by Chanda Hahn
He rubbed his chest and gave me a slight smile. “Well, thank you for healing….” He trailed off as he looked out along the shore.
I followed his gaze, and we both froze. Dozens of shark were marooned on the beach, fighting against the sandbanks. Hammerhead, tiger shark, and even the gentle nurse shark, species that wouldn’t normally swim in a pod together were scattered across the beach.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before in my life.” Vasili painfully pushed himself to his knee and struggled to his feet. He rushed out to the water and began to grab the nurse shark by its tail and worked on dragging it back into the deep. Once there, the nurse shark swam in a circle and then, with an impressive leap, marooned itself on the beach again.
Together, we worked at pulling the smaller species back into the water, but we couldn’t handle the sheer numbers that were recklessly beaching themselves.
“No!” Vasili cried out in despair as the beautiful creatures suffocated.
I felt a tear fall down my cheek, and I understood what the sea had done. I had unsettled the balance. Vasili was one with the sea. He died, and I stole his soul back, so others had to take his place. It was the life cycle of the sea. And even though he wasn’t their ruler, they were sacrificing themselves to fix what I had done.
I knew it, and so did Vasili.
“No, brothers.” Vasili collapsed, his arms wrapped around the nurse shark as it gasped for breath. “Please, don’t do this. I’m not worth it.” He sobbed loudly.
I placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and looked out at the sea, trying to figure out what to do.
“Do something!” he yelled, turning to point a finger at me. “Save them, you must. You have the power to do something.”
“There is a balance that has to be restored.”
“And you messed with it,” he accused, his eyes glassy with tears. “You should have let me die. I’m a failure. I’m not good for anything, and it was a good death. A noble death, and you stole it from me.”
I heard his pain, and I understood. Felt it within my own soul. The longing to atone for his failure years ago.
“I was selfish,” I said out loud. “I am selfish. And I’m not ready to let you die.” I ran my left hand up my arm, tracing the mark that was now near my shoulder. I had only a hand span left before the mermaids stole my life. “But I’m not ready to let them die either.”
I walked into the ocean, let the cold water swirl around my fingers, and I sang, forcing the waves to do my bidding. To sweep in and carry the sharks back out to sea. With every incoming wave, they tried to beach themselves, but I refused to let them. Like a conductor, I used my voice and hands to control the waves, moving them and driving them back into the ocean. It was a battle of wills, mine versus the sea. I sang until my throat was raw, my body shivering in the cold, and demanded that the ocean hear my will and obey. I stumbled in the water as the sea tried to knock me from my feet, time and time again.
Each time, I struggled to stay upright to continue my spell.
Warm hands clasped my waist and held me still as I sang. I felt a renewed strength as he joined his will into mine. My body grew warm, and I felt the power like the sun and sky push through my body, giving me strength. The arms wrapped around my waist, and I leaned into him as I faced the sea.
My protector at my back.
Finally, I felt the ocean give in. Like a petulant child, she sent a last wave of destruction toward me, and I pushed it back playfully. The sharks turned back to the deep ocean; their gray bodies shimmered as they disappeared.
I had won, but at what cost?
I shook with cold. I had stayed in the ocean until night had fallen, exhaustion took hold, and my knees buckled.
Sturdy arms swept under my knees, around my shoulders, and lifted me out of the chilled water. My head fell against his shoulder, and we turned toward the beach, where I saw Vasili on his knees, watching me in awe.
I looked up at Brennon and wanted to weep with joy that he was okay. I focused on his strong, clenched jaw with the faintest bruise forming along his cheek. A slight cut marred his perfect brow. Signs that he tangled with the Brunes Guild and won. He must have jumped over the cliff shortly after we did.
I enjoyed the possessive way he held me in his arms as he waded through the still waters. Deep down, during the turmoil, I knew it was Brennon. He was like the other half of my soul. I recognized it, and so did he.
I didn’t understand until now. The power of the royal line of Isla. Brennon’s power was untrained, and not an offensive magic but an inherited one. His was one of strength, determination, like his personality.
I understood the connection between the royals and how their magic fused with the kingdoms above and below. The male royal line of Isla was their own ley lines of power, and when I needed it, when I could give no more without sacrificing myself, he fed me his power. Brennon became my ley line. He was my strength.
And for the moment, cradled in his arms, I knew I was safe. I buried my face deeper into his shirt, breathed in the scent of his magic. It smelled like earth and a sky after a thunderstorm. He leaned down and kissed my brow, and I let the exhaustion take hold.
Chapter Twenty-Three
I awoke in unfamiliar surroundings. I wore a clean white wrap dress, and pillows were tucked carefully around me. Brennon slept uncomfortably in a chair pulled next to my bedside. His hard face looked at peace, and I wanted to reach out and brush a stray lock of hair out of his eyes, but I was afraid I’d wake him.
I studied the contents of the room. Furniture inlaid with gold and a white table in the center of the room piled high with books, and the wall fountain had trident painted tiles of blue and gold. The room suited Brennon.
I glanced back to Brennon, and he was awake. He leaned forward, reached out, and threaded his fingers through mine. Our palms touched, and I could feel the electricity of our attraction run through me.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said breathlessly.
“Meri, we need to talk.” His eyes fell on the mark on my shoulder, and he ran a finger along it. “What is this? I watched as it glowed and spread when you used your magic.”
I pulled my hand out of his and lowered my head. “It’s nothing that concerns you.”
“If it deals with you, it concerns me.” His jaw clenched. “And I don’t believe you are engaged to Vasili one bit.”
“It doesn’t change what needs to happen.” My heart ached, as I had to ask the questions that needed answering. “Who is she?”
His brows furrowed. “Who?”
“Your fiancée”
“I don’t want to talk about this now.” He reached for my hand again, and I pulled back.
“We will. For this is everything,” I said firmly. “For I understand what you are now and how important your match is for the success of the two kingdoms.”
He looked away. “When the treasure of the Undersea was stolen, so was their future. It was a vessel of great magic that would sustain the Undersea like a ley line for hundreds of years. Queen Darya is fading, unable to sustain them much longer. So hopefully, my marriage to one of their own will be enough. My magic and bloodline can strengthen my future wife, and she can ascend the throne. For only a female can rule the sea. I can’t. Vasili can’t.”
“And it is that union that brings new life to your kingdoms,” I stated.
He nodded.
For once in my life, I desperately wished I wasn’t a human born on land. I wanted to be of the Undersea. Even if it meant having pointed canines, or dark-green hair, or a sliver of scales along my body.
To save Vasili’s home, they needed Brennon’s marriage to work. I gently traced my mark on my chest. I had to not get in the way. No matter the cost. It was a sacrifice I was willing to make, even if he wasn’t.
“Can you do me a favor?” I asked, hating myself.
He looked hopeful. “Anything.”
“Can you book me passage on
the first ship out?”
He looked aghast. “No,” he said firmly.
“I would like to leave.”
His hand balled into a fist. “I won’t let you.”
“You can’t make me stay here. I’m not your prisoner.” I pushed the blanket back and stood, raising up on my tiptoes to seem taller, my arms crossing across my breasts.
“The contract—” he started.
“To the stars with your contract. I would like to leave—now.”
“Meri, you will not—”
A knock on the door interrupted us.
Brennon roared, “Enter.”
A servant I didn’t recognize poked his head in. “Your Highness, she has arrived.”
Brennon’s forehead creased. “Who?”
“Your fiancée. She’s at the docks waiting to be escorted to the palace.”
“I’m not going.”
“Your father has demanded it, sire.” The servant looked like he wanted to curl up and die. The door he was holding onto was shaking.
“Fine,” Brennon snapped.
The door closed, and he spun, wagging a finger at me. “You will stay right here.”
“I will not.” I took a step closer and grasped his hands between mine. “We can’t be together… ever. You may be selfish enough to sacrifice a kingdom, but I am not.”
I had never seen a more defeated look in his eyes. He brought our hands up to his face, and he laid the gentlest kiss upon my knuckles.
“I would give you my everything if you stayed,” he breathed out.
“I’m selfish,” I whispered. “It wouldn’t be enough—” I looked at him from head to toe and knew my soul cried out for him. “—when I couldn’t have the one thing I want. You.” My eyes burned with unshed tears. His own looked glassy.
He nodded and cleared his throat. “I will look into finding a ship to take you wherever you want.”
“Today.”
His nostrils flared. “Tomorrow.” He gave my hands a last squeeze and headed to the door.
I collapsed upon his bed and silently wept until I didn’t have any tears left to cry.
Soft laughter came from the water fountain built into the wall. Fresh flowing water poured out of a vase a woman was holding and fell into the round tile basin. From within the fountain, I saw small beings swimming and diving beneath the water.
Slipping off the bed, I moved and kneeled by the fountain to get a closer look as undines played in the water, blue-skinned with webbed fingers and a soft spine on the back of their head with tails like mermaids. Their eyes like black marbles stared back at me as they chased each other below the water. Slipping above the surface, one placed their elbows on the side of the fountain and looked at me.
Their small doll-like features mesmerized me. The one on the edge of the fountain reached out a webbed hand and touched my cheek. I held still as the undine rubbed my skin and giggled. Then a second appeared, and a third.
I heard the bedroom door open but kept my focus on the magical undines before me. A loud bark came at my elbow, and the undines squealed and dove underwater. Lad shuffled across the marble floor in excitement and dove into the fountain, rolling over and forcing the undines to flee or get flattened.
“Lad!” I chastised as the seal gave me a lazy wink and waited expectantly. Seconds later, the undines played with the seal, running up his side and tickling him. I heard his joyful bark and soon realized they were great friends.
“I don’t believe it.” Lucy came into the room with a tray of food. It seemed she was never far behind Lad. “The undines have returned.”
“They were gone?”
“We haven’t seen an undine on Isla in ten years. We thought they were gone for good. Oh, I bet it’s because she’s here. This is fantastic news. It’s just what our kingdoms needed.” She sniffed, holding back tears. “Oh, by the way. You slept most of the day. I changed you. Your clothes were ruined.” Lucy placed the tray of food on the edge of the table and moved the books so there was room for me to eat.
“Thanks, but why wasn’t I taken to my room?”
Lucy put a stack of books on the floor and dusted her hands off. “You must ask Prince Brennon that. But he wouldn’t leave your side, except for when I made him so I could help you change.”
I blushed.
She shifted tray of food and looked up at me. “The entire palace is preparing for the future princess. There will be music, food, and dancing. I’ve laid out clothes for you already.” She had been prattling about so happily that she only just realized what the arrival of Brennon’s fiancée would mean to me.
My head dropped to my chest.
“I’m so sorry,” Lucy gasped. “I mean no disrespect. It’s obvious that the prince cares for you deeply. But we need this arranged marriage. It’s the only thing that can bring life back to our kingdoms. I mean, seeing the undines proves it. Her arrival is just the beginning. Soon, maybe even Lad can change back.”
“Lad?” I turned to look at the seal, and he bobbed his head at me and barked.
“He’s a selkie. I mean, we both are. He’s my brother.” She ran her hands through her silvery hair. “He’s been trapped in his seal form for years.”
“A selkie,” I breathed out. “I would have never guessed. But you don’t….” I pointed to Lad in his seal form.
Lucy’s smile fell from her face. Her eyes filled with sadness. “No, my fur was stolen from me a year ago. Without it, I can never return to the sea. But Lad’s is different. Many of our kind can no longer become human. It’s like we’re forgetting our true form, or our magic has abandoned us.” Her chin lifted, and her eyes brightened. “But I fully believe the prince’s marriage to the daughter of the sea will fix all of that. We need to unite the Overkingdom and Undersea, and all will be well.”
“You should speak with Prince Brennon. We just apprehended a black market selkie fur dealer and his furs. Who knows, maybe one of them is yours?”
“Really? I hope you’re right. This is exciting news, I must go and find out,” she gushed.
She left me alone with Lad, and I moved to the table and pulled out a chair. Sitting at the table with a whole tray of food before me would have normally lifted my mood. But a bad taste filled my mouth, and I knew it was the bitter taste of jealousy—that Brennon’s fiancée was finally here and I had to face the cold, hard truth of my future and what little of it there was left.
It was extremely disheartening. Lad struggled and flopped out of the fountain and waddled his way over to me, leaving a trail of water. He pushed his head into my lap, his bushy white whiskers tickling my leg, and gave me the saddest eyes ever before turning his attention to my tray of uneaten food.
“You know, you’re not as cute, now that I know you’re human.” I picked up what looked like a pastry filled with meat and fed it to Lad.
He was gentle as he took it from my hand and brought it to the floor, where he scarfed it down. He gave me a pleading look again.
“And forget about sharing my bed again.” Lad stuck his tongue out at me, and I laughed. “Okay, well maybe the foot of my bed, since it really doesn’t matter. I won’t be here much longer.”
He cocked his head and sneezed and then looked at me with a question.
“Don’t worry, Laddy.” I leaned down and scratched him under his chin. “I will be sure to never forget about the first selkie I met.”
I fed him the rest of the food on the tray, which he gobbled down and then acted like he was still starving. He followed me out of Brennon’s room, and it surprised me to see I was only one door down from my room. His balcony overlooked mine on the left. I marched into my room and headed straight for the bed; I reached underneath the mattress, and my hands clasped around the hilt of the dagger. I couldn’t bring myself to take it, so I left it beneath the mattress.
I straightened the blankets and went to look at the dress laid out for me for tonight. Every fiber of my being wanted to run away and not face the future princess of
Isla, but that was the coward's way out. I would meet her, and then I would make my leave. Use what little time I had left to break the curse and not worry about Brennon or his future wife.
The time passed slowly, and through much trial and error, I dressed myself in the green dress. It was another one that wrapped around, this time under my arms, giving the illusion of a strapless dress. I felt naked, so I wore my hair down, my dark-red locks flowing over my shoulders. I forwent the jewelry box, because Brennon provided them, and I wanted nothing that belonged to him. Instead, I plucked a purple flower from a vine that was growing along the balcony, using a hair pin to keep it in place behind my ear.
I knew when they had arrived, because the servants were running past my door in excitement, rushing to gather outside the palace doors to watch the prince escort her inside. I fell in line among the mob of servants lined up along the path. I found myself shuffled to the back and could only hear the excited oohs and ahhs as the company arrived.
King Roald’s procession led the way. Ladies danced ahead playing tambourines decorated with ribbons, followed by the royal trumpeters and drummers. The fanfare was exotic, and fairies flew in circles dropping candies for the children. Next came the standard bearers flying the royal crest of Isla, and the king’s bodyguards. King Roald waved to his people as he sat upon a great warhorse, while Brennon sat mounted on his dapple-gray horse, his face stiff and unsmiling, even though he looked dashing wearing his royal robe and crest. Riding next to him on a much smaller white mare was a dainty woman in a purple cloak that covered much of her head and body.
From where I stood on the front steps, I couldn’t see her, but I could hear from those on the ground their first impressions.
“She’s so beautiful,” a female servant whispered.
“They make a handsome couple,” the butler added.
I stood on tiptoe, trying to see his bride.
They came to a stop in front of the palace. King Roald dismounted first. The staff bowed and curtsied. Brennon, his face void of emotion, jumped off his horse and handed the reins to a waiting stable boy. The murmur among the crowd stilled as people waited anxiously. He moved to the white horse and reached up. His hands grasped her around her waist, and he lifted her off the horse with ease. When her feet touched the ground, she pulled back her hood to reveal long, lavender locks.
