Rowan
Something was wrong. I basically had to drag Milo back to the house so we could talk properly with no one overhearing. He was worried about Miki, and from the interaction we’d just experienced, I didn’t blame him.
I knew Panak. We’d grown up together. He was a quiet, introverted fisherman, and I’d thought perhaps we were quite similar.
Almost two years ago, he’d gone missing for a few weeks, then he reappeared like nothing had happened, only he had Miki with him.
He claimed she was his wife and they’d gotten married while he was away.
The town loved to gossip about it, though admittedly very little of that gossip made its way to me.
They did everything together, went everywhere together. Miki accompanied Panak on his boat each day when he went fishing. When she’d been heavily pregnant, he’d stayed home with her instead of going out to work, and only recently had he returned, this time with Miki and their son accompanying him.
I’d thought it a little odd to take a baby out, especially when the weather was so cold and harsh. But Panak had recently upgraded his boat to one with an internal cabin, and I figured it ultimately wasn’t any of my business.
They very much kept to themselves. They seemed happy.
So, what was that at the market? And why was Milo so insistent that Miki needed help?
“She’s a selkie,” Milo huffed, kicking his boots off as I closed the front door.
The statement shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did.
Miki looked just like Milo. Silver eyes, long wavy white hair.
Of course, I hadn’t known selkies existed until a couple of weeks ago, so I hadn’t even thought of Miki until today, or considered the possibility that another selkie was already living in our town.
“Okay,” I answered. “I believe you. Why do you think she needs help?”
“Because that man took her coat!” He stomped his foot.
“How do you know that?”
“My goddess told me.”
So that was why he suddenly ran off? I inhaled deeply. “Your goddess specifically told you that Panak stole Miki’s coat?”
“Well, not in words.”
“Then what?”
“Instinct. Like… a pull. She wants me to help Miki, and Miki couldn’t hear when I projected at her and she can’t speak, so she mustn’t have her coat.”
“Projected?”
“Mind speak.”
“Selkies have telepathy?”
“Not important, Rowan!”
Sounded a bit important, but it could wait. “Okay, okay, just… let’s slow down for a moment. If Miki needs help, then I’ll help you help her. But we need a plan and we need to be calm about this. Do you agree?”
Milo huffed.
“She’s been with Panak for almost two years. If she needs help, it isn’t urgent. We can take a moment to sort ourselves so that we can figure out the best way to help her.”
Milo inhaled, then exhaled slowly, the tension easing from his shoulders. “Okay.”
“Okay, good. Come here.”
He fell into me immediately, and I placed a soft kiss on the top of his head. “Whatever is happening, we’ll get to the bottom of it together,” I said, smoothing my hands up and down his back.
Milo’s arms wrapped around me firmly. “Okay,” he said again, sounding calmer. “Together.”
I kissed him again, then released him as he shed his coat and hat. I put them away, then went to make us a warm drink and put away our shopping from the market.
“Can we get her alone?” Milo asked, as I handed him the hot mug and took a seat beside him on the blankets.
“It’ll be tricky. They go everywhere together.”
His lip pulled up in a snarl.
“We’ll help her,” I assured him, smoothing my hand over his thigh.
Milo sighed as he dropped his head onto my shoulder. “Why can’t all humans be like you?”
“Humans probably wouldn’t survive as a species if they were all like me.”
Milo huffed. “If they aren’t like you, maybe they shouldn’t.”
I chuckled, leaning my head to rest on top of his. I didn’t know exactly what we were going to do in order to help Miki and her child, but I knew Milo was going to do whatever it took, and I knew I was going to help him.
“We need more information,” I said after thinking it over for a while.
“I can’t remember a time I haven’t seen them together, and I doubt he’s going to let us talk to her alone.
What if… we try to observe them for a while?
See if we can get any more information that way.
And if they separate, we can try to talk to her then. ”
Milo exhaled heavily. “Why can’t we just grab her and the baby and bring them here?”
“Well, we don’t know what he’s capable of, or where he’s hidden the coats. If we force them apart, he could be dangerous.”
“Yeah, but you’re bigger and stronger than him.”
“I’d still rather not fight him unless there’s no other option.”
“I’ll fight him, then,” Milo grumbled.
“No.” I wrapped my arm around him, holding him closer to me. “You need to stay safe. Just let me handle Panak, okay?”
Milo huffed.
“Okay?” I asked again, poking him gently in the side.
“Mmmm fine. But if you’re in danger, then I’m fighting him.”
Well, I’d just have to make sure that didn’t happen. I wanted to help Miki, but keeping Milo safe would always be my priority.
Panak’s home was close to the docks and surrounded by other houses. The plan was to scope out the situation and not get seen.
I had my doubts about how stealthy Milo could be, but he seemed completely on board with the plan and, for the moment, was sticking close and silent behind me.
They mostly kept the curtains closed, but slight beams of light guided us to the potential areas we might be able to peek inside.
This felt so strange. My heart thumped rapidly in my chest, adrenaline building in the face of potential danger and the unknown.
The first room was a living room and kitchen. My heart rate escalated as I saw Panak. He was turned away from me, his attention on what he was cooking, and he seemed to be alone. That was good.
I turned to show Milo, only to find he wasn’t there anymore.
I scanned the darkness and came up empty, my heart speeding even more as I rounded the corner of the house, ensuring to step as lightly as possible, though my boots still made soft crunches over the snow.
I exhaled in relief as I caught sight of Milo at another window. It was open slightly, and after another couple of steps I saw Miki on the other side of it, smiling at him. He’d already found her.
Slowly, they opened the window wider. It creaked, and I made my way back to where I could keep eyes on Panak while Milo could hopefully get Miki and her child out.
Even if he managed to, it probably wouldn’t be long until Panak realized, and after our interaction at the market, I was betting it wouldn’t take long for him to figure out where she’d gone.
Maybe we could go to my boat instead, get her a town over. We could find somewhere for her to stay until we managed to secure the selkie coats and take her home.
I peered through the slight gap in the curtains again.
Panak wasn’t there.
Shit.
Caring less about being silent now, I raced back to Milo, only to find he wasn’t there either.
The window was wide open, with light spilling from inside the house over the snow.
I rushed toward it, only to come to a sudden stop as dark brown eyes spotted me.
Panak and I stared at each other for a long moment in silence.
Then he sighed. “Come inside, Rowan. Through the front door, preferably.”