We approached the Pillars of Hercules with the tide tugging us forward, the Sea Wraith creaking as though she, too, felt the shift in the world. To the north, the great rock rose—solid, immovable, the very spine of a legend. To the south, its twin waited in shadow, a darker shape against the dying light. Together, they framed the narrowing sea like the jaws of a beast deciding whether to swallow us whole.
“They are incredible,” Dilly whispered.
“They are what’s left,” Morwenna said.
She wore the still billowing gown from five days ago. She was hauntingly beautiful with her pale skin and her too-blue eyes. It was as if she were a ghost of who she should be. I hadn’t seen itat first, but now it was impossible to miss. She existed between two worlds and belonged to none.
“Hold her steady!” Bash called behind me, though his voice sounded far away. My attention was fixed on the water as we slipped between the two monoliths. The current shifted, swirling with a strange, humming undertow, as if the deep itself were exhaling.
A shiver climbed my spine.
Beyond the Pillars, the sea changed. The Atlantic spread out before us in a vast, dark sheet, pulsing with secrets I wasn’t sure I was ready to learn. The last slant of sun set its skin ablaze in molten copper before sinking, leaving only a dim halo along the horizon.
As night gathered, the creatures of the deep stirred—felt, not seen. A low hum vibrated through the hull, brushing against my bones like a memory I hadn’t lived yet.
I stepped closer to the railing, letting the wind tangle my hair.
“Shall we see if the sea once again chooses to call you daughter?” Morwenna asked.
I still didn’t know what it meant that a Norse goddess had laid some claim on me at birth. Dilly couldn’t find much on it in her stacks of books, and Morwenna was allergic to speaking. So instead I just accepted what it was, and if that was the reason creatures like the cat sitting at my feet were drawn to me–well, I could think of worse things.
“Your guardian disapproves of your actions,” Morwenna said.
I turned to tell her that Bash was not any such thing, but her blue eyes were fixed on Blackbeard, who was strangely stoic. No growls or glares erupted from him.
“Actually, I think he’s in a good mood,” I said, reaching down to scratch under his chin.
He allowed it even in front of all these people, which meant he was in a remarkably good mood.
Morwenna shook her head, a lingering sigh of exasperation escaping from her.
“If you embraced the heritage gifted to you, then you would be able to read your family’s moods. I suppose you think the Dreki that follows you is pleased as well?” she asked.
“Dreki?” I asked.
Dilly coughed, butting her arm against mine. She was always careful not to speak much in front of Morwenna for fear of losing whatever chance at knowledge she had.
“It means dragon or serpent,” she said.
“Oh!” I smiled. “You mean Koinu. No, he does seem rather solemn today. Typically, he likes to splash in the waves and sing. Today, his song is mournful.” I frowned.
As if in answer, Koinu bellowed out a low sound that reminded me of grief.
“At least you are aware of this much.” Morwenna scoffed. “Your Fylgja fear the beast that lies in these waters.”
“Fylgja?” Dilly asked.
“The leviathan?” I asked at the same time.
Morwenna glared at Dilly with the force of the North Sea, and poor Dilly.
whispered an apology and stepped a little further to the side as if that would erase her crimes as far as Morwenna was concerned.
“Fylgja, they are the guardians drawn to the daughter of the sea. One is common. Two is rare. The cat–as you call him–is of Rán’s domain. Likely sent to watch over the one chosen by her. He is neither a cat nor of this realm. He is a guardian, and when his purpose is fulfilled, he will return to Rán and await his next purpose. The Dreki, however, is of the deep outside Rán’s domain. It chose you as surely as Rán did. I could not say why.”
It was the most she’d spoken the entire trip, and a certain pride filled me at her saying Koinu chose me. Blackbeard, asmuch as I loved him, it made sense that he didn’t come to me for love. Koinu, though–his heart was pure, and I was honored to be chosen even if it didn’t make any sense at all.
“As for what they fear–yes, it is the leviathan. Its purpose is to guard what you seek. It will not release it unless it has reason to.” Morwenna said.
