Mermaidia: A Limited Edition Anthology

by Pauline Creeden

  He gripped the windowsill, and a cool hand slid along his. “I’m dying all over again,” he choked out.

  Gaire wrapped herself around him, surrounding him with softness. “I’m here. I heard you.” She spoke from behind, her mouth close to his ear. Her hands moved up his chest, then slowly down his trembling arms, comforting against his hot skin.

  The dark waters receded and the spots clouding his vision disappeared. Sweat dripped down his back, the pulse pounding in his ears. His breathing slowed.

  She stepped back. “Better?”

  Calder nodded before pulling himself even with the window once more. “I’ve never had an episode like that before.”

  “You died. When you remember it, it isn’t an easy thing to move on from.”

  He flashed a weak smile. “Well, I guess, I’ve never died before either.”

  She settled into a cushioned chair at the study tables and beamed up at him. He stepped closer, and his heartbeat quickened, and he leaned forward to kiss her forehead, his fingers already woven in her tresses. Her soft sigh tickled his chest. Desire ignited in the pit of his stomach.

  Gaire pulled away. She whimpered when her hair held her still.

  Calder grinned, taking his time untangling his finger. The color spread across her face. Her green irises picked up the color, tinting them a teal shade. You are most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

  “Why so blue?” He paused. “Literally.”

  Finally undone, the flip of her head brought her hair out of his reach. “If you must know,” her color brightened. “I’m blushing.”

  Calder laughed outright, earning another glare from the keeper. “Blushing? Blue?” He reached out to touch her blue-ing cheek.

  She slapped his hand, the color deepening. “Yes, I’m blushing.”

  “It’s cute.” The dangerous look on her face kept him from teasing anymore. “How do you manage to show up every time I think of you?”

  She did not speak.

  His curiosity grew, and he pressed when she did not answer. “Well?”

  She waved toward the keeper and mouthed. Not here. Louder, she asked, “What have you been studying today?”

  Calder tapped his chin and whispered, “Fine. Not here. But I won’t forget.”

  Gaire shook her head, her hair falling forward over her shoulders once more.

  “Well, I’ve been studying about the reason I exist, I suppose. The Blue Men being captured and murdered. I wondered how that happened. Did they ever find out how they were discovered?”

  Gaire shook her head slowly, her gaze darting to the keeper.

  Yet another conversation for later, Calder thought. He added, “I had no idea about the mermaid grave at Benbecula.”

  “We worked hard to keep it quiet. That one was difficult for us to clean up. I was not very old at the time but I remember. She decided she wanted to live on land and that’s against the rules.”

  When Gaire shifted in her seat, Calder felt the desire to move in sync. She was uncomfortable, and his internal reactions reflected the tension. They had to get somewhere where they could talk for real.

  Calder turned toward the keeper, who was still engrossed in her document. He bellowed, “Madam Keeper, I’m finished for the day. I’ll return in the morning.” He towed Gaire from her seat, escorted her from the room, and out into the open air of the city.

  As he exited, he marveled again at the world built atop a corral foundation. The light falling from the giant orbs fixed at the top of the arch filled the city with light. He knew they were hundreds of feet below where sunlight reached, but warmth and light flourished here in the underwater bubble created by some secret alchemy.

  Gaire’s feet took two steps to each of his.

  “Here we are in the open. Start telling,” he said.

  “Nobody here knows how often I visited you. It’s illegal to land stride without direct instructions from the Mother Mistress. To learn do so, you must visit the Land Lost and learn their magic, and that is also against the law.”

  Calder hugged her, his voice playful. “Couldn’t stay away, eh?”

  Her disgruntled “hmph” earned a kiss, followed by another. She sighed. “I couldn’t. Then I saw something…” Her voice died away. “It was a vision, I think.”

  She paused again, her eyebrows drew together, angling away from where they met.

  “Are visions normal?”

  Gaire shook her head. “Not exactly. Not for most mermaids.”

  “What did you see?” Calder asked.

  “In my vision, Venora had found you. I was terrified for days afterward. I had to make sure your mind was so full of me, Venora couldn’t steal you away with her enchantment. If your mind was full of me, even if you couldn’t remember if I was real.”

  She motioned in the air between them, her earnest eyes glowing green. “You had to be filled with the scent, of the subconscious memory of me, then she could not take my place in your mind. It’s the way a merman mind works. Once their brain recognizes the scent of their mate, then they are impervious to mirage magic. At least, that’s what I’ve read.” She shrugged, sadness tugged at her lips. “How else do you think Venora convinced your friend to love her, to see nothing wrong with her? It’s her mirage.”

  “You saved me from the water.” But who saved Mike? He pushed the guilty thought away.

  She nodded. “But, really, I saved me… I couldn’t have lived without you. I learned to use something called the Looking Well, so I could find you.”

  Calder captured her hand and pressed a kiss to the palm. She seemed so earnest, but uncertain, he swept her into another embrace.

  Afterward, she continued, “Venora’s mother used to be a mermaid.”

  They on a short bench in a square, seating himself beside her. He draped his arm behind her, pressing his hand to her shoulder.

  Gaire smiled sadly. “She decided she wanted not only to live on land, but to live against our code of conduct. My mother captured Venora’s mother and returned her for her trial and punishment. She was found guilty of breaking our laws.”

  Another pause. “They discovered that she committed murder. Some say she was responsible for the death at Benbecula. Mermaids don’t kill mermaids. As punishment, Venora’s mother was changed to a nymph, marked as a betrayer in the Chronicles, and banished from Cathair Uisce.”

  Calder held Gaire’s hand gently, his thumb rubbing across the back. “What happened to your mother?”

  “I don’t know. I can guess, but I don’t know. They tell me Venora’s mother had something to do with it, and Venora has wanted to kill me since then.”

  She pinched the bridge of her nose. Blue drained from her face. “I think Venora’s mother tried to kill my mother, my mother killed Venora’s mother instead. My mother was probably wounded and never made it home. Venora is a nymph, too, so she isn’t allowed in Cathair Uisce.”

  He considered Adrial’s visit to his room. “Have you ever wondered if the treachery runs deeper than what you’ve been taught?”

  Gaire tilted her head, quirking an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  “I’m not sure why, but I think, there’s more to the story than we know.”

  Chapter 13

  The next day, Calder scrubbed the blurry picture from his eyes. When he stood, he scooted his wooden chair over the floor. The loud grating sound echoed in the library.

  Across the room, the Keeper of the Chronicles, a spectacled woman, looked up from her parchment. “Finished, Mister Brumen?” She pressed her teal lips together, every inch a stern librarian.

  Calder bristled. He returned to his seat but closed the ancient text. He was going stir crazy. He had to figure out how to get to Mike. If Mike was okay, Calder could come back to the mercity and live happily ever after with Gaire.

  If Adrial would let them. Something about that queen rubbed Calder the wrong way. She never seemed to smile. Not really.

  Gaire swam through his thoughts and he wished for her com
pany, instead of the old book. “So much to do before the ceremony,” he mumbled.

  Beneath a lifted eyebrow, she peered at him. “What was that?”

  Gaire strolled in, a shimmering tunic covering her, her legs flashing between the slits. All frustration fled, and he called out, “So much work goes into this colony.”

  A smug, “Hmmm,” and the librarian bent back over the aged scroll.

  Gaire dragged another chair to Calder’s table, the sound less grating when she made it. Calder watched her, openly studying her from his seated position on the table. “How do you do that?”

  She shrugged.

  “Gaire…” His voice dropped several decibels. “What would happen if I went to visit Mike?”

  Gaire’s eyes widened, and her mouth opened slightly. “Why?” The word lilted with fear.

  “I just want to check on Mike.”

  “It’s against the rules for our new mermen to leave. One you earn trust, you can come and go as you please.”

  “But I’ve been here a whole week. I need to know he’s okay.”

  She leaned forward. “You don’t have to leave,” she said in a frenzied whisper. “I’ll take you to the Looking Well. Tonight.”

  Calder agreed to her idea, and she hurried away to make preparations. He would try anything once, but it wouldn’t be the same as seeing Mike with his own two eyes.

  Besides, what if Calder didn’t like what he saw in the Looking Well?

  The light faded in the library. Calder’s stack of study material had diminished by three books, but his eyes hurt from hours of reading. Holding a quill, he dipped the tip into an inkwell before adding seaweed to his doodle on his note-taking paper. A groan escaped his lips as the librarian neared with four books in her hands.

  “Mister Brumen?” Her voice clipped each word.

  He did not answer but waited for her to continue.

  She held up a red ledger. “Your family, but this is your more recent family and your mother is the last entry.”

  She held up the tan one. “These four books detail the genealogies of Gaire’s family and your own.”

  “Do I have to memorize them?”

  She didn’t answer. “Gaire’s are in these.” She pointed to two others, much darker. “You’ll be required to recite the genealogies.”

  Her glare added, “IF you are able.”

  “From memory?”

  “Of course.”

  Calder drooped slightly, and the corners of his mouth turned down. “Done,” he said, reaching for the titles.

  He appreciated the craftsmanship of the cover. Yet, when he pulled, she gripped more firmly. He tried again, when she did not loosen her hold, he looked up.

  She nodded toward a small scroll nestled in the red book. “Mister Brumen, you may be particularly interested in this book that I have included for your studies.” The hard cover barely camouflaged the document. “I believe you will find the inscription in the front cover of equal interest.”

  “Understood,” he said.

  Then, she loosed the stack, resuming a rigid posture, her voice abnormally loud. “Yes, Mister Brumen, I give you permission to remove the volume from my keeping.”

  Calder resisted the urge to glance around, certain she did not speak for his benefit alone.

  She continued, “I understand how difficult the traditional recitation of genealogies might be for the human portion of your genetics.”

  He didn’t move as she marched back to her desk and resumed her study of the scroll on her desk. She did not raise her head again.

  Calder eased the pile onto his study table. The crimson book was on top. The color matched Gaire’s lips. He scanned the room before opening the cover. Just inside, a small note glowed with the same ink Gaire had used. He grasped the corner of the thin paper and read,

  Mister Brumen,

  Gaire is in jeopardy. This afternoon, from a lower floor window, I overheard her confession to you. What she did not express is, in mer society, only the Queen – the Mother Mistress – has visions. When a younger mermaid begins to experience visions, combined with other giftings, it means the queenly mantle of leadership is passing from one to another.

  This can be a perilous time. In the secret annals, many mermaids have been murdered to keep this responsibility from passing from those with an iron fist. Soon, Gaire will begin reading thoughts and exhibiting other abilities that will set her apart as our next leader.

  The Mother Mistress requested that I research visions and the laws governing this process. She suspected Gaire’s abilities. Please, keep her safe, Mister Brumen. Our traditions have been in place for thousands of years.

  I will be in contact.

  Shalidan, Daughter of Morvoren, Daughter of Arglwyddes

  The Keeper of the Chronicles

  When he read the last word, the thin paper evaporated in a tiny puff. The miniscule cloud disappeared in the ether tide, and with that, a strong foreboding settled across his shoulders.

  That night, Calder spent three restless hours trying to fit all the pieces together. What if Gaire was in danger? How could he save Mike and Gaire? He had to leave one to save the other. He couldn’t ask Gaire to put herself in more danger by leaving with him. The Mother Mistress would punish her for being in San Francisco.

  A tapping interrupted his agitation. It sounded like tiny woodpeckers. Ironic since I’ll probably never see a woodpecker again.

  When Calder turned the knob on his entrance door, it did not open. He grunted, and the tapping grew faster, he turned the key and cursed his fumbling fingers. The movement stirred the air around a startled Gaire.

  She jumped into the room. “Calder.” She turned her back against his chest, pushing the door closed.

  “Where have you been?” he demanded against her ear.

  She shivered, though when she spun out of his arms, her eyes flashed, the color high in her cheeks. Her hands were fists settled on her hips. “Getting things ready for your visit to the Looking Well.”

  “Oh.”

  “Why did you leave me out there so long?”

  “You’re in now.”

  Gaire ignored his question. “Are you going out in those shorts?”

  He looked around the bed. “I don’t have anything else.”

  “Did anyone teach you to make clothes?”

  He shook his head. “Try,” she said. “I know you’ve read about it.”

  “Wait.” Frowning, he looked down and focused on the molecules surrounding him. In an orange glow, pants formed over the small shorts. When he looked up, Gaire beamed at him.

  Considering the evening ahead, Calder’s hand landed on her forearm, staying her progress back toward the door. “Are mermaids nocturnal?”

  Gaire grinned. “No, but you should know that already, too.”

  “Why should I know that? Nobody even taught me how to make clothes. I had to read about that. And whenever I saw you, you were always awake.”

  Periwinkle spread across her expression. “Have you not read your homework?” Gaire looked fierce for a few seconds, but the façade broke and she laughed. “You’re impossible!” She crossed her arms, fierce once more, but the twinkle in her eyes still gave her away. “And, no, I have to take you to the Looking Well, so we can check in on Mike. It bothers me to see you so worried about him. Why is he so important to you?”

  Calder nodded. “Yes, I can’t imagine what my life would have been with no mom, no dad, and no family. I don’t think I would have made it past my teenage years, Gaire. And he pushed me to paint, to hope, to dream. I owe him so much.” When his eyes met Gaire’s, he was surprised to find moisture filling hers.

  “Then I owe him, too, Calder. If it weren’t for him, you would not be here,” she said.

  He pulled her into another hug, feeling the tear drops spill from her eyes.

  Clearing her throat, she wiped her cheeks, adding, “Besides, I don’t want that nymph witch to have her way.”

  “Fair enough.” Cal
der put his hand on the knob. “Ready?” At her nod, they stepped out into the darkened city. “Is what we’re about to do illegal?”

  “Yes.” She darted down the corridor.

  They kept to the shadows. At each of the circular pads leading out and away from the mer-city, there stood one lone merman, garbed in shiny armor, watching. They kept out of view, letting the shadows hide them.

  She led him into the heart of the city, ducking behind statues, darting through so many corridors that Calder lost count. “How much farther?”

  She shushed him with a finger over her lips. Those lips, that pucker… Calder’s wandering thoughts were interrupted when Gaire threw her arm across his chest.

  “Stop.” She pressed Calder against the wall behind her, as she leaned out into a large open room. Her pale shoulders relaxed.

  “What is it?”

  She flipped her hair forward over her shoulder with the quick movement. “All clear.”

  Murals covered the great hall. Real sea fauna grew within the artwork, providing a third dimension to each piece. Calder found himself drawn to the walls. He counted eight corridors leading away from this room. “Is everything circular here?”

  Gaire nodded. Calder straightened, puffing out his chest at Gaire’s pleased smile. “The whole city is circular, protected beneath the dome. We have three levels, and we’re on the lowest one now. The Keeper of the Chronicles, the Mother Mistress, all leaders of any kind live here in the lowest levels. The Well is housed below this chamber and sits at the lowest point in our city.”

  She led him to the edge of a chasm. An ivory railing curled intricately around the opening. Calder brushed his hand over the spirals. Gaire pulled him away from the balustrade toward a break in the railing. “The craftsmanship is amazing…”

  “Is it a gate?”

  Gaire nodded, reaching to pull on the opening. It didn’t budge.

  “Locked?”

  She nodded once more, but still didn’t answer. Sinking low over her feet, Gaire studied the black metal lock hanging from the ivory fence. Moving forward, she placed her lips on the keyhole and blew. The iron warmed to a dull red before popping open with a soft click.