Kingdom of Salt and Sirens

by J. A. Armitage

  "Please leave, Rhiadon, you're no longer welcome here."

  "I can still come visit..."

  "So, I can be your mistress? Absolutely not. I am worth more than that. Whoever you choose to marry and have children with is worth more than that. I will live alone before I am anything more to you. Stay faithful to your wife, Rhiadon, or your children shall be soulless like me." I turned away from him, my heart breaking. Not just once either. My heart broke as Demetra, and then again for her. I loved dad, but this was a side of him I'd never seen. A side I wasn't sure I liked. One I'd have to deal with once I returned to the water. I couldn't ignore what I'd learned.

  "Are you cursing me, Demetra?" There was no ignoring the threat low in his voice. I would have said in this instant that he was more of a threat than Demetra ever was.

  "As if I'd know how," I responded. "Make me out to be the witch as much as you want, but you won't force that title on me."

  "If I ever find my children become soulless..."

  "Then you can send them to me and I'll do what I can to undo it. I will not stand by and watch children suffer." I still wasn't looking at him. I couldn't. There was too much pain and too much anger underneath everything the two of us were saying.

  He didn't respond. After a few steadying breaths, I turned around, knowing he would be gone already. Rhiadon was never a man to hang around longer than he needed to. Hurt blossomed in my heart at how little I'd meant to him.

  The blackness returned, and this time, I didn't fight it. I knew that whatever I was seeing, I needed to see and if I relaxed into it, I'd have an easier time of it.

  It cleared again and left me with one of the trippiest sights I'd ever seen. I watched my conversation with Demetra from my current point of view. Why was it I'd never noticed how young and naive I looked? No wonder I'd managed to lose my soul. One look at me was enough to know I'd be an easy target.

  I watched myself swimming away, trying not to have a crisis about the situation. The last thing I needed was to send myself crazy when I wasn't.

  "Good luck, Mari. You're going to need it," Demetra-me said aloud, knowing my other self wouldn't hear me.

  Shelbie turned around in the water, fixing Demetra-me with a look I'd never seen from her before. It was like she knew all the history behind this encounter. Demetra’s thoughts revealed her hoped to never have to send Rhiadon's daughter off to search for her soul. She’d hoped he'd have taken better care of her. He should have done. He should have found a way to make her understand what was at stake, even if he couldn't tell her without the pain.

  She’d I hoped he'd learned after what happened to her. She should have known better. He was only ever out for one thing, and it wasn't his child. No doubt if she hadn't come to her, she'd have been banished just as she was. Though maybe not, she hadn't caused three other mermaids to lose their souls too.

  The images began to fade, leaving only the sensation of Demetra's broken heart. Despite everything, it still beat strongly. And now it had a companion: my own.

  8

  A whimper roused me from my sleep. My eyes stuck together as I tried to open them, determined to see if Shelbie was okay. She didn't usually make noises like that and I wanted to stop them before it became anything more serious. The last thing I wanted was my poor companion to be unhappy.

  "What is it, girl?" I asked sleepily, scratching her head even in my half-awake state. Petting her was one of the most natural parts of my day.

  I remembered what Aaron had taught me the day before and focused on the area around her. A soft orange glow enveloped her, and somehow, I knew that was a concern. Maybe my lesson with Aaron had gone better than I thought.

  A soft knocking pulled my attention away from Shelbie's dark fur.

  "Hello?" I called out.

  The door creaked open and Erickson stepped in with a steaming mug in his hand and a what looked like a hunk of bread.

  "Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't realise you wouldn't be dressed." He averted his eyes from my chest.

  "Why would that matter?" I frowned. What was wrong with him.

  "It's not proper for a man to see a woman's breasts unless they're together." His cheeks flamed red.

  "Oh." I hadn't even thought about that cultural difference, even if I was dimly aware of it. I pulled the sheet up to cover my breasts, hoping it would be enough to make him more comfortable again. "It's safe to look, "I told him.

  He looked back up and flashed me one of his smiles. "Thank you. It hadn't even crossed my mind that you might be used to different ways of acting."

  "Me neither. I'll make sure I ask in future if something feels off," I responded.

  "I brought you tea and some breakfast. but I don't know what you like."

  "That's okay, I don't know what I like either," I responded.

  "I just brought some bread. It's nothing fancy, but it is good." He offered it to me, and I took it gracefully.

  I moved the bread to my nose, sniffing it and enjoying the new smell. Something about it just made me think of the sensation of warmth. I nibbled on it, not knowing what to expect. It tasted good. Not quite what I expected, but certainly pleasant.

  Erickson passed me the mug of tea, and I took it. Just like with the bread, this wasn't something I'd ever had before, but the heat coming from the mug certainly seemed like a good thing to wake me up.

  I blew across the top of the mug before taking a sip.

  "This is delicious."

  "Thanks. I didn't know how you'd like it. I drink it with milk, but I guessed that might be a little strange for you, so used honey." He shifted from side to side, distinctly uncomfortable with being in the room with me. Or nervous. He might just be that. I doubted he'd woken up a mermaid every morning, never mind brought her food she may or may not like.

  "I like it."

  Shelbie's tail beat against my legs as she eyed the bread in my hand. I chuckled and set down my mug of tea. Her head followed every movement as I ripped off a piece and fed it to her.

  "I don't think you're supposed to do that for dogs..."

  "She's not a real dog though," I countered, not taking my eyes from my constant companion.

  Part of me wished I'd had longer on my own so I could sort out the mess that was my dream. Or vision? It wasn't clear which of the two it was. Deep down, I knew what I'd seen had really happened, though I didn't know how that made me feel. Dad had been a constant in my life, and to find out he wasn't who I thought he was...it stung.

  Then again, maybe he was exactly who I thought he was. He could have changed since the last time Demetra saw him. In reality, what I'd seen didn't change anything. At least, not for now. When I got home, if I got home, then I might need to act on some of what I'd learned. But for now, I was safe just to carry on with my mission. If anything, I was more convinced than ever that I needed to find the souls. Demetra had shown her true self when she'd helped me despite what my dad had done to her. I couldn't let that go to waste.

  "Are you okay?"

  "Sorry." I shook my head, clearing it of errant thoughts. "I'm not used to sleeping on a bed like this. It was a little on the strange side."

  "I should have thought. Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?" He was still standing in the middle of the room, looking both like he belonged and utterly out of place.

  "No, thank you. But why don't you sit down?" I waved towards the end of the bed. There was plenty of space there.

  He grinned and sat down, leaning against the wall and looking instantly more comfortable. "Are you missing the sea?"

  "Every moment," I answered honestly. "The sea is in my blood. It's everything I am and I can't resist the pull it has over me. Every moment I'm away from it, my heart yearns a little more." There's a wistfulness in my voice that I couldn't ignore, and I was sure that Erickson had heard it in every word.

  "I'm sorry you've had to come to land."

  I laughed lightly. "You don't need to be sorry. It's not your fault my soul was stolen. I'll
probably never know who it was that did." And I had to admit that bugged me. I wanted to be able to look the thief in the eye and make him understand what he'd done by taking my soul. That mer were worth the same as any human. We weren't lesser beings and shouldn't be treated that way.

  He gave me a weak smile, nothing like the charming ones he'd given me the day before. Maybe he was just becoming more comfortable around me and able to show his true emotions rather than the mask he showed the world.

  "Even so, I'm sorry someone did that to you."

  I didn't know what made me do it, but I focused on the area around him, looking for his aura to see how he was feeling. It was harder than it had been with Shelbie. Maybe because he was a human and not an animal? I scrunched up my face, trying to make the aura appear. No matter what I did, it didn't seem to be happening.

  A bright light from the side caught my attention. That was odd. Shelbie had an aura, and yet nothing was showing for Erickson yet.

  Wait...did that mean...

  "You're soulless too?" My eyes widened as I said the words. I hadn't even realised that humans could lose their souls. But then, if mer could have them stolen, then why couldn't others too? We were all created equal after all.

  "What?" He seemed alarmed, but I couldn't put my finger on why that might be.

  "You don't have a soul," I said, drawing out my words a little more. I wasn't sure how it would make things more transparent, but it seemed to help.

  "Oh, right. How did you know?" His eyebrows knit together, confusion coming off him in waves. Not that I could see it in his aura. That thing was as dead as mine and Aaron's was.

  "You don't have an aura," I admitted. "Only soulless people don't have them." I would have to thank Aaron for teaching me how to read them when I next saw him. It was certainly a useful trick, that was for sure.

  "Oh."

  "It's okay, I understand how you feel," I reassured him, leaning in and covering his hand with mine. Though I still made sure to keep the sheet over my breasts. I didn't want to make him uncomfortable again. "It's not something I'd want to admit to people."

  "Then why did you tell me?" His eyes bored into me, leaving me nowhere to hide.

  "I don't know, you have an honest face?" I shrugged.

  Shelbie started nudging on my arm, so I leaned back and let her under, leaving Erickson's hand to sit alone on the covers.

  "I'm glad you feel that way."

  "Is this why you agreed to help me?" I asked. "Find the souls, I mean? Are you hoping yours will be there too?"

  "Souls?"

  Oh. Oops. I hadn't realised I hadn't told him about looking for the other souls.

  "I just thought if I found mine, I might be able to find the souls of the other mer who've had theirs stolen too. Hopefully, it won't be more difficult to save many souls than just one."

  "Ah, yes that does make sense. I mean, I hoped we could find mine too, but I doubt they keep the human and mer souls in the same place."

  "We can look for it afterwards if they don't?" I already felt brighter having someone to share my plight with. If he had just as much at stake in this, then it explained why he wanted to help me.

  A breeze whistled past me. Aaron. With him around as well, I felt even more at ease about the whole situation.

  "What was that?" Erickson looked around the room as if he hoped to find whatever it was that had made the breeze.

  "What was what?" I didn't know what it was that made me keep quiet about Aaron, but I didn't want to tell him about the other man. And that was my prerogative.

  "Oh, nothing. It can't have been anything important," he muttered, waving my concern away.

  Hmm. I wondered what that meant? And why Aaron didn't want to be seen by the human. For now, I'd keep them separate.

  "There's some fresh clothes on the chair there, if you want them. Then we can head out and try and find the souls. I think I have a lead," he told me.

  I perked up at that. The sooner I found them, the sooner I could head back to the sea. I sneaked a glance at Erickson. Though maybe by the end, I wouldn't want to go back. That was something I'd deal with if, and when, I had to.

  9

  I didn't want to admit it out loud, but the size of the buildings intimidated me. We built upwards in the city under the sea too, but it wasn't anything like this. There, I was able to swim to the surface to get away from them. Here, not so much. I actually felt jealous of Aaron and his ability to turn into a wisp of air. It would make the whole place much less imposing.

  Shelbie barked at nothing, her attention completely grabbed by whatever it was that had distracted her. For all I knew, it could be nothing more than a strange smell coming from the bakery down the street. Or a cat. At least I felt prepared for the human world in some ways. I knew what things were and how to use them thanks to the mer who'd successfully been here and passed down stories. Not one of them had lost their soul though. Probably because they hadn't been idiots and gone above the water before eighteen.

  I tripped over my own feet, catching myself on a nearby wall.

  "How long does it take to get used to these things?" I asked Erickson, not really expecting an answer.

  He shrugged. "We normally learn to walk at between nine months and a year old."

  "A year?" I echoed. That was just...I couldn't comprehend what he was saying.

  "Well, it depends on the child and the environment, but that's about average. Normally we're walking well by the time we're fourteen months old."

  "Fourteen?"

  "You seem confused."

  "I am a bit." I pushed away from the wall and steadied myself, trying to find the centre of gravity that worked for me best. "First off, I don't have a year to learn how to walk."

  "That's true." He chuckled. "Though you do seem to mostly have the hang of it."

  I didn't tell him that was because my legs were created with magic and that probably gave me a head start.

  "When did you learn to swim?" he asked, apparently not noticing my silence.

  "I didn't. We're born able to swim." Which was why the whole walking thing surprised me. How did humans get along with being so vulnerable while they were children? That just seemed dangerous.

  "I've heard babies can swim as soon as they're born too," he mused. "But most parents don't leave them in the water long enough."

  "That's a shame. There's nothing as beautiful as being able to go for a swim."

  He scoffed. "I wouldn't be so sure."

  "Have you been back in the water since?"

  "In two days? Heck, no. I've stayed well away and plan to for a long time to come."

  My heart sank despite my wishes. If he didn't like the sea, then there was no chance for the two of us to have anything more than friendship for now. I wasn't sure why that disappointed me as much as it did. I'd work it out later.

  "Sorry, I hadn't considered how short an amount of time it had been," I admitted.

  "That's okay. It's not anything against the sea, but I can see how it would bother you, even if I don't mean it to." He held out his arm, and I took it gratefully. I needed as much help as I could get.

  "I know. I feel the same about land sometimes. We've lived all of our lives in one place, the other is as foreign to us as anything. Just like it's taking me time to get used to land, I'm sure it's just the same for you and the sea."

  "Maybe."

  I stumbled forward, glad for the support he was offering. Without it, I was sure I'd end up flat on the floor without any chance of getting anywhere.

  "Do you know where we're going?" I asked.

  "I have a lead, but I'm not sure how good it will turn out to be."

  "Anything is better than nothing." And I meant it. While Demetra had been as helpful as she could have been, she hadn't told me where I needed to go once I was here.

  "That's very true."

  "How did you find the lead?" I asked.

  "My friend works in the magic quarter. He said they were experimenting on somet
hing new and it might be linked to what I'm looking for."

  I gasped. "They're using souls to make magic?"

  "How else would you do it?"

  I shook my head. Magic wasn't something I could do, but I believed it was a part of me. Just like it was the rest of the mer. I'd heard rumours of other creatures like us too, though I'd never seen one. I wasn't about to ask Erickson about it though. I didn't want to tip any listening ears off that there was more stuff they could harvest from the magical world.

  "I've never tried," I admitted. "Magic isn't really a thing for us."

  "But mermaids are magic," he countered.

  "We're born of magic, but we don't do anything else, really. Some of us have skills with potions though," I added, thinking of Demetra. But she was the only one I knew about. As far as I knew, there wasn't anyone else in our city who could do what she could. Though there might be in some of the other mer cities around the world. If I got my soul back, I was going to travel. I would see everything I could about the world. Even if that meant long swims and lonely nights.

  "We're never taught about mer," he mused.

  "Not even a mention?" That was interesting. We were taught all about humans from as soon as we could walk. But then, I guessed that made sense. Humans were more of a threat to us than we were to them.

  "Just stories. Those from sailors. There is one legend, about a mermaid coming on land to try and marry a Prince."

  "We have that one too," I responded. "Every step she took was painful."

  "Not unlike yours now." He turned slightly, giving me a cheeky grin but not taking his eyes from where we were going. I liked that. It showed that he at least had some consideration for my unstableness.

  "I wouldn't say it hurts to step. It's just not the easiest thing for me to do," I countered. At least, I didn't feel like knives were slicing through the soles of my feet every time I set one down. Which was how bad the legend said it was.

  "Good to know. What happens at the end of your version of the story?"