Ian stood outside in a usually quiet corner of the ship hunched over his elbows planted on the railing his head resting in his hands. He was looking at the waves which showed a little foam even this far out. It was naturally windy enough to let them sail at a considerable speed even without his uncle’s and Ron’s little tricks.

  Ever since his thirteenth birthday a few weeks ago the young half fey could feel the magic they deployed. It was only ever a push in the direction they wanted, but it mattered. Not that he had doubted his uncle’s capabilities to make the ocean do his bidding, he was after all the seagod’s son… which made Ian his grandson.

  The magic the other fey used were not the only things his awakened nature made him aware of, the sea itself seemed to want to communicate with him. He was drawn to it. Oftentimes standing at the railing staring at it listening to its whispers. Just like right now. This new ‘hobby’ of his as Ron called it would keep him occupied him for hours, at least if no woke him out of this trancelike state.

  Ron loved to startle him out of it. Even using a bucket of cold seawater.

  Despite knowing that it was for his best not to stay too long in this state Ian couldn’t quite understand why the formerly strict and stubborn first mate enacted his playful side in this particular way. His uncle and Tom the only crewmembers beside Ron who would freely interact with him since his awakening found it hilarious.

  The rest of the sailors avoided him actively even the two that had sworn themselves to accompany them into the Sidhe. Those two were less overt in their fear than the rest of the crew, but it showed nonetheless. And it stung Ian more than he liked to admit that this fear towards him was far more pronounced than towards his uncle and the first mate, though they were far scarier in truth. Mightier. Stronger in any possible way.

  When he asked Ron about it the Kelpie snorted and showed a very predatory grin as he said with mirth ‘Wouldn’t it be stranger if we, who are masters of our powers couldn’t hide it from our prey? What kind of kid would climb on a Kelpie’s back if every fibre of itself cried danger? That lure would be very ineffective, wouldn’t it?’ Seeing Ian’s wide eyes he added ‘Kid, Sidhe are predators. Do you think those fangs both of us sport are for show? Yes even the little ones you have grown do little to hide fact that we are anything but human. And some of our needs and urges are anything but human. Remember that you are no longer anyone’s prey.’

  ‘But you don’t drown and kill children, you are here and sail… eating normal food.’ Ian stated shocked upon being called a predator his tongue unconsciously tracing the tips of his very sharp fangs.

  ‘Yes, I am here. But that is only possible thanks to your uncle and now partly you. If not for you I would be bound to a lagune, a fjord or something like that. Slave to my nature. Not necessarily killing people but definitely not free to move or stay this long in human form.’, the big man answered with a frown. His grey eyes darkening like the sea before a storm.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  ‘What do you mean? Why would you be bound and how am I contributing to your freedom?’, Ian asked intrigued but cautiously.

  ‘Because Kelpies are normally bound to their body of water. Only because your uncle and now you are children of the sea and high sidhe I am able to bind myself to you as a replacement for that body of water. And your energy you are producing as part of existing as high sidhe is the same energy the land would produce for me. You are the Sidhe a part of the whole, the land itself, I am lower Sidhe or fey, I live off the land, its energy. I don’t produce energy I need it to sustain my existence. I can’t leave your side as much as I couldn’t possibly leave my body of water. My LIFE depends on you. I can go without that energy, but not for long. And here in the human realm I would need to lure humans and feed on their energy to survive. The energy on this side of the veil is not enough to sustain me without.’, the fey explained. Triggering a much deeper understanding for why the Kelpie held such a deep grudge against Manannan for turning into what he was. Yes, he was immortal but bound to rules that robbed him of his freedom.

  ‘I am sorry.’ Ian stated silently.

  ‘What are you sorry for? For my idiocy that I didn’t thoroughly check the contract your grandfather proposed whilst forbidding his children to speak? No kid there is nothing to be sorry about. I made my decision for better or worse. I can even understand why he did it. Your mother had just run away and your uncle was so cross that he set out to sail the mortal realm with only a mortal as his backer. No king, mortal or Sidhe would have let that happen. And none of his offspring was ever able to defy a direct order from him. Bound by blood you are. His daughter beyond his reach, he needed a strong and dependable Fey to accompany his son. My mortal life was too short and frail in his eyes to even matter. It was a deal to let your uncle leave that accursed blessed island of his father… I would do it every time for my best friend. And I know that he would never leave me. But you need to understand that no one in the Sidhe is free. No spirit and no High king. And not you. We are all part of a whole. The threats that bind us are much thicker and sturdier than any relation in the mortal realm. And that is where our immortality and magic stem from.’, Ron explained in a very serious tone before leaving Ian to stare at the sea with even more on his mind.

  This conversation had him reeling for days. The implications of so many unspoken rules and invisible threads connecting everyone in this realm. The Sidhe, a place he began to fear without having been there. He could feel the sea responding to his thoughts even in the mortal realm rising with the pressure he felt. There was no way out he would have to face his fears. But first they had to set the rest of the crew ashore. It wouldn’t be long until they reached Bellhaste.

  And really it wasn’t very long before a sailor up in the mast shouted ‘Land Ahoy.’

  As planned, they manoeuvred into the harbour shortly after. But the moment they could look beyond the ramparts several sailors blanched. And Sean, the captain of the Feodora cursed for the first time Ian knew him. Behind the walls of the inner harbour lay three warships. All sporting a big red cross on their flags. And knights with the very same cross were seen patrolling and working abord and on the quay. A sinking feeling spread in Ian’s stomach when he thought about his pointed ears and fangs that he could not yet properly hide, as well as his aura. They had to tread very cautiously when they entered. But turning around after being spotted would have been just as suspicious. And the last thing anybody wanted was being suspected by those zealots.