“Maybe I am under an enchantment. It would rationalize my irrational emotions.” I sighed and looked out my window toward the dark forest.
I never heard of a walker using magic, but then again, there was a lot I’d never heard of. If we were capable of using magic, I was sure the walkers also possessed certain powers.
We had our fair share of soothsayers in Rotan, but any other form of magic had been banned long ago when the Sea Witch caused trouble. The only ones who were allowed to use magic were my sisters, me, and the hag.
“Of course! How did I not think of the hag!” I rose off my bed and swam out onto the balcony.
If I was under a spell, the old sea hag would know, and she would be able to break it. If not, maybe she could take the memory of the man from my heart.
∞∞∞
The sea hag had a name once, like we all do, but hers had been forgotten over time. She never left her kelp forest and kept a lionfish as a companion. Many feared her and her eccentric way of living, and for good reason.
Reaching her cave was not easy. The kelp was thick, and it seemed to wrap itself around my tail like long curling fingers. By the time I cleared the thickest part, I was scratched up and lightly bleeding. The cuts were shallow, and they stung, but I wasn’t bleeding heavily enough to draw unwanted predators.
It felt like hours, but I eventually found the cave the hag lived in. It was dark and isolated. A strange place for a mermaid to reside.
“Hello?” I called from the crudely carved entrance. “Is anyone there?”
“You come to my home asking me if I’m here?” a sharp voice chided. “Come in. I don’t have forever.” She clicked her tongue.
I slowly swam into the cave. The temperature seemed to rise the deeper I ventured. Goosebumps rose on my arms, and the back of my neck prickled. My excitement quickly turned to sour regret. I felt like I was swimming into the mouth of a great white.
A light began to fill the narrow tunnel. It grew brighter and brighter. After a few uncertain minutes, I found myself in a large, illuminated cavern.
The first thing I noticed was a small alcove that had a miniature sun burning in its belly. The second was the blue-haired hag. She was sitting in an iron chair that allowed her to slowly rock back and forth. Her scales shined in the peculiar light like liquid moonlight.
Her skin was a deep burgundy with silver stripes, like the lionfish that circled her seat. Her hair was molded up into three points, like a trident. Her eyes were gray and seemed to see more than what was shown, and her thin lips were painted bright crimson.
Her eyes followed me as I crossed the room. I wanted to turn around, swim out of the cave, and back to the castle. I didn’t tell anyone where I was going, so if something happened to me, I would never be found.
“Look at what we have here, Aiko.” She stared into my eyes and frowned. “The princess.”
The lionfish left his perch and swam toward me with his spine and fins proudly raised.
“What brings you here, child? And don’t you dare lie. Aiko knows when one lies, and he doesn’t like liars.”
Aiko swam circles around me. I tucked my tail and arms closer to my core. One sting wouldn’t be fatal, but I was too far from an antidote, and the swim back would be painful.
Even if I made it back, I would have to explain to Grandmother how I’d been stung to begin with. That would lead to questions I wasn’t ready to answer. If she found out I had come to the hag, she would marry me off the next day to the suitor with the most wealth.
My stomach turned at the thought of leaving my sisters and Father behind. The gardens where I made memories with Mother would be left unattended. Everything I had would be taken from me because I had made a childish decision.
“I-I need your help.” I swallowed. “I believe I am cursed.”
“She thinks she’s cursed.” The hag chuckled. “What makes you believe this to be true?”
“There was a man. I cannot clear my mind of his memory. His voice plagues my dreams.”
She sat back in her chair and stared into the miniature sun. She rocked in silence while Aiko continued to circle. “Cursed you are,” she said softly. “Stupid, stupid girl.”
“Can you remove it?” I allowed myself to hope.
“No.” She shook her head. “Nor can I erase him from your mind like the ocean washes away the sand.”
“He’s gone.” A knot formed in my throat. “He is no longer among the living, his body given to the sea all because of me.”
“And you wish to rid yourself of the guilt?” She frowned. “What happened to the man was a gift from the goddess. He was a threat. If you were too blind to see that, then maybe you deserve the guilt.”
I thought she would understand. She had seen more than anyone. How could she think a fragile walker was a threat? She was no better than my family.
She tapped a nail against the arm of the chair. “Come, Aiko,” she called.
“I can’t live my life wondering what could have been,” I pushed back. “Please, help me.”
“My services do not come cheap.” She clicked her purple tongue.
“I’ll pay anything. I have pearls and jewels—” I struggled to come up with an offering. I hadn’t come all this way to leave with more weight on my shoulders than when I came. I wanted to forget about the walker. None of this would have happened if I hadn’t gone to the surface. I should have let the Sea Goddess have him.
Now I was being punished.
“Your voice,” she snapped. “I will help you acquire what you desire, but you must give me the power of your voice.”
“My voice?” I was taken aback. “I can’t. It was a gift given to me by the goddess.”
My voice was the only thing that made me different. It was what made me...me. I couldn’t give it up. I wouldn’t for all the diamonds and gold in the world.
“You must not be too troubled if you aren’t willing to sacrifice. Go home and accept your destiny. Forget about the silver-tongued man and focus on your new husband and the happy life he will give you.” She threw her head back and cackled. “Ignorance is a blessing, child. Ignorance is bliss.”
Chapter Five
Sarai
A week had passed since I last saw the hag, and my nightmares still consisted of the man. Some nights, I saw him, wide-eyed and open-mouthed on the broken ship. Last night he sang to me in the cove. When he finished, he handed me his still-beating heart.
“I’m so excited.” Calethea giggled as she held a pink pearl-encrusted bandeau against her chest. “I have to look my best for the suitors. “
“They won’t be focused on you,” Gia sneered. “They will be too busy trying to gain Sarai’s attention.”
She was picking a fight she wasn’t going to win. Calethea hated when anyone compared our voices.
“They only have eyes and ears for you.” Akello put down the ruby earrings she was admiring from the royal chest. “I wish I could manipulate sound the way you do.”
“With enough practice, you will be as good as us.” Caressa jumped into the quickly escalating conversation.
I smiled in the mirror. I knew where this was headed, and I was ready for the storm. I knew the exact words to stir the pot.
“Yes. With a lot of practice and plenty of spite, you will be as good as Caressa.” My tongue was a blade. “It took me ten moons to sing like her, but look at me now.” I stared at her through my mirror’s reflection.
Caressa’s eyes hardened, and her face turned a light shade of green. I smiled and settled onto my stool.
The morbid news and the hag’s request had me feeling petty. I was hurting, and I wanted everyone around me to feel the same way. I wasn’t going to let them live with what they’d done. They didn’t care about my feelings when they killed the walker. I would show them the same courtesy they showed me.
“Your magic may be stronger, but you’re simpleminded. You spend your days daydreaming instead of honing your skills. You are a waste lik
e Mother was,” Caressa snapped.
My spine straightened, and my vision went red. Lacking. Embarrassing. Now I was a waste? I was what she wished to be. When she practiced, I was the one she had in mind. I was her motivation, and she resented me for it.
“Really?” Calethea bristled. “In front of them?” She gestured toward Gia and Akello.
I shrugged a silver-painted shoulder. “Can I use your silver eye pencil?”
Caressa threw the crude wooden stick with enough force to shatter my mirror and send glass everywhere. I covered my face and pushed Gia aside.
I heard a sharp intake of breath and turned to see a small shard awkwardly sticking out of Akello’s tail. Emerald blood quickly pooled around her. She had her small fist against her mouth, and her shoulders were shaking.
I released Gia and dashed over to Akello. “Don’t look at it.” I pinched her chin and turned her head. “I’m going to remove the glass. It will sting but you must be brave, okay?”
Her nostrils flared. “Okay.”
“Brave girl.” I turned to Gia. “Bring me my sea sponge.”
She rushed to my vanity and brought me the green sponge. Akello whimpered and pulled back.
“Let me tell you a secret.” I lowered my voice to a whisper. “I went to the sea hag a week ago.”
Her eyes got big, and her fingers flew to her mouth. “Really?”
That drew everyone’s attention, but it wasn’t a secret if everyone heard so I got closer and lowered my voice even more. I put the sponge in my left hand. “Yes, I had to make my way through the dark forest. It was so thick I couldn’t see anything around me. The long kelp felt like hands that scratched and pinched. They curled and twisted, and I thought I would be trapped within their slimy claws forever!”
I quickly pulled the glass with my right hand and replaced it with the sponge. “Hold it tight.” I pulled on one of her red curls. “I will see you later on.”
“Sarai,” Caressa called.
I stopped, but I didn’t look back at her. “Tell Father,” I told her. “I don’t even care at this point.”
I swam out and called on a servant to help me finish dressing in my private rooms. Tonight was the first trial for the suitors, and I would have a good look at my future husband. I just hoped I could make it through the night without shattering like my mirror.
∞∞∞
I sat back and watched as our guests swam into the coliseum. Immense columns rose from the white sand and surrounded rows upon rows of marble seating. Thousands of voices called my name, and some even waved banners with my initials.
Father, dressed in a gray tunic that matched his braided beard, arrived in his porpoise-driven chariot. His hair was loose. The thick cords hung around his shoulders and down his back.
“Welcome.” His voice was steady and clear. “It has now been two weeks since the suitors made their declarations.” He placed his fist against his heart.
He left his chariot and swam down to our thrones. Six servants swam in with three giant chests. They placed the chests in front of each of our thrones and pried them open. My sisters looked at them with shocked expressions on their silly faces.
“These jewels are my gifts to my daughters.” He swam to each of us and gently kissed the top of our heads.
I curled my hands into fists and bit my lip. Gifts? Did he believe I would forgive him because he gifted me worthless gems? I wanted to push the chest over. The peasants could have it all.
“Now let us dance and celebrate.” He lifted his trident in the air, and music began to play. The merfolk left their seats and began to mingle with one another.
I had grown tired of these parties. Each night for the past two weeks, Father had hosted a different royal family for dinner. Tonight everyone was invited, peasants, servants, and royalty all gathered together in one place. I would give them an hour of my time before slipping away. I wasn’t in the mood for company.
“Would you like to dance?” Someone interrupted my thoughts. “You look bored.”
I turned and came face to face with the gray-eyed suitor. I waved him away. “I’m not. I don’t dance.”
“Just one dance, and I will leave you alone.”
I ground my teeth in frustration. Couldn’t he see I wanted to be left alone? I haven’t shown the slightest interest in what was going on around me. Everyone else seemed to get the message, so why couldn’t he just leave me alone?
“What is your name? I keep calling you suitor in my mind, but you’re all suitors.” I looked at the group of mermen who were eyeing us from a distance.
“I am the only one who matters.” He smirked. “But you may call me Etan, and soon it shall be dearest husband.”
“I thank you for the invitation, Etan, but you forget yourself.”
He smiled a sneaky smile. “Is that so?” He shrugged. “I thought we were friends.”
“I don’t know you.” I cut my eyes in his direction. “And I’m not looking for new friends.”
The last thing I needed was for this man to think he had a chance. I didn’t need Father or Grandmother getting any ideas.
“Sarai,” Etan gently grabbed my elbow, “I just want to get to know you.”
I narrowed my eyes and pulled my arm away. How dare he put his hands on me? “Touch me again, and I will demand your hand as a courtship gift.”
“You won’t.” He looked at me as if he could see through me. “You wouldn’t hurt me.”
I shivered and tore my eyes away from his. I didn’t like the way his face seemed to change before my eyes. I rose from my seat and looked for a servant.
“Where are you from?” I put some space between us.
“I come from far away. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“What are you trying to say?” I became defensive. Did he assume I didn’t know about the nine seas? Just because I wasn’t allowed out of Rotan didn’t mean I was ignorant. I knew about the kings and queens. I knew the names of their kingdoms.
“Nothing, Your Highness. I meant no disrespect.” The side of his lip twitched. “I’m sure you know much more than you let on.”
“Don’t try to distract me with your terrible flirting. I don’t need a friend who keeps secrets.” I crossed my arms. “You can tell me who you are, or I will have Father find out.”
“Look, Princess.” His voice darkened, and the nonchalant soothsayer vanished. “I see the hurt in your eyes and the defiance you are trying to show. I know this isn’t what you wanted, and I respect that you have your reasons, but you haven’t made courting you easy. You haven’t given me any of your attention.” His voice was steady. “You avoid meal times, you refuse my invitations, and you returned all my gifts.”
“I avoid everyone, not just you. I don’t care for any invitations, I know this sea like the back of my hand, and I don’t care for gifts.” I picked a ruby from the chest and dropped it back onto the pile.
“Why are you trying to make this difficult? I know you have a heart somewhere in there. Why act so cold?” He closed the space between us.
My nostrils flared, and I clenched my hands into tight fists. “You—you—" Acid filled my mouth. “You are a pompous man. How dare you try to tell me about myself. You don’t know me!”
If he thought he was going to impress me with his little speech, he was wrong. I didn’t care about his failed attempts to court me. I was glad he felt slighted. I hoped all the suitors felt the same way. Maybe they would acquire some sense and realize I wasn’t going to choose any of them.
“Give me a chance to get to know you.” His eyes softened into gray rain clouds, all the thunder and lightning gone. “Give me a chance to show you that I am the man for you. Kiss me.”
I stopped and stared at his pretty face. He was a handsome man, but a pretty face hadn’t won my heart before and it wouldn’t now. “Sing for me.” I smiled sweetly.
Everyone knew mermen couldn’t sing. Their voices were harsh and sharp, their songs more like painful wai
ls.
“If you can sing me a song that can make me feel as if I could fly, like the birds up there in the sky, I will allow you to court me,” I said, and his face turned blue, and anger fed the lingering storm in his eyes. “I will kiss you if you sing for me, Etan.”
“You play games.” He turned his back and swam into the crowd.
“Thank the goddess.” I caught the eye of a servant boy and gestured for him to come over. “Find others who can help you take this away.” I pointed at the trunk. “I don’t care what you do with it.”
His eyes widened, but he didn’t question my strange request. I waited for him and a group of his friends to carry it out before slipping away from the party.
“I don’t need friends,” I mumbled under my breath. “I don’t need jewels, and I don’t need a husband.”
“He always looks like he has two pieces of fermented whale stuck up his nostrils.” Calethea giggled as she slid into her throne.
“He may be…ugly.” Caressa fake smiled and waved at a passing mermaiden. “But Grandmother says he is rich and rules the Jahanian Sea.”
“Ooh.” Calethea’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “That does make him a tad handsome, doesn’t it?”
My chance to slip away was dashed. I would have to make up an excuse, or one of my sisters was bound to tell Grandmother.
“Sarai,” Calethea leaned over and whispered in my ear. “That one over there claims he will win your hand.”
I studied the suitors. A long, lean male with an arrogant look on his face winked back. I gagged and averted my eyes. He was disgusting. His yellow teeth were jagged, and his gums were black and swollen.
“His name’s Sitario. One of us is bound to marry him. Grandmother would never allow such a catch to swim away.” Caressa wiggled her fingers in his direction.
“He looks disgusting.” I cut my eyes. “You’re both nasty for even considering such a man.”
The ones closest to us stopped whispering. Everything went silent, and all eyes were pinned on me. I lifted my chin in the air and ignored their scandalized stares. Word was sure to get back to Grandmother, but I didn’t care. I wanted her to know I would definitely not be the one marrying Sitario.
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