Alistair was awakened by insistent knocking. Slow, he sat up and needed a moment to collect himself. During and right after such a storm he never went out to fish as he would haul in mostly debris and flotsam. Therefore, he and Aila usually met around midday to help in the village with repairs. Again someone knocked hard against his door. At the same time, Aila called his name in such a way, it made the last remnants of sleep disappear from his mind.

  So fast he almost stumbled over his feet, Alistair headed to the door and opened it. Before he could say anything, he was greeted by a tight hug.

  “Did something happen?”, he asked, concerned.

  “Alistair… I…”, she replied, tense. “It’s just… I was attacked last night.”

  “What?!”, he asked shocked and looked her up and down and immediately took note of her bandaged foot.

  Without wasting any time, he helped her in and offered her a seat. Afterward, she told Alistair what had happened.

  “We need to tell the knights”, he told her once she was done.

  “I… I don’t really know…”, she hesitated.

  “It’s the right thing to do”, he continued, tense. “Rosomil is much more of an amicable person than his cold exterior makes him out to be. Or have you already forgot that he has promised to keep your involvement and your true nature a secret for as long as he can?”

  “I… I’m not sure whether I can really trust him or not”, she replied after a moment. “We also don’t know if it will actually help him.”

  “Any information is good information. And I think we should help him out. As a thank you, so to speak.”

  “I… You’re right”, Aila replied with a sigh and stood up with some difficulty.

  “Should I carry you?”, Alistair offered her along his hand.

  “I can manage, thank you, love”, Aila said with a loving smile and took just his hand.

  —

  Arriving at the inn, Alistair and Aila only found the other knights sitting on the largest table. They were eating breakfast while talking about what they knew thus far about everything. It was odd that their leader wasn’t with them. What was even stranger was the older man with them. He just sat on a chair at the side, with his own breakfast already eaten, and watched them intently without involving himself. He noticed Alistair and Aila immediately and gave them a hand gesture to come closer. Reluctant, they approached the table.

  The redhead stopped mid-conversation and directed his companions' attention towards them.

  “You’re the one who found tow of the bodies, aren’t you?”, the redhead asked Alistair with a soft smile. “Captain Rosomil talked about you. Anyway, what can we do for you?”

  “Where is your captain?”, Alistair asked, uncertain. “He’s with you?”

  “Currently he’s at the local church or wherever those priests are”, Rosomil’s second in command replied after a moment. “You’re hurt girl. What happened?”

  “It’s nothing”, Aila replied timidly and pressed herself against Alistair.

  “We just want to speak with your leader”, he insisted after a deep breath and pulled her slightly behind himself. “That’s all.”

  “If it has anything to do with our investigation, you can also speak to me”, he replied. “The name’s Lodwin, by the way.”

  “I… I know”, he replied, just now remembering his name. “Still, we just want to speak with your leader.”

  For a moment, Lodwin’s smile disappeared and Alistair’s heart sank. But instead of insisting on them telling him everything, the knight just sighed and stood up. Much to the visible confusion of the others — especially the older man’s.

  “I see”, he said, serious. “I meant anyway to check up on our leader to see if he needs any help.”

  Without another word, Lodwin went to the door of the inn. The others watched them with clear confusion. Especially the old man seemed not too happy about this, judging by the few heartbeats long very deep frown that just crossed his face.

  Alistair felt the tension rise.

  “What are you two waiting for?”, Lodwin asked jovial, and waved them closer. “Come along, I’ll bring you to our leader.”

  Reluctant, Alistair followed him with Aila to the door and left the inn, feeling the piercing gaze of the others on his back.

  “Rosomil told me and the others except Aswald about you”, Lodwin began as they were out of earshot of the inn. “So you two can ease up a little.”

  “Aswald… is that the old one?”, Aila asked meekly.

  “Yes,” he answered, chuckling. “You ought to know that this is actually a test for our group. He’s with us to have a watchful eye on us but nothing more.”

  Alistair was taken aback by this admission. While it explained their youth, it also indicated that the bishop didn’t care as much about them as Father Iain and his brother thought or the letter from the bishop had suggested.

  “Say, girl, did you get hurt by the storm as well?”, asked Lodwin out of the blue while slowing down to match her and Alistair’s pace.

  “I… I only want to talk to your leader about it”, she answered and tightened the grip around Alistair’s hand. “If that’s alright with you.”

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  “Suit yourself”, he replied, and shrugged. “It’s better anyway. He can administer some medical help to you, if you like.”

  “He can perform magic?”, Alistair asked, surprised.

  “Oh no, he’s just more knowledgeable than I, considering medicine”, he answered amused. “Although occasionally, I suspect him to work miracles. That’s also why he’s with Father Iain and Father Hamish. The storm last night did some damage to their lodging and both got hurt in the process.”

  Alistair and Aila remained silent for the rest of the way. Once they arrived at the small house both priests inhabited, they saw Rosomil leave it with a bag slung over his shoulder. He immediately spotted them and stopped on the path in front of the house. But before he could greet them, Father Iain left the house with a sour expression on his lean face. It even deepened once he took note of Alistair and Aila.

  “How’s the healing going?”, asked Lodwin, his leader.

  “Good”, Rosomil replied dryly and looked with a frown at Father Iain. “There were luckily no shards stuck in the wound, and Father Iain has done a formidable job stopping the bleeding.”

  “Your insistent questioning wasn’t needed”, the priest remarked with subdued anger.

  “But I’m here to ask insistent questions”, he replied, unimpressed. “Why aren’t you with your brother? He might need some assistance considering his state.”

  Father Iain let out a sharp breath and returned into the house.

  “And what about you two?”, asked Rosomil, only slightly softer.

  “Can we talk somewhere private?”, Alistair asked with a weary glance towards the dark windows of the priests home.

  “Is your home close by?”, Rosomil asked, and he nodded. “I see. Lead the way.”

  —

  Once they arrived inside Alistair’s small cottage, Aila immediately told Rosomil and Lodwin what had happened during the storm.

  “Interesting”, Rosomil said once she had finished her story. “But before I tell you what I think of it, I want to take a look at your foot.”

  Reluctant, she nodded and pulled, very slow and tentatively, her shoe off. Careful, he undid her bandages and examined her foot from all directions. He then did some gentle flexes with her toes as well. Whenever she flinched, Alistair felt like he needed to pull him away from her but refrained with some difficulty from it. Once Rosomil was done, he asked his companion for a few strange ointments and salves from his bag.

  “Good thing your bones aren’t involved”, Rosomil remarked while he treated her food. “But you've got the start of an infection in it. I’ll give you some of the ointment I’m using right now to keep it clean. Use it and change the bandages daily. You also shouldn’t use your sealskin until it’s fully healed. I don’t know how your transformation works, but doing it could tear the wound open again.”

  “Thank you”, she said with a soft smile.

  “It’s my duty”, he replied matter-of-fact. “As for your story… Are you sure this wasn’t another Selkie?”

  “I’m certain!”, she answered. “Judging by looks alone, it wasn’t a member of our tribe. Besides, we Selkies smell members of other tribes immediately and know where they are.”

  “But you were underwater”, he argued against her statement, which visibly stunned her. “I’ve seen some real seals around the shore, and they close their noses when they dive. I suspect a Selkie dives just like a seal.”

  “Perhaps she was attacked by a normal seal that wanted to protect its territory?”, suggested Lodwin intrigued.

  “Fair point”, he remarked, thoughtful.

  “If someone knows a seal from a Selkie, then it’s Aila!”, said Alistair angry.

  “Please, Alistair”, she said and grabbed his hand to calm him, which immediately worked.

  “We aren’t here to insult her, but in pitch-black darkness you can’t be entirely sure of anything”, argued Rosomil, unusually tense. “It can play tricks on your senses…”

  “I know”, Aila said after taking a deep breath. “And I’m certain this wasn’t a seal. It was far too big for it. And too fast. And… it was too malicious.”

  “Are you Selkies, followers of Sedna?”

  The question came out of the blue. Alistair didn’t really know what Rosomil was going on about but judging by Aila’s tense expression he seemed to have found another secret of the Selkies.

  “We follow the Lord”, she said hasty.

  “We aren’t here to accuse you of paganism”, Lodwin said with a warm smile. “You’re not human after all.”

  “Lodwin, don’t be so blunt”, Rosomil remarked with a frown, which made the redhead blush embarrassed, and turned back to Aila. “I’m asking because I’ve read about Sedna’s Curse.”

  “I… I’ve never heard about something like this”, she said timid but held eye contact with him.

  “Strange… Anyway, Sedna’s Curse is applied by your goddess to those who kill a Selkie in their seal-form and skin them. I wanted to know if the Selkie turns back into a human upon having their skin removed, or if they remain a seal.”

  “That’s abhorrent!”, Alistair interrupted. “And she already told you she doesn’t know about it!”

  “But I do know about it!”, said Aila, visibly distressed. “I know it through my gran, but she called it something else. I think in a different language, but I know about it.”

  “Then tell me, how does this curse work?”, asked Rosomil, insistent.

  “If a Selkie is killed and skinned the human who did it will have it, the first time he wears it, burned into his body”, she began to explain as pale as a ghost. “He’s then cursed to turn into a feral seal every seven weeks. In this shape, he’ll kill or try to kill anything and anyone he’ll meet.”

  “Sounds like a subcategory of the werewolf’s curse”, remarked Lodwin somber. “Is there a cure?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  “Are there any weaknesses or ways known on how to deal with the afflicted?”, Rosomil asked thoughtful.

  “No. I don’t know of any.”

  “Is there at least a way to know the afflicted? You mentioned the sealskin is burned into the body.”

  “Sorry, but I don’t know. My gran rarely spoke of the details. I think she meant in the metaphorical sense.”

  “Has there ever been a case of this curse in this area?”

  “Not that I know of. We have lived here for generations, peacefully with the humans.”

  Rosomil fell silent for a few moments, then he went with Lodwin to the others side of the small room. They talked in hushed voices. Alistair wasn’t in the mood to listen in on them. The danger of someone cursed to be the perpetrator seemed plausible to him. It just remained the question of whom it could be. At the same time, his wish to get a sealskin himself returned with a vengeance. And just as violent as this wish pierced his heart and mind, it became tainted by the thought of the curse. Absentmindedly, he placed his hand on Aila’s shoulder and squeezed her gently. She returned the gesture by placing her soft hand on his.

  Suddenly, the storm-bell was sounded, which usually alerted the people of Harren of shipwrecks happening. But since the storm had subsided, it could only mean another murder had taken place. Rosomil and Lodwin reacted immediately and stormed out of the cottage. Reluctant, Alistair and Aila followed them.

  —

  As expected, there had been another murder. This time a young man, who had just drifted ashore a few hours ago and had been found by one of the fishermen looking after their ships. He was naked, bore the same wounds and missed his heart as Maude and the others did. Alistair tried to keep Aila back, but she insisted on stepping forward to identify the victim. While not someone from her immediate family or circle, she and even Alistair knew him well enough to be moved by the loss.

  Again, Father Iain and Father Hamish arrived. Both of them seemed worse for wear. Especially Father Iain seemed to force himself to move despite the clear pain visible on his face.

  “Another one!”, shouted Father Hamish like a drunk and pushed past the on lookers to the body.

  “Please stay back”, said the brown haired knight, who was with Rosomil, and pushed him back.

  Clearly in pain from the shove, the priest staggered backwards and pressed his hand against his side. His brother immediately went to him and said something that he didn’t like. Still, Father Hamish remained in the back by his brother’s side. There was something strange, almost malicious about the priest, but Alistair could really point out what it was.

  Rosomil, meanwhile, continued his examination of the body without looking up even once. Alistair wondered what he was finding or what kind of conclusions he would draw from it. But instead of lingering around, he took Aila and left the scene. Not without feeling Father Hamish’s hateful gaze on his back.