Fathom

by L. L. Standage

  “And what would you two like?” Eamon asked Sam and me.

  “You must eat here a lot,” I said, for the menus sat untouched. He shrugged.

  “We like Italian food.”

  “Oh. I’ll just stick with a salad.”

  Sam, like me, didn’t appear to have an appetite. She still stared at the two people across the table.

  “Now then,” said Eamon when the waiter left. “Olivia, do you still have the vessel?” he asked me. I gave a jerky nod, reached into my purse, pulled out the seashell, and held it out to Cordelia. She looked at it, then at my face, then took it without a word and held it in her lap.

  Eamon continued. “Olivia has informed me that Doran Linnaeus has seen what is contained within it.”

  “Did he touch it?” Cordelia asked. Eamon looked at me.

  “Um. Yeah. He did,” I said. What a weird question. Cordelia nodded and stared at the table, her face hard in contemplation.

  “How much did he see?” asked Seidon.

  “I’m not sure,” Eamon replied. “Just the Prayer, Olivia?”

  “Umm…I think.”

  Cordelia’s frown deepened. “Doran Linnaeus should have been drowned in the fetid mud hole he spawned from,” she said. She took a sip of her water. Her and Seidon’s glasses were nearly empty, and they had just been refilled. They must have been thirsty.

  “What do you think he wants?” asked Calder from across the table.

  “He’s wanted proof of our existence for years,” said Cordelia with a toss of her head. “A vessel’s contents would have done the job.”

  “I don’t know,” said Walter. “We think it goes further than that this time.”

  I watched the conversation like a tennis match. What was I doing here? Sam and I were nothing but weird spectators gawking at the mythical creatures. Was there a purpose of having us here other than because Linnaeus—and kind of the merpeople—wanted us dead?

  “He’s done things like this before, hasn’t he?” Natasha asked.

  “Aye,” said Eamon. “He’s contacted me in the past, wanting to meet a merperson, even offering to help them. He’s a manipulator. He’ll say or do anything to get what he wants.”

  “Ever since he caught a glimpse of one of our more…careless citizens, he’s been trying to make contact,” said Cordelia. I wanted to ask about the details, but Walter spoke up next.

  “Olivia, you said there was a file in Linnaeus’s desk with information about the merpeople in it.”

  “Yeah,” I replied. “There was stuff about Delfina and”—I thought back a moment—“someone else. I forgot his name. I think it begins with an M? Marius, Maris… something like that. There was more too, but I didn’t get a chance to see it all.”

  “Marinus,” said Eamon. “Yes, I remember you mentioning him.”

  “Marinus?” said Natasha, her face becoming arched and angry.

  “You know him?” I asked.

  She frowned and snatched a breadstick. “We’ve met.”

  “Marinus,” Cordelia spat as though the name were a swearword. “Why we let that traitor near the Zydrunas temple, I have no idea.”

  “I guess he doesn’t want his finger back,” said Seidon. This brought on a cacophony of questions, but the waiter arrived with our food. As he lowered Uther’s plate of shrimp scampi, the merpeople cringed.

  “You know those things are the bottom feeders of the ocean, don’t you?” said Seidon despite the waiter nearby handing out plates. I laughed. He was right, and it was common knowledge—at least to anyone who knew anything about the ocean.

  Uther scooped a shrimp, saluted Seidon with it, put it in his mouth, and chewed with slow enjoyment. Seidon shuddered. Cordelia shut her eyes for a moment. Uther smiled. As soon as the waiter left, Calder leaned forward.

  “What’s our next move now you have your vessel back?” He really did have a nice accent. I ground my teeth and speared at my lettuce.

  “We have to find out what Linnaeus is up to,” said Cordelia. She seemed quite accustomed to giving orders. “We need to know why he has information about us. Most of all, we need the information itself, in its entirety.” She looked at me. “You’ve seen the inside of his office. You can find the file. You and Mr. Brydon”—she glanced at him—“will go and retrieve it for us.”

  Calder choked on his lasagna. I sat back in surprise, realizing Cordelia had spoken directly to me for the first time.

  Calder wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Why me?” he asked.

  “Because you are the most accomplished in stealth and reconnaissance,” Cordelia replied. “I would have had Delfina do it, but…” She paused, and for the first time, a tiny glint of vulnerability flickered in her eyes. She tightened her jaw and continued. “The girl knows where to find it, and you know how to keep her from getting caught.”

  Calder kept his face indifferent as he shoveled another forkful of lasagna into his mouth. I watched him in disbelief. Cordelia had to be joking. I couldn’t go back there. Linnaeus would murder me!

  “Can’t I just tell him where to go?” I said.

  “Consider it a favor,” Cordelia said, but her tone made it sound more like a direct order from the commander-of-everything. “Delfina went alone and her mission failed. With the two of you and your experience, perhaps we can succeed this time.”

  Experience? What experience? Breaking into someone’s office hardly counted. She didn’t care. She only wanted me to go because I was disposable. Her beady gaze beat down on me, waiting for my answer.

  “O-okay,” I said. After I said it, of course, I felt like hitting myself on the forehead while shouting stupid, stupid, stupid!

  Seidon smiled. Samantha gawked at me.

  “Are…are you sure?” she asked. Honestly, no, I wasn’t. But I couldn’t back down now.

  “She’ll be fine, Miss Samantha,” said Seidon. “Your friend will not go unprotected.” He gave her a reassuring smile. I watched as her eyes lifted to meet his. Was I the only person at the table who noticed the sudden rise in pheromones? I kicked Sam under the table. She looked away from Seidon but gave me another one of her classic faces while trying hard not to smile—the but he’s so hot! face.

  Uh oh. This was a recipe for disaster. I returned her look with my own: the you’re not even the same species look. I’m not sure she caught on. I’ve never had to warn her about cross-species dating before.

  But as Cordelia started talking about logistics, Seidon and Samantha went back to normal and I decided to forget it. Sam would do what she wanted. Seidon was good-looking, but he was also a novelty—brand new and fascinating. Like Cooper, Samantha would get tired of him in a few days. All I had to do was put up with a little bit of shameless flirting for the next little while.

  “…and we’ll have to do something to cover up her hair,” said Cordelia. “She’s much too easy to spot.”

  “Hope you’ve had enough to eat, Captain, Your Highness,” said Eamon after the meal.

  “Adequate.”

  “Why don’t you and Prince Seidon accompany us in the larger car? Olivia and Samantha can join us,” Eamon continued. “If that’s all right with the rest of you, of course.”

  Uther nodded. “I’ll drive the other car to scout ahead. Keep close behind me.”

  “I can go with you too,” said Natasha. “Give the rest of you some wiggle room in the van.”

  “I’ll come too, Uther,” said Calder without looking at anyone.

  “You packing, Eamon?” Uther asked.

  “Always, my friend.”

  Uther looked satisfied with Eamon’s answer, so we got up from the table. I watched the two merpeople with interest. Every move the beings made—every stir, every blink—was full of strange, disciplined grace and steadiness. Maybe they weren’t used to walking on legs and had to concentrate to avoid tripping. Still, I knew every guarded movement held a dangerous readiness for attack. In an instant, these creatures could subdue or even kill if they needed to.

 
We walked out of the restaurant. The rain had picked up again. I glanced at Seidon and Cordelia, wondering if they would sprout fish tails if they got wet like I had seen in the movies.

  They followed Walter and Uther into the weather, not even recoiling like I did whenever cold rain drops poured over my head. No sign of fins either. Instead, they rubbed the water over their arms and faces and opened their mouths to drink what they could. Didn’t they get enough water inside? They only went through about five refills each. I was eager to ask questions but intimidated beyond belief. I’m sure that was the effect Cordelia went for, but it didn’t make it any easier.

  We slid into the car, Samantha and I taking the back seat again. Eamon took the wheel, Walter in the front passenger seat. Cordelia took the only center seat, which left Seidon to sit in the back on Samantha’s other side. He didn’t seem to mind the seating arrangement; he smiled at her as he sat.

  “Here,” said Eamon, passing water bottles to Cordelia and Seidon. They both opened them and drank.

  “Why do you drink so much water?” Sam asked. Cordelia looked back at her as if she asked why water is wet.

  “We live in the water,” said Seidon next to her. “It’s uncomfortable if we get too dry. Our bodies are used to receiving all the water we need without having to drink it. We absorb it through a membrane in our scales. This same membrane also filters and balances the salts and minerals in the water. That’s why saltwater merpeople have rougher scales than freshwater ones,” said Seidon.

  “Seidon, stop,” hissed Cordelia.

  “What?” he said. “She just asked a simple question.”

  “A simple question requires a simple answer,” said Cordelia with a stern slant in her brow.

  “There are freshwater merpeople too?” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

  “Certainly,” Seidon replied. “Some of them are barbaric and uncivilized though, because they are cut off from the rest of our people.”

  “Wow.”

  “We are not here to discuss merpeople anatomy,” Cordelia said. “And Seidon, use a little discretion, if you don’t mind.”

  Seidon smiled and shrugged. I stared at her. Shouldn’t she be acting more respectful to a prince?

  “Now,” she continued, turning in her seat to look at me, “how well do you know Linnaeus?”

  “Uh,” I began, shaking my head. “I don’t know him at all. I’ve seen him a couple times. That’s it.”

  “Hm. My first plan won’t work then.” She scowled in contemplation, then looked at me again. “We need to get the information Linnaeus has on the merpeople. How well do you know the layout of his aquatic-creature place?”

  “Oceana? Um, I don’t know. I’ve only been there once. I could find his office again, if that’s what you mean. It’s getting inside that’ll be hard. The door to the building is locked and only employees can get in. I saw one use a card last time.”

  “You’ll have Calder with you,” said Eamon. “That boy can swipe a key card quick as a wink.”

  “So, it’s settled then?” said Seidon. “Olivia and Calder are to go get the information from Linnaeus’s office at the Oceana.”

  “Yeah,” I whispered to Samantha. “If I can get him to quit hating me long enough to pull it off.”

  “He doesn’t hate you,” she whispered back. “He’s just shy.”

  She hadn’t heard his tone during his conversation with Natasha. I shrugged.

  “He doesn’t hate you,” said Cordelia. I turned my head toward her; I wasn’t expecting her to hear me.

  “Huh?”

  “He doesn’t hate you. He hates what you are.”

  Huh?

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “How soon can they go to this place, Eamon?” Cordelia said as if I hadn’t spoken at all. I rolled my eyes. Cordelia’s superiority complex was getting on my nerves. But I still couldn’t help but wonder what she meant. I glanced at Samantha, but she looked just as perplexed as I was, so I leaned back in my seat and watched as the rain spotted the window.

  Calder hated what I was? What did that mean? He hated Americans? Blondes? Wannabe marine biologists? It didn’t make sense.

  The next day, the rain had stopped and the skies cleared. The beaches crawled with surfers, swimmers, and tourists wearing too-tight swimwear. As the sun climbed high, the crowds calmed as an aroma of barbecue mingled with the ocean’s scent in the breeze.

  I, however, spent the morning indoors, watching the activity from the window. Uther, Walter, Natasha, and Cordelia had gone to plant different video cameras around the areas I had described at Oceana Adventure Park.

  Sam sat in the family room using one of Uther’s laptops to show Seidon the many wonders of the world wide web. Every now and then he exclaimed in interest at some video or music clip.

  “You look like you need something to do,” said Eamon to me from the kitchen, where he washed a few dishes. I looked away from the window with a humble smile.

  “I guess so,” I said with a shrug.

  “There are a couple cases of bottled water in the garage. Would you mind taking one up to Seidon and Cordelia’s room?”

  “Sure. Which room is theirs?” I asked.

  “Second to last on the left, next to yours.” The one where Natasha and Calder had been talking. “Garage is through there,” Eamon said, pointing with a thumb toward the door behind the kitchen. I strode over to the door and opened it. The minivan sat snugly in the garage. Other boxes and various duffle bags sat along the left wall. I spotted the hoard of bottled water at once, but before I could bend to pick up the topmost case, someone spoke.

  “Hey, come hold this for me.”

  I looked around. Calder stood, leaning over a table on the right-hand side of the garage. The minivan had blocked him from view.

  Eager to help him, hoping to earn a bit of kindness or at least tolerance from him, I walked around the van to where he sat, staring into a microscope. Without looking up, he held out a glass test tube with a tiny drop of blue liquid at the bottom of it. On the table sat a cluttered chemistry set. Several books and a spiral notepad lay open around the equipment.

  I held the test tube while he used one hand to drop a clear liquid into another tube he was holding over a Bunsen burner in his other hand. The liquid in the tube turned from blue to red.

  “What are you working on?” I asked, fascinated by the color change. He looked up, as though surprised to hear my voice. His Adam’s apple bobbed as his eyebrows knit.

  “Um. Nothing. Here.” He held out his hand for the test tube. I passed it to him but in the exchange, our fingers bumped and the test tube slipped. He snatched for it. It hit the counter and fell to the floor with a tinkling crash. I gasped.

  “I’m so sorry!”

  “Forget it.” He waved me off. “Just go. I’ll clean it up.”

  I turned and hurried for the door, almost forgetting the case of water. I stopped and stepped back, then reached around for a case and was forced to show Calder my burning face one more time before I could escape.

  By dinnertime, Walter, Uther, Cordelia, and Natasha hadn’t come back yet, so the rest of us ate together. Well, I say together because we all ate at the same time, but I sat on the couch with Samantha and Seidon. Eamon sat in another chair at the edge of one of the computer tables, and Calder ate by himself in the kitchen, leaning over his dinner plate on the counter and absorbed in a book. What was he reading?

  “This is good, Eamon,” said Samantha. “What is it?”

  “Just bacon hash,” he replied. “Good, honest Irish food.”

  “It is very good. Different,” said Seidon. I nodded, glancing once at Calder to see what he thought, but he continued eating in silence. Soon though, he scraped his plate clean, closed the book, threw the paper plate in the garbage, and went back into the garage.

  “What’s he doing in there?” I asked, avoiding eye contact with Samantha.

  “Testing some blood samples,” said Eamon. I
felt a prick of interest and wished I could observe Calder’s work, but I probably ruined some of it when I broke a test tube. He wouldn’t want me anywhere near that stuff. Eamon continued. “He’s categorizing them, making notes. We like to keep certain tabs on some of the merpeople we deal with. He found blood on the beach belonging to Marinus.”

  “On La Jolla beach?” I said.

  “Aye.”

  “We saw Calder that day when he was collecting it, didn’t we, Liv?”

  “Yeah. I wondered what he was doing.” I stood to take my plate to the garbage. Along the way, I glanced at the dog-eared paperback novel Calder had been reading: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Really? I stopped in surprise and thought of my own bookshelf back home, containing similarly battered copies of the series. Calder was a Harry Potter fan? It seemed so...light. So likeable. So not Calder.

  “Do you need some of my blood too?” Seidon asked, interrupting my strange surprise.

  “Oh, surely not, Your Highness,” said Eamon. “I wouldn’t dare take a single drop of your blood. Your mother would have me horsewhipped.”

  “What’s a horsewhip?” he asked with interest.

  “Something I don’t want to get whipped with,” Eamon replied.

  “It would probably feel a little like getting caught in the tentacles of a jellyfish,” I said. Eamon laughed. Seidon’s eyebrows rose.

  “Ouch.” Seidon shrugged. “But no, Mother would never do that if taking my blood meant keeping us safe.”

  Eamon smiled, but shook his head. “In this line of work, it’s best to err on the side of not angering merworld queens.”

  This line of work? I chortled. “How did you get into this…business, or whatever you call it?”

  Eamon chuckled again. “Oh, it’s been a lifelong calling, really. Always knew merpeople existed. Grew up knowing.”

  “Wow. And what about everyone else?”