Cam turned to Amber, taking on the rule as the leader once more. "Do you know why the Mahoun is doing this? What is he trying to achieve?"
"I've asked myself that for a long time," she answered, her voice a little shakily. "But now I think he has no choice but to do evil. He took on the persona of the devil, and everyone expects the devil to cause death and destruction. The Voice, whatever creature he may be, is now fulfilling that role, finding ways to kill. Maybe he feeds on death like Self-Doubt did of the people travelling on the Staran. The problem is, people also think that the devil is immortal and invincible. I'm wondering if that might make it true."
"Nobody is invincible," Macey said more confidently than she felt. "We've defeated Self-Doubt itself, so we'll deal with the Voice just the same."
"Luch died for us to kill the Staran creature," Izban reminded her. "Who needs to die this time?"
"We'll find a way. Nobody is going to die. We're all coming out of this alive."
Rónán suddenly leant forwards. Macey had almost forgotten that the selkie was sitting next to her; he'd been unusually quiet.
"There's a selkie legend about the devil. We don't call him the Mahoun, but I assume it's the same one. In the stories, there is a way to kill him."
"How?" Macey asked, holding her breath in anticipation.
Indecision warred over Rónán’s face, as if he didn’t want to tell them at all. Hurt swelled within Macey. After what they’d shared, she’d have thought he’d trust her more. Apparently not. She should have known better than to trust a selkie…
“It’s how to explain it, Macey,” Rónán interrupted her inward berating. “Not that I don’t trust you with the information.”
She scowled. “Right.”
Rónán sighed.
“Let him speak,” Flint said, leaning over to run a soothing hand over her back. She calmed her breathing, appreciating the support.
“Some of it is pure fiction. Like the idea that the devil is a giant orca…”
“An orca? Really?” Jared scoffed.
“I said that bit was pure fiction,” Rónán reminded him, staying surprisingly calm given the accusation. “What seems more likely is that the devil takes on a different form depending on what you fear the most.”
“Surely having your skin stolen would be the number one selkie fear?” Cam asked, curiosity tinging every word.
“Being eaten comes a close second,” Rónán deadpanned.
“Not if Macey’s doing the eating.” Jared gave her a playful wink.
Macey stifled a giggle and forced a serious look back onto her face. Rónán hadn’t missed the gesture though and smiled at her with a knowing glint in his eye.
“Later,” he mouthed.
Heat flooded through her at the thought and she became flustered.
“The story,” Izban prompted, his voice betraying how annoyed he was by the flirting.
Rónán cleared his throat. “Sorry, yes. So for me the devil would take the form of an orca, for Flint, perhaps a being made of water…”
“You realise our girlfriend is a water being?”
“Believe it or not, I had noticed,” Rónán answered. “But she’s not made of water. The devil will become whatever it has to in order to defeat you. There’s even a rumour it can turn what you are against you. Whether that’s burning a flame, breaking up the earth…”
“Or drowning in the water,” Macey added softly. She tried not to think about her own experience drowning. To say it was unpleasant was an understatement.
“Exactly. It’s a dangerous foe.”
“Which is all well and good, but none of that gives us a way to actually defeat it,” Jared pointed out, leaning back in his chair and seeming far too relaxed for the conversation. That was just him though. Macey knew him well enough by now to know he was just a chilled out person.
“By mastering more than one element.”