by Terry Spear
“I am an overseer! Or…” She sniffled. “I was supposed to be.”
“Why are you an outcast?” he asked again, determined to get some answers to his questions this time.
“My lifemate died!” Persephonice loosened her hold on him, and he worried at once that she’d throw herself from the back of the dragon. But then again, when she’d thrown herself from the cliff, she hadn’t been injured. Or had she and she healed herself? The mermaid bite had just faded into nothingness, also.
He grabbed her hands and held on tight, not wanting her to slip off the dragon’s scaly back either by accident or on purpose. Even if she couldn’t kill herself, throwing herself off the cliff’s edge the last time, nearly gave him a stroke. “What are you?” Again he asked with compassion, trying to calm her and get her to reveal her secrets.
Both Balon and Prince Cronus watched them intensely. Did they hear their conversation? Dracolin wondered if she felt uncomfortable about speaking of her situation with them present.
“Do you wish to tell me in private?”
“We will not have secrets,” the prince said.
Well, that answered his question.
“I am a…goddess.”
Dracolin frowned. Maybe that was the problem. She was a prevaricator. A liar of grand proportions. “There is no such thing as a goddess. Where do you come up with these tales?”
“Fine. I am a langolar from another planet.” She waved at the sky. “From way beyond your galaxy. You do not even realize, I am sure, that your world is only one part of a galaxy. As far as you are concerned, you have double moons, and a sun and stars. That’s the extent of your knowledge of what’s out there.”
They landed in the clearing in front of Xern’s home where he and his wife rushed out to greet them.
“Do you think she is mad?” Balon asked, his voice hushed as if he might upset Persephonice.
Persephonice glared at him as Dracolin helped her off the dragon’s back. “That’s why I did not tell you. What’s the use? No one will believe me.”
“You are a weaver of tales,” Prince Cronus said, dismounting. “We have those in our kingdom. Only they know they are making the stories up for the entertainment of our people.”
“How many people have you seen that look like me?” she asked the prince, her chin tilted up haughtily. She looked like she was a queen addressing a lowly servant.
“None, I must admit.” The prince raised his brows as if the haughty girl amused him.
“Why are you an outcast?” Dracolin asked again, not sure she would give the same answer, or a different one this time.
“I already told you.” She brushed past him and started walking toward Darkland Forest.
He rushed to overtake her and pulled her to a stop. “Did you kill your lifemate?”
This time her eyes filled with tears and though she seemed to fight to hold them back, they spilled down her cheeks. She sank to her knees and sobbed aloud. “Yes, yes, I killed him.”
“Perhaps,” Xern said as he rushed forth to set things right between Persephonice and Dracolin, “everyone needs a good hot meal and a rest. We are dying to know if the situation between the roc and the sphinx were resolved.” He looked over at Gavin and raised his blond brows. “You have returned the river elf, Gavin, from Crystal Lake?”
“Long story,” Dracolin said.
“I wish to be taken home,” Gavin said, keeping his distance from Persephonice.
“It will be arranged,” Xern said.
Dracolin knelt down in front of Persephonice. What he saw was an overwrought young woman, who for whatever reason had been separated from her own kind. No matter what she said, she didn’t give any outward appearance of being violent or dangerous to anyone. Even when the river elves had tried to drown her, she had never harmed them in any way. Still murdering someone was a serious crime.
The elder Xern didn’t seem worried about her either and motioned again for Dracolin to bring her inside. Dracolin pulled her against his chest and her tears soaked the front of his shirt as she buried her face against him. She wrapped her arms around herself like a small child who felt the whole world would crumble on top of her and nothing would save her from the worst fate.
“Do you want to tell me about it?” Dracolin asked.
Persephonice shook her head.
He ran his hand over her back, and her sobs quieted. “Your people made you leave their kingdom?” He still couldn’t believe a whole race of people that looked like her existed that his people knew nothing about.
“They abandoned me.”
He looked at his friends, who motioned for him to keep questioning her.
“Did they abandon you near here? Or had you traveled here from somewhere else?”
She nodded. He smiled at her answer. “Which? They abandoned you here?”
She nodded again.
He took a deep breath. Surely one of the shadow elves would have seen the strange people passing through their region. “How many were with you?”
“You wouldn’t understand. None of you would understand.” More tears dribbled down her cheeks. “They left without me.”
“Because your lifemate had died.”
“Yes. We’re perfectly matched with a person. We…we, well observe other people and send the information back to our…land. It’s to educate our people as to what other kinds of civilizations there are.”
He pulled the blue cloth from his shirt and handed it to her. She wiped her eyes.
“And?”
She shook her head.
“About your lifemate. You said you killed him.”
She took a shuddering breath. “We stopped at one plan…place and, I should have trained more on a weapon. My father said so. But I hated weapon’s training. I hated it.”
“But you said you killed your lifemate.” Dracolin couldn’t believe anyone who seemed so gentle could have killed the person who was to be her partner for life. Was she confused?
“A slaver tried to take me.”
Dracolin looked up at Xern, who nodded, encouraging him to keep talking to her. “A slaver?” Dracolin asked Persephonice, never having heard the term before.
“A…a person who takes someone and sells them to another so they can work for them.”
“I’ve never heard of this.”
“My lifemate tried to stop him. I should have killed the slaver. I should have prevented him from murdering my lifemate.” Now, she sat silent, dabbing her wet cheeks. “It was all my fault. If I had killed him, my lifemate would still be alive. And I would be an overseer.”
Dracolin helped her to stand, then walked her toward the house. “Some are not warriors, Persephonice. You’re brave, but you’re not the kind of person who fights as a warrior does to make the situation right. There’s nothing wrong with that. Are your people a great warrior race then?”
“Some. But it wasn’t my job.” She stopped in her footsteps and looked up at him. “Do male water sprites swim here at the pond?”
She’d refocused on the mission again, but he still wanted to find out everything about her. Where was she from and how could any people be so cruel as to abandon her like they did? Was there more to the story than she was telling?
“Persephonice, where are your people?”
“They are gone, and they will never return.” She sniffled, then pulled away from him and walked toward the pond.
“They wouldn’t just leave you here to perish.”
“They are barbarians,” she said, her voice angry.
Magical folk were never thought of as barbarians. Only primitive, warrior types that had no education were considered barbaric. She couldn’t have come from a barbaric race. Even the unusual clothes she wore when he’d first met her had been crafted with considerable skill.
He touched her shoulder. “Persephonice, will you stay with us? Make the shadow elves’ home your own?”
She swallowed hard. “What if your people are afraid of me like the river
elves are?”
“We don’t use magic, but we are not afraid of the high elves.”
“She can stay with my wife and I,” Xern offered, as he and the other elves followed them to the pond.
“My father will want her to stay with us,” Prince Zorak said, “since she is a magic user and saved my life.”
“My father will insist she stay with us,” Prince Cronus said, “as we found her first.”
Persephonice glanced at Balon. He waggled his dark brown brows. “You have added much to our rather dull existence of late. I cannot see that you would not be able to make a home with us and with the high elves.”
She stopped at the edge of the pond and called out to the water sprites. Three females and a male appeared. All had blue hair and eyes like the color of their water. All smiled at her in greeting. She spoke to them with their strange liquid language, but as she held up a lock of purple hair, the females giggled in response, and the male smiled, but shook his head.
Persephonice looked like she was on the verge of tears again, and Dracolin took her hand. “Let’s eat and rest up. You’ve, well, all of us have had a long, exhausting day.”
The male sprite spoke to Persephonice, and she nodded. “They will spread the word, and after we have eaten, they will let us know what they have learned.”
***
Later that evening, Dracolin sat with Persephonice beside the blue pond as the double moons cast a pale light over the land. Behind them, Zorak, Cronus, and Balon paced, waiting to hear where the land-bound mermaid’s journey would take them next. Xern and Ritasia stood nearby, waiting quietly to find out what would happen, too, so they could report to the high elf and shadow elf kings.
Persephonice wiggled her fingers in the water, then looked up as a fish jumped out of the lake and back in as if getting a peek at what was happening above his watery world.
“There has been no word from the sprites all evening. Maybe we should sleep, then check on them again in the morning,” Dracolin said.
“One of the females said she knows of a merman who might be interested in the sprite with the royal purple hair.”
“No,” Dracolin said, already annoyed that the mission was headed in a dangerous direction. “We can’t risk having Prince Aquarian make another attempt to have you.”
Persephonice glanced up as a star shot across the sky. “I will wish upon a shooting star that the sprites find another sprite who is willing to be Crystal Lake’s sprite’s companion.”
“This is magic?”
She smiled. “No, just a myth, that wishing upon a shooting star will make your wish come true.”
He looked up to see if there were any more shooting stars.
She chuckled.
He turned to face her. “I’m sorry about your lifemate.”
She nodded and looked back at the lake. “He was good and didn’t deserve to die. Many were angry with me for not protecting him better, even my father.”
“Your father should have been more understanding and helped you to overcome your grief instead of—”
A female sprite appeared in the water and Persephonice quickly stood. Dracolin rose to his feet as she spoke to the sprite.
“A merman is interested,” Persephonice said to Dracolin. “But there is a problem.”
Chapter 21
How did Dracolin know that would be the case already? With Persephonice, one difficulty only preceded another. “What is the problem now?”
“The sprites followed underground rivers to reach the sea. Word was sent to Prince Aquarian that their mermaid sister with the legs needed their help. Other water creatures intrigue the merfolk. That’s partly why they were interested in me, though I wouldn’t classify myself as a water creature. But now they are willing to exchange a merman—for me.”
“No. The roc will have to do without their amulet.”
“I promised. We can take the merman to see Kai. What if he falls in love with her and forgets about his promise to his prince? If he is happy to stay with Kai, then we can have the amulet and—”
“Prince Aquarian will feel cheated.”
“He has no right to claim me for his own.”
Persephonice listened as the sprite spoke again.
The sprite said, “The merman comes, but so does the prince.” The sprite smiled and twisted a blue curl of hair around her finger. “You have intrigued many, mermaid who walks upright.”
“What does she say?” Dracolin asked, frowning.
“We have new trouble.”
“Somehow I gathered that by the way the mischievous sprite’s eyes sparkle with delight.”
“We will have an audience with Prince Aquarian.”
Dracolin shook his head. “He will want you to remain here with him.”
She patted Dracolin’s hand. “I won’t stay here. Don’t worry.”
They retook their seats at the water’s edge while the sprite entertained them with melodic songs and splashed around in her water home.
But when four mermen suddenly surfaced, Dracolin pulled Persephonice from the lake’s shore and stepped back with her.
The merman prince narrowed his darkened green eyes at Dracolin, then turned to Persephonice and smiled. “I’m pleased to see my bride awaits me.”
“I’m to take the merman, who wishes to be the sprite’s companion, to Crystal Lake.”
“There’s no need. He will follow an underground river that feeds Crystal Lake. In the meantime, you will come with me. He will fetch the amulet for the roc. You have no need to return there.”
“I promised the roc and the griffon I would solve their dilemma. I must return.”
“You are mine. I claimed you from the sea.”
“What is he saying?” Dracolin said, holding her hand as if he feared she’d suddenly change her mind and go with the merman prince.
“He says he claimed me from the sea.”
“I claimed you first from the cliffs.”
Persephonice smiled at him. “Oh?”
“Certainly. As soon as I saw you, I hadn’t any intention of allowing you to charm anyone else. Tell him.” Dracolin motioned to the merman. “Tell him I claimed you first.”
Persephonice glanced back at the other elves. All nodded or waved at her to do what Dracolin said.
She took a deep breath, then spoke to the merman. “The shadow elf claimed me first from the cliffs that overlook the River Ro.”
The merman’s tanned face reddened. He turned from her to Dracolin and glared. “Tell this shadow elf, he has no claim to a mermaid. Only a merman can take a mermaid for his own.” He looked at Persephonice. “Tell him!”
A langolar only had hopes to have one lifemate forever. Here on the elves’ planet, she could have all kinds of lifemates if she so chose. Though in truth, only Dracolin interested her in that way.
She relayed the message to Dracolin.
He shook his head. “Tell him you are mine. That you have already chosen me as your lifemate. That the bond cannot be broken.”
“I shouldn’t lie about a thing like this, Dracolin.”
“Tell him.”
Persephonice explained to Aquarian that she was Dracolin’s bride. She figured since the merfolk used that terminology for their selected mate, he would understand.
With a powerful flip of his tail, Aquarian sent a wave of water at Dracolin and soaked him, splashing her slightly. Dracolin grinned. “Good, he got the message.”
Aquarian spoke privately to the merman, whose lips turned up slightly. Then he bowed to the prince.
“Maco will go with you to Crystal Lake. He is truly intrigued by the water sprite’s unique coloring. Go, my bride, and fulfill your obligation to the rocs and griffons. But I expect to see you soon.”
He bowed, then dove under and never reappeared.
The sprite giggled. “You are highly sought after, mermaid of a thousand tongues. Beware the merfolk though. There’s trickery planned as the prince of the merfolk will have his way.”
“What was said between he and Maco?” Persephonice asked in the sprite’s language, hoping the merman didn’t understand them.
The sprite looked at the three mermen, then turned to Persephonice and smiled. “Trickery,” she repeated.
Either she didn’t hear what the plan was, or she feared saying.
“Let’s return to Crystal Lake tonight. I think it would be better not to wait, don’t you think?” Persephonice asked.
“What did the sprite say to you?” Dracolin asked.
“The merfolk cannot be trusted.”
“That goes without saying,” he grumbled under his breath.
“When do we officially become lifemates?” Persephonice teased.
He frowned at her. “We resolve one problem at a time.” He climbed onto the dragon’s back and offered his hand to her to help her on.
She folded her arms and tilted her chin down as she gave him a look. “You promised.”
He reached out and grabbed her hand, then pulled her to sit behind him. “First things first.”
***
When they returned to the lake it was morning and the sun’s newborn rays illuminated the water with a soft yellow glow. Persephonice approached the lake with caution.
Dracolin said, “Persephonice, I worry about what the merman plans to do.”
“Have the dragons ready.” She glanced at Zorak, who inclinded his head. “If you see the merman, come for me.”
She gave Dracolin a quick kiss on the cheek, then turned to the water. After taking a deep breath, she dove into the lake.
The water felt warm and silky like before. Again, she headed straight for the amulet, wavering back and forth on the green crystal. Halfway there, a figure approached from her peripheral vision. She turned and saw the purple-haired sprite.
“Your merman comes to be with you, Kai,” Persephonice said, hoping all was well with the sprite.
The sprite nodded. A smile appeared on her lips. “I have received the message via the water creatures who live on the route here. But I have also been warned by Prince Aquarian that Maco will not remain here with me if I don’t agree that the merman gets you.”