Double Life - Book 1 of the Vaiya Series

by Vaiya Books

  The mermaid’s hurried breathing, and her trembling arms hugging him tightly, brought him back to reality. Why should he care how humiliated he felt? How queasy he felt as her fish tail swished back and forth against his legs? All of this was worth it. It pained him to even think what her capturers would do to her.

  With those thoughts encouraging him, slowly, methodically, he turned around, amidst her soft cries, and lowered himself onto the second spike. Then, taking his right hand off the branch, he clutched the spike, soon repeating it with his left hand.

  The rest of the way down was tedious, agonizing, and suspenseful. Not only did she continually panic and shriek into his ear whenever he slipped a little, his fingers had now become so chafed and raw, that he thought they would start bleeding any second. Moreover, a few splinters had likely dug into his hands as well. Whoever made these footholds didn’t factor in comfort.

  After two more minutes of suffering, at one point nearly losing his footing and falling out of the tree, to her utter terror, he finally made it to the soft grass below. Upon stepping onto the solid ground, he fell to his knees in exhaustion and sat in silence, examining his scraped knuckles, bruised fingers, and cut hand, before she interrupted him, loosening her firm grip on his chest.

  “Please, will you take me back to the water?” Her young girlish voice sounded like gentle ocean ripples lapping against the side of a sailboat, drenching him with thoughts of peace and happiness.

  Nodding his head, overjoyed at her emotional transformation, he lifted himself off his knees and began trudging towards the beachy shore, and then into the shallow part of the water. Once the water was up to his ankles, completely soaking his shoes and socks, she let go of him, falling into the shallows.

  As she darted towards her father, applause rang out from the merfolk, who’d now gathered to watch. Tears filled the merman’s eyes as he warmly embraced his daughter, kissing her on the cheek, and then clapped a pearl bracelet onto her arm. “May the ocean’s blessings flow through you, human! Our kingdom is bound to you forever.”

  Ian blushed, shrugging his shoulders, unsure of how to respond. Not only did he feel more than a little guilty over his previous harsh thoughts towards the merfolk, but he also felt very ill from having to carry a half-fishlike creature for so long of a distance. His stomach was entirely in knots and only with the utmost effort did he resist throwing up.

  But whether he were just oblivious or had other things on his mind, the merman didn’t seem to notice his discomfort. Smiling with eager gratefulness now that his daughter was rescued, he felt that it was time to introduce themselves to one another: “Who are you, young man?”

  “My name’s Ian Hansen,” he replied weakly, subconsciously washing his hands off in the water. “And you are?”

  Not seeming to mind Ian’s informality, he replied with a bright smile, “I am King Jayan Shalan, ruler of the water realm of Yavara. This deed of yours will not go unrewarded.”

  Nothing could’ve surprised Ian more, even if he’d heard that his brother Erik had just won the spelling bee. His eyes widened in shock, his heart surging with emotion. To think, he’d just rescued a mermaid princess from the hands of savage men. It sounded like something from a children’s book, a tale that he would’ve avoided reading like it were the plague. Now, ironically, he was the protagonist.

  As he considered this with amusement, the king turned to his daughter, whispered something to her that he couldn’t catch, and then looked back up at him. “Ian, seldom do we find a human as valiant as you.” He embraced his daughter again, tears still glimmering in his eyes. “Your name and your deed will forever be remembered in Yavara.”

  Ian smiled meekly, greatly embarrassed by the high praise coming from such a powerful person. He didn’t believe for a second that he deserved the compliments being heaped upon him. After all, it wasn’t really that hard to rescue her. “Thank you, Your Majesty,” he murmured sheepishly. And then, finding no other words to add, he simply stared down at the waves lapping against the beach.

  While he continued staring at the ocean, the mermaid princess swam over to him, tranquil gratitude in her previously frightened eyes, stopping only once she couldn’t go any farther. “Ian, I must reward you.” She folded both of her hands across her neck and bowed once.

  With nervous reluctance, Ian faced the mermaid, his cheeks reddening as he saw other young mermaids giggling at him and diving into the water, showing off either their flashy purple, pink, and red fish tails, or their expert swimming skills. Regardless, he felt unworthy of such attention, and he definitely didn’t need any reward; he was just happy that he could do something nice for a change.

  “You really don’t have to, Your Highness,” he replied, his tone slightly argumentative, as the ripples continued to wash over his new tennis shoes without him even caring. “I’m just glad you’re safe.”

  “No, you must receive my gift,” she urged him, hurt flooding her voice at his rejection. Stretching up her hand to him, she held out a gold-beaded necklace, laced with a silvery thread. In the center of the necklace shone a perfectly cut diamond-shaped sapphire, which sparkled brilliantly in the dazzling sunshine.

  Stunned by its radiance, not willing to hurt her by refusing her generous gift, Ian slowly took it out of her hand, thanking her quietly, and then examined it closely, wondering what he should do. If he were a girl, it would be easy. He’d wear it. Yet as a guy, it’d just feel wrong. Perhaps in her culture it was alright and even common for guys to wear such things, but that offered little consolation to him. After all, he was a human and they were part fish.

  As he puzzled over the necklace, fully intent on never wearing it, she looked at him curiously, throwing her golden hair over her shoulder, and offered him a reason to try it. “This is not an ordinary necklace, Ian--it breathes with magic.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked, intrigued. The other young mermaids continued to watch him, as if interested in his every movement. It was the sort of thing that could get old fast, like someone playing copycat and mimicking your every word.

  “If you say my name while wearing the necklace, you will become one of us,” she replied. “Take it off and you will become human again.”

  Just what kind of magic was this? And why would he ever want to become part fish? The thought was entirely revolting and made his recovering stomach take a few steps backward. “What? So I’ll become a mermaid if I wear it?”

  “No, Ian.” She laughed tenderly, her eyes warm and magnetic. “You’ll become a merman. For you to become a mermaid you’d have to first be a girl.” She fixed her eyes on him. “And I don’t think you are.”

  Embarrassed, Ian smiled to himself, her words reminding him too much of Eddy’s sense of humor. “Thanks for the encouragement, Princess.”

  She gave him a cute grin in return. “So, do you understand how it works now?”

  “Not exactly,” he replied uneasily. Even if this did transform him into a merman, which was still very hard to believe, what would happen to his blue jeans? They’d likely be torn to shreds.

  As if sensing his anxious thoughts, she spoke. “Don’t worry about your clothes, Ian. When you become a merman you will instantly receive new garments and when you change back into a human you will have your old clothes back on, dry and clean as the white sand dunes.”

  Ian gave her a serious look. “That’s impossible.”

  “That’s why it’s called magic,” she said charmingly.

  “And you’re sure this is safe?” he asked, still not at all convinced, though if it did really work, the thought of the lower portion of his body becoming a fish tail made him want to gag.

  But she only laughed, her eyes shining with mischief. “By the ocean’s currents, I assure you it’s entirely safe, though the transformation itself will feel very odd at first. It will be much more than just an external change.”

  Now he was starting to get worried. “And that means?”

  “You will be changed
completely on the inside as well. Your lungs, heart, and all your other organs will be altered.” As he stared at her with raw horror, already envisioning this process, she just laughed. “You have to be able to breathe underwater somehow.”

  Trying to keep a brave face, he soon found it impossible. “This won’t hurt, will it?” he asked, already telling himself that even without any pain there was no way he’d ever use it. Though he wasn’t the type to cringe in the face of a new experience, this bizarre case warranted an exception. Just thinking about his internal organs changing within him was enough to make him shudder. Imagining his legs somehow morphing into a fish tail was even worse. Nausea struck him at the very thought.

  Likely sensing his inhibitions, the mermaid tried to calm them. “Ian, do not concern yourself with the clams and scallops; you have nothing to fear.”

  “Thank you, Princess,” he said, smiling as if convinced by her words. “Maybe I’ll try it on sometime.”

  Without waiting for a response, he then turned his face away from her so she wouldn’t see his lack of excitement about the necklace, and observed seven young mermaids competing to see which one could jump the farthest out of the water. So far, from what he’d heard from a young merman who was watching them in awe, twenty-five feet was the most. How that was even possible was beyond him. They were like highly trained dolphins.

  As he continued staring at them, Princess Taeria tossed her head to the side, drops of water falling from her golden cream-colored hair, and struck her tail against the water, drawing his attention back to her. “I really do hope you use it soon, Ian. My heart is already anticipating what you’ll look like as a merman.”

  “Great to know,” he said, face somewhat flushed, as he squeezed the necklace into his left pocket, hoping that he’d never need to make use of its power. Besides the fact that becoming a different creature, even if it were still half-human, frightened him immensely, for some bizarre reason, it also felt like too much of a victory for her to see him as a merman. No, despite how much she wanted him to try it on, he didn’t ever see himself using the necklace. She’d just have to live with her undying curiosity.

  Smiling faintly at that thought, he soon realized that she was still watching him, as if expecting him to say more. Blushing over his distractedness, he added, “Thanks again for the gift, Taeria,” feeling odd how he still remembered her name.

  At his words, she gleamed with laughter, while tapping her fingers against the top of her shoulder twice. “So it is true what they say. Once a human boy hears a name of a mermaid he can’t forget it.”

  Ian grinned weakly, trying to cover up his feverish embarrassment. That he was called a boy only made the situation worse. Knowing that any words coming out of his mouth would only sound foolish, he refrained from talking as he tried to pull himself back together.

  The princess, still watching him, laughed softly and whispered, “Come closer, Ian. I have something for you.”

  Rather tense, though a bit excited, Ian stepped closer to her, reaching the edge of the pier, and then sat down, gazing down at her, as she removed a clear glass flask filled with dark blue liquid from her dress pocket.

  Curious, he peered down and looked closer at it. What was it? Medicine? Ointment for his wounds? An exotic drink?

  As he stared at her in bewilderment, she opened the cap, pouring a dozen drops onto her left hand and then, before he could even discern what she was going to do, playfully splashed the liquid onto his face.

  Startled by her immaturity, he bit his lip while trying to wipe the hot sticky liquid off his forehead and face, but it had mysteriously absorbed into his skin, leaving only a strong tingling feeling all over his face and a strange oceanic fragrance, reminding him of palm trees, tropical coral reefs, and seashells. This couldn’t be good.

  “What was that for?” murmured Ian.

  Grinning mischievously, she touched her index finger to her mouth. “You’ll see. I’d love to give you more, Ian, but I’m not sure you could handle it.” Smiling, she cupped her hands together, filled them with seawater, and then blew on them, before speaking: “The seagull cries. My father and the elders wish to speak to me.” She gave him a small nod. “I will return.”

  “Goodbye, then,” said Ian, as he noticed how smooth the skin on his face felt now. Something had definitely happened to it--but what?

  As he pondered over this in suspense, she placed her right hand on top of her left one, her voice filled with strong emotion: “My heart and life have been saved by you, Ian. I do not want to see you get hurt.” He gave her a weird look as she continued, “Please use the necklace immediately and swim away from this wicked shore. The woodsmen will not look kindly upon you when they return.”

  “I’ll consider it,” he replied faintly, as images of savage cannibals feasting upon his flesh suddenly bombarded his mind, sending panic through him.

  As scared as he was of them though, he still couldn’t overcome his fears of being part fish, or his worries that something might go wrong with the transformation. Who knew what would happen if he put the necklace on? He might either get seriously hurt, the metamorphosis might malfunction leaving him in a half-human, half-merman state, or he might be forever stuck as a merman, never being able to change back.

  And besides all that, he halfway doubted that the necklace even worked anymore … that is, if it had ever even worked at all.

  As these doubts raged through his mind like a tempest, she dove under the water and vanished, sending ripples throughout the water.

  Gazing down at the moving water, letting it have an almost hypnotic effect on him, Ian thought back to Shadowcrest Manor. Last time he’d teleported to this world he’d been gone for over an hour. If that happened this time, his friends would be long gone before he ever reappeared in the bathroom. Either that or they’d panic and call the police, thinking he’d been kidnapped. No, he couldn’t handle either of these scenarios. As much as he’d like to stay here and talk to the merfolk, he really did need to get going....

  Rowdy voices erupted in the distance, hammering his thoughts into powder. Glancing around fearfully to see where they were coming from, he saw a ragtag band of rough-looking men emerge from the forest yelling angrily at each other as they gazed at first the empty cage in the tree and then at Ian, their faces immediately exploding with rage.

  “You there!” cried a middle-aged man with a long brown beard, as he and his friends quickly surrounded the pier and the man pointed at Ian with his chin. “You freed the fish woman, didn’t you?”

  Before he even had a chance to respond to this new language, which, unlike the merfolk and elven languages, was harsh and clipped with many consonants, a gray-haired man possessing only one eye waved his crossbow at Ian and gnashed at him with his words. “You picked the wrong crowd to meddle with, pretty boy. The deep sea is callin’ for you.”

  Tentacles of fear wrapping themselves about his heart, Ian didn’t even ponder how he knew their language. All he knew was, he had to say something quickly, or he was as good as dead.

  “Hey,” Ian shouted, trying to sound bold, as he backed up to the end of the pier, clenching his fists in anger, noticing that all the men had the symbol of an axe stitched into their garments. “I did the only logical thing any humane person would do. You wanted to eat her.” It was an assumption, a stretch, but not illogical. Anything seemed possible with these men.

  At his words, however, a brawny man of about thirty, carrying a hatchet, simply burst out into maniacal laughter. “We aren’t cannibals, boy; we wouldn’t dare eat that slimy fish girl!” His companions followed his lead and erupted into raucous laughter--Ian might as well be involved in a tavern brawl.

  Focusing on the likely leader of the group, a man with an iron axe, Ian’s face hardened, though his heart still trembled. “Then what did you want with her?”

  “Money!” yelled the tallest man in the group, who was dressed in tattered clothes as if he were a vagabond. “We would’ve made the king�
�s palace off her!”

  “And how’d you intend to do that?” Disgusted anger gripped Ian.

  The lanky man ripped off a dirty corner of his shirt’s sleeve and threw it at Ian. “A gray-cloaked man offered us high money--”

  “Silence, Dargo!” the leader punched the ragged man in the chest, giving him a bruise worth remembering and sending him to his knees. Taking his cold eyes off the wounded man and fixing them on Ian, he approached him with the sly grin of a trained barbarian and lifted his axe into the air. “How about I swing this axe into your chest and hear your little screams?”

  A hearty laughter broke out from all of his comrades except the injured man. Then the leader noticed Ian’s golden necklace bulging out of his pocket, and a devilish smile formed on his face. “What do you have there, my boy?” He took a greasy step towards Ian. Then another.

  “A necklace,” he murmured, limbs trembling terribly, his bravado all but vanished. He had to do something and quickly; he couldn’t stay here any longer. Oh how he wished he would’ve simply swam away when he had the chance. Even swimming in his blue jeans and dress shirt would’ve been a small price to pay for escaping death. Now he had little chance of survival if he didn’t act fast. But what could he do?

  Gazing at the leader with terror clinging to his heart, as he firmly clutched the necklace, Ian watched his face grow amused, then the leader just sneered at him.

  “A necklace? We can see that clearly,” scoffed the commander, cruel sarcasm brimming in his voice. Then he held his axe higher, a diabolical grin worming into his face. “Give me that pretty jewelry right now or I’ll chop you into little pieces,” he suddenly demanded.

  Eyes wide with fear, Ian’s heart beat like a windmill. Desperate, clinging to the hope that Taeria hadn’t lied to him about the necklace’s power, and not even caring about its side effects anymore, he flung it over his neck, whispered her name, turned around sharply, and dove into the water like an experienced diver. As he touched the salty lake, his cut hand and skinned knuckles stung wildly, yet his fear of dying drove the pain away.