by Hannah Reed
“Oh, so it was a bit of a shock.”
“Yeah, you could say that. Things got a bit nasty from there, so I just swam around the coast and made my own way back to the hotel.” Ethan sunk even further into his seat.
“Maybe he feels bad about what he did,” April said placing her hand on her friend’s shoulder, wishing she could hug him. She could see a slight sheen appear across his blue eyes.
“I doubt it, just was a bit of a shock seeing him again, I didn’t even know he was a pilot, I thought he was in the military.”
As if on cue William’s voice boomed out over the speakers – “Good Evening Ladi… umhem Mera and Mer. I’m William your pilot for this evening. The trip will only take thirty minutes …”
April zoned out and started to think about Ethan’s experience with William. It didn’t sound like the sort of attitude that came from someone who was facilitating the Peace agreement. She hoped that he was an anomaly. April sneaked a peek at Ethan who was looking determinedly at his hands. He was tracing the lines on his palms. April had a feeling this was more to do with the impending nausea of flying than to do with William’s presence. She reached out for her healing Curo pearl power and sent calm and reassurance to Ethan. She felt rather than saw her pearl light up a pale blue. The warmth moved through her and she watched the colour flood back into Ethan’s face. Ethan stopped tracing his hands and looked up at April in surprise.
“Hey... did you just do that?” Ethan asked.
“Maybe,” April shrugged.
“Well, I was wrong April Meridia, you do have your uses.”
“Thanks Ethan, I’ll keep your glowing praise in mind on our return trip.”
Ethan put his arm over April’s shoulders.
“What do you think tonight will be like?” he asked.
“Strange,” April said. “I wonder how much things will change once we’re at peace again.”
“Who knows,” Ethan said. They lapsed into a comfortable silence.
“Are we going out tonight?” April asked suddenly.
“Oh,” Ethan said reddening slightly. “Can we look like we could be going out? But, that it’s not a definite thing.”
“Okay. Once again you seem to be forgetting my horrendous acting skills. I will do my best though.”
“Thank you, April,” Ethan said sincerely. “So how are you at the moment?” Ethan asked.
“Love-wise?”
“No, I mean with the pearl blackouts,” Ethan laughed.
“Is my love life so funny to you?”
“Nah, I just know that no one has stolen your heart yet,” Ethan said seriously.
“I’m fine,” April said looking straight ahead.
“Excellent, just the amount of detail I was looking for.”
“My powers are getting stronger I suppose. But, it’s weird. My pearls are definitely trying to tell me something,” April said in another rush. She massaged her temples to try and keep the memories at bay.
“And you really think talking to someone is a bad idea?” Ethan asked.
“No. Everyone is too busy. I can handle it.” April caught Ethan shaking his head. But, fortunately, he dropped it.
CHAPTER 4
The first helicopter touched down on the peninsula where the Peace Treaty would take place. The finest mer and human architects had been constructing the peace building for the past 10 months when the arrangements for the Peace Treaty were finalised. The peninsula was chosen, as according to mer legend, here the last human and mer were married. Their marriage was symbolic of the two worlds uniting once more. Its design was agonised over by architects and designers but the result stood before the Mer Royal Majesties now as they disembarked from their helicopter.
Freya and Nathaniel looked up at the building.
“It looks like it sprung from the ground,” Freya said looking up sceptically.
“Try and hide your disdain,” Nathaniel said with a chuckle. He extended his arm and the two followed their guide.
“Good evening your majesties. Would you like to hear the history of the Ainomrah?”
“How can it have history when it was only finished a couple of weeks ago,” Freya whispered up to Nathaniel. He ignored her and said, “We would love to.”
The guide straightened up importantly. He was short for a legged and had a surprisingly deep voice. His navy blazer and turquoise chinos were immaculate. He beamed at them before launching into his speech.
“The Ainomrah was inspired by Aino and Mrah the legendary couple who were last united from land and sea. To commemorate their union the design incorporates an element of balance between land and sea at every level. Thus, the building is in the shape of the mighty oak tree but is made out of glass and titanium to mimic the water. Whereas the waves circling the building are carved out of wood – the land and sea, working in harmony.”
“Are you counting how many times he is saying land and sea?” Nathaniel asked quietly looking down at his wife pursing her lips. She rolled her eyes up at him.
“If you look closely, you can see animals from the land and sea carved into the building. Bats, narwhals, elephants and eels, so many animals can be found. Artists and architects from both land and sea were involved in creating the Ainomrah and we hope it will stand forever as a symbol of peace. This summer the Ainomrah will open as a summer school for mer and humans to attend together. This is part of a cultural enrichment programme for the young that the Peace Treaty council are funding. We aim for a long-term peace not one that will wither away with the next generation,” their guide finished with a flourish.
King Nathaniel and Queen Freya continued to follow their guide who had finally lapsed into silence. He followed the maze of shell paths that weaved through the grasses and wildflowers that had been encouraged to grow naturally along the peninsula.
“The shells we’re walking on, you will notice, swirl in spirals towards the Ainomrah. They represent the waves. The wildflowers and grasses bordering the shells show how the land is welcoming back the sea. All the paths eventually lead to the Ainomrah.”
Freya looked ahead while Nathaniel nodded politely to the attendant.
“Good evening your majesties,” the Chinese ambassador said bowing low as they met on the path. “It is an honour to meet you.”
Nathaniel reached forward and shook the ambassador’s hand and then embraced his wife.
“Thank you, it is wonderful to meet you both too.”
Their guide swiftly moved them on and chose an empty path to continue their journey to the entrance of the Ainomrah.
~
As the final helicopter neared the peninsula, April and Ethan leaned forward to see the Ainomrah. From above, the intricate paths created a mesmerising pattern in the ground. April wondered whether the effect would be as magnificent from ground level. She could see floods of people all making their way down the paths, each accompanied by a footman with a lantern. The picture was indeed magical. The cultural centre, however, was one of the most hideous buildings she had ever seen. Its sheer size seemed to oppress the surroundings.
“Do you think they’re trying to compensate for something?” Ethan whispered over the headset. April choked on her laughter. Ethan was right, the closer they were getting to land the sheer size of this monstrosity was becoming apparent. By the time William finally landed the helicopter, the building dwarfed them. April shifted in her seat as William wished the passengers a pleasant evening. Flying had been an experience, but not necessarily one that April was keen to repeat. Swimming would always be her favourite mode of transport, and travelling through the currents was far more comfortable, and a lot less noisy.
Mer could swim at great speeds for short bursts of time. April once managed to maintain 50 knots for an hour when she was rushing to make the palace curfew. April checked her hair in the window as a footman opened the door and started beckoning the passengers to exit. April and Ethan quickly unclipped their harnesses to depart the helicopter. Ethan stood up and f
orgetting the low ceiling of the helicopter, hit his head on the roof.
“Owww.”
In searing pain, Ethan closed his eyes and staggered forward. He reached out to steady himself and grabbed onto the back of April’s dress as she began to descend the steps. Ethan fell backwards unbalancing April on her precarious heels. April’s shoes slipped out from under her and together they fell unceremoniously down the helicopter steps.
The footmen rushed to Ethan’s and April’s aid, disentangling them from the floor and setting them both straight again. April clutched the back of her neck and stared down angrily at the shoes. She knew it was unreasonable to hate shoes, but for these ones, she was willing to make an exception.
“Princess April, are you okay?” One of the footmen enquired scanning her up and down.
“I’m fine, thank you for your help,” April smiled through the pain at the footmen as they bowed and walked away with nervous smiles.
“Where’s the personal inquiry about my health?” Ethan said from behind her still holding his head. “I’m so sorry April. Are you okay?”
April assessed her body and dress patting herself up and down. Both seemed to be intact, it was just her neck that hurt. She ran her fingers along the hemline feeling where the dress had torn when Ethan grabbed onto it. She reached up to itch her neck. She brushed over the zip and immediately winced. The zip had caught her skin and was making her necklace and the now frayed fabric agitate the cut.
“Don’t worry about it Ethan, accidents happen,” April said trying to relax her face.
Ethan stepped in front of her to observe for himself that she was okay. His eyes jumped to the cut on her neck.
“April your neck is grazed.”
“Oh shoot, I didn’t realise it was that bad.” She drew from her Curo powers again to heal herself. Breathing in, her Curo pearl glowed a sky blue and the light wrapped around her neck.
“There we go,” she smiled “all better.”
But, as she said this, her arm reached back to itch her neck again. The fraying was now chafing even more against her necklace. An irritating itch could not be healed away. The constant draw on her powers to solve such a small problem would also be frowned upon greatly by her Mum. April reached up to unclasp her necklace and immediately the itching lessened. But, the moment the necklace left her neck, heaviness settled within her. Feeling deflated she looked down at her necklace in a daze.
April’s powers and pearls were an extension of herself and on an evening like tonight, she couldn’t imagine facing the world without them. Ethan watched April for a moment then instinctively removed his watch and fastened it around April’s wrist. Immediately the colour washed back into her and her spirits rose. She looked down at her wrist and saw Ethan’s watch inlaid with his pearls. Ethan wielded the Essentia, Commutavi and Assurgere pearls. His watch face doubled up as an Iris pad. The watch was a twenty-first birthday present from his parents and was one of his most prized possessions. The comfort the pearls provided and the warmth from Ethan’s body soothed April after her momentary feeling of emptiness.
“April are you okay, you zoned out again?” Ethan said his voice higher than usual.
“Thank you, I’m okay now,” April looked up at Ethan and smiled with gratitude. “I think, because my powers are playing up my connection to the pearls is more delicate and vulnerable than usual.”
“Will my watch be enough for the evening?” Ethan said looking at her intently.
“Yes, it’s perfect. And it means that when I have to be on the stage alone I will have a piece of you with me.”
Ethan took April’s necklace from her and pooled it in his pocket.
“And I will look after this for you until you can get that wretched dress off.”
The dress and shoes had caused more harm than they were worth. She knew that President May couldn’t have planned Ethan’s head bashing and the consequential tripping and ruining of her dress. But, his gift was not putting her mind in the most peaceful of frames. Peaceful thoughts, happy thoughts April thought in an overly optimistic voice. This evening she was going to have to channel her mother.
“Right, let’s go. It’s time to look pretty and harmless,” April said.
Ethan looked at April but chose not to question her. Instead, he linked arms to steady her in her shoes and off they walked. They followed their footman along the twisting shell paths towards the looming architectural structure. Despite her distaste for the building, she could not deny that it made an impressive first impact for the evening. Tonight, land and sea would be united once more.
CHAPTER 5
The ray bus dropped Setha off outside the hospital. With everyone watching live screenings of the Peace Treaty there hadn’t been much traffic, which meant she arrived before visiting hours started. She hovered momentarily in the foyer wondering if it was worth going back out for a swim. But, there were only five minutes to wait so she floated down onto one of the large sea sponges.
It was such a miserable place. Setha tried to avoid the foyer. Too often she saw family’s breaking down over a loved one’s illness or accident. She plugged in her eardrops and turned up her music to try and block out the sounds of everyone around. The clock hands slowly ticked. Setha tried to stop her eyes from flickering to the clock. She took out her Iris pad and scrolled through her updates to pass the time. Finally, the visitor light flashed on and Setha swam out of the room as fast as she could.
Setha sat beside her Dad’s bed in the Catfish ward. She was worried that the water was too warm for him. He seemed to be tossing more than usual in his sleep. His face was flushed but the rest of his body remained a ghostly, unsettling white. Setha itched to wield her Factus powers to cool down the room, but the last time she altered the climate the nurses kicked her out. She stretched her hands out in frustration. Rocking back and forth she continued her vigil studying her Dad. The vulnerability in her Dad only showed when he was asleep. It proved to her how much her Dad was feigning optimism when he was awake.
Now in front of her, his face looked tense, his tail was limp and his whole body sagged into the bed. She could see that his bright red scales, which Setha had inherited, were becoming clouded and turning black at the fin. She needed a distraction. She mindlessly plaited her hair and un-plaited it again. Suddenly she kicked up out of her seat and floated for a second looking around the room. Setha spied the bedside table and swam over to it. She routed through the contents to see if there was anything to occupy her mind until he woke again. Anything would be good at this point. She found some Jelly Sea Cucumbers and started chewing on them while continuing her rummaging.
What was that? She thought and picked up a small book. She hadn’t seen this notepad before, and she felt she knew the tiny room very intimately by this stage of her Dad’s treatment. It was small, a perfect fit for her hand. The binding was made from crushed blue coral and it had a strong burgundy seaweed string tying it shut. Setha turned it over in her hands about to put it back, when she found herself swimming back to her chair. She undid the string and started flipping through the pages. Setha gasped. There were sketches of her receiving her degree. There were drawings of her and her Dad on her wedding day, ones of her Mum and Dad at Christmas with friends and family. The sketches went on and on.
The pictures brought tears to her eyes. But, Setha couldn’t pull herself away from the little sketchbook. With each drawing, a little piece inside of her broke. He was drawing a future. A future he would never get to see. Setha looked over to her Dad. She knew that the cancer was terminal, but a part of her never really believed it. She had heard all the miracle stories, her own grandmother’s next-door neighbour was given two weeks to live, and she was still alive 30 years later. Besides, he was her Dad. He couldn’t die. What would she do without him?
For the next hour and a half, Setha sat by her Dad’s bed absorbing every detail of the drawings. Not once did he stir during her vigil. At the end of the visiting hours, she slipped the notepad back
into the drawer. She made a mental note to buy more Jelly Sea Cucumbers and she wrote a quick note to her Dad on the memo pad promising to return tomorrow. With one last look at her Dad, she swam out of the Catfish Ward. It had just gone nine o’clock and the ray bus would be here soon. Setha wondered what April was doing at the Peace Treaty. Surely it must be signed by now.
CHAPTER 6
“We are gathered here today…” King Nathaniel addressed the crowd. Ethan thought it sounded more like a wedding ceremony than a Peace Treaty. He could see April standing a little to the left of her father surrounded by the President of America’s three tall sons. April was tall for a mera and even taller in those killer heels, but next to these three she looked tiny. Her ever-changing blue eyes were currently clouded over, deep in thought. Despite the sons’ looming presence April stood proud. But, Ethan was pretty sure he could see April minutely fiddling with the frills on her dress.
Ethan was proud of his best friend. She had been preparing for almost a year for the Peace Treaty. She went to legged language lessons, legged etiquette classes and dance lessons. Then her Mum forced her to memorise the order of ceremony, all the speeches and the names of everyone attending. April was a walking, talking trivia set with her specialist subject being the Peace Treaty. Only April’s presence had made the reception bearable.
Ethan was usually comfortable at important events because everyone knew him. There were always questions about how he was doing at school or whether he had finally asked April out. He had never really been interested in politics but it had always been an option that his family encouraged. However, after his awkward attempt at mingling, he was pretty sure that politics was not a profession he would be pursuing. April was able to make conversation with everyone. Tonight, she was the perfect princess, even if she did have to grip his arm to stop herself from falling in her legged shoes.
Ethan scanned the rest of the gathered dignitaries. His Dad looked very serious and was nodding every few sentences. The Queen however didn’t seem to be following the King’s speech at all. Instead, she was scanning the crowd. Watching her, Ethan felt nervous. Freya was like an aunt to him, but she was the sort of aunt who knew when something bad was about to happen. She was probably preparing for damage control in case anyone took offense at Nathaniel’s speech. That was Freya, she was the backbone of the royal family and without her, Ethan doubted that King Nathaniel’s reign would have been quite so successful. Ethan turned his attention back to the King, as he seemed to be wrapping up his speech.