Gran decided her talents were of best use on land, so she returned to her cottage to clean up and to call the tow truck to get the Martins’ car out of the lake.
The moon still shone brightly and felt like a bare light bulb in an investigation room on one of those TV police dramas Dad watched. Luke struggled for the first few miles, but as we traveled further north, I could feel the lake growing saltier. We swam for another hour or so before the water became shallow and weedy.
It must have been close to midnight by the time I heard the boat’s engine whirr to a lower gear.
We must be close, I said to Serena and Luke. You guys okay?
Serena nodded.
Yes! Luke said in a strong, re-energized ring. His shakes were completely gone, and he swam easily and confidently. Actually, he looked like a mer on a mission, the way he zigged and zagged through the water.
I couldn’t help wondering what Luke had meant when he asked me if I was “sure” before we started on our swim up the lake. Was it just about our plan to swim north or some leftover weirdness from almost-but-not-quite asking him to the Fall Folly? Was he wondering if I still wanted to be his girlfriend? Ah! This boyfriend-girlfriend stuff was so complicated.
“Jade?” I heard Dad call from the boat.
“What’s going on?” I asked as I popped my head out of the water.
“I think that’s the Howsers’ canoe washed up on shore.” He pointed a high-powered flashlight toward the bank. Sure enough, a canoe was swamped and tilted at an odd angle along the shoreline.
“Can you get this attached so we can tow the canoe out of there?” Dad handed me a rope with a carabiner.
“Hold on a sec.”
I swam to the canoe and hooked the carabiner to the canoe’s crossbar, then swam out of the way so Dad could haul it out into the open water with the boat’s winch. Cori and Trey helped him pull the canoe aboard The Lady Sea Dragon.
There’s nothing in there, I rang to Serena and Luke as the water drained from the canoe.
Well, at least we know Mother and Father have made it this far, Serena rang through the water, sounding relieved.
What do you want to do? I asked.
We need to keep going! Serena said. They could be in the ocean by now. We need to catch up before it’s too late.
“Serena wants to keep going!” I yelled out into the night as I resurfaced.
Dad leaned out around the cabin of The Lady Sea Dragon and looked past the bow. “The passage is way too shallow for me to get the boat through. I think we’re going to have to turn back.”
“We don’t have any salt left.” Cori picked up the salt box and shook it upside down.
“Yeah,” Trey continued. “Jade and Serena might be okay, but there’s no way Luke will make it back.”
“We’ll just go see what’s on the other side of the passage. One of us can come back and let you know what’s over there,” I suggested.
“I dunno…” Dad rubbed his head and cringed.
I dove underwater to catch my breath and glanced at Serena. She parted the weedy grass, trying to see through to the other side of the passage. Finalin and Medora might be just on the other side of those weeds, for all we knew. We’d come so far. Having to turn back would break Serena’s heart. In fact, from the look on her face, I doubted she would turn back at all.
What do you think? I asked Luke.
I have a feeling she’s going with or without us, Luke answered.
“Serena still wants to go. We can’t let her go on her own,” I called out to Dad.
Dad paused before responding, scanning the passage again. “You’ll stick together?”
“Of course,” I called out.
“And come right back once you see what’s on the other side?” he continued.
“Don’t worry!” I replied before diving back in.
“Be careful!” Dad called after me.
• • •
The hills along the passage rose on either side of us as we swam toward the open ocean. I imagined the tree-covered cliffs Gran had described from her childhood, but years of clear-cutting by foresters had eroded the cliffs. All that soil had filled in the passage so the water was only a few feet deep, just enough for us to swim through.
Your dad was right, Luke rang. It’s way too shallow for our boat.
These weeds would probably clog the propellers anyway, I added, trying to relieve my guilt for leaving Dad behind, especially knowing how worried he must be. The weeds swayed with the ebb and flow of the current, and the ever-present bonging noise seemed to keep time with their movements.
At least the water’s getting saltier, Serena rang.
Yeah, Luke rang, breathing deeply. I could get used to this.
Not too used to it, I hope, I said, studying him. Something was still off with Luke but I couldn’t quite figure out what it was. He raced ahead as the moon illuminated our way through the passage. The bottom of the passage started to drop off, and a strong current of cooler water swept toward us.
Awesome, Luke rang, swimming back to take my hand since I was obviously going too slowly for him.
That current feels like it’s coming from the ocean, Serena added.
I thought back to the last time I’d been in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Port Toulouse. But now we were at least eight miles up the coast. I tried to keep up but Luke was really swimming fast. Like supersonic fast. Faster than I’d ever seen him go.
Slow down! I rang. You’re going to tear my arm off.
But there was no stopping Luke and Serena once the passage widened, and I could feel the awesomeness of the current and tides wash over my body and tail. We were definitely in the ocean now.
There was no sign of Finalin and Medora, though, and I wasn’t psyched about swimming the ocean blue to find two people who’d done nothing but complicate my life.
Hey, guys? I rang. I told my dad we’d only go to the other end to see if Finalin and Medora were here, then turn back.
We can’t go back. Serena looked at me, a panicked look on her face. They left the canoe, which means they must have escaped.
But Serena, I pleaded, if your mom and dad managed to escape, I’m pretty sure they’re long gone by now.
Not exactly the right thing to say, judging from the look on Serena’s face. I swear I put my foot in my mouth more as a mermaid than as a human.
Serena turned out into the vastness of the ocean. Mother! Father!
The rush of the water around us made it hard to hear, but there was definitely a response from someone.
Not just one someone—several someones.
Luke and Serena took off in the direction of the rings.
Guys, wait! I called after them. I looked back through the passage. I even popped my head out of the water to see if I could see Dad, Trey, and Cori in the boat, but the channel had been too long and curvy and they were nowhere in sight.
I was stuck all alone, fighting against the crushing current of the open ocean. A knot of panic rose inside my chest.
Wait for me! I rang out, turning from Folly’s Passage.
This way! I heard Luke ring back off in the distance. You’re not going to believe this.
It took a few minutes to reach them against the force of the current. First, I went the wrong way up the coastline, but I stopped when I saw the blinking light of a lighthouse off in the distance and realized I was heading toward a point. Once I got turned around and could make out the source of Serena and Luke’s rings, the sound led me to them.
Okay. I grabbed Serena’s arm as soon as I caught up. Let’s get this straight. The further we swim from the mouth of the passage, the harder it’s going to be to find it again, especially in the middle of the night.
Look! Luke swam beside us and pointed to a large darkened silhouette about the size of Gran’s cottage at the bottom of the ocean.
What the heck is that? I asked.
At first, it just looked like the normal rise and fall of the bottom of
the ocean, but soon I could see what Luke saw. The shape of the hull, the long mast sticking up from the mound.
It’s a sunken ship, I said in a low ring.
Fortune’s Folly, Serena rang.
I thought Gran said the ship sank in the passage. I thought back to the conversation we’d had back in the principal’s office on Serena’s first day. Cori had later explained how Folly Porthouse had sailed her ship to Europe to go get her fiancé after the Second World War, only to sink the ship while trying to get back into the lake.
It must have gotten swept out to sea with the tides, Luke suggested.
But Gran said divers couldn’t ever find this ship, I replied. Why haven’t they been able to see it? We found it after swimming for just a few minutes.
Listen, Luke replied.
That’s when I heard it. The same low ring I’d heard when I discovered Mom in Talisman Lake earlier in the summer. It wasn’t like the massive ring from the mer village where the Mermish Council rang supreme, but there were definitely mers down there.
The mer rings must block the signals from the divers’ radar. They would never know to look here.
And there’s no way any boat is getting close to these cliffs. I could feel the rush of the surf crashing against the cliffs a few dozen feet away. In fact, the ocean was much rougher in this area, far away from the shelter of Toulouse Bay. But where is the ringing sound coming from?
Luke pointed to a porthole at the bow of the sunken ship. My heart skipped a beat when I saw a little mer-girl about eight or nine years old. She rubbed her eyes and slipped out of the porthole, smiling as she swam.
An older mermaid about Mom’s age reached out of the porthole and grasped the girl’s arm before she could get too far. She pulled her back in through the hole and stroked the girl’s hair as she studied us from inside the ship.
I turned to Serena and Luke. Did anyone else know there were mers this far north?
This is the first I’ve heard about it, Luke answered.
Hello! Serena called out. Have you seen two mers go through here? Their names are Finalin and Medora.
Another face appeared in the porthole. This one was of a man who looked oddly familiar. Could it be Alzear, Reese and Luke’s uncle? It sure looked like him. Why would he be this far north? But no. Alzear had been captured and imprisoned in Talisman Lake. The merman and mermaid talked for a moment in low rings, then turned to us.
They were here, the merman called out. Long enough to rest and eat. They told us of their plan to overthrow the Mermish Council and wanted us to join them.
Yes! Serena cried. That was them.
What do you know of this plan? the mermaid asked.
Serena quickly explained about the mer revolution and how Tidal Law was forcing Webbed Ones back into the ocean.
Webbed Ones, you say? The mermaid put a hand to her mouth and stared at us.
This has gone on too long, the merman muttered as he placed his hand on the mermaid’s shoulder and then looked back toward us. The Mermish Council must be stopped.
If you believe that, why didn’t you go with my mother and father to help them? Serena asked.
The mermaid stroked her daughter’s hair again. The merman drew her close.
We were banished from the mer village when we lost our baby son a long time ago, the merman rang. The Mermish Council couldn’t risk anyone finding out our secret—that our son had become a Webbed One.
Luke’s hand tightened around mine.
We’ve already lost one child. The mermaid drew her daughter closer. We can’t risk losing another.
Luke’s hand was seriously threatening to crush my finger bones to rubble.
What’s the matter? I asked. But then, I looked in the merman’s face and saw what Luke saw.
Luke turned to me, his face bright with happiness.
I think I just found my mer family.
Luke approached the sunken ship as if in a trance. Serena and I trailed behind him at a distance.
Do you really think this could be his family? I asked Serena. Luke had talked about his mer family a lot during the past few months. When his mom got sick and was in the hospital, she’d even told him he could try to find them once he turned fifteen.
Maybe, Serena whispered in my ear as we swam.
As soon as we got close enough to the porthole, though, it was obvious. Bright light from the supermoon shone on the little girl’s eyes. They were the same crystal blue as Luke’s, framed with impossibly long lashes.
How long ago did your son become a Webbed One? Luke asked the mermaid and merman. Would he be about my age?
The mermaid let go of her daughter and swam up to meet Luke. She touched his T-shirt, which looked completely out of place compared to the unclothed mers, then she held her hands out and cupped Luke’s face. Penelopus? she rang.
At least, it sounded like Penelopus, but my Mermish-to-English translation skills were still kind of rusty.
Well, everyone calls me Luke now. Luke blinked a few times and his face broke into a smile. But, yeah—I think so.
Luke. The mermaid grasped him and pulled him into a hug. My son.
Come, Petra! The merman swept the young mer-girl into his arms, then slipped out of the porthole and swam toward them. Come meet your brother.
I have a sister? Luke asked. He looked toward me and made my heart melt with the sweetness in his eyes. Petra reached out and felt Luke’s short hair and pulled her hand back in surprise. Compared to their father’s long, flowing hair, it looked pretty out of place. Then she reached out again and felt the cotton of his T-shirt.
Hi, Petra. I’m Luke, he said with a quirky smile. Do you like my shirt? He pulled it off over his head and offered it to her. Would you like to wear it?
Petra nodded and smiled as her mother helped her put the shirt on. They weren’t quite sure how to get her arms in the sleeves at first, which reminded me of Serena almost strangling herself with her bathing suit, but after a few minutes, Petra was swimming around showing off her new shirt.
It tickles when I swim! she rang.
The next ten minutes were a flurry of rings as Luke and his mother and father, Pollinia and Portagus, caught up on all that had happened over the past almost fifteen years. Obviously, they were a family who really liked names starting with the letter P!
Apparently, Luke had washed up onto a beach during a hurricane (which we knew) when he was only about a month old (which we didn’t know).
We tried for days to get to you, but the small tidal pool where you were trapped was too far up the beach, his mom, Pollinia, said, stroking Luke’s hair.
By the third day, his father, Portagus, added, a human discovered you with your legs partially formed. The human took you away.
That must have been Grandpa, Luke whispered to me in a low ring. What would have happened if he hadn’t found me?
Good thing he did, I replied.
We told the Mermish Council what happened, Pollinia continued. That’s when they sent us away and we were told we could never return. The Dame Council’s sister told us secretly of this safe haven. She waved toward the sunken ship. It had belonged to her grandmother. When we were driven from the village by the Council sentries, we ended up here. A few years later, Petra was born.
So the Mermish Council deported you so you wouldn’t reveal the secret about Webbed Ones, I said. Just like they were trying to do to Luke during his tribunal.
Not just us. We encountered several other families during our travels.
It was then that I noticed a few more mers peeking out from some of the portholes.
The Mermish Council is so evil, Serena muttered.
Yeah, but—I began. I couldn’t help but think I wouldn’t have Mom if the Mermish Council hadn’t let her be a Webbed One.
No buts! Serena interrupted. They imprisoned my parents and blamed them for murdering the old Dame Council!
And threw us in Talisman Lake, too, Luke reminded me.
Okay, okay�
�I know you’re right. We can’t keep letting the Mermish Council get away with this crap, I finally said.
Crap? Petra asked as she swam around me and studied my Elmo T-shirt.
Don’t teach my sister bad words! Luke laughed. He turned to his mother and father. Jade wants to fight back. Me, too.
Me, too! Serena agreed.
Pollinia whispered to Portagus. A dozen or so other mers slipped out of the portholes from the sunken ship and joined the discussion. I didn’t catch everything they were saying, but it was obvious Polly and Porty were trying to decide whether they were going to risk joining us.
Okay. We’ve agreed to join in on the fight, Portagus said.
What about Petra? Pollinia stroked the mer-girl’s hair.
Whatever we do, we must face it as a family. The Mermish Council has controlled our lives long enough. Do we have a plan? Portagus asked.
I think our best bet is to figure out a way to get as many mers together as possible, I suggested. I vote we swim down to Port Toulouse canal and figure out a way to free the Freshies from Talisman Lake and go from there. One of us can stay behind with Petra to keep her safe.
I had my baby-sitter’s course certification if they were looking for volunteers.
That sounds wise, Portagus rang. We should leave as soon as possible so we can travel under the cover of darkness.
Hold on a sec. I looked around the water to get my bearings. How far away from the mouth of the channel had we swum? I’d gotten so turned around trying to find Luke and Serena. Then I caught a glimpse of the lighthouse beacon in the distance. I better let my dad know what’s going on.
I’ll go with you, Serena said.
• • •
We finally found the mouth of the channel, but the tide had gone out already so there wasn’t enough water for us to swim back through. It killed me to think Dad was waiting back there, wondering what was going on.
“Dad!” My face broke the surface of the water and I called out into the night. I tried three or four times before he answered.
“Jade!” I heard his voice call out in the distance. “What’s going on?”
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