” Bella lifted her gaze from Vear. The odd sound registered in her ears as well. Mingled with the thunder of the rollers was a vibrant ululating sound. Almost like the sound of water in your ears when underwater, but deeper and at the same time more like pan flutes or Ullilean pipes. Sarie stood as if in a trance, swaying in time to the music. “What is it?” she whispered to Gwin.

  The piskie stopped his spinning for a moment and smiled at Bella. “’Tis his family. The selkies have come to honour him.”

  “Can they help him? Can’t they call him back from wherever it is he’s gone? Why can’t they help heal him?” Bella was desperate.

  “Peace, Mistress Bella. They are calling him. It’s up to the big one if he answers or not.” Gwin sat back on his heels.

  Bella rose and joined Sarie. On the beach and in ranks floating on the waves were row upon row of sleek black heads. Muzzles pointed toward the cave where Vear lay as their voices joined in harmony. The tones vibrated in Bella’s bones until the pain in her chest eased and her ears rang. The range of notes was beyond anything she’d ever experienced and it seemed as if she floated out of her body and twined with the music dancing over the shimmering sea, following the beams of sunlight into the blue of the sky above her.

  “Vear, come back to me,” she called, joining her voice to the melody. Finally, the music faded and the mass of seals riding the waves gradually dispersed. Only the ones on the beach remained, snouts still turned upward to the maw of the cave.

  “What in heaven’s name just happened?” Bella turned to Gwin.

  “Why, Mistress Bella, that was the Selkie’s Song. I, myself, have only heard it once before over all the long years. It is a tribute song, but it can also heal. Let us hope that the big one here was listening.” He nodded toward Vear.

  Bella threw herself down beside the selkie and rested her hand on his side. Her breath caught in her throat … it couldn’t be … was his chest moving again? Not daring to believe the evidence of her eyes, she rested her head on his chest, listening for the thump of his heart. Surely, that was it … the faint susurration of blood through the great heart. She searched for the lost strains of the Selkie’s Song and hummed what she hoped was close to the correct tune. The few remaining seals on the beach joined her, strengthening her melody, joining her heart song. The huge form moved beneath her hands, the snout lifted and black eyes flickered open.

  ‘Aye, Bella. It’s come back to you I am. Much against my better judgement, I might add. I am sorely hurt and the pain threatens to unman me.’

  “Gwin, can you help him? He’s says he’s in a lot of pain. What can we do?” Tears of relief blurred the piskie’s features.

  “Aye, I can.” Gwin joined her and waved his hand over the selkie’s eyes. Blue and rainbow light soaked into the sleek hide, the troubled eyes closed and a great sigh escaped Vear.

  “He’s alright, isn’t he?” Bella glanced at the piskie.

  “He’s only sleeping now. I think the danger of him slipping away has passed,” he assured her.

  She stroked the selkie’s head murmuring nonsense, hoping the sound of her voice would help keep the soul in the body. Bella shifted to ease the cramps in her knees and leaned against the bulky body. The regular rise and fall of the chest reassured her, her gaze followed the movement obsessively. Her breath hitched every time the rhythm faltered.

  “Bella, come away and let him rest,” Sarie urged.

  “I can’t leave him.” Bella shook her head and kept her gaze trained on Vear Du.

  “You need to eat something, it’s long gone the noon hour. You’ll be no help to anyone if you make yourself sick.”

  “Are they still out there?” She nodded towards the beach.

  “Only a few,” Gwin reported from the mouth of the cave. “They’ll stay until they’re sure he’s going to stay.”

  “He’s not going anywhere if I have anything to say about it,” Bella vowed.

  Sarie came and squatted beside her. “He does look improved, I must say.”

  “I think so, too.” Bella nodded.

  “Will you be alright if I leave you? I need to get home and let Mum know what’s going on. She’ll be beside herself with worry.”

  “Yes, of course I’ll be fine. I can take care of Vear alone. How are you going to get out of here?” Bella looked up and frowned. “My head’s all awhirl … how did you get here in the first place?”

  “I brought Mistress Sarie, and I will take her back,” Gwin announced.

  “Oh, yes, how foolish of me. Of course. Thanks, Gwin.” Bella smiled at the piskie perched on the rock beside her.

  “Do you have to go now?” Bella glanced at the sea shining in the sunlight. “What if those mermen come back? How can I defen
d Vear against them?”

  “I don’t know.” Sarie frowned.

  “It is of no concern, no, none at all. The mermen won’t return, they’ve delivered their message and exacted their revenge. Any other violence would get them in hot water with the Council, which is something they can ill afford at the moment. At this point, the sympathies of the Council will be with them, but if they transgress, the popular opinion could swing to Vear Du. They won’t risk that, I’m sure,” Gwin informed them.

  “So Bella will be perfectly safe if we leave them alone for a bit?” Sarie stood and hovered uncertainly.

  “Yes. Upon my heart, they will be safe until you return,” Gwin vowed.

  “I really do need to talk to Mum.” Sarie twisted her hands with indecision.

  “I can take you whenever you wish.” Gwin leaped lightly from the boulder and scurried to Sarie’s side.

  Bella got to her feet and embraced her friend. “Thanks for being here. I couldn’t have got through all this without you. Will you be able to come back right away or…?”

  “I’m not sure. It will depend on how things are back in the village and how much Mum needs me. And it hinges on whether Gwin can bring me back. I don’t think I can find my way here without him.”

  “Very true, Mistress Sarie. Without my magics you would be hard-pressed to reach this place, even if you did succeed in finding the location. Do you wish to be taken home now?”

  Sarie gave Bella a last squeeze and stepped back. “I really should be getting on. Are you sure you’ll be alright.” She glanced at Vear Du.

  “Yes, of course. Gwin says we’ll be perfectly safe from the mermen.”

  “You will be sensible for once in your life, won’t you? Don’t do anything rash?” Sarie caught and held her friend’s gaze. “You’re already in a right mess, between your Da and Daniel, and the benighted Council. Use your head and don’t make things worse.”

  “Really, Sarie,” Bella huffed in annoyance. “Do you take me for simpleton? I promise not to leave the cave and I won’t do anything rash, as you so kindly put it.”

  “Fine, then,” Sarie nodded reluctantly. “Gwin, if you would please?”

  “It is my great pleasure to be able to assist you.” Gwin bowed low, his nose almost scraping the sand. He held out his hand and Sarie put her hand into it.

  “I’ll come again as soon as possible.” Sarie’s voice hung in the air even as the two figures winked out of sight.

  “Alone at last.” Vear’s deep voice startled Bella almost out of her wits.

  “For the love of God, Vear! You put the heart across me, so you did. How long have you been awake?” Bella dropped to her knees beside the selkie. “How can you speak to me when you’re still a seal?” She passed a gentle hand over his rounded head.

  “You sang the Selkie’s Song to bring me back, you will always be able to hear me now. There is great power in the magic of the words and music.”

  “How are you feeling? What the bloody hell happened after you lit out of here like a cat with its tail on fire?” Bella demanded, remembering how angry she was with him for bolting on her.

  “I’m much better now, thanks to the healing. It seems that my time on this wheel is not over yet.”

  Bella snorted. “Don’t think you can escape me that easily. Now tell me what happened with the mermen, weren’t you careful? You know they’re out to get you.”

  “In all my long years I have never been so amazed or confused. You wake feelings in me that are forbidden, and I know this. Yet, I find myself unable to remove you from my life. It is a dangerous obsession, the like of which I have never experienced. You are only a mortal, what magic is it that binds you to me so tightly? When I dove into the mother sea I was only thinking about getting as far away from you as possible. Keeping you safe from the folly of my desires.”

  “Are you saying it’s my fault you got mugged?” Bella’s temper flared.

  “Not directly, my gold. It is my own foolishness that led to my injuries.” Vear sighed and closed his eyes.

  “What did you mean, what magic do you think I have? I don’t have any, if I did do you think I’d be promised to that scut Treliving?”

  “Not magic as you think of it. There is something in you that draws me like a moth to a flame. I know it’s dangerous, and yet I can’t tear my gaze from the light that blazes within you. When I close my eyes, you glow and flare in my inner sight.”

  “Really?” Bella glanced down at her body. There was nothing out of the ordinary she could see. “I’m just me, I don’t see anything different or weird.”

  Vear chuckled. “Bella, I do love you so. Straight and to the point, at least I always know where I stand with you. You light is not something you see with the naked eye, rather, the shine that emanates from you can only be seen in the other realms. There you shine like a beacon in the darkest night, calling me home.”

  “Really?” she repeated. “No matter, let’s talk about this other thing. I love you, and you say you love me. I know, I know,” she held up her hand to forestall him, “I’m only a mortal and you’re some great immortal something or other. I still don’t see what the problem is. We only have a very short time together by your reckoning, why do you insist on wasting it?” Bella leaned closer and put her hands on each side of his whiskered face. “I love you.”

  “Oh, my lovely, lovely girl. If only it were so simple.”

  “It is simple,” she insisted. “’Tis you who make it complicated.”

  “If you wish to believe that. Come lie with me, I confess I am sore tired. I’m healing, but I must sleep.” Vear rolled on his side and lifted a large flipper.

  Bella stretched out beside him, her back against the solid warmth of his bulk, the heavy flipper folded over her. The smell of fish and seaweed wrinkled her nose; it was a small price to pay for the knowledge he wanted her near him. Vear loves me! Never in a thousand years had she ever expected to get him to admit it.

  “What happened with the mermen? You never told me.” She wriggled a bit to create a hollow in the sand.

  “Quit yer squirming or I’ll not be able to put two words together to tell you the tale,” he grumbled.

  Bella grinned, she would have her way in the end. The selkie couldn’t hide the way his body responded to her. “For now, I’ll be still. Now tell me what happened.”

  The blunt snout nuzzled her hair. Fishy breath wafted across her cheek. She sighed. Bella much preferred the selkie in his human form, pipe smoke with a faint hint of kelp beat the smell of fish every time. Still, she’d take him any way she could. It was heaven to be so close to him.

  “I wasn’t paying attention when I left you. I only wanted the solitude of the deeps and the release from worldly cares that comes when I am a seal. The pull to be near you is less when I am cradled by the sea. I know I should have paid more attention to where I went, but I was running blind. Part of me wanted to return to you so badly it was a physical pain, the other wiser part urged me to keep swimming, as far away as I could get.” He paused and Bella glanced up at him. All she could see was the bottom of his chin. “Too late, I realized I had wandered near the mermen city. I should have turned and run, but then I thought perhaps it would be best to end the feud once and for all and let them take me. I was weak and gave into my despair. I ached so for you and I know I can never have you. It pains me still. I’m unused to the strength of these feelings and emotions—it is what draws us to humans. The bright brief flare of intense life that burns in all of you. Yours is much brighter than most, even Gwin feels it.”

  “What about Sarie? Does she shine too?” Bella asked.

  “Yes, she does. Bright, but in a different way than you. Gwin says it has something to do with old souls walking the realms. Somehow, we are connected in a way Sarie and I are not.”

  “I’m not sure I understand, but never mind. Tell me what happened next with the mermen.”

  “Instead of stealing away undetected, as I could have done. I kept swimmi
ng deeper into their territory. In no time, they surrounded me and took their revenge. I don’t remember anything more until I was pulled from the surf.”

  “How did you end up on this beach in this cove? Of all the places on the coast you could have washed up, why here?”

  “I don’t know. Perhaps the mother sea took pity on me, perhaps the ship fish brought me here. Fate, destiny, kismet, whatever you wish to call it has brought me back to your arms, dear heart.”

  “Gwin said something about the damned mermen sending a message.”

  “Aye well, that be too, I suppose.”

  “Whoever or whatever it was, I’m thankful beyond words,” Bella replied.

  “As am I, no matter how hard I have tried to fight my attraction to you.” The deep voice faded and then ceased completely. Silence descended, broken only by the occasional snapping of the fire.

  The regular rise and fall of his chest against her back told her Vear had fallen asleep. Her eyes kept closing against her will, she wanted to savour every moment she had being close to him. There was no telling what the days ahead held for her—for them. There was still the stupid Council to deal with, not to mention Da. The heat radiating from the selkie eased her tired muscles and Bella gave up resisting the urge to close her eyes. She wouldn’t fall asleep though, there was too much to think about. She needed a plan: how was she supposed to handle Da when he was off on a rant? Not to mention that miscreant Daniel Bloody Treliving. Why couldn’t the bastard fall off the pier in his drunken wanderings? Or off a high cliff somewhere, as long as he was out of her life it didn’t matter. Bloody men, they were more trouble than they were worth. Well, except for Vear, but he wasn’t really a man, was he?

  Chapter Ten

  Pain in her neck and numbness in her arm brought Bella out of her dreams. Lovely dreams they were, too. Swimming sky clad in the sea with Vear, drying off in the sun on the warm sand … her thoughts drifted off again. She twined her fingers with the hand the curled around her waist. Bella’s eyes snapped open and she lifted their joined hands.