Nathan left around 4:00. With dinner scheduled for 6 p.m., I had time to relax and review the story again. Finally, I swam to the common room and found it as crowded as I’d ever seen it. The merkids were relegated to another room, several teenagers supervising their meal and after-dinner play. This banquet was for adults only.
The elegant and sumptuous buffet table tempted everyone to eat more than they should. I recognized lobster, shrimp, sea bass, clams, and oysters; salads made of various types of undersea greens; numerous vegetables; and delectable desserts. Dinner tables wore lacy, sea fan tablecloths of pale blue and purple. Lustrous mother-of-pearl plates adorned each place setting. I had never seen such a beautiful dining room.
The mermaids had taken special care with their appearance, too, pinning hair up with shimmering shell clips and pins. Stray tendrils floated around faces carefully made up with waterproof eye shadow and lipstick; pearls of various shapes and sizes glistened at necks and wrists and dangled from earlobes like tiny opalescent bubbles. Even the mermen seemed dressed up although no suits, ties, or tuxedos made an appearance. It must have been the air of elegance and sophistication that brought out everyone’s decorum. I felt extremely underdressed in my hot pink Lycra wetskin and fins.
The wait staff mingled, handing out a seemingly unending supply of hors d’oeuvres and a gnarly, sort-of-round, plump worm that everyone was consuming with gusto. I saw a few wriggle slightly as a waiter passed and wondered what it might be.
I waited at the doorway, loath to mix with this elegant crowd, until Maia spotted me.
“Serena! Come in, come in and join everyone! We’re all dying to hear what happened. You are okay, aren’t you? Whoever did this didn’t hurt you?”
Shaking my head, I said, “I’m just feeling a bit underdressed and overwhelmed. I’ve never seen so many beautiful people in one place. And look at you! You’re gorgeous!”
Maia beamed at the compliment just as Nathan appeared at my side. “Dinner’s ready. We need to take our seats.”
As we floated toward the dinner tables, he leaned into me and whispered, “I haven’t seen Valkar anywhere. Hopefully, she won’t show.”
I flashed him a grateful smile while looking for my place card. Thankfully, Nathan and I were seated together—I didn’t want to go through this ordeal without him nearby. Tinami sat at the head of the long table with Saya to his right, a royal couple, all glitz and glamour.
Once everyone was seated, Tinami made a toast. “Tonight we are thankful that Serena has been found. She is safe and back with us again. We’re all anxious to hear her tale, but it will wait until after dinner. Enjoy your meal.”
Everyone raised one of those gnarly-looking worms, popped it into his mouth, then rose and floated single file to the buffet table.
I turned to Nathan with a puzzled frown and whispered, “What are those awful-looking worms everyone is eating?”
He chuckled. “They’re whiskey-worms. Eaten raw, they contain a high alcohol content. If everyone consumes enough, they won’t even remember your story tomorrow.”
Just then, Kalani swam up and gave me a heartfelt hug. “I was so worried about you, my dear. And I’m glad you’re back, safe and sound.” She smiled, her eyes nearly disappearing in the crinkles, and leaned in close to whisper, “Do you know who was behind this?”
I smiled back and gave her another hug, my lips near her ear. “We’ll have to talk later.” Unfortunately, Kalani’s seat was too far away to converse during dinner and I didn’t want anyone to overhear.
The meal was outstanding, but I declined to try the whiskey-worms. No one else seemed to have any self-imposed limits, though, and I thought I could probably weave a fantastic story about a magical whale and they would enjoy it without question.
As the wait staff cleared the dessert plates from the table, Tinami’s personal aide hummed forcefully into the end of a large conch shell to gain everyone’s attention. The ensuing sound reverberated loudly, amplified in the water, and drowned out the babble of voices. Gradually, the room fell silent.
Tinami rose and gestured in my direction. “I’m sure you are anxious to hear Serena’s story. Please remain quiet until she’s finished. If she’s up to answering questions, she can do so then.”
When Tinami took his seat all eyes turned to me. With a knot in my stomach, I stood and smiled, hoping to look and sound convincing. “First, I’d like to thank everyone for your concern and help in rescuing me. I still have a lot of questions myself, but will relate what happened as best I can.
“Three nights ago, as I slept, a mermaid attacked and abducted me. Although I couldn’t see her in the darkness, I know it was a mermaid by her size and strength. She held a foul-tasting rag over my nose and mouth and I passed out. When I regained consciousness, I found myself locked in a cell in a downed ship. I had no idea where I was, who had taken me, why they had done such a thing, or when or if they would come back. For all I knew, I would die there.”
I looked around the room, at the faces of people I had come to care for and felt guilty about the lie. But my life depended upon convincing everyone I didn’t know who was behind the abduction or why they had done it.
My voice shook slightly as I resumed the tale. “I was terrified and knew the morning hunting party wouldn’t accidentally find me. After three days, I knew I wasn’t going to be released and to keep from succumbing to claustrophobia I sat on the edge of the makeshift bed and attempted to meditate. I had taken a class several years ago and concentrated on everything I could remember. The total silence and extreme darkness helped me focus and before long, I found myself having an out-of-body experience.”
Many people turned to look at their neighbors and murmured in disbelief. Someone called out, “What happened then?”
Silence resumed as everyone awaited my answer. I twisted the corner of the sea fan tablecloth in trembling hands and glanced at Nathan for reassurance. His calm air and slight nod encouraged me to continue.
“I floated up near the ceiling, looking down at myself on the edge of the bed. I had heard about this type of thing so I thought I should be able to pass through the bars. I was right—I swam through them as though they weren’t even there.”
The murmur in the room began again, growing louder as more people realized what I had said. The whiskey-worms’ influence became apparent when voices grew even shriller. Tinami’s aide once again gained everyone’s attention with the conch shell. When all was quiet, Tinami nodded.
“I swam outside and saw the beam of light. As I tried to figure out what it might be or what I should do next, a pod of dolphins appeared. One swam up to me and seemed to be urging me to come with her. I held onto her dorsal fin and she brought me back here to the cavern.”
Before the new murmur could get very loud, I spoke over it and recaptured their attention. “I know this sounds preposterous, but that’s what happened. I don’t understand it any more than you do, but I’m just glad the dolphins were there.” This time when I paused, everyone waited in silence.
“I swam directly to Dr. Nathan’s room because he and I are friends and I knew he would help me, no matter how odd or implausible the story sounded. He gathered five of the strongest mermaids, asked them to bring bone pry bars, and the dolphins guided us back to the cell. My body was still sitting on the edge of the bed and I re-entered it. The mermaids found the weakest bar and pried it away from the wall and we came home.”
This time, the murmur quickly swelled to a roar as questions were shouted. “Who did this?” “Who would want to hurt you?” “Can you talk to the dolphins? Did you call them to help you?” Some of the voices sounded scared, some belligerent.
Frightened, I looked at Nathan.
He glanced around at the increasingly hostile crowd. “We should leave.” He motioned to Tinami and his aide darted to my side with instructions to lead me back to my room. Several other aides accompanied us to our cubicles to be sure no one followed and we could hear the commotion escalati
ng as we hurried away.
Nathan and I sat and talked a while before he left and I finally broached the subject that was foremost in my mind. “Nathan, do you think they believed me? There were some questions we hadn’t thought to address.”
He pulled me close for a reassuring hug. “Relax, Serena. I was watching the faces as you talked and I think most believed you. Besides, everyone except us had too much alcohol and probably won’t remember the details tomorrow, anyway.” He kissed me goodnight.
Before leaving, though, he said, “I’m going to ask Tinami to post a guard outside your room until we can figure out what to do. I’m not taking a chance that someone can harm you.”
I started to protest, then thought better of it. With love in his voice, Nathan said, “Please don’t argue with me, Serena. I can’t lose you.”
I nodded and, still exhausted from my ordeal, barely heard him leave my cubicle. Sleep claimed me almost immediately, and, in spite of my recent fears and unusual experiences, no dreams or restlessness plagued me for the next eight hours. I awoke refreshed, feeling more positive about the future than I had for several weeks.
Nathan and I resumed our morning swims and afternoon seminars, dropping back into our usual routines. Kalani had suspected we hadn’t told the whole story at dinner and we later filled her in on our suspicions about Valkar.
She agreed with our theory. “I think Valkar is certainly capable of such ruthlessness, especially if she believes you stand in the way of her getting what she wants. Please be careful, Serena. And let me know if I can help in any way.”
And with so much attention focused in my direction, Maia and I agreed to wait a while before beginning our afternoon hunting and foraging sessions.
Life returned to normal and eventually Tinami decided the guard was unnecessary.
Feeling vulnerable, I couldn’t relax completely. Knowing Valkar had masterminded my abduction, intending for me to die in that cell, kept the knots in my stomach from loosening their hold. On the surface, I seemed to be enjoying life and my friends; inside, I was a roiling mass of nerves. I knew Valkar would strike again, I just didn’t know when or how. That uncertainty kept me in a constant state of vigilance.
One night, about two weeks later, I readied for bed, climbed under the covers, and tried to relax. Knowing no one guarded the entrance to my room, I tossed restlessly, sleeping in short stretches.
Suddenly, I awoke to a slight noise in the darkness and felt a ripple in the water. After the abduction, unexpected movement in the darkness could only be a threat, so I instinctively rolled away and flattened myself against the wall. I felt another, stronger ripple and a silken strand of cobwebs slipped across my face. Certain there was another presence in the room, I remained completely still. When I heard and felt nothing more for what seemed like hours, I gingerly climbed off the foot of the bed and shook a small box on the side table. It contained glow worms that emitted a greenish light when annoyed, giving off enough radiance that I could faintly see the room.
To my horror, a branch of coral protruded from the center of the bed, right where my heart would have been had I not rolled away. As I stared in disbelief, a long black strand floated up in the water and caught on the coral.
I gasped and recoiled, taking two quick steps back to the wall as though the hair was a poisonous snake set to strike. Propped against the rough stone wall, my body began to tremble, quaking as though the earth itself heaved beneath my feet. My breath came fast and shallow, my legs gave out, and I staggered to the foot of the bed. In shock, I sat staring at that long black hair, unable to think or act.
Finally, a sob escaped my throat and the small sound brought me back to life. I couldn’t sit there and do nothing when my entire existence was being threatened. How would I be able to defend my husband and my child if a mere hair could shake me to the core? Determination and a steely resolve I didn’t know I possessed rose to the surface. I would not let Valkar do this to me!
I arranged a pile of sand under the covers to resemble the shape of a sleeping body, allowed the worms to relax and stop glowing, and spent the rest of the night sitting in a corner, holding the piece of coral like a weapon. I would be prepared if Valkar returned—surprise and fortitude on my side.
Nothing more transpired for the next few hours and in the morning when I told Nathan about the attack, he had a visceral reaction to the threat on my life. “Valkar must be stopped! She can’t physically attack you and get away with it.”
He darted to my side and took me in his arms, hugging me tightly. “I can’t lose you. I can’t. What would I do...” Once again he choked. Without words, he buried his face in my hair.
I murmured softly. “Nathan, I’m alright. Please, look at me.”
He raised his eyes to mine and I fell in love with those emerald orbs all over again. The intensity of his love held my gaze for a long moment and then he broke away, swimming rapidly toward the door. He growled, “I’m going to find Valkar.”
“No! Nathan!” He stopped at the fear and underlying determination in my voice. “We can’t confront her and make a scene. We need a plan. Please. Besides, the mermaids are out hunting and won’t be back for hours.”
He let out a deep breath and I could see him relax. “You’re right. We do need a plan.” He swam over and took me in his arms again, much more gently, and held me close. I felt the warmth of his cheek as he whispered in my ear. “What would I do without you?”
I melted against his warmth and held him tenderly, basking in his love. “And what would I do without you?”
After a long moment, we separated and began hashing over the situation again, the latest incident fueling our thoughts. No longer could we wait and see what Tinami and Saya might decide. We had to do something, before Valkar acted again.
After much debate, we decided to go to Tinami and Saya and tell them the truth, throwing ourselves on their mercy. We couldn’t remain in the cavern, not with Valkar there, and could only hope the benevolent rulers would allow us to leave and give us enough time to prepare adequately for our departure.
Normally, anyone with an issue to discuss with the leaders would meet in the common room after lunch. Each problem would be dealt with on an individual basis and the rulers would take whatever time was needed to deal with it fairly. This day, no one else appeared. Nathan and I were shown in almost immediately.
We bowed our heads in respect and waited until Tinami spoke.
“Good afternoon, Nathan, Serena. What issue do you need to discuss today?”
Nathan began the story with the day we bumped into each other outside the common room and left little out up to the present, except for our physical relationship and the fact that he was pregnant. He also elaborated on our suspicions that Valkar was behind my abduction, apologizing for previously withholding this information.
The rulers listened without interrupting until Nathan explained about the previous night’s attack. Tinami and Saya both leaned forward in their seats and directed the next question to me.
“What did you do to provoke such a serious attack?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. Valkar came to my room one day about a month ago and threatened me with physical harm if I didn’t distance myself from Nathan. She said he belongs to her. Since then we’ve had no further interaction.”
To my utter disbelief, Saya agreed with Valkar. “Nathan does belong to her. You have no claim to him and she has every right to protect her promised mate from an outsider, although the abduction and the physical attack are a bit drastic. If we were dealing with anyone but the sirene doctor, you would both have been banished months ago.
“We were hoping you’d come to your senses, Nathan, and honor your commitment to the sirene and your dead wife’s sister. You know our law decrees you will marry Valkar.”
Keeping his voice low and non-confrontational, Nathan replied, “Yes, Saya, our law is very clear. But you know Valkar is unstable and this latest attack proves it. When I came to the sirene
as a young merkid, you took me in and raised me as your own. I have tried to be a good son; I’ve repaid you by becoming a doctor and helping our people. I’ve never expected preferential treatment but now I am asking for lenience and compassion.”
He took one step toward Tinami and Saya and knelt on one knee. His voice wavered. “I love Serena the way you two love each other. I have seen first-hand the deep feelings you share and I’ve found that with her. I beg of you, please allow Serena and me to leave the sirene together.”
He glanced at me and then back to the rulers. His voice remained low but became hard as he spoke of Valkar. “If you forbid me to leave and send Serena away, I will not marry Valkar. Our law is also very clear on this—you must put me to death for refusing to obey. Either way, I cannot stay.”
I gasped at this revelation. I didn’t know Nathan would be put to death for refusing to marry Valkar.
Tinami sighed as Nathan played his last and final card. “I know you must have a sirene doctor, but Kalani does an excellent job of caring for the health of our people. For the past several months, we’ve been studying together, sharing information for the betterment of our group. Kalani now knows many of the new methods of treatment to add to her old, traditional ways. She should be very effective.”
When Nathan stopped speaking and lowered his head, Saya asked, “Do you have anything else to add? Serena?”
We shook our heads and were shown to the common room while Tinami and Saya pondered the situation and discussed it between them. Our futures, the future of our unborn child, and our very lives depended on their decision. And from what I’d heard so far, I wasn’t optimistic. I truly thought I would be sent away to die alone...to lose the only man who had ever claimed my heart. And in the process, Nathan and our unborn child would also die.
As soon as the door closed behind us, leaving us alone in the common room, I whirled on Nathan. “Why didn’t you tell me you’d be put to death for refusing to marry Valkar? If I’m sent away alone, you and our child will die, too, unless you marry her!”
Saving Serena Page 6