He’d lived on Latharna his entire life and knew nothing about the Otherworld. He glanced at Dad, bloodied and stubbornly upright, and felt the instinct to demand answers. But not tonight. This was just the beginning of the conversation, not the end.
In a day or two, when the adrenaline burned off and the shock settled, he wouldn’t stay quiet. He wouldn’t let life slip back into half-truths and whispers. Whatever lived on Latharna, whatever shared its soil and shoreline, he would know about it.
“What do we do?” Malachi sat up straight, ignoring the weight dragging him down.
“We?” Dad spluttered his tea. “It’s wenow, is it?” For a heartbeat, his face hardened. Then it softened just as quickly. He wiped his mouth and breathed through his nose, eyes fixed on his mug like it had personally offended him. When he looked back up at Malachi, something had shifted—not acceptance, but a reluctant recalibration.
“Yes.” Malachi tried to sound assured, but his stomachtwisted. He didn’t feel ready, not really, but he was done standing on the outside.
“I don’t know.” Dad lowered his eyes. “There aren’t many older families left, and magic died out long before we were born.” He nodded towards Ina. “But there’ve been too many unexplained deaths on Latharna. It’s clear something is happening.” His brow furrowed. “And we don’t know if that’s a good thing… or a very bad one.”
Malachi nodded slowly and risked a glance at Ina.
She started into her tea, unmoving. Ina never stayed quiet unless she was weighing something—or deciding what not to share.
“So what do we do?” Malachi asked again, giving Dad another chance to finish the thought.
Dad exhaled slowly and rubbed his temple. “We watch and we listen.” He let his hand fall to his side. “And we get prepared.”
Malachi’s heart gave a sharp, traitorous leap. He sat straighter, biting back the grin threatening to break free. For the first time that night—maybe for the first time ever—he didn’t feel like a bystander in his own family.
There was an entire world beyond school, shifts atThe Wolf’s Denand island life… and he was being invited into it.
“Don’t get too excited, love,” Ina warned. “If you want to protect Latharna, you need to understand its history. That means books, and lots of studying.” She sipped her tea. “We’ll begin tomorrow.”
“Wait—what?” Malachi spluttered.
“Ah, Ina lessons.” Dad’s mouth twitched as he winked. “That brings back memories… not necessarily fond ones.”
Malachi smiled, but the spark of excitement dulled almost immediately. He was excited about learning, about finallybeing trusted with the truth instead of being kept at arm’s length—but Dad’s earlier words had lodged stubbornly in his chest.
“Unexplained deaths.”
He understood Rhys’ now, the how and the why, even though the understanding hurt. The grief no longer lurked in the shadows. It was solid enough to face. But there had been others.
“Unexplained deaths…” Malachi stared into his mug, watching the surface ripple as his fingers tightened around it. “We know Rhys was taken by Selkie, but?—”
“But what?” Dad placed his hand on Malachi’s arm, worry lines and tiredness etched on his face.
“Mum?” Malachi’s voice cracked.
She’d died when he was barely more than a toddler. His memories of her were scattered and thin. Her photograph still hung by the front door, watching them come and go. Dad spoke about her even less than he spoke about Rhys.
Malachi had always assumed it was because the loss was too hard for Dad to bear. Now he wasn’t so sure. If Mum had known about the Otherworld—if she’d been part of it, or caught in its wake—he needed to know.
The room chilled, sending a shiver through Malachi’s body. The adrenaline of the night’s events had finally worn off. Weariness settled into his bones, heavy and deep.
“It was a car accident.” Dad stared into the distance, not meeting Malachi’s eyes. “I honestly don’t know if it was anything more.” His voice roughened. “It was sixteen years ago. Back then, we were starting to notice subtle changes on Latharna.” He swallowed. “I just don’t know.”
Malachi nodded slowly and squeezed Dad’s arm. “I believe you.”
He glanced at Ina. She was staring out the window, notreally looking at anything. Her jaw was tight; her lip caught between her teeth. When Malachi met her gaze, she looked away at once.
Malachi let it pass—for now. Whatever Ina was hiding, it wasn’t something she planned on sharing tonight. Dad, at least, had told the truth. Malachi believed that without question. Dad wouldn’t keep him in the dark about something that mattered this much. Not after everything that had just happened.
Ina pushed back her chair. “Listen, I’ve plenty of things to say about members of the Otherworld living on Latharna.” She was closing the door on the conversation. “But it’s almost dawn and I, for one, would like to get the smell of fish out of my nostrils.”
Dad lifted his mug.
