Dark Depths

by Lani Lenore

  The men hauled the net into the boat and deposited the body onto the deck with a thump.

  “Cut the beast out,” Nathan ordered them, and after working with their knives, they were left to look upon the ghastly sight that was unraveled.

  The creature’s fins were clipped, her fleshy skin bruised. The mermaid’s eyes had been gouged out, and horrible gashes marred her face. Nathan had first believed she was dead, but then she moved languidly—drunkenly—turning her face toward the relentless sun which burned his own skin.

  The men were muttering, though about the state of her body or just the fact that this was a mythical sea nymph before them, Nathan could not say. He, himself, felt only indifference. He knew by looking at this mutilation that it was deliberate, much like the torture he had seen inflicted upon Treasure by her own kind. Still, all he could do was stare at the nymph. He did not know how to help, or if he even could. Once again, so helpless and lost.

  “I have—a message. For the human king.” Her breath was ragged and labored, her words practiced, but he had no trouble understanding her. Her wounds were shallow, but great. This poor slave was a puppet for this one purpose, and she was faceless among her kind. Perhaps Nathan was the only one who knew this.

  “I—have a message,” the mermaid started again, but Nathan was swift to interject.

  “What is your message?” he asked. “I’ll make sure it’s delivered.”

  The mermaid hesitated, as if she had expected to speak with the king himself, but seemed to recognize this as her only chance to say what she would.

  “The Mistress of the Sea wishes to meet with the human king—face to face. She will attack if she does not get what she wants. She will—not stop. When the king is ready, she will—rise to the sound of jubilation.”

  Nathan could hear the men murmuring about these things, though he didn’t blame them. Many of them perhaps did not even know why they brought up the nets daily, and to see this creature in physical form was near incomprehensible to their heat-muddled minds.

  “That—is my message,” the mangled nymph gasped. “Now please,” she begged, her voice raspy with desperation. “Kill me.”

  But there could be so much more. So many more things to ask.

  He was reaching for the conch that Treasure had given him, aiming to demand a clue from her. He would put it in her hand and have her tell him what it meant, but before he was able, a shot rang out and a cloud of smoke wafted into his face. Sophia had not hesitated to draw her pistol and put a bullet in the nymph’s head. Her expression was cold and unfeeling, hard. Perhaps she should not have drawn attention to herself, but she did not break her role, and those looking at her face did not seem to question whether she was a woman or an adolescent boy.

  Sophia glanced at Nathan and turned away, and though the men were awaiting his word, he could manage nothing. Death was all around him, ever so apparent. Looking at the fleshy mass that was pooling blood onto the deck, all he could think of was Treasure. If she was not now safe on land, this might have been her.

  2

  In the depth of the chamber, the old king opened his eyes briefly for the first time in weeks. Though this was almost progress, only a moment passed before those eyes fluttered shut. The remaining breath in his lungs was expelled, and his head rolled limply to the side. His muscles were spent, his thoughts played out, and his heart without feeling.

  King Ellister II was dead.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Revenge Will Be Sweet

  1

  The coronation of King Thaddeus Archibald Ellister III was to be a grand celebration following the sadness of the old king’s passing. Just days before, the Loriletta had been sent out to sea with the king’s body aboard, never to return to land. The people had said their reverent goodbyes, and now they would welcome a new king.

  The streets were decorated with banners and greenery. There would be food and wine, dancing and rejoicing, for along with the celebration of their new king, came another cause for merriment: the introduction of his bride-to-be, who would become their new queen.

  Nathan watched all of these things unfold, helpless to stop it, and completely disregarded in the wake of it all. Treasure was a jewel in the distance, and though he occasionally caught a glimpse of her, she was a relic guarded by sentinels, which he could not touch. To approach her might be fatal for them both, and so he kept his distance, but he always wondered if she was constantly searching for him from the corners of her eyes. Or perhaps she had forgotten him entirely.

  Nathan had been unable to see Ellister since the day he’d been scolded concerning Treasure, and he had not been able to deliver the message handed to him by the captured nymph. It was not as if he hadn’t tried, but Ellister had been dealing with too much since his father’s death, and none of the attendants were willing to hear Nathan’s plea for an audience. Perhaps the ruler would grow impatient with the weight, but until Nathan could deliver the message, there was nothing to be done. Somehow, he didn’t feel sorry for it; somehow, he could not care.

  Since there was no use for him at the present, he had taken to spending much of his time at the Shipwrecked Sailor, throwing himself into the work which Ellister had appointed him to do, and which he now had personal stock in. He found Gideon to be a decent man, and Sophia had become a friend, despite the way she had looked at him in the beginning. Sometimes, she even smiled to stand beside him, and one might almost mistake them for a pair.

  She had given him grief for a while after that day on the boat. “Why hasn’t Ellister done anything? That nymph’s claim should be addressed!” Nathan had neglected to tell her that he hadn’t brought it to the king’s attention. At this point, he would be pleased if misfortune rained down on Ellister like brimstone.

  He wore the conch around his neck, taking to twisting it when he was deep in thought. Still, he was completely oblivious to what it meant, but he kept it close as something precious. As the coronation grew nearer, Nathan felt himself growing more depressed. Buried in the cellar beneath the tavern, amidst the musty barrels of ale, became the only place he could take solace.

  This is despair. I’ve felt it before.

  “You’ve been staring at those notes for a long time,” Sophia said, observing him from the doorway. He hadn’t known she was there. “Are you even looking at them anymore?”

  He had been poring over written accounts of sightings and speculations over nymphs, but the words had ceased to make sense. True, he had likely read them before, and now they were as good as blank before his strained eyes.

  “Have you looked around outside?” she asked. “The streets are decorated; it’s actually quite pretty. For as much as I despise Ellister, I have to say it seems he’s doing this for the people.”

  Nathan had never told her about Treasure. He knew she wouldn’t understand why the coronation and wedding announcement did not impress him. How could this have happened so perfectly—so horribly—that Treasure would emerge on land to be with him at the exact moment that Ellister would swoop in and snatch her up? Being stranded on the island was merely a ruse; this was real punishment.

  Nice one, God—if you’re there. You tricked me into thinking I could have something wonderful and then ripped it from me.

  “Come with me,” Sophia said suddenly, gripping his wrist, pulling him away from the journals.

  “Where are we going?” he managed, his voice raspy from lack of use. He stumbled over the chair, but she did not let him go, pulling him toward the stairs.

  “You need some fresh air,” she insisted.

  2

  Lovely stones, shining and bright, were draped around her neck. Beautiful dresses, one after another, were lined up before her. Attendants had been buzzing around her day after day, making an enormous fuss. Treasure scarcely knew what was going on, but she knew one thing for sure.

  She had not seen Nathan in what seemed like an age.

  None of this had gone as she had planned. Perhaps she simply had not
thought it through, too smitten and blinded by love that she hadn’t imagined specifics. She had thought that once she'd gotten her legs, all she would have to do would be to appear. Nathan would be waiting for her. He wouldn't have known she was arriving, of course, but somehow he would have come to her. They could have been together after that—even without a tongue, she would have been happy with him. She would have given up anything for him. More than that, any sacrifice was worth escape. Yet even after all this, she could not be near him. Another had found her, and while she was grateful to Thaddeus for helping to make her more accurately human, she did not understand this dance that they were all doing around each other.

  Treasure did not know what was building. She could not possibly have known that she was fated to bind herself to one who was not her true love. She did understand that the human ruler was drawn to her. She had seen that look in his eyes, but she did not want it as she wanted it with Nathan. She had set her own eyes on him and only him. No one else would do.

  I wonder if he found out. Did he know what to do with the conch?

  Bliss had given it to her, along with parting words. “Give dis to jour young man. Jou may not be able to speak, but if de worst should happen, he will need it.”

  Perhaps none of that mattered. Treasure was blank as the attendants talked about her hair, how it would look best, what color fabric was suited to her skin tone. She resolved in that moment that if Nathan would not come to her, she would find a way to go to him.

  The door opened then and a young attendant came in without announcement, as they all seemed to do.

  “They’re ready for you, miss,” she said.

  Treasure had been told that this was a rehearsal for the coronation ceremony, and she had little idea of what that meant. She had no will or way to resist, and as she rose up to follow, she thought that this was not quite like being a slave, but was very unlike freedom.

  3

  The sun was setting along the horizon, coloring the sky with orange and red. Nathan couldn’t recall the last time he’d thought it looked peaceful. He simply couldn’t enjoy it as he once had. This was where Sophia had chosen to take him, and he had gone along with her. They both leaned against the wooden railing and looked out across the water.

  The two of them stood in silence for a while, listening to the lazy sounds of boats rocking with the gentle waves which slapped against the posts of the dock. Nathan wondered if all she’d intended was to bring him into the open air, but he waited quietly until she finally spoke.

  “I always come here when I need to be reminded,” she said. “It wasn’t too far in the distance there; just out of eyesight, I imagine.”

  “What was?” he asked instantly. He felt that all he ever did anymore was ask questions, but he knew what she meant to imply.

  Of how much she hated them.

  “The Pinnacle. That’s where she went down. Nearly ten years ago now.”

  Nathan was silent. Should this sound familiar to him? He could not recall.

  “My father didn’t always run a tavern, you know. His connection to Ellister is legitimate. He used to be a captain in the King’s Navy.”

  That was a surprise to Nathan, though perhaps not so much once he thought about it. The man may have been a bit ragged now, but he had an erect stance and an imposing nature. So it seemed that Nathan was not the only one who wasn’t quite what he appeared. He understood the idea of a previous life.

  “My brother was an officer as well,” Sophia went on, her face aglow in the light of the evening sun. “They were on different ships. When we heard the news, we were stunned. We couldn’t believe the rumors, as anyone else wouldn’t. There were a couple of survivors, though they did not live long after that. They swore they were attacked by creatures from the water that were certainly not human or beast. The former King Ellister would not acknowledge the monsters, but his son listened to us. My father and I have been helping him ever since. As much as I dislike him, he’ll be a good king.”

  Would he? Nathan was too bitter to consider it. He’d already disregarded everything he’d learned about politics.

  “My brother was a good man. He didn’t deserve to die like that,” Sophia went on. “This is why I am what I am, and how my father and I got into this life—if you were curious.”

  Nathan felt a twitch, like the trauma from war. He saw the night of the shipwreck, the ripping of flesh, felt the cold sea water rushing up over his mouth, tasting like blood and salt.

  “What about you?” Her voice was almost a shock to his working mind.

  Nathan forced himself to look at her. She gazed at him, her hair blowing gently in the breeze, but he could not look at her directly. She had told him her truth, and now she wanted his? Nathan couldn’t decide if she was prying or being sincere, but maybe this was what he needed—to get it off his chest.

  “My past isn’t as clearly cut as all that,” he said hesitantly. “I grew up on the upper crust of the rock. I could look out the window and see the king’s palace. Still, it wasn’t enough to satisfy me, even though I had everything I could’ve wanted. My parents were always distant. My mother seemed content to forget I was there, and my father always regarded me with distaste. He was very strict with me. He held highly to religious principles; was always talking about the state of the soul. Likewise, he had a clear view of what he expected of me. Without my consent, he planned my life. I resented him for that, but I didn’t know how to get away. I rebelled, caused as much trouble as possible, but I couldn’t quite break free. I suppose I’m a bit ashamed to say that my mother had had enough before I did. One night, she lashed out at him, and in the midst of that, she said the magic words that freed me. She told my father that I was not his son.”

  He was surprised to see that Sophia’s expression was not judgmental. She was watching him intently. For some reason, that made him feel like he couldn’t look at her.

  “That changed me,” he went on. “Looking back, I think he must have already known, or at least suspected it. That was why he treated me as he did. But after I heard that, I knew I didn’t belong to him anymore, and that night, I ran away. That was five years ago. I was seventeen. I sought freedom, but it wasn’t that easy. I sat at the dock, thinking things over, wondering if I had the strength to leave or to pursue life. So, I got on a boat. Eventually I wound up with pirates, nearly lost my life to nymphs in a shipwreck, and that’s how I met Ellister. The rest…”

  He didn’t have to continue. She knew the rest.

  “And what have you determined after all that?” Sophia asked.

  Did she want to know if he had learned any lessons?

  “I guess I thought that having no sort of purpose was just what I needed to be free,” he said, “but recently, I’ve realized that I have to have something that matters.”

  She nodded. He did not tell her what that something was, though he knew it himself. Sophia may have thought he was referring to the fight, but that was not it at all. He had realized that his life was only about one thing, and that was Treasure. Even though he was distant from her, his thoughts never ceased to consider her well-being. She had saved his life when it had not deserved to be saved. She had seen goodness in him when he was certain there was none. She was his salvation, and she had made him better, but—

  That is over now. She is untouchable. We were never meant to be together. I knew that the moment I came here—tried to let her go—and it is even truer now. I can’t keep giving myself this false hope.

  Looking toward the settling sun, he knew that any fantasy in which he’d imagined them together was over, but the clearing of that gave him sight to the thing beyond. He knew that there was more that needed to be done. There was a trouble bigger than himself, which he had the key to.

  “I have to go,” he muttered. Sophia seemed startled by his sudden rising. Was it too abrupt for her? Nathan only knew he should not have been here with her. He stood, feeling restless.

  “I need to get back to Ellister—try
again to speak with him.”

  He started away, but thought better of it, turning back to Sophia. She was just staring at him from her place at the rail, though he was certain that she would have normally been angry and jumped down his throat for deserting her. The way that the fading sun was shining on her face and brown eyes, she looked almost pretty to him now. He shook that away.

  “Thank you for bringing me out here,” he said. “I needed to clear my head. Come on, I’ll walk you back.”

  Without a word, Sophia stood and followed him. He wasn’t much company on the way back, too busy in his own thoughts to even worry about what she was thinking.

  They travelled in silence back to the Shipwrecked Sailor.

  4

  Nathan left Sophia at her father’s tavern—with only a soft goodbye and without too much eye contact—rushing back to the palace, full of determination. He had an idea of what he needed to do. This wasn’t about himself anymore—not about his own happiness. This was not about Ellister or his cause. It was not about the nymphs. This was only about Treasure. Nathan could not get near her, but he had to protect her and do what was best, even if it was from a distance.

  He was not banned from the palace, and that was a blessing. He was free to come inside, and he hurried through the halls, to the place he was certain the prince would be—the room with the most commotion.

  Nathan found this place in the west wing, in one of the sitting rooms. A pair of advisors were leaving, carrying ledgers and papers that Nathan could not fathom, but he recognized the men. He had seen them time and again, and they always looked at him with disgust. This time, however, he would not let them turn him away.

  “I need to speak with Ellister,” he announced, stepping into the path of Mr. Browning and Mr. Swingler—these men he’d become so familiar with.

  “I’m afraid that isn’t possible,” Mr. Swingler replied curtly, barely looking up. Nathan knew the men had no intention of humoring him, but he was unrelenting.