Sirens and Scales

by Kellie McAllen

  “Two sea trout for you today.” Her wide smile makes me feel as though she doesn’t mind providing for me the least bit.

  I nod. I wish that I could just accept her kindness, but it makes me feel guilty. She spends most days chattering and talking while I spend the day telling her how noisy she is and how she can leave me at any time. Still, she persists.

  She sits in front of me and hands me the fish. I start chewing slowly, my eyes on the fishes.

  “What is your line of study now?” she asks.

  So, the conversation has finally turned back to me. Has she run out of things to talk about, or does she realize I’m better and is trying to ask me when I’ll leave her?

  When it takes several moments for me to answer, she continues herself. “I prefer the warmer seas of the south, but I know a lot of Mer head north for the summer. What about your family? Do you tend toward the nomadic usually, or do you stay here in Bermuda all summer?”

  My heart sinks, and my stomach churns. I don’t want to talk about my family. I don’t even want to think about them. Instead, I take another bite of my trout and keep my eyes fixed upon my food.

  As usual, she takes this as a prompt to continue herself. “I don’t remember you leaving with the caravan each year, but I really didn’t watch them as they left. For me, summer was always the easiest and best time. With fewer Mer around to remind me daily of cursed state, I could spend more time studying quietly without interruption.”

  I chuckle. “So, you spend all your time studying and still stayed at the bottom of the class?”

  She shrugs. “I don’t think anything I did would change my state. Even when I thought I’d improved, my placing in the class remained unchanged. I think that tradition made it so that once I was solidly named bottom feeder, I could do nothing to pull myself up.”

  I frown. “Things are not supposed to be that way.”

  “It’s the way things are, even if they aren’t supposed to be.”

  I start in on my second trout in silence. For once, she doesn’t continue pelting me with questions and lets me eat. Once I finish, I settle again in the black sand. She no longer needs to put an application of salve on me, because my wounds have already healed. Though there’s a dull ache in my side, it only causes me to wince while changing position. My eyes search the cavern around me, and I watch the small bits of life that seem happy here in bioluminescence. The life inside the cavern is interesting to look at but not very edible. Each of the fish within are barely bite-sized. I imagine the red ones are poisonous. I’ve watched Verona studying them, and it’s made me survey them myself. Eventually, I close my eyes, just reveling in her presence. I feel her stretch out in the sand beside me, her eyes on my face. I remain still, causing my breath to remain steady, even while my heart is racing. I want to pretend I’m asleep, because I like it that she spends so much time just watching me when she thinks I’m not paying attention.

  After a long while, I hear her snoring softly. My eyes snap open, and I turn my head her way. A broad smile spreads across my lips unchecked. Her mouth hangs open slightly, and she pulls her fin up to her arms, lying in a ball. I watch her face as it contorts into several expressions while she sleeps. I want to reach out and touch her face, but I hold back. If I get started, I may never want to quit. These days have become precious to me. I lean back, and weave my fingers together behind my head. When she becomes restless, I close my eyes and pretend to be asleep again.

  She leans towards me, waving her hand in front of my face, but I make no change in my expression. I’d rather she think I am still asleep. “I’ll be right back,” she whispers.

  She turns away, and I feel the current push from her tail fin as she leaves. I wait a couple of seconds, and then I opened my eyes to watch her. She gets to the opening of the tunnel and stops with one hand on her spear and the other hand upon the wall. Her head leans towards the opening, as though she is listening. And then I hear it too.

  Brandeeb’s deep voice echoes into the tunnel, and my chest clinches in response. “The entrance is tight, but once we get in it opens up. Bailey and I found this when we were younglings.”

  We are trapped.

  I panic as she spins around and returns toward me. She whisper-shouts my name, reaching for me without looking. She hasn’t noticed that my eyes are open. She shakes my shoulder as though trying to wake me, her own gaze darting around the cavern as though looking for a place to hide. There is none; I already know. I pushed her hand away. “What?”

  Her hands grip the spear she holds as she says, “They are coming. Brandeeb is here.” My eyes widen, and the indistinct voices coming from the tunnel continue to shatter. There is nowhere for us to swim, nowhere to hide. I grab Verona by the wrist, and shoot upward, my chest heaving with labored breath. I pull her straight for the entrance. She doesn’t resist my pull, but her reluctance is painted all over her face.

  Once we reach the entrance, the voices grow louder, seemingly inches away. I push Verona against the cavern wall and put a finger to my lips. She nods and continues to hold her breath. She pushes her spear into my chest, but I shake my head because I’d rather she keeps it. Then I dart past the entrance to the other side of the wall and flatten against it.

  In the tunnel, I hear Brandeeb shush his companion. But in a perfectly audible whisper, he says, “Did you see that? I think I saw shadow against the light.”

  His companion grumbles. Blonde curls are first to poke through the tunnel entrance. Then Brandeeb turns his head towards Verona. Her expression is one of great fear as she shrinks back against the wall. I wait no longer. I launch toward my brother, dragging him by the neck and yanking him the rest of the way out of the tunnel. Together, we both fall to the floor several yards in. A panicked yelp comes from within, and to my surprise, two Mers emerge from the tunnel. One grabs me by the shoulders and pulls me from my brother. The other is holding my brother in the same manner.

  Blood thickens in the water, and I feel my side wound ache as it has opened up again. But on Brandeeb’s chest, four new long claw marks are raked across. From ear to neck, he has one long half-healed scar that is much deeper than any of mine. I can smell the pheromones of the Mer holding me. It’s Kellum.

  Across from me, the Mer holding my brother is Wade. He frowns, saying, “It is unbecoming of brothers to settle their differences with violence. Why can we not discuss this matter and come to a resolution?”

  Brandeeb glares with venom at me. “What resolution? My brother is determined to keep me from what I want. And on what grounds?”

  I scowl at them both but remain silent for the moment.

  The wicked gaze my brother lays upon me suddenly turns into a poison smile, and he eyes Verona for the first time, drawing the attention of the other two Mer to her position. “Do you want to keep her to yourself, brother? Is she your concubine?”

  Verona’s eyes grow wild, like a panicked animal. She grips her spear to her chest tighter. Why is she just staying there? She needs to go while she still has a chance. I glare at her and yell, “Get out of here!”

  Her panic gaze fixes on me, and then she darts into the tunnel toward open sea.

  “After her!” Brandeeb screeches.

  My brother and Wade dart after her, but I switch my position to holding Kellum back. He struggles against my grip, but I’m too weak. After slapping me with his tail fin, he escapes and follows after the other two. I dart after them as well. My broad shoulders barely clear the opening of the tunnel. My tail slaps against the top and the bottom with each stroke as I swim through it as fast as I can. Finally, I break free into the open. A blue haze covers everything as far as the eye can see. The sun has already set, and only the faintest blue light remains. We have minutes before we will be in total darkness except for the circle of the full moon smiling from behind a cloud. I feel disoriented, for it’s the first time that I even know what the sun has been doing for the last three days.

  I find the silver glint of three tail fins dart
ing after another. They are not far away, but my breath has become more labored, and I don’t know how much strength I have. My heart sinks, and my stomach turns. Will they really catch her? And will I truly allow harm to come to her again?

  I dart after them all as they head to the east. Where is she going? She’s heading directly for the Bermuda Township. But she won’t find help there. As an exile, she has no rights. A mermaid with no rights can’t stand up for herself. No elder would stand up for her either. All this time, I’ve been thinking she’s a bottom feeder, but she’s actually worse. She’s an exile. And exiles have less rights than bottom feeders. She has become a plaything now. Anyone can do with her what they want—without repercussions.

  Suddenly, they change direction in front of me. And I’m confused. I follow them, but now I’m uncertain if Verona has a plan at all. She has a spear, and it might be able to help her fight off one of them, but not all three. And not to mention that if an exile kills a member of the clan, they may hunt her down instead of leaving her alone.

  The full moon casts silver light through the water. It occurs to me suddenly, that Verona may have a true plan. With the moon in full, she could go ashore. Although the thought makes me feel a modicum of relief, I also fill with dread. We are near the barrier island, not the inhabited one. There would be no one ashore who could help her. No humans, no proxy, no one.

  A shout floats back to me in the water. I’m catching up. The turning had brought them closer to my position while I darted ahead. Then I hear a call of distress. Verona. My pulse quickens, and I cut through the current even faster. All my strength I push into my water magic. She heads for the narrow waters, and the going gets tighter through the rocky shallows offshore. I watch Brandeeb’s hand nearly grasp Verona’s tailfin, but she darts quickly between two rocks, and he misses.

  Then a sudden beam of light casts a glow toward us, blinding us. The lighthouse. If Verona knew it was there, she may have brought us here to obstruct our night vision.

  Ahead of me, one of the Mer curses.

  Verona darts closer to the shoreline, among the rock outcroppings. Smart move. She can put more space between her and danger in the narrow passages between the rocks. I follow, my tail slapping against the sand. Suddenly, she darts quickly left through a passage so narrow, the Mer cannot follow. They dive right. I dive with them, and when we break from the dark current, we find Verona sitting still in the waters, watching us.

  What is she doing? Did she forget the danger she’s in? She looks as though she is welcoming them to her. The sight of her slows me down slightly, but it speeds up my brother and his companions. Hyena like laughter floats in the current toward me. My heart drops as my brother’s hands reach for her. But his hand stops just shy of her, and his arm crumples towards his body.

  “What the–” he yells. Then, flesh slaps against flesh, as all three of them become tangled in a heap.

  I slow to a stop, trying to figure out what just happened. My breathless gasps whistle, and I hold my side. Pain shoots through me, and every muscle fibers’ synapses are firing. Finally, I catch my breath and meet eyes with Verona. “What is this?”

  I find silken strands, glowing silver in the moonlight, capturing my brother and his companions. They become more entangled the greater they struggle. The thin threads cut into their flesh, causing new wounds to form on their arms and fins. Their frantic cries and curses fill the waters with squeals and chirps. The ropes become more easily visible as they reflect in the moonlight with each movement of the struggle they create.

  Verona offers me a shy smile. “It’s a net.”

  I roll my eyes. “I can see that much. Did you know it was there? How could you have known?”

  She chews her bottom lip, her eyes darting left a moment before her gaze returns to mine. “I noticed it when I was out hunting. It’s easy to see in the daylight, but I knew it would be virtually invisible at night.”

  I nod and smile toward the captured Mer. “Stop struggling before your blood and movements attract a shark.”

  The struggles in the net slow down, and Brandeeb calls out, “Hey! Cut us free, brother.”

  I frown and snatch the spear from Verona’s grasp. I approach the net but stop just before my brother’s face. After leaning back, I cross my arms over my chest. This is an opportunity, and one I should not let go by me easily. “I believe we should talk, brother.”

  One of my brother’s hands intrudes between the strands of netting. He wiggles it and makes a fist. It is comical, if he thinks it’s threatening. “What do you wish to discuss?”

  I shift my eyes towards Verona, but my gaze only glances over her. Embarrassment covers me, because I don’t want her to hear this. The thoughts have been rolling over in my head for the past two days. How can I save her--from her exile, from my brother, and for becoming the plaything that she is right now? I swallow and meet eyes with my brother. “The female.”

  An audible click sounds as Brandeeb tightens and relaxes his jaw. The other two in the net renew their struggle with lines of, “Come on,” and, “Compromise.”

  “Fine!” Brandeeb shouts, and the other two still again. “What compromise do you suggest, brother?”

  I take several deep breaths, preparing myself for what I’m about to say. Then with a sigh, I begin, “I will cut you free, but you must leave this female alone. I want her for my betrothed.”

  Four gasps fill the waters around me, including Verona’s. My heart races in the silence afterward. It may have only been a few seconds, but it feels like hours, while no one spoke. Then, a chuckle bubbles up from my brother, and he offers what might have been a charming smile, if it didn’t look so sinister. “Betrothed? What are you saying, brother? You are nearly three years from the day you come of age. Do you think she will wait for you? Who will protect her?”

  “I will.”

  Brandeeb’s laughter intensifies and fills the currents with their wretched sound. After a few moments, the laughter slows and then cuts off. His sinister smile returns, and he nods. “Fine, brother. Fine. I will not touch your female. Now cut us free.”

  Sheepishly, I glance at Verona, but her eyes are wide and staring at the ground. Her hands clasp each other in front of her chest, and she’s chewing her lip again. She doesn’t meet eyes with me, and I’m afraid of when she does. Although I have made my intentions clear, and have chosen her, she still has to tell me that she agrees. What if she doesn’t? I swallow hard trying to clear that thought from my head.

  I swim forward and begin to cut to the first strands of the net. I know that we can trust my brothers word as I cut him free. After several minutes, all three of the Mer are loosed from the net. Once free, the three of them surround us. Looks on their faces are cast in the shadow of confusion. They don’t look at Verona at all. Instead, they gather close to me.

  Brandeeb lays a hand on my shoulder. “Are you certain this is what you want, brother?”

  His voice is more gentle and sincere than it has been in a long time. I don’t know whether he feels pity for me or is just patronizing me until he tells our mother. I speak through clenched teeth. “I’ve never been surer.”

  He slaps me on the shoulder twice and then swims a few yards away before turning back around. “Do not stay out here with her any longer. Let her continue in her exile for the three years. I will help you keep her safe provided that you come home.” He shakes his head. “I can’t have you worrying mother at her age.”

  I frown and nod at him, still unsure whether he is genuine.

  With another chuckle, the three Mer head in the direction of Bermuda.

  13

  “How could you?” my mother screeches, her hands clawing her own chest. Her hair flies about her face wildly in the current, and her eyes are bloodshot red. “Do you think at all? For you to do something so brash, so emotional… I thought I had raised you to be more rational.”

  My brother has left me alone with my mother as she berates me for my poor decision-making. I
do my best not to look up at her while she continues in her tirade. It was late night when we arrived at our home reef. But the silvery, full moon lights the undersea with enough light to tell my mother is distraught. Reasonably so, of course. I have no answer for her. But my mind is made up. I want to live with Verona like I had for the past three days for the rest of my life. She grounds me and makes me feel like a stronger, braver Mer. And, for the first time, I haven’t had a stomach ulcer bothering me in over forty-eight hours.

  “You can change your mind. We have time. It’s three years. There’s no need to hurry, and while you two are apart, your affection for her will decrease with your distance.” She runs a hand through her hair, turning her back on me for a moment before spinning back around. “Do not see her again. Do you understand?”

  There is no arguing with my mother. But I also refused to lie. “I cannot do that, Mother.”

  “What did you say?” Her voice raises with each word she spits out.

  “She is in exile,” I say, not using her name for fear that it would set my mother off further. “And because of that, she needs protection. I will need to stay by her to make sure she’s safe. Brandeeb said he would help.”

  “Do not get your brother involved in this.” She shakes her head vigorously, a few water bubbles escaping her nose as she blows them out in exasperation. “He needs to get involved with the bottom feeder less than you do. Where you are breaking the vows of a promised life-mate, your brother is stepping in to fill that gap.”

  I swallow back a vicious remark. I do not need her to be mad at me about how I judge Stacia or my brother. What I need right now is peace. And though there’s a part of me that just wants to agree with my mother in order to gain that peace, I know that is not lasting. Lasting peace only comes from being honest with myself and doing those things which are not going to give me an upset stomach. So for now, my mother will just have to deal with it. “Yes, Mother. I understand.”