Mermaid Tails

by Sasha L. Miller

"Giato, please," Giato said. He bit into his cookie and debated whether he should shove the rest of the plate of snacks toward Mihail.

  "Giato," Aliki repeated, giving him a smile. She recapped what Giato had told them, and Mihail nodded along, his expression grave. He fidgeted with his pen as Aliki spoke, twisting it in his fingers back and forth. Once she finished, she asked, "Do you know the person who cursed you?"

  Mihail shook his head.

  "Their name?" Aliki asked.

  Mihail shook his head again. He held up three fingers, frowning, then wrote slowly, three of them. Men.

  "All of them mages?" Aliki asked. She frowned. "Did they all participate in the casting?"

  Mihail frowned, tapping the pen against the page as he thought. He shook his head, holding up two fingers. Lea shifted, exchanging a glance with Aliki.

  "What does that mean?" Giato asked. He'd never heard of such a thing. Theoretically, it could be done, and was done, but usually it was meant for large-scale spells, such as those used in the army to build structures or break through mountains.

  "It means it'll be harder to break the curse," Lea said. She sighed, her mouth twisting into a grimace. Her teeth were sharp, not flat, and her words came with a slight lisp. "It's far more difficult to determine who did what and how much each mage put into the spell."

  Mihail slouched, his face falling. He huddled into Giato's sweater like he wanted to hide in it, and Giato really wanted to find the assholes who had cursed him.

  "There are other options," Aliki said. "It's not hopeless. Do you know anything about the men that might help us find them? What did they curse you for?"

  Mihail sighed, slowly scratching out several words on the page in front of him. Parts. They want chunks of tail for a spell.

  "Mermaid tail?" Giato asked, sitting up straighter. Mihail recoiled, looking at him sharply. "No, no, hold on, I might have something that will help." He stood up and hurried downstairs, rooting through his ledger to find the card the asshole parts shoppers had dropped earlier.

  Delacroix. Giato took the stairs two at a time upstairs, brandishing the card as he returned to the kitchen.

  "I had a pair of visitors this morning asking about mermaid tail," Giato said. He handed the card to Aliki. "I told them not to show their faces here again."

  Aliki flipped the card over, frowning when she saw the names. "Ah. Delacroix. We've had some complaints about them, but nothing we could pin down. They keep moving too. May I keep this?"

  Giato nodded, resuming his seat at the table. So Mihail was a merman. Was not being able to shift hurting him? Merfolk needed the water, after all, but they were too far from the ocean to allow for Mihail to submerge himself regularly.

  "Why didn't you bring this up earlier?" Aliki asked, tucking the card away in a pocket of her jacket.

  "I didn't make the connection," Giato said. He glanced at Mihail, giving a wry smile. "It's rude to ask what people are, and I'm not familiar with many ocean shifters."

  Mihail smiled at that, his worried expression softening. Aliki nodded, making another note in her pad. She looked at Mihail, her tone softer when she said. "I have some more questions for you, if you're up to it?"

  Mihail nodded, his smile slipping away. Giato gave into the urge to push the plate of snacks toward him, though he stole another cookie as he did so. The next hour passed in a flurry of questions as Aliki asked a series of technical questions about the spell that had been cast on Mihail. Lea occasionally interjected, hissing softly here and there as Mihail did his best to answer.

  It turned out that Mihail had been cursed for several months now, and the curse effectively rendered him human. It was his punishment for refusing to shift to merman form for the Delacroix, and it was little wonder Mihail had refused, given they wanted to harvest chunks of his tail. It wasn't like dragon scales, which were obnoxious but not painful for a dragon to lose, but big chunks of tail.

  Mihail had only been in Caelfall for a few weeks, which corresponded to about when Giato had noticed the fish going crazy for him.

  "Do you have somewhere safe to stay?" Lea asked when Aliki finished her questions. She smiled, closed-mouth, at Mihail. "If not, we can arrange space for you with the Guard until this is resolved."

  Mihail glanced at Giato, who smiled and nodded. If Mihail felt safe here, Giato was more than willing to have him stay here.

  "You can stay here as long as you need," Giato said. Mihail smiled back.

  "Good," Lea said, grinning a grin full of sharp teeth. She and Aliki stood, Aliki tucking away her notepad and pen. "If anything changes, let us know, otherwise we'll contact you here when we have something."

  "I'll show you out," Giato said, standing to do just that. Mihail stayed sitting, still drowning in Giato's sweater.

  Downstairs, Aliki wandered around the shop, poking around at some of the wares Giato had displayed. Lea didn't follow her, and instead looked at Giato's fish tanks as Aliki made some more notes.

  "Anything you didn't want him to overhear?" Lea asked, pausing in front of the fish tank that had the ocean fish. "You have a nice collection here."

  "Thank you," Giato said. He did have a nice collection, even if he always wanted more. "And no, I have nothing to add. I'll let you know if that changes."

  "All right," Lea said. She looked at Aliki, who seemed to be done with her inspection of Giato's shop. "If you do need anything, let us know."

  "I will," Giato promised. He walked them to the door, unlocking it and glancing outside. It was late enough in the afternoon that the streets were near empty, making it easy to see if anyone lurked nearby. Aliki and Lea said their goodbyes, and Giato made sure the door was locked tight after they left. He wrote a lengthier note to post in the window stating he would be closed for the next week, and then headed back upstairs to settle Mihail in properly.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Giato sighed, setting down his book as he stared morosely around the empty shop. There were no customers and hadn't been for nearly an hour. He was doing his best to read, but his attention was caught by every little sound. He kept expecting Mihail to show up, except Mihail was upstairs, hiding out of sight of anyone who might want to cause him harm.

  He also kept expecting another visit from the Delacroix, even though there was no reason to suspect they'd return. They couldn't know that he and Mihail had struck up a friendship, or that Giato would hide Mihail from them.

  The Guard hadn't had any luck finding them. They'd disappeared from the tavern they'd set up at, tipped off somehow that they were under suspicion. Lea's note had warned that they were suspected to still be around town, and she and Aliki recommended Mihail keep his head down for the time being while the Guard tried to find them.

  Mihail didn't seem unhappy about it, at least. He was getting plenty of rest. Nine times out of ten when Giato went upstairs from the shop, Mihail was sleeping. He looked loads better than he had when he'd shown up at Giato's three days previously with the Delacroix on his trail.

  As if summoned by Giato's thoughts, the stairs squeaked. Giato glanced over, expecting that the building had settled, but there was Mihail. He was dressed in his own clothing, his ragged cloak wrapped around him. Dressed to leave, and Giato's stomach soured at the thought.

  "Hey," Giato greeted. "Need something?"

  Mihail shook his head. He glanced around the shop, some of the tension leaving his face when he saw it was empty. He walked over to Giato and held out a sheet of paper, giving him a shy smile.

  I have to go out. I'll be careful.

  "Why?" Giato asked, frowning. "It's still not safe. I can get you anything you need."

  Mihail shook his head. He took the paper back and bent over Giato's desk, carefully writing out a few more words. You can't get this. I won't be long.

  "I'm good at getting things," Giato said, though he had a feeling his words were wasted. "That's what I do."

  Mihail smiled brightly, and Giato loved that expression, so free and happy and open. He'd been
seeing it here and there the last few days, and it hit like a sucker punch every time. Mihail rested his hand on top of Giato's briefly, then picked up the pen. Two hours, at most.

  "Be very careful," Giato said. Then rethought that. "I can go with you, actually. The shop can be closed again."

  Mihail shook his head, frowning at him. He'd insisted Giato not keep the shop closed on account of him, despite that it was safer to do that. He mouthed stay, and then waved, heading for the door.

  Giato debated the merits of following. He really, really wanted to...but Mihail was an adult, and Giato was already too attached. He was being unreasonable, and if he clung too tight, Mihail would get scared off. Giato needed to be an adult himself, and not being clingy and letting Mihail do what he wanted to do was a good thing. Mihail wouldn't put himself in danger for nothing.

  The door shut behind Mihail, and Giato sighed loudly in the sudden silence. Two hours. He glanced at the clock, noting the time so he could tell himself not to fret when Mihail didn't show up again in ten minutes. Giato shut his book. He wasn't going to get any further reading today, that was certain. Standing, he went to go fuss over his fish, his eyes lingering on the flashy blue one that reminded him of Mihail's hair and eyes.

  Two hours passed with agonizing slowness. Even a steady stream of customers didn't help distract Giato much. He sold several herbs, a few books, and a handful of galvanizing stones. It was nearing late afternoon, and Giato kept fidgeting and watching the door. At the two-hour mark, he started pacing, wishing he'd insisted and accompanied Mihail on whatever errand was so pressing he had to leave the safety of Giato's shop.

  He waited half an hour past the two-hour mark before he gave in and went to his desk to pen a note to the Guard. He wasn't sure how to explain that Mihail had just left, or that he didn't know where Mihail had gone or why, but hopefully the Guard could figure that out without too much trouble.

  The door chimed just as Giato was about to finish the note, and he looked up, his heart stuttering to a relieved stop when he saw it was Mihail. He was carrying a small canvas bag, the hood of his ragged cloak pulled up over his head. He glanced around the shop and when he saw it was empty, he pushed the hood back.

  "That was more than two hours," Giato said, aiming to keep his tone light but not sure he succeeded at all at it. The ocean fish were swarming toward Mihail, as relieved and happy to see him as Giato. Or maybe Giato was reading too much into that.

  Mihail winced, glancing at the clock. He mouthed, sorry. He hefted the bag like it explained everything.

  "What is it?" Giato asked. He dropped his pen on the mostly-finished note and walked away from the desk. Mihail smiled softly, then lifted his chin toward the stairs, pointing up with his free hand. "I'll close up and meet you up there."

  Mihail nodded and headed there, pausing to scrape his boots off on the mat by the door. He detoured by the ocean fish tank, waving to the fish, his smile not fading as he headed toward the back of the shop.

  Giato ducked outside and gave the street a quick look. He didn't see anything suspicious, but he wasn't sure he knew what he was looking for. No one looked like they were following Mihail, and neither of the men who had visited his shop the other day were out and about.

  Locking the door, Giato flipped the sign to closed and then went to pull the curtains. Not something he usually did, but until he was sure Mihail was safe, he was going to continue to do so. That done, he headed upstairs. He'd come back down later and clean up the shop some and get rid of the note he'd been writing to the Guard too.

  Upstairs, Mihail was making a pot of tea. He'd set out two tea cups and a plate of cookies that weren't anything Giato had had in the house. Had Mihail gone out just to get him cookies? Hopefully not. Giato went to the cupboard and pulled out some of the crackers he'd stashed there for Mihail, setting them out near the cookies.

  Settling into his usual seat, he noted that Mihail had set the bag he'd brought in on his usual seat. There were some clothes at the top, faded and worn, so perhaps Mihail had gone to get his things from wherever he'd been staying. Giato had offered to do that, but Mihail had refused the three or six times Giato had tried.

  Mihail set the finished pot of tea on the table and then took his seat, resting the bag on his lap. He smiled shyly at Giato, then turned his attention to his bag, digging into it for something. Giato busied himself pouring them both tea, heaping a good amount of sugar in his cup but leaving Mihail's alone as he preferred.

  "Did you get these cookies?" Giato asked. He took one and bit into it, surprised by the caramel flavor that immediately hit his tongue. It was delicious, sweet, with a hint of salt that complemented it perfectly.

  Mihail nodded, giving him another smile. He finally came up with whatever he'd been searching for, his smile widening as he held it out to Giato. It was a small lump, wrapped in a faded scrap of fabric that had probably been a vibrant green handkerchief at some point. Giato took it, puzzled. "What is it?"

  Mihail grinned crookedly, miming for Giato to open the handkerchief. Giato huffed but finished off his cookie and then did as he was told, unwrapping what turned out to be a rock. It was egg-shaped, the bottom half an uneven, mottled brown and the top half a shimmering, shining crystal that caught the kitchen's light and reflected it back in hues of blue and green.

  "It's gorgeous," Giato said. He tilted it to catch the light, taking in the way the light caught in it. "What is it?"

  Mihail carefully scratched out a few words on the paper they'd taken to leaving on the table. It's an ocean rock.

  "Yeah?" Giato asked, delighted. He smiled at the rock, tilting it some more. "I like it." He tried to hand it back to Mihail, not wanting to hold onto it for too long. That would be a lovely addition to his collection of fish...hopefully he could find something like it the next time he visited Mossley.

  Mihail shook his head and pointed to Giato.

  "For me?" Giato asked, furrowing his brow. Mihail nodded. "Are you sure? It looks expensive—"

  Mihail rolled his eyes and wrote something down. Very common where I come from. It's not much, but I wanted to thank you.

  "Not much. Hah," Giato muttered, his gaze caught by the crystals. He tilted it toward the light again, smiling when the crystals cast reflections on the far wall. "Can I put it in with the fish? Or would that be bad?"

  You can, Mihail wrote. He smiled and picked up his tea, taking a small sip. Giato nodded, pleased. The fish tank probably didn't need more in the way of decoration, but he couldn't think of a better place for the ocean rock. Maybe he could talk Mihail into getting him more of them after he was no longer cursed.

  "Did you run into any trouble while you were out?" Giato asked. He lowered the stone but didn't put it down, not wanting to give it up just yet.

  Mihail shook his head, smiling softly. He was getting better at writing: faster, if not neater. Any word yet?

  "No, but hopefully Aliki or Lea will get back to us soon," Giato said. He didn't know when they might, but hopefully the Delacroix were hanging around town to try and get at Mihail and slipped up soon.

  Mihail nodded, and Giato's gaze was caught by the crystal again. It was a small thing, but so pretty, and so thoughtful. Not that Giato needed a thank you present. He would've kept Mihail safe and tucked away without it. Giato tilted the rock again, stifling the part of him that wanted to read too much into the gift. Mihail was being nice, and all that meant was that he wasn't trying to take advantage of Giato.

  Giato wasn't sure whether to hope the Guard got back to them soon or not. If they did, that meant Mihail would no longer be cursed, but the longer they took, the more time he got to spend with Mihail. That thought made him feel guilty, and Giato stifled a sigh. Not that it mattered; he had no say in how long it would take. All he could do was keep Mihail safe, and he would do that no matter how long it took.

  *~*~*

  Three more days passed before Lea turned up at the shop. She was alone, Aliki nowhere to be found, and looked as aus
tere and formal as she had when she and Aliki had first shown up. Giato hurried through the transaction he was finishing with his current customer—a woman looking for animal bone runestones—and walked her out so he could lock the door behind her.

  "Afternoon, Guard Lea," Giato greeted.

  Lea smiled at him, closed-mouth as usual. "Afternoon, Mr. Affini."

  "Giato, please," Giato said. "Mihail is upstairs. I assume you have news?"

  "Of a sort," Lea said. "Let's go upstairs."

  Giato nodded, wondering what that meant. Of a sort didn't sound very promising.

  Giato flipped the sign on the door to closed. He led the way upstairs, not surprised to find Mihail sitting at the kitchen table. Mihail was reading one of the many books Giato had about the place, something on 'mystical' creatures and how they shifted forms.

  He waved when he saw Giato, his smile slipping into a more serious expression when he saw Lea.

  "Tea?" Giato asked. Mihail had made a pot at some point, and he fetched a cup for himself. Lea shook her head, taking a seat across the table from Mihail.

  "How are you doing?" Lea asked Mihail, who shrugged. That was fair enough, despite how much Giato wished staying here was making Mihail happier. It was hard to be happy when you were cursed, though. Lea's mouth twisted, and she sighed. "I have some news. It's not good, but it's not all bad."

  Mihail nodded, sliding his hands off the table and hiding them in his lap. Giato didn't like the sound of that, and the way Lea was hesitating wasn't making him feel much better about it.

  "We found the Delacroix," Lea said, her voice grave. "Unfortunately, they resisted being taken into custody and two of them...well, they're dead."

  Mihail's face fell. Giato set his cup of tea down with enough force that some tea sloshed over the rim of the cup. That was...definitely bad. If two of the Delacroix had cast the spell, and now at least one of them was dead, that meant there would be no breaking the spell on Mihail.

  "Traditional means of breaking the spell are out, obviously," Lea continued. She reached into her jacket and pulled out a cream-colored envelope. Sliding it across the table to Mihail, she sighed again. "There are other options."