Page 68 of The Rake OR The Orca Who Met His Match in a Selkie Desiring Revenge
“I didn’t know you could do that.”
“There’s still a lot I can do you don’t know about, love.” Aegir winked seductively, but she turned her attention back to the closet.
Inside, a series of shelves built into the wall held what could only be described as trophies. Artfully displayed were a series of artifacts, skulls, both humanoid and animal, a potted plant, and her brother's pelt. Without a second thought, Elspeth snatched the folded pelt off the shelf, hugging it to her and breathing in.
From down the hall, she heard an answering sob. She shifted to follow, but something about the plant tugged at her. It looked familiar somehow, with small white and pink flowers that littered the shelf and dirt around it, though none clung to its branches. It looked pathetic, like a miniature tree that should have long since died. It might already be dead, but it itched her brain. On a whim, she swiped the tree as well and darted toward the sounds of the sobs.
At that door, she didn't bother turning the knob, instead nodding to Aegir to indicate he should muscle through instead. Arm muscles bulging, he pulled with little effort and exposed a dark room. Huddled on the bed, nakedand shaking, was Feann. The room was tidy and smelled strongly of soap. It was tiny, certainly not a captain’s quarters, but no normal sailor would have a solo cabin like this. It seemed Feann’s capture might have elevated the Pathian’s status.
From the darkness, Feann moaned in agony when he heard the door open. Elspeth rushed to his side and knelt next to the bed, relief and fear mingling inside her, she’d found him, but they weren’t free just yet.
"Feann, it's only me," she whispered, brushing his hair from his head.
"No, no, they can't have you too!" he yelled, pushing her away. "Get out of here, they'll take you too!"
He didn't seem to see her, his eyes darted around the room, frantically searching.
"Feann, please, I'm alright and we must go. We're getting you out of here."
"I can't, I can't go, he'll—" his eyes unfocused. "I can't go. Please Ellie, get out of here."
Whipping around, Elspeth looked to Aegir. "Can you carry him out? I don't know if he knows what is going on."
Aegir set his jaw and nodded his head. The second he touched Feann, her brother started screaming and flailing his arms.Though he was much smaller than Aegir, he put up quite the fight.
Elspeth opened her mouth, doing the only thing she could think of, the only thing that had always calmed him—she sang. Her song didn’t affect him like it would a non-seelie, but perhaps it would remind him of home, and make him feel safe.
He stopped screaming, and after a minute, he stopped struggling against Aegir.
Nearly the second Feann quieted, someone started banging on the wall from the next room. Elspeth jumped away, startled. Feann flailed and reached toward the wall. "Dahliaaaaa!" he screamed, riled up all over again.
Elspeth ran over to her brother and clutched his face. "Feann, you need to be quiet right now. It's very important."
"Dahlia is important!" He kicked his legs, grasping frantically toward the adjacent room.
"Perhaps we'd better go check in the next room?" Aegir asked.
Elspeth nodded. "Feann, we're going to check on Dahlia, alright?" She had not the slightest notion who Dahlia might be, but prayed whoever they were was in a better mental state than her brother at the moment and that they were to be trusted. Her words made Feann stophis kicking, though he strained toward the door instead.
They rounded the corner to the next door, and Aegir tore it off its hinges as well. The room was dim, and at first, Elspeth thought it was unoccupied. It was larger, with a broader bed and more luxurious trappings. To their knowledge, it would belong to the Captain, the Navigator’s superior. The sound of Feann's whimpers, though, caused a stir deep in the room. Movement caught Elspeth's eye and she strained to see. First, she caught sight of a humanoid figure. Their face peeked out of the gloom and Elspeth realized that she recognized it.
It was her, the dryad who'd rescued her from her captivity! The delicate flowers that had once graced her hair had fallen out, and her long pink strands hung limp around her head.
"It's you!" the nymph said.
"You're Dahlia?" Elspeth gasped.
They stood there staring at one another, and Elspeth was certain that her face was a mirror of Dahlia's.
"I take it you two know each other?" Aegir asked.
"You... could say that." Elspeth blinked back tears that pricked at the edges of her vision.Her breath caught in her chest as she remembered that day. She shook herself and held a hand out to Dahlia.
"Come, we're getting out of here."
"I—I can't my—"
Elspeth rooted around in her bag. "Are you looking for this?" She held out the potted plant they'd found, which now that she'd made the connection, matched Dahlia's skin.