"We should run... like now!"
1,219 words
"Madame Doctor, you don't understand. The girl isn't a selkie."
Cress dogged the steps of the slender mink, her face dark and her fingers dancing on the hilt of her sword.
The doctor paused and looked up from the papers with a irritatedly bemused look "Captain, by her own admission, the child is a selkie. Marked even more by her physical similarities and the bracelet bearing selkie runes upon it."
"She's confused," Cress persisted "They've done something to her mind. You said you would be able to fix that. Now you tell me that you want to include her in the experimentation!"
"And the reports tell me that the girl is your niece. Tell me Captain, since when did family and personal motive take precedence over duty to Queen and country?"
Cress stepped back, scowling "Since when was there a distinction?"
Fen waved her pen in airy distraction as she resumed walking "Captain, I expect that child to be down with the others forthwith."
Cress grit her teeth and didn't respond.
"Captain?" Fen paused and looked over her shoulder, waiting for conformation.
"Aye Madame Doctor. Just... let me explain to her what's going on, so she won't be so frightened."
Fen shrugged "Tell her what you please, but tell her quickly."
Cress nodded and marched off.
Beth peered down the hallway anxiously as she watched her sister approach with a buisness-like set to her shoulders.
"Crowfeather?" she asked timidly as Cress pushed past her into the room "Are they going to let Shyshie go?"
Cress didn't answer and instead turned towards the guards "I'm here to escort the prisoners down to the lower levels."
"Cress no!" Beth tried to catch her sister by the arm, but was brushed aside as the captain took Shyshie by the shoulder and pulled the little girl out of the room.
"Cress!"
Shyshie made no attempt to resist her aunt, but there was a rigidity to her shoulders and her eyes burned above the muzzle.
"Crowfeather, please-"
Cress stopped abruptly and knelt next to her niece, undoing the catches that held the muzzle in place.
"We don't have a lot of time," she breathed, letting the muzzle drop "They'll realize in just a matter of minutes that I'm not taking you down to the cells."
Shyshie blinked slowly, then nodded.
"You mean...you're not...?"
Cress stood and smiled briefly at her sister "No. I'm not."
"Hurry," Shyshie reached out and tugged at Cress's sleeve "They've seen us."
Cress turned just in time to see the corner of a robe disappear beyond the doorway.
"Alright," she snagged Shyshie by the wrist and started pulling her towards the window "We'll just take a short-cut to make up for lost time."
"By jumping out a window?" Beth squeaked.
"It's only on the first floor," Cress yanked it open and swung herself out, her heels denting the dry grass. She turned and held her arms out for Shyshie. The little girl slipped into her aunt's arms and Beth tucked her skirt up and joined them on the ground "If Mother saw us now..."
"Where are we going?" Shyshie asked quietly as Cress led them towards the line of trees that held back the prying eyes of the common rabble of Twora.
"My ship."
"But the crew, aren't they loyal to the... whoever you're working for?"
Cress's smile flashed coldly in the pale light "No. They're loyal to me."
"Yeah, but they aren't," Shyshie pointed towards a pair of shadows racing through the trees.
"No, they definitely aren't," Cress snagged Shyshie by the elbow and started sprinting away "Hurry up Beth!"
"I'm hurrying!"
They raced across the street and into an alleyway. Shyshie's feet flew faster than her senses and as they ducked into the darkness, her eyes couldn't focus fast enough and suddenly was she entirely alone.
Terror yanked on her heart and instinct enveloped her, sending her into a panic.
Her feet caught on something her eyes didn't catch and she went sprawling headfirst.
A hollow huff followed the sound of her grunt and she felt a sharp pain dug into the side of her leg.
"You idiot! You hit the girl! I told you not to hit her."
"I couldn't see!"
Shyshie wrapped her fingers around the dart in her leg and pulled it out with a sharp yank, supressing her sobs as she tucked herself into a shadow, hoping that maybe some sort shred of selkie exsisted and that it would cover her.
Heavy boots came pounding past her, but didn't pause.
"We have to find her, she's only got a few minutes."
Her heart fluttered and she sniffed at the tip of the dart.
She really only did have minutes.
She had to keep calm, keep calm, keep calm, keep calm.... She knew what she had to do, she knew how to handle this, she could do it.
She wasn't going to die.
As the footsteps faded she hauled herself to her feet, the poision already spreading to the rest of her body.
Her nose twitched, searching the air for a scent. It only took a second, then she was staggering towards the shore, trying to keep her heart beat low and steady.
In a moment she felt sand beneath her paws and she could hear the soft crash of waves on the sand, like a lullaby.
If she died, then at least the ocean could sing her to sleep.
But in the pale starlight she could see the line of grass flickering in the breeze. She could smell the yellow flowers even stronger now, mixed with the salt.
Her legs were going numb and her mind buzzed, but she was still moving.
She collapsed into the rough grass, her heartrate abnormally fast. Seconds now, before the poision rendered her body helpless.
With trembling fingers she yanked off one of flowers from its stem and shoved it into her mouth. The bitterness stung at her toungue and brought the tears gathering at the edges of her eyes spilling over her cheeks. As she chewed she wiped the tip of the dart clean in the sand, then again on her clothes. She sniffed it, but only smelled the sharp metalic scent.
She raised it up to her lips and let a drop of saliva touch the metal. It should've been water, but the ocean was too far and she didn't have time. After several more drops, she spat the wadded mess out and placed the sharp tip against her wrist. She didn't hesitate. She knew it would hurt, but going slow would only make it hurt more.
As the metal dug in, her body gave out, and she collapsed in the sand with a weak gasp.
As everything slowly faded away she pulled the dart out and closed her eyes.
The ocean was singing.
If she didn't wake up, that was alright.
Tea's feet brushed against the sand, barely making a sound. The grass danced agains her heels as she stalked towards the tiny still lump lying on the ground.
She crouched, her eyes fixed on the flutter of the thin chest. Gingerly she tucked her fingers under the child and pulled her slowly up into her arms.
Her eyes darted back and forth across the deserted beach before stealing away, Shyshie clutched to her chest.