Mermaidia: A Limited Edition Anthology

by Pauline Creeden

  Someone cleared their throat, making us both stop and turn their direction. Prince Evan and Aria both stood there at the kitchen door watching us. She frowned and glared at me.

  Prince Evan laughed. "What are you two up to?"

  Sebastian laughed as well, wiping his cheek with a rag he produced. "We are baking, sire. My lady and I were just about to put icing upon the cupcakes.

  The prince stepped toward us, and Aria glared harder, following him, keeping her arm hooked in his as much as she could. I dropped my gaze toward the stone floor. The last thing I needed right then was to have Aria making my life harder. What punishment would she come up with? I enjoyed coming and working in the kitchen with Sebastian. The worst punishment I could think of was that she would make me come with her on the outings with the Prince. Not that the prince was boring, he was actually quite interesting and made learning about his kingdom fun, but touring the kingdom wasn't something I wanted to do. I'd much rather stay in the kitchen and learn the magic of baking.

  I felt fingertips run along my forehead, and I blinked up, flinching back.

  Prince Evan had the red icing that had been on my forehead now on his thumb. He licked it off. "Strawberry flavored. My favorite."

  His eyes sparkled when he smiled down at me. Blood rushed to my cheeks and heated them, but I couldn't take my eyes off his. For a moment or two, I couldn't breathe nor could I even imagine breaking my gaze with him. He looked playfully down at me as my heart raced.

  Then Aria grabbed hold of my arm, wrenched it, and yanked me toward her roughly. I nearly cried out, but I bit my lip to keep it in. My eyes met hers as they flashed with anger. I swallowed, suddenly able to breathe again. I bowed slightly toward the prince. "Forgive us, Prince Evan. Sebastian. The princess and I have need to take care of some things."

  The intense look in the prince's eyes never left, and his gaze remained on me. I swallowed again.

  "Not a problem, dearest Ursa. I will show you my technique for spreading icing tomorrow when we bake again." Sebastian's crooked smile reached me from the side as his eyes were wide and took in the whole scene.

  I bowed again, trying not to look at the prince. But somehow I felt his eyes burning into me from behind as Aria pulled me away from the kitchen. It wasn't the first time. In fact, whenever I felt as though someone was watching me, or looking my direction, it was always the prince. During meals and other times we were in a group together, I often found him looking at me. His gaze said that he knew something about me that he wasn't expressing yet. Did he know who I was? Impossible. He hadn't caught me once without the veil. And he couldn't possibly remember me just from my eyes. Could he?

  Aria wrenched my arm once more when we'd reached our rooms. "How dare you," she seethed through her teeth.

  Her eyes were alight with the fire of anger and hatred. I remained silent in the onslaught of her glare.

  "You are not supposed to be drawing attention to yourself." She yanked at my veil. "What is the point in this thing if it doesn't keep the prince from looking at you. He's supposed to be looking at me!"

  She stomped away nearly pulling my veil with her before finally releasing it. She huffed. "This isn't working. When I get around him, I get so nervous I can't speak. And when I try, I can only think about stupid, blubbering things that wouldn't be suitable to say to him at all. I want to be eloquent. I want to be able to talk to him like you do."

  "You need to stay calm, Princess," I offered. "Keep your feelings in check so you can speak."

  She shook her head, turning toward the window. The bright, midday sun shined on the tears that spilled from her eyelids. I frowned. Mermaids didn't cry in the water, but on land, it was a different story. Was she becoming more human each day? The laws of nature have it so that we can come and go from land to waters at the full moon, but if we stay on land past the full moon, it becomes harder to return. Returning to water before the full moon had its repercussions too, but I didn't know what they were.

  "Easy enough for you to say. You're smart and speak well. I stutter when I'm nervous and trip over my own words. There's nothing I can do about it." The tears spilled over her cheeks as she put her face in her hands.

  I placed a hand on her shoulder, my heart going out to her. As much as I despised her and her whole family, I hated to see her in this kind of pain.

  Her fingers reached for mine and squeezed them. Then she twisted them and turned to face me. "Don't look at him again. Don't speak to him. Don't have anything to do with him. Understand? I will make your life hell here on land, and if I return to water without his love, I will make sure you die a slow, painful death. I will bring my father’s fury down upon you so fast your head will spin clear off your body.

  My fingers twisted and popped as they were dislocated. Sharp pain shot up my arms as I bit down my scream. Tears stung the backs of my eyes, but I swallowed them back. I wouldn't give her the satisfaction of letting her know how much pain she caused me, but it only seemed to make her angrier. She twisted harder. My face screwed up with the pain, and my knees buckled. When I knelt on the cold stone of the castle floor, she finally released my fingers. With a cruel smile on her face, she strolled away from me, her tears mocking my sympathy.

  I cradled my hand against my chest. How could I ever have pitied her? How could I have felt a moment of empathy or compassion? She and her entire family were a blight on the earth and in the sea. The world would be a better place if they were removed from it. The tears that had been stinging the backs of my eyes came out unbidden. I swiped them away with my unbroken hand.

  Creation, healing. Those would be the very things I'd lose if I let my anger take hold of me and destroyed the wretches as they deserved. I covered my broken hand with my good one and pulled healing magic from my core. Sharp pain returned as my fingers popped and straightened back into place. I hated her and wanted her dead. If I turned to destruction, though, there would be no coming back. I'd need to think long and hard about what kind of magic I wanted to possess, and would it be worth what I lost just to be rid of my bane?

  Chapter 5

  For the next few days, the castle was in a fervor. The harvest festival approached, and the pinnacle of the week of jousting and contests was a dance sponsored by the castle, which the king billed would be the event where Prince Evan would choose his bride. The whole thing turned my stomach. No. I really didn't care about what was going on in the castle. What turned my stomach was Aria's happiness. She primped and primed and shopped with money given to her by her keeper. All she talked about was this being her opportunity to capture Evan and make his heart hers.

  Meanwhile, I did my best to stay out of their way. I spent all my time in the kitchen as I could, with Sebastian teaching me all of the magic involved in baking. Aria kept Evan away from the kitchen which helped me keep from having to interact with the prince at all. Things were better that way. My hatred for Aria could stay under control, and I could almost forget how evil she was. I could almost forget my need for her blood and the desire to rip her to pieces. Almost.

  Instead, I lost myself in the love of baking and in Sebastian's constancy. His jovial mood kept all thoughts of destruction at bay. Because of him, I was able to concentrate on creation and why I wanted to keep that magic with me. I sat in front of the window feeling the mountain breeze that I'd called to cool my apple pie. I'd gotten it exactly right this time. The scent of raw dough had diminished, and no tangy burned scent mixed with the heavenly aroma of a perfectly baked pie. I turned around and faced Sebastian. "How did I do, teacher?"

  He smiled down at me and examined my pie. With oven mitts covering his hands, he lifted the pie and observed it from several angles. Then he set it down and took out a long thin wooden stick. He poked it through the center of the pie and pulled it free, clean.

  I smiled. I knew I had passed.

  A serious expression flickered across his face, and my heart leaped in my chest. I doubted myself for a second. My stomach churned until a smile slo
wly tugged at his lip. "Excellent. Your timing is perfect."

  My own smile widened so that even my cheeks hurt beneath my veil.

  "But," Sebastian said, the serious look returned. He pulled out a knife and began slicing a piece of the pie. "Timing is not the only factor in baking. You have to also have to learn to mix the right ingredients in the perfect manner so that the taste is just right. And, you have to give the mixture your own flair. You have to add a part of your heart and soul into the baking in the form of something different and original, so that the dish becomes yours and no one else's."

  The pie was still warm, and as he pulled the piece away to plate it, apple slices and pie filling oozed into the empty space in the tin. Sebastian cut a bite off the tip of the triangle-shaped piece and nodded. "The crust is still flaky and crispy from baking. It's separated well from the inside."

  Then he took the piece and pushed it into his mouth. His eyes closed as he chewed and then swallowed. "A hint of cinnamon and something else. The original ingredient that you used was... curry?"

  His eyes popped open.

  I laughed. "Yes."

  He pointed his fork down at his plate. "You added curry to an apple pie?"

  I smiled at him. "Yes."

  He shook his head and took another bite. Then he chewed slowly and swallowed, pointing at the pie on his plate. "This really isn't half-bad."

  "So... does that mean I pass?"

  He took another bite and nodded his head. "Yes."

  "Great. Next lesson?"

  "Soufflé."

  I frowned. I had tried to cook one before on my own but couldn't quite get the hang of it without it falling. Would learning from Sebastian this time make a difference? I had to have faith in my teacher.

  Movement outside the kitchen window caught my attention. Prince Evan pulled the hood of his cloak over his face and peered around the alley way as though checking to see if someone followed him. I frowned. His behavior was curious. And it made me wonder how he could possibly slip away from Aria's grasp. She did say that he often disappeared weirdly. Where did he go during those times?

  "Do you want to start learning soufflé this evening or tomorrow?"

  I began untying my apron from the back, tracking the prince with my eyes as he continued toward the west and the sun which was beginning to set.

  Sebastian finished the last bite of his pie. "See you in the morning then?"

  I nodded and dashed out the side door of the kitchen. My sandals slapped against the cobblestones, making too much noise. After I stopped a moment and leaned against a wall, I slipped off the shoes and continued running on the cold stone in bare feet. Each misstep was magnified as well as every pebble, but it was a small price to pay for stealth. When I spotted the prince, he was just turning my direction, checking over his shoulder. I threw on the brakes and backed up a step so that I was hidden around a corner. Heavy pants came out of me as I attempted to draw in enough breath to satisfy the craving in my lungs. Air didn't hold as much oxygen as water, and occasionally it left me feeling lightheaded.

  I peered around the corner and caught sight of the prince's common brown cloak as he slipped through one of the gates in the wall. The guards let him past. I lifted a brow and then debated whether I should still follow. I hadn't spent any time outside the walls of the castle since alone since I had arrived. Was it safe? I frowned at myself. Would the guards even allow me to leave? Or return when I was finished spying on the prince?

  What was I doing anyway? Why was my curiosity peaked like this? Maybe it was just the allure of knowing something Aria didn't. Maybe it was the feeling that I'd have a secret with the prince because it would be something only I knew about him. That thought made my heart skip in my chest. Why did I even crave that?

  I sighed. If I didn't follow him soon, I could lose his trail.

  Swallowing down the fears that rose in my throat, I marched forward as nonchalantly as I could and nodded to the guard who stood at the gate.

  He nodded back.

  I couldn't help but ask. "If I step out for a moment and return directly, will I be allowed back in?"

  The guard eyed me quickly. "Yes, milady. I am the guard for this gate until midnight. Provided you return before then, I will let you pass."

  Relieved, I nodded and continued out the gate. The sun had gotten low enough on the horizon that it blinded me a moment while I searched for the prince to the west. I blocked the shine from my eyes and found him walking several paces ahead of me and heading toward the beach where Aria and I had first come to land.

  I gulped. No way. He couldn't be.

  My pace quickened as I followed, and I caught myself starting to gain on him. I stopped by a tree and rested my back against it while I tried to calm my heart. It had begun racing the moment I realized where the prince was headed. The sun had sunk below the tree line at the horizon so that it no longer shined in my eyes, but orange streaked across the darkening sky. Even though I'd lost sight of the prince, I knew where I would find him, and my feet headed there of their own accord.

  I reached the sand of the beach and turned toward the wooden dock and found the prince sitting in the chair on the dock, his back facing me. Of course he was still spending his hour of meditation after sunset waiting for me to visit. He had no idea that I had already come. When he'd seen me in my kraken form, my green skin and hair probably blinded him, so he wouldn't notice my violet-silver eyes, and my face had been covered the whole time since we'd met.

  For a moment, I tugged at my veil and pulled it from my face. The cool sea breeze kissed the skin of my cheek, unfiltered by the fabric I'd created from fishing net and driftwood. I stared at the prince's back and willed him to turn around. Stepping toward him, I wanted him to see me and know it was me that he waited for. He no longer needed to wait. I could award his faithfulness by simply saying his name.

  But my voice was caught in my throat in the same way Aria's had. My jaw clenched as my hatred for the woman surfaced again. I covered my face again with the veil and took a step back. What punishment would I receive for showing him my face... for speaking to him... for falling in love with him?

  My hands fisted, and I shook my head.

  No. I refused to fall in love with him. He'd already stolen Aria's heart. I wouldn't let him have mine.

  I took another step back and turned toward the castle. He had only surprised me with his devotion to keeping his word. It wasn't his devotion to me. He didn't even know me. I swallowed against my dry throat and forced my feet to start the trek back toward the castle. Although my heart hurt in my chest and begged me to turn my head and look at him again, I denied it.

  Chapter 6

  The festival began, and I was helping Sebastian make crabmeat pies for the crowds along with other workers in the castle kitchen. We had set up an assembly line of sorts, and I was in charge of cooling the items as they came out of the oven by the window as I had the strongest magic among the kitchen helpers, with the exception of Sebastian, of course. It was the best duty, in my opinion. I was able to watch the crowds move about the town square out the windows of the kitchen, and see several displays, including parts of the battle tournament, jousting, and puppet shows. The jovial atmosphere brought a smile to my face.

  "How many days long is the festival?" I asked as Sebastian set another rack of a two dozen crabmeat pies in front of the window for cooling.

  "Five days. It culminates on Friday when the tournaments end and winners are selected. Then there is the ball that evening. Only those in the court are invited to attend as well as the winners from the tournaments. There is a baking tournament, you know?"

  I shrugged. "As much as I'd like to win a prize for baking, the prize of going to the ball doesn't appeal to me much."

  The last thing I wanted to do was go the ball to watch Aria and a few dozen other females fawn over the prince. The thought of all those women fighting for his attention made me nauseous. Another reason I couldn't possibly let myself fall in love wi
th him. He'd not only stolen too many women's hearts—which probably gave him an inflated sense of self—but he didn't even respect the women enough to give them flat-out rejections. He allowed them to continue trying to gain his affections when it seemed he had no intention of returning them. He was a pig.

  "What makes you so angry?" Sebastian asked, pulling the rack away that he'd placed there and handing the cooled rack to the waiters who would take them out to the food tent in the crowd.

  The cool breeze from the window licked against my skin and made me shiver. I smiled at Sebastian. "I'm not angry, just... pensive."

  He chuckled. "Don't think too hard, it will make those wrinkles on your forehead permanent."

  I shook my head. "And laughing too much can cause the wrinkles at the corners of your eyes to remain as well."

  He nodded and started walking back toward the oven. "That's why I say it's best to do everything in moderation."

  I could tell by the sense of smell that I'd trained over the past couple weeks that the next batch of crabmeat pies was nearly finished. "Good advice," I called back to him.

  Outside the window, crowds of people milled about. I had no desire to join them. I even liked the kitchen best when it was just myself and Sebastian. Now there were more than ten others in the kitchen and their constant chatter was overwhelming. Though it was nothing like the noise of the festival outside the window that was carried in on the breeze. Sebastian came and set another rack of pies in front of me and this time, I closed my eyes and called to the mountain wind and asked it to return with its chill again.

  The smell of snow and pine and clean, untouched air met my nose moments later. I breathed in deeply, trying to swallow it all in as it took away from the smell of people and horses and confections outside as well as the scent of meat and dough within the kitchen. Not that any of those smells were necessarily bad, it was just a matter of cleaning out my system so I didn't feel overwhelmed. I leaned toward the window, standing on my tip-toes.