Something Wicked This Way Swims II
‘I think I’m fine with both of you coming with me,’ you say after a beat. ‘It might help to have two selkies that know more about… well, this whole world. I’m still learning.’
‘Fair enough, pup,’ Moirine says, smiling. ‘Then, let us go and see the Seamother.’
The three of you swim down into the Cayreeg, making your way back to the area where the Seamother is located – you find that she is upright now rather than lying down the way she was when you first met her. Her massive size is even more apparent now, and you feel even smaller compared to her when the three of you come to a stop before her.
‘Ah, thank you, Cahala,’ Voadia says, nodding to the selkie you just met. ‘I appreciate you bringing these two back for me.’ Her large eyes move from you to Moirine. ‘My apologies for interrupting whatever you were doing, but, I’m afraid that there is a matter that requires I ask you for some aid. It involves the djinn that changed you with his magic, young one, although I’m sure Cahala informed you of that much already.’
‘She did, yes,’ you say.
‘What’s the problem, Seamother?’ Moirine asks. ‘I would’ve expected Fia to deal with the errant djinn rather easily, lest he’d want himself to be reported to the others…’
Voadia’s eyes narrow ever so slightly. ‘The issue that has arisen is the reasoning for this young human’s sudden transformation. Before, I was of the belief it was merely the djinn being petty, as some among their kin are known to do for their own amusement.’ She shakes her giant head. ‘However, it has come to my attention this wasn’t the case underneath the surface. Instead, there is a deeper meaning… one tied to his Master.’
You stare at the large selkie blankly. ‘Wait… Master? What do you mean Master?’
There’s a long stretch of quiet among the other selkie while these words settle. You, for one, are astounded, since you had no idea the djinn had a Master in the first place.
‘Hold on a moment,’ Cahala says, with a tone and an expression of earnest shock, not unlike how you currently feel. ‘I don’t know the full story here, but,’ she turns to eye you quizzically, ‘is it not the case that you stumbled upon the djinn’s lamp, awakened him, declined his request in a way he didn’t care for, and then you were changed?’
‘Y-yeah,’ you say. ‘That’s exactly what happened.’
Cahala scowls. ‘Then…’ She turns back to Voadia. ‘How does that make sense?’
‘Um…’ You are at a complete loss; you don’t know what they’re talking about.
Voadia eyes you knowingly. ‘When a djinn is summoned from their abode, it typically means they are unclaimed, for lack of a more proper term. They do not have a Master, otherwise, they would not normally be summonable in the first place. However, this was not the case for the djinn you interacted with. He DID have a Master, and still has a Master, which means he had no right to have you summon him in the first place.’
‘Oh…’ you say. Now it makes a bit more sense to you. ‘Wait, but, then… how…?’
‘That is strange,’ Moirine says. ‘Strange and troubling, that a djinn would do such a thing.’ Her tone is one of confusion mixed with irritation. ‘You mean to tell me that he had a Master, yet he was still able to return to his lamp? And then he willingly tricked this one? At this rate, I’m beginning to think that djinn used his magics to MAKE the pup speak harshly, as if to further spur on whatever foul ploy led to this happening.’
‘I would not doubt this in the least bit,’ Voadia replies.
‘Bah, see what I mean?’ Cahala says with a scowl. ‘Stinking djinn! Too many of them are like this, always skirting around the edges of what keeps us all in line. Some may be decent, sure, but a lot of ‘em are bloody shitebags, if you ask me. A royal pain, too.’
‘Fia was able to learn this much from speaking to the djinn,’ Voadia says. She gives a heavy sigh of distaste. ‘Unfortunately, he did not indulge further despite Fia’s… civil methods of requesting the details. He merely stated he has a Master that he’s still bound to and that his Master’s whims were still being followed when he used his powers, and thus, he did not break any of the laws we among this world must obey.’
You are stunned into speechlessness. You stare at the giant selkie, the words spinning around inside of you. You’re not sure what to think or how to feel knowing all this, although the reality that you were basically tricked and deceived doesn’t sit well.
‘That… that shouldn’t be allowed to stand, Seamother,’ Cahala says.
‘I agree,’ Moirine adds. ‘This sort of loophole abuse for such a petty, spiteful thing is a bastardization of what we all should stand for. Our kind doesn’t forcibly meddle in the affairs of humans like this; it’s wrong and corrupt, and did the djinn forget that such a path is what led to his entire species being cursed and weakened as they are now?’
Voadia shakes her head. ‘I cannot speak for a djinn I have not met, my dear.’
‘So, uh…’ Your lips purse. ‘What now, though?’
‘To be truthful, this scenario is different from what I am used to hearing of and dealing with, which is why I have brought you back here,’ Voadia says, as her large gaze returns to you then. ‘I am aware you likely don’t have much in terms of knowing the truth about this djinn from one brief encounter. But,’ her features morph into a frown, ‘I actually have a request to make of you, pup, if you are willing to hear it.’
You shake your daze off and look at the ancient selkie intently. ‘What’s that?’
‘I would like to request you to return to where you met the djinn,’ Voadia says. ‘And I would like for you to find out what wish it is that he feels he granted when he changed your form against your will. Doing so will be of benefit for us, as we need to learn the truth for the sake of ensuring such a thing never happens again. And,’ her expression darkens, ‘it may be useful to find out what this Master of his has to do with it, too.’
You swallow the lump that forms in your throat. ‘O-oh. I see.’
‘Do you think the pup would be able to get information out of the djinn?’ Cahala asks.
‘Surely, Fia would suffice,’ Moirine says. ‘She is one of the strongest among us besides you yourself, Seamother.’ She scoffs in her mind. ‘I would be of the opinion to allow her to use force in getting what we need from this rotten bastard of a djinn. There’s no way he would willingly divulge information to a human when he HAS a Master, after all.’
Voadia’s features soften, and she cracks a smile. ‘Actually, there is a loophole we can use to our advantage, should our young friend here be open to accepting this request.’
‘Loophole?’ you say. ‘What loophole?’
‘While the djinn is obeying the letter of the laws in our realm,’ Voadia says, ‘his transforming of you against your will is still an offense to the spirit of the law. You would only need to remind him of this fact… and by doing so in person, you would likely manage to wound this djinn’s pride a good bit. He cannot deny that you did not ask to be changed, after all, and whether or not he was obeying a Master, that you were deceived on purpose is still against the very creed the djinn species uphold.’
‘I would go with you, pup,’ Moirine says. She holds your stare. ‘I know a good enough amount to handle a djinn given their usual demeanors and preference for trickery. This one is a clear piece of shit, for lack of a better term, and I will gladly confront him in your stead should it be needed. Because he is, as Cahala said… a stinking djinn.’
Cahala snorts at this. ‘He deserves a bloody beating if ever a djinn deserved one. I’d just let Fia kick his sorry arse around for a few hours. We selkie aren’t weak when we are made to fight, despite what those stupid djinn like to assume we are.’
‘There is no pressure upon you, pup,’ Voadia says. She holds your stare with a kind, neutral expression. ‘You are not bound to obey me, nor would I ever demand that you do what I asked. You are free to choose should you wish to help, and you may also choose to do so at another time entirely.’ She smiles, a genuine, if massive, smile. ‘It is your decision to make, young one. Do you wish to help now? Later? Or, decline?’
All three sets of eyes fall onto you, and silence settles in the large cavern.
You look down and start to think… what would you prefer to do?
Written by Hollowpage on 13 May 2021
