“Fari is the reason we got all this training equipment here!” Shaw yelled. “You all saying we contributed nothing? Go back to the ocean and paddle boats around and swim naked with blassina all day or whatever you do in Tigan. See what I care! Pooski take you all!”

My head came up. “The sea serpent? I thought he was a joke.”

Pooski concept sketch. Credit: Kristen Wilde

Shaw turned her glare on me first before yelling at Meska again. “He’s not a joke, and he’s going to unleash his wrath on your family, Meska, if you don’t start playing this game right!”

“All right, let’s all calm down,” Melli, acting as referee and disturbingly dressed in his training uniform, which no one wanted to see on an old man, said.

Shaw sat down with a thump and a growl.

Pooski concept sketch. Credit: Tori McKenna