2
One Year Ago…
Stacia swims under the sun, her red hair flowing behind her, half the length of her tail. She ventures close behind where Verona sits in the schooling reef, and kicks up sand all over her back. I frown.
A twinge of guilt pierces my heart before I turn away. None of my business. And as long as I keep my back turned to whatever torment the woman has to endure, I don’t have to do anything about it. But the urge is still there. Deep inside, I still remember the brave little Mer who stood between me and my torment. I convince myself the guilt I feel is because of the debt.
I grit my teeth and focus again on what the teacher who sits at the front of the schooling reef of Mer is saying. The teacher crosses his arms over his chest and glares at Stacia as she settles in the sand next to me.
“You’re late,” he grumbles.
Stacia pays no attention to the teacher but preens her hair instead, shooting glances at me through it to be sure I am paying attention to her.
I am.
But not for the reasons she hopes. Instead, I do it to please her. I do what she wants me to do because it keeps me at peace with her. I pay close attention to the lecture, because it makes the teacher happy. Keeping the teacher happy keeps my parents happy. All I ever do with my life is keep the peace. Sometimes I run myself to the ragged edge, doing what everyone else wants me to do. But in the end, the outward peace I gain seems worth it.
Only within, I feel no real peace. The pit of my stomach churns like a raging pit of fire. I place a hand over my burning gut and ignore the moment of pain. I’m used to this. I know it will subside eventually.
The teacher drones on about human literature, barely getting my attention. Behind me, I hear giggles and whispered teases. Once, the teacher glances in the direction of the plotting behind me, only for him to avert his eyes and continue his lecture. He won’t be bothered either. No one corrects the darling twins and their entourage.
The moment his lecture on Shakespeare ends, the Mer disperse as fast as their tales can slap through the water. I wait until they’re gone. I plan to follow wherever the current carries me, and usually Stacia creates the current.
“I’m bored,” Stacia declares, blowing a breath of seawater into my face.
I blink and regard her. “What would you have me to do about it?”
Stacia glares at me. “Entertain me, of course.”
Ugh. A trap set just for me. My heart races as I try to think of what would make her happy. Because peace is my main goal in life, I would do whatever she asks. But the problem here is that she isn't asking for anything in particular and is requiring me to use my imagination. Do I even have an imagination? I stare into her brown eyes blankly. My mind scatters in all directions, grasping for a straw to hang onto. But the more I struggle to find an answer, the more fleeting the answer seems.
When I focus again on her eyes, I can tell she grows impatient. Her nose crinkles just a bit, and the side of her mouth raises in a half-sneer. The warning signs are obvious. If I don't think of something quickly, I am going to be in deep trouble.
“Can you believe that bottom feeder is trying to sneak away?” Gabriel slinks up next to his sister, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. His eyes still train the direction of Verona behind me.
Stacia’s eyes grow brighter, and she sets her jaw.
I am momentarily happy to see her set her sights a different direction. As much as I hate when she gives me her complete attention, in the pit of my stomach I dread that she is going after Verona again.
I reach out and grab Stacia by the arm. Her eyes widen in surprise. It’s not often that I even touch her. My hair stands on end at the close contact, but I bring my face closer to hers. “Boring. There must be a better idea.”
She blinks, but her expression settles into something she might consider sexy. I only consider it more work.
I dart a glance at Gabriel who still has his glare fixed in the other direction. It’s as though he gets his kicks only by pursuing and tormenting other Mer. And nothing gets him more excited than chasing Verona.
But not today, if I could help it.
Stacia takes a hand and pulls my chin back toward her. Her gaze searches mine. “So, what’s your idea?”
Mind still blank, I blink at her again.
Then an idea hits me. “Tuna have been spotted only forty miles east. Even though there is a planned hunt tomorrow, we could go now. The whole clan could benefit if we get at least two each.”
Disappointment clouds her eyes before she settled into her bored expression once more. “I guess that will do.”
Gabriel’s gaze finally pulls from his previous prey. Now his eyes sparkle with bloodlust. Nothing makes Gabriel happier than stabbing something with a spear. My suggestion is the perfect alternative to another day of torturing Verona.
As we start in the direction of the reef where we collect our spears, I finally chance a glance toward Verona. Her dark blonde hair shines in the brighter patches of sun as she swims, the long waves caressing her shoulders. I wonder if Verona has ever been on a hunt. Because hunting is a group sport, I doubt it. I’ve never seen her with a spear in her hands that I could remember.
“Are you coming or not, slowpoke?” Stacia calls from several meters away.
I nod and follow after her, wondering at how much our relationship has changed. It wasn’t until after puberty that I shed the baby fat and gained the masculine size and appearance I now had. My brother, who had also tormented me as often as he could, leaves me alone for the most part now that I am a bit bigger and broader in the chest than he is.
But the biggest change had been in school gatherings. Once ignored as part of the crowd, I have become the object of several mermaids’ attentions. Stacia’s, in particular. None of them hold my interest with their superficial affections. But I let Stacia lead me where she wants. It keeps the other maidens away, and the peace I have in my accord with her helps my family.
The elder of our clan has taken a liking to me, and often both our families have meals together. An arranged betrothal was likely in our future. It’s only a year until betrothals can be announced. My stomach churns. I shake my head and try to smooth the frown from my face. The less I consider these thoughts, the better.
Stacia stops near the reef where several spears are hidden. She gathers up three of them, handing one to Gabriel and another to me.
Her smile drips with deadly intent. These two really enjoy killing things a bit too much. Once we each have a spear in hand, we start in the direction of the most electric current.
Sharks.
Tuna are usually followed by two of the apex predators in the ocean. Dolphins and sharks. Unlike those two predators, the Mer clans tend to stay in one location, for the most part, occasionally travelling for hunting purposes or migrating for the weather.
Tuna travel all over, but when they come nearby, it is worth the small trek to hunt for them. I only overheard plans for the hunting party going after this pod today.
Gabriel and Stacia’s excitement stems from more than just the chance to kill or stab something but also to impress the whole clan. The darlings bringing home the first catch on a nearby pod would be a victory for them.
Ahead of us, sunlight plays upon the silver backs of the large school of tuna. Each mammoth tuna is an average of four or five-hundred pounds.d Their number spreads for almost a quarter mile. I scent blood in the water. Their grouping stays tight, but the sharks have already begun picking off the stragglers.
Gabriel darts toward the tightly knit grouping, his spear directly in front of him as he rushes forward at full speed. The school parts just before he hits their number, but it is too late. He pierces one of them just behind the gills.
The tuna school begins to panic and scatter.
I roll my eyes. Why can’t Gabriel be at least as smart a hunter as the sharks? By picking off stragglers outside of the main pod, it keeps the pod stuck together as a group. The tuna scho
ol believes the group is the safest place to be. But by attacking the grouping head on, Gabriel told the tuna the school has become a danger.
Stacia laughs and darts toward the fish, stabbing her spear at random and hitting nothing. I sit back, watching the twins hunt wildly. The feral look in their eyes makes them incapable of rational thought. At the moment, they don’t hold onto the appearance of clan darlings. Their true nature shows up in their expressions.
A tuna darts straight for me, the panic causing it to rush in a zig-zag fashion. I frown. No matter which direction I decide to move, the tuna could change its course in the blind panic and swim my way, as well. Only one thing to do. I allow the tuna to come as close as possible before choosing a direction to dodge. Then as it passes, I stab it with my spear.
Blood clouds the water around the tuna as it struggles on the end of my spear-shaft. I hold it tightly, the muscles in my arms flexing with each of its throes. Its eyes, which were once crazed with panic, slowly empty as it gives up and dies.
The pit of my stomach churns again. Though the cycle of life remains inevitable, I still do not enjoy taking a life and seeing the light in an animal’s eyes disappear.
“That was awesome, Bailey. I didn’t know you had those kinds of moves. Impressive!” Gabriel laughs, shaking his own spear over his head, one tuna on the rod, another under his arm.
A tuna behind him blindly rushes toward his back. I point and shout a warning, but I trip over my own words. The tuna slams Gabriel in the back with a sickening crack. Three tunas and a Mer sink toward the bottom of the sea.
3
“Gabe!” Stacia yells, darting toward her brother, letting her spear slip from her hands.
I watch them a moment, in shock. Then I realize the sharks are circling us. We need to move. The blood from the tuna, the struggling, the distress, all of these things attract them.
After yanking my spear from my tuna, I stand ready to guard Stacia while she checks on her brother. One of the tuna that sank to the seafloor with Gabriel shakes itself off and swims away. It must have been the one that caused the injury in the first place.
Team hunting now makes more sense than ever. Normally, the hunting party of Mer struck the school of fish, grabbing a few of the ones along the edge, and get out while the tuna continued to struggle at the end of their spears. The blood and struggle attracts the sharks, but they rarely leave the school of tuna, their constant source of food.
But Gabriel threw convention out the window with his attack.
I frown as one of the sharks draws near. Instead of stabbing at it, I push it with the current, causing it to turn away. I could keep using water magic for a little while, provided the sharks only approach one at a time. If they group together, I’ll be in trouble.
“I can’t move,” Gabe moans. “My back… it hurts.”
I glance down at them both, sparing only a moment before returning to watch for potential danger. Stacia’s face is as pale as the sand. She struggles to pull her brother up from the seafloor. At least Gabriel wasn’t bleeding.
This isn’t working. We need a better plan than just playing defense. The sharks will win if we kept this up. I eye the tuna we’d speared thus far. Unfortunately, dead meat doesn’t appeal to the sharks as much as fresh. They desire the struggle and the fight. If we want to be safest, we’ll need to create what the sharks prefer most.
I concentrate on pushing the current away from us in a circle that would throw the sharks back several yards. Not enough for them to lose interest in the prey, but enough that it would keep them from attacking for at least a few moments.
Then I dart headlong into the re-gathering pod of tuna. In Gabriel’s signature manner, I pierce the group of them, slashing the sides of several of the fish with my bare claws. Their injuries cause blood, struggle, and panic—the trifecta of shark bait.
I dive toward Gabriel, scoop him up into my arms, and yell back to Stacia, “Get the tuna and bring them.”
I don’t know if she can carry all three of the heavy fish, but there is no point in letting our catch go to waste. Gabriel moans in my arms. If he has a back injury, as I suspect, moving him might not be the best idea, but it is either dealing with one injury or more, potentially, if the sharks lose their focus on the tuna I’d injured and become curious about us.
My muscles ache. Using water magic tends to tire a Mer out. I had used it twice. The first time, I only expended a small amount of energy, but the second one wore me down. I brace my jaw and rush through my movements, ignoring the weakness and fatigue. Running on adrenaline, I keep myself going. But as I approach the convalescing cove near Bermuda township, my muscles begin to quiver.
I clench my jaw, determined to finish this.
The cove sits near the land of a small deserted island. Rocky shores keep boats away from it, and the shallow waters provide warming sun to heal the sick. Clear blue waters make it so I can see the cove from over a mile away. Once in the shallows, I glance back, but my tail draws up clouds of white sand behind me, obscuring my vision. Did Stacia follow?
When I reach the cove, I find only two patients, but no doctor. “Hello! I need some help here.”
A younger Mer who had been visiting, turns around and I meet her blue-green eyes with surprise. Verona.
Her glance only barely grazes mine before focusing on Gabriel. “What happened? Here, lie him down in this nesting.”
She points to a sand bank nesting that was prepared for a patient. I lay Gabriel down. “He’s been injured during a hunt. A tuna slammed him in the back.”
She nods. “Dr. Trenton had an errand to run on the other side of the island. Stay here with Gabriel. I’ll run and get him.”
I tilt my head toward her and blink in surprise as she dashes to the east. When I had been the victim of Gabriel’s bullying at a young age, I wouldn’t have been so ready to help him as she is. I might have sat back and watched him suffer, calling it karma. But Verona doesn’t hesitate. She and I just don’t seem to run by the same moral compass. Is she stupid, or am I?
Stacia enters the cove, panic-stricken and out of breath. “Gabe!”
She tosses two of the tuna off to the side as she rushes toward her brother. Once she reaches him, she cradles his head in her arms.
“You only brought two of the tuna? Didn’t we capture three?” Gabriel chides her.
She glares at him. “Shut up. Who cares about the tuna. You’re hurt.”
He shrugs. “I really don’t hurt much, but I can’t feel my fins… don’t seem to be able to move my tail much at all.”
I frown. What sort of damage had the tuna caused?
The rush in the current to the east tells me someone is fast approaching. The healer enters the cove in a hurry. He stops just before the nesting. “Is this the patient?”
Verona follows, just behind the healer, but once in the cove, she hangs back. It might be out of respect for the doctor’s space, but maybe also out of fear for the twins who are always worse together than they are apart. And Stacia, the crueler of the two. At least for now, it seems Stacia only has eyes for her brother.
With practiced hands, the healer checks Gabriel over. Every now and then he whispers something under his breath, like, “no external injuries,” or “unresponsive.” The waters gather and spin around the doctor’s hands as he uses his water magic to heal. I swallow, keeping an eye on the doctor and Stacia, but occasionally my attention is diverted over to Verona. The smell of shellfish wafts toward me. Verona is feeding a man lying on a nesting by hand. She gathers a pinch of chopped shellfish out of an open half shell and places it in the man's willing mouth.
What is she doing here? Who is that man she is with? Questions fill my curious mind. The afternoon sun brightens the cove with almost shadowless light. The tide is nearly at it’s highest, but the water overhead is waning, and the surface is barely out of my reach if I stretch up my hand.
“The boy appears to have nerve damage… possibly spinal,” the healer says finally
. “It's possible that it could be temporary. We will need to keep him here and watch him for a few days.”
“A few days?” Stacia shakes visibly, and the blood drains from her face.
The doctor nods and then moves on to the next nesting area.
“What do I do? What do I do?” Stacia’s eyes dart about, unfocused. Finally, they land on me.
I frown. “We need to inform your parents. The Elder will want to know.”
She shakes her head, her red mane floating wildly about her face.
“You can’t leave me,” she cries out. “I must stay here to attend to Gabriel, and I need you to remain in case he has need.”
My frown deepens. We can’t ask the doctor to go when other patients have need of him.
The smell of shellfish draws near. “I’ll go.”
Stacia and I turn toward Verona’s small voice. She stands in front of us, shrinking under Stacia’s gaze. Stacia’s brown eyes narrow on Verona. “Don’t mess this up, then. Go directly to the Elder, and tell him where my brother is. If you get distracted, or fail to do so quickly, I’ll never forgive you.”
Verona blinks, apparently letting the words settle in. Then she nods and darts away. The current parts around her as she uses her water magic to move through the waves faster. I watch until her tailfin becomes a gray blur.
“I don’t trust her,” Stacia says, turning back to her brother. “If there is some way to mess this up, I’m sure she’ll find it.”
Sirens and Scales Page 21