"Maybe one day." Moonbright let out a softly whirring sigh, settling back to rest her head on Riven’s shoulder. "And maybe they will understand me. Why I did what I did... and why I belong here now."
Warmth swelled in Riven’s chest, and she leaned down to press a kiss against the top of Moonbright’s cool, smooth head. But she couldn’t relax yet. Wouldn’t be able to until she knew there were more sweet, salt-tasting kisses to come.
"If they did accept you back..." Riven stopped, faltering for a moment before forcing herself to ask the question that scared her the most. "Would you go?"
"I may reveal myself one day," Moonbright said, neck flaps slowly rising and falling with the rhythm of the waves in a way Riven recognized as deep thought. "But it will not be to beg for return, or because I’ve forgotten the day they cast me out. And I will not come to them as a savior, holding their lives in my hand. Such reunions are false." She was silent for a moment, and Riven waited. "I don’t know how or when we will meet again. But this time, it will be by my own choice. My own life."
"And what of your life?" Riven asked softly, in a whisper almost lost among the waves. "Am I to be in it?"
Moonbright turned her head to look up, smiling with her lips, her softly glowing scales, and her eyes, dark as the night Riven would never find frightening again. "I want to stay here with you in these warm shallows. Stay warm. Stay fat. Never be hungry again. Keep bringing you treasures, as you've given me."
Riven laughed, even as new, happy tears sprang to her eyes. "What treasures? The shell?"
"Your heart," Moonbright thrummed, pulling Riven closer, and she could feel the vibrations everywhere they touched. "That’s the most priceless. If you ever fear the water again, remember that I’m in it. And know I'll always come back to you—because the tide has to come back in."
Now, Riven kissed her. Now, she gave herself fully over to joy, losing sight of every fear in Moonbright’s gentle, strong embrace. For a moment, she lost herself as well. But it was a wonderful kind of lost, and when she found herself again, she let her heart sing, knowing the only songs in her future were those she’d sing for herself, or the two of them, bound to nothing anchored only to one another.
The sky overhead was still dark save for the pinhole-lights of stars. There was still a hole where the moon used to be. The sea and the beach still stretched out, vast and empty. But the witch who lived there was no longer melancholy, the mermaid was no longer hungry, and neither of them would ever be alone again.
Also by RoAnna Sylver
Chameleon Moon
Chameleon Moon
The Lifeline Signal
Life Within Parole (Chameleon Moon Short Stories)
Life Within Parole
Un-Dead
You're Not Going That Way
Runtime - A Chameleon Moon Short Story
Always Be You
The Library Ghost and Happy "REGARDS"
Lunar Requiem
Moon-Bright Tides (Coming Soon)
Stake Sauce
Arc 1: The Secret Ingredient Is Love. No, Really
Standalone
But Not Up Here
Watch for more at RoAnna Sylver’s site.
About the Author
RoAnna Sylver is passionate about stories that give hope, healing and even fun for LGBT, disabled and other marginalized people, and thinks we need a lot more. Aside from writing oddly optimistic dystopia books, she is a blogger, artist, singer and voice actor.
She lives with family and a small snorking dog, and probably spends too much time playing videogames. The next adventure RoAnna would like is a nap in a pile of bunnies.
Read more at RoAnna Sylver’s site.
The Kraken Collective is an alliance of indie authors of LGBTQIAP + speculative fiction, committed to building a publishing space that is inclusive, positive, and brings fascinating stories to readers. Get news from us! Sign up for our mailing list here, and be the first to know about new inclusive SFF releases! If you’re looking for more delightful stories with classic SFF creatures and a happy f/f ending, check out...
Cheerleaders From Planet X by Lyssa Chiavari
Laura Clark thought she was just your average college freshman—until the day she saw a cheerleader on a skateboard get into a superhuman brawl with a lightning-wielding stranger in a trenchcoat. And the only person who saw it is the beautiful, standoffish Shailene, one of the possibly superpowered cheerleaders of her Laura’s rival school. Fun and fast-paced, Cheerleaders from Planet X is a perfect blend of old tropes and fresh twists wrapped around a romance that might just be … out of this world.
Available Now!
Moon-Bright Tides Page 4
