“Wait … I’m confused. I thought The Banished and psirens are the same thing? I also thought that blood was what created mer, I mean I’m related to one and so is Orion …” I ask, my forehead creasing in misunderstanding.
“The Banished are those who have abandoned Atargatis and were originally mermaids or mermen. However, if our theory holds true, humans can be turned to psirens without ever knowing of Atargatis. You see, it isn’t so much about not following the Goddess as it is about being infected by the primal power of darkness. This, as you know, was put into a human by Poseidon.” Saturnus is gesticulating now, his muscles rippling and tattoos glowing in the interspersed moonlight.
“But I thought that power was banished by Poseidon.” I query feeling stupid.
“It was. But it was banished by containment within another beast. Or so we believe.” Atlas looks grave.
“Which is?” I ask, feeling the hairs on the back of my neck start to rise.
“The Necrimad.” they reply in unison with grim expressions.
“So who is the original … you know psiren?” I ask and they look at each other.
“Solustus.” they reply again in grim unison.
“And the dark magic or whatever that created him … The rest of it is now in a demon in another dimension?” I feel like the words coming out of my mouth are stringing together in a ball of crazy … What the hell has my life become? I fight back the urge to laugh at the absurdity of it all, but then feel myself remembering that I have a tail. I’m a freaking mermaid for God’s sake! Who the hell was I to laugh at absurdity?
“By all accounts, yes, but accounts are fuzzy surrounding these kinds of mystical creatures. They pre-date the written word, and aren’t easily findable as they tend to exist in other dimensions.” Saturnus says and my eyes widen.
“Other dimensions?” I ask swallowing hard, my muscles unfurling slowly, my recovery rate seems to be shorter than I was expecting.
“Yes. Our world, it is tenuously linked to others, some like Earth, some not. We don’t know much, but we know that the majority of them contain beasts more ferocious and more powerful than we can comprehend.” Atlas explains, taking up the baton from Saturnus. I can’t help but feel small under the moonlight.
“So, if we are linked to all these other dimensions … how come I never knew about it? How come nobody knows about it? That kind of stuff is front page news wherever you are in the world. Where are all the demons?” I ask feeling breathless. Orion sighs a little, as if to say that he knew I would react badly to this. I swallow my panic, not wanting to give him the satisfaction; I can deal with this.
“That’s the thing, demons do exist in this dimension … just not openly, and they are half breeds, no pure demon has walked or swum into this world since before the dinosaurs walked. Some would even argue that humans themselves are demons, when you examine their behaviour. The psirens certainly have a little demon blood in them from what we can tell. We are not concerned with the demons on land, Callie, it is our duty to protect the oceans, and we were placed here because this is where the magic that holds up the walls between worlds is thinnest.” I wince a little at the comment about humans as Atlas strokes his arms dreamily as though caught in a long lost memory. I see the wiry silver lines of scars, and wonder if they could be from netting, the kind used by humans to trap marine creatures perhaps?
“So all this goes on without human knowledge?” I ask, flabbergasted as I shift on my tail uncomfortably. I wonder how the mer sell their tears to humans without them knowing until I realise that there are humans who know about them. Their team of assistants.
“You’d be surprised how unobservant humans can be. I mean we’ve existed hundreds of years and apart from a small period of one seventh of that time, we’ve been lucky enough that they’ve left us alone.” Saturnus picks up smiling slightly, glancing sideways at Atlas, whatever the history he is recalling, it is clear Saturnus is aware of it. Orion moves his hand up my spine slowly; I feel the electric current of his touch in my neck and in my tail, everywhere.
“So, what is the ritual for then?” I question, shifting a little on the rock, my aching tail slowly returning to its normal heavy self.
“As I’ve said to you before, we don’t know. Maybe the weapon will help us find out, but we can’t be sure.” Saturnus nods at me smiling in the eyes.
“There’s a lot you don’t know.” I state and they look at each other.
“Yes, it doesn’t help that the only original copies of the myths surrounding the Gods and Goddesses have been lost.”
“Where are they?” I ask still confused.
“We …” They start but I finish.
“Don’t know …” They grimace together. I wonder if they really are as wise as they seem.
“We do the best we can, we have lived a long time, but there are many limitations to this life. It would appear getting our hands on human artefacts are one of them.” Atlas admits, running his hand through his hair. I don’t want to make him self-conscious, so I change the subject.
“So the psirens, their leader is Solustus?” I ask and they shake their heads. I stretch out the muscles in my tail by flicking it slightly to and fro, letting it relax and tense to try and rejuvenate myself.
“Titus.” Atlas cuts me off with a grimacing chill in his tone. I wonder why they look so worried; after all I’d watched them take on a beast thirty times their size that looked as undefeatable as anything I’d ever known. How could they be so affected by the psirens? Were they really that powerful? I worry to myself momentarily. The mer were stronger and faster than any creature and if they were struggling with the psirens, I dread to think that I could run into them tonight.
“So what’s so bad about him?” I ask feeling a little alienated, all these men, they’re like a family, even Starlet with all her bitching, knows their intimate secrets, because for the most part she has lived through it with them.
“Well, he’s got quite a temper; he has speed on his side. And then there is his ability …”
“Which is?”
“Titus, he is special, he used to command the oceans creatures, befriend them and talk to them … or at least that was his only ability until he became a psiren. He can now manipulate electric currents, through all things including the human body. He can make your neurons turn against you in a moment. He is lethal and highly dangerous. He learned this new magic from the darkness, barely uses his Goddess given gift now … such a waste.” Saturnus looks grim, and Atlas stays silent, I can tell there must be history between Atlas and Titus too, but once again, I am too new at this game, too young to know the tricks of the trade. I must remember to start grilling Orion more often. I look over at him and see he is staring up, my eyes follow his gaze. Through the roof’s opening, I can see that the sea above is unrecognizable and my mouth drops a little. Atlas and Saturnus smile at me, as my face moves back to look at them and I turn to see the same mischievous smile on my lover’s lips.
“Have you ever seen an upside-down storm?” He asks, taking me in his arms and moving forward, past the crowned ruler and his right hand. He pulls aside the curtain of thick green seaweed and Starlet retreats away from us, taking a few strokes back with a smile. Even she is clearly excited, however begrudgingly, and I soon see why: the water is alive.
Puffing above in a fury of clouds, the water swirls with a life of its own as the storm rages on, angry and alive.
“Wow,” is all I can manage and Starlet smirks a little, laughing internally at my immaturity. I ignore her.
“Do you want to take a ride?” Orion propositions me and I feel not only awed, but slightly afraid. The power of the water is intense, I remember fearing the same power from the shore, but seeing it from the wrong side makes it look even more formidable.
“Won’t it hurt?” I ask, breathing in air deeply, sucking it from the surrounding water, so calm at this deep level, but thrashing in cloud like formations on the surface. The water feels slightly more chi
lled than before with the unrest of the storm, and all I can see is the blackness of the clouds above the water.
“No, I won’t let you get hurt, don’t worry.” Orion smiles at me, his eyes glistening with immortal mischief, his prior experience clearly building his anticipation toward riding the storm.
“Okay, I trust you.” I say simply, a knot of anxiety forming in my stomach.
“Come.” He commands so in control, so at ease here beneath the shifting waves. As I take his hand, I hear a deep crack, like a gun shot through a pillow to muffle the sound and my heart stops for one moment, looking around frantically.
“It’s just thunder.” He soothes, running his fingers over my knuckles with a shy smile. I breathe out and smile into his face, feeling a little more relaxed. He urges me upward through the water with him; I go willingly. I know Orion will take care of me. My tail has seemingly recovered from the fatigue it felt earlier, now stronger than ever and I am barely able to believe it felt so heavy not one hour ago. As we reach the surface of the ocean, I begin to feel the pull of the storm on the water that is just below the surface. Starlet, Saturnus, and Atlas have all followed in our wake, wanting to join in the ride. I wonder how often storms like this rattle these depths. How many times have they ridden storms before? How many times has Orion ridden a storm alone? The questions stop as Orion looks back over his shoulder at me.
“Ready?” He grins mischievously at me as I blink slowly and nod, my anticipation growing. “Hold on.” He demands and races upward in three stout flexes of his tailfin. I am yanked upward and the speed of the stormy ocean grabs me more powerfully than any riptide. The masses of water beat on my flesh, numbing it as though I am paralyzed under a power shower. Blood rushes to the surface of my skin and I flush pink, the only thing keeping me anchored being Orion’s hand. I let out a scream of delight at the forceful speed, as my breathing rate spikes and the cool water sends me flying away from the cave. This is not as smooth as the riptides Orion and I rode on my first swim as a mer, but more brutal, much faster, and increasingly powerful. The dark sky above encloses us below the surface in shadow creating an inability to tell up from down. Another bolt of lightning strikes through the darkness, I scream, and in my fear let go of Orion’s hand. Without his anchor I fall, being caught by the angry water which is in an instant not pushing me in one direction, but is pulling me to and fro with two opposing forces, unable to compromise.
“Callie!” I hear a worried yell, but the darkness of the sky and seemingly endless depth below, paired with my inability to focus due to the speed and ferocity of the stormy waters means I cannot tell from which direction it has originated. I try to see Orion, but other than flashes of magenta, royal blue, fiery gold, and silver, I cannot make out anything of use. The tide becomes my worst fear, unmanageable; I try to use my tail to get away from its hold, but it has a vice-like and inescapable grip on me. I have no choice but to let it carry me, helpless and hoping that Orion can follow. Why did I have to let go of his hand! I want to kick myself, but then consider this might be difficult with a tail. I relax for a moment, and allow the fighting currents to do their worst. I find once I stop fighting their opposing forces with upward motion, the speed is easier to handle. The sky above lights up again and again with lightning, followed by cracks of thunder. Eventually, I allow the storm to do its worst, tossing me from side to side and pounding my skin red raw under its power. I screw up my eyes and will myself to focus on moving my tail to minimise its crazed possession of my body, while continuing to have little choice but to let it carry me where it would. I see a burst of bright white light from above and hope to God it’s the moon and that the clouds are finally parting. The ocean finally goes from tearing me apart to almost still in only seconds and then I am falling. Falling like an angel expelled from heaven. Through swarms of fish, away from the light of that oh-so- bright moon above and down. Down, down, down until suddenly … I crash through the sea floor … wait … what?
“Callie!!!” I hear the bellowing before I see Orion’s head pop out from the left side of the hole that my body made in the ceiling of the building that now holds me. I am on my back, splayed out in a beam of light that falls down upon me, either a beacon of hope, or alien abduction beam from above. I sit up slowly and wince. Damn, that fall hurt. The back of my head throbs and I want to hurl. I take in my surroundings, now illuminated from the moonlight that falls over me. The walls of this room are old, really old, and the columns that hold up the ceiling are larger than any tree trunk I’ve ever seen. From the shadow, I see a large black eye staring at me, unblinking, it slowly moves forward revealing that it belongs to a vast sun fish, hugely sprawling in body. It has two fins, one on the bottom and one on the top of its body and a bulbous skull. I swim upward a little to get a closer look as it approaches me silently. As I place a hand across its scaly flesh something from behind it catches my eye, so rather than pondering upon its queer framework, I swim right past it. The walls of this place are old too, and covered in drawings, symbols, and an old language I cannot recognise. Orion and Saturnus descend into the room, curving their bodies in an arc to turn them upright and facing me as I turn from the wall.
“Well you found the temple!” Saturnus mutters, looking glad and yet mystified as to my luck.
“She could have been hurt!” Orion scolds Saturnus’ lack of concern as to my graceful entrance.
“Yes, but I wasn’t.” I say smiling slightly and ignoring the throbbing in my skull. I can’t deny that I feel slightly infantilised at this moment. Orion’s eyes meet mine, full of concern, and the blue stuns me into a small shy smile, my cheeks flush red.
“Let’s look around.” Saturnus suggests, breaking the silence between us as Starlet and Atlas enter from the Callie-shaped hole in the ceiling.
“Will you keep watch?” Saturnus asks Starlet, looking at her with his deep green eyes and a stern brow.
“Can I have a spear?” she requests and Atlas pulls his from the holster on his back.
“Be careful. We don’t know who might turn up if they are aware of what we are retrieving.” Atlas warns and Saturnus nods as Starlet turns, flicking her blonde feathered locks over one shoulder.
“I don’t even see why we need someone to keep watch! Not even we would have known this place was here if Little Miss uncoordinated hadn’t smashed right through the roof!” She is talking to herself as she ascends back up through the ceiling, I don’t want to admit it, but she has a point.
“I wish she would get over whatever is bothering her.” Orion rolls his eyes and rubs his finger along my spine. “You sure you’re okay?” He asks, looking me up and down with concern.
“Yes, I’m fine, I promise.” I assure him with a quick smile. He returns my smile and I wonder momentarily what my life would be like if I was not a mile beneath the ocean in an ancient temple, would I be sitting at home playing tea party with Kayla? In that moment, I miss her so much that my heart squeezes, needing her desperately.
“Let’s spread out.” Saturnus suggests as his emerald eyes sparkle under the dim light of the chamber that seemingly sprawls outward into other rooms. He looks excited but there is an edginess, as though he is controlling himself, trying not to express whatever emotion it is that’s simmering beneath his mess of scarlet hair. We nod in synchronization and spread toward each of the walls. The atmosphere of the chamber is sort of creepy, the stillness and the feeling that nobody has been here in a long time combine to make me feel as though I am somewhere I shouldn’t be, and yet have been before. The water feels stagnant, unmoving and this adds to an air of the uncanny about the place, as even in my apartment the water gives slight shifts every few moments. In this place, there is nothing and it is as if it is here and yet a ghost of what came before.
I move once more to the walls and look at the symbols and pictures feeling a slight familiarity toward them. There are mermaids carved into them, lots of mermaids, and animals, lots of animals. The mermaids in the primitive carving are
on two sides of a divide … one side has animals and the other doesn’t. Could this be the upcoming war perhaps? I wonder if I will be there. No, of course you won’t! I snap internally, reminding myself that if I die there will be no war. I follow the wall downward, continuing to decipher meaning from the jumble of symbols and pictures, from which I gain no insight. There’s a reoccurring symbol, a circle with four half-moons that align around its diameter, but it means nothing to me, so I look away. I turn around and notice an archway to my left, the surrounding wall is ornately covered in gold filigree that twists in vines reminding me of the floor in the Lunar Sanctum. Keeping my back turned on the chamber where Orion and Saturnus also examine the opposing wall, I venture through the archway and into the dim light that covers an opposing room. I can’t explain what happens next but something calls me over to the wall directly in front of me. There is a handprint that is discernible in the dimness and it looks familiar, small with short but spidery fingers, it looks like my own. The surrounding wall is covered in script, except the area directly above the central carving of the handprint which holds another carving, this one of a long handled axe with a blade curved like the end of a mermaids tail turned horizontal. There’s another symbol below one, the one I picked out before, a circle containing four crescent moons within. I look back to the symbol above. It’s a scythe. Instinctively I move forward toward the wall and place my hand on top of the handprint, it fits perfectly like a glove, but nothing happens.
“What did you find there?” Orion asks as he emerges through the archway behind me. I turn to face him as a hammerhead shark passes beside me ominously, my instinct is to flee but it barely notices me and I wonder how I have managed to avoid sharks for as long as I have, living underwater. I also note how Orion’s icy blue eyes glow slightly in the grey light, contrasting against his royal blue facial scales.
“I think this is a drawing of the scythe.” I tell him and then move slightly to the left with a simple flick of my tail.
The Kiss That Killed Me (The Tidal Kiss Trilogy Book 1) Page 38