“But what about—?” Lena stopped. What about . . . what? Her loved ones on land? Yes, she supposed they would be anxious. But their faces were already growing fainter in her mind.
Chapter 34
In the distance, a giant kelp forest swayed, the ever-shifting currents of the sea rocking it hypnotically.
“It’s so beautiful,” said Lena.
“It is the verge of our village,” answered Melusina.
“You live in the kelp?”
“No, dearest. But the kelp provides a shield. Our lookouts patrol this area—if danger approaches, they can disappear into the forest before they are seen, and alert the village.”
“I don’t see them.”
“No,” said Melusina. “But they see you.”
Nervousness seeped into Lena’s thoughts. What if they won’t let me in?
Melusina squeezed her daughter’s arm. “My people will welcome you, Selena. There is no need for fear.”
As they neared the forest, Lena’s mind filled with a sound that was a combination of calling and singing, loud and melodious.
“Melusina draws near,” called a merman. “Near.”
“She brings her child of sea and land,” sang a mermaid. “Sea and land.”
“Melusina draws near . . . gather here. Here.”
“The child of Melusina is unarmed . . . you will be not harmed. Not harmed.”
“What are they doing?” asked Lena.
“They are calling out to the rest of the village to announce our arrival.” Her mother’s voice in her mind sounded amused as she added, “Visitors are rare.”
“But how can I understand them?!”
“Ahh, my child! It is the charm upon the cloak. Brilliant, yes?”
Even as her mother spoke, Lena became aware of many voices beginning to fill her mind. They were growing louder and more excited. Billowing out of the forest, a crowd of mer-folk swam in her direction. She gasped. There must be forty or fifty! It had been a shock to see one mermaid the day she first saw Melusina . . . the sight of throngs of mer-folk was almost overwhelming.
Lena shrank back.
“They wish to welcome you,” said her mother. “They are your people, too, daughter.”
They were all ages and sizes, tiny and plump to long and lean. Strong, young mermen and elderly, gracious mermaids. Some with long, streaming hair, others with cropped curls. The color of their skin ranged from unearthly pale to rich brown. Lena could see one very old mermaid whose skin looked almost blue.
“Auntie Lu,” called a voice.
A young mermaid with flowing dark hair and dusky skin rushed toward them, ahead of the others.
She looks a little like Pem, thought Lena. A small frown came over her face. At the moment, she couldn’t remember Pem’s face. An image of a pink braid drifted through her mind. Lena looked down at her foot and was reassured by the sight of the yarn encircling her ankle.
“So this is your land child?” asked the mermaid. Her lustrous black hair looked like floating strands of silk. “She looks to be my age! Will you not introduce us?”
“Yes, of course, dear Lorelei. You have in common with your cousin the trait of impatience.” She squeezed Lena’s shoulders.
My cousin! thought Lena. Her heart beat faster. She felt almost dizzy. It was all so unbelievable. Was she really floating in the bright blue and purple depths of the sea, breathing liquid instead of air? Was she meeting a mermaid cousin?
“Lorelei, please meet my darling Selena,” said Lena’s mother.
Lorelei wriggled with barely repressed excitement. “Hello! I am Lorelei! You are welcome!” Then her brow furrowed and her voice grew louder in Lena’s mind. “Can you understand me?”
Lena smiled and nodded, unsure how to answer. If she thought in English, would her cousin understand?
Melusina sensed her hesitation. “There is no barrier to your language here. As the cloak gives you comprehension, it does the same for your listeners.”
“I am pleased to meet you,” said Lena haltingly.
Lorelei beamed. “I heard your words! But will you also teach me that land-language?”
Before Lena could answer, two mer-folk who seemed to be Lorelei’s parents approached.
“This is my brother, Nereus, father of the impatient Lorelei,” said Melusina, indicating a merman with long reddish-gold curls. He smiled and kissed Lena’s hand.
“Nereus?” said Lena, trying to pronounce the name correctly.
“Yes. All of our names have been handed down from generation to generation, some of them from ancient times. They are names from all the waters of the world.”
Lena had an urge to thank him . . . but she could not remember why. He had done her father a kindness, she thought. Before she could speak, Lorelei darted forward. “Oh, look at the brightness of her fingertips! How they shine! Like abalone shell. May I touch your legs?”
“Lorelei!” scolded the mermaid next to Nereus.
“That is Iona, Lorelei’s mother,” said Melusina. “She comes from the warm waters. I journeyed with her to her native village when I was sorrowing over your loss.”
Iona moved forward. “Welcome, child,” she murmured. “We are so pleased to meet you.” She frowned at Lorelei. “I apologize for your cousin’s rudeness.”
“It’s okay—I don’t mind if she touches my legs,” said Lena quickly.
Lorelei came closer, eyes wide. She put one hand on each of Lena’s legs, shyly feeling the long muscles and marveling over the hard kneecaps. “Is this what your legs looked like, Auntie Lu, after you were Riven?” she asked.
“Lorelei!” This time it was Nereus who reprimanded Lorelei. “That is quite enough. You have greeted your cousin, now be so kind as to allow others to meet her.”
Lowering her head, Lorelei retreated.
Melusina’s face had paled, and she did not answer Lorelei’s question.
From the crowd of mer-people, an older merman emerged, coming closer to Lena. He was powerfully built, with broad shoulders and chest. His shimmering blue-green tail was single-finned and marked with several scars. A smiling mouth curved above his long beard.
“This is Merrow, your grandfather,” said Melusina.
Careful not to dislodge the sealskin cloak, the merman put his arms around Lena, saying softly, “Welcome, child of my child.” He patted her gently, then drew back to study her. “Ah, look upon the fairness of her face,” he crooned. “Look upon her cunning legs!”
Melusina laughed. “Beauty and strength, indeed.”
“Precious maid,” said Merrow, his eyes shining . . . eyes the same gray as Lena’s. “When Melusina had the memories back, and we knew of your existence, I longed to see you.”
“Grandfather,” said Lena. “I did not know about any of—” She looked around. “This. You.”
Merrow hugged Lena more tightly. “Alas, we did not know about you, either. Else we might have aided Melusina to return to you long ago.”
Lena nodded, feeling safe in her grandfather’s arms. So many years lost, when her mother could have been with them on land. But what about Mom? She felt a stretch of blank confusion opening up in her thoughts. Mom? Her mother was right next to her! But there was someone else on land, someone she cared for . . . a woman, with kind eyes. Something about diamond earrings . . . Oh, Allie! She would not have been there if Melusina had come back. Lena felt a pang, but the vague thought drifted away as she rested in Merrow’s embrace.
“Commence the greeting,” called someone, and other voices added their agreement. “Yes, the greeting.” “Bring her to the circle.”
“Come,” said Melusina. She took Lena’s hand and led her through the crowd of curious mer-folk. Then they entered the kelp forest, swimming between the heavy stalks. Lena felt sure she would have become lost without her mother.
Where is my grandmother?
A couple of minutes later, they emerged in the village.
“Is there a castle?” asked Lena.
Lena laughed. “There’s a fairy tale called The Little Mermaid. In the kingdom below the waves, there’s a big castle with, you know, fancy windows and gardens and stuff. I remember the line about the fishes swimming in and out of the windows.”
“Ah, I fear I must disappoint you. Our village is not so grand, nor so permanent. We must live simply, with few possessions. When the threat of discovery seems nigh, we must leave this place until our scouts tell us it is safe to return.”
“Leave?!”
“Humans are incorrigibly curious.” Melusina smiled. “We leave the village, sometimes for days, sometimes for weeks. We take what we can carry. When the danger has passed, we return. Look there.” She pointed to an immense stone slab. “To prying eyes, that resembles nothing more than a very large rock formation. To us, it is the communal dining table.”
Lena looked at the huge empty slab. There were a few boulders around its perimeter, like makeshift chairs. She could see heavy gold bowls and shallow stone basins, some of them still containing food, as if their diners had rushed off in the middle of their meal.
They came to see me, she thought.
Melusina led Lena into a large clearing, which was bounded by a loose circle of stones.
In the middle of the circle, Melusina stopped. “Have no fear,” she said. “This is the ritual of welcome.” Then she squeezed Lena’s hand and let go, leaving her alone in the ring of stones.
Chapter 35
As Lena waited, the mer-folk first gathered outside the circle of rocks, joining hands. They began to sing, wordless melodies at first.
“It is your song of welcome,” said Melusina.
The delicate sounds shaped into words that Lena could understand: “She is welcome . . . she is welcome . . . she is part of this world . . . she is not of this world . . .”
The mer-folk released their hands and swam swiftly up to her, drawing close, then gliding away from her, still maintaining the circle. They flowed near, then backed away as rhythmically as the tides. In and out they moved.
“You are part of this world . . . you are not of this world . . . speak your name . . . speak your family . . .”
“Names are very important. Tell them your name,” prompted Melusina.
Thinking as clearly as she could, Lena formed the word: “Selena.”
“Speak the names of your people,” sang the mer-folk, smiling and circling. “Share the names.”
Lena looked questioningly at her mother.
“Tell them the names of your parents,” said her mother.
“Melusina, Brian,” recited Lena.
She sensed confusion among the mer-folk, and even from her mother.
“Brian is my father,” she reminded Melusina.
“Ahh . . . Brian,” she said, although Lena could tell she did not remember him.
With a sudden swish, an older mermaid appeared next to Melusina.
Lena started; she had seen only a glint of gold before the mermaid was beside her mother. She must be unbelievably fast, she thought.
“Selena,” said the mermaid.
Lena nodded. Something about the regal bearing of the mermaid made Lena feel like she should bow or curtsy, or kiss her hand, or something. Her eyes were so light that it was hard to tell if they were blue or green, and they bored into Lena with unsettling intensity. Her hair was light as well, glowing with many shades of gold and silver. She wore her hair twisted into several tight plaits that encircled her head like a crown and trailed down her back. Lena could see pearls and shark teeth glimmering in her hair. Her double-finned tail was pewter gray.
She has a double-finned tail, too, like Mama, thought Lena. Then she peered closer at the mermaid’s pointed chin, and realized she was looking at her grandmother.
“I am Amphitrite,” said the mermaid. “You must learn the names of your people in this world.”
“Grandmother.” The word whispered through Lena’s mind.
The mermaid smiled then, her expression softening. She did not embrace Lena, but reached out to take her hand. “Child of my child. You are most welcome here.”
“Thank you,” said Lena. It wasn’t quite the same affectionate greeting her grandfather had given her, but maybe Amphitrite wasn’t the hugging type.
With a grimace, Amphitrite’s gaze swept down Lena’s body and legs. “Is she able to swim with those legs?” she asked Melusina.
“Mother!” answered Melusina, in a tone universally employed between mothers and daughters: exasperation. “Of course she is able to swim.” With a proud smile, Melusina reached down and stroked Lena’s feet. “Look at her lovely feet. They have grown so, since she was a baby! They were perfect little moonbeam feet.”
Amphitrite gave a frosty smile. “Yes, lovely.” She addressed Lena. “You must be glad to escape the land.”
Lena blinked. Glad to escape the land? Did that mean she was never going back? A tendril of worry touched her mind.
But after all, why should she go back? She had missed her mother. She wanted to stay with her.
A fleeting image of a child with blue eyes . . . a memory of someone calling her name through the night . . . then the hypnotic rocking of the sea drew those thoughts away from her, gently, insistently.
Lena raised a hand to her brow, as if to hold her thoughts inside her head. It’s like my memories are getting washed away, she thought.
Amphitrite noticed Lena’s bewilderment and turned to her daughter. “The child is exhausted, Melusina. She needs food and rest. Let us not linger over the welcome circle.”
“Yes, Mother,” said Melusina, appearing flustered. She turned to Lena. “Selena, after you answer the welcome, our people will approach you. Do not be nervous.”
Lena looked at all the mer-folk surrounding her, still circling in and out. “What should I say?” she asked.
“You must say what is in your heart.”
Lena watched the mer-folk as they flowed inward and ebbed outward, their song fading to a whispering welcome.
“I—” She faltered.
They waited.
“I . . . think you are all beautiful,” blurted Lena.
The mer-folk circled in very close, and many hands reached out to caress her. Three or four of the mer-folk merely bowed to her before swimming away, while others stroked her arms or hair. The little mermaids and merboys were fascinated with her legs, and took cautious pokes at them.
Instead of feeling afraid of so many strange creatures crowding near her, Lena felt the gentleness of their hands, so fleeting and light. Each touch was like a blessing. They were careful not to dislodge her sealskin cloak.
“Oh, here are my sisters,” said Melusina, holding out her hand to two mermaids, both with white-blond hair and dark blue eyes, their upper bodies wreathed in identical sparkling sapphire necklaces. “Metis and Thetis. Twins, as you can see!”
The mermaids swept forward and brushed light kisses on Lena’s cheeks.
Melusina continued the introductions: the husbands of her sisters, and all of the young cousins. “And this is young Amphitrite . . . named, of course, after your grandmother. And this is Piskaret . . . this is Fossegrim . . . and Calypso . . .”
Lena nodded and smiled, although the mer-folk were beginning to blur together in her mind.
Then she saw a broad-shouldered young merman lagging behind the rest of the group. He waited until there was no one left to greet her, then he approached.
As he drew near, Lena admired his chin-length green and brown hair, which radiated out from his head like a cloud. When he got close enough, she could see his dark, almond-shaped eyes and his full lips. The sight of his exotic beauty made her nervous.
Gazing at Lena with a rapt expression, the merman touched her arm.
The brush of his fingers across her skin caused Lena’s heart to flutter.
Instead of bowing and leaving, as all the others had done, he backed slowly away, still gazing at her.
“Nix is handsome, isn’t he?” said her mother with a smile.
Instead of answering, Lena looked down at her cloak, fussing with the way it rested on her shoulders. Nix.
“Melusina,” called Lena’s grandfather. “The child must be sinking, after that long journey. She needs food and rest.”
“Yes,” agreed Amphitrite. “The welcome circle is complete, and the vote has been cast. She should join us for nourishment. What does she eat?”
Melusina smiled. “My daughter loves the eggs of the salmon! She shall have as many as she likes.”
Vote? thought Lena.
“The kelp juice is excellent for regaining one’s strength,” said Merrow.
Following Amphitrite and Merrow, she swam with her mother to the large stone table. Mer-folk were now bustling around it, heaping the bowls and plates with food. Goblets filled with some kind of liquid, heavier than the seawater, rested on the table.
Nereus swam up with a primitive-looking chair. “Please,” he said. “You are family. But today you are also an honored guest.” He put the chair down by the table and bowed, indicating that she should sit.
“Oh,” said Lena. “Thank you.” She settled into the chair, which was hard and bone-colored. As she looked more closely at it, she realized it was made of actual bones. Some of them were clearly whale bones, but some looked decidedly human. She suppressed a shudder.
“You may try any of these foods, and decide which you like,” offered Amphitrite.
Merrow held out a goblet, and Lena nodded her thanks, taking a tiny sip. It felt strange to be drinking under water. Her grandfather was right; the kelp juice was good, and she felt stronger already.
Amphitrite presided over the head of the table, passing Lena the gleaming plates with different foods on them: mussels and clams, shrimps and crabs, strands of seaweed and slices of sea slug.
“Try the periwinkle soup,” said Merrow. “It has bits of rockfish in it.”
The Mermaid's Mirror Page 17
