FINNED (The Merworld Water Wars)

by Sutton Shields

  “But she’s a-a-a…” sputtered Waldorf.

  “I’m a Normal,” I supplied, trying to fluff my pancake hair.

  “Your father awaits you, Prince…and N-Normal.”

  “You can call me Marina, if you like.”

  “I will do no such thing, Normal. You should not be here,” he shrieked.

  “Waldorf! Mind your tongue!” demanded Troy.

  “I do apologize, Prince. This way, if you please,” he said, bowing.

  We followed Waldorf to a large open room with crystal columns and sparkling chandeliers. Lavish benches and chaise lounges encircled the room. The stained-glass ceiling looked like moving dolphins, and the floor twinkled with gold and silver circles. An impressive figure occupied a bejeweled throne at the head of the room.

  I could see Troy in every inch of his father. They had the same rugged face, shared the same thick, wavy hair, and both had the innate ability to make an outsider feel like a pariah with a simple stare.

  “Come forward,” he said, rising to meet his son. “How I have missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you too, Father,” said Troy, walking into his father’s embrace.

  “Using legs, I see,” he said, glancing at me. “I suppose she is the reason.”

  “Father, I’d like you to meet—”

  “Marina Valentine of Dallas, Texas. I know all about you,” said King Tombolo.

  I couldn’t tell if his tone was playful, disapproving, or friendly. Aw, hell, how do I greet a king? Movies…think back to some movies.

  “It is an honor to stand before you, King Tombolo,” I said, clicking my heels together and bowing.

  The laughter could NOT have been any louder.

  “Child, please stand,” said King Tombolo between laughs, slapping his hand against his emerald green fin. “You said she was an interesting human, but I had no idea!”

  “Sorry,” I said, silently begging my brain to think of something remotely intelligent. “You know, I’ve seen every mermaid movie, like, a thousand times and…well…I have, so…wow, that’s the biggest trident I’ve ever seen! Bet you can smite the heck out of anyone you want.”

  I’ve learned through experience that crinkled foreheads weren’t necessarily a good thing.

  “Quirky little thing, aren’t you?” said King Tombolo.

  “It’s charming after a while,” said Troy, rubbing my back.

  “I’m sorry…again,” I groaned.

  “Please, Marina, do not feel uneasy around me. I do not disapprove of my son’s relationship with you.”

  “You don’t?”

  “No. As a merman who has known love, I cannot possibly disapprove. As a king of Merpeople, however, I must never approve. When Troy wanted to bring you here, I had my concerns. Now, after seeing you together, I see the attraction is more than a casual affair.”

  “I’m not that kind of Normal, King Tombolo.”

  “I did not mean to offend you. I can see the kind of spirit you have.” He sighed. “You so remind me of…well, it doesn’t matter. I am sorry, Marina, but I cannot allow you to stay in the palace. Permitting you to stay one more second would compromise our peace.”

  “Father, this is ridiculous! This is the safest place for her to stay! The city is too dangerous. Please, reconsider,” said Troy.

  “No, Troy,” I said flatly. “I understand. May I ask you a question, King Tombolo?” Troy’s father nodded. “What kind of peace can you possibly have if you have to constantly worry about losing it?” The handsome king stared at me like I had purple and gold boils all over my face. “Let’s go. Pleasure meeting you, King Tombolo.”

  Troy led me down the main hall, his brow permanently furrowed. We stopped near a tiny alcove concealed by a thick red curtain.

  “What made me think I could even get through to him?” he said, pacing back and forth. “All I asked was for him to give you a room here. I didn’t even ask him to meet you. That was his idea.”

  My mind wandered from Troy’s ranting. Leaving him pacing around the hall, muttering about where to have me stay, I followed a subtle whispering to the little cove. Moving the silky drapery aside, I gasped. A stunning mermaid stared down at me from within a turquoise frame, her violet eyes peeking through her mink-brown hair.

  “That was my mother,” said Troy, startling me.

  “She was a brunette?”

  He nodded. “Father had this sand-painted before she left. Anyway, we have one more stop here before we leave. There’s someone else I’d like you to meet.”

  After countless twists and turns through the palace corridors, we ended up in a lonely wing with a plethora of empty rooms. Troy knocked on the only closed door—a pink crab shell door.

  “Wha-at? I’m busy!” shouted a woman from behind the door.

  “Even for your brother?”

  “You have a sister?”

  “Yep. Just wait until you meet her,” he said.

  I heard quickening thuds behind the door. When the door flew open, a beautiful woman with long, chestnut hair, violet eyes, fair skin, and a gorgeous smile greeted us. “Troy! My annoying baby brother!” she said, throwing her arms around Troy’s neck. She looked very much like their mother.

  “Treeva, this is Marina.”

  Giving me a big sisterly hug, she said, “Look at you, you cute little Normal! Good thing I wore my legs today!” she said, pointing to her shapely legs. “Oh, honey, your hair is tragic!”

  “I know,” I groaned.

  “Here,” she said, snatching a small pink bottle off a table covered with white coral crates. “Pouf Powder. Sprinkle it over your hair, and it will pouf right up!”

  I did as she suggested. I could feel the roots of my hair lifting while each little strand straightened to silk across my back.

  “Wow,” said Troy.

  “It’s like magic for bad hair…it’s the say goodbye to ghastly hair genie,” I said, handing the pink bottle back to her.

  “Oh, that should totally be its slogan. You keep it. Great little concoction. If you remember to sprinkle it on before you head out into the ocean, you’ll never again have flat hair. Now, come all the way in here you two!”

  Her room was more like a condominium, fully equipped with a kitchen, living area, and bedroom suite. There was a scattering of clothes, boxes, and odd items about the place.

  “See you still live like an octopus,” said Troy.

  “See you’re still a bratty little twerp,” she snapped back. “I’m working on my new line of mermaid clothing. Why should we have to wear hard, unflattering shells on our boobs? I mean, could it get any more—”

  “Caveman,” I said.

  “Exactly. Unfortunately, mermen aren’t too keen on change, and the mermaids are too damn timid to go against the mighty merman’s wishes. I’m trying to get more mermaids to show an interest in these, though” she said, holding up a flowing halter top.

  “They must want something different. I heard two younger mermaids complaining about those bra things outside one of the shops,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “I’d wear that in a heartbeat.”

  “Then it’s yours,” she said, handing me the silky garment. “It’s made from sea star thread—similar to silk, except it changes color according to mood.”

  “My sister is a sort of sorceress.”

  “I just like to experiment. Reckon you’ve met our dad,” she said, recognizing Troy’s tightened jaw. “He didn’t give Marina a room, did he?”

  “Sure didn’t. We’re going to a luxury hotel that he will pay for,” said Troy, grinning a little.

  “Eh, he can afford it,” said Treeva, shrugging. “So, see any shops you might like to visit? I thought we could go to town while you’re here and shop, eat, shop some more.”

  “Toys R Merps or whatever its name was…the big toy store downtown.”

  Treeva started bouncing up and down, her bright pink fin flashing on and off when she did. “Oh! Sorry! When I get excited, I tend to flash a little fin.
It’s a fintastic store! One of my favorites!”

  “For a woman of thirty, you sure act like a kid. Shouldn’t you be married by now?” Troy teased.

  “For a woman of thirty, I’m not a stuffy, stick-in-the-sand, boring sea hag. I’m fun, lively, and I don’t need a man who’ll suck all the life out of me. I like having my own life. Far fewer headaches. Now, Marina, I have something very important to ask you. Do you know the Deppster? Johnny-John? He’s a human I’d like to swim with, you know?”

  I giggled. “No, I don’t know him. You can watch human movies down here?”

  Treeva pressed a small crystal button on the wall. A massive screen dropped down from nowhere and floated before us. “This is a universal panel. It shows us mertelevision and Normal programming.”

  “Expensive little item you have there,” said Troy. “Dad wouldn’t get that for you.”

  “Of course not. I’m practically disinherited. Only reason I’m allowed to live here is because he wants to keep a distant eye on me. I bought it with my own money.”

  “You aren’t going through your sand trust, are you?”

  “Don’t be silly, Troy. I can take care of myself.”

  “Yeah, yeah. We should get going, Tree,” said Troy.

  “Of course,” she said, having to catch herself on her dresser.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “Just a little woozy.”

  We said our goodbyes, promising to have an Olympic-style shopping spree soon. Troy escorted me via seahorse-drawn carriage to the Dunesque Hotel. Magnificently decorated, the lofty Dunesque Hotel was a bright and airy masterpiece. Located just off a grand, sandy staircase was a majestic lobby with a winding crystal and coral front desk and concierge station. Sparkling lounges and luxury boutiques consumed the massive first floor.

  “I got you a room,” said Troy. “Damn clerk didn’t want to accommodate a human, though.”

  “I’m sure he caved once you turned on your princely charms.”

  “Funny. Now, to the tubes.”

  “The tubes?” I asked quizzically.

  “No elevators here, my little human. We use tubes to quickly reach the upper levels.”

  Once under one of the sparkling tubes, Troy touched a small shell to the rim.

  “Hang tight,” he said, grabbing a tighter hold of my hand.

  “Whyyyyyy?”

  Like little bits of dust trying to resist the suction of a vacuum, Troy and I flew uncontrollably up the tube…and sideways…and diagonally…until we reached room five thousand three hundred and thirty-three.

  “Are you okay?”

  “How…did I…not puke,” I muttered, after landing flat on my face.

  Troy laughed, helped me up, and then slipped the shell through a curvy slit on the door; the slit then disappeared and the door melted away.

  “Wow! Look at the view! If a certain apprentice witch could see this, she would totally ditch the bed knob for a merman,” I said, staring over the busy underwater city Troy calls home.

  “It’s a good thing I watch a lot of old human movies, otherwise I would never be able to keep up with how your brain references things. How about you take a nap, and I’ll sneak off and pick up your surprise?” said Troy.

  “I’m well on my way to winning a gold medal in napping, but you’ve already won the gold in gift giving. You don’t have to get me anything.”

  “It’s not so much a ‘have to’ as it is a really strong want.”

  “Oh, well, if you must. Present me up!” Troy kissed my forehead and hurried off.

  Once he left, I acted like a complete idiot and did some spastic bed jumping. I knew it was time for a nap when I bounced a little too high, slipped off the bed, and pulled my hamstring.

  After the most wonderfully relaxing sleep ever, Troy took me down to the hotel dining hall for dinner and dancing. I felt confident walking into the crowded restaurant wearing the flirty bubblegum pink dress Troy bought for me in the hotel boutique. I really need to learn not to get ahead of myself.

  Every merp, both Fairhair and Ravenflame, wore everything from appalled to enthralled expressions. To make matters worse, Troy was the only merp using his legs.

  “This puts the Eiffel Tower to shame,” I said, gawking at the lavish dining hall, with its views of the city and passing sea life.

  “This room is about even with some of the mid-sized buildings around the city, so you get a good view of everything going on around you. It revolves, you know. Oh, um, you don’t get motion sickness, do you?” Troy asked warily.

  “Nah. We gaggers reserve our weak stomachs for very special raw fish dishes and, you know, dating.”

  After the Ravenflame begrudgingly seated us, I eagerly buried my head behind the menu.

  “This is probably the world’s freshest sushi,” I said, reading the menu.

  Troy looked crestfallen. “They do crisp ulva and serve it with dressing. It’s a lot like those Caesar salads you always eat.”

  “Super. I’ll get that, then.” I did my best impression of a carefree girl. In reality, I knew I would barf all over the table if I had to smell raw—GAG—fish from Troy’s plate.

  “Ooh, not the gags. Look, I’ll get the same,” he said, closing his menu.

  After a sparse meal of crispy sea lettuce covered in a surprisingly yummy dressing, Troy felt like a dance.

  “I think they’re about to play the perfect song for our first underwater dance. Shall we?”

  I took his hand as he escorted me to the crystal dance floor. I swear we caused traffic jams among the hundreds of fish traveling beneath our feet; I tried not to think about them staring up my dress. The golden-jacketed merswing band had just started a familiar song.

  “Deep Purple Dreamers,” I sighed. “My great-grandfather’s song. You remembered. He was the best man I’ve ever known.” The words caught in my throat.

  “He’s in your heart. That’s why you still feel him so strongly when you think about him—he’s answering your thoughts through your heart.”

  Troy Tombolo just might be prince charming after all. I snuggled against his chest and looked around the dance floor for the first time. You would think we had some highly contagious disease by the way no one danced near us. Wait. I AM the disease—the disease of humanity. One pretty Fairhair literally high tailed—er, finned—it across the room when she saw me.

  “We’re the only two with legs. Maybe if you flash your fin, they’ll stop moving away from us. Maybe they don’t know who you are?” I asked hopefully.

  Troy grinned. “They know with or without my fin.”

  “Oh. Right.” Duh. He’s a prince, idiot!

  “We should probably get you to bed. No doubt my sister will drag you all over the city tomorrow.”

  “I’m good with leaving,” I said as another couple approached the dance floor, saw me, scoffed, and then zipped away.

  I managed to stay on my feet after riding the tubes this time. My hotel room was dark, but for the brilliance of the sparkling city lights.

  “Magical night, magical day…there’s a lot of magic going around, but, you know, without actual spells. Thank you, Troy, for my dress, for dinner, for everything,” I said, moving to stare out at the great big blue and all its remarkable inhabitants. “You know, this is just about the prettiest place I’ve ever seen, even in my imagination. Still can’t believe this is happening. I’m thinking I need a pinch,” I said, flipping around to face my merman. “Troy? What’s wrong?”

  Troy, with his fin blazing blue and a mini-trident in hand, floated in the middle of my room, poised for attack.

  “Someone’s inside,” he growled.

  I grabbed my backpack off the bed. “But…I locked the door. Five star accommodations, zero star security. Someone should report this to whoever hands out the stars,” I whispered.

  GAH! Loud bangs on the window startled me. Treeva had pulled up in a sleek silver mermobile.

  “Troy, they’re after her, Kyle Zale and his clan.
She’s not safe here,” Treeva shouted through the window.

  “They’re inside, Tree,” said Troy, keeping a steady watch in the room.

  “ABOVE YOU!” screamed Treeva.

  Kyle Zale and four of his henchmen darted down from the ceiling like missiles. Covering my body with his, Troy pressed me against the window. Kyle and his men fired their trusty tridents, but Troy blocked each ray before sending off a storm of his own. Blue and purple flashes filled the room; the blue ones eventually overtook Kyle and crew, pinning them to the walls with thin blue chords.

  “We only have a minute,” said Troy. “Tree, meet us by the window at the end of the hall!”

  Treeva whizzed off. Troy pulled me onto his back and soared out of the room and down the hall. As soon as we were in sight of the window, Troy fired his trident, blowing out the glass.

  “Where’s Treeva?” I asked.

  Before Troy could answer, a purple burst of light barely missed my head. Twisting me around to the front of his body, Troy took aim at the mermen behind us and lunged for the busted window. We soared out of the window and landed in Treeva’s suddenly appearing craft, having barely escaped an enormous amount of purple rays.

  “What the hell was that?” I asked. “Mini-tridents actually work? Aren’t tridents only for kings?”

  Troy was completely ignoring me.

  “Our father has the ocean’s largest trident, next to Poseidon. We didn’t always have a mass market for weapons, but back in the days of the war, families needed to protect themselves from the Ravenflames,” explained Treeva, masterfully driving her mermobile. “So, after discovering the magical qualities of the trident, a brilliant mind replicated them for the masses. Unfortunately, the smaller tridents stuck around, even after the water pact. At least the minis aren’t as powerful or as resilient.”

  “Troy, how did you overcome Kyle and his men with a single mini-trident?” I didn’t know whether to be elated over his fighting skills or unnerved. “And how do you know how to drive like this?” I asked, flipping back to face Treeva, while white-knuckling the seat.

  “She doesn’t drive that good,” Troy scoffed.

  “Not what I asked you.”

  “I’ll answer for my brother. As children of the king, we were trained in all levels of defense—weaponry, escape, mental prowess, physical conditioning. With each level we satisfactorily passed, we actually earned special abilities. Damn. They’re coming.”