Seiche

Sullivan, a seiche boy, with Masseter and Petra at the head of the Skidwrack River.

## Book information

### Mentioned

*Greenglass House*

The ****s******eiche** are a mythical species that live underneath the Skidwrack River. They are extremely beautiful, and are said to occasionally come ashore, but need a sacrifice to be made so they can stay; the Skidwrack River rises until the sacrifice is made. Most seiche in legends are female, though there is known to be at least one male seiche that came ashore.

Nagspeake cartographers marked dangerous or unexplored places with 'hic abuntant sepiae', meaning 'here are many seiche', or sometimes simply an otter, which the seiche are somehow associated with.

## History

### *Greenglass House*

Mr. Vinge told Milo about the seiche, because he was reading *The Raconteur's Commonplace Book*. He explained that Nagspeake cartographers wrote 'hic abundant sepiae', which meant 'here are many seiche', on maps to indicate dangerous or unexplored areas. He noted that the seiche can only stay ashore if they find a human who is willing to take their place under the Skidwrack. Milo recalled this story from the book, which he thought creepy. Mr. Vinge noted that otters were sometimes drawn in place of a warning.

Milo returned to the story of the seiche in *The Raconteur's Commonplace Book*. Sullivan explained how superstitious people crossed themselves when they saw river otters, afraid of the seiche, except for some odd foolish people who thought they wanted to meet one, since the seiche were beautiful.

### *The Raconteur's Commonplace Book*

After Sullivan told a story about the Coldway, Captain Frost commented on how he'd thought it was going to be a story about the seiche. He then proceeded to suggest that Sullivan knew more about the seiche than he did, then helped teach Maisie what the seiche were. He pointed out a symbol of river otters with the caption "HIC ABUNDANT SEPIAE" on a map. Sullivan interjected to tell that otters were associated with the seiche by suspicion. Captian Frost and Sorcha told about how the seiche were said to be beautiful, and how when they left the water, seiche girls had to find someone willing to take their place in the river; otherwise the Skidwrack River would rise in a flood. If the seiche returned to the water after a day, they would die, and if a human took their place in the river, they, too, would die.

Maisie could tell that there was a tenseness in the room, and connected it to Sullivan's appearance and Frost's pointed almost-accusations—everyone suspected Sullivan was a seiche. Maisie looked to Sorcha and found that Sorcha knew it to be true, and yet was not afraid; it seemed that she'd met seiche before. Sullivan then suggested that a seiche girl hadn't found her sacrifice, and that was why the river was flooding, and Frost in turn asked if it could be a seiche boy. Sullivan seemed to acknowledge that he was, indeed, a seiche, and Captain Frost grabbed Sullivan, meaning to throw him into the river to make the floods end, but he was stopped. Sullivan admitted that his sacrifice had already been made, and insisted that the seiche were monsters, killing others just so they could change their circumstances. Sullivan then left the room. Sullivan and Captain Frost later made up, Sullivan admitting that he sought remorse. Petra and Sullivan ended up falling in love.

## Physical characteristics

**Sorcha**: Not just beautiful. Magnificent. Stunning.

— *The Raconteur's Commonplace Book*, pg. 164 |  | ”

Seiche are said to be stunningly beautiful and perfect. Sullivan, a seiche, is this way, although he has a scar under his eye. Sullivan has a tan and his eyes are said to change. Sullivan can walk on water.