Night. 

Fion didn’t do so well, he lost his temper again, so I decided not to let Caitlyn see him. He’s got more chains on his body now so there’s very little chance that he’ll escape. 

Sitting with everyone at dinner gets a bit too crowded for my taste. I can’t watch them if I’m in the middle so I pick a spot in the corner and eat while I memorize their reactions. Kelpie’s are solitary, we have no reason to talk to others. But, a Unicorn would be social, wouldn’t it? 

“Hey, Mouse! Come over here!” August waves at me, “I was telling my friends about that journal you got! Some of them don’t didn’t even know the Iron Spire existed! Or that we have a lake!” 

I stand up and walk over to them, “Why did you tell them at all?”

“Now, now, no need to get upset.” He offers me a spot next to him and another man I don’t recognize. 

“I’m not. I’m just asking for clarification.” I decide to take the offer and sit down. 

“Eh, I wanted them to see your skill.” Skill? This is just a short-term hobby. I get my journal out and show them the little map I’ve made anyway. Are they really so impressed? 

“This is nothing. If I were at full strength, I could manipulate the water beneath us to fill thits entire hall. How well do you swim?” I try not to sound too… proud. 

“See? A little odd, but aren’t these great? The lake is right here!” August points to my drawing. 

I don’t understand why they’re so impressed. “There isn’t a single map of the area anywhere else? How do the hunters find their way around?” 

“Trial and error,” Another man says, “A little late to be asking that now, huh? Anyway, you didn’t see the marked trees outside? Thats how we keep track. The Crone made us get rid of the maps in exchange for.. what was it again?” 

“For uh.. oh! For working spotlights.” As they talk, I finish my food and watch their expressions. Human food tastes fine, I suppose but I need pain. Tearing the body apart adds to the terror, makes the soul taste better. 

“Hey, quit starin'! You’re makin’ me blush!” The man to my right grins, “I know, you noticed my good looks, huh? Ya know, you’re pretty in this light!” 

“What are you talkin’ about?! She’s pretty all the time!” August corrects him. Probably trying to cover up that back-handed compliment. 

“So, what are you, Mouse? Caitlyn said you were a.. Kelpie?” 

“Thats right.” I turn to August, “I’m a water spirit. Kelpie is just the name the humans gave my kind.” 

“Right, so.. whats a spirit?” August takes a swig of his beer. I can feel a smile growing across my face. Ever since Caitlyn asked me, I’ve been trying to think of a good way to explain it and now I can test it out. 

“A spirit, like me, exists for a singular purpose. We don’t have souls like humans and other humanoid creatures.  For example, the Brownies around here are house fae. They exist to help places like this stay clean and prepare the food. They will be good and stay here so long as they are not offended.” 

The men exchange looks before August asks, “And you? You’re a spirit so… whats your purpose?” 

I look down at my empty plate. Should I tell them? Maybe I should try and give more context. 

“A spirit’s purpose is absolute in our minds. This is the only thing we exist to do. We cannot change it. Fion is a human turned lycan. He can change. It will be hard, but he can. I find myself envious of that freedom.” 

If I clear my mind and think back to before the cracking sky, I can hear the sound of my river. The birds. The Wind. 

“My purpose is to hurt others. To drown them. Its the only way I feel… full. One day, I realized I was bored with my life up until that point. I started acting differently. I tried to be kind, even if it was fake. I wanted to see if my purpose could change. Even if I am a spirit.” 

“So..” They’ve been quiet before the man across from me takes a sip of his water, “..you’re basically a pyscho serial killer?” 

“No, I don’t feel joy per say from killing. Feeling accomplished and feeling joy are two different emotions. I must kill, its what I was created to do, but I want to see if I can change that. Its why I want to become a Unicorn.” 

Even if the creature doesn’t exist. 

“And the reason you want to become a Unicorn and change is because you were… bored?” 

“Yes.” 

“Bored.” 

“Yes, as I’ve just said.” The four men have a mix of emotions. August just gives me a blank stare while the other three all respond with words such as, 

“Huh.” 

“Freak.” 

“I’m rethinking my stance on the Crone.” 

After a few beats of silence, August puts his drink down and claps his hands together, “Oh, so you’re a crazy serial killer.” 

His response irritates me so I give him a little kick with my leg. “Ow, ow!” August laughs, “Easy, easy! I’m kidding! 

They start laughing when I get up and chase August around, kicking his backside. They think I’m joking around..? 

“Run, August! Watch out!” They grin and watch us, “Ooh! Watch out for the Kelpie!” 

I pause for just a moment when I hear the scraping of claws against the tile. Using more strength, I kick August across the room and make him crash into the people at the next table and lean back in time to dodge Fion’s claws. 

I’m reminded of the baby on my first day here. I cried, but I didn’t feel anything. I just knew that crying was something people did when a child died. 

And then my mind goes to the child’s mother. I had asked how she could care so much about someone else. It doesn’t seem natural to me. I’m a Kelpie. 

I don’t care about Fion. But.. but something tugs at the back of my mind as I get my bridle out from my cloak. A Kelpie’s bridle is like their heart. If someone gets it, they can control the Kelpie for good unless it can reclaim the bridle by force or coercion. 

It can also be a weapon. I turn mine into a whip and manage to wrap it around Fion’s neck, flinging him out into the snow. A smarter move would be to keep him inside a tight space, less mobility for him, but that would endanger the others and that IS NOT what a Unicorn would do. 

There are burns all around his neck and shoulders from the silver chains. They couldn’t hold him back as well as I thought. 

I crack the ship near his feet, to force him to dodge and get a bit closer to me each time. When he’s within striking range, I jump forward and land a kick right on his jaw. When he falls, I stomp on his chest to knock the wind from his lungs and wrap the whip around his neck. This is what I had planned from the start, just not as messy. Or involving witnesses. 

I prepare to yank the whip back and lacerate his throat but Caetlyn yells from behind me, 

“Stop! Please, don’t kill him!” 

I stop for just a second and its long enough for me to regret it. 

The entire left side of my vision goes dark before pain shoots through my skull as if its being ripped apart on the inside. Fion removes his claws from my eye socket and bites into my neck. The pain from my missing eye and now my neck is enough to make me lose rational thought. 

I control water. Without my full power, I can’t summon floods or control ice but this is enough. 

This is not how a Unicorn should act. I’ve failed.