Lorelei looked uncomfortable. “There is one song.”
“Good! Sing it, please.”
“It’s an ancient song, cousin. Your mother is right . . . no human has made the change in recent history. The song must be considered more legend than fact.”
“Sing it, please,” repeated Lena more firmly.
Lorelei closed her eyes and sang:
“The riving light will take a mermaid’s tail,
cleaving it hard in two.
When she walks into the welcoming sea,
her tail returns anew.
The burning sand will take a human’s legs,
leaving a strong sleek tail.
When she abandons the clasp of the sea,
her legs return, though frail.”
“Her legs return,” said Lena. “There’s the answer!”
“Frail,” said Lorelei. “Did you not listen?”
“I heard. So they’re weak . . . the song doesn’t say they’re lame.”
“Oh, curse Halia!” cried Lorelei. “It was she who put this idea in your head.”
“I’m glad she did. How does it work? Who do I ask?”
Lorelei shoved her handful of garnets back into their pouch and turned away. “I have said enough. And I’m sorry, Selena, but I must get ready for . . . for . . . I need to surface.”
Lena regarded her cousin for a moment, then said, “Then I will find Halia. She seems to know about transforming.”
“No!” Lorelei grabbed Lena’s arm. “Don’t go to Halia. She is my friend, but she is perhaps not the kindest of maids. I will tell you what you wish to know.” Lorelei’s voice grew hushed. “There is a goddess of the sand. Her name is Psamanthe.”
“Psamanthe,” murmured Lena. “A goddess of the sand? Like an actual Greek goddess?”
Lorelei said reluctantly, “She is the one you would ask for a tail.”
“Can you take me to her?”
“She doesn’t live here in the village.” Lorelei shook her head as if the idea were preposterous. “She lives in an underground cavern near the shore.”
“How do we find her?”
Lorelei fingered the leather pouch holding her garnets. Then she poured them out into her hand again, sifting them between her fingers. Finally she answered, “Hav will know. He travels far and wide. I will ask him, if you like. Are you quite sure, dear cousin?” She looked wistfully at Lena’s legs. “They’re such pretty limbs. Why would you risk losing them forever?”
“It’s not forever. The song said so. And even if—” Lena swallowed. “Even if it were, I probably wouldn’t mind. A tail would anchor me to this world.”
Lorelei’s gaze was full of sorrow. “Or perhaps it would merely imprison you.”
Chapter 42
Nix pulled Lena onto his lap. “I used to enjoy the solitary nature of patrolling the verge,” he said. “Now it is time away from you, and I count the minutes until it is over.”
She pressed her lips against his neck, feeling a tremor move through his body. He tightened his hold on her, and she savored the knowledge that he wanted her. With deliberate languor, she rubbed her lips against his skin. Nix moaned and turned her face up to his, kissing her until she forgot where she was. She had no need of Clouding at times like this, because all her thoughts disappeared, and she became pure sensation.
“My Selena,” whispered Nix after a long time. “I never knew the emptiness of my life until you appeared to fill it.” He twisted a strand of her hair around his finger. “Like an otherworldly vision . . . except you are real.” He pulled gently on the strand, bringing her face close again. “And you are mine.”
“Do you think . . .” she whispered, kissing him between words. “. . . if we’d never met . . . we would have known . . . something was missing?”
But Nix took possession of her mouth again, and did not answer.
“Oh,” said Melusina. “I beg your pardon.”
Lena and Nix broke apart.
Melusina floated at the entrance to the cave for the Riven, eyebrows raised. “It seems I have intruded. I do apologize.”
“No, no,” stammered Nix. “I must depart. My patrol shift . . . I must . . . well, goodbye, Selena.”
She giggled. “Goodbye, Nix.”
“I will see you tomorrow,” he said, backing away.
“Yes.”
Melusina nodded as he went past, then came into the cave. “It seems that you and Nix like the privacy of the cave.”
Lena blushed. “Sorry. We were just . . .” She trailed off, her cheeks aflame.
“Never fear, daughter,” laughed Melusina. “Amorous mer-folk have been caught in sleeping caves since the beginning of time.”
Lena moved toward the cave’s entrance. “Oh. Well, I—” She glanced outside to watch Nix depart. Unconsciously, her hands came up to worry the edges of the cloak. It felt like a hundred-pound weight on her shoulders. She had a fleeting impulse to tear it off, before caution stayed her hand. Soon, she thought.
“I’m going out, Mama. I’ll be back in a few hours. Havfine has invited Lorelei and me to go exploring.”
Her mother smiled. “I am glad you have made friends, Lena.”
Lena blew her a kiss and swam away.
Havfine seemed flattered to be asked to show Lena and Lorelei the way to the Cave of Psamanthe, although Lena suspected he was most interested in spending time with Lorelei. He chatted politely to them about his travels—mer-folk were great scavengers, delighting especially in precious gems and gold jewelry—but after a time, Lena lagged behind. She wanted to allow the two of them to speak without her as a constant companion.
“I’m a little tired,” she lied. “But I can follow, as long as you don’t swim out of view.”
Lorelei smirked, as if comprehending her ploy.
They swam on, stopping after another hour to dine on lobster. Havfine had acquired this delicacy through trade with a merman who hailed from the Atlantic Ocean. Lobsters were not to be found in the local waters.
“Have you rested, Selena?” asked Havfine. “The cave lies only a little farther.”
“Yes,” she said. “Thank you for the delicious meal! I’m ready.”
Within another thirty minutes, they came to a rocky cove. Havfine led them through an undersea tunnel that led to a protected pool inside a huge, vaulted cavern.
“We will wait for you,” said Lorelei, putting a hand on Havfine’s arm. “Lena should speak to the goddess alone.” She gave Lena an encouraging look. “Go on. We will be right here . . . just call if you need us.”
Lena nodded and swam into the shallow part of the pool. She raised her head, inch by inch, until her eyes were above the surface of the water. She kept her mouth below the surface, since she was breathing water now and didn’t know what would happen if she tried to breathe air. Her mother had said something about the cloak protecting her below the waves, not above them.
The cavern was empty.
Well, not empty. It was strewn with thousands of coins, rings, seashells, and fragments of terra cotta pottery. Some of the pottery looked like female figures, while others were shallow cups with handles. Looking closer, she saw that a few seashells were bronzed. Everything in the cave looked like it had lain there for a thousand years.
But there was no goddess—or anyone else—in the cavern.
Disappointed, Lena was about to report back to Lorelei and Havfine—There’s no one there . . . —when she heard footsteps.
Lena sank beneath the surface and swam toward the shadows. She would hide until she could be sure it was the goddess. Peering up through the wavering surface, Lena saw a woman enter the cavern.
The woman was tall, wearing dark blue jeans and a sleeveless white shirt. Her short brown hair was streaked with blond.
Oh, no, thought Lena. A human!
The woman came closer to the edge of the water and looked directly at Lena. She said something in a language Lena did not understand.
Lena’s heart hamm
ered. She pushed herself backwards through the water. She felt as frightened as any real mermaid being seen by a human.
“Ah,” said the woman. “Of course you do not speak Greek.” She smiled. “Hello. There is no need to be afraid. I am Psamanthe.”
Astonished, Lena raised her eyes above the water.
“Oh, dear. You’re wearing a cloak. I didn’t know humans still did that.” The woman slipped off her sandals. “Very well. I must come to you, then, since you cannot come ashore.” She pulled off her clothes and plunged into the water.
Lena looked for her under water, but the woman was gone.
She had turned into a seal.
Chapter 43
Lena stared at the seal rolling and flipping in the water near her.
“Ahh, it feels good to shed that human form for a while,” said the seal in her mind.
Lena continued to stare. The animal was a normal-looking seal, except for a streak of blond in her brown fur. “Psamanthe,” she stammered. “You . . . I didn’t know—”
“No,” said the goddess. “No one ever does. My story is little known. I assure you, however, that I am a goddess. What is your name?”
“Lena.”
“Where is your offering, Lena?”
With a sinking heart, Lena regarded her empty hands. Ohhhh . . . That was what all the other items in the cavern were—gifts offered up to the goddess in return for hearing an appeal. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t realize—”
The seal’s eyes seemed to flash in the murky light under water. “You came on a pilgrimage to a goddess, and you did not bring a gift?”
“I’m so sorry!” said Lena. “I’ve never done this before.”
“But my dear,” said the seal, “I can grant no wish without an offering.” She swam closer, her plush fur grazing Lena’s arm. “However, I can listen to your appeal for a tail.”
Lena’s mouth fell open.
Psamanthe said patiently, “Of course I know what you seek, young supplicant.”
“How—?”
“I did explain that I am a goddess, yes? I knew you were coming. Your need drew me back to my cavern.” The seal made a sound like a sigh. “Only to find you empty-handed.”
“I’m sorry I don’t have an offering,” said Lena. “What should I bring next time?”
“Oh, Lena. I rather doubt there will be a next time.” Psamanthe flipped and rolled some more, then added, “Honey is the classical tradition. And I’m very fond of it. Certainly, I can acquire my own honey, but the taste of votive honey is so much sweeter.”
“Honey?” said Lena. “But . . . I live in the sea. How can I get honey for you?”
Psamanthe’s flippers appeared to lift. “Maybe you can ask an Ancient to get it for you.”
“An Ancient?”
“The ancient sirens were half-woman, half-bird,” said Psamanthe. “They lived on land, not in the sea. Some of them are still around, you may be able to find one willing to help a sister siren.”
Speechless, Lena watched the seal swim around for a long moment. She glanced back at Lorelei and Havfine, who had been observing this exchange in amazed silence.
“Your question remains unasked, my dear,” said the seal. “Your ambivalence is palpable. Thus I will broach the topic for you. No, the change is not permanent. But yes, it is painful. Just like a mermaid getting legs . . . a human getting a tail is not for the faint of heart. You have heard the song? The reference to burning sand? It is quite true. In the heat of noonday, I bury you from the waist down in sand.” She smiled, causing Lena to shiver. “There you remain for twenty-four hours. If you can endure it.”
Psamanthe’s voice in Lena’s head had been perfectly friendly the whole time they were together, but a chill touched Lena’s soul. After all, gods and goddesses were not famous for their kindness.
The seal regarded Lena, cocking her head. “Surely you do not deny your own ambivalence, young supplicant. Observe the cumbersome cloak, still hanging from your shoulders. If your desire to live in the sea were stronger, you would have stripped it off by now. And what of this?” The seal swam close to Lena’s ankle, her whiskers tickling the skin of her foot. “This braid is a human memento. You wear it still because you have not fully embraced this life.”
Lena reached down and touched the yarn around her ankle and, for an instant, saw a human girl’s face in her mind.
“I have enjoyed meeting you, Lena. No human has sought my favor in more than a century. But as I am unable to grant any wish for you, I must take my leave.”
“You don’t live here?”
The seal chuckled and rolled. “No, I reside among the humans now. It’s far more comfortable. But I will be here whenever you decide to make a formal request.” Psamanthe slid fluidly out of the water, and when Lena raised her eyes above the surface, the goddess stood on the sand in her human form again.
“That was refreshing,” she said, shaking water out of her short hair. “It has been far too long since I enjoyed my seal form.” She pulled on her clothes and came close to the edge of the water. “Selena.”
Lena nodded, eyes wide.
“The problem is not that you must choose between the two worlds.” For the first time, a gentle note came into the goddess’s voice. “The problem is that you feel like an outsider in both worlds.”
They stared at each other, then Psamanthe said, “Choose wisely.”
She slid on her sandals and walked out of sight.
Lena watched her go, then sank beneath the surface. Lorelei and Havfine rushed to her side.
No one spoke for a long moment.
Then Lorelei burst out, “That was unbelievable! I thought Psamanthe dwelt in her cavern at all times, but of course! She is a goddess. She would have riches and a human dwelling and—”
Lena turned to Havfine and said, “I need your dagger.”
He was staring at Lorelei, so it took him a second to absorb Lena’s words. “What?”
“Please, may I borrow your dagger?”
Havfine unsheathed his ivory blade and handed it to her, hilt first.
Lena reached down and sliced through the braid around her ankle, letting the bits of yarn float away. It’s not an offering, she thought. It’s a promise.
Brian told the lie so many times he almost believed it: “Lena has gone on a trip with her grandmother.” The neighbors, the school, even his co-workers. He knew her friends were upset because Lena didn’t answer their calls or messages. But he did not have the energy to craft a more convincing lie for them.
Since he could not look into his son’s face and lie to him, Brian asked Allie to do it. She told the tale very plainly, but still Cole asked every day, “When is Lena coming home?”
Chapter 44
You feel like an outsider in both worlds.
Lena swam ahead of Lorelei and Havfine, those words as painful as the sting of a jellyfish. She didn’t even try to Cloud her mind, so the source of her agitation was clear to Lorelei and Havfine.
When she could no longer tell which direction was the right way home, Havfine took the lead, touching her shoulder as he passed by. Lorelei stayed by Lena’s side but did not attempt to speak to her. Instead she hummed a wordless melody that somehow calmed Lena’s thoughts.
As they reached the village, Lena saw Merrow and Amphitrite dining with several of their grandchildren. She saw Fossegrim playing his flute, leading a number of children in a wiggly dance around the circle of stones. She saw her mother sitting with Nereus and Iona and another mermaid—she thought her name might be Sedna—sipping kelp juice while they talked.
I want to belong here, she thought.
Nereus glanced up and saw them. “Ah, the wanderers return.”
Melusina turned and smiled. “Hello, Selena. Did Lori and Hav show you many sights today?”
“Yes,” said Lena. “I’m very grateful to them. They would have traveled much faster without me.” She looked at her cousin and Havfine, and said simply, “Thank you
.”
Then a pair of strong hands encircled her waist, pulling her back against his chest, and Nix said, “I have missed you, my Selena. Will you dine with me? I must return to my patrol before long.”
Lena turned to face him. She did not feel like an outsider when she was in Nix’s arms. She pressed close to him. “I love you, Nix,” she said. “I want to stay here with you.”
Surprised by her vehemence, Nix did not answer at first. Then he kissed her and murmured, “I am glad to hear it. You know that my heart is in thrall to you.”
Tears sprang to her eyes, and Lena could not speak. She pressed Nix’s warm hand against her own heart.
“Tomorrow,” said Nix. “Let us stand in the circle before the whole of the village and declare that we belong to each other.” He kissed her lips, and her cheeks, and her forehead.
“Yes,” said Lena. “Is it . . . like a promise?”
“It is a promise, my love. But tonight,” he continued, “let us dine together, then I will rest with you until you fall asleep. I will surface, then I will complete my turn as patrol. And tomorrow we will be together.” His thumb traced the curve of her cheek.
They ate quickly, more focused on each other than their food. Lena sat close enough to Nix that her leg was touching his strong tail, and their hands kept seeking one another, fingers twining briefly before slipping away.
Lena did not return to the cave for the Riven that night.
“I want to be alone with you,” she told Nix, and he led her to a little-used sleeping cave at the farthest edge of the village, near the kelp forest. Perhaps the others saw them enter together, because no one followed.
They lay wrapped around each other, sighing wordless songs of love, until Lena fell asleep.
Chapter 45
When Lena awoke, Nix had gone. As she rose from her bed of seaweed, she saw three stones on the ground beside her, their edges touching.
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