The Seelie Curse

Chapter 4

Kyma watches Astrila place the remaining pieces of fish in her bag before she pulls it up onto her shoulders. Kyma tried to lift it once and she almost fell over. She still doesn't know everything the other girl has in there, but it must be heavy. They check to make sure the fire has completely died out before Kyma follows her cousin down to the bank and frowns at the rushing water.

"Are we going to try to make our way up with my boat or swimming?"

"Let's try swimming first because I don't want you using up all your energy with the boat. If we can't make it swimming, we can try the boat. And if that fails, we'll be walking."

Kyma groans. "I really don't want to walk all the way." She glares when Astrila covers her mouth with one hand, trying to hide her laughter. "Don't laugh!"

"I'm sorry, it's just . . ."

"Don't. Just don't, Star."

Astrila freezes and glares at Kyma. Kyma kind of feels bad, but Astrila was laughing at her. "Kyma, never, and I mean never, call me Star again."

Kyma raises her hands. "Alright, alright. Calm down."

Her cousin's glare softens, but it doesn't disappear entirely. "Let's get going."

Astrila steps into the water and shifts, her form rippling down into her seal form. Her pelt spreads to cover her until she is fully shifted. She looks back at Kyma, dark eyes watching her beneath twin spots of gray. Kyma sighs.

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

Kyma wades up to her waist and shifts, flicking water at Astrila with her tail. Astrila barks and jerks her head upriver. Kyma may not understand her as a seal, but she knows what her cousin is trying to say here. She's saying that Kyma needs to get a move on. Kyma huffs and slides deeper into the water until she is in the middle of the river, where there is plenty of space to swim. Her tail flicks again and she's off, spinning through the water.

The current does slow her, but it's not strong enough to stop her. Kyma grins, reveling in the feeling of freshwater running over her skin. Astrila is a dark blur beside her, her fur slicked down to make her streamlined. Fish divert around them and Kyma can see her cousin's restraint. Astrila wants to catch them, but they already have some fish stored away.

Kyma shifts closer and pokes Astrila's side to distract her. Astrila's head snaps toward her and Kyma grins, spinning over her cousin to the other side. A stream of bubbles escapes Astrila's mouth with her astonishment. Kyma giggles, making sure to keep her mouth closed. She doesn't want to inhale any water.

They've been swimming for several hours when Kyma glances over at Astrila again. Her furry face is set but her eyes are shadowed, lost in thought. Kyma frowns thoughtfully. What is Astrila thinking about? She looks forward again and slows, her frown deepening. Astrila stops a moment later, glancing over at Kyma. She tilts her head in confusion and Kyma sighs to her.

"Something seems off. I'm going to look. Stay here."

Astrila barks in assent and Kyma darts up to the surface. The water just in front of them is calmer than the rest, but she can hear pounding. It has to be a waterfall. She tilts her head up and gasps. It is a waterfall, a massive one. She ducks beneath the water and returns to Astrila. Her cousin has barely moved, she's just been watching the surface. She tilts her head when she sees Kyma, her eyes curious. Kyma frowns and signs.

"There's a waterfall here. I'll have to use my magic to take us up."

Astrila nods and moves closer to Kyma. With a flick of her fingers, Kyma gathers the water around them and lifts upward. Astrila presses against Kyma's tail. Rowan had forgotten that her cousin hadn't done this before, she isn't comfortable. Kyma reaches down with her other hand to rest it on Astrila's back. It seems to help, Astrila's trembling calms. Kyma looks out through the bubble of water, parting it around them as they break through the surface.

It remains up to her waist and gives Astrila ample room, but it isn't much larger than that. Kyma learned early on that the more water she is controlling, the faster she uses up her energy. They're halfway up the waterfall when Astrila shifts beside Kyma, pressing against her tail even more. Kyma looks down, startled. She can't see Astrila's face, but she can tell something is bothering her. She increases how fast the bubble is moving to the top.

She doesn't know what is wrong, but she'll at least try to get her cousin away from whatever is bothering her as quickly as she can. The bubble reaches the top and she quickly directs it further up the river before she lowers them into the water just beside the bank. Astrila shifts and looks at Kyma, her eyes wide.

Her voice is low and soft, Kyma can barely hear her. "Stay quiet. Something isn't right here."

"But-"

Astrila silences her with a glare. She glances at the river then freezes. Kyma turns to look. The river is full of rapids here, they can't swim. With a sigh, Kyma creates the boat from the water. Astrila climbs into it carefully, one of her hands itching behind her to keep her bag from shifting. Kyma swallows. If Astrila is acting like this, something really must be wrong. Her magic has to be warning her of something.

Sometimes, Kyma wishes that her own powers had a way of warning her of things, but the closest she's going to get to that is her dagger. And it isn't talking right now. Kyma slips into the boat in front of Astrila and sends it moving up the river. She shivers. Now that she's aware of it, things do seem off. The river is silent despite the water churning around them. It isn't natural. All the trees on the riverbanks are all one species as well.

At least they look like they're all birch trees to Kyma. She shivers again and squeezes the fabric of her clothing in her hands. Their water boat moves up the river without a sound, but with all the silence, their breathing seems so loud. Kyma glances around at the trees again, directing the boat around a large boulder. Have they moved? They look like they're reaching out now, the shadows between them growing.
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Uh oh. Where are they right now? What's happening? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!

~Goddess of Fate, signing out.