Beside him, the creature followed, observing as he explored. Her feet bare, they made tiny prints in the sand, the little pads of them making soft thumps as they struck the moist earth. Her body covered in a dark, lacy dress, of a fine material he had never seen before. It fitted and yet flowed around her. He smiled at her plump form, her perfection obvious.
“You’re not scary,” he offered, thinking of the stories he had heard of sirens in the past. They had cleared the lagoon and were on an open stretch of sand no longer littered with slumbering forms. “Why don’t you speak to me?”
Smiling up at him, she offered her hand in reply, opening her small fingers to him. He accepted it, and she curled the digits around one of his. Pattering along, the water splashed at his toes, but they no longer burned. Kneeling, he inspected them in the bright glow of the biggest, fullest moon he had ever seen and discovered their injuries had healed.
“Well, that’s a relief,” he muttered, setting off again. Holding her tiny hand, she was just tall enough to wrap her diminutive fingers around his. Reaching a bend in the shore, he looked back to where they had come from.
In the dark shadow behind him, he could see the outline of the entrance to the lagoon. A peaceful place, hidden on the open beach, it occurred to him that it was her home, the alcove of the sirens.
But they weren’t the vile, deceptive creatures he had heard stories of. Not at all. She had nursed him, protected him, and provided for him. Looking down at her, he considered offering to carry her, as her short legs pumped at a heavy clip to keep up with him. He decided that might be offensive, as she clearly was not a child, even with her childlike size and features. He pursed his lips, considering the options.
Finally, he repeated more sternly, “I need to find my friends. Can you show me where they are?”
Smiling, she took a few steps in the direction they had been headed, tugging gently on his hand. Following, he kept his pace down, allowing her to lead him around the curve so that the lagoon disappeared behind them.
There, on the new stretch of sand before them, sat the flat only a few dozen yards ahead of them. Dropping their connection, he ran towards it, overjoyed as adrenaline pulsed through his veins. “Ami!” he screamed, looking down into each of their barrels, finding all of them empty.
“Even her bag is gone,” he observed aloud, lifting the lids and searching in between the casks. “The Mate’s sword isn’t here, either.”
Arriving next to him, the siren grasped the material that covered his legs, tugging at it firmly. Looking up at him, she appeared frightened, as she shivered in the cool air around them.
“What is it?” he asked, forgetting she had yet to speak to him.
“Rey, is that you?” Baldwin called, stepping out of the thick brush beneath the trees that lined the shore.
“Hell yeah, it’s me,” Rey shouted, tearing across the sand and catching his friend around the chest with both arms, swinging the smaller man into a hug before he dropped him.
Grinning up at him, Bally laughed, then admonished, “We should keep the noise down. Not all the creatures who come out at night are friendly.”
“Ok,” Reynard agreed, turning to call his new friend over, but discovering she had fled. Looking down the beach, towards the turn they had made between there and the lagoon, he wondered if she had gone back to the others. Not able to see her, he felt sure that she had.
“Where’s Piers and Ami,” he demanded, turning his attention back to his long-lost pal.
“They’re sleeping,” Bally informed him, slapping him on the arm and guiding him into the brush. “Come on, and I’ll take you to our camp. And you’re not going to believe this,” he chortled as he led the way.
Stomping after him through the thicket, Rey’s heart pounded with joy, as utter relief welled within him. We made it. They were on dry land, all of them alive and well, or so it would seem.
Coming into a clearing, he paused, grinning as he took in the scene before him. The walls of their area were made of thick trees that had been chopped away and cut into slats that acted as a partition or fence for their camp. Cleared to form six sides, if he could call them that, it would be far roomier than their floating accommodations of late. The canopy above made a nice roof, and although it wouldn’t keep out all the rain, it would probably keep them fairly dry if it did.
In the center, a fire burned, illuminating the space with warm, swaying light. Stepping towards it, he offered his hands, toasting them in the heat the small blaze produced.
On the side to the right, a rough table had been constructed, with four chairs formed by a flat seat like a short bench, but no back. Apparently, they had fully expected him to join them; that or they had picked up a stray he had yet to meet.
On the left side, pallets covered the ground. Strung together from thatch material similar to that he had seen growing under the trees, he knew they were their beds. His grin fading, Ami lay in the center of one of them. Piers had spooned up behind her, with his arm draped protectively across her waist.
“Hey, guy –”
“Don’t,” Rey commanded. “Don’t wake them, ok.”
“Why not? They’re going to be so thrilled you’re back,” Bally whispered loudly, staring at him in disbelief.
“They can be happy in the morning,” Rey agreed, turning to the table and shuffling over to the chairs. Taking a seat on one, he noticed the girl’s bag hanging on the far fence, and a shelf that had been carved into the tree of that wall, which held her hairbrush and mirror, her dagger, and a few other curious items.
Taking a seat next to him, Baldwin scowled, “What’s wrong with you, man?”
“Nothing,” Rey replied, shoving his face into his hands and staring at the couple covertly between his fingers. His heart heavy, he couldn’t believe his own eyes. “How long have they been so cozy?” he asked bluntly after he had calmed down, aware that their understanding had never been fully declared, and she had broken no vow to him.
Frowning, the younger man got to his feet, sneering, “You’ll have to ask her about that,” over his shoulder as he sauntered over to one of the mats, where he stretched out and drifted off to sleep.
Glaring at his friend and his surly response, Rey didn’t bother with a retort. Instead, he scooted closer to the center, warming himself as he considered exactly how he was going to act when the light came and he had to face the others. You’re going to smile, he told himself sternly as he watched them slumber. Ami has no idea how you feel about her, and for once in your pitiful life, you’re going to keep it that way.
The Kingdom of Eriden
“Oh, my God – Rey!” Amicia squealed, waking him from his troubled dreams.
After brooding over his discovery for close to an hour, he had succumbed to his exhaustion and taken one of the empty thatch mats to sleep on. “Ami,” he breathed, overjoyed to see her before his head returned to him. The girl lay over the top of him, her golden mane cascading around him.
Reaching up, he touched her cheek with a gentle caress. Her lips parted in a wide grin, she was indeed the most beautiful creature he had ever encountered. Her hand resting over the back of his, she slid his palm to her lips, where she kissed it gently, then stood, using the appendage to pull him to his feet.
Once standing, the surrounding camp, as Bally had called it, appeared somewhat ordinary by daylight. The fire burned low in the center, and the trees hung over it, protecting it from the heat of the day. “Good morning,” he bade the girl, stepping back from her and glancing over at Piers, who seemed oblivious to her forward behavior.
“Well,” Ami sputtered, “good morning!” She bowed slightly to him, awkward at his formality, but still openly joyous to have him there. “Would you like something to eat?” she offered, wafting her hand at their table and the meal that had been placed upon it.
His hair hanging loose, Reynard used it to hide his face. He had promised himself he would not make a scene over their obvious betrothal and intended to d
o so. Instead, he forced his voice into a light tone. “Is this from the mermaids?”
“Yes, some of it,” Amicia replied, taking a seat on one of the backless chairs. Pushing a bowl of fruit towards him, she smiled, “They have shown us where to find the patches of wild berries and trees laden with sweet offerings. It reminds me of home, only different,” she said with a flush as she glanced at Piers.
Standing abruptly, the older man commanded, “Let’s go, Baldwin. We have work to do.” Laying his hand on her head briefly, he pushed her wild locks away from her face and kissed the girl’s forehead. “We’ll be back before sunset, love,” he said more softly.
“Ok,” she nodded, her cheeks flushed for a moment as he left her.
Picking at the basket of mixed berries, Rey avoided the intimate connection between the couple. He selected a few, then noted a platter that held a small amount of roasted fish. Taking a pair of the strips, he asked, “Is this from here? I thought these waters were dead.”
“Yes, it’s from here,” she supplied, scooting up to the table and resting her elbows upon it to lean on. “The sea here around the land is filled with life. Only that which lies between is barren, like a barrier. I think it’s intended to keep us away.”
“And where is here, exactly?” he continued to probe as he chewed, not really looking at her as he spoke. His stomach grumbled, and he felt ravenous, eating more quickly as the sensation grew.
“This is the Kingdom of Eriden,” she said more quietly. She had noticed his standoffish demeanor, and it troubled her that he appeared to be hiding from her behind his long locks. “Is something wrong, Rey?”
“No,” he clipped quickly, still not catching her gaze. “Everything is fine. I just want to know all that I can, which you seem to have gleaned a great deal about this place.” Flicking his hazel orbs over at her, she glared at him, but he didn’t return the connection, breaking it in an instant.
“You seem to know a lot about where we are,” he continued, keeping his tone as even as he could muster. “How long was I unconscious?”
Her green orbs darting around her, Ami blinked rapidly. Rising from her seat, she moved closer to the smoldering fire. Her back to him, she could tell something had altered his perception of her. Perhaps he could sense the change in her, the one that had happened almost upon their arrival.
“Seventeen days,” she said softly, inhaling deeply and pushing the air out slowly through her nose. “You were sick the longest,” she continued without prompting, ready to give him what he needed to rejoin their group. “When we landed, we were all ill. I don’t know how… maybe they carried us, maybe they transported us by some kind of magic, but the sirens took us to their city.”
“They have a city?” He had missed that.
“Yes, you were there. It isn’t like the towns and homes that we think of,” she offered with a smile while warming her palms. “They live in the trees and on the sand, there in the harbor.”
“Ok, then I did see it,” he agreed, recalling his awakening the night before. “So, when did you build this place?”
“Piers constructed it after his health returned. I was only ill for a few days.”
“A few days!” he snapped. She had been the worst out of all of them, and she had recovered the quickest? This bit of news didn’t make sense, and he rocked his jaw side to side as he considered its validity before he continued to stuff himself on the delicious fish and fruit.
Turning to face him, Amicia returned to her chair. Sitting up, her back stiff, she folded her hands and laid them on the table before her. “Something happened to me, Rey,” she confessed. “Almost as soon as we reached the island. It was almost… magical. A feeling from deep within me, surrounding me. In the air as I breathe it. In the ground beneath my feet.” It was hard for her to put the sensation into words. It had moved her so deeply, as if it had reached the very core of her soul.
Looking up at her, he met her gaze, and his heart thumped rapidly inside his chest. He could see it, too; almost a glow that emanated from her. “How long were you sick?”
“Three days,” she whispered. “They brought me the nectar, and it healed me right away. Bally also recovered fairly quickly, and the Mate was back with us at six. You took the longest, and we were so afraid you wouldn’t make it,” her voice trailed away, heavy with anguish as a tear spilled over and streaked her cheek.
Wiping it away, she smiled as she continued, “I’ll show you the garden when you’ve eaten. It’s magical. This whole place is, really.”
“Magical,” he repeated, almost to himself. “I saw you. You and Piers were there in the lagoon, talking to me. You had a shell –” He stopped short when she leapt up from her seat and turned her back on him, then marched across their small dwelling. “Hello?”
“I hear you,” she giggled, selecting a few items off her shelf. Returning to the table, she placed the object he had seen before him on the flat surface. “They call it a merdoe. It’s for listening, and when I hold it, I can hear them. I can understand their song.” Turning away, she began brushing out her long hair, preparing it to be braided.
Lifting the merdoe, he inspected the rough, chalky white outside, observing the pits and imperfections of it. Turning it over, the inside was flawlessly smooth, iridescent as it reflected the bits of sun that peeked through the leaves above them. “It’s beautiful,” he muttered, running his thumb over the perfection of the inside.
“It only works for me,” she sighed, twisting her hair into a bun and pinning it.
“How do you mean?”
“I have to be holding it with you. The Mate and Bally have both tried it, and they can only hear the mermaid’s song, or understand it, if I’m holding it with them.”
“Interesting,” he chuckled, flipping it a few times before returning it to the wooden surface. Retrieving it, Ami shoved it into the pocket on her pants. Watching her, Rey recalled how much he loved her hair when it hung wild around her and framed her face. “You should leave it down,” he commented, before he had even realized he was going to.
“Leave what down?”
“Your hair,” he stammered. “I mean, it looks nice when it’s down.”
“It looks like a mess when it’s down,” she laughed, her eyes catching a sparkle and her smile lingering on her pretty pink lips, the bottom split by the faintest of scars from where her cut had healed. “Are you ready to see more?” she said more softly.
“Yeah, I guess,” he agreed, getting to his feet to follow her outside.
Close behind, he picked his way through the tree roots and stalks of wild plants that covered the floor of the jungle. It surprised him how quickly the landscape had gone from beach to heavy forest when Bally had led him to the camp.
“So, why were they still holding me at the city?” he asked, fighting for his footing. “Why didn’t you take me to the camp after it was built?” His mind filled with questions, he tried to bring out the essential ones first, but this one hurt him deeper than any other. Why had they practically cast me aside so soon?
The girl did not reply and instead stood in a clearing when the trees gave way. Stomping up beside her, he glowered at her profile, until his eye caught movement next to his head. Turning to swipe at the floating insect, he realized it was a butterfly unlike any he had ever seen.
Large, each wing measured greater than his palm. Bright yellow for the most part, blue streaks spread from the body out to the edges, as if an artist had added them with the finest of brushes. Frozen, he watched as the girl held up her hand, her fingers folded into a shelf, where the insect landed, opening and closing its wings gently.
Ami giggled as if the two of them had shared a private joke before the creature fluttered away, soaring up into the sweet-scented air above them. Following its winding path, Rey took in the rest of the opening, his ears detecting the sound of the massive waterfall almost at the same moment that his gaze fell upon it.
“Oh my God,” he breathed, the splendor of the
pond before him stealing his breath for a moment. The surface flat calm as it reached them, the water glistened with sunlight that shone from above. On all sides, the jungle closed in, like a safe protective cocoon.
“The mermaid city is that way,” Ami pointed, indicating the narrow brook that exited the pond on the south end. “The stream flows from here, through the center of the sirens’ land, and into the harbor there, where it meets the ocean.”
“So, the lagoon is fresh water,” he observed, moving closer to the edge. “May we drink it?” he asked, kneeling but not daring to touch it before he asked. The air around him felt sacred, as if he had entered an ancient temple he did not wish to defile.
“Yes, have all that you like,” she laughed, taking a knee next to him.
Using his hands, he formed a shallow bowl and scooped up a mouthful of the deliciously clear liquid. Having a second and then a third, he laughed, “It’s amazing! Is this what she was giving me, in the shell?”
“Yes, mixed with the nectar,” she agreed. “That is why they kept you at Riran, so they could care for you with their special healing,” she finally supplied, indicating the large pink and purple flowers that grew next to the waterfall, on the west side. Grass grew beneath and around them, and they could be reached through the pond or by the long walk around. On the east side, tall cliffs formed a sheer rock face that could not be climbed without the greatest of risk.
“The nectar is their medicine,” he surmised, happy to know he had not been abandoned after all.
“Yeah, it’s magical –”
He cut her off, saying the word magical on top of her, then following it with a nervous laugh. “You keep saying that about this place, and I have to agree, it does have a different feel than home. But is it really? I mean, how do you know that magic really exists here?”
“Some things cannot be proven, or shown, or seen, Rey. Some things can only be felt. I feel the power here. In the air, in the rocks and soil, in the water as it flows,” she replied, her eyes dancing with light.
Whisper of Suffering Page 13