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Whoaaaaa!!!!!! Heidla could not believe her eyes. There was... a seal . A seal, bathing in the lake, a real one, not one of those majestic creatures that came to her in her visions giving advice and comfort. Not her own mount, that took the form of a marine creature as it was her whim. Not a doodle in one of the manuscripts or books about the human world she rummaged through in the Library back home. But a real, warm, cuddly creature sending splashes of water all around, filled with joy and energy - wasn't it odd, she thought the seals were more serious and reserved - was there, in the world of Halloween - and it filled Heidla's little heart with joy and energy, too!

She came closer to the lake to admire the creature, wondering how it got there and whether she would be able to lure it out and touch it - just to make sure that was not one of her visions, she promised to herself.

She stumbled upon a pile of clothes and stopped, as if frozen. These evidently belonged to a small girl - smaller than she was, Heidla hastily added, definitely a human-shaped being - but the body was gone. Could it be that seals were predators? Hunters who could devour a little girl?

She shuddered. Not that the idea of a predator bothered her much, actually, they were all hunters in a way, and she, personally, was meant to hunt humans and was mean enough to do it without a second thought, but would a seal - oh mighty royal seal - see the difference between a human and a horseman? A common denizen of the Halloween world and a priestess of a once glorious Isle of Death?

"Your Royal Sealiness...." - Heidla gasped out. It looked more and more like one of her trance visions, when seals of memory addressed her to give necessary guidance. Could it be that she... went into a trance without noticing it? No way.... But then, wasn't the creature addressing her?

She scribbled on the wet sand a picture she saw in one of the old manuscripts, that was supposed to call upon the powers of the fairy creature:



Did she get it right? she wondered. Would the seal continue talking to her, and tell her about how to revive her clan? She knew that seals were guardians of memory and keepers of the past - "on the border of the sky and the sea in the eternal slumber they dreamt about what happened and what is to happen...", she whispered in awe and fascination. - and stretched out her arm, not giving a second thought about the clothes that were scattered in front of her. Well, killers do not say "Hi", do they?

Well, the seal was not that royal and majestic Heidla expected it to be. It was probably a baby seal, she guessed it that much, and that's why she was not frightened any more. Babies - she knew it for certain - were always easier to deal with. That's why she would violently protest if anyone called her a baby. But this curious little creature - flapping its flippers and talking in a small chilly voice - they definitely could be friends, couldn't they?

She stretched out her hand, trying to caress the fluffy pout of the creature - with its enormous teal eyes it seemed the embodiment of what Heidla ever wanted to caress in her life. But something was not right - the creatures seemed to metamorph, as in one of the priestess's trance visions. First a little hand came out of its gaping mouth. Heidla almost shrieked in amazement. Then a shoulder came out, then the whole body of the seal turned into that of a girl, with the seal pelt shrunken and wrapped around shoulders. Could that be possible? A seal - and a human? Heidla almost jumped in excitement, and then gasped out: "What are you?"

In her whole life of seal studies and adoration she might have heard a thing or two about selkies, but never paid enough attention to it. Or, better say, her own imagination worked far better in portrayal of seals than dry texts and scanty descriptions in the manuscripts. Now her ideas clashed with reality, as she saw a seal turn into a girl - not into a priestess of Death, as she expected it deep in her mind. Now, that was an unexpected turn, and Heidla was so confused, that she started pouring out her musings and questions without even realizing that it was probably too much and too fast for the poor creature: "Oh, amazing. So you are a girl. A little girl - and such a lovely one! Are you a priestess, too? I have never seen you before, but certainly, all the seals are priestesses, because they guard memories as we do. Where are you from? - Oh, you're so cute! Have you been here for long? Have you been waiting for me?" - and then, taking a closer look at what the girl was doing, she paused and asked, completely dumbfounded: "And what are you drawing?"

Heidla was confused - and - could it be there was a tinge of bitterness in her tone. So, it wasn't the seal of memories who would bring her land and her people back. But looking at the funny round face with turquoise eyes, she could not dwell in her imperial if not realistic dreams; after all, there was a seal turned a girl in front of her, and even it it lacked the magic she wanted, it was magical enough even without it. At the selkie was too cute just to look at - there was something in her lovely little face that wasn't to be ignored.

Heidla made her brightest smile: "So, you're Sybil. I am Heidla. I thought you were someone else, but I was mistaken, so I deeply apologize. And I like your picture, I wish I could keep it", after all, a picture from a seal would be nice anyway.

And it made her feel warm so she just tossed her head and ventured her pug nose up as if piercing the sky above her. "It's too warm here, don't you think so? Is it colder there where you come from?" She could safely guess that far. Probably in the place where furry selkies dwell, the weather shouldn't be that warm. "In my place it was colder, too....Do you like it here?"

Well, the selkie seemed to be enjoying it, and it kept all Heidla's bad moods safely at bay. "And by the way, if not a priestess, what are you doing here? Are you" - the though was both unexpected and revolting - "a student?" Heidla gulped. Her esteem of the Halloweeners was not that high, so she just could not believe that there were seals among them. Surely, if seals were to live with other creatures, they would have come to the Death Isle in the first place!

Could it be that there were actually more seals here? Could she be that lucky? Who is Marzie? Is she a seal, too? Heidla wondered silently not wanting to frighten the selkie with her questions. Probably, it would be better to start with her own personality.

"I am a priestess", Heidla paused wondering whether she should explain the meaning of it, and asked questioningly at the ghoul. "We came here not long ago... and.... have you heard about the horsemen?"

Normally she would not even ask, as in her picture of the world was definitely horsemen-centred. Any other creature would have been violently rebuked or scornfully ignored if it showed ignorance of the horsemen existence. But a seal was difference. A seal could do anything, at least as far as Heidla was concerned. She was definitely biased and definitely unable to do anything but smile happily.

"My... mount kind of looks like a seal, too.... Wanna see it?... And I am also arranging a Sealed Evil Sanctuary", her voice was enthusiastic enough to become contagious. "Have you seen those creatures that look like seals? Do you know how to lure them? What do seals like?"

She felt the urge to pat the selkie. A talking seal, yep. A cute talking seal. Just wow.

"No-no-no! Don't get me wrong!" Heidla was evidently terrified with the idea of subjugating a seal. "And I do not capture them for bad things, Jack forbid! I want to give them a family! Food everyday! Warmth! Care!...As for my mount, well, he's a part of me - it's my fear who takes the form of a seal. It just means I love seals so much!"

The priestess was desperate to explain she was no seal hunter, her love for the seals was as immense as... as this misunderstanding in the eyes of the cute selkie girl. "Just promise me you'll come and see for yourself, OK? And I will promise that if you don't like it and say that seals do not like it, I will set them all free".

Still, deep in her mind she started doubting whether capturing sealed evils was a good idea after all.