Mermaid Tails

by Sasha L. Miller

  "Stay here." The command was issued from the shorter guard as they both took off after Delacroix.

  "Are you all right?" Giato asked, stepping in close to Mihail. When Mihail nodded, shrugging one shoulder, Giato continued, "That was incredibly stupid! You could've been seriously hurt. He had a knife—"

  Mihail put a hand over Giato's mouth and shook his head. He opened his mouth, but then shut it, looking frustrated.

  "Sorry," Giato said.

  Mihail shook his head, fishing for the pad of paper he had tucked in his jacket pocket. He'd gotten it out and started to write, bracing it on his other hand, when one of the two guards came jogging back up.

  "Did you get him?" Giato asked.

  "We did. He tripped over a decorative stone and knocked himself clean out when he fell. Busted up his nose good too," the guard said with a wink. He lifted his cap, revealing pointed ears and short-shorn hair. Non-human, which was good. "I don't suppose I could trouble the two of you to come to the nearest guard stations to give statements about what was going on here?"

  "Sure," Giato said, glancing at Mihail. Mihail nodded in agreement, tucking his paper back into his jacket pocket. What he'd been about to tell Giato was beyond him. Maybe he'd get it out of Mihail later. Sighing softly, Giato fell into step with the guard, making introductions as they started the walk to the nearest station.

  A few hours later they were back on the street. Delacroix was going to be held indefinitely, until he could be formally charged and his case presented to a judge. Which might be a while, as the guard in Hirane were going to contact the guard in Caelfall and sort out who had the more pressing charges against Delacroix.

  Giato didn't care which city did, as the guard he'd spoken to had reassured him that Delacroix would be in custody until he faced both charges, up to and including the charges of putting a curse on Mihail. They also reassured him they would send any information they got from Delacroix on the curse to them at the University; apparently the guard in Hirane had dealt with the cursebreaking department on the odd occasion before.

  "Are you sure you're all right?" Giato asked when he caught Mihail stretching his hand with a grimace.

  Mihail nodded, showing Giato the bruises that had formed on his knuckles. In the fading sunlight, they didn't look that bad.

  "The university has a medic wing if you want to get them checked out," Giato said. When that got him a scowl, he added, "If they don't start feeling better soon. If something's broken, they'll still hurt in a few days."

  Mihail rolled his eyes but smiled and nodded.

  "Listen, Mihail," Giato said, coming to a stop. His stomach churned unhappily, but he couldn't keep it a secret forever. He and Mihail had been questioned separately, so unless the guards had told him, he had no idea that Giato had known Delacroix was in town. "I owe you an apology. I saw him a few days ago, and I'm sorry I kept it from you. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry, and I was hoping he'd disappear."

  Mihail frowned, then made a stabbing motion.

  "Did he try to attack me? Or are you asking if I mean Delacroix?"

  Mihail nodded, which Giato took to mean he wanted answers for both.

  "I do mean Delacroix. And he didn't do anything, just stared, and when I tried to approach him, he ran off." Giato sighed, running a hand over his face, suddenly tired. Why couldn't they catch a break? "I didn't report it either. I probably should have, but I didn't have any proof, and I had no idea where he was."

  Mihail nodded again. He shrugged, and his face twisted in frustrated again as he went to fish out his paper. He scrawled on it quickly, then showed the messy writing to Giato. I understand, no sorry.

  "Too late," Giato said, relieved. "I already apologized. I really did hope he'd gone away again. I don't know how he got away in Caelfall, but I'm going to give them a piece of my mind when we get back there, especially since only they knew we were coming here." And Chara, but she wouldn't have told anyone where they were going, let alone a slimy slug like Delacroix.

  "Home then? Or what passes for it, right now?" Giato asked. He was a little tired, and he doubted Mihail was feeling much better, no matter what he'd say. "We could stay out, but I doubt my ability to navigate town after sunset."

  Home, Mihail mouthed, gesturing to the tall building that served as the University's center. Giato fell into step beside Mihail, smiling faintly whenever Mihail's unbruised hand brushed against his as they walked.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Three days later, Mihail received a note that the schedule was back together, and that Renato and Hanne would see him the next morning at their usual time. Giato invited himself along, out of curiosity. The Guard had sent a note to them that they'd forwarded some spell components to Hanne, though they hadn't said what.

  Whether they would be useful or not was yet to be seen, but Giato wanted to know what they were. He doubted Delacroix was carting around anything that had been used in the curse that had been cast on Mihail, but perhaps there would be a hint of his type of spellcasting in what had been sent over.

  Mihail led the way toward Renato and Hanne's work room, confident in the path in a way Giato was not. He could remember about half of it, but he kept anticipating turning down different corridors than Mihail took.

  Renato and Hanne were already there, but Mirko was absent, though the empty cup of tea on his desk said he'd been there recently. One thing Giato had learned about Mirko when he'd visited the work room was that he was very particular about not leaving dishes and trash around.

  "Good morning, Mihail!" Hanne greeted cheerfully, waving him over. There was another grid of stones laid out, though this one had two rows of crystals as well. Renato sat nearby, looking hungover. His face was pale and there were dark shadows under his eyes, and he looked as though he hadn't slept since the last day of testing.

  Mihail waved, moving to join her. The work room was neater than the last time Giato had joined them, with fewer stray ingredients about and the papers on the various tables either missing or stacked up more neatly.

  "I'm just here out of curiosity," Giato said. "The guard sent a note saying they sent you some things?"

  "Oh, yes, they did," Hanne said. She gestured to the grid. "I've modified some of today's testing stones to see if anything bites. We've been focusing on traditional spellcasting, and this Delacroix fellow had some more...unusual spell components in his possession." Hanne wrinkled her nose, but then smiled at him quickly. Probably nothing legal, then, and Giato decided he didn't want to know.

  "I hope something works," Giato said, taking a seat off to the side. He frowned at Renato but didn't ask the question on the tip of his tongue. Renato would know better than Giato if he were capable of doing the work needed for the tests in front of them.

  "You good to go?" Hanne asked, twisting in her seat to look at Renato.

  "Yeah," Renato said. He took a gulp of what looked to be a deeply steeped tea and then stood, moving to join Hanne and Mihail at the table where the grid of stones was laid out. She picked up the first one and handed it to Mihail, softly speaking the breaking spell. Nothing happened, and she gestured for Renato to try in his turn.

  They fell into an easy rhythm, going through each stone in turn. Hanne would note something after each attempt by her and Renato. Finished with the rows of stones, Hanne finally picked up a crystal. She frowned at it, then handed it to Mihail.

  Giato held off on the questions on the tip of his tongue, not wanting to interrupt their stride. The crystals shouldn't be too different from the stones, if what Giato knew about magic and casting held true. He sold crystals for spell work, and there was every chance that Hanne and Renato had used them previously.

  Hanne said her breaking spell, but as before, nothing happened.

  Renato spoke his spell, and the crystal flashed with light.

  Mihail jumped, startled, and the crystal clattered to the ground. Giato sat upright.

  "That's good," Hanne said, grinning cheerfully. "That's.
.." she leaned down to pick up the crystal, examining the symbol marked on it "...tussan root, sheep gut, and dragon scales."

  "So that's what they used?" Giato asked, but Renato shook his head.

  "One of them, judging by the reaction," Renato said. "It wasn't very strong, not strong enough that even two of them were used." He frowned. "What do you know about the casters?"

  "Only that they traded in 'rare specimens,' according to them," Giato said. "But I told you that already."

  "No, you said they were after Mihail's tail," Hanne said. "Not that they trafficked in...parts." She grimaced, and then replaced the crystal on the grid and surveyed the rest of the crystals. "Let's try this one."

  She tried her spell first, to no effect, and Renato tried his—making the crystal flash again. Mihail didn't jump as much that time, though he did startle.

  "So definitely dragon scales. Probably powdered," Hanne said. She wrote that down, then glanced at the wall where a clock hung. "We don't have another appointment. Renato, are you all right to keep going, or should we try some more tomorrow?"

  "Keep going," Renato said. "It really doesn't take that much energy from me."

  "Your energy does seem to be key," Hanne said. She pulled out a large wooden box from under the table and started putting the stones back into it. "There was no reaction at all when I tried it. And at least one of the stones had dragon scales included, so I think crystal is the way to go."

  "Sure," Renato said. He stood and went to drink more of his tea, poorly smothering a yawn as he did so. Giato almost, almost told him that they could wait, but one look at Mihail's hopeful face made him bite his tongue. Like he'd thought before, Renato would say if he couldn't do something.

  Hanne started laying out crystals from another box, one that she had to open with a key, and Giato fought the urge to squirm. Hanne made several notes, then glanced at Renato. "I thought the latter collection, the one with the more unusual ingredients?"

  "Right," Renato said. He frowned, then tapped one of the crystals set on the right side of the board. "Try this one. It's got ythu stem, right? That's often used in bindings to keep shifters from shifting."

  "Good idea," Hanne said. She wrinkled her nose, though, making a face at Renato. "Even though it's out of order."

  Renato laughed, picking up the crystal before she could. He handed it to Mihail, smile still on his face. "If it works, the jolt will be stronger. This has both ythu and dragon scale in it."

  Mihail nodded, cupping the crystal carefully, as though he might break it. Renato took a breath and spoke the breaking spell, the words familiar and almost comforting.

  The crystal flashed brightly, even more brightly than before, and Mihail jerked back, nearly tipping over his chair. Renato grinned. "I knew it."

  "So that leaves one more major element, and that could be anything," Hanne said. She wrote several lines in her notebook, and then nodded to Renato. "Have at it, superior breaker."

  "Hah," Renato scoffed, but obediently began trying other crystals. Most of them did nothing, though one or two flashed because they had dragon scale or ythu in them.

  Giato had about given up hope for the day when another crystal flashed, and Hanne cheered loudly. She grinned at Renato. "Not bad for a day's work, huh?"

  "We have to put it together, first," Renato said. Mihail raised his eyebrows in question, and Renato shrugged. "Maybe. We have to find the right crystal, or make one if we don't have one that has ythu, dragon scale, and...which one?"

  "Well, we tested tussan root earlier, and I think..." Hanne flipped a few pages back in her notebook, revealing one of her grids. "Yes, we did try gobar fruit last week. So that leaves wyvern scales, apparently. That's an odd mix."

  "Doubling down on the dragon scales?" Renato suggested. "I guess. I don't know spell craft as well as you do."

  "No, you're probably right. I forget people are idiots. Particularly the type of people who cast curses." Hanne snorted. She surveyed the crystals on the board. "Do we have one with both dragon and wyvern scales? I don't think we've combined those."

  "Probably not."

  "But you can? Do you need more dragon scales for it?" Giato asked, because he'd shift and give them all the scales they'd need if it meant breaking Mihail's curse.

  "Of course," Hanne said. "And that won't be necessary. I believe we've got the components..." She frowned around the room. "Where's Mirko? He knows where everything is." She walked over to the desk where Mirko's things were laid out neatly and frowned down at the appointment book on the top of the table. "Oh, he's got that appointment."

  "Why don't you two go get lunch?" Renato suggested. "Maybe go for a walk and come back at the first afternoon bell. We should be set up by then."

  "Oh, good idea," Hanne said, flashing Renato a smile. "Yes, go and come back, and with luck we'll have you curse-free this afternoon."

  Giato nodded, not in the least bit hungry, but he also doubted rushing Hanne and Renato would net them anything. It would also be more frustrating waiting around—at least, it would be for him. Mihail was standing, however, and Giato followed him out. He couldn't think of anything to say as they walked the corridors away from Hanne and Renato's work room, and it seemed like no time before they were in the mess hall.

  Mihail only collected a cup of tea, and Giato followed suit. They probably should eat—Mihail, at least—but Giato really wasn't hungry. They'd only been in the work room a few hours, and they'd eaten breakfast right before then.

  "How long can you be out of the water once the curse is broken?" Giato finally asked after they'd sat for a long moment.

  Mihail fished out his pad of paper and wrote, three days.

  "You're from Startide, right, or near there?" Giato asked. He'd assumed, but that didn't mean it was true. It made sense, though. It was a few days south of Caelfall, and the only major town or city along the country's southern coast for miles in either direction. The rest was rocky cliffs and impenetrable swaths of forest that weren't worth the time or effort to tame.

  Mihail shrugged. Close enough. He paused, then kept writing. If it's easier to drop me due south, that's OK.

  "I can do Startide easy," Giato said. "There's some good shops there I wouldn't mind visiting, to be honest. Though I have to make sure I can fly that in three days. I think so, but better to double check. The library should have maps, right?"

  Mihail nodded and stood up immediately. Giato laughed but followed Mihail's lead. Best to get it sorted, and he'd need to go make sure their basket was still accessible. Plus gather supplies...that would take most of the rest of the day if Renato and Hanne managed to break the curse that afternoon.

  The library was busy, but a clerk showed them to a large map spread out inside a glass case. With a warning to not touch the glass, she adjusted her spectacles and disappeared into the back of the library. The city of Hirane had a large marker placed on it, and it didn't take long for Giato to find Caelfall, nestled at the base of the mountains to the east.

  Startide was to the south, and Giato leaned close, trying to estimate the distance. Startide wasn't due south of Caelfall; it was southeast, and to the southwest of Hirane. But Hirane was more southernly than Caelfall, so the distance between Startide and Hirane wasn't quite as large as the distance would've been between Startide and Caelfall.

  "We can do it. Probably two whole days, leaving tomorrow morning," Giato finally declared after a long moment. "If the weather's bad, then it might take us another half a day, but hopefully no more than three days from the time they break the curse."

  Mihail scrawled on his crowded pad, leave today? Giato had the thought that he'd have to get Mihail a new pad soon, but then remembered that in a few hours Mihail would be able to talk normally.

  "No," Giato said, his stomach flipping unhappily. If everything went well—and he did want it to go well—then in three days he'd be saying goodbye to Mihail. "We have to get supplies. And I have to see if the basket is still there. Better to leave in the morning."<
br />
  Mihail nodded and fidgeted with his pencil. He glanced around the room, but Giato would give his best fish if Mihail were calm enough to sit and wait for Renato and Hanne to be ready to break his curse.

  "Want to go for a walk?" Giato asked. Maybe that would distract him too. "There's some gardens tucked away in the back of the University we could walk in."

  Mihail nodded again, flashing him a sheepish smile. He took Giato's arm, letting him lead the way out of the library and into the University's corridors.

  *~*~*

  "If it works," Hanne said, pressing the bright blue crystal into Mihail's hands, "you're probably going to feel like someone hit you in the face with a shovel. Take it slow, breathe, and don't make any sudden moves."

  Mihail nodded, cupping the crystal delicately between his hands. He was sitting in the back room, on one of the comfortable sofas. Probably so he wouldn't fall off a chair or knock it over. Giato sat next to him, a few feet between them, and Renato dragged a chair to the floor in front of Mihail.

  "Ready?" Renato asked. He smiled softly. "It's all right if you want to take a minute."

  Mihail shook his head, holding the crystal out toward Renato.

  "All right, here goes," Renato said. He touched the crystal and said the words of his breaking spell. The crystal flashed so brightly, Giato had to blink spots from his vision. He could almost feel the magic—and he certainly felt the way Mihail fell back against the sofa heavily. As his vision cleared, Giato focused on Mihail.

  Mihail opened his eyes and made a face.

  "How do you feel?" Renato asked, Hanne hovering over his shoulder.

  Mihail blinked rapidly, stretching out his arms and flexing his fingers. He looked dazed, like he'd had too much to drink and couldn't quite focus on what was in front of him.

  "Mihail?" Giato asked, tension pooling in his stomach. Was the curse broken? Mihail didn't look different...except, now that Giato thought that, he saw the differences. Mihail's skin had gained a faint, shimmering glean, there was a healthier color to his face, and his eyes seemed more luminous.