Mermaid Spring (Mermaid Series Book 2)

by Dan Glover

  "I brought a fork."

  Kāne knew social niceties among human beings called for folk to use utensils while eating but he never acquired the knack of handling those pieces of metal. He wondered if she could hear his thoughts as well as he heard hers.

  You are especially pretty.

  The words rose in his mind like a tsunami washing over low lying land taking everything with it and leaving behind naked sand. She looked as if she was ready to bolt for the door. A spasm of fear rose within her eyes—those endearing green gems—which seemed capable of threatening to engulf what meager reason her mind held onto.

  Don't worry, he assured her with his mind. I won't hurt you.

  "How do you do that? Are you reading my mind?"

  He wanted to tell Ginger she could be so much more than she was. He sensed her many failures, how she was rejected over and over by those she most loved until her trust and faith had eroded into stumps she still sometimes tripped over.

  "Yes."

  The one word sufficed to instill an ease in her, to reassure her into staying and not going. For some reason, Kāne would rather Ginger remain here this morning to spare him the misery of facing another day alone. She was wondering why he seemed so old and yet so young simultaneously. Though he knew there were no words to define an answer he attempted one just the same.

  I am one with time.

  He didn’t expect her to understand ideas he had yet to fathom himself. She reacted by becoming cross with him in a playful sort of way. He sensed she was in the habit of speaking her mind rather than throwing out her thoughts for another to catch and it made her uneasy with him doing so.

  He had a sudden urge to share a part of himself with her, something he hadn’t done in centuries. He had grown used to being alone, of walking nameless paths in the uncharted wilderness that existed apart from all intelligent beings for a reason: it was madness to go there.

  On certain mornings he went to the beach to collect sea shells the tide brought in during the night. Here—living among others for the first time in memory—he felt compelled to create things though he was unaware of ever being anything more than an itinerate wanderer.

  It was strange how creation seeped into the skeleton of his being. One second he was thinking of nothing, the next second a vision arose. If he hesitated, the vision ceased. If he acted, the vision gave way to a myriad of images growing exponentially into a forest thick with possibility and hope.

  "Come."

  Again his voice reverberated within his head as if someone struck him with a stick. He took the girl's hand. Her flesh excited him more than it should. He wondered if she sensed that too: of course she did.

  She was playful in ways that in another context might exasperate him but this morning on this shining beach under a sky full of sun and with a gentle sea breeze wafting over him he felt happy for the first time. He thought how he must have been happy once, to remember what it felt like, yet the memory did not arise.

  When she ran he followed. She bore a great hurt both in body and spirit. Someone had used her badly and her recalcitrance was in direct proportion to the injuries thus inflicted upon her. Though he could have easily overtaken her with just a few strides, he allowed her to stay out of reach until he sensed she was ready.

  He would be no different.

  This girl desired something he could never give: someone who would stay by her side throughout the long centuries yet to dawn. He wasn’t that man. He was but a dalliance of sorts, a fork in the never ending road branching out before them both. The two of them would be together but a brief while and his going would mean more scars upon her heart.

  None of that mattered... not to him and certainly not to her. That was why she had appeared at his door unlooked for, a waking vision of his dreams. By the time she appeared at his door that morning it was already too late to turn back. He knew that viscerally and yet he hesitated at breaking the poor girl's heart again... it had been done too many times already.

  By the time he had eaten the breakfast she brought for him, he had forgotten his good intentions and found himself wanting Ginger as badly as she desired him. Their journey together would be short but its consummation would echo throughout the ages. He wasn’t sure why that would be but he saw it written in her eyes. Together they would create that which had never before existed.

  Only a fool would turn all that aside and though he was many things, he had never suffered from duplicity. He had but himself to give and she was ready to receive.

  Chapter 31—Shanghaied

  He woke to the unmistakable feeling of motion.

  His head hurt, his mouth tasted as if something might have died in it, and his eyelids seemed to be plastered over. A drop of water landed upon his face and then another. Putting a finger to it and tasting it, he discovered it was salty. The constant drip must have sealed shut his eyes with dried salt.

  He pried them open with some effort in order to look about him. Daylight sliced through an open porthole above the fold-down table secured to the wall. He was clearly inside the forward cabin on the Nautilus yet he had no memory of coming aboard. Sitting up to put his feet upon the floor he struck his forehead upon the rail of the upper bunk bringing curses.

  "Oh... I see you're up!"

  Lily stepped down into the cabin with a tray containing breakfast: toast with butter, coffee, and a bottle of aspirin.

  "I thought you might have a headache. You drank enough last night to float this boat."

  "Where are we?"

  His voice was little more than a croak. He drew a deep breath and coughed to relieve the congestion in his lungs before getting up and stumbling for the head. Though he felt like retching and in fact made an effort at it nothing came up. He brushed his teeth, splashed cold water on his face, and went back to Lily, who was waiting patiently at the table now folded down.

  "We're on our way to old America. Don't you remember?"

  He sat down across the table from Lily, pushed away the plate sitting in front of him, and picked up the coffee cup. His eyes still felt leaded over and he had to fight down a wave of nausea. After a few sips of coffee his voice returned to a splinter of its normal self.

  "Why are we going to old America?"

  "We talked about this, sweet Nate... but you probably don't remember. We're going so Karen can gather equipment she requires for her experiments. You promised to take us but you didn’t come home last night. We found you passed out on the beach. Kirk helped to carry you aboard. He's steering the ship."

  "Who else is onboard the Nautilus, sweet Lily?"

  "Your mother, of course, and Karen and Delilah are learning to sail too. They're all doing wonderfully, darling Nate."

  "Did Kirk really have to carry me aboard?"

  "He helped you to walk... let's put it that way."

  "I couldn’t have been drinking all by myself."

  "Kirk said he left you by the fire around midnight. He knew we'd be leaving early. Do you remember that part, dear Nate?"

  "I remember getting irate with you and stalking out of our apartment but I don't seem to know why I was mad or what it was we were arguing about. My mind is so muddled. I guess it must be the alcohol."

  Putting a hand on his forehead he tried to reconstruct the previous day but all he recalled was an embarrassing and unaccustomed anger clouding his judgment causing him to do things he wouldn’t ordinarily do. He never drank alcohol, but a dim recollection formed on the edge of his memory about tossing an empty bottle of gin into the sea before opening another.

  "I've been an ass. Please forgive me, my sweet Lily."

  "Hush, my love... you have done nothing that needs forgiving. Are you feeling more like yourself now?"

  "What a strange question to ask!"

  "Not so strange, my darling Nate... you've been like somebody else these last few weeks. I suppose you haven’t noticed it, but everyone else has."

  "Our good doctor requiring equipment isn’t the only reason we're sailing
to old America, is it, my precious Lily."

  "No, my wondrous Nate, it isn’t. We were worried about the change in your personality."

  "I don’t understand what a trip to old America has to do with that."

  "Your mother noticed you started acting oddly right after your flight over that beach in old France where you later found Kāne. Dr. Karen suspected you might be suffering from dementia but Natalia advanced the theory that your close proximity to Kāne was the real cause of your illness.

  "In order to test her hypothesis, we arranged this trip... to separate you from Kāne, and to see what effects if any it has. Lauren suggested we go instead to Lake Baikal but Karen wanted to unearth medical equipment she felt sure would only be found in old New York City. So here we are."

  "What do you think so far, my precious Lily? Is your plan working?"

  "I would say so, my gentle Nate... you seem just like your old self again."

  Nate had wondered if perhaps there was more going on here than Lily was letting on to and now he had his answer. He remembered having a dream just now before he woke up... a rift in the earth appeared between him and the rest of the group. It widened so rapidly all he could do was watch as everyone drifted away from him. No one seemed concerned that he was being taken away. In fact, they did not seem to notice the earth cleaving and wrenching itself apart at all.

  Looking across the ever-widening gap he saw another man with Lily. He was consoling her over some great loss she suffered. As Nate's eyes fixated upon this man his features became more distinct until he recognized him as Kāne. He couldn't help but marvel at what a handsome couple they made and the way their eyes caressed one another.

  "I almost lost you."

  "What do you mean by that, my precious Nate? You could never lose me."

  "It's a dream I was having when I woke up just now. I was being carried away by some weird shifting of the earth. I knew it was the end of us being together, you and me. But all I could do was stand and watch it happen, almost like I was another person.

  "It's strange, my beautiful Lily, but I do not recall anything that happened during the last few weeks. It seemed as if I was stumbling through a thick fog. I could hear voices in the distance but I didn’t know who they belonged to. When I tried to move closer to them, it seemed like I was only retreating. Was I terrible to you?"

  "You were surprisingly human, my less that perfect Nate. I did not like seeing that side of you, my love."

  "I guess I've spent a lifetime denying that part of myself... perhaps my efforts were futile after all. I am what I am, my lovely and generous Lily. Can I... no... can we... try and start over again? I promise I will do better this time."

  "Try and eat something, my love, and then perhaps we can go topside. The fresh air does wonders."

  Chapter 32—Left Behind

  Ena watched as the white topsails slipped slowly over the curve of a crystal blue horizon blending with the clouds and then disappearing all together.

  Forlorn, she knew the Nautilus was not large enough for more than six people and necessary supplies to comfortably cross the ocean but still she felt bereft when she was left behind. Grandfather Nate taught her so much about sailing his yacht that she couldn't understand why he desired to take along Kirk and Delilah instead. Neither of them even set foot on the schooner until now.

  "It isn’t fair."

  She grumbled to the sea gulls as she walked off the wharf and along the beach. Though none of them cared there was no one else about to hear her. Everyone who came to see the Nautilus off had gone back to Orchardton Hall and to whatever they were doing before. She hoped Alpin would stay with her but he too hurried away without inviting her along. Ever since she told him she was pregnant he acted less like a lover and more like her brother.

  Following a green path ensconced with maple trees with their wind-rippled silver-edged leaves fluttering in the morning breeze and pretty pink flowers growing on either side she came upon Father's little cabin. Noticing Ginger sitting with him stayed her from advancing. They looked happy. Ena stood in the poplars that formed a fence behind the cabin watching as they laughed and talked and though she was too far away to hear what they were saying she got a clear and sparkling impression in her mind that it was a discourse of love.

  She backtracked without the lovers espying her, faintly surprised that Father did not notice her. His mind was preoccupied with matters not pertaining to Ena. Walking away she was saddened thinking how happy the couple looked and how miserable it made her feel knowing Alpin would probably never reciprocate the love she gave so freely.

  It was still early morning and her stomach rumbled from not breaking her fast so she charted a course back to the kitchen in Orchardton Hall. She hadn’t realized how famished she was until she crossed the threshold of the front antechamber and smelled the aroma of sausage frying, pancakes cooking, and coffee percolating.

  "Oh, there you are! Everyone is wondering what became of you."

  Lady Lauren came to her hugging her close and kissing her gently on her lips as was the habit with the Ladies. Ena wondered if she too felt left behind though she knew Lauren often stayed behind at the castle of her own choice when Grandfather Nate and the others went roaming. Alpin sat at the table alongside Amanda and several members of the People. None of them acknowledged her.

  "Are you feeling okay, my gorgeous Ena? You look as if you may have a touch of melancholy this morning."

  "I'm fine, but thank you for asking, Lady Lauren."

  Ena knew she could hide nothing from her but Alpin was giving her a look and other members of the People seemed intent on learning her business as well. She resolved to visit Lady Lauren later, in private, to ease her mind.

  "Have you seen our mysterious Kāne this morning, darling Ena?"

  "Yes I did, Lady Lauren. I stopped by his cabin."

  Ena knew better than to lie to Lady Lauren yet she didn’t care to divulge enough to cause tongues to start wagging. While she knew with a certainty that Ginger and Father were spending much of their time together, she understood it was their business and not hers.

  "Was our darling Ginger with him again?"

  There was a tinge of sarcasm in Alpin's voice that Ena didn’t much care for. Although everyone looked to her to answer his question Ena filled her plate with piles of sausage, eggs, and pancakes, poured a cup full of coffee, and retired to the patio to eat in private. She wondered if Alpin was covetous or simply being the boy he was.

  "I wouldn’t pay him any attention, sweet Ena. I do believe Alpin sees how a real man treats his lady friend and is ashamed of how he neglects you."

  Lady Lauren stepped up to the patio with her plate and cup filled and without asking permission sat down to eat with Ena.

  "I don't understand Alpin at all, Lady Lauren. He chased after me for months and once he got what he wanted, he won’t touch me again. Am I so repulsive?"

  Ena felt as close to Lady Lauren as anyone. It was pleasant to tell her how she really felt without tip toeing around Alpin and the People. Sometimes she felt as if she was upon a stage play-acting for their amusements.

  "Never think thoughts like that, beautiful Ena... you are as pretty as a new spring morning shining over Lake Baikal. Boys are odd creatures. One day, hopefully soon, Alpin will grow up to be the man who understands what a treasure you are. Until then, take pride in who you are!"

  "I wanted to go with Grandfather Nate but they wouldn’t let me."

  Ena didn’t look Lady Lauren in the eyes as she spoke. Tears were threatening to burst forth and she didn’t wish to appear weak.

  "So did I, sweet Ena. They wouldn’t allow me to go either."

  "I don’t understand why Kirk and Delilah got to go instead of us. We are just as capable as they are, maybe more so."

  "Your Grandfather Nate is having some issues, darling Ena."

  "I overheard him arguing with Lady Lily one morning but I thought it was a lover's spat, nothing more. What kind of issues?"


  "He is exhibiting signs of dementia."

  "I'm not sure what that is, Lady Lauren."

  "It is a disease human beings used to fall prey to before the Great Dying. In the beginning stages of the sickness, they start forgetting things. Later they gradually lose all their memories: who they are, those they love, and even the places they've been and seen. Remember coming to me with the news of how you felt a presence on that beach in old France?"

  "Of course I do."

  "Your Grandfather Nate promised to take both me and Lady Lily to that beach. Instead, he sailed without us. We were upset at first. But then we realized something wasn’t right with him. We believe the presence of Kāne may be causing this disease. In order to test that theory, it was decided to take him to old America, to separate him from Kāne to see if he shows improvement."

  "So that's why Kirk and Delilah went with them!"

  "Yes that is exactly why, my sweet and gorgeous Ena. Grandfather Nate has become friends with them over the last couple of months. We thought it best to enlist their help in getting him aboard that ship."

  "What will happen if they find out Kāne is causing Grandfather Nate's symptoms? Will he have to leave?"

  "No one is going to make Kāne leave us, lovely Ena. It may be that he might well take it upon himself to acquire a residence farther from here, or perhaps Grandfather Nate will do so. We will work those details out when and if that time comes."

  "Now if I could only get Alpin to move closer toward me."

  Chapter 33—City of Bones

  They shouldn’t have come.

  Old New York City was crumbling back into dust and the short wave radio onboard stopped working as soon as they turned north and set sail up the eastern seaboard.

  "What has happened to all the skyscrapers?"

  Karen visited New York City as part of an overseas teacher-exchange study group while attending graduate school at Oxford University. She remembered being awed at the skyline over Manhattan as her plane descended down to John F. Kennedy International Airport. Upon landing she took a taxi into the city. It had a full sunroof and looking up she could not believe how immense the buildings were. She stared until her neck got a crick in it and she had to stop.