“Oh. Thank you.” Lena politely tried as many of the delicacies as possible. She reached for some small wrinkled bits of food. “These look like raisins,” she said.
“Ah, the fish eyes,” said Merrow. “Delicious!”
Lena’s hand halted.
“The eyes were only harvested after the fish had died,” Melusina hastened to assure her.
“Oh,” said Lena, her own eyes wide. “Thank you. Maybe later. Mama, please tell me about the vote Grandmother mentioned.”
“After the welcome song,” said Melusina, “the village voted on whether or not you would be allowed to remain.”
Chapter 36
Lena stared. “And? Do I have to leave?”
“No, dear one. The vote was in your favor. Do not trouble yourself about it,” said Melusina.
“But when did everyone vote? I didn’t see that.”
“After the song,” said her mother. “Those who placed their hands on you were bestowing their blessing for you to remain. Forever, if you like. Those who merely bowed and departed were indicating that you should be a visitor only.”
Lena’s lower lip trembled. What did it mean that some of them did not want her to stay?
“Come,” said her mother. “We shall find a place for you to rest. I will bide with you until I must surface again. Have you eaten your fill?”
Lena nodded. “Don’t I have to surface?”
“Not yet. The cloak protects you. Once you take it off, the enchantment is broken, and you will join me in surfacing.”
“Take off the cloak? I can’t take it off——I’ll drown!”
“No, indeed, my child. You must trust in the magic.”
Sure, thought Lena. I’ll trust in the magic enough to take off the cloak when I’m about five feet from the surface.
Melusina swam with Lena past several large caves. Peering into the mouth of one of the caves, Lena could see mer-folk curled up on beds of seaweed.
A short distance away, Melusina led Lena into a different cave, slightly smaller. There were beds of seaweed clustered here, too.
“Here is the sleeping cave where I take my repose,” said Melusina. “We all sleep at . . . what is the word? Various times, depending upon our need for air. Let me make you comfortable before I surface.”
“You have your own cave?” asked Lena.
Melusina turned away, adjusting a bed of soft seaweed for Lena. “I am the only one who uses this cave.”
“Why?”
“This is the cave for the Riven,” answered her mother quietly.
“The Riven?” said Lena.
“Let us speak of these things when you have rested,” said Melusina, avoiding Lena’s gaze.
“No, Mama. Please. I’m not sleepy.”
“Selena, my child,” said Melusina. “You are stubborn as a limpet! You must rest.” She caressed her daughter’s cheek. “But I see that you will not be at peace until you have answers.” She settled down next to Lena. “You may ask three questions. Then I must surface.”
Lena nodded. “Okay. What is Riven?”
Melusina closed her eyes, as if gathering strength before speaking. “One who is Riven has chosen to forsake the world beneath the waves. She rises out of the sea and endures the riving light of the full moon upon her body. When legs take the place of her tail, she dares to walk upon the land. This transformation is against the most ancient laws of mer-folk. Thus, when a mermaid returns to the sea, she regains her form, but is known ever after as Riven. Mer-folk do not abandon their own, but one who is Riven must always remain outside the circle, in some ways.”
Lena’s heart was beating hard. “Outside the circle? You mean they treat you like an outcast?”
“No, my dearest. Not an outcast. You see for yourself the closeness of our kind. When I returned to the sea, full of grief and woe, I was reunited with my people and tended most lovingly. But one who is Riven once chose land over sea, and that betrayal can never be forgotten.” She touched Lena’s hand. “Forgiven, but not forgotten.”
“I don’t understand why that means you have to sleep somewhere else, though.”
“Mer-folk communicate with our minds, as you have learned. The dreams of mer-folk have the power to drift from one sleeper to another, much like our thoughts. My dreams are a danger to others, for at times I dream of my life on land.”
Lena shivered. “So you remembered us, sometimes, in dreams?”
Melusina nodded. “Only in dreams. Each time I awake, the sea claims my memories again.”
“But once you saw me—that day at Magic’s—you remembered being my mom. Right?”
“Yes.”
“If you could remember me, why couldn’t you remember Dad?”
“Ah, yes. Dad,” said Melusina vaguely. “I do not know the enchantment surrounding the memories of the Riven. I remember the feeling of love. But I see only a blank face whenever I try to picture your father.”
It seemed terribly cruel that Melusina should have lost all memories of her husband. After all, he was the reason she left her people to live on land.
“Do you remember anything about him?” persisted Lena.
“I remember the moonlight cleaving my tail into legs. I remember the love of a human had tempted me onto land.”
“He loved you so much!” cried Lena.
“Did he?” Melusina looked interested.
“Yes! He didn’t even get married again for a long time. But finally he thought you were never coming back, so he—” Lena did not finish her sentence. What was the name of his new wife? Lee?
Melusina frowned, as if focusing on some cloudy image in her mind’s eye. “He was fair of face, was he not?”
“You mean handsome? Yes! Everyone says so.”
“But kind, as well. My heart tells me this was true.”
“He’s very kind.”
“You say he married again?”
“About seven years ago.”
“Ah. Time is different for us. I cannot remember how long a year is.”
“Well, there are twelve months in a year,” said Lena. “So twelve full moons.”
“Oh! Yes, yes. Now I understand. We do measure time by the full moon. But the passage of time is different in our world.”
“It is?”
Melusina nodded.
“How do you mean?” asked Lena.
“Let me see,” said her mother. “If there are twelve moons in a year . . . let me see. I would be sixty-two years old, in your world.”
Lena looked at her lovely young mother in amazement. “Sixty-two?”
“Yes. I believe that is the number.”
“That can’t be right. How old is Amphitrite?”
“Well, let’s see. She would be . . . hmm. One hundred and thirty-sixy ears.”
A long silence followed these announcements. Lena did not know what to say. Was time passing differently for her, too, in this undersea world? Had it been only a few minutes since she’d left, back on land?
“What about—”
“Selena, you have asked many questions! And now you must sleep. The cloak protects you until my return,” said Melusina. “When you awake, we shall explore the world beneath the waves. But now I must surface.”
“Yes, Mama.” Lena settled down on the bed of seaweed, closing her eyes and plunging into slumber like an anchor falling to the seafloor.
Brian’s eyes remained dry while Allie wept—shocking, wracking sobs that rent the night sky. He sat on the sand, in the exact spot where he’d landed when the strength went out of his legs. He wanted to console her, but those words did not exist.
Chapter 37
Lena woke up under water.
For a moment, she was disoriented, remembering all the times she had woken up on the beach in the middle of the night. This watery cave was the reverse of those awakenings.
Every time I went sleepwalking, she thought, I was trying to reach my mother. Something inside me—the mermaid part of me—knew she was near.
Lena
felt the sealskin cloak tucked warmly around her. She relaxed and closed her eyes again, feeling safe. She could hear voices—some of the mer-folk must be nearby.
She kept her eyes closed, trying to distinguish who was speaking. She had noticed earlier that the voices of the adult mer-folk sounded much alike in her head, although she could tell her mother’s voice from everyone else’s. Lorelei’s voice had contained a distinctive ringing quality, and the children all sounded unique from one another. Lena supposed that the longer she stayed, the easier it would become to match voices to faces.
“. . . because of the male human on land,” she heard someone mutter. “Now we must live in fear that she will remember, and leave us yet again. It is not to be borne!”
“Shh,” said a second voice. “You will wake the child.”
“Ah, yes. The child.” The first voice softened. “She’s a lovely little land child. But she belongs to us now. And in time, her legs will cease to trouble me.”
Lena huddled under the cloak, ashamed. Who couldn’t stand to look at her legs? And what did that mean, “she belongs to us now”?
“We always knew there was a chance the human would seek her again,” sighed a third voice.
“Not as long as I am alive,” said someone coldly. “I warned him not to enter the sea again. And I spoke the truth. Had he disobeyed my command, I would have charmed the sharks to seek him out, even as he sought Melusina.”
Lena could not restrain a small cry.
There was a swish in the water near her, then someone asked gently, “Are you awake, child?”
“Yes,” said Lena, opening her eyes. Her grandfather leaned over her. She sat up and peered through the fluid light of the cave, and saw her aunts, Metis and Thetis, her uncle, Nereus, and her grandmother. Melusina’s entire family seemed to be on guard duty over her!
“Good. I hope you are rested. You slept a long time.”
“I did? How long?”
“Ah, let me see. Time is not something we measure, except by the moon. The moon has begun to wane, while you slept.”
Lena frowned. The moon had begun to wane? Had she been asleep for days?
“Melusina has been to the surface a number of times. She asked us to keep watch over you while she was away.”
Lena nodded her understanding. I would have charmed the sharks to seek him out echoed through her mind. She felt acutely self-conscious of her legs now, too. She was relieved to see Melusina approach.
“Did you sleep well, dearest maid?” asked her mother, swimming into the cave and settling near Lena. The others departed.
“Yes,” answered Lena. “How long did I sleep?”
“Ah, a long time! You were profoundly weary.”
“Hours? Days?”
“Oh, you want a measurement? Let me think . . . on land, the sun has risen and set again.”
“How long before I need to surface for air?”
“Whenever you wish. Do you feel ready to take off the cloak?”
Lena stared at her in alarm. “Take it off now? I’m miles from the surface.”
“Not miles, dear. And remember . . . I told you that when your desire was powerful enough, you would be able to breathe on your own in this world.”
“But how will I know?”
“The only way to know is to search your heart.”
“What happens if I think I’m ready, but I’m not really?”
Melusina looked puzzled. “But your heart will tell you truly.”
Lena looked back at her mother. “But what if I’m wrong? I’ll drown!”
“If you have doubt, then you must remain in the shelter of the cloak.”
“Okay.” Lena was relieved. No matter what her mother said, this would not be the place to discover she couldn’t breathe under water.
“Now we shall eat. You must be very hungry. Afterward, would you like to explore the world beneath the waves with me?”
“Yes!”
Melusina took Lena’s hand, and they swam together out of the cave. Mer-folk watched them shyly as they approached the stone table. A few swam closer to look at Lena, especially her legs, then flitted away again.
Melusina introduced Lena to as many of them as came near.
“Why does she wear that human garment under the cloak?” asked a mermaid who looked about Lena’s age. She wore pearls in her hair.
“On land, it is protective,” said Melusina. “It is called a—” She frowned.
“A jacket,” said Lena.
“Ah, yes. Jacket.”
The mermaid felt the slippery fabric of Lena’s jacket, then smiled and swam away.
“They have many questions,” said Melusina. “You will meet them as their shyness abates. Mer-folk are taught to be wary of humans, so it may take them some time to befriend you. Now let us eat. The sea cucumber is especially delicious.”
They ate until they were full, then Melusina put her arm around Lena. “Ready, dearest?”
“Where are we going?”
“You shall see.”
Chapter 38
Melusina led Lena through the village. Mer-folk bowed and waved to them. In the shifting, drifting crowd of mer-folk, Lena’s gaze went unerringly to the green-and-gold-haired merman near the edge of the group.
Nix was watching her, and Lena felt her belly flutter. Everyone else seemed to blur and fade as Lena stared back at him.
“May I approach?” he asked, across the water. His voice was unlike any other—low, warm, with a gravelly undertone.
“Yes,” she answered.
Melusina noticed their conversation, and smiled. “We shall greet Nix, but I wish to spend time with you a little longer, just the two of us, before others claim your attention.”
As Nix swam in their direction, Lorelei rushed to greet Lena. “At last she wakes! Each time I returned from the surface, my cousin was still asleep. Auntie Lu, where are you going? I want to become better acquainted with Selena.”
Nix paused. “I do not wish to intrude,” he said. “I will return later.” He directed a beautiful smile at Lena and, with a flip of his tail, swam away.
Lena felt a pang, watching him go.
“There will be ample time for visits, niece,” said Melusina. “I am going to show my daughter this world.”
“May I come, too?”
“Next time, Lori.”
They left the village, followed by swarms of mer-folk children who raced circles around them, playing tag and begging Lena to explain how her legs worked.
“They work by magic,” said Lena with a wink.
The children laughed and clapped and darted near to touch her, then swam away after Melusina shooed them off.
Mother and daughter swam for hours. Lena saw schools of fish and played with her mother’s two favorite dolphins. Then they swam deeper . . . into the coldest part of the ocean, where bioluminescent fish cast their pale, otherworldly light, luring prey . . . sometimes becoming prey.
“The anglerfish,” said Melusina, pointing to a fish that appeared to have a fishing rod with a glowing tip at its end.
“So cool,” whispered Lena.
“It is cold,” agreed her mother, and swam out of the depths with Lena.
Lena smiled, not bothering to explain what she meant.
As they ascended higher and higher, Lena became aware of a shadow passing above them, blocking out the rays of the sun. She turned her head as the massive shape shifted direction and began to skim downward past them.
“What is it?” she asked.
“A whale,” said her mother.
The gigantic body of the gray whale seemed to go on and on, sliding past them until its enormous tail swept within inches of them.
“Its tail almost caught us,” said Lena. “We would have been killed!”
“Not at all, dear one. The whale knew of our presence,” answered Melusina. “The word in your language is echo—” She paused to think. “Placement? No, location. Echolocation. It allows whales to know where thi
ngs are at all times. If he had wanted to, he could have caught us with his tail.”
“Big word, Mama,” said Lena teasingly. “The language is definitely returning to you.”
“There is another word.” Melusina tapped her forehead with one pale finger. “The humans try to mimic the echolocation of the whales with their machines. But it affects our friends the whales. Man should cease his interference.” She thought for a moment, then said, “Sonar! That is the word.”
“Oh, sonar,” repeated Lena. “I’ve heard about that. Poor whales.”
They swam on. After a time, Lena burst out, “I can hardly believe I’m breathing under water! I’m afraid I’m going to wake up and this will all be a dream.”
“But you did sleep, dearest. Then you awoke, and behold! You are still here.”
Lena hugged her mother. “I love this world.”
“I am happy to hear those words from you. This is your home now, as well . . . just as much as your home on land.”
“Mama?”
“Yes, dear.”
“That word, ‘behold.’ Was that you I heard that night when it was raining? It was you, wasn’t it? You said, ‘I beheld you, child.’”
“Yes, Selena, it was my touch on your heart from across the waves.”
Lena took her mother’s hand.
Once in a while, a mermaid or merman swam past them, bowing courteously. Some of them wore cloaks.
“Why do they have on cloaks?” asked Lena.
“Those who surface near land wear their cloaks. It renders us safe from view—we appear as seals.”
“Don’t you need your cloak, then?” Lena touched the pelt she wore.
“No,” said Melusina, with an edge to her voice. “I never wear my cloak.”
“Why not?”
“I will never wear it again!” she burst out.
Lena startled.
The mermaid took a calming breath. “Forgive me, my child. I should not have spoken so wildly. The cloak is a painful reminder of all I have lost. I have not worn it since my return.” She smiled. “But it brings me joy now, as it protects my dearest treasure.”
They swam in silence for a few minutes, then Melusina said, “I shall rise and take in air. We are far from the land, where no humans may see us. You must remain beneath the surface.”
The Mermaid's Mirror Page 18
