by Matt Larkin
And the farther they swam, the more lights she saw, casting all of the city in a blue-green glow that seemed like something out of Pō.
Perceptive.
Namaka frowned, planning to ask what Nyi Rara meant, then started when she realized she had moved her mouth. How had that happened? She thought the mermaid spirit had taken all control from her?
A moment of weakness, host. Do not expect another. Be still.
The center of the reef opened into a great circular grove, revealing the city proper. And what a city it was—buildings of stone twenty, even thirty feet tall, carved with a precision she had never imagined. And ahead, a palace towering over the city, light pouring from its innumerable windows and great arches. This was a dream.
And the smells! As a human she had never considered that anything beneath the sea might smell. But ‘aumākua, she could smell the scents of a million fish, of other mer, of the coral itself. Her new form opened her up to so many sensations it was almost overwhelming.
A pod of dolphins circled far above the city, mer clinging to a few of them, like some kind of patrol. Or maybe that was exactly what it was. The mer must exert some level of control over sea animals.
Sea turtles swam above, and thousands upon thousands of fish darted in and out of crannies around the city. Hundreds of mer swam about as well, or poked their heads from windows as she passed. The mer paid no attention to the animals, save a handful of jellyfish which they avoided.
Before the palace, a circular stone landing rested, surrounded by orbs radiating blue-green light. Namaka couldn’t even think of what to call this magic.
Wisp lights.
Once again, the mermaid princess was speaking to her. One moment she acted like she disdained Namaka, the next she was conversing, explaining.
I do disdain you, human.
Oh, Namaka was not quite human. A surge of defiance rose up in her and pushed violently against Nyi Rara’s will. It was like slamming her fist into solid rock, and yet, the mermaid convulsed. Namaka jerked suddenly, then twisted in wonder, having control of her body again. Her powerful, sleek new body. It was glorious—and brief as the mermaid princess hit her like a physical force, driving her back down.
You caught me off-guard. A host must be brought under control, must be tamed like a wild dolphin, taught to serve.
Namaka tried to laugh, though no sound escaped. Nyi Rara may have thought she’d chosen an ideal host, given the power in Namaka’s blood. But she might find this host less easily tamed than she’d hoped.
On the other hand, wouldn’t both host and spirit benefit from working together, like the shifter Moon spirit in Upoho?
You dare compare me to those petty animals?
It seemed the mermaid inside her was a bit touchy. It didn’t matter. This place was as good as any other.
You run from your own life.
That hit her like another blow. She didn’t run from her life. She had no life left. She’d lost her kingdom, her family, and near everyone she’d ever cared for.
Nyi Rara sank down to the landing, which was engraved with circular designs, just regular enough they seemed to have meaning, but she could not begin to guess what.
Nyi Rara followed Ake inside the palace, and Namaka took the opportunity to ogle the glorious construction, the magical lighting, and the collected treasures. Even more so, the mer themselves. Every one of them had a different tail, blue or silver or green, often a mottled match like some tropical fish. Her own was a vibrant orange like the kou flower, which seemed the most common shade. Did the spirit choose their tail, or was it always the same?
The mermaid princess said nothing, but Namaka could feel that she had almost spoken, had wanted to. Why was the princess so intent on treating her like an enemy? Could she not be more useful as an ally?
Symbiosis? You believe that?
Why not? If they worked together, if Nyi Rara would just give her a little freedom, let her speak and enjoy this … then the mermaid wouldn’t have to waste her energy trying to control her host. Did she really want to spend centuries, as she had put it, struggling for dominance?
For a moment, the mermaid was silent.
Amuse me, mortal.
Suddenly, Namaka felt herself in control again. She jerked to a halt, then darted after Ake.
“Huh.” Her voice sounded strange underwater, thicker and echoey.
The merman turned to look back at her. “Princess?”
Namaka smirked. “She’s in here too. We’re just working out living arrangements.”
Ake frowned. Did he disapprove of her working with the mermaid? He opened his mouth, then jerked his head to the side.
Namaka followed his gaze but saw nothing but shadows. At first. Then something seemed to melt off the walls, its colors shifting—a moment ago they had perfectly matched the stonework, but now became a mottled purple color. An octopus, one as large as she was. It drew itself up close, staring at her with eyes that seemed wells of darkness sucking up light and revealing nothing of a soul within.
Namaka shuddered under its unfathomable gaze, not able to look away even as it reached one of its tendril-like arms up to her. A he‘e. The second one she’d ever seen, and it stirred a visceral revulsion in Namaka considering what had happened last time.
“A traditional he‘e greeting,” Ake said. “Ambassador Punga, may I present Princess Nyi Rara.”
The he‘e watched her, as if waiting for some response, and Namaka struggled not to squirm under his gaze. The damn thing seemed to stare right into her with some truly alien intelligence.
“Not at the moment, one must imagine,” the he‘e said after a moment. His voice was thick, slow, and ushered from a mouth muffled beneath all those arms, so it took Namaka a moment to realize what he’d said. And an instant more to understand he meant she wasn’t Nyi Rara at the moment.
And face to face with this strange creature, she wished she was.
As you wish.
Just like that, the mermaid was in control again, and Namaka felt herself staring back at the he‘e ambassador with renewed confidence. Still, his eyes gave away nothing of his thoughts, so perhaps he had them at a disadvantage, but at least she was not alone.
You were not alone before.
Nyi Rara extended her hand, mimicking the he‘e greeting gesture. “You must excuse me, Ambassador. My sister will wish to see me.”
The octopus blinked as if that were some kind of answer, then slipped off into the shadows, dragged along by arms that seemed to move each of their own accord. It was like eight squirming, slithering eels, each with the ability to become all but invisible.
“That was horrifying,” she said. The words echoed aloud. Nyi Rara had released her again, just as easily.
You are not like any host before. I just wonder if …
She must wonder if she might have been more successful in the past had she worked with her hosts instead of against them.
Yes.
Namaka knew what it was like to question everything about her life, to wonder at the countless mistakes she had made. The assumptions made too easily led her to … here. This moment.
With a broken world of ashes left behind.
The mermaid said nothing else, but Namaka could feel her there, waves of distrust and doubt intermingling. So maybe she hadn’t earned Nyi Rara’s support yet, but she would. If only because she had nothing else to go back to. All was lost.
Still, she would never submit. Never agree to anything less than a partnership.
“The he‘e have their own kingdom a few leagues south from here,” Ake said, then beckoned her to follow as he led her through the palace. “They call it their Aupuni. The ambassador has been here for over a year now. We’ve been trying to maintain diplomatic relations with the other powers in the sea. It galls us to cater to the whims of a mortal race, but the he‘e are ancient and cunning. Some claim they are older than this world. With the war against Hiyoya, we cannot risk making more enemies.”
/> “Your diplomacy doesn’t seem to include humans.”
Ake snorted. “Humans serve their purpose. We need bodies, after all. Your … Princess Nyi Rara’s sister has a chamber in Kuula Palace and is here now, which is why we did not first head to the Dakuwaqa Estate.”
Namaka blanched, suddenly realizing she knew next to nothing about mer society.
In her mind, Nyi Rara chuckled, enjoying Namaka’s discomfort a little much. A moment later, the mermaid seized control of her body and swam into a grotto off the main hall. Inside this, a host of a dozen mer rested around a large stone bowl in the floor. All necks swiveled to her the moment she entered, and one mermaid in particular straightened and rose to a greater height. Her tail was red, though fletched with orange much like Nyi Rara’s. Stripes of darkened color rose up the scales of her tail and even the flesh of her ribs and breasts, like a tiger shark. Indeed, the mermaid’s eyes had become like black opals, her face more shark-like than many of the mer Namaka had seen thus far.
An older host.
Yes. My elder sister, Kuku Lau, the Voice of Dakuwaqa ‘Ohana now that our father is gone.
Sisters. And this time, ironically, Namaka was the younger sister.
“You are returned to us at last,” Kuku Lau said.
“It took me a long time to regain my strength after having been discorporated. I am fortunate my soul escaped back to Avaiki. I suspect they might have otherwise intended to feast upon it.”
Kuku Lau frowned, her grimace all the more horrifying for the alien cast of her features. “You don’t know, do you?”
“Know what?”
“Queen Aiaru blamed Father for the events that day. She had the Ukupanipo sacrifice him to the Elder Deep. They devoured him, body and soul, sending his essence down into Naunet.”
What the fuck is all this? Namaka thought.
A sudden, violent pressure against her mind was Nyi Rara’s only answer. That, and a palpable rage that Namaka knew all too well, for she had experienced such herself often in the past years. It beat upon her now, driving her down, into an oppressive darkness that tried to swallow her whole.
Nyi Rara glanced around the table, struck speechless by what her sister had said.
“‘Ohana is everything,” Kuku Lau said.
“‘Ohana is everything,” Nyi Rara repeated, mind still reeling. The ranking members of the Dakuwaqa ‘Ohana now gathered in this grotto, all looking to her, as if she was going to reverse the trend of their misfortunes. She, who had spent years struggling to hold her soul together after her body’s destruction by Hiyoya at Tenebrous Chasm. She, who had no idea what had transpired in the Mortal Realm in her absence.
And they’d placed her into the body of this so-called Sea Queen, thinking the woman’s mana would prove a boon? How much had they risked to achieve that? Should Nyi Rara tell them they’d made a terrible mistake? That her host was too strong or that she herself had not recovered enough to control a host of such power and will? How weak that would make her look. How useless.
Tilafaiga and Taema, her gold-tailed cousins, swam to her side and offered her their embraces. “I’m sorry you had to hear about Uncle Ikatere like that,” Tilafaiga said.
Nyi Rara forced any expression from her face, not trusting herself to grieve her father and risk letting Namaka out of her prison. “The other ‘ohanas have betrayed us.”
Kuku Lau sneered. “They betrayed us in the Sundering, more than two thousand years ago, sister. All we have done since is to reclaim what is rightfully ours. Small wonder they work to stop us.”
The Sundering, in the wake of the Rogo War, had nearly destroyed Dakuwaqa ‘Ohana and allowed Kuula ‘Ohana to usurp the throne. As a concession—Father would have called it a mockery—Kuula had allowed the ruling bloodline of Dakuwaqa to retain the titles prince and princess. That, and not much else.
And Ukupanipo, obsessed with reverence to the Elder Deep, had blamed Dakuwaqa ‘Ohana for all of it, saying their lack of piety had wrought the Sundering that created Hiyoya. The zealots had broken away from Dakuwaqa to form his own ‘ohana. One touched with madness and religious fervor in equal parts.
“We must now consider what—” Kuku Lau broke off, staring at Ake who had swum into the entryway.
Behind the Ranger Commander swam three warrior mer Nyi Rara did not know. Kuula warriors, no doubt.
“Queen Aiaru summons you, Princess Nyi Rara.”
Nyi Rara stifled a groan. Too much to hope the queen would not have learned of her return just yet. She motioned forward. “Lead the way.”
It was not Ake but one of the Kuula mermaids, though, who guided her. The host was young, but that meant nothing. What did matter, though, was that this mer kept casting disdainful glares in Nyi Rara’s direction.
“What is it?” Nyi Rara finally snapped. “You have something you wished to say to me?”
“My father died at the Chasm.”
Nyi Rara bit back her first response. “So did I.” And so had, effectively, her own father. “It was a massacre all around.”
“And yet, you’re back.”
“After a decade, yes, I finally …” Nyi Rara stopped herself. “Who are you, Kuula?”
“Hokohoko, and yes, of Kuula. ‘Ohana is everything.” The mermaid pointed to an archway leading into the throne room.
Namaka shrieked, throwing all her will, all her mana against the prison of darkness Nyi Rara had thrown her in. She raged and pounded and then heard the mermaid gasp, her control faltering. Consciousness returned only to find herself swimming through a great throne room. The ceiling was massive, stretching up four stories and following the same arch shape, creating an airy grotto. Thousands of polished shells decorated the throne room, the most notable of which was the throne itself. It had perhaps been a giant conch the size of a person but had been broken open to allow the queen to rest upon it.
And that queen had abandoned any semblance of humanity. Her skin had turned aquamarine and was covered with scale-like bubbles. Mollusks jutted from her shoulders and a seashell grew from her head. Was that what happened when a host was possessed for centuries?
Did that mean this fish creature was closer to the true form of mermaids? Was that what they looked like in their own realm?
The queen had eyes the same color as her skin, but they sparkled with faint luminosity. She raised a webbed hand and beckoned Namaka closer.
She swam up to the throne and bowed, the gesture awkward in this form. Nyi Rara pressed against her mind, twirling her tail in an intricate pattern, apparently the more appropriate greeting. “My Queen,” Nyi Rara said with Namaka’s mouth.
“Welcome back, princess. You have been long away from the Mortal Realm.” The queen waved a hand idly, and the water swirled about it. The same power Namaka had, used so casually, as if the queen didn’t even think on it.
All our kind have some such control.
The statement was laced with such disdain Namaka almost choked on it. What did Nyi Rara mean? That the other mermaids could control the sea, but not the way Namaka did?
We have control.
Control. Not the raw power. Namaka’s gift must be stronger than that of the mer. Oh, how that must gall them. She, half human, wielding greater power over the seas than Water spirits.
You test my patience.
“The battle your host died in sparked a war with Hiyoya, Nyi Rara. I trust you know this. And these past few years have not gone as we might have hoped. Their numbers are greater and they’ve marshaled a vast army of tiger sharks. Oh, we win some engagements, for certain. But with every passing year, their domain grows. They seem to think all the Seven Seas ought to belong to them. I disagree.”
Which is where I come in, Nyi Rara thought.
Except, she meant where Namaka came in. They wanted her raw power and Namaka was of little mind to give it freely. Not if Nyi Rara thought she could shove Namaka down and take control whenever she pleased.
You are a petty host and I am a goddess.
>
“I have a plan to change the course of the war,” Nyi Rara said. “A plan Dakuwaqa ‘Ohana shall bear the brunt of. I’ll lead our forces on a surprise offensive.”
“Offensive?” Aiaru seemed to be almost laughing at her. “I fear you’ve not been properly apprised of our situation, princess.”
Arrogant bitch. Namaka may not have appreciated Nyi Rara’s actions, but the sheer disdain that seeped off Aiaru made her gills itch. Strange sensation.
Nyi Rara, too, stiffened. “I have been so apprised. I wish to consult the Urchin.”
Now the queen leaned forward, baring shark teeth in a too-wide mouth. “If you can convince Ukupanipo ‘Ohana, I’ll not bar your way. I hardly think the priests will allow the daughter of a traitor access to the Urchin, though. Do you?”
Namaka felt Nyi Rara struggling to control her face. “Am I dismissed?”
The queen nodded.
Nyi Rara twirled her tail again and swam from the throne room.
All right. It was about time the damn mermaid explained what was going on in Mu.
Do not get ahead of yourself.
What in Milu’s misty underworld did that mean?
And do not invoke her name, not ever. Perhaps my people took you for their own ends. I suspect you gave them reason enough. Perhaps the very same reason you welcome me into your soul, so eager to join our world just to escape your own.
And why should she get involved in a war between mer kingdoms? What business was that of hers?
These are your people now, Namaka. Can you stand idle while they fight and die for their freedom?
So … the only way Nyi Rara was going to let her have any control over her fate from now on was to embrace Mu as her people now.
Which meant a truce between them.
You still think you have a choice.
The mermaid, Hokohoko, glared at Namaka as she swam past, but Nyi Rara ignored the girl, joining Ake, who led her from Kuula Palace and back out into the city proper.
Namaka did think she had a choice. Petty host or not, she had the power to seize control of her body, even if only for a few moments. She had the strength to disorient and divert Nyi Rara at every turn. The mer wanted a host with power. Power came with a price.