by Ilana Waters
“Dym, you’re . . . you’re a mermaid?”
“Merman,” Dym corrected, somewhat sharply. He shook the excess water out of his hair while I returned to where I’d been standing. “I still have all my important parts underneath these fins, you know.” He rolled his eyes. “Just call us ‘mers’ for short. That’s what we do.” Then his face softened. “I see you’re fairly shocked about my heritage.”
I shrugged and quickly regained my composure. “Maybe a little. But my sister claims to have married a cricket. Stranger things have happened.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “So, when I first met you . . . that bit about you being a shepherd?”
Dym didn’t even blink. “Oh, that? I lied.”
“Wait, that means you were the creature Catron was looking for,” I realized.
Dym made a face. “ ‘Creature’ is rather a harsh word, don’t you think?” He smoothed back his hair and extended his long neck to look up at me. “Still, I’m guilty as charged.”
“But that also means if Catron had found you, he would have found . . .” My voice trailed off. Dym was looking at me, full of awe, the same way he had when we first met.
“You knew,” I said simply. “You knew what I was—who I was—the entire time.”
Dym’s eyes were shining, and he smiled as though he’d never stop. “Not at the beginning,” he said. “Though I strongly suspected, as I’m certain Catron did. I heard whispers on the wind that Selene—also called Luna—had been reborn somewhere in this area, and my intuition led me to Silver Hill. I couldn’t tell you outright that I was a mer, or that I thought you might be the goddess of the moon. As I said, I wasn’t certain of the latter. Not to mention that professing the two beliefs combined might make me seem a little, well, crazy.”
“Crazy.” I nodded, glancing back at the asylum. “I agree we’re in the right place for crazy. So, all those times you came here weren’t to swim, relax, or thrill-seek? It was to see me?”
Dym nodded. “After a while, I surmised who you were.”
“Why didn’t you tell me I was who you thought I was? When you knew who I was, I mean?” I rubbed my head. This conversation is making me dizzy.
“Would you have believed me if I did? What evidence did I have to convince you? Even your own extraordinary abilities weren’t enough to do that.”
I had to admit, Dym had a point. The evidence had been staring me in the face the entire time. I’d just refused to see it.
“And knowing what valuable creatures mers would be to someone like Catron, revealing myself would only have put you in danger. I couldn’t even disguise myself as a mortal at Silver Hill if I wanted to. I have no method of smuggling dry clothes in here, you realize. The only way in for me is through the moat.”
I tried to interject, but Dym wasn’t finished. All the words came tumbling out of him. Like my emotions, I supposed he’d been holding them back a long time. He must have wanted to tell me all this ages ago.
“How was I going to explain not only a trespassing boy, but a naked trespassing boy at an insane asylum? If I showed my fins, they’d definitely know I was a mer. We’d both be in a boatload of trouble then. And I couldn’t very well bring you to my home to ensure your safety. After all, I live at the bottom of the ocean. I couldn’t get a message to Laura’s aunt or anyone else, because I’d have to explain how I knew the girls were in trouble, about the asylum, et cetera. Why I was there when I shouldn’t have been.”
“Wait,” I interrupted. “Exactly how would you have been a naked boy? I mean, any more naked than you are now.” I looked down at Dym’s exposed torso and glistening scales. “You can’t walk with fins.”
“Mers have legs on land, when our lower halves are dry,” he said.
“But I still don’t understand why you were so valuable to Catron.”
“It is said that the minds of mers instinctively turn towards the moon, and therefore, the moon goddess. I don’t know if it’s a myth, or if it actually has a basis in science. Let’s just say Catron wouldn’t be the first to try and fish around in there—no pun intended—for some useful gray matter.” He saw the look of alarm on my face. “Not that it’s been done to me,” he said quickly. “But I’ve heard of it happening to others of my kind.”
“That’s awful,” I said softly.
“Indeed.” Dym rubbed his face. “I don’t know what they’d find if they did crack open my skull. Possibly something, possibly nothing. But I selfishly kept coming back because I couldn’t stay away from you. I’m so sorry, Seluna. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Forgive you? But there’s nothing to forgive! It is I who should be asking your forgiveness. For the way I ended it, the things I said . . .” I gestured helplessly.
Dym shook his head. “I knew there was a possibility of your enchanting me, the way Selene did with Endymion the shepherd. I didn’t know if I’d ever reawaken once you made me sleep. Endymion never awoke in the legend, if you recall. But I chose to stay anyway. What else could I do? All mer worship you, Goddess.” Again, that look on Dym’s face that I had never seen on any other boy’s.
“How could I be a goddess and not know it?” I asked.
Dym shrugged. “Many people do not know the power they possess. Especially women.”
“But how did you know about the sleep spell? You can’t expect me to believe you just chose page one thirty-six by coincidence.” I picked up the Book and held it in front of my chest.
“The same way I knew to search for it, and leave it in the secret passage for you to find,” he answered.
My jaw dropped, and the Book nearly did as well. “You knew about the secret passage, too? Let me guess: it’s all part of that family-intuition thing. And by family, I assume you mean mermaids?”
“Mer!” Dym corrected. “And yes.”
“Where did you find the Book?”
“It was behind a few stones in one of the outer walls. How it got there, I’ll never know.”
“How do you even get to Silver Hill and the garden, Dym?” I turned the Book over in my hands. “I mean, now that we’re revealing our innermost secrets and everything.”
“Most people don’t know this about the asylum, but its moat connects to an underground river that leads all the way to the ocean. That’s why no one ever sees me walking along the vast miles of moor when I visit.”
“Because you’re essentially swimming underground.” I wonder if Silver Hill’s founders put the river there. “Still, I can’t believe you came all that distance just for me, over and over. It’s an awfully long journey to the sea.”
“Not for an adept swimmer.” Dym rose up and down on his fins. Show-off. I realized all those times it seemed he was standing in the pond, he’d really been moving his tail underwater to keep afloat. He couldn’t kick off like other swimmers because then I’d see his fins. All the strange, mysterious things he’d been doing were starting to make sense.
Slowly, Dym stopped his body from rising and falling. “Seluna, I wanted to ask you, what will you do now that you’ve defeated Catron? I can’t imagine you going back to live with your family.”
I closed my eyes for a moment, then opened them. “I’m not sure. It’s all just been too much. I need some time to think. I thought I’d live at the asylum for a while.”
“Live here?” Dym made a face like he’d tasted Silver Hill food for the first time. “Why would anyone do that?”
“Well, I’d make a few changes, obviously. Besides, there’s a certain mer who visits for midnight swims. One I’ve grown especially fond of.” This time, it was Dym who blushed, and I enjoyed a smug sense of victory.
“And I have a feeling this battle isn’t over,” I continued. “The last time I saw Catron, he said I’d stop at nothing to complete my mission. Then he mentioned something about ‘others coming for me.’ ”
Dym looked alarmed. “Others? What others?”
“Beats the devil out of me.”
Dym leane
d his head closer. “You know, you might have told me this before. I’m only now finding out you might be in peril. Again.”
I pursed my lips. “Well, excuse me if I was distracted by someone revealing himself to be part fish. Besides, I don’t care. Let them come, these ‘others.’ Let them all come. I sorted out Catron. I wager I can sort out anyone else who challenges me. In the meantime, I’m pretty much head of the asylum, and I’ve got some interesting plans for it.”
“I admire your confidence, Seluna, but do be careful. Of course, I will help in any way I can against these new threats, whatever your plans may be.”
My expression softened. “Hopefully, we won’t see them for a while, if at all.” I knelt down to get a closer look at his face. “And thank you, Dym. You are kind beyond words.”
We looked deeply into one another’s eyes. Dym and I were so close, our lips were almost touching. Suddenly, he coughed and jutted his chin towards the Book.
“You know, I flipped through more than a few pages of that compendium before putting it in the staircase. But there was one part I didn’t understand. It shows a boy smiling, looking up at the moon.”
I knew exactly which part Dym was referring to: it was Queen Sophia’s story of the moon goddess and her lover.
“Do you think it could be us?” he whispered. The sunlight filtered through the trees, making beautiful triangular patterns on his face. I could only imagine my face looked similar.
“I think it must be,” I breathed. Maybe that explained the swaying feeling I had when I first met Dym. Is it because I knew him in other lifetimes? Am I the sand to his sea, the moon to his tide? If this is what falling in love feels like—again—it’s enough to make one dizzy. “Perhaps that was the real reason I used the sleep spell to protect you, even though I was furious you wouldn’t help me.” Dym opened his mouth to speak, but I put my hand up. “Now, I understand why you couldn’t, of course. But maybe, subconsciously, I knew we were destined to be each other’s loves. It’s funny, though. You’d think we’d get tired of doing this over and over. Coming back down, having to relearn everything.”
“I don’t know, Seluna,” Dym replied. “A thousand lifetimes with you may not be enough. After all, the moon is the heavenly body of mystery. Endlessly fascinating.” At first, I couldn’t tell if he was teasing me. Then he said the next part so softly, I could barely hear him.
“Why do you think I’ve worshipped you all this time? I think I loved you even before I was sure you were a goddess.” This time, I knew he wasn’t teasing.
“And imagine, I thought you were just a boy in a pond. Dym, I think—no, I’m sure I love you.”
“I have always loved you, Seluna. Always.”
He leaned closer to me, his eyes hesitating. Finally, he pressed his mouth fully against mine and circled my waist with his arms. His whole body was wet, soaking my clothes. But I didn’t care. I threw my own arms around his strong shoulders. Finally. I kissed Endymion. His lips were warmer and sweeter than I ever could have dreamed. Through him, I tasted salt on the water, felt light and shadow on the waves. I kissed and kissed him as a thousand oceans moved back and forth between our souls.
Our lips parted for a moment, and we were breathing hard. We stared into each other’s eyes, almost unable to believe we’d arrived safely at this moment. But Dym kept holding me tight. I stroked the back of his neck. At last, he spoke.
“I finally did it,” Dym murmured. He raised one hand to my face and put his fingertips to my cheek. “I kissed the moon herself.”
Chapter 17
It was late in the afternoon, just before sunset. Thoughts of that morning drifted away as I tried to focus on the tasks at hand. There was still a lot of sweeping to do, not to mention a laundry list of other things. But I could feel my energy begin to rise with the approaching night. I’d already thrown Cutter into the asylum furnace. I considered moving the girls to a separate room until Dym and I could put them to rest properly. It was something I dreaded, but at least the one I loved would be there to help.
Dym. Even the thought of him had me smiling. I was sure his ego would be very satisfied to know that, not that I was going to tell him. We’d made plans to meet again tomorrow at the pond. After that, who knew what would happen? Right now, I had to concentrate on getting Silver Hill back in order. And I had to find a clean pair of trousers for Dym.
I’d just finishing cleaning a large part of the main entrance and was sweeping rubbish down the front steps when my eyes met with the strangest sight. A lone rider on horseback was galloping up to the front door at breakneck speed. The horse’s hooves sounded like falling coconuts as they went across the stone bridge over the moat. It didn’t look like there was any attempt to slow down. I jumped out of the way, and at the last minute, the rider jerked the horse’s reins to one side. The horse let out a loud whinny and swerved into a stop, spraying gravel everywhere.
The rider was a postman.
What on earth is a postman doing at Silver Hill? I thought. Patients weren’t allowed to receive letters or packages, not that there were patients here anymore. Perhaps it was something for the recently deceased or absent staff. The postman climbed off his horse and looked around. The front doors were wide-open, so he could easily see the building’s disastrous interior.
“What ’appened ’ere?” he asked in disbelief, giving me only a cursory tip of his cap in greeting. I looked around at what could only be described as utter chaos.
“Remodeling,” I replied.
He glanced at the falling ceiling, the bullet-riddled and broken walls, shattered mirrors, and of course, the debris-strewn floor.
“Remodelin’? Looks like a bloody meteor came through ’ere!”
“A heavenly body was definitely involved,” I said.
The postman’s brow furrowed. “What’s that, then?”
“Never mind.” I nodded to the item in his hand. “It seems you have something for Silver Hill?”
“What? Oh, yes. This.” The postman stopped staring at the devastation and handed me a large white envelope with my name on it. “It was only recently the post office got orders to begin deliverin’ mail ’ere again. Well, any mail not addressed to ‘Dr. Catron and Staff,’ that is. Wonder why we got the order all of a sudden.”
Dym, I thought. I looked at the address on the front of the envelope. It was written in my mother’s hand.
“Say, where is Dr. Catron, anyway?” the postman asked. “’Aven’t gotten any mail for ’im in a while.”
With a satisfied smile, I glanced behind me at the crater-shaped hole in the middle of the floor.
“He’s gone away on a long trip,” I said. “He won’t be back anytime soon.”
“Well, I’ll be on me way, then. That is, unless you’ll be needin’ me ’elp with anythin’ in there . . .” The nosy postman peered over my shoulder, trying to get a better look inside.
“Thank you kindly.” I stepped in front of him. “But I’m sure the Hartlandian postal service has much more important things to do than sweep floors.” Disappointed, the postman tipped his cap to me again.
“Good day, then, miss,” he said. “Good luck with your ah . . . yeah.” His voice trailed off, and with one last glance at Silver Hill’s rubble, he jumped back on his horse and sped off into the distance. As soon as he left, I threw my broom down and tore open the envelope. Tossing the latter on the ground, I took a deep breath and focused on the tight, elegant script.
“Dearest Seluna,
“If you are reading this letter, then you have realized who you are. Your father and I cannot tell you how happy we are for you. We also understand you met Endymion, who has incarnated as a mer in this lifetime. We know this because the messenger god, Hermes, witnessed these events and reported them to us. But as it is not his role to directly influence earthly affairs, he was prevented from intervening in the dangers you faced.
“By now, you must also realize that we are the incarnations o
f the Titans Theia and Hyperion.”
What? No, I felt like saying, I did not realize that! The shock was so great, I nearly dropped the letter. But I continued reading.
“Your brother, Helios, is the god of the sun, and your sister, Aurora, is the goddess of the dawn. Together, you three form a triumvirate: the Protectors of Light. All of you are reborn again and again to perform a special mission upon the earth: to safeguard light. It’s possible Endymion will be able to assist you in this mission during your incarnation. But you may not remember all this just now.”
I was suddenly aware that my mouth was hanging open. There really is a Hermes? My parents are Titans, and my siblings deities as well? In addition to discovering I was a goddess and Dym was a mer, I didn’t know how many more surprises I could take.
My mission is to “safeguard light”? What in blazes does that mean? Is the sun in danger of burning out? Apparently, that’s my brother’s department, since he’s the god of the sun. This was crazier than anything I’d witnessed at the asylum. It was too unreal for words. Slowly, anger started burning a hole in my chest. How could they do this to me? Throw me into the path of a sadistic madman and his minions? I could literally feel the heat of rage as it rose in my throat. I kept reading.
“You may be angry that we placed you in harm’s way.” You bet your bloody souls I am! “Please believe us when we say that we knew you were strong enough to defeat these monsters. You may not know it now, Seluna, but you are perhaps the strongest of us all.”
The strongest of them all? I don’t understand. I sank down on the steps, clutching the letter. I stared harder at the words, as if doing so would force them to make sense.
“We did not send you to Silver Hill for the reason you believe: that we feared you would end up like Aurora. She’s actually not mad at all; your sister really can talk to animals. No, we sent you to the asylum because it was the only way to show you your strength, and who you really are. Words would not have sufficed, for if someone had told you that you were a goddess, would you have believed them?”
