Saving Serena

by Beverley Scherberger

  I was thrilled and agreed with her timeline. “I usually meet with Kalani and Nathan every afternoon, but I could go out with you three times a week instead. Kalani and Nathan would know what we were doing but no one else would miss me since I’m always occupied at that time, anyway. What do you think? Would it work? Would anyone object?”

  We grinned at each other. Maia was enthusiastic. “Of course it’ll work! And I don’t know why anyone would object to you learning something that would ultimately benefit the sirene—no one needs to know you have an ulterior motive. Let’s start on Monday. That’ll give me three days to decide what you’ll need to know first, where to go for our sessions, and how best to teach you. We can meet at Kalani’s lab at 3:00 and can come and go through her private entrance.” She stayed a while longer and then we hugged at the door.

  I prepared for bed, climbed under the covers, and snuggled into my little nest, more relaxed than I’d been in a long while. I had a plan! Soon, I dozed off, free of the nightmares and anxiety that had plagued my sleep for the last few weeks.

  Suddenly, I jerked awake to a rough hand covering my mouth and nose with a foul-tasting rag. A muscular body pinned me down. The thick darkness effectively blinded me so I couldn’t see my attacker, but her strength and weight indicated a mermaid. In my terror, I howled into the rag and beat at her with useless fists. All too soon, my brain went fuzzy and my leaden arms fell limp at my sides. As my eyes rolled back in my head, my mind screamed, “Nathan! Help me!”

  Chapter 8

  SMALL, SHARP-EDGED ROCKS poked into my back, like bony fingers digging into my skin. I shifted, vaguely wondering why my bed had stones in it. My head throbbed and I tried to hold it still, hoping the pain would subside. My mouth felt fuzzy.

  As I tried to sit up, weak and disoriented, the terror of the attack rushed back. Gasping and trying to see into the darkness, I struggled to my feet, reeling with dizziness. Was she still there? My heart pounded, the only noise I could hear in the enveloping silence.

  When my straining ears heard nothing, I slowly sank back onto the sparse bunk, realizing I was no longer in my room. I listened intently, trying to discern where I might be and if someone else was nearby. I didn’t know which would be worse: to be totally alone in the darkness or to be blind in the darkness, not alone. I whimpered, the sound small and sad in the muffled blackness.

  Nothing moved. No one spoke. I curled up in a ball and tried my best to disappear.

  I HAD NO IDEA HOW LONG I lay there. Hours? Days? My muscles ached and yearned to stretch. Nothing stirred in the thick darkness. I slowly sat, then stood, the effects of the drug having worn off. Warily, I took a few small steps forward, reaching overhead and in front of me with outstretched arms, feeling each step cautiously with my feet. When I encountered nothing above, on the floor, or in front of me, I took a few more steps. The third time, my hand met vertical bars running from the floor as high up as I could reach. Using the bars to pull myself up, the water aiding my buoyancy, I found they securely met a metal ceiling. I then followed the bars from one side of the room to the other and visualized a metal box in the darkness.

  Fighting a bout of claustrophobia, I forced myself to sit and breathe, to think. Who would do this? Why would they do this?

  Valkar! She had threatened to show me how ruthless a mermaid could be. I doubted food would be provided; surely, I’d be left here alone to die.

  Rather than dwell on the worst that could happen, I explored the cell. It didn’t take long. It was empty save for the crude bunk composed of rocks and a thin layer of kelp. With no idea how far I was from the cavern, it was pointless to hope the next day’s hunting party might stumble upon my prison. I fought to remain calm and lay back on the uncomfortable bed, focusing my thoughts on Nathan, his smile, and those incredible green eyes. I allowed my mind to drift and recalled the hours we’d spent swimming together.

  Time crawled as I drifted in and out of sleep, trying to envision a happy ending to the situation. Hunger and stress took their toll. Darkness was total when the sun set, but during daylight hours the cell lightened to a murky, gun-metal grey. I realized I was imprisoned in a sunken ship when I saw a narrow hall extending past the bars, another cell directly opposite mine. The only light filtered in through the wreckage. How long the wreck had lain here, I had no idea. Surely years considering the barnacles and the amount of coral growing on nearly all surfaces.

  Fish swam leisurely up and down the hall and between the bars and I attempted to catch one. Although the thought of biting into a still-living, still-moving fish turned my empty stomach, it would be nourishment I desperately needed. However, I wasn’t quick enough and the potential meals mocked me as they swam freely in and out of my prison.

  Well after sunset on what I thought was the third night, I lay on the rocky bed and finally faced the fact that I would die here in this lonely cell. Recalling what I’d been told about humans being able to exist underwater as long as they were near mer-people, I began to wonder how long I could survive alone. Would I slowly starve to death? Or would I eventually drown now that I was no longer under the somewhat magical influence of the sirene?

  Fear and claustrophobia nearly drove me mad as I panicked, futilely pounding on the bars with bruised and aching fists, howling my fear and hopelessness into the darkness. Weakness overcame me and I staggered to the crude bunk. Knowing Nathan would be out of his mind with worry, I curled up into a ball, hugging my knees to my chest, and pictured his dear face. I needed something to clear my mind, to keep total despair at bay. I couldn’t just give up.

  Eventually, I composed myself and sat on the edge of the bed, slowing my racing heart and regulating my breathing. A plan—I needed a plan.

  Years ago, I had taken a meditation class and found it very helpful in reducing stress and focusing my thoughts. If ever I needed to relax and focus, it was now. Recalling every step in the process, I pictured Nathan in my mind, concentrating on his face, our love, our child. I closed my eyes. Taking long, slow, deep breaths, clearing my mind of anything but Nathan, I centered myself and held him and our love foremost in my thoughts. With no distractions, surrounded by darkness and total silence, I found myself going deeper than I ever had before. I sat like that until time became irrelevant, my thoughts and the force of my love directed at Nathan like a beam of light.

  My eyelids fluttered open and I saw my body sitting on the edge of the bed, deep in meditation. I looked around and realized I hovered near the ceiling, gazing down at myself. I’d never had an out-of-body experience but had read of others who described the phenomenon. I felt calm, peaceful even, the terror and despair of earlier totally absent.

  Not knowing how long I could remain in this state or what might happen if my body was disturbed while I was away, forced me to take action. I approached the bars and reached out to touch them, only slightly surprised when my hand passed through like they didn’t exist. I swam out of the cell, through the walls of the wreckage, and into open water.

  In my concentration, I had directed my thoughts at Nathan like a beam of light. Now, in the inky vastness of dark ocean water, I clearly saw a luminous shaft of glimmering light leading off to my left and disappearing into the distance. I swam toward it, stopping where it seemed to begin. I reached into the lightbeam and my hand sparkled and glowed. I smiled, comforted by the warm, soothing sensation.

  Suddenly, a movement caught my eye. I whirled to the right, my heart racing. Dolphins! There were at least ten of the beautiful, sleek creatures surrounding me.

  One stopped directly in front of me and looked deep into my eyes. I was mesmerized by her soothing, hypnotic gaze. Tingly tendrils nudged into my mind and I opened my thoughts and emotions, allowing her to enter. In my mind, I heard her say, “Hello, Serena, I’ve felt your desperation for some time now but couldn’t help until you allowed me in. Your spirit and mine have met. Grasp my fin and I will lead you home.”

  Excited clicks and sonar whistles came from all directions as
she turned and offered me her back. I grasped her dorsal fin with both hands and she swam slowly, directly into the lightbeam. Astonished, I saw dolphins arrayed on either side of us, the two in front clearly lit and shimmering in the glow of the beam’s luminescence. A feeling of being wrapped in love and warmth stole over me and I understood the beam was the manifestation of the love I felt for Nathan.

  We sailed effortlessly through the water and before long, I spied the entrance to the cavern. As the dolphins came to a stop, the female turned and looked me in the eye again. She nodded, bobbing her head toward the cavern opening. I heard her speak in my mind. “Hurry. We will wait for you here.” The other dolphins slowly circled the cave mouth.

  I floated in through the fissure, swam around the bend, and saw a flurry of activity, mermaids and mermen darting to and fro, concern apparent in their movements. I saw Maia and eagerly swam over to greet her, but she ignored me. I spoke again and then realized she couldn’t see or hear me. With a sinking heart, I wondered how I could summon help. And would Nathan be able to hear me?

  Heading to his quarters, I briefly wondered if the close proximity of the mer-people to my spirit would be sufficient to sustain me until my body could return to the sirene.

  As I passed a group of mermaids, I overheard Tinami discussing an organized search of the connecting cave system. I paused to listen. Nathan had notified Tinami and Saya of my absence, but at first they thought I might have been exploring the adjoining small caves and lost my bearings. When more time had passed, they came to believe I may have been injured and was unable to call for help. They had already thoroughly combed the main cavern and all cubicles. If nothing was found in the connecting system, another group of mermaids was planning to expand the quest outside in the morning.

  Their plan sounded plausible, but I knew the search would yield nothing. I darted away and found Nathan sitting on a pile of soft sand in the corner of his room, sobbing, hands clasped over his slightly swollen belly. He bowed his head and I saw his lips moving. I floated closer and made out his desperate plea.

  “Please, please, help me find her. She’s the most precious thing in my life and I can’t lose her. I’ll do anything if I can only have her back. Please...”

  I realized he was praying. Kneeling in front of him, emotional, I said, “Nathan, I’m here. I’m here.”

  His lips stopped moving and he cocked his head as though listening.

  I spoke again. “I’m here and I need your help.”

  He looked around the room, confusion and uncertainty on his face.

  “Nathan, concentrate on our love; hold it close in your mind. I’m here.”

  He closed his eyes and I could feel his breathing slow. I gently touched his hand and his eyes flew open.

  “Serena?”

  “Yes, Nathan, I’m here! You can’t see me because i’m... Oh, I can’t explain it. We have to go. Can you hear me?”

  “Yes, sort of—you’re a faint whisper in my mind. I don’t understand. Tell me what you need.”

  “We have to leave the cavern. Quickly.”

  Nathan darted to the doorway and headed toward the entrance. “Serena? Should we bring others?” He looked around, concentrating on my voice.

  “Yes, bring five strong mermaids. And tools of some sort—pry bars. We’ll need them.” I watched as he called to the others to gather round and sent the youngest to fetch Tinami.

  “Everyone! I need your attention. Serena needs our help. Five of the strongest mermaids, grab the sturdiest bone pry bars you can find and meet me at the cavern entrance right away. Hurry!”

  Tinami swam up to Nathan, listened to his explanation, and although his face registered puzzled disbelief, he nodded in agreement. They waited together as the mermaids scattered and reassembled at the cavern door, tools in hand. Nathan led the way outside where everyone stopped in shock at sight of the dolphins waiting just beyond the opening and the shimmering beam of light leading into the darkness.

  “Good luck,” Tinami said, “and be careful. Bring Serena back safely.”

  The female dolphin swam up, turned, and stopped so I could again grasp her dorsal fin. As we swam into the lightbeam, I heard Nathan say, “Serena! I can see you in the shimmering light! This is amazing!”

  We swam hard and fast back to the wreck. The sun would soon rise and I feared the lightbeam would disappear in the daylight.

  Just as darkness began to fade into grey, we arrived at the ship. My dolphin stopped to let me off and turned again to look me in the eye. I stroked her side and our minds met again.

  I smiled. Thank you. You saved my life.

  I could swear she smiled back as she bobbed her head and whistled to the pod. They darted away, quickly disappearing into the grey-blue water, and I heard her thoughts once more. “You’re welcome, Serena. You can call to me any time—use the power of your mind.”

  Although reluctant to return to that awful prison, I swam into the opening and down the hall with the others following. As before, I passed easily through the bars and approached my body sitting on the edge of the bed, just as I’d left it. From about six inches away, I felt a slight tug at the core of my being and merged with my physical self.

  I looked up, straining to see Nathan and the mermaids through the murky grey-blackness. Crowded in the hallway, studying the bars, the mermaids searched for the weakest point.

  Nathan reached through the bars to grab my hand. “Serena! I have no idea what’s going on but I’m so happy to see you! Now, back away from the doorway while we pry the bars loose. We’ll get you out of there.”

  And with five strong mermaids wielding the heavy bone pry bars, I was soon free and safely back in Nathan’s arms.

  Chapter 9

  NIGHT SURRENDERED EASILY to the light of day as we found our way back to the cavern. We entered the opening and paused at the overhead ledge. I saw the entire sirene clustered around the leaders, anxiously awaiting our return. Tinami had told everyone that Nathan had led the group to rescue me and they were all eager to hear about the dolphins and the extraordinary beam of light.

  Hands reached out to touch me as we swam toward Tinami and Saya. Voices called out. “Are you alright? What happened?” “What was that light? Where’d it come from?” “Did you talk to the dolphins?”

  Finally, we stopped in front of the leaders. Saya smiled, rose, and gave me a sincere hug. Tinami then took my hands in both of his and said warmly, “Welcome back, Serena. We’re all glad you’re safe.”

  I nodded and smiled broadly, thankful to be home.

  He continued. “I’m sure you have an amazing story to tell, but you need rest, food, and time to settle your nerves. The story can wait. Tonight there will be a special dinner in the common room so everyone can attend—you can regale us all with your remarkable tale then. Go, now.”

  Tinami ordered Nathan to check me over to be sure there were no lasting effects from the ordeal. The throng parted as we swam slowly out of the main cavern on our way to my room. I turned my head to speak to Nathan, saw a quick movement at the edge of the crowd, and instinctively stiffened as I recognized Valkar’s long black hair and shockingly violet tail. I gasped at the brazen hate on her face. Her narrowed eyes shot daggers at my heart right before she disappeared around a wall. I knew she had orchestrated my abduction and planned to let me die in that cell. With this scheme thwarted what would she do next?

  When we reached my cubicle, Nathan wrapped his arms around me and held me so tightly I could hardly breathe. “I’m so thankful you’re safe. I don’t know what I would’ve done...” His voice broke and my heart constricted.

  “Nathan, I’m fine. Please, let me breathe.”

  He loosened his hold, looked into my face, and smiled tenderly. He was so shaken by the incident, I couldn’t bring Valkar’s name up just yet—I was afraid of what he might do.

  “I’m exhausted and hungry. Can you please give me a quick once-over? Maybe by then the food will arrive.”

  “I�
�m sorry, Serena. I’ll get you a snack first; we’ll do the physical afterwards. Sit here.” I sat on the edge of the bed while Nathan swam off. He had only been gone a minute when a servant arrived with my meal. I ate with gusto and Nathan found me in a better humor when he returned. He set the snack aside in case I should want it later. We chatted as I cleaned my plate, thankful to have a full stomach again.

  After a brief physical, another hug, and a few loving kisses, Nathan tucked me into bed and promised to check on me later. I would be telling my story at dinner that night and I wanted to be refreshed before launching into the tale. Nathan and I needed to discuss what details I should share. We knew who was behind the abduction and why, but we needed to decide how much I should divulge to the others.

  About 2:00, Nathan returned and woke me from a sound sleep. I yawned, stretched, and smiled lovingly into his green eyes. “I’m so happy to be back. That sorry excuse for a bed was like lying on a board riddled with nails.” Hugging him close, I said, “We need to decide how much information I should include in tonight’s story. I don’t want to say something that will make the situation worse.

  “And I don’t think I should mention the mind-communication with the dolphin. I don’t want to be looked at as some kind of witch or animal whisperer. I need everyone’s support, not suspicion, and, frankly, I couldn’t explain how it happened, anyway.”

  He leaned back and sighed. “You’re right. Exclude that part. We can go over the rest of the story repeatedly until it all makes sense.”

  For the next two hours we honed the tale until it sounded plausible, leaving out any reference to our intimate relationship, Valkar’s involvement, and talking to the dolphin. It left a lot of questions unanswered, but I could claim to be as in the dark as everyone else. I just hoped Valkar wouldn’t make a scene.