Mari Prothero had always seen things – things that no one else could see – tiny manlike creatures that lived in the sea or streams, and seemed to be made of water. They always treated her kindly.
Mari grew up in a small Welsh fishing village, where her father was a master fisherman. Her mother and brother had been killed by a rogue wave when Mari was just a baby, so he was all the family she had. Until her eighteenth birthday, where he confessed the secret of his fishing luck. The Prothero family had long ago made a deal with the Selch – half-human, half-seal people. Her mother and brother were not dead, they had simply returned to their people beneath the sea. Now Mari must have a child with the Selch to maintain the family’s luck.
Far away in London, the Wizard of London can tell that a new Water Master on the coast of Wales is coming into their power. He dispatches some interesting champions to seek out the Master, and they’re soon able to help Mari stand up to the Selch when the bargain goes awry.
I really enjoy the Elemental Masters books – they’re a fun slice of Victorian life with an interesting system of magic thrown in for good measure. This one went by a little faster than I would have liked, but was still an enjoyable story.