“I’m okay Dad, its just Robbie that I’m concerned for; you shouldn’t have done it Robbie. I’m so sorry that they’ve hurt you like that and it’s all my fault,” cried Lizzy as her tears ran down her cheeks.
“Now Lizzy, you know that if anyone’s to blame, it’s them. We can’t go around lettin people treat us like that; you of all people don’t deserve that,” Robbie said sadly and then he smiled with a wink and winced from the pain in his eye.
“I’m sorry they hurt you Robbie and you too Lizzy. I wish you’d ridden home with me; better yet, I wish I’d been the one walking with you when those losers started up. I’d have stopped em!” said Jedediah through gritted teeth.
Cole placed his hands on Jedediah’s shoulders, looked into his eyes and said, “Son, calm down, you know how upset you get and right now you need to clear your head. If I can’t convince them to stop, then we’ll have to see what else we can do about it. I mean what I say Son.”
“Alright Dad; I know you do. I’m just not sure how much longer I can hold back what’s coming to em,” Jedediah said with a half grin.
Cole went to the house and held open the back door, “Okay Robbie, let’s get you in here and see about fixin you up.”
“Yes Sir.”
Jedediah helped Robbie while Lizzy went in ahead and got the first-aid kit for her father. Cole was very knowledgeable when it came to doctoring people, animals, and any others that needed his help throughout the years (especially the mer).
After Cole had looked him over he said, “You might wanna see a Dr. Robbie; I think you’ve cracked a rib or two. Boy you sure took a beating.”
“I’m good Sir; you should see the other guys.” Robbie grinned and winked to Lizzy once more and again winced from the pain.
“You really were my hero Robbie. I wish you hadn’t done it; but again, thanks.” Lizzy smiled brightly.
“You’re welcome.” Robbie smiled back with his busted lip.
Rose and Willy walked through the back door and Rose said, “Oh my! What happened?”
“Hello Honey, come and have a cup of coffee and I’ll fill you in,” said Cole as he pulled out a chair for her at the kitchen table.
Jedediah was still filled with anger and decided to head up the stairs to his bedroom to let himself cool down. He went to his nightstand and picked up his ear buds and plugged them into his phone cranking up his Kutless tunes as loud as he could. Then he flung himself down onto his bed.
It’s so hard to have the strength to deal with those losers, but then be told not to do anything about it! Jedediah thought. Robbie didn’t know the family secrets; although Jedediah did suspect from time to time that he might. It’s so hard to keep so much hidden and also not be able to hide anything at all from my family! We are such freaks; not only can we swim better than any human, but also read each other’s thoughts, all the while not letting anyone know about any of it.
Jedediah thought about his family’s history. Long ago one of the Prentis ancestors (of which Jedediah was named after) married a merwalker; she was half human and half mermaid which blended the two lines. The descendants inherited the gift of hearing each others thoughts. Jedediah guessed it was some sort of sonar like the whales use to speak to one another that allowed the mer to communicate in such a way. Both of his parents were descended from that line.
No one would believe that his half-sister Lana was also a merwalker. His father had been married to a mermaid and she was killed when Lana was only three. He later married Rose and they had three more children.
Lana had gills and webbed fingers and toes, she also had the white hair, skin, and silver eyes of the mer. She chose to marry one of the mermen (Prince Titus) and was able to live with him beneath the Ocean. They lived in an underwater city near Safe Harbor Island during the summer months and migrated to the South Pacific in the fall where they lived through the winter months.
As if that wasn’t strange enough, Jedediah learned (at the age of fourteen) that he also had the Prentis Heritage; it was much more than just reading each other’s thoughts. He and his father had one of their many arguments and Jedediah ran up the stairs to his room and slammed his bedroom door; it came completely off its hinges. When his father came up the stairs to inspect the damage, he had a wide grin on his face and then sat down with Jedediah on his bed and proceeded to tell him of the unusual strength that the male heirs had also inherited within the Prentis line.
Even Lana had never realized how very strong her father was when she had lived with him. He always chose to row his boat rather than use a motorized one. He said that less was more when it came to using fuel powered boats; he only used them in extreme conditions. He was quite a conservationist when it came to protecting the Ocean and the home of those he loved. Even with the inherited strength, Jedediah and his father was still no match for a mer in the water.
Unfortunately, Lizzy had always been small for her age and there were some who found it fun to pick on her about it. Lizzy didn’t inherit the strength of the mer; she inherited some of their swimming ability, increased hearing, but mostly their slower growth genes.
Jedediah’s father constantly cautioned the family not to reveal the secret of the mer. How strange it was to be part of a family that lived beneath the Sea. It wouldn’t be long now and the mer would be returning. Jedediah knew his brother-in-law Prince Titus well enough to know that if he ever found out about the way those Baldwin brothers had treated Lizzy; heaven help them if they’re ever in the water. Jedediah had to grin at the thought of it.
~~~~~
CHAPTER 2
THE LIFE OF A MER
The city of San Juan in Puerto Rico was a hustle and bustle with the usual crowd of tourists gathering for the Saborea festival. Lana loved the many rainbow colored buildings along the cobble stone streets. There were also flower merchants pushing their carts and women dressed in colorful skirts dancing to a Latin beat. The sounds and smells of San Juan were permeating the air as Lana searched out her favorite Cafe. She couldn’t resist a quick stop for some fried plantains, pork and rice. It had become one of her favorite places along her journey back to Safe Harbor each spring. She knew it was the best time to visit San Juan, with so many people coming from different cultures, she and her family would blend in well.
Her brother-in-law Micah had driven his yacht to San Juan along with his brother Andrew and son Maiele (thirteen). Micah’s daughter Talei (eighteen) had also joined them. The Fijian brothers were large muscular men with dark skin and black curly hair and they each wore their colorful swim shorts and T-shirts.
Maiele was also dark skinned and wore a black T-shirt with his favorite band Skillet on the front. He had on black and white swim shorts and a black and white bandana tied upon his head.
Talei wore a bikini with red and white floral print and a matching wrap. She also had a bandana tied around her head spilling over with her long black curly hair; she too took after her father with his dark Fijian skin.
Lana always wore a disguise when she traveled; she wore a wig of long straight blonde hair and a large rattan sun bonnet, her skin was milky-white and sunburned easily if she wasn’t too careful. She had on a blue and green floral bikini with a matching wrap tied around her waist.
They all five wore dark sunglasses. The one oddity in their attire was that Lana, Talei and Maiele wore black leather fingerless gloves even with the heat of the day, making them appear to be some sort of Rock Band with their bodyguards to the local merchants.
Lana went to order the food as her family sat on some nearby benches.
One of the men walking around the streets of San Juan carried a large green iguana upon his shoulder and he spotted the tourists and went to speak with them.
Maiele smiled as he saw the man coming over to him.
“Welcome to San Juan, would you like to hold an iguana?” asked the man with his Latin accent as he leaned forward over Maiele. The iguana let out a hiss and tried to quickly flee, but his owner gripped him tigh
tly with both hands. “I am sorry; he has never done that before,” the man said astonished at the way his iguana was acting.
“Do they taste good?” Maiele asked.
“You are a funny fellow, I don’t know how they taste, I have never eaten one before,” the man laughed it off, but then decided that he didn’t like the look of these strangers and thought it was best to leave. He spoke lovingly to his iguana as he quickly walked away.
“Maiele, did you have to?” asked Talei with her hands upon her hips.
“How did I know that they did not eat them and I was hungry,” he chuckled and his father and uncle let out a boisterous laugh.
Lana saw the exchange and guessed what had happened as she walked back bringing some of the food, “Let’s try and not eat one while we’re here shall we.” Lana smiled and then handed Maiele his lunch.
Micah and Andrew went and got the rest of the food and when they returned, they all ate together and enjoyed the beauty of San Juan and her people.
~~~
Not long after Micah drove his yacht away from Puerto Rico and into deeper waters, did Maiele take off his glasses, bandana and gloves. He stretched his arms up into the air and opened up his hands displaying his webbed fingers. His ears were shaped much like a butterfly’s wings and he fanned them out and flapped them back and forth. “That feels so much better.” He winked to Talei revealing his silver eyes in the sunlight.
Talei did likewise; removing her glasses, gloves and bandana and flapping her ears as well. Then she removed her shoes and wrap and said, “Yes, but I know something that would feel even better.” She stood up and then jumped off the side of the moving boat into the blue and green shimmering water.
Maiele quickly took off his shoes and smiled as he dove a cannonball off the boat splashing Lana.
“I knew it would not be long for them to leave,” said Micah in his Fijian accent with a smile.
“They do take after their mothers,” Andrew chuckled.
“Well, I think they’ve got the right idea,” Lana said, removing her hat, wig, glasses, gloves, wrap and shoes as she smiled brightly to them and then also dove from the boat into the cool water deep below.
Lana was so glad to be in the water again. She was thankful for the time the mer allowed her and the Fijian families to spend on the islands. But it was nice to be among the mer family after such a hot day and she never liked being separated from her husband for long.
As Lana swam to her mate Prince Titus, she thought about how much she loved him. Lana couldn’t believe how handsome he still was. It had been nineteen years since they married, but neither she nor Titus had seemed to age. She had just turned eighteen at the time and now their own daughter (Rose) was nearly eighteen and their son (Tarrock) would be turning sixteen. Their children were aging nearly the same as any human and had gotten that from Lana’s side even though they were both a complete mer like their father. The mer aged much slower; mermen didn’t usually marry until they were fifty winters old and mermaids not until forty winters or until their hair turned white.
Prince Titus held onto his long white spear that had been carved by his brother from a whale’s bone; he had been waiting for Lana. He was a merman and had the tail like a fish that was a glistening blue and green which was his main strength. He was very muscular and was the head guardsman for the pod. He had long white hair. As all mermen did, Prince Titus had his bangs pulled back into braids behind his ears.
That was one thing Lana had to get used to at first. Now she loved his ears and the crown of shells he wore upon his head; it was crafted with alternating fan and spiral shells that were strung tightly together. She wasn’t even bothered by his tail after she had gotten to know the special merman that he was; though he would never be able to walk on the land with her. They had made such a wonderful life together. He had the beginnings of a white goatee and a few white chest hairs; Lana smiled to realize that he was maturing.
“If it does not please you, I will borrow your father’s razor when we return to Safe Harbor.” He raised his brows.
“It pleases me; besides, I know it’s a sign of wisdom for the mer. It’s perfect for the future King,” Lana said as she ran her fingers along his chin.
“It is, but I would do anything for the future Queen.” Titus smiled and he kissed her.
“Where’s Tarrock?”
“Tarrock and Keola are gathering lobsters with Ulysses and enjoying the discovery of a new cave,” he chuckled.
“That reminds me of his father, especially when we were dating.” Lana smiled brightly.
“Did you get your fill of cooked pig?” He grinned.
“Yeah, it was so delicious; it’s one of my favorite places.” She smiled teasingly. “Where is Rose?”
“Rose and Talei are collecting shells with the other young mermaids.” He smiled sweetly to her.
“Wow, has it really been that long since I collected them?”
“You will always be a maiden to me Princess,” said Titus as he held her tightly and kissed her once more. “Come, let us collect our children and return to the pod,” said Titus as he reached for Lana’s arm and swung her around onto his back.
Lana wrapped her arms around his neck as he swam at lightning speed, leaving a white streak behind them.
~~~
Lana always got so excited when she and her mer family returned to Safe Harbor Island. She couldn’t help but remember the days she had growing up with her father Cole in the Lightkeeper’s house. It wasn’t always a happy place for her to live. Her father used to be such an introvert and had grieved the loss of Lana’s mother for far too long coupled with raising a teen daughter that was half mer and didn’t know how to tell her.
Now Cole lived there with his wife Rose, who had been so instrumental in teaching Lana to swim, which led to Lana’s discovery of who she really was. Their children Jedediah, Elizabeth and William also lived with them. Lana loved them all so much and they had a wonderful family reunion each spring. She was glad her father had changed and she knew he was now truly happy.
The mermen began to unseal the large boulders that had covered the entrance to the cavern at Gull Island and the city of Torbist. Each of the mer families swam to their own dome shaped brown clay home within the large underwater city. While the Fijian brothers with their mermaid wives and children, swam to their home within the underwater cavern; all unknown to the people of Safe Harbor, except for Cole Prentis (the Guardian) and his family.
Lana was so thankful to be home in Torbist once more. It was too late to visit with her father, but she knew she would see him sometime tomorrow.
Prince Titus had to finish securing the city with some of the guard. He would stop by his home quickly before he served the night watch and would meet King Titan at dawn to give him the nights report.
Lana swam to her home as her children went for a short swim with their friends into the gardens of Torbist. The gardens were beautiful with coral of every shade and many white marble archways and statues of mermaids, mermen, and dolphins. They were created long ago by King Titan’s own father (King Tiryn).
Lana’s great-grandfather helped to craft a large multi-faceted crystal in the center of the city, which he also placed several lenses that refract light leading all the way down to the crystal from the top of Gull Island. It keeps the city from ever being completely dark. There are also several luminous plants that give off a neon-blue light along the city walls and within their homes.
Lana entered her home through the round oval shaped hole. She had time for her private thoughts at last. She couldn’t help but remember the first time she ever saw Titus. His dolphin Tempest had led her to him. She had passed out and Titus had taken her to the underwater cavern at Gull Island; located 3 miles out from Safe Harbor Island. That was a very frightening and wonderful day when she learned that her mother had been a mermaid and that Lana herself was a merwalker and a Princess; being in the long line of King Titan’s granddaughters.
Lana took her black pearls from a small net bag and placed them upon her head as all the mermaid Princesses did; they wore them for their crowns. She put back on her top made of two large shells with a string of tiny shells around her neck and back. She exchanged her bathing suit bottom for a seal skin one and even put on the belt that had a sheath for her whale bone knife she wore around her hips; Lana’s father had given it to her for her graduation years ago.
She also took out her necklace and placed it around her neck. She smiled as she began to reminisce of the day Prince Titus asked her to marry him. Lana looked at the large oval emerald that was surrounded by tiny white pearls and a braid of gold that hung upon the long golden rope chain and smiled to remember that day. Titus had given her the emerald necklace which had been part of a treasure that was lost at Sea. He told her that it was meant to be given to a human Queen as part of her engagement to some nobleman, but it never made it to her. Titus told Lana that she was the one he had been waiting to give it to since the day of her birth; he waited seventeen winters for her to grow up and then finally make her his mate.
Legend of the Mer II THE NEW GUARDIAN Page 2