by Jamie Davis
“Cool. Maybe you can add racing stripes and flames to the headset while you’re souping up the gear.”
Taylor laughed. “I’ll see what I can come up with.”
Quinn thanked Juni as she came over to help the busboy clear their table, then followed Naomi and Taylor back into the tunnels. She had a date with a meditation mat.
Chapter Nine
Quinn had to wait three days to head out with Jori. He was out of town when Clark reached out the first time. It took the extra day to heal up the rest of the way, so she was glad.
It was late afternoon when she got a mysterious text from Jori.
Meet at the dock tonight at nine for your ride.
Quinn didn’t think a lot about it. Jori was a shady character. She expected he had a habit of sending cryptic texts with as little information as possible. It was probably a necessary skill for a smuggler.
She asked her mom to drive her to the marina and come back later to pick her up. Quinn and Sylvie met Naomi outside O’Malley’s. She’d already started Clark’s beat-up sedan and sat waiting for them.
“Thanks for the ride, Mom. I appreciate it.”
Naomi pulled out of the alley and started across town to the backwater marina where Quinn had met Jori with Clark before.
It was a quick trip. They arrived a few minutes early for the meet-up.
“I know where he keeps his boat, Mom. You can drop us here.”
“I can wait.”
“No, it’ll be several hours out and back. That doesn’t take into account the time meeting with Chessie. Go back to O’Malley’s, and I’ll call you when we’re on the way back.”
“Sounds good.”
Quinn hopped out. “Come on, Sylvie.”
The dragon flew out after her and did a circuit around the car before landing on Quinn’s shoulder.
Naomi said, “I’ll come back to get you if it’s before dawn. Otherwise, it’ll be Clark or Taylor.”
Quinn laughed. “It won’t be Taylor. She hates driving anywhere. Hopefully, we’re back before then.”
“Be careful, Quinn. Don’t antagonize the dragon.”
“I have no intention—”
“I know you don’t plan on doing it, but sometimes you decide without thinking things through.”
“If you saw this dragon, you’d realize I will not do anything to get on her bad side. Honestly, it’s terrifying just thinking about going back.”
“Good,” Naomi said. “That’s exactly the right attitude. I can’t wait to hear how it goes.”
She watched her mother pull away and leave the marina parking lot.
“Eeeep?”
Quinn reached up and scratched the scales behind Sylvie’s little eye ridges. “It’ll be all right. I’ll be there with you, but you’d better be on your best behavior. Chessie’ll eat you and me both if you’re rude.”
“Eeeep!”
“You know what I mean,” she said. “Just be good.”
Quinn started winding her way through the maze of boats. Most of them were in various states of disrepair. They were all one sort of working boat or another. This marina served the watermen who worked out on the bay every day. They brought in the fish, crabs, oysters, and other seafood for the city of Baltimore.
As she got closer to the place she’d met Jori before, she realized there was no boat tied up in Jori’s spot. She wondered if he was running late or if she’d misunderstood the text message.
Pulling out her phone to check the message again, Quinn looked around. She jumped and reached for her Bowie when Jori’s voice sounded directly behind her.
Spinning, Quinn leveled her blade at Jori’s throat. “What are you doing sneaking around like that?”
“Easy, girlie. I didn’t realize you hadn’t seen me sitting over there.”
“Where’s your boat? We got the time right, didn’t we?”
“Um, yeah. I owed a guy for something, and he, uh, borrowed my boat without telling me about it.”
“Why didn’t you call to tell me? I could’ve saved the trip out here.”
“It’s okay. I didn’t want to let you down, so I called a friend. They’re on the way now.”
“I don’t want someone else knowing about this, Jori. That’s the reason we called you to begin with.”
“It’ll be fine. I personally vouch for them.”
“Who’s going to vouch for you?” Quinn asked.
Jori laughed. “Good one.”
“Seriously, you’re not the greatest character reference. Clark filled me in on everything you’re mixed up in. That’s just the stuff we know about. I’m sure there’s more.”
“That’s me. My friend is much more reliable than me. You’ll see. Ah, here she comes now.” Jori pointed into the channel.
A sleek motorboat cruised around a bend in the channel, moving at a much slower speed than Quinn would have expected from such a flashy vessel. It looked like it could win races. Even at this slow pace, she could hear the power in the idling engines.
A young woman stood behind the wheel in the open cockpit. She was a stunning figure at the helm. Her dark flowing hair looked midnight blue in the moonlight, and she had perfect milky skin covered by just a t-shirt and shorts. The woman steered the boat over when Jori waved. As it nudged the pier, the woman tossed the Selkie a line and held on while Quinn jumped into the rear.
The monogrammed cushions on the seats behind the cockpit spoke of a good deal of money. Quinn wondered what Jori had offered the woman to afford such an expensive ride.
Quinn turned to confront the smuggler. Before she could ask him what he’d gotten her into, he tossed the rope back to the woman and waved as the boat pulled away from the dock.
“Hey, aren’t you coming?”
Jori cupped his hands to his mouth so she could hear him as the engines grew louder. “You’re in excellent hands. Trust me. She’ll get you back in one piece.”
Quinn wanted to yell a few choice words at Jori, but they were already too far away for him to hear. Instead, she walked up to stand beside the woman at the controls. Sylvie hopped from her shoulder and stood on the low windshield, leaning forward into the wind as the boat picked up speed.
“I’m Quinn. I guess you know where you’re going?”
The woman smiled. “Yeah, my family has been dealing with Chessie for a long time. Way before the Selkies arrived, for sure.” She reached over to shake Quinn’s hand. “I’m Ariel, and yes, it’s spelled just like the cartoon mermaid. My parents have a sense of humor.” The woman laughed as she continued to guide the sleek craft down the channel to the bay.
It took Quinn a second to catch her meaning, then it hit her. “You’re a mermaid?” She glanced down at the woman’s ordinary though very shapely human legs.
“We only have tails in the water. That old movie Splash had it mostly right. We can control the change if we’re careful and don’t get too wet, but immerse me in water, and my bottom half goes fishy fast.”
“You don’t sound as if you like it much.”
Ariel shook her head and shrugged. “To be honest, there’s not much going on down there. Things are more exciting up here on land. In that respect, I’m a little like my namesake.” She flashed Quinn a huge grin. “What can I say? I wanna be where the people are.”
Quinn groaned. “That’s how it’s going to be, huh?”
“Sorry, it’s my standard greeting. It does a good job breaking the ice, don’t you think?”
Quinn smiled back at her. “I guess it does, yes.” She reached out to steady herself, grabbing the rail as Ariel gunned the powerful engines. They cleared the marina area and headed out into open water. Quinn’s black hair flew behind her as the cool night air rushed past. She couldn’t help but notice the way her host’s equally dark hair waved in the wind.
Chill, Quinn, she told herself. Avery will be here in just a few days. You don’t need this kind of complication. Besides, the mermaid’s probably not into girls.
Ariel
raised her voice to be heard over the roar of the wind and engines. “I’m glad Jori reached out to me to give you a ride. I’ve been wanting to meet you for a while.”
“I’m not all that hard to find nowadays,” Quinn replied. “I’m at O’Malley’s in East Baltimore most of the time. Paddy can usually track me down if someone needs me.”
The woman glanced at Quinn and then looked away. “Yeah, well, I didn’t want to go all fangirl on you. I just wanted to see what was up with the person who has everyone talking.”
“And?”
Ariel smiled and scanned Quinn from head to toe. “Not bad, for a human.”
“What’s that supposed to mean.”
“Nothing. Sorry. Just a poor attempt at humor. I’m not like most mermaids. When they say things like that, they’re looking down on land-borne folks. They think because you all can’t swim, at least not like we can, you’re not as beautiful as we are.”
Quinn smiled. She liked a challenge. “Wait until you see me in the water. Maybe you’ll change your mind.”
Ariel stared at Quinn for a long, awkward moment, then a broad grin crossed her face. “I can’t wait. Who knows? Maybe this trip will turn out to be more than just a taxi ride.” She laughed and turned back to watch the black water ahead.
Quinn smiled and looked forward as well. Inside, her emotions boiled in competition with each other. She was flirting, but she worked to convince herself there was no harm in it. As long as nothing else happened, things were fine. Avery would be home soon, and it would all be good. No one would know anything about this.
Sylvie craned her long neck around and stared up at Quinn. Her emerald eyes glittered in the moonlight. “Eeeep?”
“Mind your own business, squirt. This is grown-up stuff.”
It took half the time to get out to the hidden dragon’s lair. Quinn planned to swim on the surface to the island with Sylvie flying above, hoping they’d find an entrance to Chessie’s cavern from above. She wasn’t sure the young dragon could swim.
She needn’t have worried.
As Quinn stripped down to the tankini she’d put on earlier beneath her street clothes, Sylvie launched from the boat. She soared out over the black water, the moon reflecting off her glittering green scales. Then she twisted in mid-air, folded her wings, and dove into the dark, choppy waters of the bay.
Quinn gasped and leaned over the rail. As she stared at the place where Sylvie had entered the water, she wondered if she should dive in after the little one.
Relief flooded Quinn when, a few seconds later, the dragonling rocketed back out of the water, a tiny fish in her jaws. She flapped her wings twice and landed on the rail beside Quinn.
Sylvie flipped up her head and gulped down the fish. The bulge moved along her neck until the fish disappeared into her stomach.
The youngling shot a jet of flame into the air and let out a triumphant, “Eeeep!”
“I guess you know how to swim just fine. Good, you can follow me underwater as we head out to meet Chessie.”
Quinn sat on the boat’s edge, ready to dive overboard. She stopped when she glimpsed Ariel out of the corner of her eye.
The woman stood beside the stern with Quinn, having returned from dropping the anchors. She had stripped out of her jeans and underwear and stood on the deck stark naked.
“Ariel, what are you doing?”
“You let on that you had a surprise for me waiting when we got in the water. Did you think I wasn’t coming with you after that invitation?”
Quinn stammered a reply, then tore her eyes away from the naked mermaid and stared at Sylvie instead.
“Uh, look, Ariel. Maybe we got off on the wrong foot here. I have a sort of…” Quinn trailed off.
Ariel laughed. “Were you going to say, ‘girlfriend?’ It’s okay, I get that reaction from many people. It’s a mermaid magic thing. We create a field of attraction around us.”
“Oh, good,” Quinn said.
“Don’t get me wrong. If you weren’t attached, we could definitely have a thing, but I’m not the type to get jealous. You know what they say.”
“No, what?”
Ariel stepped up on the side of the boat. “Plenty of fish in the sea.” She dove into the cool waters of the Chesapeake Bay and disappeared under the waves.
Sylvie dove in right after the mermaid, leaving Quinn alone on the boat. She swung her legs over the side and slipped into the water, annoyed she was the last one in.
She dove deep while activating her wild magic icon, letting the power inherent in the water transform her. There was a split second of uncomfortable resistance, and she worked to control a moment of panic. The wild magic might decide not to work this time.
Then the magical shift to aquatic form happened, and Quinn took in a full breath of water. She shoved it down into her lungs, expelling the oxygen-depleted fluid from the gill flaps that had appeared beneath her arms.
A warm, melodious voice filled Quinn’s mind. “Wow, you weren’t kidding. I’ve never seen anything like that. You sure you don’t have Selkie in your background or something?”
“I have a connection with the natural wild magic in the water, that’s all. It wasn’t easy to learn, but it works rather well.”
Quinn kicked her flippered feet with calm purpose, searching the blackness ahead. Sylvie swam up beside her, wings folded tight against her side, undulating through the water by using her tail to propel her along.
Ariel appeared ahead of them. Her long legs were gone, replaced by an even longer tail covered in iridescent blue scales with flecks of gold. Her black hair floated around her head. Somehow, when she moved, it didn’t seem out of control. Quinn figured it must be a mermaid thing. If she didn’t have her hair back in a ponytail, she’d end up with a tangled mess.
The mermaid smiled, giving Quinn a fresh shock. Instead of the normal human teeth she’d had on the boat, Ariel now had a double row of teeth on the top and bottom. For a moment, Quinn felt like a shark had smiled at her. There was no doubt Ariel was a carnivore.
Quinn sent, Are you planning on swimming with us all the way to the dragon’s lair?
I haven’t seen Chessie since I was little. I guess it would be rude to come all this way and not extend my family’s greetings.
Suit yourself. Let’s go.
Quinn kicked, Ariel flicked her tail, and Sylvie snaked along between the two. It was time to visit the dragon and fulfill a promise Quinn had made before the youngling hatched. Hopefully, all three would return to the boat. Quinn was still worried Chessie would want to keep Sylvie with her.
Too late to do anything about it, though. They were almost there.
Chapter Ten
As Quinn, Sylvie, and Ariel approached the rocky island, she once again felt the sudden aversion to getting any closer. All she wanted to do was swim away and ignore this place.
Quinn focused her mind and pushed past it. It helped that she’d done this once already. Soon, she’d crossed the boundary where the spell of avoidance was strongest. The feeling left her as she kept swimming. She glanced at Ariel and Sylvie. Neither of them showed any negative effects. Maybe true supernaturals like them were immune to the spell’s effects. Maybe most supernaturals had the common sense to let a sleeping dragon be.
Through the underwater gloom ahead, she saw the cave opening at the base of the island. Quinn dove to the rocky floor, then angled upward as she swam inside. She followed the smooth rounded tunnel up at an angle as she’d done before.
Sylvie swam beside Quinn. Ariel was right behind. The youngling and Quinn popped out into open air inside the cavernous lair. With just their heads showing above the water, Quinn shifted back to human form.
No light filtered into the cave from the moon outside. Quinn could see nothing.
She whispered, “Dammit, I need to see,” and her night vision ability engaged. This time she knew what to look for. She spotted the dragon coiled around the cave’s perimeter, blending into the rock walls.
&
nbsp; Quinn climbed out of the pool and stood on the rocky ledge beside the water. Sylvie launched into the air, circled Quinn twice, and landed on her shoulder. The little body quivered and pressed against her cheek and neck.
“It’s okay, Sylvie.” Quinn scratched the dragon’s head. “I won’t let anyone hurt you. We’re here to meet a friend.” Quinn hoped Sylvie couldn’t detect the fib. The dragon was neutral at best toward Quinn and other humans.
“Eeeep.”
A voice echoed in Quinn’s brain. Why do you call the youngling Sylvie? Younglings are not named until we are certain they will survive to maturity. It’s far too early to know that.
My apologies, Great One. Human babies are most often named at or near their births. That was the standard I had to go on, and I decided her name was appropriate.
A slight wave of positive amusement rolled into her mind just ahead of, Sylvie is appropriate. The youngling is a Sylvan Green Dragon. I suppose I find it acceptable.
Naomi’s earlier words of caution came to mind. Quinn took a deep breath, swallowing her initial response. I’m glad it meets with your approval. She seems to like it.
And you brought one of the daughters of Poseidon with you, too. Who are you, young one?
I’m Ariel. I met you first when I was tiny. My father, Marlin, brought me with him on a visit to pay you homage.
I remember it well. How is your father? It has been many years.
Busy with business and keeping track of his many wives.
That is why dragons only mate once in our lifetimes. It avoids all the bother of trying to make someone else happy for eternity.
Polyamory is our way, Ariel said. Merpeople aren’t a fertile race.
Quinn was learning all sorts of things. She was glad Ariel remained in the pool, though, bobbing about in the middle of the water. If she’d climbed out into the cavern, Quinn would have had to deal with that distraction on top of everything else.