The Seelie Curse

Chapter 33

After a moment, she nods. "Any water is good, but it's easier if I can control it without the source fighting back."

Rowan frowns. "Why?"

"Because I'll need to pull the water toward me and it's easier if it's not being pulled away by the current as well."

Rowan flushes. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Kyma smiles and touches Rowan's shoulder for a brief moment. "You didn't think of it because you don't go around controlling water. You don't have to think about it."

Rowan sighs. "So, how do you do it? I saw a little bit in the memory, but Star wasn't really focusing on you, so I didn't see everything."

Kyma laughs. "Just watch."

She extends her hands towards the centre of the river and the water beneath her palm rises up. It coalesces beneath her palm as a ball, steadily growing larger. Despite the murkiness of the river, the water beneath Kyma's hand remains almost completely clear. There are a few specks of crushed stone, sand at this point. They float in the centre of the ball, almost invisible within it.

Rowan watches as the stream flowing up to the ball from the river cuts off, thinning before it separates. Kyma's hand twitches and the ball of water begins to flatten, lengthening into an oval. It keeps flattening, its edges sharpening until they're straight. The corners stay just a bit round as well, but by the time the water is completely flat, it resembles a rectangular, translucent piece of paper.

Something seems to solidify on the sheet of water, the tiny grains of sand and stone that came up with the water. Rowan frowns. Is Kyma going to purge them from the water? Rowan squints, looking closer. The silt is spreading out but also condensing into something akin to threads. They curl onto the sheet, looping over themselves. Rowan's eyes widen. It's writing! She peers closer, trying to read the words as they form.

Mi madre,

Yo sé que lo acabo de enviar un mesaje hoy, pero algo más me llamó la atención. La Reina Merrow del Este, no es lo que parece. Ella es parte Seelie y trató de engañarme. Ella usó mi nombre, mi madre. No sé si sabes qué se puede hacer con ellos, así que voy a dar más detalles. Puedes controlar a alguien si conoces su nombre y eres uno de los Aos Sí que puede usar el poder de un nombre. Y se pone peor. ¿La profecía de la que te hablé antes? Ella hará lo que sea necesario para evitar que se haga realidad. Incluso le está mintiendo a su propia familia, usando sus nombres en su contra. No sé qué hacer, mi madre. Sé que querrás que vuelva a casa, pero no puedo. Soy parte de esta profecía y tengo que cumplirla, tengo que ayudar a Ro porque ahora corre aún más peligro. Si tiene algún consejo para mí, cualquier cosa, por favor diígame.

Te extraño.

Kyma.

Rowan blinks at the words, confused. She has no idea what language they're in. She glances at Kyma. "What did you write?"

"I told her about the Eastern Merrow Queen, about the names, and who the Queen really is. I asked her for advice. Weren't you just reading it?" Rowan hesitates, then she shakes her head. Kyma gives her a disbelieving look. "Really."

Rowan winces. "It's true, to an extent. I read the words but I don't know what they mean. It's in an unfamiliar language."

Kyma's eyes widen. "You don't know Spanish?"

Rowan shakes her head. "Why would I? I'm homeschooled, I don't really know other people, and I've never been outside of Scotland. I only know English and Scottish Gaelic because of my Aos Sí blood. What exactly did you write?"

Kyma sighs and flicks her fingers. The words written in the sheet of water shift, becoming English.

Mother,

I know that I just sent you a message earlier today, but something else has come to my attention. The Eastern Merrow Queen, she's not what she seems. She's part Seelie and she tried to trick me. She used my name, Mother. I don't know if you know what can be done with them, so I'll elaborate. You can control someone if you know their name and you're one of the Aos Sí who can use a name's power. And it gets worse. The prophecy I told you about before? She's going to do whatever it takes to stop it from coming true. She's even lying to her own family, using their names against them. I don't know what to do, Mother. I know you're going to want me to come home, but I can't. I'm part of this prophecy and I have to see it through, I have to help Ro because she's in even more danger now. If you have any advice for me, anything at all, please tell me.

I miss you.

Kyma.

Rowan looks up from the message. "You'd really stay here if your mother wanted you to go home?"

"She's already ordered me to. But I'm not leaving Ro, not until this is all over. I promise."

Rowan smiles in gratitude. She watches as Kyma turns back to the message and shifts the words back into the other language before she pulls it back into a ball and lowers it to the water. Rowan watches the ball flow downstream with the current, resembling a ball of ice bobbing in the cold water at the end of winter.
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The Spanish writing was fun. Good practice for me (although sorry, I used translate a bit because I needed to move quickly. I went over it again though. Tell me if you see mistakes and please don't kill me for using translate?) how do you think Lahira will react to Kyma's message? I love Kyma and Ro's reactions, too. So funny.

I also order everyone to go look at the sky tonight. It's the first full moon this month. We have a blue moon month!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!

~Goddess of Fate, signing out.