Of Sea and Song

by Chanda Hahn

  The mermaid bride fell to her knees and sobbed. Aura reached out to Brennon, touched his temple, and whispered, “Vide!”

  Brennon faltered and shook his head. He looked down at Velora with a confused look on his face.

  Aura returned to face me. “There, his mind is clear. There are no more secrets between you.”

  Unbelievably, my sister, the empath, with a single touch had broken whatever spell the sea witch put on Brennon. But it wouldn’t help me. It wouldn’t save me from the curse. I looked down at the scar. White veins spread out over my heart, and I knew I had only minutes left.

  “Oh no. Meri?” She read my mind and her eyes went to my heart, her finger tracing the scar.

  “Stop, Aura. There’s nothing you can do.” I pulled her hand away. I winced in pain and fell to my knees.

  The giant tidal wave I called and was holding back to destroy us all almost broke. The kraken retreated back into the safety of the sea. Lad was nudging Vasili. From within Vasili’s jacket, I saw the silver handle of the enchanted dagger. The fool had brought it with him. I glanced away, trying to build the wall in my mind to keep Aura out.

  “No, there is.” She looked over at the dagger. “You just don’t have the strength to do it.” She grasped my wrists and glared into my eyes.

  “I can’t do it. I love him too much.” I turned to look over at Brennon, who looked disheveled. Velora was crying and grabbing on to him, but he was trying to fight her hands and come to me across the deck.

  “Meri!” Brennon cried out, his eyes clear and filled with love.

  Velora knew she was losing him. She picked the conch up from the deck and began to drink greedily.

  “That’s for your sister!” Sirena cried out and tried to pull it away. “We must use it to save your youngest sister.”

  Velora didn’t listen.

  I gasped and sucked in a painful breath through my teeth and looked at Velora who had placed the shell to her mouth and was now draining my life.

  Aura focused her attention on the sea witch. Her head cocked to the side as she listened to the witch’s thoughts and feelings. “You’re a twin? The sea birthed two songs?” Aura looked to me for confirmation. “Whatever does that mean?”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Sirena patted her white hair, and then I realized how similar she looked to Queen Darya. I closed my eyes and listened to the siren ancestral songs, and I searched for the sea witch’s and heard a silent echo. A siren without a voice. Sirena’s face turned dour with rage.

  She raced for the shell and pushed Velora to the ground. She lifted it to her lips and drank from the conch.

  Pain. Searing pain burned into my chest, and I collapsed to my knees in agony, the white curse mark digging deep into my heart. Her mouth came away bloody, and she wiped it with the back of her hand.

  “Very clever of you, little sorceress. Yes, a century ago, the sea thought to spare her daughter from growing up alone, so she bore twin songs. And yes, I was mute. Cut off from all power. Cut off from my destiny. Never before had a mute siren been born. They didn’t know what to do with me. I was an outcast, never to marry the prince of the overland and get my own happy ending. No, that was Darya’s path, so I left the Undersea, met a sorcerer who gave me my voice and the power to create my own daughters, my own lineage. And I plotted for the day when I could take everything that matters from my sister.”

  A smile crossed her face. “And when you die, I will have my ultimate revenge and will kill the prince.”

  “No, not him!” With a mighty shove, Velora ripped the shell from her mother and knocked her overboard. The sea witch cried out as she fell into the sea. “I will not let you harm him. I will protect him by killing you.” Velora drank from the shell, and I fell to the deck, my head hung low.

  Brennon reached my side and pulled me into his arms. I felt so cold.

  “Meri, please tell me what is happening?”

  Aura answered. “That girl is killing her.” She pointed to Velora. “With every sip, she is draining her life.”

  Brennon roared out a command. “Stop it now!”

  Velora pulled her lips away, and a trickle of blood dripped down her chin. “Never. Not until she’s dead.” She took a final drink and held the shell upside down. “It is finished.”

  Lad let out a furious bark and charged Velora. She yelped as the seal chased her around the deck, leading her to the railing as a giant tentacle reached out and took a swipe at Velora.

  She screamed as she hit the deck, narrowly missing being knocked into the raging sea.

  My vision became blurry, and I grasped onto Brennon’s shirt. “I’m sorry.”

  “Tell me! There has to be a way to save you.”

  “There isn’t,” I lied.

  Aura ran toward Vasili.

  “No.” Brennon’s eyes filled with tears. “I just got you back. I won’t lose you.”

  A shadow moved behind Brennon, and a speck of silver glimmered in the air.

  “No!” I raised my hand to stop Aura.

  Brennon turned as Aura tried to drive the dagger into his heart. He blocked the blow with his forearm, and Aura cried out as she lost the grip on the dagger.

  “No, let me save my sister. It’s only right.” Tears of frustration ran down her face.

  “What do you mean?”

  Aura pointed to the glowing gem. “The dagger glows near the heart of the one she loves. We can sacrifice them in her stead.”

  “Is this true?” Brennon looked at me.

  “No,” I whimpered painfully. My legs had now gone limp. “She lies.”

  Aura was beautiful in her righteous anger. “No, I read the sea witch’s thoughts. It’s true.”

  Brennon’s jaw twitched, and he looked at me, love filling his eyes. “Then do it.” He picked up the dagger and handed it back to Aura.

  “Aura, don’t,” I warned. “If you do, I will never forgive you.”

  “It’s my fault,” Aura said. “If I’d been stronger, you never would have defended me that day and killed Armon. You wouldn’t have run away. This wouldn’t have happened.” The dagger trembled in Aura’s small hands. “I can make it right. I can save you.”

  “It is my destiny,” I wept. “Please, don’t kill him. I love him.”

  “Took you long enough to admit what I already knew.” Brennon smiled. He brushed my hair out of my face and leaned down to give me a soft kiss on my lips. When he broke away, I wanted to cry. He turned and kneeled before Aura, unbuttoning his shirt to expose his heart.

  Now faced with what she was about to do, Aura hesitated. She had never so much as harmed a fly.

  “Here.” Brennon pointed between two ribs. “Angle it upward and then twist it to make it quick and clean.”

  I slid to the deck, my vision becoming blurry. My arms stopped working; my lungs were struggling to breathe as paralysis took over.

  “Nooo!” I sobbed as Aura adjusted the dagger, and her arm pulled back to strike.

  A hand knocked the dagger out of her grasp, and it clattered on the deck. The gemstone in the handle went dark. From my position, black boots stopped in front of the dagger. A pale hand reached down to pick it up, and the dagger glowed brightly.

  I followed the dagger’s glow and looked up into the determined face of Vasili. The weapon thrummed and glowed in his hands as well, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt what he was planning on doing.

  “No,” I whispered as tears leaked out of my eyes. “Vasili, please, don’t.”

  Vasili held up the glowing dagger. His voice was full of emotion. “Y-you love me?” he asked in disbelief.

  I closed my eyes. I did. He was my best friend, my protector, and I realized there was a small spot in my heart reserved just for him.

  “Then that is enough.” He looked up at the sky and took a deep breath before meeting my eyes. “It has come full circle. Maybe you saved me just for this moment, so I could save you.”

  “No, don’t,” I whispered.
<
br />   “It will be a noble death. I can finally protect you the way I was born to.”

  “Vasili, brother, give it to me,” Brennon growled. He took a step forward. His hand reaching for the dagger.

  Vasili shook his head and looked at me. “I failed to protect her once.” His voice filled with conviction. “I won’t fail a second time.” The dagger’s jewel pulsed in his hands. He turned its tip toward his heart.

  Brennon rushed for Vasili, and they fought over the weapon.

  With my last dying breath, I cried out, and my control over the tidal wave broke and it came crashing toward the Bella Donna as all hell broke loose.

  “Meri,” a voice sobbed.

  My eyes fluttered open, and I looked up into the worried eyes of Aura.

  “You’re alive,” she breathed out and pulled me into a hug. “I can’t believe you’re alive.”

  Aura was soaked, her hair plastered to her face, and I looked behind her to see the main mast had broken and crashed into the deck, causing major structural damage. Sails were torn and scattered, and we were taking on water, slowly sinking. The tidal wave crushed the Bella Donna, and most of the crew was gone. The few remaining had formed a bucket brigade and were doing their best to keep the ship afloat. Hammering was coming from below, and longshoremen were trying to evacuate the guests into the longboat and take them safely to shore.

  The Undersea guard was working alongside the crew and were trying their best to save the ship.

  I looked down at my chest and saw the white coral curse mark had disappeared, and in its place was a single white scar that looked like it was made by a dagger and had healed over.

  “N-no,” I muttered and grasped Aura’s shoulder to help me stand up. Brennon stood over a still form. His shoulders were shaking, his head bowed in respect, and I knew what happened.

  “I tried to stop him.” Brennon’s hands trembled as tears fell from his cheeks.

  Vasili was dead, the dagger embedded in his heart. He looked at peace. Even though I was alive, I was still weak. Aura helped me over to Vasili, and I clutched his hand in mine.

  “What were you thinking?” I muttered softly.

  “He wanted an honorable death,” Aura answered in his stead. “He wasn’t really living after they stole you from the Undersea. He spent his life trying to atone for his mistake, and he found a way to do it.” A single empathetic tear fell down her cheek. “He was truly happy in the end. A sacrifice of love, and because of that, his memory will live on forever.”

  “He shouldn’t have paid that kind of price,” I whispered.

  “You did,” Aura corrected. “You made a deal with the sea witch to save the crew.”

  Brennon’s face filled with astonishment. “You did what? I can’t believe you.” He took a step toward me and reached to pull me into a hug.

  I glanced at the gold marriage cuff on his arm and retreated. He wasn’t mine. He belonged to someone else. And knowing that was killing me.

  “Stop,” I whispered. “Don’t.”

  “Meri, I love you.”

  “And I, you,” I said, tears falling from my face. “But this should never have happened.” I pointed at Vasili’s still form. “He should still be alive.”

  Brennon’s eyes darkened. “Do you wish it was me instead?” He was angry. He finally realized I loved both of them, though not the same. Brennon was my true love; Vasili as my dearest friend.

  “No. It should have been me. I should have been the one who died!” I cried out, and Aura reached for me. I waved my hand at her, and she stopped. “I wish you wouldn’t have come.” I turned to Aura. “This is all your fault.” I pointed at Vasili’s body.

  Aura’s lips pinched together, and her face filled with rage. “Look around you, Meri.” She gestured to the ship and the wreckage that still floated around in the ocean. “You are the embodiment of the sea. Your death almost killed us all. If it wasn’t for Vasili’s sacrifice, we surely would have died. But not just us.” Her eyes glittered with anger. “If you died, tidal waves, typhoons, and hurricanes would have destroyed the coasts of Candor, Sion, and Isla. Your death would have impacted the seven kingdoms.” She touched her head. “I have seen it. Why do you think I followed you here? I mean, it took Maeve almost getting stuck in a mirror before Rhea figured out how to protect me during travel.” She held up a bracelet that was a braid of silver, gold, and glass.

  I couldn’t believe what I just heard. Rhea figured out how to travel through mirrors. That was something the strongest of sorcerers couldn’t do, and my sister had done it.

  Her scolding only made me feel inferior. She was right. I could still feel the power of the sea coursing through my body, and her emotions were my own, and they were turbulent.

  It was only then when I took a moment to look around the deck did I see it was more than just Vasili who died. Other bodies had been wrapped in canvas and tied together, ready to be transported off the ship.

  And the king. I killed the King of Isla.

  I did this. I killed them. I was a murderer, and when I looked around, I didn’t necessarily feel remorse. I felt anger and an intense and despicable feeling of pride.

  Bitterness rose in my mouth as I felt my loathing overcome me. This was not right. The sea matched my mood, and the waves became choppy. Oh stars. I would hurt more people if I didn’t get away right now.

  I ran up to the bow and looked down at the water below.

  “Meri, wait.” Brennon rushed toward me, and my eyes locked in on the marriage cuff.

  “Why? There’s nothing for me here.”

  “I’m here.” He touched his chest.

  “But you are not mine.” I pointed to the cuff and to a distraught Velora, who was a sobbing mess of tears.

  His face fell as he looked at the marriage cuff and his wife in confusion.

  I jumped, my body falling into the waves, becoming one with the water, disappearing among the sea foam.

  Chapter Thirty

  My toes dug into the white sand as I laid out on the beach, listening to the song of the waves crashing into the reefs. It was my perfect island sanctuary. The sea revealed it to me, and I claimed it as my home. It was impossible to get to, and the waters were treacherous because of a ring of storms caused by magic, a hidden coral reef, and the fog that surrounded my island at night.

  A perfect place for a sorceress to live in solitude, if I didn’t have so many concerned babysitters.

  “Coconut?” a male voice asked.

  Lad, in his human form, shoved a coconut under my nose. He expertly cut off the top and was offering me the milk. It turned out that by reclaiming my birthright it only amplified my powers, and Lad as a selkie was of the sea, so I could use magic to help him shed his coat. It was a painful process, but he said it was worth it.

  Lad grinned at me. His dusky-brown hair had hints of his seal spots in it, and he wore his seal skin as a cloak around his neck. He had become the captain of my guard after Vasili’s sacrifice, and he took his job seriously. He was worse than a mother hen.

  “No, thank you.” I looked back out to sea.

  There was something wrong. I felt a disturbance in the sea. It happened shortly after I jumped overboard from the Bella Donna. A great surge of power emanated around the ship, and then it echoed into the deep water.

  Lad described to me what transpired after I dove into the sea. He said Vasili’s body disappeared in a flash of light and that a smaller ship was seen sailing away. He described the captain, and I knew it was Allemar’s apprentice Aspen who had magically taken Vasili’s body. They were shielding themselves from me. Or maybe it was because water diluted most magic, but either way, if they were on the sea, I would know it.

  Every brigade, fishing vessel, or raft that touched the water or any river that spilled out into the ocean, I knew their location and even who was on it. Except for Aspen. I couldn’t track him or Vasili’s body. And four months later, I still couldn’t find them.

  He frowned. “Fruit?”
A yellow banana followed the coconut.

  “I’m not hungry.”

  Lad chuckled. “Liar. You’re always hungry.”

  “Usually, but not right now.”

  He sat cross-legged in the sand next to me, sighed dramatically, and peeled the banana. I almost preferred him in his seal form, because then he was less annoying.

  “He’s close, isn’t he?” Lad asked. He pointed the white tip at me. “You always get testy like this when he gets close.”

  I rolled my eyes and stared out at the sea. “Do not.”

  “Do too. And when he doesn’t make it, you get angrier.”

  “Do not,” I huffed, brought my knees up to my chest, and stared at the ship that was battling the storms, trying to make it past my protective circle. On my island, the wind was calm, the sun shining bright and warming the sands, but about a league out, the weather changed and became turbulent. Impossible to pass because of my magic.

  “You could always, I don’t know, lower the protective circle and let him through,” Lad said while chewing.

  I snorted. “There’s nothing he has that I want.”

  “There you go again, lying to yourself.” His dark eyes twinkled mischievously.

  I took a handful of sand and tossed it on the banana.

  “Hey!” Lad cried out in dismay. “You wrecked my banana. There should be a law against fouling perfectly good fruit.”

  I smiled. Lad got up and waddled away to get a new banana. Even though he was human, a few of his seal quirks were still visible.

  There was something calming about Lad. He slowly became a trusted friend like Vasili, and he was the more talkative of my Undersea guards. Maybe it was because he spent years in a seal form, so he was making up for lost time. He wasn’t at all surprised that I didn’t want to return to the Undersea to live.

  There were too many fountains and ways to get to Isla. I would constantly think about Brennon and Velora. Although, I used my new magic to bring life back to the kingdom. In fact, I was always hungry and eating, because I spent most of my days healing the seas.