by Tamsin Ley
He reached the thick wall of kelp surrounding Rubac’s nest and unhooked Brianna’s arms from his neck. Guiding her hands to a barnacle-rough stone, he thought, Stay exactly here. I’ll be just on the other side of this kelp. If I need to bring you into the nest, do not make eye contact. Do not interact. Most importantly, do not make physical contact of any sort. You saw what happened with Ebby. Pretend you’re invisible, okay?
She nodded into the darkness, which he felt as a slight ripple of water.
He stroked her cheek with his knuckles and then brushed her lips with his. She was too beautiful to ever be invisible, but his brother was already mated and should be immune to most female charms. Thinking of her charms ignited a fire low in his belly, and he had to rein back his desire. Now was not the time nor place.
Turning from her, he pushed aside the thickly woven kelp. Normally he’d have announced himself before entering, but he wanted to forestall Rubac’s sonic query. Once Zantu was inside, Rubac’s shorter query would hopefully miss Brianna’s presence outside.
Moving past the kelp, he approached the mound of sponges Rubac normally rested on. He knew the layout from previous visits and moved with confidence to within an arm’s length of the bed. “Rubac, it’s Zantu.”
No answer. Not even the shush of water against fin as Rubac or Ebby stirred.
“Rubac? Ebby?”
Still the clearing remained silent. He chirped another query and read the bounce-back. Nobody was home. He sent a louder query, verifying the other objects in the nest. Ebby’s toys were right where the child always left them, and the mound of sea sponges was undisturbed. Nothing seemed out of place.
Zantu’s heartbeat sped up until it pounded in his ears. Something wasn’t right. He returned to where he’d left Brianna, relieved to find she was where he’d left her. There’s nobody home.
Where do you think he went?
He rubbed a hand through his hair. All he could assume was that Rubac had taken the baby’s body to inter it in the reef at the edge of the wild deeps. Why his brother had decided to do it at the edge of nightfall was a mystery. Probably the baby’s funeral.
Oh. Her thoughts grew dark, her own loss a sharp background full of scars. Shouldn’t you be there, too?
Her concern for his brother in spite of her own mental state touched him. Funerals are rare, and very private when they happen. Most merfolk die in seclusion, and the dead are undiscovered until their bones have already scattered to the sea. When a loved one does find a body, it’s taken to the edge of the reef and tucked into a crevice.
The idea of Rubac at the edge of the reef, where the kelp dropped off and the wild deeps began, made Zantu nervous. Especially at night, when large predators rose to hunt. Ebby wouldn’t be able to keep up the same pace Rubac did. The child would have to rest. Yet sleeping would be impossible with the current continually flowing out to the deeps.
He sent a long-range query through the kelp. A flutter of night-feeding damselfish but nothing else. The forest felt too quiet. He didn’t like being outside the protection of a nest. We’ll wait inside. I imagine he’ll be back in the morning.
Won’t he be angry to find us here?
Probably. But I’m not taking chances sleeping outside with you. He elbowed aside the kelp curtain and pulled her through. The current inside the nest was much weaker, and he relaxed his grip around her waist. Do you want to rest on the bed, or would you prefer to float?
Her fingers tightened around his forearm. I can’t see a thing.
Exhaustion from the day’s activities all seemed to drop on him at once, weighing him down like a bottle swamped with seawater. He could have called on the plankton to light the place, but it seemed easier to simply make the decision. I think we’ll rest on the bed tonight.
He carried her to the tuft of sea sponges and relaxed, allowing their combined weight to settle them into the cushioning surface. Brianna turned to spoon herself into his embrace, her sleepy thoughts full of contentment, lulling him to sleep.
He murmured a lullaby into her hair, “You are my sunken treasure.”
She sighed and snuggled closer. The gentle trickle of water over his skin soothed his sore muscles, and he fell into a deep sleep.
Chapter Nine
BRIANNA BLINKED AWAKE in the darkness but this time with no confusion or fear. A predawn chorus of fish played a soothing background melody, and she snuggled closer into Zantu’s warm embrace. She was delighted to feel his morning erection pressing against her bottom. His mind was blank with sleep, his body hers to explore, so she reached a slow hand around behind her and sought the throbbing shaft that’d woken her.
Sequestered in its sheath, his cock responded to a little coaxing from her hand. He flexed his hips toward her but didn’t waken. Keeping her mind purposefully blank so as not to wake him, she wrapped her fingers around his heated shaft and pressed her thumb over the small slit at its head. Her pussy tightened with desire as she imagined his cock inside her. Seeking lower, she found his testicles hiding within the sheath. She massaged the tender sack, rolling the orbs between her fingers.
Zantu pressed his hips harder against her and crushed her in the circle of his arms, not enough to hurt but enough to immobilize her. A low growl rose from his throat against her ear. Good morning, my little angelfish. Or should I say devilfish?
The vibration sent shivers deep inside her, creating an ache that needed to be filled.
His hand sought hers still wrapped around his cock, encouraged her to squeeze and press his shaft downward. The tip grazed her ass, and she rubbed herself over it. Depths, woman. We’re on my brother’s bed.
So?
He slid her higher along his body until her opening was poised directly over his cock, the head teasing her lower lips. Both his hands found her breasts, fingertips pinching her nipples until they stiffened.
She arched her back, thrusting her hips against him to take him in, but he resisted, keeping the tantalizing head just at the opening. He sent, I want to kiss your lips.
She started to turn, but he held her facing away.
Not those lips. He lifted her farther up along his chest, skin sliding against skin, strong hands guiding her by her hips. His chin grazed her spine, making her back tingle. When he reached the top of her buttocks, she felt his tongue caress the upper edge of her crack. Both his hands encircled her ass cheeks, spreading her wide. One thumb crept inward to circle her anus. She puckered, yearning for more no matter his intent.
Thumb massaging with gentle pressure, he slid his face lower. She gasped as he thrust his mouth between her legs. His tongue slipped along her quivering folds, ending at the throbbing nub of her clit. The pressure of his mouth sent shudders of pleasure deep into her belly.
At some point they’d floated above the bed and now free-floated in the water. She flailed, seeking something to grip, something to ground her as he worked the sensitive button of flesh with his tongue and teeth.
Hold onto your breasts, he commanded. Pinch them for me.
She clutched her own flesh, pinching until the electric jolts of sensation from his mouth met the matching ones from her nipples.
His mouth covered her pussy, tongue circling every crevice before plunging deeply into her. She arched, aching for more. I need you, she thought.
And then he began to sing.
The deep vibrations worked into her bones, filled her as surely as if he were fucking her. The sensation grew to enormous proportions, demanding release, and yet she yearned for the moment to last forever. Every muscle tightened, unable to escape his song. The thrumming, pulsing cadence worked her very core until the crescendo rolled over her in a great spasming release.
With a single purposeful move, Zantu pulled her down, and his cock settled deep into her folds.
She moaned, rising through another crescendo toward climax. His hands on her hips held her tightly against him, his body rocking hard. She widened her thighs and wrapped her calves around behind him, straining to
take him deeper. She wanted his cock to touch her soul. To make him come so deep he melded with her forever.
A gasp left him as he clutched her tightly, driving his seed deep inside her.
Zantu startled awake to early pink sunlight reflecting through the kelp foliage above the nest. He’d fallen asleep almost immediately after making love, arms cradling his mate like a precious pearl. Wondering what had woken him, he gently released her and slid from the sponge bed. Rubac would have taken refuge during the night, but with morning light, he could return at any moment. Zantu hoped his brother never found out they’d made love in his nest, but even if he did, that moment with Brianna had been worth it.
The usual fish song trickled through the water, nothing apparently amiss. He didn’t want to send a sonic query to Rubac and risk waking Brianna, so he decided to gather breakfast instead. The overharvested seaweed gardens would offer little for a meal, but Zantu didn’t want his angelfish to start the day hungry.
Rubac didn’t utilize human artifacts much, and Zantu had to search among Ebby’s toys to find a beautiful cobalt-rimmed bowl. Taking the bowl to the outer edges of the garden, he searched for edible leaves and pods, leaving the newest seedlings in place for future meals. The garden was in even worse shape than he’d originally thought. How long had Rubac lain here grieving, leaving poor Ebby to fend for food alone?
He decided to take a quick patrol of the outer nest, both for food and to scout out anything of concern. Perhaps he’d find a clue about where Rubac and Ebby had gone. Much as he told himself things were probably fine, his brother’s state of mind hadn’t been exactly stable when Zantu had left him.
Outside the nest, sunlight danced and glittered across the forest floor as the current tossed the canopy above. A nearby garibaldi let loose a string of notes that sounded like rain against the water’s surface. Farther out, a moray eel clacked its teeth before retreating into its den. Zantu found a small patch of red dulse and bent to pick the fronds.
Something brushed against his dorsal fin. He turned to find a small yellow señorita fish looking at him, its tiny mouth pursed as if it had something to say. “What is it, little one?”
“Sorry, brother,” the little fish recited—señorita fish were excellent at parroting back a song. “Elevation called. Sorry, brother. Elevation called.”
Zantu stared at it in shock. His brother had gone to the wild deeps anyway? What about Ebby? Depths. He must’ve taken the merchild along. The fish had been left as a messenger to Zantu in case Rubac didn’t return. The fish darted into the kelp, job apparently done.
Dropping the bowl, Zantu raced back to Rubac’s nest. Brianna rolled over at his arrival, stretching in a languid arch he didn’t have time to appreciate. I have to go after my brother. He took Ebby to the deeps.
Why? She sat up to look at him.
There is a myth, a type of funeral called an elevation which can free a soul from the cycle of the sea. It can only be done in the wild deeps with the aid of an ancient blue whale. He went to her, taking her in his arms. He realized he’d never told her about the deeps, only sought to protect her from them. The deeps are past the kelp forest, where the sharks and squid and other predators live. There are no landmarks to guide by, only the strength of the current, which can challenge even a merman’s stamina. I can’t take you there. And I can’t leave you here.
She grabbed his arms and pushed away from him. What the hell are you suggesting?
It dawned on him that he was suggesting releasing her. Setting her free.
Oh, no you’re not. We’re mates, remember? Whatever we do, we do together. Besides, land’s in the opposite direction, and you don’t have time to dawdle. I’m coming with you. Just give me a knife or something to help fend off the predators.
The determination in her thoughts about drowned him. He’d been trying to believe she wanted to be with him, but some part of him had been waiting to prove she was lying. That, like any mermaid, she’d leave him without looking back. But at this moment she was digging through Ebby’s toys, looking for a weapon. Planning to accompany him on a journey that could kill them both.
Any reservations he may have had about her washed away.
Yet that knowledge didn’t eliminate the problem at hand.
He searched through Rubac’s small statues, jewelry, and other mythic artifacts but couldn’t find anything that might serve as a weapon. Looking up, he saw Brianna brandishing a long pole with a net on it wider than his shoulders. I can use this to push things away or tangle them up.
In spite of the fear gripping his insides, he smiled. My ferocious little angelfish.
Chapter Ten
ZANTU CLUTCHED BRIANNA tightly against his chest and exited the kelp forest. They’d been swimming for hours, heading toward the great chasm where predators hunted other predators, often merely for sport. The sudden lack of foliage, coupled with the immediate drop into nothingness, always made his stomach flip. His most recent trip to the deeps had been when he’d followed a trail of cargo containers washed overboard during the last autumn storm. Then, he’d run into a raven-haired seductress prowling the area and nearly lost his freedom. Now he’d be risking something much more precious.
He sent out a sonic query to test the dark waters. The song would not only provide him bounce-back information on what was ahead, but it would also frighten away any mindless hunting squid. Sharks and whales were another matter—much trickier to coerce—but he’d deal with them if the need arose.
How are we going to find them? Brianna asked.
He pointed to a dusky cloud of krill interrupting the milky light reaching from the surface. See the krill? We look for that. Whales follow krill, and Rubac’s looking for whales.
He emitted a short burst of song, searching for the gigantic animals. Nothing.
I can’t see anything. The tremor in her thought reflected his own nervous fear.
There’s nothing to see. Whales haven’t found this swarm yet. We’ll keep looking.
He pressed onward, farther and farther from the safety of the kelp forest into ever deeper water. The true wild deeps didn’t begin for another quarter league, where the colder waters from the north joined and pushed underneath the current coming off the kelp reef. He’d been down that current ages ago, when he and Rubac had first ventured out of their father’s nest. They’d found their first sunken ship there, and Rubac had been introduced to the intelligent whales who carried the sea’s myths.
“Sink you, Rubac,” he muttered within his song. Would Ebby even be able to survive those cold depths? Would Brianna?
A drumbeat reached him from far ahead. Then a low moan dropped its pitch through the water.
Brianna’s fingers dug into his shoulder. What’s that?
He gave her a short squeeze of reassurance, his own pulse loud in his ears. Blue whales.
A warning thump beat the water as the whale sensed their presence. “Go play your games in another pool,” the whale’s ponderous voice cautioned. “You’ve caused enough trouble for one night.”
Zantu slowed. “I’m not here for games. I’m seeking my brother and his child. Have you seen them?”
A dark form moved between them and the surface. Zantu kicked his tail to resist being thrust downward in its wake.
“Ah, merman,” the whale grated, its barnacled body stretching forever into the darkness. “I thought you were a maid. Your females have delighted in inciting a frenzy among the nearby sharks.”
Zantu resisted the urge to send a sonic query into their surroundings. Sharks were bad enough, but now he’d have to watch for mermaids as well. “Have you seen another male? He would have asked you to assist with an elevation.”
The drumbeat sound approached again, and a great mouth, open as if to swallow them whole, appeared. “An elevation? How odd.” The mouth brushed by, revealing the black orb of an eye, a dark moon to counter the pale sun outlined above the surface.
Brianna remained surprisingly calm in the midst of the
inspection. Excited but not frightened, even daring to reach her hand out to brush the whale’s scarred hide. Can you understand it?
The eye regarded them while the voice continued to groan through the water. “What’s this? A human?”
Nerves jangling, Zantu thrust out his chest and swelled his song to potent volume. He wanted there to be no doubts about how far he’d go to protect the human at his side. “My mate.”
The whale blinked and seemed to sigh. “I’ve not seen a mated human in over a century. You have much to learn. But now,” the whale sang in a heavy tone, appropriate for a funeral, “I believe I hear your brother.”
In the far-off distance, Zantu could barely detect the familiar notes of his brother’s sonic query. The whale answered with a moan that seemed to shake the very ocean, and drifted off to swallow more krill.
“Rubac!” Zantu called, moving to intercept.
You’ve found him? Brianna clutched him with one hand, and the netted pole with the other, struggling to keep from losing it in the water’s resistance.
Ahead.
They left the whale behind, Zantu querying madly to discover Rubac’s location. His brother’s song had stopped, but the higher, more uncertain chimes of Ebby’s song grew louder. “Uncle Zantu!”
Zantu raced ahead, drawn to Ebby’s voice. Finally, he saw Rubac’s form.
Alongside the unmistakable curves of a mermaid.
Zantu halted his momentum. The whale said there was a mermaid around.
Oh shit. Brianna brandished her net in front of her, looking about. I still can’t see a thing.
I don’t see Ebby. A sonnet trilled to his left, accompanied by the notes from a fish-harp. He spun, only to spot the disappearing flash of an indigo tail. Depths. There’s more than one.