The Broken Kingdom

by Sarah Chapman

  It seemed to work. The flapping slowed down, stopped.

  And then the wound began to heal. Soon it was no more than a scar with blood smeared over it.

  Aerlid straightened. ‘Karesh,’ he said, ‘we should get him back into the water.’

  He nodded.

  ‘Wait.’ The Master, resplendent in her gown strode over.

  ‘Seta-’

  ‘No, Aerlid. Are you going to make me suffer more because of what you did?’

  ‘I-’

  ‘Help me, or I will do it myself. It is your fault I must suffer like this.’

  Aerlid bowed his head. ‘Yes, Seta. I am so sorry… Very well, we will put her there for now. When I’ve finished your new body we can put her back.’

  Karesh, who had his arms around the fish person looked in alarm between the two.

  ‘Aerlid-’ he began.

  ‘It’s alright, Karesh. Everything will be fine.’

  The fragile cocoon ripped and tore.

  She opened her eyes, her vision was blurry. She tried to get up. She felt as though she was moving. Had she gotten up?

  Her vision cleared somewhat, but still, it was like looking at something down a long tunnel. The world was flat, nothing to be seen.

  Riley tried to rub her eyes. The world was moving around, as though she was walking. Or being carried? She didn’t remember walking.

  She tried to get up.

  Her vision darkened.

  Fear gripped her. Was she dying?

  She fought. It cleared.

  It was a struggle just to see. She couldn’t hear anything. She tried to touch her ears.

  She felt nothing. She did not feel her arm, her ear.

  Riley frowned.

  She did not feel her face.

  She tried to get up.

  Something was hurtling towards her.

  The world wobbled dangerously. Then she was looking up at Karesh’s face.

  His mouth was moving. The words came from a long way away, but she heard them. She smiled in relief.

  She tried to say something back. She did not feel her mouth.

  Then she heard words, her voice. But the words were not what she intended.

  Karesh, continued talking, and again, Riley tried to speak. Didn’t he see what was wrong?

  And then Karesh was walking. Riley wanted to follow. And she was. She saw that she was.

  But she had a feeling she wasn’t doing the following.

  And she could not feel her legs. Fear gripped her. How was she following him? She tried to look down. But her vision stayed resolutely on Karesh’s back.

  Her vision faded.

  She couldn’t hold on.

  Riley drifted in and out of consciousness. Her vision faded, came back.

  She tried to call to Karesh, to wave her arms. She tried to get up.

  But she had only sight and sound, and they weren’t working like they should.

  Was she being carried?

  Why did the words that came from her mouth not sound right?

  And then… then relief flooded her.

  Aerlid.

  Karesh might not see, but Aerlid would. He would save her.

  Her vision cleared as she tried to see him, catch his attention. ‘Aerlid!’ she tried to say, ‘Aerlid!’

  Aerlid came towards her, ‘Seta!’ he cried.

  Confusion felled her. He seemed happy to see her. What was wrong? Why couldn’t he tell something was wrong?

  Words that were not her own were spoken in her voice. Aerlid spoke back.

  Sick fear curled in her stomach. But she couldn’t feel her stomach.

  Her vision wobbled. She was going somewhere. She tried to stop.

  She tried to scream.

  And then relief again, her name. She heard her name.

  ‘Where is Riley, by the way?’ Aerlid asked.

  I’m here! She tried to say. Help me, Aerlid, I’m here!

  But the words were different, and relief was ripped away.

  ‘She thinks she’s dead.’ Her voice replied callously.

  What? What?!

  ‘Ah. I suppose that’s for the best.’ Aerlid replied.

  And her screams that no one heard drowned out everything else.

  Riley saw the fish person. Heard the words.

  And then… she was ripped from what was hers.

  She didn’t know what was happening. Tumbled, confused.

  Then something. She felt another being. For a moment she knew it entirely. She was it. And then it was gone. Shattering beneath her fall, the shards of the fishman’s mind disappearing into nothing.

  Gone.

  And then she could move again.

  But everything was wrong. She couldn’t breathe. Everything was wrong.

  ‘It’s alright Karesh, everything will be fine.’ Aerlid said.

  Karesh fell quiet. The fish person was slippery and inert in his arms.

  A few moments passed. He didn’t know what the Master and Aerlid were doing, but they were still and silent.

  And then the fish person started thrashing wildly. A strong tail whacked his face.

  He couldn’t hold on.

  The creature flipped and flopped and tumbled into the ocean.

  Karesh scampered to his feet.

  It was floundering about in the ocean like it couldn’t swim. The other fish people swam closer to it. They grabbed it, tried to settle it.

  Karesh spun and stared at the Master and Aerlid.

  ‘What happened?’ he demanded.

  The Master smiled. Karesh didn’t like that smile. ‘Free at last.’ she said.

  Aerlid looked haggard. ‘It will be alright Karesh. It’s going to be fine.’ he rubbed his eyes.

  Karesh looked back to the ocean. The fish people had disappeared, the flapping fish person with them.

  Chapter 10

  Hands everywhere. Cold, wet. No air. Can’t breathe… can’t breathe… can’t breathe!

  And then… glorious air! But it tasted strange. It did not fill her as it should.

  Vision returns. Waves, all around. Sky. And then faces. Grey and slimy faces, but familiar.

  She gulped in the air. Water came in too, she coughed. Hands were holding her up. Where were her legs?

  She knew these faces, had seen them before. She tried to speak.

  A strange noise came from her throat. Her mouth wasn’t forming the words like it should.

  Would they even understand?

  But she knew these faces. For a short time, she had been learning their language.

  She tried to calm down. But the sea was too close. She didn’t know how to swim. It kept getting in her mouth.

  She splashed, tried to stay afloat.

  Muscly, grey arms flashed in front of her eyes. She stopped splashing. The arms stopped too.

  It took her a moment to realise what had happened.

  And panic overtook her.

  Riley did not know how long it took for her senses to return.

  But when they did she found she was in shallow water, fish people all around.

  They swam close, made funny shapes with their mouths, then moved on. Hands were holding her up. Someone was offering her fish.

  She caught sight of her tail. It was long and silvery, longer than her legs had been. It was splashing and moving about in the water.

  And yet it hurt. She was trying to move her legs apart, to walk. She tried with all her might, but the tail stayed resolutely together. Everything was wrong. But it was all too real.

  So she stopped thinking about how she had come to be here, how afraid she was, how she didn’t know how to swim or breathe with this body.

  She knew one thing.

  She forced herself to become calm. And then she moved her mouth and batted her eyelids in the way Zap Zap had shown her. She knew very little in the fish people language, but she knew his name.

  When the fish people from another wave entered the wave of his clan, Zap Zap knew.

 
They came, four of them. Their tails were held in a submissive gesture, their faces down.

  The clan swam out to meet them. They met before the reef, in that boundless part of the ocean that drifted away to everywhere. Zap Zap was told by the leader of his clan that the visitors had asked for him.

  Zap Zap swam forward. He saw their words, the flapping of lips and gills, the opening of eyes and the waving of hands.

  ‘…he swam the storm by the dangerous rocks. He is Strong Swimmer, but not strong enough. The storm took him. He was injured, but not so badly, we thought. Now even the youngest spawn swim better than he, he speaks slowly and poorly. He flaps, confused. He does not know us. Yet he asks for one of you.’

  Zap Zap’s clan looked towards him.

  ‘Do you know Strong Swimmer of Harsh Wave?’ They asked of him.

  ‘No,’ Zap Zap responded, in the submissive way, ‘I know no one from the Harsh Wave clan. But I will meet their Strong Swimmer, if you wish.’

  And the fish people from Harsh Wave were pleased, relieved. They had travelled far from their wave to find him.

  And so he swam with them.

  Zap Zap was taken to a shallow, cloistered lagoon. These places his people rarely frequented. It was too easy to get washed in to the shore. Certainly, they could move on land, though not well and it was not a place they liked to be, it was not a safe place for them. At least, not usually.

  Harsh Wave’s Strong Swimmer was very close to the beach, closer than the other fish people were comfortable. And yet they stayed with him anyway. Zap Zap saw they were splashing water on him, trying to coax him into deeper water, or at least to lie down.

  What was wrong with him?

  Zap Zap swam up to him, the other fish people made room. Zap Zap was used to being close to shore. He did not mind so much.

  The Strong Swimmer turned his head slowly to look at him. His skin was going dry. And yet he did nothing to fix it.

  ‘Strong Swimmer,’ Zap Zap greeted, ‘I am Strange Sounds of Broken Wave, before, I was Smalltail. You asked for me?’

  Strong Swimmer opened his mouth. A sound came out. It was harsh, choking. Zap Zap frowned. What was he trying to do?

  Strong Swimmer kept making that sound. The other fish people were getting concerned. Their loud movements were making it difficult for Zap Zap to concentrate.

  And then, ‘Zaaap Zaaap…’

  Zap Zap splashed, startled. He switched to human speak. ‘Yes?’ he said. ‘How do you know Zap Zap? Where did you learn human talk?’

  ‘Zaap Zaap…heelp… meee…’

  It had taken Zap Zap many weeks of listening to the humans to be able to make sounds like they did. It had taken much longer to talk in the way he did now. This calmed him a bit, perhaps Strong Swimmer was new to human speak.

  ‘What is wrong?’

  ‘It’s… R-R-Rileey…’

  Zap Zap splashed. The other fish people had fallen still. They did not understand what they were saying. To them, Zap Zap knew, he and their Strong Swimmer were just making meaningless sounds.

  ‘Riley is dead. Vann very sad.’

  ‘Noo… noo… It’s me…. I’m… R-Rileey….’

  Zap Zap splashed in disagreement. ‘How can that be? You are a Strong Swimmer. You Strong Swimmer for Harsh Wave, where the surface waves are strong and beat the rocks.’

  ‘No…nooo…’ Strong Swimmer was starting to panic, Zap Zap saw. He was starting to splash and struggle. ‘Noo… noo…’

  ‘Stop, stop!’ Zap Zap cried, ‘tell Zap Zap how this can be. Then I believe you. Then I help.’

  ‘I d-don’t… know…. they…. stole… my body….Zap Zap…. help meee…’

  If fish people could cry, Zap Zap thought Strong Swimmer might have just burst into tears.

  ‘Zap Zap believe you. Please, you must get in the water. You’ll feel better.’

  ‘No-no…’ he shook his head. ‘No-noo… I can’t… breathe!’

  ‘Just for a moment, Zap Zap make sure you alright. Just for a moment.’

  When Strong Swimmer didn’t respond Zap Zap swam closer. The other fish people let him take a hold of Strong Swimmer. He struggled a bit, but not too much. This was good, Strong Swimmer was a young male, strong and large. Much larger than Zap Zap.

  Zap Zap pushed him down into the water, til he was covered. He began thrashing almost immediately. Zap Zap pulled him up.

  ‘See? Zap Zap take care.’

  Strong Swimmer nodded.

  ‘Does Strong Swimmer not know how to swim?’

  ‘S-Strongswimm-swimmer… not here… Zap Zap… only I am… here… please….’

  ‘Zap Zap sees.’ Yet he did not. How could this possibly be true? And yet it explained everything. ‘Zap Zap show how to swim. You feel better in water.’

  ‘Zap Zap… help… me…’

  ‘What does Riley want Zap Zap to do?’

  At his use of that name Strong Swimmer relaxed.

  ‘I want… my body… I want it…’

  ‘Where is it? Did you lose it?’

  ‘S-stolen…’

  ‘Is it in the water?’

  ‘N-no…’

  ‘Then Zap Zap not much help… if Strong Swimmer really Riley… Zap Zap must tell Vann.’

  ‘Vann… Vann… Vann will help…’

  ‘Vann be pleased. He thought Riley dead.’

  ‘Please… take me to… Vann…’

  ‘Zap Zap will. Zap Zap show how to swim on the way.’

  Chapter 11

  ‘Vann! Vann!’

  Vann turned as a young man nearly collided with him and grabbed his arm.

  ‘What is it?’ he demanded. It was one of the other apprentice fishermen.

  Today was Vann’s day off. He only had one, and right now he was far from the docks, wandering the back streets of Coastside.

  ‘It took so long to find you!’

  ‘For a reason! What do you want?’

  ‘You need to come quickly, down to the bay! Come on!’ The boy started dragging him.

  ‘No, why?’

  ‘The fish people, Vann, it’s full of fish people, and they’re all calling your name!’

  When Vann reached the docks he saw it was true. Fish people had filled the bay, their grey, seaweedy heads bobbing just above the surface. Hoarse, rough voices called ‘Vaan….Vaannn….’ They filled the air with an unsettling din.

  His eyes scanned the faces. He didn’t recognize Zap Zap anywhere.

  Then, a splash.

  ‘Zap Zap!’ he cried, ‘what’s going on?’

  His name, chanted in hoarse voices cut off. The fish people began disappearing.

  ‘Zap Zap couldn’t find Vann anywhere! Zap Zap waited many nights!’

  ‘I told you to leave!’

  Behind him Vann was aware of a big crowd gathering. ‘Look, meet me by the side beach.’

  Zap Zap nodded and disappeared beneath the waves.

  Vann stood and faced the crowd. ‘It’s nothing, just move along.’

  ‘Why are they back?’ he heard someone call.

  ‘Why did they leave?’ another voice said.

  ‘Because they didn’t want to get blown up!’ he snapped. ‘Now move!’

  Vann stormed through the crowd. People mostly got out of his way. No one followed as he headed towards the side beach.

  When he reached the side beach he saw Zap Zap and another fish person waiting in the waves. The other fishperson was large, Zap Zap looked quite small next to it.

  When the other fishperson saw him it started splashing. Zap Zap tried to calm it.

  ‘No worry. Zap Zap talk. Zap Zap explain. You stay in water.’

  The other fish person subsided. Soon only its nose and eyes were visible above the water.

  ‘Zap Zap, what is it?’ Vann asked.

  ‘Zap Zap… not sure how to say. Zap Zap thinks very strange.’

  Vann said nothing, but he sat down by the water’s edge.

  ‘Vann say Riley dead.’

/>   Vann nodded, tried not to think.

  ‘This fishman, he say he Riley. He say his body stolen.’

  Vann stared at the fish person, his eyes wide.

  ‘Zap Zap not understand.’ Zap Zap finished.

  ‘I don’t think I do either…’ Vann said slowly. ‘Tell me, who are you?’

  The other fishman slowly lifted his head from the water.

  ‘Vann. Help… A-arlid…’ it seemed Aerlid’s name was difficult for him to pronounce, ‘…stole body…some…someone else use… help…’

  ‘What are you saying?’

  The fishman flapped in frustration.

  ‘Vann. I… Riley. T-they… put me… here. Took… my body… pl-please… help…’

  Vann edged forward on the sand, until the water was wetting the knees of his pants. ‘You’re telling me you’re Riley?’

  The fishman’s long tail flapped against the water in frustration. ‘Y-yes! Me… Riley…I d-don’t…like it here…want body! Want my own… body!’

  ‘How can I possibly believe this?’

  The creature made a sound that might have been a scream of frustration. ‘You slow! B-bad… student! Y-your fault… couldn’t.. teach… slow!’

  Vann leant back. He shared a look with Zap Zap and then looked back to Riley. If it could really be her. ‘Do you know where your body is?’

  ‘I… know… where it was…’

  ‘Alright. We’ll go there. It must be near the ocean, right?’ He looked back towards Zap Zap.

  ‘Swim along coast, reach Harsh Wave. Far, but not difficult. Vann swim?’ Zap Zap looked confused.

  ‘No. No. I’ll get a boat. I’ll need supplies. Zap Zap, meet me tomorrow morning between here and Arling Island. I’ll be in a boat. I think you should see me.’

  Zap Zap nodded. ‘Zap Zap find. But might be dangerous. Ehlkrid in sea.’

  ‘I know. But it’s a risk I’ll have to take.’

  Vann went straight to the Commander’s office after that. He was going to be summoned there anyway, considering what the fish people had done.

  He arrived to find Commander Reista had been expecting him. The Commander had an unusually sombre expression on his face, and he almost looked worried as he greeted Vann.

  ‘I suppose you have an explanation for me.’ The Commander stated.