by Amy Bearce
Phoebe looked out of the cave opening. Tristan and Mina joined her, the three of them looking out at the merfolk’s village. The crowd below seethed, screeching and hollering. The elders swam off, waving at them imperiously to follow. Time to go.
Phoebe turned quickly to Tristan. “But what about Baleros? What happened to him?”
“No one knows. The beast faded into myth, though it has remained forbidden for most merfolk to return to the ancient city, except on two occasions.”
“And what are those?” Phoebe asked, hoping to better understand their culture.
“One is the coming-of-age ceremony when we receive our tattoos from the sea and dedicate ourselves to its service. They take us to the sacred temple, the same one where you will go.”
The elders were already distant specks. Mina tugged on Phoebe’s hand. They had to leave, but she had to know. “And the second time?”
“After our death. Last rites are performed at the sacred temple, where our bodies are returned to the sea.”
“So neither of you have ever seen this place,” Phoebe murmured.
Mina said, “We’ve got to go. Come on!”
Tristan ignored her. He gazed steadily at Phoebe as if they were alone. “No, we’ve never been to the ancient city, but our mother is the historian for our people. We’ve grown up with maps and stories that most merfolk don’t. No human has ever been there. Mina and I are only permitted because we brought you here. We’re to translate the ceremony for you.”
“Okaaay.” He wouldn’t meet her eyes. Hmm. “And why would they let you do that? And don’t try to lie. I can tell you’re hiding something.”
“It’s nothing.”
Mina said, “Tell us, Tristan. Quickly―we need to know what we’re up against.”
“Fine. I negotiated with the elders. They wanted to take Phoebe alone to the temple. I insisted we would join her, or there would be no interview. We care about her safety. I know she will be returned to shore if we are there. I fear not all the elders would be so careful.” His expression hardened.
Phoebe’s mouth dropped.
Mina nodded in agreement. “Good for you, brother,” she said. “The elders couldn’t have been happy, but I’m proud of you.”
“Well. It had to be done.” He coughed a bit and brought the conversation back to the ceremony. “At any rate, the rituals truly are still in the old tongue. The elders cannot make the magic work when they change the words to the invocations.”
“But why are they taking me there? I’m not mer-anything. Can we do something else? I mean, I’d love to see the ancient city, but not if it puts you guys at risk.”
Mina rolled her eyes in exasperation. “The only danger we’ll be in is if we make the elders wait for us any longer!”
“Since when do you worry about what the elders say?” Tristan asked.
“Since you took the fall for me just now. They would have done worse to me, and don’t think I don’t know it. I’m drowning in guilt. Help a maid out, and let’s go, okay?”
Tristan gave his sister a swift hug then turned to Phoebe, who was wringing her hands. “We’ll be fine. The elders use the remaining magic of the temple for key rituals, but they realized long ago that the power of the temple could also be used to force someone to tell the truth. They don’t even understand how it works or why.”
He laughed, but it was a bitter one.
Mina added, “It was made with old magic, and they won’t use it on children because they’re not sure what it would do to them. Liam can’t go.”
Then the choice had to be Phoebe. So be it.
Tristan said, “It’s farther than I’d like you to go. Your sister will be most displeased.”
Phoebe snorted. That was the biggest understatement of the year.
“If you don’t wish to go, I’ll take you home right now.”
“And what would happen to you?” Phoebe whispered.
“Nothing that would pose a true problem.”
Mina’s face suggested otherwise. Phoebe was sure he was lying, to keep her from feeling responsible. She understood better now why he was so cautious about breaking the rules. Yet he was offering to do just that, for her.
“No, we’d better just get this done. Sierra probably already knows I’m missing. At least if I help you, it’ll help make up for the fact that I probably won’t be able to leave the house for ages after this,” she said, voice glum.
Mina and Tristan both reached for her hands.
“I fear that might be the least of our worries,” Tristan muttered.
Phoebe wondered exactly what terrible things had occurred down beneath the peaceful-looking waves that always soothed and charmed her. She promised herself to find out as soon as possible.
Then they were off, with Phoebe between the twins, speeding faster than a porpoise, leaving her questions behind. All she could think was how glorious the water felt. It glided like silk along her skin. With the magic of the merfolk, her skin didn’t wrinkle like raisins, as it did when she played in the surf too long on land. Her legs didn’t have to kick to keep up, not with two young merfolk pulling her along between them. Her hair streamed out like a banner behind her.
No lantern fish nets floated along their path. The water was still and quiet, the animal life sparse. The difference between here and the busy life of the shallows was obvious even to a land walker, but the ocean around them was not empty even now. Phoebe’s keen eyes spied crabs, lobsters, even tiny spiny creepy crawlies for which she had no name, all zipping along. A few big-eyed fish swam lazily, mouths agape as if waiting for their prey to swim inside.
The three friends dodged through lace vines of seaweed. The plants looked all the more surreal for appearing suddenly in the merfolk’s light before melting back into darkness as they passed. Iridescent jellyfish cast strange shadows as they floated like cloud puffs, skating along unseen currents.
Phoebe’s heart thudded. She, Phoebe Quinn, would be the first human to ever see the merfolk’s sacred ancient temple and original city. The joy of sharing such an experience with her mer-friends clashed against a heavy dread of the upcoming experience, surrounded by many who loathed her.
Behemoths of some kind swam far above, like dark ships sailing through the clear waters. Here and there, sparkling lights glittered through the forests of kelp and tangled vines.
Tristan and Mina had no eyes for such wonder. Their lips were pinched, their expressions tense. Phoebe’s excitement dimmed as their skin did when they approached a circle of glowing merfolk, the same elders from before. Behind them lay an underwater city in ruins, gloriously spread out like the cloak of an ancient queen.
Dome-shaped roofs, pyramids, obelisks, and columns dotted the landscape, along with moss-covered statues of majestic-looking merfolk bearing scepters, still overlooking the city they once guarded. Small sandstone cottages with clever rooftop entrances lined the curving pathways. Sparkling glass roofs arched above buildings that Tristan identified as centers of government and grand theatres.
“They created the glass in the depths, using a special sand in the incredible heat of the thermal vents. We’ve lost that skill as well,” he said with a sigh.
From their position, it was easy to see that the city spread out like a spiral, with a tall, arched building made of delicate coral in the middle. Phoebe had imagined a small village, maybe something similar to their mer-village tucked along the cliff. The city of Lyr was at least as large as Port Ostara, but only wild plants and fish lived here now.
Such a sad loss, Phoebe thought. She’d had no idea that mer-society ever reached this level of splendor and wealth. Why were they determined not to fight for themselves? Didn’t they want to live like this again one day?
The elders floated above the center of the city, faces all set in identical frowns. Once the trio came within reach, the elders swam down toward the tall center building.
“That’s the sacred temple,” whispered Mina into Phoebe’s ear.
Something about the architecture invoked awe and respect. The temple sat on a small rise overlooking all of Lyr. Delicate coral columns gleamed in the low light, yellow seaweed winding up their lengths. This building had no walls or true ceiling. The columns were the gateway to the interior, where a circular marble platform waited in the center of the structure. Four arches ran from the columns to unite above the dais, topped by a white, glittering crystal. Such a structure would have been impossible on land but was a perfect fit for this magical underwater city.
The seven elders waited together by the temple, Elder Seamus still visibly seething.
An old mermaid with wrinkles surrounding her eyes and mouth approached them. Her arms were decorated in intricate tattoos of sea fronds, curling gracefully around her muscles. She said something in the trilling and rasping sound of the merfolk language.
“The human must approach the dais alone. One of you may stay near enough to speak our words to her,” translated Mina.
Tristan immediately said, “I will go.”
Looking disappointed but not surprised, Mina stayed back, still visible yet outside the columns of the temple. She gave a quick wink to Phoebe, timed so no one else would see it.
The elders entered first and formed a circle around the raised, brilliant white-rock dais. The interior was easily seen from outside the columns, but Phoebe suddenly didn’t want to go in. The place was powerful; anyone could surely sense that. What if the sacred place of the merfolk reacted badly to a human trespassing? Certainly the elders didn’t like her. Maybe the ancient magic here wouldn’t either.
She was about to find out.
hoebe felt clumsy, never more aware of the inefficiency of her human legs slicing through the water. Mina’s tail fin was a golden bronze that Phoebe always admired. Tristan’s was a deep green. Phoebe would have taken any sort of tail fin at this moment. Leaving Tristan’s side, she swam forward, working hard to stroke her arms just the way he’d taught her.
As she approached the dais, she mentally rehearsed her story. Keep it simple. Just tell the truth. She’d need to be convincing.
She floated into the center of the circle of elders, toes just touching the raised white rock. Mossy stones arched overhead, but the ceiling between the arches was long-gone if it had ever existed. The sea above them had grown slightly brighter with the arrival of the day, and the crystal at the peak of the temple shimmered. The sun might be directly overhead by now, but they were too deep to even make out the shape of the disk in the sky. Only a low glow showed its existence. A heavy pressure beat at her skin. She furrowed her brow. What was that?
The pressure along her body grew heavier. For a moment, blue scales appeared on her feet and ankles, startling her. She blinked and then was staring down at her regular legs, her plain pale feet. She shook her head at her own foolishness. Her wild imagination wouldn’t help her here.
The merfolk elders looked toward the crystal at the center of the temple, all speaking the same words in their ancient language, words that meant nothing to Phoebe. Then they directed their gazes at her.
The elders spoke in unison, a chord of shrieks and a low rumble that raised goosebumps along her skin. She knew what they said, somehow, though, more in feeling than in words, before Tristan drew nearer and spoke for them: “Tell us what you witnessed, nothing more, nothing less.”
A silver light curled up like smoke from the stone below her feet, frightening her for a moment. The light rose, spinning and swirling, and reached into the crystal above her. She squinted until her eyes adjusted. Now she could see more of the ancient structure. Intricate carvings with organic shapes and geometric designs were inscribed along the columns. The clear crystal reflected the light from the stone dais back down to her, so she stood in a sheath of light, flowing silver around her.
Tristan’s eyes were huge. Even from this distance, Mina’s beautiful face was tight with what looked like fear. The elders murmured among themselves for a moment.
Tristan whispered, “They aren’t sure what’s happening. The color of the light should be blue, they are saying. It has always been blue.”
Phoebe wondered what Tristan thought of all this, his first exposure to such potent magic, with his human friend in the middle of it all.
Then the elders subsided into silence and waited, drawing her attention back to the moment. The light was cool in color but warm to the touch. It danced along Phoebe’s skin like a balmy breeze. The words came easily to her as she basked in the unexpected warmth.
“I was hiding from my sister’s enemies, the men who used to enslave you. I swam into the ocean to escape them, but they kept waiting for me. I knew they wouldn’t leave. Then they entered the water. I dove deep, hoping Tristan and Mina would find me.” Her voice was monotone, as if she were under the influence of the elusive truth-telling elixir her father had always hoped, but failed, to create. She didn’t mind the sensation, though. It took less effort this way.
The elders watched her with impassive expressions on their faces. She found she couldn’t turn to look for Tristan or Mina. Phoebe continued, “I was running out of air and began kicking to the surface, but as I did so, something grabbed my ankle. Hard.”
Her breath caught at the memory. No, she couldn’t panic. She wanted to tell this clearly. Needed to. The light pulsed through her, calming her, and she rushed to continue. “It was a big creature, twice as big as any of us. It had a long pointed tail, but it wasn’t like you at all. The tail was more snake-like, black and smooth, ending in a single point like an eel instead of a fin. Its top half looked human, except…”
She couldn’t think how to capture the cruel savagery of that face. She paused, struggling to find the right description, and the pressure increased. It slipped right inside her skin and pushed the words out.
“Its face was pale and beautiful, like marble. But its mouth was full of wicked teeth, and its eyes were shining red. It pulled me down, and I nearly drowned. I saw a vision―” Here, Phoebe paused in surprise because she had never really thought of what she saw as a vision. More of a hallucination. But the magic chose her words, so it must be the truth. Her words began again, without her own volition. “While the wraith gripped my leg, I saw a vision of a dark shadow stirring, of immeasurable evil, and I knew, I just knew, the shadow was a dangerous force waking. Then a blue light flashed, and the creature must have let go. The next thing I remember is Tristan telling me to breathe.”
The elders whispered to each other. Tristan quickly translated the chaotic jumble of voices.
“It must be,” said one.
“Like the sea dragons, the water wraiths are returning from the deep… and that shadow, could it be the beast?”
Elder Seamus spoke in trade speech, impatiently bringing their heated comments to a sudden stop. “Nonsense. She is tricking our minds with magic. Can’t you feel it? She’s a liar, like all humans.”
Elder Maher swam close to Phoebe, so close she could count the number of clamshells on his necklace. He had many, a sign of long years serving as elder. His eyes were still black from the invocation of the magic. She saw herself reflected in them, tiny and alone inside the column of light.
“But the light―” he began to argue, as if on her side, before he was cut off by Elder Seamus.
“The light is the wrong color. It’s been manipulated by her and is obviously not forcing her to tell the truth.”
“Maybe the light is silver because she’s a human,” another elder murmured, but the angry merman sliced his hand downward like an ax.
Tristan stirred beside Phoebe but remained silent, though his hands were in fists.
“No! Can’t you see? She is trying to deceive us all. The temple light has never shone silver, not once in the years since our historians began keeping track. So, even the temple’s light cannot force her to answer honestly, because she is using her own magic. I can feel it,” he snarled. “Phoebe Quinn, what magic are you using against us?”
Phoebe stared
at him, mouth open. Was he crazy?
“Tell us. Clearly, you have some sort of magic that calls to us. I can feel your presence even now, suggesting that I trust you, like you, befriend you. Charming me. What is this? I trust no human, but I sense an urge to accept you even now, to be your friend! What evil is this?” His teeth snapped together.
Tristan stiffened, the last remains of color draining from his face. Bubbles furiously burst from his gills as he exhaled a great gust of breath, looking between the angry merman and Phoebe.
Phoebe shrank away from the elder. The warmth of the light couldn’t protect her from this hatred. Tristan swam up to her and tried to block her from the merman’s angry gaze, but she refused to hide anymore. She hadn’t done anything wrong. Mina tried to join them, but was held back by a mermaid with striking white braids.
“I’m not doing anything!” Phoebe protested. “Yes, my sister’s betrothed, a faun, did tell me I had some new kind of magic that smelled of the sea. He said it reminded him of my sister’s powers in a way. Maybe you sense that, though I didn’t believe him fully myself.”
“Your sister, the fairy keeper?” asked Elder Maher.
Phoebe nodded. “The fairies are drawn to her, but she has a keeper mark. I don’t. I’ve always just been plain Phoebe.”
The black and silver-haired mermaid kept her distance, but said, “Trust us, young Phoebe. There’s nothing plain about you. You may not be doing anything on purpose, but you are doing something, something we do not understand. That makes you a risk. If Elder Seamus is correct, you could enslave us with this magic, as I, too, am drawn to you in a way I have never felt drawn to a human before. If you attract even the most powerful of us, what would you do to our young ones? Now that I’ve met you, I can see why they were always abandoning their obligations to hear you sing. I’m sorry, but you must leave immediately. Do not return to our waters unless we send for you. We will discuss your story; however, we must admit that Elder Seamus could have a point. We have no way of trusting you, not as a human, not with the irregularity in the temple’s light.”
