“Macha seemed almost human last night.”
“She was blending in. An important skill for people like her. I mean, she can’t very well walk around all fanged out and scaled up. And you’ve seen her wings. Can you imagine what people would do if they saw her like that? They’d proclaim the apocalypse and freak the fuck out. You put on that human skin and… become like those around you.”
Duke winced inwardly at the memory of Arla and what she did to so many people. “So what are you?”
“I am the son of the sea. And for clarification, this is my skin.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that during the formation of this Earth, and all the living things on it, I just sort of… happened. A happy accident if you will. Look, my story isn’t yours. You’re asking me to clarify things that will never be clear or known. And if they were, the world would lose a lot of it’s luster. Meanwhile, what you really want to know is if your Jennifer will be safe. And the answer is yes. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have to learn how to stand on her own. She’s meant to be more than your darling princess you know.”
“I’m not trying to repress her.”
“I know you’re not. But you’re going to drive the both of you bonkers if you keep acting like some cracked out mother hen over her.”
“I am trying to make sense out of everything that has happened in the last few days, especially all that crazy shit that your girlfriend has said and done.”
“My girlfriend? You mean…? Oh. Hell no. No. No and no. Not that she’s not beautiful. You’ve seen her, at least in her human form. No, she and I have never… been that to each other. We’re the two of the oldest beings on the planet that you are ever likely to encounter -- if you’re lucky. And, if you didn’t pick it up from before, I’m older. I knew her as an infant. And protected her as a favor to her father.”
“What about her mother?”
“The mothers of Nephalim… They don’t survive the birth. When she grew past infancy. When it was impossible to conceal what she was.. That’s when the assassination attempts started happening. From all sides. Her father, with his position… Well, there was little he could do. Except drop a sword her way that made sure nothing and no one would ever get the drop on her. You were on your own at a young enough age. Your father put his perceived duty ahead of you almost all of your life. HER father’s duty does not fall under the perceived category. And I will never know what it really cost him to do what little he did for her. But can you even imagine what it would have been like?”
“I thought you were supposed to protect her.”
“I tried. In the end, she held that sword and defended the both of us.”
“What happened?”
Manannan shook his head and continued what explanation he was willing to share.
“Her adoptive parents, Danu and Daghda, are more like me. I advised her to go to them. She could conceal herself among them. But she had to put up with a lot of SHIT to be able to do so. Both Maeve and Rhiannon worked to put a stop to it. And her loyalty to them is… Unquestionable. You wanna question her tactics? Feel free. You wanna question her humanity? She doesn’t have any. But don’t question her loyalty. If the daughter of Maeve goes missing, Macha would carve Haven off the surface of the world if she needed to in order to find her. She failed Rhiannon where Pryderi is concerned and that will never sit right with her. She won’t fail again.”
“What about Duke?”
Audrey emerged from the shadows on the pier. Duke hadn’t even heard her approach though Manannan didn’t look to surprised to see her.
“You mean if the last of her descendants was to go missing?”
Audrey nodded. Manannan shrugged and shook his head.
“You saw what she did to make sure something like that couldn’t happen, didn’t you?”
Duke and Audrey both nodded.
“Hell, you go missing outside of what she can manage to track you down, Duke and the rest of us had better hope she doesn’t decide to give her daddy a ring.” {Duke going missing was never part of the planned story. Manannan's statement illustrates Macha's narrow form of love and its potentially destructive expressions. In a narrative like Stay, however this looks like too heavy of a foreshadowing to be left.}
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