Kingdom of Salt and Sirens

by J. A. Armitage

  I shrugged. "Much the same as in your version, I guess. She falls in love with the Prince, he with her, they get married and live happily ever after."

  Erickson's face fell. "That's not the same as our version," he responded. "Ours is a lot more sinister. She loses her chance to marry the Prince. When her sisters find out, they barter for a dagger. The mermaid could return to the sea if she stabbed the Prince through the heart with it."

  I shuddered. "That's horrible. Did she do it?" If she had, then maybe it would explain why humans seemed to be so against the mer.

  "No. She turned into sea foam and disappeared into the air. Some versions say she's taken pity on by some sylphs and became one of them."

  "Sylphs?" I'd never heard of them and had no idea what he meant. They certainly weren't part of the stories I'd been told as a child.

  "I don't know how to explain them. They're made of air and hang around in the atmosphere."

  "And what do they do to her?"

  "I'm not sure. In our version of the story, mermaids don't have souls. When they die, they turn to sea foam and just cease to exist."

  I laughed lightly as we turned down another street. "I can assure you, that's not what it's like."

  "I guessed. You can't have a soul stolen if you didn't have one to begin with."

  "Which do you think is the true version of the story?" My words came out barely above a whisper. Part of me didn't want to ask at all. Especially if it would mean he said he thought his version was the right one. If that was true, then how had my people gotten souls to begin with...

  "Neither. I think it's nothing more than a story. Each side will tell it the way that puts their own people in the best light. Just like with every other legend like that."

  "I suppose..." Though I didn't like to think of the mermaid I'd heard so much about as nothing more than fiction. She'd been an inspiration to so many young mer who wanted adventure. Not so much on land, but out in the open sea.

  "You never know, maybe one day they'll be telling our story like they do hers," he said jovially.

  I gave him a weak smile. Maybe they would, though that might not be a good thing. So far, I didn't feel like there was anything to learn from my tale. Other than not to go above the water before eighteen. And even then, no one would be able to tell that story until the young mer were above that age anyway. It was a vicious circle that couldn't be changed. At least, not as far as I could tell, anyway.

  10

  "We're here," Erickson announced as we stopped in front of a large shop window displaying all kinds of magical sights.

  "Wow." I tracked a group of lights as they shot up into the space above the display, sending a shower of sparks raining down and echoing the appearance of a sea anemone.

  "It's something, isn't it?" He didn't seem anywhere near as awed as I did. But then, he'd lived on land his whole life. This kind of thing was probably more normal for him.

  "I don't know how you get anything done with this kind of wonder around you," I admitted. There was truly something mystical about it. I wanted to see more and not tear my eyes away at the same time.

  "You get used to it. Most of us don't see magic very often at all. These shops are only for the wealthy. They bring their children here to choose toys."

  "Oh." Which raised the question of how he knew someone that worked here, but I let that one sit for the moment. "How do you know the guy?"

  "We went to school together." He left me standing at the window and knocked on the door. "You coming?"

  I nodded and rushed over to him, regretting it moments later when I nearly fell over again. I shouldn't be trying to do anything so strenuous before my legs were capable of it. Overestimating myself was just going to end in disaster.

  Just as I reached the door, a rush of air flew past me. Aaron? Or just some random weather phenomenon that had nothing to do with him and everything to do with wishful thinking on my part. And if it was him, what was he trying to tell me? I wished he'd take his full form more often, it would make communicating a lot easier.

  The door swung open to reveal a scrawny redheaded man, with a scruffy beard and clothes that looked like they'd seen better days. While his rough appearance made him seem older. Somehow, I didn't think that was the case. He was probably the person we were here to see, which put him around the same age as Erickson. Though I didn't know what that was. It seemed rude to pry.

  "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

  "We need to talk to you, Toby," Erickson replied.

  Toby grunted. "You and..."

  "This is Mari." He leaned in so he was close to the other man's ear. "She's a mermaid."

  "A real one?"

  "Why would I tell you otherwise if she wasn't?"

  "Lots of reasons. What proof have you got?"

  "She's the one that saved my life." Their conversation was in hushed tones, but it was enough for me to know what they were saying. Maybe my ears were just stronger than they were supposed to be or something?

  "Hmm. Fine, come in. But make sure she doesn't touch anything."

  "You okay with that?" Erickson asked me.

  I nodded. If I could go into the shop with all the magical things, I'd be one happy mer. It didn't matter if I wasn't able to touch anything. I'd take that as just part of the price.

  "I don't know what you're trying to achieve here, Erik..."

  "I'm not trying to achieve anything," he responded. "The mermaid is looking for something precious to her."

  "What could possibly be precious to a mermaid?" Toby sneered.

  "Her soul," Erickson answered, before leaning in and mumbling something else to him, but I couldn't work out what.

  Instead of bothering to try, I let my attention wander around the room, taking in the strange sights the magic shop offered. It wasn't as bright and engaging as the window display had been, but there was still something about the words and the packaging that called to me. Though maybe there was a somewhat sinister reason for that if souls really were the driving force behind it.

  "Can you help?" I asked Toby once the two of them had finished their hushed conversation. I had no idea what they'd talked about, but Toby had a broad smile on his face now, and I hoped that meant he was more likely to help us now.

  "Not personally, but there's a warehouse not far from here. I've heard rumours that you can buy anything you want from there, including souls."

  My heart skipped a beat. "You've heard about the sale of souls?"

  He nodded. "Everyone in the magic industry has. Very few people use them, though. They're too expensive and too volatile to work with."

  The words sounded more disappointed than anything else, and bile rose in my throat. I wished I didn't have to ask for help from someone like this. He clearly had no respect for life. Not if he was talking about the souls of living beings like that. But I had to take my help where I could find it. Even if I was secretly glad that Erickson had said he knew the other man from school and not because they were friends now. I didn't like the idea of Erickson being wrapped up in the use of souls like that.

  "Can you give us directions?" I asked, hoping it would be as simple as that.

  "No need. It's the Smith warehouse."

  Erickson startled. "Are you sure?"

  I gave him a questioning look, wondering what it was that had surprised him so much.

  "Absolutely sure."

  "What's the Smith warehouse?" I probably should have kept quiet and been glad to have the information I did, but Erikson's reaction was making me warier than I should be.

  "It's a toy warehouse," he answered. "I used to work there." Ah. Hence why we wouldn't need directions. That did kind of make sense.

  "What an odd place to sell souls from," I mused.

  "Or the perfect one," Toby responded. "No one expects anything bad to happen in a place where they deal with things for kids."

  "Hmm. I suppose that's true." Though even I knew it was probably more to do with who was selling the souls
than the where.

  "Do we need to ask for anyone in particular?" Erickson picked up a small box while he was asking and read the label.

  "Old John Doe," Toby responded.

  "Isn't that the generic name they give to dead people with no name?" Erickson asked. I was glad he did. I'd never have known something like that.

  Toby shrugged. Probably because he didn't care what name the man used. "No idea. That's just what I was told to ask for."

  "Great, thanks." Erickson flashed him an almost genuine smile. "We'd probably better get going," he announced, walking over to me and putting a hand on my back. It was both welcome and not. I didn't actually know how to feel about our closeness.

  "Any time, mate. Just be careful, right? Magic and souls are dangerous. People will go a long way to protect their livelihood."

  Erickson nodded. "We'll be careful. Thanks again."

  He pushed me towards the door before I could say anything. Was he worried I'd say something wrong? Or was it to do with his friend? I supposed it didn't matter too much. We had a lead, and that was a step in the right direction.

  11

  The warehouse was bigger than I expected. Not that I'd known what it would be like. It was another thing we didn't really have under the water that they seemed to here. They had a lot more space though. Which seemed ridiculous given the vastness of the oceans. Maybe it was because we couldn't build too far up for fear of ships ripping their hulls on the tops of our buildings. Now I thought about it, the number of ways that we avoided discovery from the humans should have tipped me off that something wasn't quite right. I supposed it was a case of live and learn. Hopefully, I'd be able to look back at my naivety and laugh.

  Maybe.

  Right now, my hopes weren't that far up. I'd have a long way to go before there was any humour in the situation.

  "It's just around this corner," Erickson told me.

  I nodded, there wasn't any need to do any more. He probably wasn't expecting a response either. Nerves fluttered in my belly. I had no idea what to expect when we got there, nor how this John man was going to respond when we asked him about souls. Maybe this was all a wild goose chase, and he didn't know anything about any of this. That wasn't an eventuality I liked the sound of.

  "Wait here," he instructed when we arrived at what looked like the front doors. It was hard to tell though. They were as large and grey as the rest of the structure.

  "Okay."

  Shelbie nestled against my legs, surprisingly quiet given how much she'd been enjoying running about before. We watched as Erickson disappeared into the building, hopefully in order to find John and not just to abandon me here.

  Shelbie yipped happily and ran out from behind me.

  "No..." I started to shout, but trailed off as soon as I saw Aaron's form materialising in front of me. "It's you." I relaxed slightly as his chuckle filled the space.

  Somehow, he leaned down and scratched Shelbie's head. I wasn't sure if it was the tickling sensation of his hand passing through her that she liked, or if he'd managed to make himself more solid than before. I prayed for the latter, it would be less weird, that was for sure.

  "What are you doing here?" I asked, while kind of being thrilled he was. He'd said he'd help me and it was reassuring that he wasn't just giving up on that.

  He stepped forward, crowding me into a doorway and out of sight from any potential passers-by.

  "I think the souls are in that warehouse," he whispered.

  I nodded. "Yes, Erickson was told there might be a man in there who can help us. His friend said the man was selling souls."

  "Selling souls?" he echoed.

  I nodded eagerly. "Yes, apparently they're used for magic? But it sounds like the trade is a little frowned upon." At least, that had been my take on what Toby had said. There was a chance I'd misinterpreted it though.

  "Magic? That's not what humans use souls for."

  "Isn't it? It's what Erickson and Toby said they were for."

  "Has it crossed your mind that they might have been being less than truthful?" Aaron demanded, a lot more forcibly than he'd said anything to me before.

  I stepped back, flattening myself against the door behind me to put as much distance between us as possible. "Why would they be lying about that?" I stammered. As far as I could see, there was absolutely nothing to gain for them not to tell me the truth. If Erickson hadn't wanted to help me, then he could easily have just let me be when he'd first found me. I wouldn't have even blamed him. I was a lot of work as I got used to having legs.

  "I don't know..."

  "Then surely it's better to assume people are telling the truth?" I was determined to believe in what I was saying, even if a small part of me had to admit that Erickson insisting on me staying behind was a little odd. How was I supposed to save the mer souls if I wasn't allowed in the building with them? It just didn't make very much sense.

  "I just have a bad feeling about it all. Promise me you won't go into the warehouse with him?"

  "How else am I supposed to do it? If the souls really are in there..."

  "Just trust me, please? Don't go in there with Erickson. I have a bad feeling about it if you do..."

  "Okay. I promise. I won't go in with him." Though I'd be sure to find a way in by myself. If the souls were there, I'd find them. They deserved to be freed as quickly as I could manage. Even if Aaron was right and they weren't being used for magic, I couldn't take the risk. It would feel like a failure if I failed to return a soul to someone who still needed it.

  "Thank you."

  I flashed him a weak smile, hoping it wouldn't look as if I didn't trust him. I wanted to trust in them both, even if they were saying things that seemed to contradict one another. No matter, I'd work out what was really going on and deal with it. There was too much at stake for there to be any other option.

  Footsteps sounded on the street, causing Aaron's eyes to widen. "I have to go." He didn't wait for me to respond before disappearing into thin air. It was a neat trick, but also an annoying one for me.

  I sighed dramatically. Why couldn't things be simple?

  Shelbie's bark drew my attention to the street where Erickson seemed to be running towards us.

  "Is everything okay?" I asked. It was a stupid question really. He was running towards me with a slightly panicked look on his face. Of course, everything wasn't okay.

  "We need to come back tomorrow." He grabbed my arm and twisted me around.

  I yelped and fell to the floor, not yet having the balance to cope with what he was doing, never mind running alongside him. Shelbie had other ideas though and was already bouncing off down the street, looking back every couple of yards to make sure we were following.

  "I'm sorry," he offered as he helped me to my feet. "I forgot you wouldn't be able to run yet."

  "That's okay." I dusted myself off. "I guess we'd probably get going?"

  He nodded. "I asked for John, and they said he wasn't working. But then I was given a weird look. I think they knew what I was there for..."

  "You think there's more than just John involved?" I asked, trying to focus on the conversation and walking quickly at the same time. I didn't know how humans managed it, I already felt like a mess and I'd barely started.

  "It looks that way, and now we're going to have to be more careful. They know what I look like, I'd hate for them to discover what you look like too. Then we'd never stand a chance of getting in."

  I had no idea how he was talking and running at the same time. It was taking everything I had to keep my legs moving. This was harder than swimming long distance, that was for sure. Though maybe that was just because I wasn't used to it. Instead of responding with words, I just made an odd grunt that I hoped he took for agreement.

  Though a part of me recalled what Aaron had said. Suspicion ripped through me. Why were we departing so suddenly? Was it really because he was worried about being recognised, or was it something more than that? Maybe it was more to do with
him not wanting me to truly know what was going on. Or perhaps whatever trap he was setting wasn't ready for me yet...

  No. I wouldn't think like that. I couldn't. Erickson had been nothing but kind to me from the moment we met, I wasn't going to repay that with suspicion and deceit. He deserved more than that. And I was better than that. I would trust him to do precisely what he said he would. And just hoped I wasn't going to regret it.

  12

  Sitting on my bed wasn't exactly the way I'd expected this night to end. If things had gone to plan, I'd maybe even have been swimming home, triumphant in having saved the souls and earning back the affection of the other mer. Though I wasn't entirely convinced I'd lost it anyway. It could just be Demetra's memories making me think I had.

  I shuddered. Would I get more of her memories once I closed my eyes? I hoped not. Mostly because I didn't want there to be more secrets I needed to know, and partly because I didn't want to see certain situations including dad.

  Shelbie pushed her head under my hand, no doubt urging me to scratch behind her ears. I did, staring at the wall absentmindedly and trying to work out what I was going to do about the situation. Technically, I knew where the souls were being hidden, and I knew that I needed to break whatever it was containing them. If I could make my way back to the warehouse, then I should be able to do this without anyone's help.

  But that could mean betraying Erickson. He'd done a lot to help me, could I really just abandon him? Then again, Aaron had said I couldn't trust him. Perhaps there was something in that.

  A part of me was curious though. I wanted to know what was in the warehouse and no one was telling me. Even if I quizzed Erickson for the details, I doubted he'd tell me. And Aaron had clearly not investigated any further than I had.

  Fine. That was it. I would go and investigate the warehouse and nothing more than that. I could then report back to Erickson and seem like I was being helpful and not mistrustful. Of course, the other option would be that I would get caught and turned into magic, but it was better if I didn't consider that too closely.