Lady of the Sea: The Aureate Chronicles, Book One

by Heather Zwygart

  “Is there anything I can say that you would believe?” I ask. Kai blinks a couple times before directing his attention to Ethan. I get the message loud and clear, not worth my time.

  “Tupaea is gone. He and his warriors must have left this morning to insist Ngati Hangarau give an accounting for the recent deaths. We’re on our own,” Kai says, eyes dark and distant.

  “Isn’t that serious? Why aren’t you with them?” Ethan asks looking grim.

  “I wasn’t asked,” Kai says, avoiding my open curiosity. “They still don’t trust me.” Kai shakes his head slowly. “Their wrong about this.” Then looking directly at me, he spits out, “This has the mark of the taniwha all over it.”

  Ethan follows his gaze. “Do you honestly think she could have anything to do with the killings? She’s not going to hurt anyone, Kai. Loosen up a bit, will you?”

  “What killings?" I ask, wanting some answers of my own. Kai turns his attention back to me, his gaze sweeping the length of my body. He releases a sigh of annoyance.

  “First, clothes. We’ll play twenty questions later.” To Ethan, he says, “I’ll see if I can find her something. You might as well stay here in case someone does show up.” With that, he gestures for me to follow him. In a fit of pique, I fall in step. My eyes trail the line of his back, which I notice is covered in the same intricate spirals I saw on the greenstone knife. On his shoulder, the symbol of moon and sun are framed boldly by rounded lines that curve their way along his left collarbone and down the full length of his arm. The black lines appear to continue to the front of his chest, but I cannot see at this vantage point. Kai comes to a sudden stop, and I get a closer look at the patterns on his back.

  “Hey, watch it,” Kai says glancing over his shoulder. I’m irritated with myself for not paying closer attention to where I was going. “Stay here. If you try to escape, I will hunt you down, and when I capture you, I won’t be so gentle.” He ducks into one of the small whare for less than a minute and thrusts a simple blue cotton gown at me.

  “What am I supposed to do with this?” I ask.

  “Put it on,” Kai orders, hand to forehead in a look of exasperation, while ushering me inside the grass structure. “What else would it be for?”

  Back in Sol there is a glass pavilion that rests on one of the highest tiers of the castle. There are in fact several of these pavilions but this one is where I liked to spend most of my time. And they are full of books. Books from all over the world, traded from among others of our kind. Of course, we rarely see any new additions, since the Elders banned us from ever having contact with humans.

  These pavilions effectively keep the water out, designed as they were, with a water barrier at each entrance. This barrier most resembles a bubble of air that instantly dries a person off as they cross through it. It was common for our kind to have rooms like these back before the transformation was all but lost to us.

  That is where I studied with Cian, where I proved to be adept at exchanging tail for legs, much to Cian’s astonishment. I loved the way the sun filtered through the glass and algae, piercing the books with beams of light. And I now recall images of Māori women from a book I read and do my best to arrange the dress in a similar fashion.

  There is no room for standing. I stumble out, momentarily overcome with a feeling of shyness. Kai takes me by the shoulders and turns me to face away from him.

  “What are you doing?” I ask, feeling alarmed.

  “I need to button the back.” His deft hands are warm against my skin.

  As he finishes the last button, I feel a drop of moisture on my cheek, the first I’ve felt since the storm, then another and another, and I release a sigh of relief. Rain.

  I sense Kai looking at me. I direct my attention at the clouds, grey and ominous, and experience a sudden chill. I don’t have time to interpret that look, for it dawns on me what this storm might mean for me and my frail disguise as a human.

  Chapter 6

  The ocean’s energy is wild and unpredictable. It was the catalyst that transformed me from mermaid to human when I first neared this island. I had no control over it then and didn’t think I would have any control over it now.

  Cian says our people once harnessed this power with ease, but with the loss of the Sol Fyre, that power became less and less with each passing year. Acelin’s and my ability to complete the change set us apart, but we couldn’t always hold the transformation. When we fought against it, it could be quite painful and alarming. Acelin made me swear to never tell anyone. And I never have.

  But now, I wonder what kind of havoc a summer storm might wreak while I’m in my weakened state? Is it only the ocean water’s energy that can feed the change or water in general? If circumstances were different, I would not be afraid to face this storm head on, but I dare not risk it.

  Kai must have noticed the look of alarm on my face. He reenters the whare and is back at my side with a feather cloak. He adjusts it around my shoulders and peers down at me.

  “What’s wrong?” he asks softly. “I didn’t peg you for the type to be afraid of a little storm.”

  “No. Not quite. That is, I… I… I’m afraid of storms.” I lie, feeling ashamed at having to embrace this false weakness. Of course, I’m not afraid! I love when a storm rolls in over the ocean, creating waves that dare and delight and strong currents that reveal hidden treasures in the sandy bottoms below.

  “You’ll stay plenty dry in the wharenui,” Kai says. If I thought he was concerned for my well-being before, I’m under no such delusions now. “If we head back now, we’ll likely beat the rain. Besides, Ethan is probably wondering what’s keeping us.” He doesn’t wait for a response, and, once again, I scurry to catch up with him.

  We are not far up the path, thunder rumbling overhead, when I venture to ask, “Kai, what is it you do in your village?”

  “Do you think this is really the time for small talk?” Kai replies.

  I think quickly for an answer. “It might help take my mind off the storm.”

  He gives me a wry look as though he doesn’t fully believe I’m as afraid of the storm as I say I am.

  “I search for pounamu to carve and sell,” he says. “On occasion, I help Ethan and his folks with their farm. Ethan’s dad brought his family out here to get away from European influences and well… mostly to just get away… but Ethan can tell you more about that, I suppose.” Kai pauses as if considering whether or not to share more.

  “They’re good people, unintrusive, so Tupaea decided to lend them the land, and at season’s end, we split the wool from the sheep. They kind of act like advocates between us and the other European settlers,” he says finally.

  “He seems nice… Ethan, that is,” I reply, not knowing what else to say.

  “Yeah, not a mean bone in his body,” says Kai.

  “Where do you find your greenstone?” I ask, changing the subject.

  “It’s a secret; I cannot tell you,” Kai says.

  “Oh...”

  “Pounamu is like gold around here and very tapu, sacred. I have more than one competitor who would love to know where I get it from. You sure have taken quite a fancy to it. What was with that scene back at the waterfall? It was like you were in a trance.” Kai eyes me suspiciously. The rain has begun in earnest and I’m glad for Kai’s fast pace.

  “Honestly, I don’t know,” I reply. Then, because I need to know where I stand with this boy, whose actions could determine the success of my mission, I ask, “What are you going to do with me?”

  In a clipped tone, barring no more discussion, Kai repeats my own words back to me, “Honestly, I don’t know.”

  I can see the meeting house in the distance, and Kai has all but forgotten me as he makes a last dash to the door. Apparently, he doesn’t care to get wet either. I duck inside in time to hear Ethan say,

  “You just beat the storm, you lucky stiff!”

  Kai flashes Ethan a lopsided grin already beginning to look more at ease. “Th
is one is not so fond of storms,” says Kai, nodding in my direction. “Had to get the lady back before she ruined her feather coat.”

  “What are we going to do about this lady?” Ethan asks.

  “She can’t stay here. She can’t speak Māori, and I don’t have time to babysit,” Kai replies.

  “I can take care of myself!” I shout, startling them as much as myself with the outburst. “I never asked for your help.”

  “Right, so we should’ve just left you there on the trek, half naked and without a single memory to call your own. You’re a danger to yourself, and we have yet to determine whether you’re a danger to this village,” says Kai, glaring at me.

  “I have no intention of hurting anyone. I could use a place to stay while I…” While I what? I couldn’t tell them what I had come here for. “While I figure things out,” I finish.

  “What then?” Kai asks.

  “I haven’t thought that far,” I say truthfully.

  Ethan, who has refrained from commenting up to this point, takes a step toward us and says, “She could stay with me. I mean, I’d have to discuss it with my parents first, but she could stay in the same room as my sister. Poppy would love the company. She gets kind of lonely with so few girls in the area she can relate to.”

  “I don’t think that is—” I begin

  “It’s kind of brilliant, actually,” says Ethan, interrupting before I can argue my point further.

  “I don’t know,” says Kai. “We still don’t know anything about her. Let me ask around town. Maybe someone there can identify her. She couldn’t have just appeared out of thin air.”

  “I have a name, you know, Avelessa. it shouldn’t be that hard to remember. And shouldn’t I have say in what happens to me?” I say, beginning to feel uneasy at the prospect of Kai asking around town about me.

  So much wasted time. I should be searching for the pearl right now. Maybe the women from this village have a plant cure I could try, if only to give my people more time. Kai doesn’t think I know the Māori language, and, right now, that’s to my advantage, but for how long?

  “The storm appears to be easing up,” Kai says. They’re ignoring me. “Let’s get something to eat and then we’ll make the trek to your farm together,” Kai says to Ethan. "We can part ways when we get closer to the settlement in Tauranga.”

  Kai turns to me and continues, “Avelessa, eh? So you do have a name. I think this is for the best. You’re not really in a position to argue, but, regardless, I can’t just let you wander around without a protector. There are different tribes all across the Northern island, and they don’t all have a respectful view of women. The Pākehā, European settlers, are not much better. You have an unusual appearance that makes you stick out like pounamu in a mud puddle. Stick with us for now, and we’ll get you where you need to go.”

  Their ways are not my ways, and he’s right, I don’t know my way around this island. Meeting up with more humans would definitely complicate things. And despite Kai’s rough exterior, he has a code of honor that won’t let him abandon me. Ethan makes up where Kai is lacking. He is kind and optimistic. I could do worse.

  “Fine,” I say. “I’ll go, on one condition. Stop treating me like I’m your prisoner. And I need to get something to eat”

  “That’s two things,” Kai says with little regard to what I’ve said.

  “Arrgh!” I growl, throwing my hands up in annoyance. With nothing more to be said, I stomp outdoors, not caring whether the two of them follow or not.

  The sun’s rays break through the grey clouds in pieces, making a halo of light in a speckled pattern along the tops of vegetation. There is a pleasing smell that travels on a cool breeze. I recognize it from when we trekked through the bush.

  I bend down to grab a handful of soft dirt allowing its heady smell to reach my nostrils while letting it sift through my fingers. The smell of earth. It’s all so new, yet so familiar.

  I hate the circumstances that have brought me to this island, yet I cannot regret it. Yes, Kai can be trying at times and Ethan is sometimes overzealous, but I don’t really see how they’re that different from my kind. Why is there so much fear and hatred written in the histories of our two species? Already, I’m bursting with stories to tell Cian… if he’s even still alive.

  Just then, someone appears in the distance, approaching us at a run, a village woman who appears frantic in her need to reach us. My first instinct is to run myself in the opposite direction. What could be so urgent? What if they’re coming for me?

  Chapter 7

  “Tere! Ka kitea e rātou he tinana iho i te one!” shouts the woman breathlessly.

  At first, I’m slow to make sense of the words: “Quick! They found a body down by the beach.” Their meaning sinks in and my eyes search for Kai, wanting to witness the moment of his reaction.

  Having caught up to our group, the woman, Ahi Kauri, I hear Kai call her, grabs for Kai’s arm and pulls him in the opposite direction.

  With a glance over his shoulder, Kai says, “Ethan, they’ve found another body.”

  “Right behind you,” Ethan replies.

  They have momentarily forgotten me. While it does occur to me that I could slip away unnoticed, I’m overcome with curiosity and a feeling that this is important, a link to a clue I may have missed. But to be completely honest, that’s not the only reason.

  I’m beginning to enjoy my time here in the company of Ethan and even Kai, rough around the edges though he may be. Dare I call them friends? And after all, what waits for me back in Sol but disease and confinement?

  Since the death of my parent’s and, more recently, my sister, I’ve felt it’s my lot in life to be alone. In Sol, I have Cian but the glass atrium where I complete my studies can be a lonely place. Often, I’ve felt at odds with my kind. Swimming among the multitudes but never really connecting with anyone. But I haven’t forgotten why I’m here.

  I stand there, weighing the pros and cons, trying to make a decision. There are so many what ifs, and I find myself caught up in a whirlwind of thought and worry as often happens to me. I never had to make decisions when Acelin was alive. She always made them for me. But my mind is made up now.

  I race across the dirt path to catch up, keeping silent so as not to remind them of my presence. They may decide they don’t want me there, after all. We take the path back to the waterfall and onward to the sandy shore where I found Ethan’s shirt.

  Ahi Kauri leads us through rock and bush past the beach where I took my first steps on this island. I watch as Kai breaks from the group heading eastward.

  “Where’s he going?” I call to Ethan.

  “He’s going to meet us there with a canoe,” Ethan replies.

  “Will he be able to find us?” I ask.

  “Ahi Kauri told him where to go. The Māori are masters at finding their way on land and sea. He knows where to meet us.”

  The farther we go, the more barren the landscape becomes with pebbles and boulders. Twice now, I’ve cut my feet on a sharp edge of rock and I envy the ease with which Ahi Kauri transverses the rocky terrain. It doesn’t help that I keep tripping over the hem of my skirt.

  I can see Ethan struggles with the landscape as well. This is of some comfort to me. Although he wears a hard protective material over his feet, which must enable him to move faster than me.

  “Oof!” Did it again. “Blasted barnacles,” I mutter.

  “You okay?” Ethan is standing atop a rock, looking back.

  “Yes, I’ll manage,” I say.

  “Avelessa, I’m a fool. I completely forgot about your current state of dress. You’re wearing a dress and not wearing shoes. Bollocks! And your feet are a bloody mess.”

  “Ethan, I’m fine, truly. I didn’t want to miss this and perhaps I can be of some help.”

  “I don’t know how. From the sounds of it, what’s left of the body is in bits and pieces,” says Ethan.

  “Well, I know a thing or two about marine life. If it was
a shark that did this, I might be able to tell.”

  “Really? An educated girl?” Ethan asks, unable to hide the hope in his voice, perhaps thinking I’m ready to share more about my mysterious history.

  “Yes,” daring to say more, I continue, “I was given lessons in science as well as the history of varying cultures. My mentor is ill and that’s why I’m here. I’m searching for a cure.” It’s mostly the truth. He needn’t know that the cure I seek is, in fact, a mystical pearl containing my people’s very essence.

  He nods, “Is it serious then?”

  “I do fear for his life if that’s what you’re asking.”

  I arrive at the rock Ethan is standing on and we move on together in silence. Ethan never leaves my side, reaching out a hand to steady me from time to time. I’m exasperated with my feeble feet. I want nothing more than to leap off this rock prison to the clear, emerald, waters below, revealing what my Mer-self can really do. Instead, I smile and thank Ethan for his assistance.

  We round the corner to see Kai and Ahi Kauri forming a half circle, in the shallows, around a pale form caught between two rocks. As Ethan and I come nearer, Kai uses his body as a shield, blocking my view of what must be the body.

  He must think whatever I might see will offend my delicate senses. What he doesn’t know is that in my world below, death is often messy. From the steely shark, who grabs for its meal with gaping jaws, to the small cone snail, with its deadly venom, sending out its harpoon to immobilize its prey. Death abounds, and I’ve seen my share of carnage. But he’s right; for different reasons, I’m not prepared for what I see.

  Chapter 8