Cousin let go of her power, and Haven settled back into the ocean.  She staggered, and multiple hands steadied her.  The deck under foot swayed with the waves.  Kraken barked orders, and Gabb manned the helm.  Cousin steadied herself, moving with the rhythm of the ship.

“Cousin.”

“Aye, Captain.”

“Get yourself to the galley.  Eat and come back strong.”

“Aye, Captain.”

“Kor.  Make sure she gets there.”

“Aye, Captain,” Kor said, his voice gruff.  “Come on, missy.  Jak’s waiting.”

The galley echoed with the activity of the ship.  The smell of roasted meat met Cousin in the hall.  Kor saw her to a table by Jak then went back to his duties.  Jak put a plate of meat in front of Cousin with a glass of water.  “Eat up.”

“Thanks, Jak.”  She looked at the plate for a silent moment.

“No good?” Jak asked.

“Always good.  I was just thinking this is too much.”

Jak laughed.  “I shot a wild pig yesterday.  Kor and Gabb each got one while Monk drew his maps.  Don’t you worry about it. That island was a good one.  Stores are over full.  Eat.”

Cousin smiled and tucked in.  The plate was half empty when she noticed Jak watching her.  She met his quiet gaze, and raised an eyebrow.

Jak shook his head.  “No one likes my food the way you do.  Sailors can eat.  You put them all to shame.”

“And that’s good?”

“The best.”  Jak rubbed his chin, scrubbing at the stubble growing out.  “Can I ask you something?”

“Whatever you like.”

“How powerful are you?”

Cousin took a drink.  “I don’t know.  My Depth was never tested.  I don’t use power by any particular formula or technique.  My training was different.”  Cousin waved at hand in front of her, fingers up.  A tiny girl of flame danced over her index finger.  A tiny flame man joined the dance over her middle finger.

Jak leaned close to see the elemental forms.  The dancing fire reflected orange off of his tattoos in the shifting light.

“It isn’t creating fire.  It’s inviting the fire already here to coalesce and dance.  I can do this with all the elements.”  Tiny air, water, and earth figures danced in turn.

“Amazing,” Jak said.

“Sorry, I didn’t have a better answer.”

Jak smiled and rubbed her head.  “No worries.”

Cousin looked at her reflection in the mirror bolted to the wall of her cabin with different eyes.  She looked the same as last she looked.  Knowledge that the body she wore was not the one she was borne with didn’t bother her.  She liked the body of sensation.  Everything felt more.  She thought of Gabb saying he loved her, and basked in the warmth of the memory.  The exhilaration of chasing Kor through the rigging swelled inside her, and sped her heart.  Then Kraken’s mouth on hers.  Cousin’s sight swam, and she put a hand on the wall, light headed.  She laughed.

Kraken loved her.  Loved her the way she loved him.  She didn’t know all it meant.  She would learn.

Cousin listened to the ship.  Whispered conversations, and people moving slowly in the dark.  No lights burned, and double watch was still in effect.  Even with the precautions, maybe because of them, Cousin still felt comfort and belonging.  Of all the emotions, she liked those the most.  She laid down and fell asleep lulled by the sense of home.

Gabb stood on the cliff above the cave.  He had led a survey team over the island.  They returned with fresh meat and fresh water and a quarter of the island mapped.  Gabb relieved the watch, and now took a moment to himself.

As his gaze swept the ocean distance, he let himself feel for a first time since the beach.  A hurricane of emotion rolled over him, tossing his heart like a piece of driftwood long from shore.  He felt the terror of lose, the anger and frustration of helplessness, the fear of the known and unknown.  He saw the bodies of his friends, his family, his crew dismembered and rotting.  And worse, he let himself see Cousin with their blood on her hands.  All his worst imaginings realized.

Gabb took a deep breath, and flexed his toes.  He felt the confines of his boot leather.  The touch brought him back to himself.  His worst fears passed him by.

“A copper for your thoughts,” Cousin said walking up.

Gabb turned.  “Not to be rude, but I’m having some alone time.”

“Sorry,” Cousin said, “Captain wants you.”

“Take watch.”

“Aye, Sir.”

Gabb found Kraken on a cave ledge looking at the ship.  “More than enough room in here for Haven.  High tide’s not a problem.  Nice deep caves from nice wide ledges, and tunnels to the surface of the island.  Ideas?”

Gabb fought with himself, and found it too much.  He lowered his voice.  “How can you not be raw?”

Kraken shrugged.  “Would do no good.  I can only deal with what is.  You taught me that.”

Gabb put his hand on Kraken’s shoulder.  “We almost lost her.  Could have lost everything.”

Kraken inhaled through his nose.  “Yes.  Remember though, she chose us.  Chose the crew.  Chose to be Cousin.”

“Chose.”

“Yes.  Chose.”

Gabb stood, head down.  His heart slowed.  The storm within calmed.  “Chose.  Aye.”  He turned his attention to the cave.  “It all hinges on if anyone lives on this island.  We’ll know in a few days.  If not?  This could be a grand base.  There is game and fresh water.  The cave hides Haven well, provided Cousin is here to get it in and out.  We’ll also have to check the volcano to see if there are signs of life.  All things favorable?  This could be the place you’ve been looking for.”

Kraken nodded.  “But first we deal with the Al’Ri Hunters.”

The full crew of the Kraken Pirates turned out on deck.  Captain Kraken’s voice was full and strong as he told of the night time meeting on the beach.  No one interrupted.  No one asked questions.  Every face was locked onto Kraken’s stern expression.  An expression that did not tolerate argument or dissension.

When Kraken finished speaking, he looked to each face.  “Ask your questions, and make your statements now.”

Quiet conversations sprung up among the crew.  Heads came together, and side glances were thrown at Cousin, Gabb and Kraken.  After several minutes the conversations began to die down.

“She eats like the rest of us,” Jak said.  “I see no difference.”  His facial tattoos were distorted by his pinched expression.

“What about those Hunters?  Are they coming back?” Harper asked from the rigging.  The brand on his check stood out white under wide purple eyes.

“Of course they are,” Kor said.  “Weren’t you listening?”

“Even I have to buy that,” Nickel said.  His hawk eyes more narrow than usual.

“Funny, you wouldn’t buy anything else,” Raymond said.  He pulled on his thick silver-gray braid, and worried the ornaments at the end.

“Nothing funny here,” Tuggy said.  He coiled and uncoiled his whip.  Thick muscles played under dark brown skin.

A murmur ran through the crew.

“That’s not the real question,” Kor said coming forward.  “Are you still our Cousin?  Captain says you are.  You’re different though.  I can see it.  See it in the way you stand, the way you hold your face.  I want to hear what Cousin has to say.  Talk to us!”

“With the Captain’s permission,” Cousin said.

Kraken nodded.

Cousin jumped the rail of the quarterdeck, and landed in front of Kor.  She smiled, and hugged the grizzled sailor.  “Thanks,” she said.

Kor pushed her off, and batted her away.  “Get off.  What’s the matter with you?”

Cousin laughed, and the tension left the deck.  The crew had seen the same thousands of times before.

“Well, Kor?  She feel different?” Bry asked from his perch on a barrel.

“Not the point,” Kor said, his cheeks going ruddy.

“Come on Kor.  What do you say?” Matty asked with a barely suppressed laugh.

Kor pressed his lips together, and stared hard at Cousin.

She leaned in and whispered, “You still owe me my cut from yesterday.  And another sparring match.”

Kor’s laugh exploded from him, sounding like a mule.

“Yes, I am still your Cousin,” she said loud enough for her voice to carry, and echo off the cave walls.  “I have my memory back.  That does not change what I have experienced on this ship, with this crew.  I am a Kraken Pirate!  I am Cousin!”

A cheer went up.  A chorus of “aye’s” rebounded from the cave walls.

Gabb sounded the whistle.

“It is my judgement that keeping Cousin with us puts us all in danger from the Al’Ri,” Kraken said.  He stared down the beginning arguments.  “It is also my judgement that this ship and crew are known to the Al’Ri.  Should Cousin leave us, we are in danger from the Al’Ri, and less protected with her absence.”  Kraken paused and looked around.  His crew was fifteen men.  Small by all standards.  Haven could carry fifty men comfortably, ninety at most.  Kraken was picky about those around him.  He wanted loyalty through bond, not fear.  Only those he felt that bond with stayed.

“Cousin is crew,” Kraken said.  The cheers from the deck followed him all the way to his cabin.  Now Haven sheltered a solid seventeen.

Gabb jumped from his bunk, sword in hand.  The swing meant to decapitate missed by a hair’s breath.  The second swing stopped in mid-arc when Gabb saw Kraken’s stone hard face.

“She remembers.”  Kraken turned and walked away.

Gabb stood long moments before he understood.  He grabbed his boots, and ran after.  A quick glance told him that no one was in the cabins.

The deck was still.  The watch was solemn in their duty.  A great weight had descended with the news of the Al’Ri flag.  Lancer, at mid-ship’s watch, pointed to the gangway to the tunnel.  The reflected moon light caught in his blond hair.

Gabb ran soft footed to follow.

The island breeze lifted his hair.  Cousin and Kraken stood at the cliff edge, their heads together.  Gabb took a deep breath and joined them.

Kraken held his hand up, and motioned to Cousin.

They rose into the air, and floated over the island to an isolated beach.  The half moon lit a path over the ocean.  The sand was soft under their feet.

Gabb held his breath.

Cousin sat down and looked up at the sky.  The stars were innumerable.  She could stay there forever just to see the sky.  She sighed deep.  “I remember the name I was given before.  Cousin is the name I choose to keep.  I remember where I came from.  I choose to be here, apart of this crew.  I remember Curtis Lee.  He is not my father, and Curtis Lee is not his name.  He wanted to be addressed as Protector.”

Cousin tilted her head forward, and closed her eyes.  “I am of Al’Ri.  A Child of the Myst.”  Cousin opened her eyes and looked between Kraken and Gabb.  “I am an Aberration.”

Gabb sat hard, his legs pinned beneath his body weight.  All breath left his body, and his mind floated, suspended in a murky fog.

Kraken stared at the face of the girl who seemed so young only hours before.  Now a woman of unlimited power?  “What does that mean?  I’ve heard of Aberrations.  I was never clear on what it means.  People whisper of unlimited power, uncontrolled power.  A monster feared like a child’s night terror, or some ancient superstition.”

Gabb wheezed.

Cousin smiled a sad smile.  “Feared.  Yes.  I can understand that.  An Aberration is the most powerful wielder the Al’Ri produces.  Most are conditioned beginning at birth.  We are programmed.  Our powers are limited or stunted through spell, ward, and abuse.  I am not conditioned by the Masters of the Al’Ri.  The man I had remembered as my father stole and hid me before the Masters knew of me.  I spent thirty years in hiding before they learned of me.  Then ten years on the run before coming to Y’Ahno, where you found me.”

Cousin gazed at the slow sky.  “I had taken the form of a child to mask our passage.  The Hunters were near.  Protector believed they were tracking us through his power signature.  He used a spell, drawing on my power, to cloak my presence, and left on a pirate ship to draw off the Hunters.

“He never knew that the spell damaged my memory.  There are still dark places in what I can remember.  I can’t really say what happened on Y’Ahno before Protector left.”

The island night sounded loud in the absence of voice.  Cousin watched Kraken.  He stood with his back to her.  Gabb’s breathing was a quiet breeze beside her.  She waited for them to decide.  A distant splash of an ocean creature carried to the island.

Gabb’s voice cracked, “How powerful are you?”

“I don’t know.  The training I received before leaving the Myst was slow and careful.  I wasn’t marked by the Masters, nor was my Depth ever tested.”

“Depth?”  Kraken’s voice was steady.

“I’m not sure how to explain it,” Cousin said.  “Limit isn’t correct.  Neither is height or size or measurement.  Breath is closer, but makes less sense.  It’s the amount of power combined with will and fortitude.  It is power and ability to use it.  Depth grows with knowledge and experience.”

“What really matters is who you are,” Gabb said.

“Yes,” Cousin said.

Gabb let out a long breath.  He leaned his head back and looked the sky.

“Who you are,” Kraken repeated.  He turned and sat in front of Cousin.  “Are you different from this morning?”

“Only in what I remember, and the ability to express myself.  I’d still chase Kor through the rigging, and split the profits when he gets away from me.”

Gabb barked a laugh.  “You little sneak!”

Cousin laughed softly.  Then she frowned.  “Whether I stay or go, I need to tell them.  They are my family.  The only family I’ve ever had.  They deserve to know the truth.  Even if it means they will no longer trust me.”

“Do you trust us?” Kraken asked.  “Trust us not to abuse your power for our own gain?”

Cousin smiled.  The stars shone in limitless eyes.  “My feelings haven’t changed.  I am your Cousin.”

Kraken looked at Gabb.  “You’ve heard her words.  Ideas?”

Gabb snapped to.  “If it please the Captain, I agree that the full crew be notified.  I would that Cousin remain with the crew.  However, this Al’Ri ship must be addressed.  If they are looking, they wont give up so easy.  We’re in for a blow no matter our heading.”

“Aye,” Kraken said.  He looked long at Cousin.  “What about the Hunters?”

Cousin met his hard stare with openness.  “They found me years ago.”

When Cousin came to she was resting on Kraken’s bunk.  The ship was dark.  No lights other than the reflection of moon on water illuminated the cave.  Kraken stood at the windows, his form silhouetted by the shifting light.

Cousin sat up, and looked at him.  “I remember my name,” she said to the silhouette.

“Good,” came the quiet response.

“I like Cousin better.”

Kraken turned around, and moved to sit on his desk.  “Do you feel something out there?”

Cousin sat a moment.  “No.  They have moved on.”

“Good.”

Cousin sat trying to decide what to do, what to say.

“Gabb said you asked about emotion.  About love.”

“Yes.  I don’t really understand.  Gabb tried to explain that there are different kinds.”

“Do you love Gabb?”

Cousin smiled.  This she understood.  “Not the way I love you.”

Kraken was across the floor and kissing Cousin.  His mouth was soft on hers.  He put no force, no demand, in his kiss.  When he broke the contact, he gulped a big breath like coming up for air.

Cousin touched her lips with her finger tips.  She felt her breath in long sighs.

“I’m sorry,” Kraken said.  “I shouldn’t have . . .  I didn’t mean . . .”

Cousin put her thumb over his mouth.  She caressed his jaw with her fingers, the stubble bristly against her skin.  She met Kraken’s eyes.  They were bright and conflicted in the near dark.  “I remember,” she whispered.

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.”