Brellitine Grever and The Sea of Gelled (The Brell Trilogy Book 1)

by Ruhi Jain

  *

  Her head was throbbing. Her arms hurt. She couldn’t feel her tail. Brell groaned and spat out a handful of dust from her mouth. She tried to get up, but found herself too dizzy to do so.

  “Susan?”

  She opened her eyes, and saw Erene, half confused, half frightened.

  Then she realised what must have happened. She had lost control of her magic.

  “Erene, don’t be afraid.” She tried to raise her hand, but it just lay limply by her side.

  Erene mumbled, “I saw you with, all that stuff floating …”

  She groaned once more, and tried to push away her headache. There was no choice left now but to spill the beans before Erene ran off elsewhere to look for answers.

  “Erene, you need to listen to me, okay? I’m not going to do anything to hurt you. I… need to tell you something. My name is not Susan, its Brellitine Grever.” She coughed weakly. “I’m sorry I lied to you, but I had no choice.”

  Then she told Erene everything. Right from the reason she came to Gelled to all the people who were helping her along the way and about the magical bracelet. The little girl seemed to take everything surprisingly well but when she learned about the magic, her eyes got as wide as saucers.

  “You are… human?”

  “Yes.”

  “But… you have a tail.”

  “I used the first crystal to transform.” Brell grasped Erene’s hand. “Listen. Meaken and Callum tried so, so many times to rescue you from the castle but all their plans didn’t work out. I’m so sorry I kept this secret from you.”

  “And your brother, Timothy, on the CreDay, will he be the one to… em… die?”

  Brell fidgeted with her finger. “I plan to save him. I don’t know how I’ll do that, but I just can’t watch him die. Do you… do you know where Zeldae has kept him?”

  Erene shook her head. “No one knows, except Salamandar. We’re never told. Sorry, Brellitine.”

  “Brell.” she corrected.

  “Okay, Brell. So you have actually met Princess Lily, Prince Callum, and Lukas, the royal messenger?”

  “Yes.” She was too tired to say more.

  “Meaken — she’s leading the rebel group just because of me?”

  Brell gazed at her. “Erene, Meaken loves you a lot. All she wants is to have you by her side. You have no idea how much she wants to see you. All her drive comes from you. You know, she has magic.” She said fondly.

  “You have magic too. I saw, everything around you was lifted up.” Erene said quietly.

  “My magic comes from my mind, and I don’t know how it does. I practice it because… there is a locked door on the fifth floor of the west side of the castle, and I want to know what’s behind it. What if it’s Timmy?”

  “I don’t think it will be him,” Erene said softly.

  “It’s worth a try, at least.” She had recovered enough to sit up. “Erene, you have to promise me one thing. You cannot tell anybody what I have just told you. You must always call me Susan, understand? If anyone gets to know that I, a human, am in Gelled, they will kill me. You have to promise me this, Erene D’lear.”

  Erene nodded. “I promise, I won’t tell anyone… Susan.”

  Brell managed a smile. “Now you’ll have to help me up. We have a Ball to attend, you know.”

  *

  Brell slipped on the dress she had made for herself and looked at it. The dress clung to her figure and flowed down beautifully from her hips. It wasn’t so bad, the dress.

  Erene entered the room wearing the dress Meaken had given her.

  “Oh my!” Brell gasped. “It’s so… pretty!”

  It really was. The dress was light baby pink in colour and was set with delicate netting and laces. A pink flower decorated her shoulder. Erene twirled, and the dress furled open.

  “It’s the only beautiful thing I have. And you also look good.” She admitted shyly.

  “Thank you.” Brell beamed at the compliment.

  “Brell — sorry. Susan, first we have to go to the kitchen to get the food.”

  Figgie was handing out towels when the two girls entered the kitchen where every other servant was assembled. Each mermaid wore a bright, fun dress with a black apron over it. Earlier in the week Figgie had trained them on how to serve the nobility and understand from their facial expression whether they wanted the food or not. They had practiced for over two hours and she had kicked out those who she felt were inadequate at the task.

  Today she was wearing a long cordovan gown that actually suited her.

  “All right. Now, clean your hands properly,” Figgie said. She clapped quickly, shouting, “I need your attention. There should be no smudges, no stains. We have only three rules. Rule 1: Be on your best behaviour. Do not talk back to any noble. Only speak if they ask you a question. Rule 2: Only serve the food to nobles who are not dancing. Rule 3: Do not spill anything. If something does spill or fall, you girls will get it from me. Clear?”

  Everyone nodded, and dishes were handed out. Brell was given seaweed crisps with spicy sauce.

  “Remember what I told you, girls,” Figgie said, opening the doors of the Ballroom.

  It was different than before… way different. Half a dozen mermen played an instrument made from a huge seashell. Next to them another merman played the melody on an array of shells of various sizes. Another half dozen hummed the tune on the stage. The music was heavenly, intoxicating and sweet. The water was infused with the fragrant scent of lavender and grapefruit. Brell wondered how that was possible, because those flowers didn’t actually grow in the sea now, did they? The emptiness of the Ballroom earlier was now replaced with beauty. Mermaids and mermen danced to the music in perfect rhythms, swirling with such flawlessness that Brell felt self-conscious of the way she moved.

  And every mermaid wore stunningly gorgeous dresses from long and flowing to extremely short; they all glittered and shimmered in the glow of the Ballroom. There were many outrageous gowns too, with plunging necklines, cut outs at the waist and some were completely backless. The mermen wore crisp tuxedos, tailored to perfection.

  Figgie turned to the awestruck mermaids. “Stay at the sides whenever you are not serving.” She reminded them.

  Brell drifted to a lady and held out the platter. The mermaid barely glanced at her as she selected a piece. She moved on to other merpeople. Some gave her such a look; a look of loath as if they wanted to say, You are too low to be near me. She happily ignored them after that.

  “Lady Ferroc and Sir Edmund.” The herald’s surprisingly deep voice announced all the nobles as they entered. The huge windows were closed, but the sparkling gems on the glass dome ceiling send ripples of light in every direction.

  Suddenly, the music changed and an upbeat, fast tune started. The merpeople began laughing and she noticed a sudden change in the way they danced. The mermen placed their hands on their partner’s waist and the mermaids clasped their hands at the nape of their partner’s neck. In a movement so synchronized and sudden that it left her completely breathless, all the mermaids curled their tail inwards to form a circle and all the mermen wrapped their tails around that of the mermaids’ so that it formed a sphere, with the merman’s tail over the mermaids’. The dance that ensued was a complex, synchronized one that looked utterly impossible to replicate. Each ‘sphere’ began weaving a pattern in the water, twisting, spinning, twirling and curling, propelled by powerful thrusts from the merman’s tails. It looked like a thoroughly intimate affair. When the music finally slowed down, the merpeople disentangled themselves and continued dancing without a trace of vertigo. Partners were exchanged every dance, but she noticed, when the sphere dance happened again, that it was with the same partner as before.

  “What was the dance that just happened called?”

  Erene grinned from ear to ear. “It’s called The Rendezvous. It is a dance only meant for couples… one doesn’t do it with strangers.”

  Prince Callum was dancing away too
. The mermaid dancing beside him looked like an angel from heaven. A white, deep-necked, backless gown elegantly complimented the curls of her golden hair which billowed around her when she spun around. Her hair was adorned with small diamonds and they glimmered every time she moved. Long silver earrings framed her heart shaped face, set with almond shaped eyes highlighted by long, fluttering eyelashes and pink lips with a hint of blush along her cheekbones. Her skin was as pale as freshly fallen snow and she had a cream-coloured tail with golden accents. The mermaid and Callum moved with such perfection, such flawlessness, that it seemed as if they were made for each other. They both were smiling and joking as if they were the two happiest people on earth.

  “Who is that mermaid?” Brell asked Erene, who was balancing a platter of jellyfrish on one hand. She followed her gaze.

  “Don’t you know?”

  “Erene.”

  “Oh! Yes. She’s Princess Valery Fortlis, daughter of King Paul Fortlis. She and Prince Callum… how should I put it? She is the princess of Wroc, like Callum is the Prince of Gelled. When they were born their families decided that Wroc and Gelled should be joined together by marriage. When Prince Callum and Princess Valery come of age they will be married off to each other.”

  Brell glanced again at the dancing couple. “But what if they don’t want to? Were they ever asked for their opinion?”

  Erene eyed the seaweed crisps on Brell’s platter greedily. “Well, every year Prince Callum spends three months in Wroc and Princess Valery spends another three months in Gelled. So they know each other pretty well. Plus, they have been brought up knowing this fact all along. Arranged marriages take place very often between the Seven Seas. However,” a dopey grin took over her face. “King Jade and Queen Sylvia married for love, which is very rare among the nobility.”

  Brell tore her eyes away from the scene, feeling sorry for them.

  “Susan!” Erene nudged her.

  “What?”

  “They have stopped dancing, and are coming here. You have to serve them!”

  Erene was right, and Figgie was watching all the servants, including Brell. She reluctantly came forward with the platter.

  “… and I was just telling Josh how simply amazing Gelled is.” Valery was saying in a soft, enchanting voice when Brell arrived.

  “Wroc has also changed considerably. What do we have here?” Callum inspected the platter. He betrayed no recognition of Brell and his face was smooth, expressionless.

  “Seaweed crisps, your highness.” Brell said, casting her eyes down like Figgie had taught them to do while talking to royalty. Somehow, that act made her feel humiliated.

  “Oh those nasty devils!” Valery linked her arms with Callum. “Have you seen the carbs in them? Makes you gain weight in seconds!”

  “Well then you better have them, you’re already so skinny.” Callum picked up one for her.

  “No, Cal!”

  Valery began to turn away, when suddenly the choir on the stage began a new song. At first, Brell couldn’t understand what it was about this tune that seemed so familiar to her. The ups, the downs… she began humming the tune before she realised it. Then it struck her and when it did, she couldn’t help but question her sanity; it was the same tune that she would play on the piano back at the farm, the same tune that Timmy could never pick up. How was it playing here?

  The deep voice boomed, “Ruler of the Seven Seas, Her Majesty The Great Queen Zeldae.”

  Chapter 19: The Great Queen Zeldae

  When Brell first heard about Zeldae from Callum, she didn’t know what to expect. An evil face, hard, cruel features. But the woman coming down the steps was someone right out of a movie poster.

  Clad in a shimmering black gown that contrasted sharply against her creamy white skin, she descended down the ramp that led to the Ballroom with enough presence that everyone in the room bowed down the moment her name was announced. Her gown was long enough to cover her tail completely, and it trailed behind her on the white marble ramp way. She almost looked like a human, but no human could be so stunning. Her long, thick black hair was plaited in a French braid, woven with strings of pearls and diamonds. Her face was oval shaped and she had keen, observant eyes. Her face radiated natural beauty and power. She didn’t look older than thirty, but Brell knew her ageless face was due to magic. Next to her, Valery paled in comparison. A glimmering tiara made of a massive diamond and several sapphires nestled in her hair. She was beautiful and dangerous. Her eyes, though captivating, were stone cold. There was another side to her, a hidden cruel side.

  Zeldae tilted her face to the left, and made her way to a gigantic, black throne Brell hadn’t seen earlier. The throne was lined with diamonds and right at the top and centre of the throne’s head was the largest white diamond she had ever seen, the size of a rugby ball. When she moved, a black mist followed her, tendrils of black that covered everything. Her movements were lithe and graceful and her voice was crystal clear and cold.

  “Continue.”

  The music which had stopped before began to play again slowly, and then picked up its original pace. The nobles began to dance again, but no one was talking now. The merriness and chatter in the air had given way to a cold silence that haunted the air. Brell retreated to the corner.

  So this was Zeldae. This was the person who wanted to kill Timmy. This cold, heartless, merciless creature who sat on that throne. Brell could feel hatred blossoming in her heart; hatred that would never abate. She felt like choking Zeldae. Her eyes landed on Zeldae’s neck, envisaging her hands squeezing it. A flash of blue caught her eye right then. The necklace that Zeldae was wearing was like the one Maude had worn during the procession, like the one on the front of the fountain. She scrutinised it with interest. It looked like… she paused. Certainly not. How was it possible? It was oval in shape but had the same stone as the locket that she had found in her mother’s stuff. The same fire inside it, the same mystery to it.

  “Erene, what stone is that?” she whispered.

  Erene followed her gaze. “Don’t look at her! The Royal Family’s leading females are given this stone. Only the royals are allowed to use it. It’s supposed to enhance magical powers, impart strength and perseverance and protect the aura. It’s called Labradorite.”

  “Labradorite.” Brell repeated the unfamiliar name. “Is it found on land too?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know where it’s found.”

  Was it just a coincidence that her mother possessed the same stone, that too in the form of a pendant?

  Shaking herself, she began to serve again.

  Suddenly a clatter echoed through the room and her heart skipped a beat, thinking that she had dropped the seaweed crisps. But when she turned around, she spotted Natalie in a mess of noodles and red sauce. Her cheeks were red with embarrassment. Figgie stalked up to her, grabbed her ear and dragged her away while a couple other mermaids cleaned the spill. Brell realised that this was the first time someone had dropped their platter the whole day. Natalie would be in trouble. Big time.

  While everyone was distracted by this, Brell kept her eyes on Zeldae. She was glaring at… Callum! Why on earth?

  She called out to Callum through her Dreign, in the process realizing that she had not touched her Dreign, but merely the thought of contacting him made it work. He responded.

  “What is it?”

  “Zeldae has been giving you dagger looks all this time.”

  He didn’t look up, and continued to dance. “She hates me, so that’s nothing new. She can’t control me, so there is a chance of me going against her, and, of course, she hates that. Don’t worry about me. You just stay out of sight.”

  When the crisps were finished, Brell was handed a dish of crab cakes, which she held as far away from herself as possible.

  She saw something white flash across the dance floor. It was Princess Lenny, with her white silvery hair hanging limply around her slim frame and silver dress. The merman with her looked in his early twent
ies and the way they danced and talked, it seemed as if they knew each other well. King Jade was accompanied by the beaming Queen Maude, who was wearing a long, heavily bejewelled strapless ponceau gown.

  Brell had a bath before she had come here, she had scrubbed out all the dirt from her fingernails, washed her face and had even brushed through her hair till she felt it looked decent. She had done all this to make herself feel presentable, but the couple she saw dancing in the middle of the Ballroom made her feel that she hadn’t done anything at all.

  Lukas, with his ashen brown hair perfectly styled and in a crisp black and white fitted tuxedo, looked like a perfect gentleman. He danced like a professional and she couldn’t identify the mermaid he was dancing with. With a slight pang of jealously, she realised with surprise she wished that she was dancing with him. How strange. Her feelings were heightened when she imagined them doing the sphere dance together.

  Just then, his eyes flashed up to meet hers. She knew she was thinking too much but his eyes didn’t sweep the room and then land on her; they just looked up straight at her, which probably meant that he had noticed her before. She quickly looked away, noticing from the corner of her eye that he had stopped dancing with that mermaid and was making his way towards her.

  “You know, if you were allowed to dance, I would have twirled you into one by now.” He said casually, picking up a crab cake.

  “You’re not supposed to talk to me Lukas!” she hissed, unable to hide a smile at the same time.

  “I see that you’ve got the job.” He smirked. “You look beautiful, by the way.”

  “You don’t look so bad yourself. Now go, before you land me in trouble.” She noticed a few of her fellow mermaids staring at them.

  The funniest part of the Ball was when the Duchesses of Nowbi (or was it Satis?) slipped from her husband’s arms and fell on her rather ample back side. Her gown was blown backwards and her hair fell off. A moment later everyone realised it was a wig. She squeaked like a suffocating pig and tried to get up. Of course her husband tried to help her up, but then ended up falling too because she was just too heavy. Along the walls, the servants just couldn’t stifle their giggles. In the end, two guards were called to lift her up, and it still took a good two minutes of effort before she was finally upright.