by Emma Hamm
“I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“It’s dangerous to live here.” The merrow gave her a stern look. “Just as dangerous as it is to live above the waves.”
“It does not surprise me. I lived in a cold water pod, at the bottom of the seafloor. There wasn’t much danger there, but the journey to the surface was always tense.”
“I suspect it was.”
The merrow seemed to hesitate, and Saoirse wondered if she had something to say.
The other merrows had been strange around her for a while now. They swam close and opened their mouths, then closed them tightly as soon as another cast a glance in their direction. She recognized those who repeated this behavior.
“Do you have something to tell me?” Saoirse asked. “I’m sorry I haven’t had time to get to know many of you. But I have seen you looking at me before.”
“Saoirse, there are some of us who—”
“Ship!” The cry rocked through the waters. “Ship above!”
Merrows burst into a flurry of movement. Spears were passed between hands while feral grins spread across faces. Tails lashed into movement so quick they reminded her of the bean sídhe’s eels.
Alannah raced towards her, pointing her finger and giving her a severe look. “You stay here. That babe’s safety is the most important priority.”
Saoirse gave a quick nod although she had no intention of staying.
Electricity raced through her veins as if she had touched a man-of-war. Manus was here. She knew it was him, no one else was mad enough to sail a ship into these cursed waters.
Her gills flared, and she watched the merrows leave with wide eyes. A few stayed in the depths, those who were not deemed fit to fight. Saoirse doubted there would be much fighting. The last guardian battle had ended with drowned men before the merrows snatched them up.
She had to see him. She had to save him.
Saoirse frantically held her daughter out to the merrow who had not left with the others. “Hold her.”
“What? Why?” The merrow took the baby carefully, cupping her head and holding her against her shoulder. “What are you doing?”
“I cannot let them kill him. I won’t let him die.”
“No one can stop a guardian.”
“I have heard tales there were ships allowed to stay in faeries waters. They could pass through without a guardian ever attacking them.”
“I’ve never heard of such a thing!”
“There was only one ship, long ago. Mac Lir’s ship.” She pressed a kiss to her baby’s head. “I need you to look after her.”
A current buffeted her as other merrows swam closer. One folded her hands in front of her and blurted, “We want to help.”
“You what?”
“We don’t agree that all ships should be destroyed. Other merrow pods find husbands and bring them back home. We wish to do the same.”
Saoirse stared out over the small number of merrows and marveled at their bravery. They lived in a pod of merrows who would sooner kill a human than allow them close. Yet these women wanted to go against their orders, against everything they were raised to believe, on the chance they might find a husband who loved them.
She knew exactly how they felt.
“In the legends, a guardian will allow a ship with a yellow belly to travel through our waters. That it is a marking of faerie approval.”
“How will we do that? There is no way for us to paint a ship.”
Saoirse reached out and grasped a small rock. She dug it into the soft flesh of her arm, letting blood flow into the water and press against the stones. Coral grew upon the rocky surface. Magic encouraged it to spread, vibrant colors blooming bright and vivid.
“We can control what grows,” she said. “We will cover the ship with yellow coral and the guardian will stop its attack.”
“And the other merrows?”
“They will not harm us.” Saoirse looked up, meeting the gaze of each merrow waiting with bated breath. “Choose a sailor and keep them safe from harm.”
“And bring them back?” a merrow asked.
“Only if they wish it.”
The merrow holding her daughter cleared her throat. “Are you well enough for this?”
Saoirse wasn’t certain how to answer. She was weaker than she had ever been before. Her spine ached, her heart beat sluggishly, and before this moment she had been staring at her daughter wondering when it would all end.
Now, she had a chance at life. A better life, and the one she had chosen.
She nodded. “I have to be.”
Two merrows swam forward and took hold of her arms. It was embarrassing they had to do such a thing. She should be able to swim by herself, to save the man she loved. But Saoirse realized she would never make it to the surface without their help.
She let out a slow breath. “Take care of my daughter. If I do not come back, make sure she is given a life where her own choices are more important than the opinions of others.”
The merrow nodded and smoothed a hand down the baby’s dark green tail.
Saoirse didn’t want to cry. She turned her eyes towards the surface and said, “We need to go now. The guardian will have reached the ship.”
They raced towards her husband, clustered together in one mass of women determined to find those who loved them.
She was grateful for her people and wondered how many merrows in her previous pod thought the same way. Had her sisters wanted to free themselves from a future with a merrow man as a husband? Had some of them looked forward to living with the creatures?
Saoirse judged them harshly when she hadn’t taken the time to get to know them. Even the women holding her arms were strangers to her.
There were many things she wished she had done differently in her life. She had always prided herself on kindness but had forgotten what kindness entailed.
Determination had her swimming faster than she thought possible. She would start a new life with Manus. They would never be parted, and she would never hide the truth from him again.
He would know what she was thinking, and she would hear his thoughts. They would understand where the other person was coming from. They would build a life based on trust and truth.
As they should have from the beginning.
Lightning cracked overhead, illuminating the ship hovering above them. A wall of merrows waited, each fierce warrior holding a spear and wearing a smile of hatred and anger.
“Stop!” Saoirse cried out. “Tell the guardian to stop!”
They were too late. Fire flashed on the side of the ship and something impacted the side of the guardian. It struck hard flesh shielded by magic and angered the beast.
The guardian roared in pain and anger. She brought her fist down on the ship and cracked the deck. The sound rocketed through the waters and pushed Saoirse down.
“We have to go now,” she gasped. “We have little time left.”
“Alannah will try to stop us.”
“She won’t have time. Let go of me, and swim as fast as you can to the ship. Grow the coral. I’ll deal with the guardian.”
They split up. Some burst through the rankings of the merrows and flattened themselves to the bottom of the ship. Others hovered in the waters to protect those who were working. They made the right choice as many of Alannah’s merrows tried to pull them away.
The merrows were determined on both sides. Saoirse was certain they could grow enough coral to calm the guardian as long as she could capture its attention.
She sluggishly swam towards it, breathing hard and feeling as though her gills weren’t working. She ran her fingers down the slits. They were open as wide as they could go, yet she still couldn’t breathe in enough.
Saoirse slowed the more she swam until she was struggling to stay afloat. She wriggled in the water.
“Guardian,” she whimpered. “Please listen to me.”
A deep groan echoed from above the waves. “They hurt me.”
; “I know they did, and that was wrong.”
“He wants to take you away from the ocean, again.”
“And you want to protect me, I understand.” She clawed at the water with her arms, tail falling limp and threatening to drag her down into the deep. “I need you to protect me now.”
The guardian lifted her fist and grabbed one of the great masts. It snapped off in her massive hands and she gave a loud roar. “That is what I am doing.”
“I need you beneath the waves! Forget the humans, I am dying, and I need you to be here.”
Merrows shrieked as the two groups collided. Saoirse whipped around and watched as more blood filled the water. They did not fight with spears, a small consolation, but with their claws. Each dug at each other, shrieking their anger into the waves.
Alannah propelled herself away from the group. Anger marred her beautiful features, and Saoirse knew why.
If the matriarch reached her, then her plans would be for nothing. She would drag her back down to her child, or worse, lock her away forever. Saoirse would die in these waters and Manus would never know his child.
“Guardian!” She cried out. “Help me!”
For a moment, she feared the creature did not hear her. The boom of cannon fire drowned out her words and the angry cries of merrows filled the sea with rage. The waters boiled with blood and battle.
Just as Alannah reached for her, a giant hand moved between them. The guardian scooped her out of the water and brought her up to its chest.
Saoirse curled up in its palm. With her tail pressed to her chest, she shivered as salt water fell from her body and cold air chilled her skin. She was so near to death she could barely even speak.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“What are you doing, little merrow? Your place is here, with us.”
“My place is with him. I wish to see him, guardian. My life and his are bonded for all eternity. I am willing to die in his arms if it is too late or live forever at his side if it is not.”
“I don’t understand why you would want to leave us. He will not let you return.”
“We cannot speak for him. He has traveled all this way to find me, perhaps he has changed his mind.”
The guardian looked down at her, thoughtful and kind. A cannon went off again and Saoirse felt its impact on the beast’s great form. The guardian did not flinch.
“If you are certain, then I will place you at his side. But be warned, few of our kind think highly of a faerie who would stoop so low as to marry a human.”
“Then I have no wish to know them. He is the greatest man I have ever met. And not because of his decisions.” Saoirse grinned. “He makes horrible choices. But he loves me, and I love him.”
She knew the concept was strange to a creature who could not understand what love was. Guardians were faeries, but they were entirely different from most beasts. Even normal faeries may never discover the blessing as Saoirse had.
“So be it,” the guardian sang.
Saoirse held onto the guardian’s thumb as she lowered her all the way onto the deck of the ship. Sailors scattered, shouting curses and raising their fists as if that might help.
The guardian deposited her in the center of the ship. “You have only a few moments before I will return.”
“We painted the ship yellow,” she called out. “Merrows gave their blood to mark this ship as theirs.”
“Your sacrifice is not in vain, I shall return to the depths. It was an honor to know you, little merrow.”
“And you.”
The ship rocked again with the grumble of the guardian as she slid beneath it. The men shouted and pointed. Perhaps they were shocked the beast returned to the deep. Perhaps they didn’t understand the way faeries worked.
She wasn’t a creature. None of them were. They could be reasoned with as long as they understood why the humans wanted what they did.
Now, Saoirse was alone. Perhaps the other merrows weren’t finished yet, or still fought their own kind. She didn’t have time to understand why the others weren’t on deck.
She pulled herself forward on shaking arms, dragging her useless tail behind her. A sailor flinched away. His eyes were wide and wild with fear. He lifted a broken piece of wood up, brandishing it in front of him as if he needed to protect himself.
“Please,” she begged. “Where is my husband?”
“Begone, siren! We will not listen to your cries.”
“I will not hurt you. I want my husband.”
“You won’t find a husband here!” the sailor shouted. “None of us will return with you. We have no desire to find ourselves locked away in a cage far away from land and hope.”
“You don’t understand.”
Why were they afraid of her? Didn’t they know Manus was here for her?
Saoirse glanced around at all the men, their suspicious looks making her fear grow like a cloud of blood in the water. They didn’t know who she was.
Could this be another ship? Was Manus not here after all?
“Throw her overboard!” One of the sailors shouted.
“Or better yet, kill it and send it back to the sea.”
She whimpered and pushed herself back. Her tail wouldn’t work, her heart pounded against her ribs, and pin pricks of energy made her hands shake. Saoirse had run out of time.
“Hold!” The shout pierced the air and pounding feet raced towards her.
Dark and swarthy, he raced towards her as if the Wild Hunt chased him down. Blood streaked across his face and splattered down his chest, but he was everything she desired and more. Her husband. Her life.
Manus fell to his knees and pulled her into his arms. “Saoirse,” he breathed. “My love.”
Relief poured through her body like cold water on a sunburn. “Manus, you have returned to me.”
“I should never have left. I love you, Saoirse. I should have said it every single moment you were in my arms. I love you, I love you, I love you.” He buried his face in her neck and whispered the words over and again.
Saoirse held him against her until his breathing slowed. He pulled back, brushed her hair from her face and pressed his lips to her forehead, eyes, cheeks. For the first time in months, Saoirse felt all her worries disappear. She lifted her hand and pressed it to his cheek.
“I should have told you everything that was happening.”
“I should have loved you as you deserve.” He pressed his lips to hers and she tasted salt on his tongue. “I will never leave you again.”
Chains rattled, drawing their attention towards the side of the ship. Merrows crawled up out of the sea. They launched themselves at the sailors and for a moment, she couldn’t tell who they were. Saoirse held her breath until she realized the women were hugging the men.
They twined their tails around them, holding them in place, and pressing kisses to their necks. As soon as the sailors realized what was happening, stunned laughter spread across the deck.
“Saoirse.” Manus’s voice echoed in her ears. “What is going on?”
“They don't want to kill you anymore. They want to keep you.”
One merrow she recognized. Webbed fingers spread wide over her daughter’s back. The merrow pulled herself up with one arm and dragged her body across the deck towards them.
Manus stiffened and placed a hand on the knife at his side.
“Don’t,” Saoirse warned and held out her arms for her daughter. “It is our child.”
“Ours?” The wonder in his voice made her look up in surprise. “Our child?”
“The leprechaun didn’t tell you?”
“No, he said you left because you were dying.”
“That is only part of the truth.” Her tail melted into thin mucus. Saoirse plucked the baby underneath her arms and tucked her against her chest. “This is our daughter. She was born in the water as both her mother and father were. Now, the choice is yours where she grows up.”
“Mine?” He stared at her numbly. “Why would
that choice be mine?”
“If you wish me to return with you, then she shall live on land. I will make my goodbyes to the sea, and we will search for some way for me to exist without you—”
He pressed his fingers to her lips.
“Say nothing more, wife. When I said I wanted you by my side, I meant in every possible way. I want to hear your laughter on the wind. I want to see your smiles every morning. I want to feel your skin against mine each night.” He leaned forward and kissed her as she had never been kissed before. “I want to love you until the day I die.”
Tears pricked her eyes. “And so you will.”
Epilogue
Sunlight played across the quiet waves and danced across Saoirse’s shoulders. She sat in a pool of warm water, sand heating her tail and waves cooling the sting. Fronds of kelp piled in heaps on her lap. She worked to weave them together, creating a strong rope that would last for a few weeks underwater.
“Máthair! Máthair!”
The bright voice calling out made her smile. There was never a day when the sound of her daughter’s voice didn’t make happiness bubble in her chest.
“Where have you been Orlaith?” she asked with a chuckle. “I thought you were lost in the heart of the isle!”
“There’s no such thing, Máthair.” The little girl plopped onto the sand. She held something in her grasp, but Saoirse was more concerned about the state of her daughter's hair.
“When did you last brush this?” She tried to run her fingers through the dark locks, but they tangled at her scalp.
“Pirates don’t brush their hair.”
“Then it’s a good thing you aren’t a pirate.”
“Athair doesn’t brush his hair!”
She would have to talk with Manus about that. Although she quite liked the dreadlocks on her husband, her daughter was another story. Saoirse wanted her hair to wave like sea fronds in the water. Not stick straight up like eels.
Orlaith sighed dramatically. “This isn’t why I came here.”
“Oh? Then why did you come running, my little clam?”