They strode into Waterbreak exhausted and irritable.

  Lyn was determined to be unpleasant company. Regardless how kind and patient Hinata and Plenty treated her, she felt like an obligation. She was certain they secretly resented her, though they never let on or made Lyn feel guilty. Somehow, every gentle kindness was seen as proof positive of Lyn’s worst fears and assumptions.

  Will you please relax and let your family love you? For fuckssake, Lyn, Raf complained. Why is it so hard to believe that two people who have loved and taken care of you for years would want to love and take care of you now?

  [Will you shut up?] Lyn made an angry scowl at thin air.

  Yes.

  Lyn was surprised Raf didn’t offer more resistance. She blinked several times and wondered yet again if ‘Raf’ was really her brother or something else hiding behind his frozen memories.

  Her worries were interrupted by Plenty tapping on her shoulder and pointing at a large wooden ship docked nearby. He was dressed in warm travel clothes and a backpack full of supplies.

  ‘That’s the ship we’ll be sailing in,’ he signed. ‘But first, I need to negotiate with the captain. We’re sure to find him at the tavern. When we go in there, keep close and keep your hood on. Your white hair will attract attention.’

  Lyn rolled her eyes. She hated it when people treated her like a child. Plenty didn’t need to explain the obvious to Lyn, but still, she followed Plenty into a cozy log tavern by the pier. Hinata trailed closely.

  A stone pit hearth was dug deep into the center of the tavern, surrounded by round tables and stools. The smell of burning logs and roast pork permeated the air. Aether-charged crystals decorated the walls casting prisms in every direction, like twinkling rainbow stars. The tavern was alive with patrons eating and drinking merrily. On a small stage in the corner, a 3-man band played a tune.

  A friendly older woman walked up to greet them.

  She said her name is Joan and asked if we want a table. Plenty said we’re here to meet the captain. Joan said to follow her, Raf interpreted.

  Lyn blinked several times in surprise. In public spaces, Lyn had grown accustomed to not being accommodated. She would typically entertain herself with observations while the hearing folk ignored her. She tried not to let it bother her, but it still stung sometimes. But now Lyn had an ever-present interpreter–albeit one whose interpretations were suspect–she would never have to feel left out again.

  You can trust me, Lyn. I’m not going to misinterpret, Raf said.

  [I believe Raf wouldn’t, but you’re not him, and you don’t speak for him; you speak for something else; I don’t know what,] Lyn thought.

  Lyn sensed Raf’s feelings were wounded, but he didn’t respond.

  The kindly old hostess led them to a table where a tattooed man with long dreds sat beside a gentle-looking woman with silvering hair. On her lap rested an old, one-eyed puffin familiar. They both looked from Southern Exile, with dark complexions, middle-aged, and full-figured with wedding bands on. Surrounding them, drunken sailors danced and reveled.

  The waitress wandered back to her station and Plenty stepped forward and said something. The man looked up through spectacles at the new arrivals. The woman with the one-eyed puffin familiar on her lap answered with a wave of her hand.

  Plenty asked to do business. She invited us to sit, Raf interpreted. The captain’s name is Jerome, her name is Danielle; they’re the captain and first mate of The Floating Library.

  Lyn took a seat between Plenty and Hinata, pulled on her hood, and tried to think inconspicuous thoughts. Danielle smiled kindly at Lyn. Jerome made no obvious reaction, stoically scrutinizing them, content to let Danielle lead the negotiation. His arms were a tattooed tapestry of maps, mementos, names, and dates.

  Danielle leaned forward on one elbow, cradling the puffin with her other arm.

  She says there are no free rides. What’s in it for them?

  Plenty unlatched a bracelet of black pearls from his wrist and offered it to Danielle, who in turn passed it to Jerome.

  The captain finally took an appraising interest in the conversation, examining the pearls with a keen eye. He passed an indiscernible glance at Danielle, and they shared a silent understanding. Danielle curtly nodded, and Jerome tucked the pearls into a vest pocket.

  She says that bought you a cabin. She can lead you to it now or after supper.

  Plenty nodded and waved over Joan the hostess. She took his order and left.

  Plenty ordered two meals and three waters.

  Danielle made polite conversation, which Raf interpreted. She expressed a curiosity toward Lyn, but Plenty delicately put an end to that line of questioning. Lyn was his and Hinata’s deaf daughter. Lyn made no effort to communicate, so the inquisitive first mate stopped inquiring.

  Once food arrived, Lyn sipped her water as Plenty and Hinata ate. They both offered bites off their plates, which Lyn refused. Normal human food upset her stomach and gave her the runs. Lyn needed blood. She loved Hinata and Plenty like an aunt and uncle, but the cold and gruesome truth was, they were effectively her travel snacks. Or maybe her juice bags. So Lyn didn’t mind waiting for them to finish eating. She would savor the slow-roasted stew after it had been sieved through Hinata’s veins. For now, the wafting scent of herbs and tender meats was appetizer enough.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Once they had finished eating, Danielle brushed the one-eyed puffin off her lap and stood with the aid of a walking stick of gleaming red mahogany. As Danielle stood, Lyn noticed an imposing hand cannon holstered on Danielle’s belt, and she had a peg leg with tentacles carved into the wood. The peg leg attached below the knee so Danielle moved nimbly toward the door, waving them to follow her to the Floating Library.

  The puffin familiar waddled proudly ahead of her like a guard dog.

  -8-

  Hinata hadn’t spent a night away from Morgan in almost forty years. If the cramped cargo closet with three hammocks was any indication, Hinata’s first night would be a restless one.

  Mournfully, she thought of their last argument.

  Morgan had begged Hinata to leave with Lyn.

  “If you won’t go with her, I will,” Morgan had threatened, willing to condemn everyone to a certain death rather than let Lyn go alone. So Hinata’s hand was forced. She didn’t want to leave but it was the only way Morgan would remain. They argued for hours but bitterly, Hinata relented.

  Plenty volunteered the instant Hinata said yes. He didn’t offer any reason or explanation, but his coldness toward Morgan after the argument spoke volumes.

  But it was over and done. They were aboard a ship destined for Garden City.

  Danielle the First Mate gave Plenty the cabin’s keys and said, “We ship out at first light. Breakfast rations are bland and dried, but they’ll keep you fed. The trip takes two to four weeks, so get settled in. If you need anything, Captain’s Quarters is at the end of the hall. Don’t come knocking for anything less than an emergency. I value my sleep and I don’t take kindly to those who interrupt it.”

  “Not for any reason?” Plenty teased the first mate.

  “I’m a married woman!” Danielle pretended to blush. “You best keep that charm away from me, young man. One man is trouble enough. I don’t need any fresh bad ideas outta you. Keep an eye on this one,” she winked at Hinata.

  “He walks the line,” Hinata smiled proudly.

  “Hm. Well, I’ve a crew to run. Settle in, and welcome to the Floating Library. Books are down the hall.”

  With that, Danielle and her one-eyed puffin familiar left. She shut the door behind her.

  As soon as they were gone, Lyn pulled on Hinata’s coat.

  ‘Blood, please,’ she demanded.

  Hinata’s heart sank. She was prepared for this but still dreaded it.

  ‘Hey,’ Plenty signed. ‘Wait. I still need to ready the water.’

  “Are you okay?” he asked Hinata. “I can take this–”

  “I’m fine,” Hinata cut him off. “This was always the arrangement. Your energies are better used keeping me hale.”

  Plenty squeezed Hinata’s shoulder, then he reached into his bag and pulled out a travel bowl. He filled it with water from a canteen and then left the cabin. When he returned, the water appeared the same, but Hinata knew better. It had been soaked in moonlight and infused with selkie magic.

  She signed, ‘Dagger, please,’ to Lyn, who unlatched the dagger from her belt and passed it to Hinata.

  Hinata put the blade’s edge to her wrist. She took a breath, then she dug the blade in and sliced, avoiding the tendons but opening a vein. She winced and withdrew the dagger, but Lyn instantly grabbed Hinata’s hand and pulled the gushing wound to her mouth, greedily sucking up every drop of blood. Hinata looked away, nauseated by the gruesome scene. She tried to not think about it. The act was bad enough. Plenty held her shoulder and silently stood witness.

  Fortunately, Lyn was small with an appetite to match. She finished her meal in under a minute. Plenty poured healing water over Hinata’s wrist, sealing the wound. She drank the rest, replenishing her fluids. But nonetheless, Hinata was dizzy and exhausted.

  She sank into a hammock and passed out almost immediately.

  -8-

  Plenty put the travel bowl away then pulled out a rag and wet it. He wiped the blood off Lyn’s face and Hinata’s wrist, then he brushed a few wild strands of wavy black hair from Hinata’s face.

  Lyn was in good spirits, swinging in her hammock. She was a strange creature.

  Plenty and the other selkies all owed Lyn their lives. It was her illusions that protected the selkies from familiar spies. Her spells shielded every fae on the feirm from Adam’s genocidal war against fae beings. But it wasn’t simply the debt. Lyn was family. He had helped care for her for almost thirty years. Plenty loved Hinata as much as any selkie in his pod.

  But secretly, he was scared shitless. It took considerable self-restraint to not let on how absolutely terrified out of his mind he was, surrounded by humans, his sealskin hidden at the bottom of his bag, a damn familiar on the ship! If that thing found him out… best not to think about it. He unfolded a chair and set it on the cabin floor.

  ‘Comb and rebraid my hair?’ he asked Lyn. Her face lit up and she nodded.

  He sat on the chair and passed Lyn a comb. ‘I need the braids tied back and up. Okay?’

  Lyn nodded again confidently. ‘Eyes forward,’ she ordered and then set to work undoing his side braids.

  It was a small thing they shared. His hair was very long by human male standards, and Lyn, while precocious in many ways, was a perpetual child. Naturally, she was a fidgeter. Combing and braiding Plenty’s hair was something to occupy her mind and hands for hours.

  Meanwhile, Plenty focused on taking slow, steady breaths. Listening to the deep rhythmic sounds of Hinata breathing, Plenty soon felt himself drifting. Lyn had barely finished combing his hair before he tied it all up in a sleeping wrap and fell into the hammock beside Hinata.

  -8-

  Lyn was still full of energy so she wandered about the ship. Come sun up, she would need to remain below deck, so she wanted to take advantage of the open night air. Not to mention the books the First Mate had mentioned before.

  The ship was a standard shipping galley. Cargo crates of fruits and spices were stored below deck. The crew was mostly still at the tavern, but a skeleton crew remained to look after the ship. They mostly lounged on benches or smoked near the rails. The night shift seemed a calm and quiet crowd. Lyn would get along well here.

  Finally, she found the books at the end of the hall. They were stored in a small study. The books were all wrapped in waterproof leather and secured to the bookshelves with metal bars. Lyn needed the aid of a stool to reach the latch to unlock the books.

  She glanced at the titles, not looking for anything in particular, just something to pass the time. Her eyes stopped at the words, ‘Garden City: a History.’

  Lyn pulled the book off the shelf and returned the latch to its secure position. Then Lyn returned to the cabin. With the aid of a small magelight, she started her homework.

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