The cthulian symbiote burst through Lyn’s eardrums as it slithered through her sinuses and expanded, surrounding her brain and squeezing down into the folds. The pain was extraordinary. Involuntarily, Lyn screamed and saltwater flooded her mouth and lungs. She tasted blood, choked, and her vision went dark.
-8-
Plenty was swimming in the moonlight with the other selkies when he smelled blood in the water, so he hurried to investigate. When he found Lyn floating facedown and drifting out to sea, he swiftly pushed her back to shore, disrobed his sealskin, and screamed, “Help! It’s Lyn. Something is wrong!”
Naked in the frigid night air, Plenty abandoned his sealskin on the sand, carried Lyn’s tiny body back to the farm, kicked open the door, and shouted, “Wake up and get in here!” He laid Lyn’s still body carefully on the kitchen table and pressed on her little chest again and again.
Morgan and Hinata came stumbling into the kitchen, adrenaline propelling their sleepy bodies into the walls and furniture. Morgan went shock-still and pale at the sight of her little sister lying motionless. Hinata ran forward to check Lyn’s vitals and gently slap her face between Plenty’s breaths of life.
“Wake up, honey. Wake up!” Hinata shouted pointlessly. Lyn was deaf and wouldn’t have heard Hinata even if she had been awake. Hinata rubbed Lyn’s face, massaged her arms, and repeated, “Please, honey, wake up…” as tears ran down their face.
Lyn coughed up bloody sea water and Morgan’s knees buckled underneath her. Morgan fell forward onto the table and pulled herself to Lyn’s side.
“Give her some space,” Plenty said, taking a step back. Hinata stepped back. Morgan stayed where she was and turned Lyn sideways so she could cough out. Morgan rubbed Lyn’s back and brushed Lyn’s hair out of her face as bile, blood, and saltwater exited the girl’s lungs. When she was ready, Lyn gave Morgan’s wrist a gentle squeeze and a little nod, then Morgan stepped back so Lyn could collect herself.
It was only then Morgan noticed Lyn’s ears were bleeding, and they were green.
“Oh, shit,” said Plenty.
-8-
“How dare you keep this from me?” Hormiz screamed at Zeke. They were in the kitchen. Lyn had gone upstairs to recover in bed. Morgan and Hinata were sitting at the table quietly looking devastated and scared. Like a sentinel, Plenty stood against the far wall. He’d since returned to collect his sealskin and draped it around him like a cloak.
Zeke tried to stay calm but in truth, he was terrified. Hormiz had every right to be furious, at Lyn for her part in kidnapping him as a child, and at Zeke, Morgan, and Hinata for keeping it secret for so long. “Lilith made Lyn do it. You know what she can do. It wasn’t Lyn’s fault,” Zeke said softly.
“That is beside the point! It worked once, Lilith will try it again. I cannot believe you would all hide this from me for years! We are raising a daughter! What’s stopping Lilith from using Lyn again to take Aegir away like she took me?”
“I destroyed the mirror. We don’t leave Aegir alone with Lyn. We’ve been careful. Lilith can’t do that again,” Zeke said quickly.
“She will try another way! She will send a fleet of loci. This whole time, she’s been using Lyn to spy on us, and you’ve all let it happen!”
“I would never let that happen again,” Morgan said fiercely. “I swear on my life.”
“It may well cost you your life!” Hormiz spat. “Lyn is stronger than any of you by a wide margin. If Lilith gets control of her again, Lyn will tear through each of you like so much paper. She is dangerous, and now she’s a spy for two masters! What the Hell do we even know about this ‘Deep One?’”
All eyes turned to Plenty. He readjusted his sealskin uncomfortably. “Not much, to be honest. It’s a deep-sea boogeyman. Selkies call it the Mind Slaver. Merfolk call it the Eldest Idea. Cthulians call it the Deep One. But cthulians are fearsome predators, so as a selkie, my knowledge of cthulian culture is not expansive. Among selkies… there is a legend.
“Back when Eden was young and God was experimenting, this ‘Deep One’ was sung into existence. But it brought disharmony to God’s designs for free will, so God condemned it to the deepest trench in the ocean. Selkies can’t go that far down, so we don’t know much. I’ve heard of a tribe of merfolk who choose symbiosis. But among selkies, it’s believed to be a death of the individual and… an eternal prison after death.”
The mood in the kitchen shifted ominously. A kettle began to whistle. Hinata poured five cups of soothing tea. The smell of citrus, rose, and honey filled the room. They distributed the cups in heavy silence and contemplation.
Hormiz calmly threw his cup against the wall, shattering it and spraying tea everywhere. “Are you all shitting me? I don’t know what kind of trouble Lyn’s pulled herself into, but she is never coming near my daughter again. And you should all be ashamed of yourself for letting this go on as long as it has.”
Morgan’s eyes narrowed and her voice went dangerously low. “What are you suggesting?”
“I’m saying Lyn is dangerous, a liability, and she’s entirely ungovernable. What happens when you die from old age, Morgan? You’re doing a stand-up job raising the little monster, but what will she become once you’re not around to pull her back from the edge?”
“Hormiz!” Zeke sharply cut in. He stood directly in front of Hormiz and held his shoulders lovingly. “You’re right. You’re right about all of it, but you’re going too far. Please take a walk. Go talk with Jack. You always feel better after a talk with Jack. Let me fix this. Please. At least let us try.”
Hormiz softened. He exhaled with a frustrated nod. “Fine. I’ll go see Jack. But I’m not changing my mind about Aegir. I don’t want her anywhere near Lyn ever again, understand?”
Zeke nodded miserably.
-8-
The argument lasted all day and well into the night.
Lyn stayed in her room, mostly. Her face was swollen and sore and she had a pulsing headache. Hinata brought Lyn a cup of blood, but the little vampire was too unwell to drink anything.
Lyn knew Zeke would be upset, but it wasn’t his decision to make! And who does he even think he is, anyway? He’s barely in his twenties. Lyn used to change his diapers, the little smart-ass punk. Now he thought to tell her how to live her immortal life? Lyn thought the fuck not. If she weren’t bedridden and miserable right now, she’d teach him a thing or two.
We agree. He’s being completely unreasonable.
[Ah!] Lyn thought with a sudden jump in bed. [What the Hell was that? Was that a voice? How did I hear that?]
It’s us. Raf and the 8th Legion. We told you we would be with you forever.
Lyn looked around the room for the source of the voice in her head. She’d never heard anyone’s voice before, and the entire experience was fully disorienting. It took her several seconds to process the words and the concept of other voices in her head.
You’re not ‘hearing’ us. We interwove our thoughts to yours. We're sorry it took us so long to introduce ourselves. Your brain is most unusual. It seems to be suspended in a stage of rapid development.
[What does that mean?] Lyn worried.
We are unsure. But your brain seems considerably faster and more active than was Raf’s. It’s quite remarkable.
[I thought you were Raf,] Lyn wondered.
In a sense, we are. His consciousness was duplicated and saved within us. We are Legion.
[Well, I don’t want to talk to Legion. I only want to talk to Raf,] Lyn demanded.
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Her thoughts jumbled for a moment.
Hey, Little-Lyn. I’ve missed you. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you when the Raven took you. And I’m sorry I never told you how much I loved you. Mom’s death wasn’t your fault. I was wrong for resenting you. I would give anything to hug you again.
Lyn started to cry. [Are you really dead?]
I’m afraid so.
[What’s it like?]
I can’t fully say. It’s taken me a long time to come to grips with my situation. I’m Raf but I’m also not Raf. I have his memories. They’re all stored in the symbiote. But they’re frozen copies. I’m a frozen copy. It’s madness-inducing, but since I can’t change my mind, I can’t go insane. It’s like being locked in a dark room with a thousand angry sea monsters and no one to talk with. I’m so sorry you took the symbiote because I wouldn’t wish this on anyone, but I’m also glad to not be alone anymore.
Lyn struggled to wrap her head around all that. [So… what now?]
Well, now we live together. Though I’m not sure under what circumstances. They’ve been downstairs intensely arguing about you for the past several hours.
[You can hear them from way up here?]
Oh, the symbiote does more than simply hear. We have acute echolocation. If someone silently sneaks up behind you into total darkness, we will detect them and I will warn you before they even get close.
[Oh, that’s handy. So… what are they arguing over?]
Plenty is worried over some silly selkie myths. Zeke doesn’t like us. Oathbreaker. Hormiz was angry because Lilith used you to kidnap him, but he went for a walk. Zeke is still beating that drum but Morgan and Hinata are defending you.
Lyn blinked several times in confusion. [What do you mean Lilith used me to kidnap Hormiz?]
Raf was silent for a moment.
We didn’t realize you were unaware. We apologize. We are still integrating our networks.
Lyn suddenly felt a crushing sense of pressure. The weight of the news sank on her and broke her thoughts. She stared at a speck of dirt on the far wall for a long time.
Then she freaked out. She started screaming in horror and shame. She scratched her ears and face but it made no difference. What’s done was done. Morgan and Hinata came barreling upstairs and into Lyn’s room. They found her on the floor banging her fists against the side of her head with tremendous force. They wrapped her in their arms and rocked her gently. Zeke followed and stood at the door, tears falling down his face. Lyn put up her hands reflexively when she saw him. She didn’t want Zeke to see her like this.
[Oh God, what have I done?]
-8-
Days passed but Lyn never left her room. She drank only enough blood to keep the headaches at bay. She simply stared at the wall and punished herself in her mind.
Zeke and Hormiz went to the luminous caverns and didn’t return. Morgan explained their position, and Lyn agreed with Hormiz. She couldn’t be trusted. She couldn’t even trust herself. She stole Hormiz’s childhood from him. Lyn did that. He was right to keep Aegir away from her. Probably, he would never forgive her. Certainly, she would never forgive herself.
[Oh, Hormiz. I’m so sorry.]
It’s not your fault, said Raf’s voice. And it would never happen with me by your side. I can stop Lilith from ever getting in your head again.
[You’re just as bad as Lilith. You’re using me to spy for your Deep One or whatever. Plenty told me everything.]
Plenty doesn’t know the half of it. And besides, the Deep One is locked away and he’ll never get out. He has no agenda. He just likes to watch.
[That’s creepy as Hell! I wish you told me about this before I put you in my ear.]
Would it have changed your mind? Have you forgotten why you chose symbiosis in the first place? No, you haven’t, and you’ll never forget anything ever again. No more memory resets. With us, you can live forever AND remember your eternal life. Isn’t that a gift worth sharing something for?
[Something tells me you ended up on the better end of the deal.]
Maybe so, but you made out pretty well yourself. You haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of your newfound potential.
That piqued Lyn’s interest. [How do you mean?]
You’ve shared your memories with the Deep One; now he can share his memories with you. Want to know what’s happening on the other side of the planet? We can ask a local symbiote. You’re now integrated into the most expansive network ever built. The Deep One’s accumulated knowledge goes back millennia. We’ve got ancient wisdoms, lil sis. If knowledge is power, you are now the single most powerful human alive, not including Adam.
That flattered Lyn’s ego. She felt a little better.
[Even if you’re telling the truth, it doesn’t change anything. I can’t trust you, and no one else will ever believe me again.]
If I were physically capable of having hurt feelings, that might have done it.
[It wasn’t an insult, just the reality of the situation. I can’t trust my own thoughts. No one else should, either. I put everyone at risk the longer I stay here. I should go. I should go somewhere far from here where I can’t be used by Lilith or your Deep One or anyone else.]
Okay, that’s an idea. Where should we go?
Lyn set her self-loathing aside and considered possible destinations. She’d never sailed beyond the Vulpen Islands and was woefully ignorant of the wider world. She knew of the continents Exile and Garden, and that Adam lived in Garden City. So her options seemed either anonymous exile or covert infiltration. In 40 years, Lyn had never lacked daring. In an instant, she made up her mind.
She would infiltrate Adam’s stronghold, Garden City.
If Lyn was destined to be a spy, she would decide the terms of fate’s contract.
-8-
Lyn snuck downstairs with a tiny mage light to guide her steps. She had been up all day planning with Raf her escape to Garden. Raf had summoned one of the largest cthulians alive to carry Lyn across the ocean, presently waiting near the shoreline. All Lyn had to do was sneak out of the house. She was bundled up in warm furs and leather. A trusty dagger secured on her waist. Lyn tip-toed along the wooden floorboards, carefully following support beams to minimize creaking. Lyn was prepared and doing everything right.
But something was wrong. Lyn didn’t realize what until she closed the front door behind her and turned to face the misty night air; when suddenly, Lyn found herself encased in a solid light bubble.
Morgan.
“Ah, damn you!” Lyn screamed and banged her fists against the barrier in vain.
Morgan stood up from the patio bench and put her hands on her hips in controlled frustration. The bubble holding Lyn floated into the air and stopped in front of Morgan, so she and Lyn could see eye-to-eye. Morgan was a grown woman of fifty and very tall.
Morgan signed, ‘Not only did you try to leave without saying goodbye, but to think so little of me, that I wouldn’t see this coming… it’s hurtful.’
Lyn screamed and signed at the same time. Her voice was unpracticed and sounded strange because she rarely spoke but for great effect. “Let me out of this bubble right now before I suffocate, dammit!”
Morgan groaned and signed. ‘Fine, calm down and talk to me.’
The bubble burst and Lyn hit the ground like a cat. She looked daggers up at her big sister. Lyn jumped onto the porch railing so she could glare at Morgan better.
Lyn demanded, ‘Why didn’t you tell me I was the one responsible for Hormiz’s kidnapping?’
Morgan looked wrinkled and sad. She shook her head, ‘Because you weren’t responsible, Lilith was.’
‘But Lilith used me.’
‘And we took measures to ensure that would never happen again.’
‘But you can’t be sure.’
Morgan frowned. ‘I trust you.’
Lyn shrugged as a tear fell down her cheek. ‘I don’t.’
Morgan shifted her weight in resolute annoyance. ‘Do you trust me, at least?’
Lyn begrudgingly shrugged.
‘Then trust me when I tell you I have a plan, and it’s better than you running off alone. Will you hear me out?’
-8-
Morgan, Hinata, Plenty, and Lyn sat at the kitchen table over tea. Everyone looked tired and annoyed except Morgan, who appeared in her element. She leaned forward authoritatively and signed with exact confidence.
“We’re sending you to school,” she said while signing.
Lyn was pensive for a moment. Finally, she answered, ‘I hate this plan already.’
‘Just wait,’ Hinata signed. ‘There’s a lot to hate in this plan.’
Hinata and Plenty sipped their tea while Morgan and Lyn exchanged angry glances.
‘What else am I going to hate in this plan of yours?’ Lyn glared.
Morgan gave Hinata a stink-eye, who stared back defiantly.
‘Hinata and Plenty are going with you,’ Morgan declared.
“What? No,” Lyn shouted. ‘Why them?’
‘Because you’ll need a cover. I would go myself, but with you gone, there’s no one who can refill your illusion crystals but me. If I went with you, everyone here would be in danger. But I won’t let you leave alone.’
‘But this plan leaves you alone!’ Lyn knew how much Morgan loved Hinata and Plenty. How could Morgan send them away so easily?
‘I won’t be alone,’ Morgan countered. ‘I’ll still have Kayla and Maeve and the other selkies. Jack comes by sometimes. And there’s Zeke, Hormiz, and Aegir…’ Morgan finished signing meekly upon mentioning Hormiz.
Lyn had winced and looked down in shame. Of course, Hormiz would come back to visit–just as soon as Lyn was good and gone.
Lyn looked back up with a resolute expression. ‘I don’t need their help.’
Morgan set her jaw and crossed her arms only to unfold them to sign, ‘The time for discussion is over. They’ve already agreed because you’re wrong; you do need their help. You’ll attract too much attention on your own. And how precisely did you intend to cross the ocean without any blood or cover from sunlight?’
Lyn jut out her bottom lip but didn’t answer.
Morgan grunted in satisfaction. Her demeanor softened. ‘Now get your ass over here and give me a hug, because I’m going to miss you, you rude little shit.’
Lyn looked ready to fight, but she couldn’t do it. Dammit, Morgan. Always taking care of people. Always putting others first. Damn, now Lyn was crying again. She ran to her big sister and Morgan scooped her up in her arms. They squeezed each other tight, and when they finally released each other, their faces were soaked in tears. Then Morgan, Hinata, and Plenty shared their tender goodbyes. Only after the three travelers were well on the road and safely out of sight did Morgan finally collapse in quiet sobs.