Falling in Deep Collection Box Set

by Pauline Creeden

  “I like this dress much better.” Calder patted her backside, appreciating the view. “Will I learn to do that?”

  Gaire nodded.

  Another question crossed his mind. He frowned and let his hand fall. “Do you think Mike’s okay?”

  Gaire shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Was Venora’s body in the car wreck?”

  Gaire shook her head. “You were the only one there. Don’t worry. Venora can’t come here. Nymphs have never been able to breach our city.”

  “It’s not that. What if she went back to Mike?”

  Gaire had no answer, and the worry wiggled behind Calder’s thoughts.

  * * *

  Calder still did not understand the science behind the day and night here. It followed a normal cycle – still called days, but a week is called a turn, Calder surprised himself with the recitation. Somehow, the air moves with the ocean current, feeding the coral, and on through the other side of the giant bubble… He tried to remember science and chemistry. Magnetic containment? He walked to the gap in the library wall, his eyes drawn to a merman far below him.

  Calder watched the man slip easily through the bubble to stand on one of the twelve semi-circle outcroppings that surrounded the round city, each equidistant from the one before and the one after. The merman’s knees bent, followed by a powerful thrust upward to hover above the outcropping.

  Pressing his legs together, a bright glow surrounded his legs. When the glow dissipated, a single yellow-green tail took the place of the tandem appendages. With a mighty flourish of fin, the merman sped away. He shook his head, disbelief still plagued him. How can I do that? Will it feel like drowning all over again?

  His breath caught as images trapped his thoughts. Red convertible. Darkness. For Mike’s parents, squeezing a slimy creature in the crook of his arm. The moon. Lovely. Gaire. The water was closing in. His view narrowed and a wave of dizziness forced him to his knees. He sucked on the air, gasping with his mouth open. Feels like a straw. Unbreathable air was thick, devoid of oxygen. He retched and gagged. Drowning. Flecks floated in his vision.

  A cool hand slid along his as he gripped the windowsill. The coolness slid slowly up his arm. She wrapped herself around him, surrounding him with softness. “You’re okay. I’m here. I heard you.” She said from behind, her mouth close to his ear. Her hands moved up, then slowly down his trembling arms, comforting against his hot skin.

  The dark waters receded and the spots clouding his vision disappeared. His breathing slowed and he noticed the sweat dripping down his back, the pulse pounding in his ears. In time, the drumming slowed, he shifted. Gentle words, soothing.

  “Better?” She stepped back.

  Calder nodded before pulling himself even with the window once more. “I’ve never had that happen before.”

  “You died.”

  “Well, I guess, I’ve never done that before either.” He flashed a weak smile.

  Settling into the cushioned chair, she smiled up at him. His heartbeat quickened, and he leaned forward to kiss her forehead, his fingers already woven in her black tresses. Her soft sigh tickled across his chest. Desire stabbed the pit of his stomach.

  Gaire pulled away. She whimpered when her hair held her still. Calder grinned, taking his time untangling his finger. The color spread across her face. Her green irises picked up the color, tinting them a teal shade. You are most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. “Why so blue?”

  Finally undone, the flip of her head brought her hair out of his reach. “If you must know,” her color brightened. “I’m blushing.”

  Calder laughed outright, earning another glare from the keeper. “Blushing? Blue?” He reached out to touch her blue-ing cheek.

  She slapped his hand, the color deepening. “Yes, I’m blushing.”

  “It’s cute.” The dangerous look on her face kept him from teasing anymore. “How do you manage to show up every time I think of you?”

  Her color deepened. His curiosity grew, and he pressed when she did not answer. “Well?”

  She waved toward the keeper and mouthed. Not here. Louder, “What have you been studying today?”

  Calder tapped his chin and whispered, “I won’t forget.”

  Gaire shook her head, her hair falling forward over her shoulders once more.

  “Well, I’ve been studying about the reason I exist, I suppose. The Blue Men being captured. I wondered how that happened. Did they ever find out how they were discovered?”

  Gaire shook her head slowly, her gaze darting to the keeper.

  Another conversation for later, Calder thought, he added, “I had no idea about the mermaid grave at Benbecula.”

  “We worked very hard to keep it quiet. That one was difficult for us to clean up. I was not very old at the time, but I remember. She decided she wanted to live on land, and that’s against the rules.” Her attention slipped once more to the keeper.

  When Gaire shifted in her seat, Calder felt the desire to move in sync. She was uncomfortable, and his reactions reflected the tension. He turned toward the keeper, who was still engrossed in her document. He bellowed, “Madam Keeper, I’m finished for the day. I’ll return in the morning.” He towed Gaire from her seat, escorting her from the room, out into the open air of the city.

  As he exited, he marveled again at the world built from coral. The light falling from the giant orbs fixed at the top of the arch filled the city with light. He knew they were hundreds of feet below where sunlight reached, but warmth and light flourished here in the underwater bubble created by some secret alchemy.

  Gaire’s feet took two steps to each of his.

  “Here we are in the open. Start telling.”

  “Nobody here knows how often I visited you. It’s illegal to land stride without direct instructions from the Mother Mistress. To learn do so, you must visit the Land Lost and learn their magic, and that is also against the law.”

  Calder hugged her, his voice playful. “Couldn’t stay away, eh?”

  Her disgruntled “humph” earned a kiss, followed by another. She sighed. “I couldn’t. Then I saw something…” Her voice died away. “It was a vision, I think.”

  She paused again, her eyebrows drew together, angling away from where they met.

  “Are visions normal?”

  Gaire shook her head. “Not for most mermaids. In it, Venora had found you. I was terrified for days afterward. I had to make sure your mind was so full of me, Venora couldn’t steal you away with her enchantment. If your mind was full of me, even if you couldn’t remember if I was real.” She motioned in the air between them, her earnest eyes glowing green. “Of my scent, of me, then she could not take my place in your mind. It’s the way a merman mind works. Once their brain recognizes the scent of their mate, then they are impervious to mirage magic. At least, that’s what I’ve read.” She shrugged, sadness tugged at her lips. “How else do you think Venora convinced your friend to love her, to see nothing wrong with her? It’s her mirage.”

  “You saved me.”

  But who saved Mike? He pushed the guilty thought away.

  She nodded. “But, really, I saved me… I don’t think I could have lived without you. I learned to use something called the Looking Well so I could find you.”

  She looked so earnest, but uncertain, he swept her into another embrace. Afterward, she continued, “Venora’s mother used to be a mermaid.”

  Calder settled Gaire on a short bench in a square, seating himself beside her. He draped his arm behind her, pressing his hand to her shoulder. “She decided she wanted not only to live on land, but to live against our code of conduct.” Gaire smiled sadly. “My mother captured Venora’s mother and returned her for her trial and punishment. She was found guilty of breaking our laws…”

  Another pause. “They discovered that she had committed murder. Some say she was responsible for the death at Benbecula. Mermaids don’t kill mermaids. Venora’s mother was changed to a nymph, marked as one in the Chronicl
es, and banished.”

  Calder held Gaire’s hand gently, his thumb rubbing across the back. “What happened to your mother?”

  “I don’t know. I can guess, but I don’t know. They tell me Venora’s mother had something to do with it, and Venora has wanted to kill me since then.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. Blue drained from her face. “I think Venora’s mother tried to kill my mother, my mother killed Venora’s mother instead. My mother was probably wounded and never made it home. Venora is a nymph, too, so she isn’t allowed in Cathair Uisce.” Her ashen expression was drawn.

  “What if there is something more?”

  Gaire tilted her head, quirking an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  He thought of Adrial’s visit to his room. “I’m not sure. I just think there’s more to the story than we know.” Calder squeezed her hand, adding nothing more.

  Chapter 3

  Calder scrubbed the blurry picture from his eyes. He scooted his wooden chair over the floor with a loud grating sound when he stood abruptly.

  Across the room, the Keeper of the Chronicles, a spectacled woman, looked up from her parchment. “Finished, Mister Brumen?” She pressed her teal lips together, every inch a stern librarian.

  Calder bristled. He returned to his seat, but closed the ancient text. Gaire swam through his thoughts and he wished for her company, instead of this old book. “So much to do before the ceremony,” he mumbled.

  “What was that?” Beneath a lifted eyebrow, she peered at him.

  Gaire strolled in, a shimmering tunic covering her, her legs flashing between the slits. All frustration fled, and he called out, “So much work goes into this colony.”

  A smug, “Hmmm,” and the librarian bent back over the aged scroll.

  Gaire dragged another chair to Calder’s table, the sound less grating when she made it. Calder watched her, openly studying her from his seated position on the table. “How do you do that?”

  She shrugged.

  “Gaire…” His voice dropped several decibels. “What if I want to visit Mike?”

  Gaire’s eyes widened, and her mouth opened slightly. “Why?” The word was lilted with fear.

  “I just want to check on Mike. I’ve been here a week.”

  She shook her head. “You don’t have to leave,” she said in a frenzied whisper. “I’ll take you to the Looking Well. Tonight.”

  But what happens if I don’t like what I see?

  * * *

  The light was fading in the library. Calder’s eyes hurt from hours of reading. His stack of study material had diminished by three books. Holding a quill, he dipped the tip into an inkwell before adding seaweed to his doodle. A groan escaped his lips as the librarian neared with four books in her hands.

  “Mister Brumen?” Her voice clipped each word.

  He did not answer, but waited for her to continue.

  “These four books detail the genealogies of Gaire’s family and your own.” She held up a red ledger. “Your family, but this is your more recent family and your mother is the last entry.”

  She held up the tan one. “Gaire’s are in these.” She pointed to two others, much darker. “You’ll be required to recite the genealogies.”

  Her glare added, “IF you are able.”

  “Sure thing.” Calder’s expression changed from satisfaction to disheartened, the corners of his mouth turned down. He reached for the titles. When he pulled, she gripped more firmly. He tried again, when she did not loosen her hold, he looked up.

  “Mister Brumen, you may be particularly interested in this book that I have included for your studies.” She tapped a small scroll nestled in the red book. The hard cover camouflaged the document. “I believe you will find the inscription in the front cover of equal interest.”

  She loosed the stack, resuming a rigid posture, her voice abnormally loud. Calder resisted the urge to glance around, certain she did not speak for his benefit alone. “Yes, Mister Brumen, I give you permission to remove the volume from my keeping. I understand how difficult the traditional recitation of genealogies might be for the human portion of your genetics.”

  He stood still as she marched back to her desk and resumed study of the scroll. She did not raise her head again.

  Calder eased the pile onto the desk. The crimson book was on top. The color matches Gaire’s lips, he mused. He scanned the room before opening the cover. Just inside, a small note glowed with the same ink Gaire had used. He grasped the corner of the thin paper and read:

  Mister Brumen,

  Gaire is in jeopardy. This afternoon, from a lower floor window, I overheard her confession. What she did not express is that only the Queen – the Mother Mistress – has visions. When a younger mermaid begins to experience visions, combined with other giftings, it means the queenly mantle of leadership is passing from one to another.

  This can be a perilous time. In the secret annals, many mermaids have been murdered to keep this responsibility from passing from those with an iron fist. Soon, Gaire will begin reading thoughts and exhibiting other abilities that will set her apart as our next leader.

  The Mother Mistress requested that I research visions and the laws governing this process. She suspected Gaire’s abilities. Please, keep her safe, Mister Brumen. Our traditions have been in place for thousands of years.

  I will be in contact.

  Shalidan, Daughter of Morvoren, Daughter of Arglwyddes

  The Keeper of the Chronicles

  When he read the last word, the thin paper evaporated in a tiny puff. The miniscule cloud disappeared in the ether tide, and with that, a strong foreboding settled across his shoulders.

  * * *

  That night, Calder spent three restless hours trying to fit all the pieces together. How do I help Gaire and save Mike? I have to leave one to save the other. I can’t ask Gaire to put herself in more danger by leaving her home. The Mother Mistress would punish her for being in San Francisco.

  A tapping interrupted his agitation. It sounded like tiny woodpeckers. Funny, I’ll probably never see a woodpecker again.

  Then he turned the knob, it did not open. Calder cursed, and the tapping grew faster, he turned the key, cursing his fumbling fingers. The movement stirred the air around a startled Gaire.

  “Calder.” She hissed, jumping into the room.

  She turned her back against his chest, pushing the door closed. “Where have you been?” He demanded against her ear. He felt her shiver, though when she spun out of his arms, her eyes flashed, the color high in her cheeks.

  “Why did you leave me out there so long?” Her hands were fists settled on her hips.

  “You’re in now.”

  Gaire ignored his question. “Are you going out in those shorts?”

  He looked around the bed. “I don’t have anything else.”

  “Did anyone teach you to make clothes?”

  He shook his head. “Try,” she said. “I know you’ve read about it.”

  “Wait.” Frowning, he looked down and focused on the molecules surrounding him. In an orange glow, pants formed over the small shorts. When he looked up, Gaire beamed at him.

  Considering the evening ahead, Calder’s hand landed on her forearm, staying her progress back toward the door. “Are mermaids nocturnal?”

  Gaire grinned. “No, but you should know that already, too.”

  “Why should I know that? Nobody even taught me how to make clothes. I had to read about that. And whenever I saw you, you were always awake.”

  Periwinkle spread across her expression. “Have you not read your homework?” Gaire looked fierce for a few seconds, but the façade broke and she laughed. “You’re impossible!” She crossed her arms, fierce once more, but the twinkle in her eyes still gave her away. “And, no, I have to take you to the Looking Well, so we can check in on Mike. It bothers me to see you so worried about him. He was important to you?”

  Calder nodded. “Yes, I can’t imagine what my life would have been with no mom, no da
d, and no family. I don’t think I would have made it past my teenage years, Gaire. And he pushed me to paint, to hope, to dream. I owe him so much.” His words had grown heavy with emotion.

  When his eyes met Gaire’s, he was surprised to find moisture filling them. “Then I owe him, too, Calder. If it weren’t for him, you would not be here.” He pulled her into another hug, feeling the tear drops spill from her eyes.

  Clearing her throat, she wiped her cheeks, adding, “Besides, I don’t want that nymph witch to have her way.”

  “Fair enough.” Calder put his hand on the knob. “Ready?” At her nod, they stepped out into the darkened city. “Is what we’re about to do illegal?”

  “Yes.” She darted down the corridor.

  They kept to the shadows. At each of the circular pads leading out and away from the mer-city, there stood one lone merman, garbed in shiny armor, watching. They kept out of view, letting the shadows hide them.

  She led him into the heart of the city, ducking behind statues, darting through so many corridors that Calder lost count. “How much farther?”

  She shushed him with a finger over her lips. Those lips, that pucker… Calder’s wandering thoughts were interrupted when Gaire threw her arm across his chest.

  “Stop.” She hissed. She pressed Calder against the wall behind her, as she leaned out into a large open room. Her pale shoulders relaxed.

  “All clear,” She flipped her hair forward over her shoulder with the quick movement.

  The great hall was covered in paintings. Real sea fauna grew within the artwork, providing a third dimension to each piece. Calder found himself drawn to the walls. He counted eight corridors leading away from this room. “Is everything circular here?”

  Gaire nodded. Calder straightened, puffing out his chest at Gaire’s pleased smile. “The whole city is circular, protected beneath the dome. We have three levels, and we’re on the lowest one now. The Keeper of the Chronicles, the Mother Mistress, all leaders of any kind live here in the lowest levels. The Well is housed below this chamber and sits at the lowest point in our city.”