by Unknown
She rested, clinging to the wood. She ignored the ache in her fingers and toes as she bade the sun god to warm her. She prayed all the gods would fire her strength. She pleaded with her father to rise from the depths with all his nereus strength and magic, and use them to save the woman he had loved, at least for one night.
Then, as Vekki resumed her ascent, a corsair glanced over the side and saw her there. "Invader!" he shouted, drawing his cutlass. "A sea-woman boards us!"
"You'll not harm another woman," Vekki retorted, feeling the strange sensation rouse to furious life in her soul.
A sudden waterfall poured from the pirate's lips, and with a gurgling cry he swayed and toppled over the side, nearly striking Vekki as he plunged to the sea.
Then Vekki swarmed over the side of the caravel, and her heartbeat rose to a painful pace as she saw the deck. It was aswarm with pirates, near fifty men who were running to meet her with cutlass and hatchet and harpoon. And the pirates had no care for whether they trod upon the women and girls and boys who lay bound upon the deck, with Vekki's mother among them.
"Stand down, you scurvy rogues!" Vekki said, feeling new strength at the sight of her mother alive. "And turn this ship for land, if you would spare yourselves the wrath of a nereus!"
Some of the pirates hesitated, and a few glanced back, as if they feared to find more sea-folk behind them. But they all came forward, roaring for the girl's blood.
Then fear and anger grew in Vekki, enwrapped with the ferocious desire to rescue the mother who had loved her and protected her, despite all the hatred and suspicion of the villagers. The strange sensation swelled strongly within her breast. And water began to spill from the pirates' mouths.
Screams rose from some of the villagers. The pirates could say nothing, only fall upon the deck. But most twitched or writhed upon the boards; for Vekki's magic had not the strength or training to fill them all with brine sufficient to slay them.
Then the captain, who had been hidden by the ranks of his raiders, strode forward, a tall burly man with a four-foot greatsword. He was hung with gold and silver and gems, showing he had begun his reaving in the days when the pirates plagued the Central Sea, before the Imperium augmented its navy and drove the marauders to the hardscrabble north. In the morning light, his skin showed a tinge of blue, even to the top of his shaven pate, and he raised a hand from the grip, spreading his fingers to show the skin that stretched between them, and the claws that armed them. And no spot of water showed upon his skin or lip.
"Stupid halfbreed," said the captain, advancing toward her with both hands once more upon the hilt of his greatsword. "Your paltry magic has no effect upon a skilled nereus!"
Vekki quailed; but if she fled, her mother died or fell into the horrors of rape and slavery. So, as the captain drew close enough to strike, she flung herself upon him. And though the seventeen-year-old was slow with her muscular, fat-sleek body that was ill adapted to land, she was not so slow as the nereus, who looked two decades older.
Though he was larger and more muscular, the captain staggered at the impact of Vekki's body against his. Then he shouted with surprise and pain as her toenails dug into his belly and her fingernails sank into his throat. Her action had put her far too close to cut or stab with his greatsword; so he raised it up in his hands and smashed her with the pommel.
Vekki grunted as agony flared across her back like the fire of the sun-god's chariot; but the blow served only to drive her claws more deeply, and to make her limbs jerk spasmodically. The captain howled at the worsening pain; and Vekki felt the movements of his torso muscles and knew that he was readying another pommel-blow. She tightened her fingers on his throat and, like a cat, dragged her feet down his belly; and she put all her strength into piercing his layered fat and muscle.
Blood washed hot over her feet and hands, and the captain toppled heavily backwards. The impact jarred through Vekki's body, knocking her breath from her lungs and her nails from his flesh. But she scrambled to her feet and leaped back, red fingers raised against a renewal of the captain's attack.
He lay thrashing upon the deck, with no interest in her any more. All his attention was for his throat, which she had ripped open, and his belly, which she had disemboweled.
"Good work, daughter," came a stranger's voice, a man's, low and dark as ocean depths. "The half-nereus is finished."
"Perreo!" cried Vekki's mother, her voice half-strangled.
Vekki wheeled, her back arching as her battle-fury turned upon the newcomer who crouched on the rail of the caravel.
"He's finished no thanks to you, who abandoned his lover and babe almost before the babe was conceived," she spat like a cat.
"Your words are fair," said her father, who was looking upon her with an intent and curious regard. "Yet they are not truth. May I come aboard?"
Surprised that he would ask, Vekki nodded; and the nereus, Perreo, stepped down onto the deck. He was taller and broader than any land-man, and very handsome yet very strange, with the long bright blueness of his hair, the sea-blue hue of his skin, and the gills to either side of his neck. He was naked save for a breechclout of some scaled hide and a sharkskin belt and knife-sheath; and his ornaments were of gold and nacre and pearls. In one hand he held a trident of some hard-looking white substance that was not metal, and upon his brow he wore a simple gold circlet.
"Not truth?" Vekki said to her father. "What excuse have you, then, for abandoning lover and babe?"
"That I could not return, for my younger brother usurped my throne and bound me in fell enchantment," Perreo replied. "I have but recently won free, and ere I could claim my woman and child, I had to reclaim the throne of the Northern Ocean. Once I had slain my brother, I made haste for the shore with my men, to seek for you and your mother. Then I felt your thoughts, and knew you were my daughter."
He looked over the rail, and gestured; and nerei appeared at the rail, man after man of them, tall and muscular, clawed and webbed, bearing tridents.
Alarmed at the sight of them, Vekki cried, "They do not have permission to come aboard!"
Vekki's father never addressed nor looked at his nerei—he was looking instead upon Vekki's mother, as intensely as she looked upon him—yet the warriors did not come over the rail. Had Perreo made some gesture of command that Vekki had missed?
Perreo looked upon his daughter. "Will you let my warriors take this caravel to your village, and return the captives home?"
"And have the Imperial war-ship patrolling our waters see the caravel in our cove and kill us all for pirates? No, nereus, you will leave the caravel and pirates at sea for the war-ship to find," Vekki said. "Your warriors may come aboard this ship, but only to free my mother and the other villagers, so we may take to the boats and take ourselves to shore."
"Of course," said Perreo, graciously. Then wonder came into his face. "I did not dare to hope you survived, daughter. I did not dare to hope you would be so fine and beautiful and brave."
At his words, a warm feeling sprang up in Vekki, a sensation she had known before only when her mother spoke kindly to her; it was a feeling she had never known what to do with. So she spoke roughly to her father: "Get your men aboard, so they may free the villagers."
Vekki's father said nothing; but his web-footed warriors spread quietly across the deck, moving to the bound villagers and drawing single-edged white knives from sharkskin sheaths. Carefully, the nerei severed the ropes on wrists and ankles, freeing the captives more easily, Vekki thought, than if the curious white substance that formed their knives were steel.
Our knives and tridents are made of porcelain, a sort of ceramic, and forged by magic to be sharper than steel, and stronger. Sometimes they snap, but they are stout weapons, and have made the nerei lords of the deep.
Vekki stared at Perreo, horror warring with shock. "I heard your voice only in my head!" she exclaimed. Can you read my mind? she silently asked.
A nereus can sometimes sense strong thoughts in another who is n
ear, he answered. But the mind-speech is something else, that all sea peoples have, for speaking aloud does not work underwater. Daughter, will you share with me your name?
Vekki, she told him at last, warily.
Thank you, he replied. Vekki, I would ask a favor of you.
Vekki regarded her father narrowly, and said, "What is it?"
"I would go to your mother's side," he said aloud, his vivid blue eyes turning to Vekki's mother.
And seeing the longing on her mother's face, Vekki lowered her gaze and gestured with an open hand; and her father surged to her mother's side. He cut her bonds with his knife. Then it fell to the deck, sticking upright in the wood, as he swept his long-lost lover up in his arms; and they embraced with such joy that Vekki, looking to them, looked away again, knowing that this was a moment for them alone.
Her father's warriors moved across the deck, freeing all the captives, and using the severed ropes to bind the pirates' wrists and ankles. The villagers rubbed the circulation back into their hands, and stamped their feet, all the while looking warily upon the nerei. In turn, the nerei moved back from the villagers, gathering in the center of the deck so that none might interpose himself between the villagers and the ship's boats that hung at the rails. The villagers took the weapons from the bound pirates, and such ornaments and gems and coin-pouches as the pirates had. Then, murmuring among themselves, the villagers went to the boats, and began lowering them to the sea.
They did not look upon Vekki or her mother, or the sea-king. They did not call to Vekki or her mother to join them.
The sea-king spoke into Vekki's head. Your mother has agreed to come away with me, to my kingdom, and see if she would care to stay. For, though the King of the Northern Ocean may not wed a land-woman nor name their child as heir, his land-woman may live in honor and splendor-
"If she does not drown!" Vekki exclaimed furiously.
There are spells and amulets that will let her breathe in the water, Perreo answered, regarding Vekki gravely. And my kingdom has islands. If she chooses, your mother may dwell in a castle above the sea. And, if you choose, Vekki, you may live with her in air or under sea.
"What if I choose not to let you take her away, sea-man?" Vekki demanded.
"You have no say in this," said her mother softly. "Only I can decide if I will stay with your father, or no. But you can come with us, and see whether you would prefer to live in your father's kingdom, or your mother's village." Her eyes grew damp, looking upon Vekki. "Come with us, daughter, please."
You have these in your blood, Vekki, said Perreo, stroking his fingertips along one side of his throat, tracking the curve of the gills there. Vekki's mother glanced at him, and Vekki wondered if she heard his mind-speech, as well. Because you are half nereus, they are in your blood, and so I may grow them in your neck by magic, if you choose.
Would you make of me an even greater freak? Vekki demanded, so pained by the idea that she could not speak it aloud.
No, daughter, said the sea-king, a strange look suffusing his face. I sought only to make you more comfortable in the sea. And if you decided you did not like the gills, I would seal them away again.
And can you make me wholly a land-girl? Vekki demanded.
No, he said, with an unexpected sadness to his mind-tone. I wish to make you happy. I would do anything I could for you. But I cannot take away all that is nereus in you. I cannot eradicate half your body and soul.
Vekki looked upon him and upon her mother, who seemed so happy by his side. Here, suddenly, Vekki had everything she had wanted: her father with them, her mother happy, her father wanting them both. And she had more than she had dared imagine: he was a king, offering them a far better place in the world than they had in the village, the shunned peasant harlot and her ugly, inhuman bastard.
Perreo's brow darkened, and Vekki realized he had sensed her thought. I should kill anyone who scorned my woman or my daughter, or made either of you think you are less than whole and beautiful and perfect.
"But you will not kill them," Vekki heard herself saying with surprise. "You will not kill them, if you would have any chance of your daughter visiting your kingdom."
The anger did not leave Perreo's face; but he inclined his head. "As you will, Vekki. I will not harm the villagers, so long as they do no further harm to you or your mother."
Vekki stared at her father. She had not thought of the villagers' treatment of her and her mother as harm. She was bastard; her mother was unwed, the abandoned leman of a sea-man, who slept with village men in trade for food and clothes, that her daughter might survive. Of course the villagers had behaved as they had.
Yet they should not have, Vekki had always thought. Though she had not thought the villagers harmed her or her mother, she had ached for them to behave toward her mother and herself as they behaved toward each other.
And her father expected that she and her mother should be treated well, and would enforce that treatment with death?
Vekki could hardly speak for the feeling in her, that had grown so warm. Joy, she realized. It is joy.
"Father," Vekki said, "I will go with you and Mother to see your kingdom."
Ghost Masks
by Jonathan Moeller
It's not easy being one of the Emperor's Ghosts. It's not just the spying, or the occasional assassination; it's making certain that the person you kill is the one you really should be killing. It's avoiding the ever-increasing number of people who want to kill you. And you must be so inconspicuous as to be virtually invisible, because if enough people can identify you, your usefulness as a Ghost is at an end.
Jonathan Moeller wrote the novel DEMONSOULED (Gale/Five Star, 2005), and his short fiction has appeared in Apex Digest, Aoife's Kiss, MindFlights, AlienSkin, Deep Magic, and LILITH UNBOUND. Some of these publications are even still in print! He wrote "Black Ghost, Red Ghost" and "Stolen Ghosts" for Sword & Sorceress 22 and 23, and is pleased to return for Sword & Sorceress 24.
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Caina knew that she might die before dawn came again.
A man sat before the hearth, staring into the flames, chin resting on the pommel of a broadsword. Caina had not seen him for over a year, but he looked as she remembered, his face and his eyes grim and hard. White scars stood out as his thick hands flexed against the sword's hilt. Caina had seen him use that weapon, seen him strike down foes with brutal strength.
He might do the same to her.
"Ark," said Caina.
Ark's head snapped around.
"They're going to kill the Emperor," she said.
Ark sprang to his feet in a single smooth motion, broadsword flying from its scabbard. Before Caina could react the sword rested against her neck. She could almost feel her pulse throbbing against the razor edge.
"Hello, Ark," whispered Caina.
"Caina?" said Ark. The sword did not waver. "The Ghost circlemasters told me that you were dead."
"Not yet," said Caina.
"They said that you betrayed the Ghosts," said Ark. "That you turned traitor and murdered old Halfdan."
"No!" said Caina. "The magi murdered Halfdan. As they will murder the Emperor, this very night, along with the Kyracian princes who came to make peace. The Kyracians will declare a war of vengeance, and in the chaos the magi will try to seize control of the Empire."
"How do you know this?" said Ark.
"This letter," said Caina. Slowly, carefully, she reached into her cloak, withdrew a tattered paper, and handed it to Ark. "I found it on the body of a magus who came to kill me. We have to act. The Ghosts don't know about this. They can't protect the Emperor from the assassin."
"Why should I believe you?" said Ark. "The magi could have reached into your mind, used their sorcery to twist your thoughts into whatever shape they wished."
"But they didn't," said Caina. "Listen to me. Halfdan was as a father to me. How could I have killed him? You know me. We've been through too much together. You've saved my life a dozen times. Halfdan may h
ave been as my father, but you are as my brother, Ark. I swear to you I am telling the truth."
Ark said nothing, but his sword did not move, and his eyes did not soften.
"Do as you think best," said Caina. "Take me to the circlemasters. Or kill me. But I beg you. We are both sworn Ghosts of the Emperor, his spies and servants, and the magi are going to kill him. You must stop them."
Still Ark said nothing. Despite herself, Caina began to tremble. The blade felt cold against her neck, so cold.
"Do you remember," said Ark, "the day you saved my wife from the slave traders?"
Caina surprised herself by laughing. "How could I forget? It is the only time I have ever seen you weep."
"I thought she was dead," said Ark. He blinked, once. "And I thought you were dead, too."
He lowered the sword, caught her by the shoulders, and pulled her to him in a rough hug. Caina's breath burst out in a startled cough. She had forgotten how strong he was.
"It is good..." Ark sighed and let her go. "I never thought I would see you again."
"Nor I you," said Caina.
"And I believe you," said Ark, returning his sword to its scabbard. "The Magisterium has been up to something for months. They've been killing Ghost spies left and right. But to kill the Emperor... we must go to the circlemasters at once."
"No," said Caina. "I have the death mark on my head. They'll kill me, and they won't believe me. If you go by yourself, they won't believe you, either. By the time you convince them the Emperor will be dead. We have to act, now."
Ark nodded. "What sort of sorcery will the magi use against the Emperor?"
"They won't. Too obvious." She pointed at the letter in his hand. "Read it."
He did. Then his brows knotted in an alarmed scowl. "Sicarion?"