by Nancy Gray
“Pyron, you have to get up. Nicomedes is getting away. You have to avenge your wife!”
Mercy continued to move the blood around his body. She found herself pulling his body closer to hers, trying to transfer her body’s heat to his. It was working, but he wasn’t awake yet. Mercy suddenly began to cry as well. She knew there was nothing that she could do to bring him back, but she decided to try one last time. She breathed in, and then pushed the air into his mouth more gently, making the action more like a kiss goodbye. The breath felt as though it was coming from her very core, as though somehow she pushed some of her own essence into it. As soon as it entered his lungs, Pyron’s eyes opened and he gasped.
Mercy’s mouth hung open for a moment and she accidentally dropped his head and shoulders in shock. His head hit the deck with a loud sound, like a coconut dropping from a crate.
“Ouch, kill me why don’t you.”
Mercy threw back her head and laughed. She wasn’t sure why, but she was laughing and crying at the same time.
Pyron looked up at her, brushing the tears away from her cheek softly with the back of his hand, and then he began to laugh too. He suddenly sat up and swept her into a crushing hug. As soon as he let go, Mirilee pounced on him as well, sweeping him into a tighter hug and weeping into his shoulder.
“Don’t do that again, old man.”
“I’ll be sure not to if I can remember what I did in the first place. What happened?”
Mercy sighed. “There was a mutiny. You were fighting Nicomedes, but he used magic to fill your lungs with water. You collapsed.”
Pyron tried to stagger up and said in a furious whisper, “Nicomedes? I remember now. Where is he?”
“I’m afraid he got away. Jonas shot him twice, but he jumped into the water. If he has the power of the Waterbloods, then he’ll probably be able to swim all the way back to the island.”
Pyron sighed miserably, and his body slumped down for a moment. “That’s the second time that bastard has slipped through my fingers! Well, that doesn’t matter now. How bad was it? Did we lose any of the crew?”
Mercy looked poignantly at Kylas and Mirilee.
Mirilee quickly said, “Erebus is okay. I managed to fight off the other prisoner.”
Kylas said, “Beryl is fine too. Actually, he woke up and helped me with the fight. He’s adjusted to losing that arm, but what about the others? We were locked in our quarters for most of the fight.”
“Incenda was wounded badly. Tolbert, Garnet, and Scrap were the ones who started the mutiny.”
Mercy glanced in Tolbert’s direction. Even though he was close to the edge, she could feel his cowardice. He wasn’t going to jump. In fact, he seemed to be trying to avoid their attention as much as possible, not meeting anyone’s accusatory gaze. Scrap hadn’t left the captain’s quarters. She could feel his sick fear, and it almost made bile rise up into the back of her throat. Despite the fact he was cynical and cold, there was something about him that was still just a frightened, little boy.
Mirilee frowned. “Where is Captain Morrissey?”
“I’m afraid he’s dead.”
“Actually, I think I might just pull through, Mercy.”
Mercy stared in disbelief for a moment. Standing on the top of the figurehead was Captain Morrissey. Even in the dim light of the evening, she could see that his hands were webbed and his sea blue eyes looked odd in the light - larger than usual with canted pupils. There were scales on his legs as though he had just changed form from a Merman into a human. Still, something about the way his hair was still blond with those blue highlights made Mercy realize that he wasn’t actually a Merman. He was like her, someone descended from a tribe of beast men that was learning to control his powers.
Jonas grinned and saluted. “Captain, I knew you couldn’t be dead. It’s great to see you alive and well!” Jonas frowned and pointed in Tolbert’s direction with his gun. “What are we going to do with this filth?”
Mercy suddenly felt Captain Morrissey’s emotions become completely cold. “There’s one penalty for mutiny at sea. In the meantime, take them below deck and shackle them in the brig.”
Mirilee frowned. “What are you planning to do to them, Captain?”
“I haven’t decided what to do to the boy, but let’s just say Mercy’s punishment for Garnet was an accurate response to that kind of situation.”
Mirilee and Kylas looked at Mercy. Clearly they weren’t outside to see what she had done to Garnet, and Mercy was glad for it. Something about the way Morrisey pointed out what she had done meant he had seen her transformation. She wondered if he would hold it over her head, or if it was going to be a secret between them. Either way, she didn’t like the way he had put her on the spot. She just glared at the captain and didn’t say anything.
Mirilee frowned. “Oh, I see. You’re going to kill them. Well, it’s your ship and your crew, but will you be offended if I don’t watch?”
Morrissey’s expression softened a bit. “No, of course not, Mirilee. Honestly, I wish I didn’t have to do it, but no one else has to die tonight. There are still a few hours until morning. I think all of us need to rest.”
Pyron sighed. “I think that the Captain is right. We can talk more in the morning. I have a feeling all of us have a great deal to talk about. But first, Mercy?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you, for saving my life!”
Mercy smiled. “There’s no need to thank me, Pyron.”
23
Mercy awoke gasping for breath in panic. Her sleep was far too heavy and opening her eyes seemed disorienting. She felt as though she was only a few inches away from dying before she could wake up. She felt a comforting hand gripping hers tightly, and she turned and threw her arms around Erebus’ neck. He smiled gently and pulled her into a long, comforting hug. She could feel his worry. It made her wonder how long she slept.
Mercy groaned. “I thought I wasn’t going to wake up for a moment.”
“Believe me, I understand. I don’t know what you did up there, but it must’ve taken a lot out of you.”
Mercy frowned. She knew that she would have to tell Erebus what happened, but right now she just wanted to relish the fact she had woken up at all. She could already tell just by how much her back hurt that she had been unconscious for at least a few hours. It also made her wonder if Tolbert’s punishment was finished. She had no desire to witness another death. It also made her wonder if Incenda was awake.
Mercy tried to push the thought of Garnet’s lifeless body hanging from her hand out of her mind, but she could still remember her own cold lack of remorse and the way she experienced Garnet’s last heartbeats almost intimately. She somehow managed to fight the tears of guilt that threatened to fall as she looked into Erebus’ eyes. His relief was overpowering his other emotions, but there was something that he was trying to hide.
Mercy glanced around the room. It seemed that only Erebus and Mirilee were in her quarters. Mirilee was awake, leaning back in her hammock, mostly staring at the ceiling but occasionally glancing in Mercy’s direction. Mercy didn’t like the fact that she was being so quiet. Usually Mirilee would be saying something smarmy about her finally being awake, or teasing her in some way, but she could feel Mirilee’s somber mood.
Mercy began to stand up, but Erebus said, “Not too fast. I don’t want you to fall down. You slept through the rest of last night and most of today, so you might be a little sore.”
“Are Pyron and Beryl okay?”
Mirilee said a little too quickly, “They’re fine. Beryl is on his feet again. We’ve been trying to get him to rest, but you know how he is, always trying to help. Pyron was pretty tired, but he seemed okay.”
“But you’re trying to hide something from me. Just go ahead and tell me, please.”
Mirilee frowned. “Do you ever turn that ability of yours off?”
“I’m afraid I can’t really help it, anymore than you can your visions.”
She shru
gged. “Fair enough.”
Erebus said, “Are you sure that you’re ready for more bad news? This trip has been pretty rough for everyone.”
Mercy nodded and waited expectantly.
Mirilee sighed and said, “Incenda didn’t make it through the night. I know. I’m going to miss her too.”
Mercy just stared at her for a moment in silent shock. Even though she knew that it was possible that Incenda could die from her injuries, somehow deep down she thought that she wouldn’t. Incenda didn’t want to die. She was afraid of it, and Mercy felt sure that fear would be enough to keep her alive. After everything that had happened, somehow the news felt like the final blow. Yet she could tell that there was something else that Mirilee hadn’t told her, something even worse.
“Who else died?”
Erebus sighed miserably. “You’re not ready to hear all of this right now.”
“Tell me.”
“Jonas. He was watching after Incenda. When she died he took his own life. He just kind of cuddled up next to her and poisoned himself.”
Mercy buried her face in her hands and began to cry. Erebus wrapped his arms more tightly around her, running his fingers through her hair but didn’t say anything.
Mirilee said in a choked voice, “The captain found them this morning. He’s planning to have the funeral at sea before they execute Tolbert, so he can see what he’s done.”
“It’s my fault. If I hadn’t left her there, maybe I could’ve saved her, or if I could’ve just stayed awake a little longer, maybe I could’ve done what I did to Pyron to save her life.”
Erebus snapped, “I don’t even want to hear that! Mercy, I know this is hard for you to hear, but you can’t save everyone. If you had spent more time with Incenda, Pyron would be dead. You did everything you could to help her.”
Mirilee nodded. “This is why we didn’t want to tell you. We knew you would feel this way, but there really was nothing you could do. Sometimes people just die.”
Mercy slowly hobbled to her feet, ignoring Erebus’ arm securing her around the waist and trying not to think about Mirilee’s comment. Even though she knew they were right, the thought of Incenda dying made her feel sick. It made her also realize that she had never really lost a patient.
Even when she was helping Mender of Spirits in her village, somehow she managed to save those she assisted even with the worst injuries. She knew now that it was because she was exerting her will over life and death itself without even realizing it. She had gained more than just the gift of sensing the emotions of others from her ancestors, but this was one time when her will wasn’t enough.
“Excuse me. I think I need to be alone.”
Mercy could tell that Mirilee was about to protest, but Erebus gently let go of her and said, “I understand. We’ll be close by if you need us, though.”
Mercy didn’t want to go to the deck of the ship. While she wanted the fresh air, she was afraid that she would see the noose being prepared for Tolbert, or the bodies of Jonas and Incenda bound up in cloth just like that of Ailfrius. She found herself wandering into the cargo hold. It seemed no matter where she went on the ship the horrible memories would follow her. There was still an ominous dark spot where Incenda had been lying on the floor.
She could still visualize her whimpering and crying, the pitiful way that she pleaded with Mercy to help her, as though it was happening right then and there. “I don’t want to die! Please, help me!”
Mercy sighed and leaned against the barrel where Incenda had been propped up when she left. Even though she knew that if she had saved Incenda it meant Pyron would be dead, she still wished that somehow she had been able to save them both. It was a lesson that she never learned, something that Mender of Spirits was always trying to teach her, that sometimes despite her best efforts she wouldn’t be able to save everyone. Somewhere deep down, she thought if she was stubborn enough, if she became skilled enough, she would always be able to save her patients, especially her friends.
Mercy slammed her fist into the wall in fury and then just looked at her bleeding knuckles with apathy to her own pain. She was frustrated and wanted to take her anger out on something, anything. She couldn’t help but feel that Nicomedes had gotten the last laugh after all. Not only had he escaped, but he had also made her choose between the lives of two different people without even realizing it. And, even though she knew Incenda’s death wasn’t her fault, she felt as though she had betrayed her anyway because of what she was thinking right now. Mercy knew if she had to live that moment over again, even if it meant that Incenda died and Jonas committed suicide, she would still choose Pyron.
Mercy looked up as she heard footsteps coming down to the cargo hold. Pyron paused at the bottom of the stairs and stared at her for a moment. Mercy wanted to disappear, especially when she felt his sympathy for her. She knew that she had tears streaming down her cheeks and probably looked very small and vulnerable curled up against that barrel, and she didn’t like to show that side of herself to anyone, especially not to Pyron. Even when he seemed the most vulnerable the night that he told her about his wife, he never seemed to lose control over his emotions. In some ways, she envied him for that. Her ability made her feel like her emotions were always in control.
She just stared at him for a moment and said, “I guess on a ship you can never really be alone.”
“Maybe this time, you shouldn’t be. Do you mind if I sit with you for a little while?”
“I guess not.”
Pyron came over to her and sat on the other side of the barrel. “This okay?”
“Yes.”
Mercy was grateful that she didn’t have to see him. It was like she was talking to a disembodied voice, and somehow that made her feel like she could still be mostly alone with her thoughts. He wouldn’t see her crying or the expressions on her face as she spoke. Something about the little bit of distance between them made her feel a lot more comfortable. She wondered if this was the sort of tactic he learned from interrogating people as a spy. Somehow he seemed to know exactly what he needed to do to get her to feel relaxed enough to tell him what he wanted to know. For once, the thought was comforting. She wanted someone to talk to, and specifically, she wanted to talk to him.
He spoke first. “I guess you heard the news, then.”
“Yes.”
“You don’t need to blame yourself, you know. I heard that you bandaged Incenda before you came up to help the captain.”
Mercy sighed. “It’s just that I feel like everything I did for her was meaningless now. I couldn’t save her!”
Pyron scoffed. “Why in Lacern would you think that bandaging her was meaningless? You gave her hope, Mercy. When she died, she died peacefully in her sleep with Jonas at her side the entire time instead of alone and scared in the cargo hold. That means everything!”
Mercy felt his pain for a moment and realized he was thinking about his wife. She must’ve died without anyone there to comfort her, and Pyron probably would’ve given anything to at least have been there with her when she died. He would have been able to put her in her own bed and talk to her, even if she couldn’t hear him. Mercy shifted around until she was close enough to hold Pyron’s hand. He gladly took it but didn’t say anything. She had the feeling that he was suddenly in the same position that she was a few minutes ago, not wanted anyone to see the look on his face. She stayed far enough away that she couldn’t see him.
“I guess I didn’t really think of it that way. That does make me feel a little bit better. I’m glad that she didn’t die alone and afraid.”
“There’s a note that Jonas left thanking you for trying to save her. He also mentioned that you tried to give him hope that she might survive as well, even though you suspected that she wouldn’t. He said that he could see why Ailfrius was so fond of you and that he wished he had gotten to know you as well.”
“I don’t deserve that. I’m surprised he thought that well of me when he died. You didn’t see me out
there, Pyron. I was a real monster.”
“I did see you, Mercy. Before I lost consciousness, I saw you.”
The way he emphasized the words made her realize he hadn’t just seen her; he had seen her in her entirely transformed state. Mercy winced slightly in embarrassment and shame.
“You aren’t a monster. I knew after you saved Beryl that that you had gained the powers of one of the beast men. I’m sure that Erebus had something to do with it.”
“It wasn’t his fault. It was my decision. I can’t tell you much about it, but this wasn’t what Erebus wanted either. He tried to warn me against it, but you know how stubborn I am.”
“I’m not blaming him and I’m not angry about it either. I’m just saying that while I might not know very much about the beast men, I’m not stupid and I’m definitely not unobservant. Those powers of yours saved Beryl, and now they’ve saved me too. Power doesn’t make you a different person as long as you don’t let it control you. I think so far that you’re doing a pretty good job of that.”
“You have no idea how ironic that statement is, especially since I’ve been feeling the exact opposite.”
Pyron squeezed her hand more tightly but didn’t say anything else.
Mercy sighed. “Why do you think Jonas took his own life? I guess part of why this is getting to me so badly is that I just don’t understand why he did it. Didn’t he want revenge? Nicomedes is still out there somewhere.”
Pyron sighed and said, “Sometimes vengeance isn’t enough. Even though I wanted to get revenge for what happened to my wife, I knew it would never bring her back. Revenge is for the living, not the dead. I guess he felt so empty when she was gone that he lost the will to fight.”
“When I lost Wind Runner, I thought Green Arrow was responsible. I never wanted revenge on him though, because at the time I didn’t think it was entirely his fault. When I blamed Green Arrow it made me believe that I didn’t have to blame myself for not being there to save the man I loved. How did you deal with it?”
