Merlicious 2

by Diane Merlin, Alexis Ke, Cara North

  "I don't want to be a mermaid! I want to go home to my husband."

  "Ah, yes. Your handsome and brave sea captain. You married Captain John Harris of the tea clipper, The Misty Seas."

  "How do you know that?” Lorelei asked in surprise.

  The queen ignored Lorelei's question and went on talking. “He was quite a rogue in his younger days, full of muscle and brawn and not a bad lover."

  "You know my John?” Lorelei asked in disbelief.

  "I knew all the sea captains on the Barbary Coast. I had the biggest, most elegant house of ill repute in the Frisco area. I was queen of the madams. I know all about the people who come to my kingdom and their not so clean former lives.” She stopped long enough to take another drink. “You, my dear, are different."

  "I have done nothing wrong. I have been true to my husband."

  "John is a lucky man. Not many wives can stay true to their men during the long voyages they must make. How much did he pay for you in the marketplace?"

  "My husband did not buy me in the marketplace like a piece of fish. I have known him all my life, and our friendship grew into love.” Lorelei was quite indignant at the queen's remarks.

  The queen laughed and her body shook with merriment. She finally stopped and looked at Lorelei. “Marriage is nothing but a piece of paper binding one person to another. Not many people in our world believe in marriage anymore when so much is free for the taking."

  "John is not like that."

  "Is he not?” The queen waved her hand for Lorelei to be quiet. “Lars and Gemma are helping you to learn our way of life here under the sea."

  "They are good teachers, but I do not wish to stay here."

  "So, you think your sea captain is different from all the other men. He isn't, believe me. He's just like all seafaring rogues. When they hit port, they look for the first woman who will take them between their legs. They're away from home, and all thoughts of the little lady are just memories. The little lady only comes to mind when they are nearing their home port. The wives find other ways to entertain themselves.” A mean look came over the queen's face and scared Lorelei.

  Lorelei went on, feeling strong, “My John is not like that.” She cringed at the anger etched on the queen's face from her words.

  "Oh, to be so naïve.” Ophelia's anger dissipated as quickly as it appeared. Laughter laced her voice.

  Lorelei wanted to protest but knew enough to keep her mouth shut. Through conversations with the other mermaids and mermen she learned the queen couldn't be trusted, especially when she drank. She had already made an enemy of the queen by insisting she didn't want to stay here.

  "You have disobeyed my orders several times and have surfaced to look for your beloved husband."

  She thought she had kept that secret. Lars, Gemma and Zor occupied most of her time, but those nights when she couldn't sleep, she slipped away and watched the shoreline near her home. “At times, I hear him calling me. He is the only one I love."

  "Love is for humans, and you will soon be one of us. You shall finish the rest of your training sessions. We will see how well you do. If you stop being defiant and tend to your classes, you will make Zor a fine mate."

  Why did she keep insisting on the mating? “No! Please let me go home. I'll be no good to you if I have to stay here."

  "Don't beg. I can't stand a whining maid. We are meant to be as strong as the men of our generation. You have one week to finish your training. If you disobey me again, I will send you to The Valley of the Bones.” The queen laughed. Her whole body shook with laughter. Apparently, the queen thought her remark was very funny. She had a strange sense of humor.

  Lorelei heard a ripping sound. The queen's skirt had split open on one side and left a gaping view of her flabby flesh.

  "Cassandra! Get the tailors immediately!"

  "Yes, Your Majesty.” She hurried off in the direction of the entrance, returning a few minutes later with a long needle nose fish and an eel.

  Lorelei wondered what was going on. She thought these creatures couldn't be the tailors, but soon learned differently. She watched in astonishment as the needle nose fish poked holes in the ripped skirt. Then the eel with the twine moved quickly along the queen's side, making a cross stitch pattern to hold her skirt together. In doing so, the eel nipped the queen's thigh.

  "Behave yourself, Ely."

  The eel smiled and swam away with the other fish.

  "Lorelei, you may go. I warn you, not one word about this to anyone."

  "Yes, Your Majesty.” She bowed and turned toward the other end of the room. As she left, she heard John calling to her.

  "China Blue Eyes, come back to me. I love you. Please come back to me."

  "Oh, John, I love you too. Please help me. I don't like it here. I want to come home."

  Cassandra watched Lorelei closely. “Whom are you talking to?"

  "Myself. I often do it when I am upset. I know it is a bad habit, but one I've had since childhood.” It was one way of keeping Cassie from knowing her business.

  Lorelei was told the queen never went back on her word. It sent chills through her when she mentioned The Valley of the Bones earlier. Lorelei guessed that was where they sent the dead. She wasn't dead yet, or was she?

  Cassie interrupted her thoughts.

  "You are not making any points with the queen by insisting she permit you to go back to your man."

  "What business is it of yours?"

  "Like the queen, I know all that goes on in the realm.” She puffed up her chest with her words.

  "Come back to me, China Blue Eyes. I need you and love you so much. Please, come back to me.” John's voice again faded into nothing.

  "What is the matter?” A curious look crossed Cassie's face.

  "I just remembered something I forgot to do.” She wasn't going to tell Cassandra about hearing John calling her back. She would report it to the queen.

  When she left the yacht, the four card players were gone. She wasn't sure how she felt. All she knew was that she would have to fight harder to get home to her family. She had always faced up to reality, and now she must do everything possible to return to her loving family.

  Gemma anxiously awaited her. “How did it go?"

  "She is upset with me. I told her Zor and I are just friends and that I have no intention of staying here."

  "I know she must not be pleased with your attitude. If you love John then we will help you to get back to him. In the meantime, we are going to get some illegal air."

  "Air? Illegal?” Lorelei was puzzled.

  "Yes, illegal air. We have the same problems that Earthlanders have. Instead of opium, tobacco, alcohol and other drugs they use that intoxicate them, air affects us the same way. A little sniff soothes and relaxes me. Yes, I am ashamed to admit it. I am a sniffer. We are going to meet with some of the other sniffers."

  "So, why is it illegal?"

  "Our young merfolk cannot handle it. It is too toxic for them. Just a couple of sniffs can cause them to break out in air bubbles. It is somewhat painful. The only cure seems to be to dig a hole in the seabed and bury themselves in sand to get deoxidized. Come. Let's go before my friends sniff up all the good stuff."

  They swam a short distance to a fern grove. The ferns were bright and beautiful in several shades of green, some hovering near the ground while others were tall as trees. Among them, sea orchids and sub-lilies grew, giving off a tropical aura of warmth and happiness.

  Three women were gathered around a table. Each had a long reed in her mouth. Lorelei could see the reeds extended up into the surface. She noted that the reeds had been spliced and fitted in several sections in order to achieve the extended length needed to suck air from the surface. They sat down at the table, and Gemma introduced her to the ladies. They were middle-aged and older than Lorelei. Gemma grabbed a free reed and handed it to Lorelei. She pulled down another and smiled, winking at Lorelei as she stuck the reed into her mouth.

  "So, this is t
he new beauty. No wonder Ophelia is having Zor romance her. She will try to keep her if she can. Lorelei, you are absolutely stunning. I am Serena. This is Lucy and Elvira."

  "It is very nice to meet you all."

  The ladies welcomed her to their group.

  "I found this magazine showing all the latest styles they're wearing in Europe."

  Lucy passed the book around. The pictures were quite chic and revealed a lot more bosom than last year's styles. The gowns were low cut and did not leave much to a gentleman's imagination.

  "How could any woman wear such revealing clothes?” Lucy asked, trying not to look at the gowns that revealed more bosom than she thought necessary.

  Serena smiled and said, “Lucy dear, not all of us come from rural places. I myself like the gowns and think they are rather pretty. The dresses are something we would wear to parties in the city."

  Lorelei felt content within her own sense of style. She wore long pants and a plain top most of the time and this covered everything. Of course, at night she wore the pretty lacy gowns John brought her from far away places. Someday he would take her to London, and then she would wear clothes like those in the magazine.

  Lucy interrupted her thoughts by saying, “The queen is getting old, and soon Lars will be our Commander-in-Chief, and things will be better.” Lucy looked about the group, hoping she was saying the right thing.

  Serena leaned over the table and asked, “Have you heard the latest gossip? Several of the maids and men are fed up with her antics. She is trying to seduce all the young mermen."

  "Ladies,” Gemma scolded. “I do not want to listen to stories about Queen Ophelia's indiscretions. Come along, Lorelei, we have other things to do."

  Before they could leave, Elvira asked, “Have you taken her to meet Martha and George?"

  "We haven't had time,” Gemma explained.

  "Make sure you do. It is important for her to see them."

  As they said their goodbyes, Lorelei looked at Gemma in confusion. There were a lot of questions she wanted to ask, but it would have to wait until they were alone.

  "I am sorry to cut short the sniff, but it is best not to listen to that kind of gossip.” Gemma gave her an apologetic smile as they swam away. “Serena broadcasts all her thoughts when she is a bit tipsy. She has got to be more careful."

  "Is the queen's behavior that bad?"

  "The queen's been behaving that way for a long time. She doesn't like the idea of getting old. She wants to enjoy herself while she can."

  "I can understand that.” Lorelei stored that bit of information away. “Who are Martha and George?"

  "They are the oldest inhabitants of Seacrest. They are very intelligent and wise sea turtles. Martha can see the future, and George is our historian.

  "In other words, Martha is a fortune teller."

  "Yes, and she is very good at it."

  "When am I supposed to meet these turtles?"

  "Soon, we are on the way there now. I've already set up an appointment for you."

  "You have already made an appointment for me?” There were so many things to learn about this underwater colony.

  "Yes, they are always so busy. George keeps track of everything that happens here. Martha is a very smart and lovely woman. We all love her."

  It was some distance to Martha and George's place. They swam at a leisurely pace. Another surprise faced her when they arrived at the turtles’ home.

  Martha was standing on her hind legs. She was wearing a pretty bonnet with flowers on it and peered at Lorelei over rimless glasses like her own grandmother did before giving her approval that Lorelei was properly dressed.

  George wore glasses that rested on his nose. He looked at her in an odd way as his glasses slipped down.

  "Oh! Dear me! Has the queen seen her?"

  "Yes,” answered Gemma. “She has already met the queen."

  "Of course!” Martha said. “Darn! I knew that."

  "We have come to ask for a glugklig,” said Gemma.

  Lorelei did not know what a glugklig was.

  Martha stared at Lorelei for what seemed to be a long time. “Well, Lorelei has many convoluting factors. They are still in flux. Not clear. I shall need more time. You will have to come back tomorrow. I will give Lorelei a glugklig reading then."

  "Tomorrow will be fine. We plan to go treasure hunting with the men."

  As they swam away, Lorelei said. “You never mentioned anything about a treasure hunt."

  "I wanted to surprise you."

  "What is it all about?"

  "You will see,” Gemma teased.

  * * * *

  Lars and Zor were waiting for them when they arrived at the scene of a wreck. After a quick greeting, Lars explained, “This Chinese Junk sank in the last severe storm. It was too large for an ordinary junk and we think it carried a cargo of contraband goods."

  Lorelei was not quite sure what to expect.

  Lars took charge. “It's better if we search in pairs. Lorelei will go with me. Gemma will go with Zor."

  Lars and Gemma were the more experienced treasure hunters.

  Before they separated, Lorelei asked. “What are we looking for?"

  "Anything of value,” Zor replied. “Do you think you can help? If not, Gemma and I can come back tomorrow."

  "I will be fine.” Lorelei told them. She was scared because she realized what could happen if the ship moved and settled deeper in the sandy bottom but wanted to help her friends.

  She followed Lars over tattered sails and fallen masts, down to a door into the cabin of the ship. She made sure she stayed close to him. He knew his way around. She could not escape seeing the dead bodies. A man and woman were embraced in each other's arms. Her heart ached as she remembered how often she and John had embraced that way. She forced her thoughts to the mission at hand.

  Lars searched the small room they entered. First, he tapped the bulkheads for any sound that might indicate it was hollow. He tilted his head and said, “The walls are okay. You take that bunk, and I will check out this one."

  "What are we looking for?” she asked, still a little puzzled. The room was not big enough for more than two people. What could possibly be here?

  "Anything that looks valuable,” he said. Lars turned to the bunk in front of him and started searching.

  There was only a blanket covering a thin mat of straw on the bunk bed. She lifted it up and found a pouch tied with a thin piece of rope. The knots were so tight from the salt water it was hard to untie them.

  Lars watched her with interest. “Give it to me."

  She gave him the pouch and watched him fight with the rope until it fell loose. He pulled the bag open and out tumbled the most beautiful colored stones. He held one up to the dim light.

  "What are they?” she asked curiously.

  "The red ones are rubies, the green ones are emeralds, and this is jade. Lucky us, we will be able to keep them. If they were diamonds the queen would claim them."

  "Oh, my gosh! Are they real?"

  "They're real. These will sustain us for the next few years.” Lars answered. “We must leave now. The water is getting colder, and night is coming."

  When they met the other two on deck, Gemma and Zor were rather glum. They hadn't found anything of value in their search.

  "We found nothing of importance. Just some boxes of tea and some food. I will send some of the young mermen for them. We also found five bales of opium,” Zor said.

  "Lorelei found something.” Lars showed them the bag. With a grin, he spilled the contents into his hand.

  "Oh, they're beautiful.” Gemma held out her hands to see the stones.

  Lars dropped the gems back in the bag and handed it to Lorelei. “Since it's her find, I think she should carry them."

  Gemma nodded. “You did a great job."

  Lorelei smiled as she took the bag. It felt good to be a benefit to the group.

  "You ladies go on ahead. We will meet you at the arena. Zor and I hav
e a job to do,” said Lars.

  "Be careful.” Gemma told Lars. She gave him a peck on the cheek.

  "We will.” He held her tightly for a few moments. “Be off with you,” Lars commanded. He swatted at her to get her moving.

  "Come along, Lorelei. We must go home and change. We don't want to be late for the circus and swim tonight."

  Gemma and Lorelei swam away, leaving the men to do their job.

  "I have never seen jewels that sparkle so bright, except the diamonds the queen has.” Lorelei hefted the bag.

  "I am not greedy, but it is nice to find some jewels other than diamonds,” Gemma purred.

  "I can imagine. I have never seen so many sparkling jewels in my life."

  Gemma's home was in the wreck of an old British tea clipper that went down one stormy night many years before. Its sturdy hull lay upright on the sea bed, intact except for the gash along the bottom from bouncing off one of the Dragon's Teeth, as these uncharted reefs were known. “The crew of the tea clipper Sea Eagle could not stem the flow of rushing water. The crew abandoned ship as the flooded clipper sank,” she informed Lorelei.

  Lorelei followed Gemma as they swam around debris and entered a luxurious room that may have been the captain's cabin.

  "Make yourself comfortable,” Gemma told her as she rang a bell. A young mermaid arrived with refreshments and food on a beautiful silver tray.

  "We could live in one of the fancy crafts that line the bottom of the sea. However, Lars and I feel at home here. We find it much more peaceful and do most of the work ourselves. We do have a maid and a chef. My cooking was never anything to brag about."

  "You are very fortunate.” Lorelei said. “We also had a housekeeper. I imagine I was quite a handful because I was the only child."

  "We were all that way at one time.” Gemma looked at Lorelei, became serious and asked, “How are you and Zor getting along?"

  "He's very attentive and kind, but I'm in a quandary. I want to go home, and yet the life here is so wonderful and full of marvels. The choice to stay here or go back to my life with my John is becoming a hard decision to make.

  "It is one only you can make."