Three ships sailed by the island at dusk. Kraken lay on the top of the cliff with his spyglass. Gabb and Cousin lay on either side of him.
“Blake, Reaper and a ship I don’t know.”
Cousin focused on the unknown ship. A strange energy came from the foredeck. “Something is there,” she said.
Kraken nodded. “I feel it, too. Gabb?”
“Yes. It feels Mer to me.”
“Mer?”
“Yes. But if it is, that is a very weak Mer.”
Cousin adjusted her vision. “I see a woman with sloughing skin chained to the foremast. But it feels wrong. Like a lie.”
Gabb flexed his fingers. “What do you mean a lie?”
“It’s like a fog around an island. There are rocks, and you can’t see them. We should not help her. She is a lie.”
Kraken began to coil his power.
Cousin put her hand on his arm. “She will sense you. You and Gabb. If you use your power, she’ll know. We won’t be hidden anymore.”
“Are you sure?” Kraken adjusted his spyglass, the unknown flag came into focus. He dropped the glass.
Gabb caught the glass. “What?”
“Al’Ri. The flag is from Al’Ri.”
Cousin’s brows rose. Her eyes became murky. She tumbled into herself. “Al’Ri? I? Kraken, help.”
Kraken grasped her hand, and Gabb, moving to the other side, took the other hand. They both spoke to her in quiet tones. Gabb told the story of the day they met. Kraken told her she was needed.
The ships disappeared in the darkening night. When their lights were no longer visible to Gabb’s eyes, Kraken touched Cousin with a hint of his power. He felt a response and sighed. Tears wet his face. He kissed her brow. “What do you think happened?” Kraken asked Gabb.
Gabb shook his head. “We don’t know much about Cousin’s power. I don’t think she knows much about it. Maybe? Maybe, she wasn’t from Y’Ahno. We only found her there. What if she was dumped there? Cousin could be very different than she appears.”
“Like you?” Kraken rose picking Cousin up.
“Yes. Like me. But from Al’Ri, not an exiled Mer. If – If that is the case, she is more than me.”
“If,” Kraken said in the dark. “I don’t care. She is our Cousin. They can’t have her back.”
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