They smiled in return. One said, “Yes, ours were the original.” They fastened them to their belts, brightening the ocean in a yellowish sphere around them.
Calder squinted forward. “Can I see better?”
“Than when you were land bound?”
He nodded.
“Yes, your irises are larger and your pupils dilate to a much larger diameter. You see as merfolk do, using the little available light to see long distances. Your vision will return to a human equivalent when you go ashore.”
“Who are you?”
“We were sent from the Land Lost. We are not so lost to land as Mother Mistress would have you believe. My name is Hope. I am named for the human half-sister of my father.”
Calder’s gaze flicked to the other. “Does your sister speak?”
Sadness clouded the ice blue eyes of both. “She is Melody.” Calder noticed the gentle squeeze from one sister’s hand to the other. “And, no, she does not speak.”
“Why?”
She flipped her blond hair, irritated. “Her tongue was cut out by that she-witch that holds your brother-friend.” She waved toward her twin. “It took us days to find her and rescue her, betrayed by one of our own.” She added nothing else, but her eyes smoldered through the dim water.
He didn’t ask any more questions, but followed his new escorts, comforted by the vehemence of the sisters. They didn’t offer any more information, but made hand signals to one another effectively eliminating him from their conversations.
Instead, he studied the new experience as the water slid by at speeds that surprised him.
It feels like flying. He smiled into the water. No, more like skydiving.
The movements needed to swim seemed unnatural, requiring a flexibility he didn’t know he possessed, but the motions were familiar.
Like realizing you’ve visited a place as a kid.
Anxiety stalked him from the edge of the surrounding dark water, but he kept it at bay by mentally replaying Gaire’s kiss on his forehead. Almost able to feel her healing coolness wash over him, he swam where his rescuers led, his thoughts dwelling only on his mate.
Several hours passed. They stayed just below the twilight zone. Calder could see farther through the water than he had ever seen before. He could sense where ships weighted the surface of the water, the pressure of them registering somewhere in his brain.
He knew they swam the Pacific, but were heading toward land, by the composition and temperature of the water. He heard the squeals and clicks from dolphins several miles away. By the third pod, Calder wished for a break in the monotony.
I wonder if I can communicate with them somehow.
Still traveling at a high rate of speed, he did not slow the paddling of his tail, but imagined the pod swimming with them for a time.
He heard two clicks followed by the whistles of several different dolphins. Their sounds grew closer. The leader of the two slowed her pace. “Do you wish to rest?”
Calder shook his head. “No, I need Gaire. We should keep going.”
She laid her hand on his arm. “You’ve called the pod. They’ll be here shortly and wish to play. If you need to rest and wish to play, we’ll need to surface. There are no boats here. We are making good progress.”
Calder frowned. The sun. I haven’t seen the sun in weeks. Will it feel the same? “Do you swear Gaire is safe?” He stared deep into Hope’s eyes.
She nodded. “I would not lie. Gaire’s safety is my sole purpose.”
“Then we will rest, but not for long.”
She nodded. “It is a good time to rest. Your tail muscles are not used to the use. Our speed will be faster once we’ve rested.” She hovered in the water. Her sister smiled also, both allowing their bodies to right themselves vertically before pushing hard against the water, moving upwards.
Calder followed. Oh, Gaire, I wish you were here. He thought he heard, “I love you, Calder,” in her voice.
The sunset stretched across the sky before him as he broke the surface of the water. He imagined the sun setting and rising out on the open ocean – the flat expanse of forever water tickling his muse. How would I paint it? All flat lines and colorful skies… Painting…I miss it. His fingers twitched as he imagined taking a brush to canvas.
He imagined he heard Gaire whispering, I love seeing things through your eyes.
With a start, he realized what had just happened. You can hear my thoughts? Are you safe? I’ve been so worried.
“For some time – since before the library. I am safe here with the Land Lost. I am well.”
How is this possible?
“It is a byproduct of our bonding. Try it. I know you can do it.”
Can you hear everything?
“Yes,” she answered. “It is meant to make our bonding last across miles of ocean. I will teach you to close the door between us. It takes time to learn how, so most bonded pairs choose not to use the trick after learning to live around every thought of their mates.”
We’ll learn together.
The sun warmed Calder’s back. He relished the change from the always-cool mer-city, but by the hour’s end his skin was tight and dried, and hearing Gaire speak into his thoughts brought night-time memories to his mind. Remember San Francisco?
When she giggled, his throat dried with nervous anticipation. Will it feel the same?
Everything will feel better than before, Calder.
After that, Gaire had grown quiet, and the distraction drew him more and more away from the fun, his eyes being drawn again and again to a faraway point.
The sea was calm sea in the wake of the dolphin pod. Hope asked, “Ready?”
Calder did not even wait to respond, diving forward into a hard swim, reaching out to Gaire across the miles. He was drawn toward her, an invisible road map.
* * *
Miles flowed away and hours passed. The ocean bottom lifted to meet Calder like a familiar friend. Land… It’s been a while. He felt different than expected. Estranged almost.
A flourish of hand signals drew Calder’s attention from his thoughts.
Hope raised her hand, “We’re growing close. We should slow so that they can see us approach. They’ll open the gates when they recognize us.”
The waters were warmer, clearer, and the sunlight reflected off the white sand marked by ripples from the waves above. Hope and Melody surfaced, with Calder close behind.
“Are we close?” A long island rose above the surface of the ocean before them. Calder noticed a shimmer that moved through the air. Gaire yawned and stretched in her corner of his mind. Calder felt her gasp as her movements disturbed her injuries; he could not stop the sympathetic wince he reflected.
Hope grinned, elbowing Melody. “Do we have the right island, Sister?” Melody offered an innocent shrug, pointing to the west. Calder did not hide the irritation as his stare swung toward them, but he caught the twinkle in Melody’s eyes, followed by a fast in and out wheezing sound shaking her shoulders.
“You got me.”
Hope’s laughed lifted high over the temperate waters. “We did. None could come between a mermaid and her mate and certainly not one as strong as Gaire.”
Calder puzzled on the words. “Strong?”
“It is her story. She will tell you, in time.”
He didn’t press, but another shimmer across the long island brought a different question to his lips. “What is the light between us and the long island?”
Hope and Melody wore mirrored pink smiles. “It is our shield. It can camouflage our island from travelers. We don’t swim across the island, but a matriarchal colony all sharing the same leg tattoos would cause questions. It’s the same technology they use to cover Cathair Uisce.”
Another shimmer crossed the shield hanging in the air, then disappeared completely. Once gone, Calder could hear the call of wild animals from the lush inland.
Hope raised her hands toward the long piece of land before them. “Welcome to your new h
ome. This is the first of three long islands we inhabit; we affectionately call them the Three Fingers.” She swam leisurely toward the island, her sister following close behind.
Calder took in the view. “Always wanted to try living on a tropical island,” he announced.
Melody dipped down, racing ahead. Hope smirked but said nothing. She waved at her sister before speeding away. Calder turned a questioning eye toward Hope. She shrugged. “She flirts with an eel-lipped land brother and believes he will offer his protection in mating. She rushes to his side to give him every opportunity. I can’t see what she sees in him,” she added under her breath.
They still swam at a leisurely place, Gaire was coming closer. The excitement building in her chest tickled the pit of his stomach.
“Your face does not keep secrets. It tells that you have felt the bond she shares with you.”
He chuckled. “She reads my mind.”
“Yes, she can. She can also read mine. But you are two parts of one whole. You have been bound since before either of you were born, betrothed since your youth, and now mated. She lives in your mind just as you live in hers.”
She placed her foot on the beach, her fin split into two legs without slowing her steps. She continued, “Such unions are always bestowed on the mermaid queens. She will draw from your strength.”
Calder stumbled. “Is it different than changing to a fin?”
Hope nodded and beckoned him to the beach. “Yes, it’s harder and harder again without the water surrounding you, but you can do it.”
“How?”
“Focus, focus, and more focus.”
I will help you. Gaire’s words steadied Calder.
By the time his orange scaled legs propelled him forward, she had gone, and the weight in her words brought a fresh onslaught of unsteadiness.
The beach did not sway with the heartbeat of the ocean. Shaky steps led him haltingly up the beach, the pulse of the waves tugging against his precarious balance.
Gaire broke through the foliage onto the beach, her smile stretched from ear to ear. Calder held out his arms. He fell when the force of her hug knocked him to the sand. She feathered kisses across his face, Calder pursuing the bright lips with his own. The intensity burned through his mind, drowning out the wild animal calls and the rolling crash of waves.
Gaire broke the deep kiss. Beneath his hands, thin stripes crisscrossed Gaire’s back, reminding him once more of the brutality she suffered. A pang of worry struck him, and he loosed his hold, gently pushing her to a seated position.
She laughed. “No, it doesn’t hurt now.” He thought of the morning’s stretch. A sheepish grin settled over her mouth. “It only hurts when I stretch, but the healers are working to right that by tomorrow.”
He studied her profile, her expression was pensive. This close, he could almost discern each of her rolling thoughts as she turned the puzzle this way and that in her head. “How did you get here?”
“Hope and Melody brought me also.”
What is it? He pushed the thought toward her, testing the bond.
She turned to regard him. “They wish to make me queen.” Calder held his breath. “We will be meeting with the Elders when the sun bends low to kiss the horizon.”
Calder lifted an eyebrow. Tossing a shrug, Gaire rolled her eyes. “Every important thing in our history – for millennia,” a hand motion emphasized the last word, “has been done at twilight. It’s always called ‘when the sun bends low to kiss the horizon.’ It’d be faster to call it sunset or something.” Her lips pursed, staring at a distant point. “Some traditions never change.”
Her sad sigh floated out and away on the breeze. His strong arm pulled her against his bare chest to press his lips against hers. They stayed until the sun reddened, throwing mauves and pinks across the clouds, contrasting the gradient blue expanse. Calder kept watch while Gaire nodded as she dozed.
A gust lifted Gaire’s hair, and it grazed Calder’s cheek. The unexpected caress woke him from his reverie, and he shifted to whisper against the delicate ear, “Gaaaaiiire.”
The low growl and gentle tug of his lips on her earlobe evoked his name. Pleasure laced her voice, and his body flushed.
Beach is empty…
Ignoring his awakened need, he gently jostled her. “I think they’ll be coming for you soon.”
She sat up, pushing her hair from her face. The designs on her leg glinted and sparkled, blues and green winked in the peachy hues of the setting sun. Calder whispered, “You’re incredible.”
Her lips opened in a languid smile. When she turned toward him, her eyes twinkled. Calder was mesmerized, held by the halo of light around her face, her dark hair falling free around her shoulders, the lush fauna in the distance, the sounds of the water caressing the beach. “I will never forget this moment. I think I will spend my life trying to capture it.”
Without warning, Gaire moved toward him, her expression playful. Surprise brought an answering grin to his face, and he threw his arms wide, before closing them around her, pressing the raven-haired woman against him.
As Calder’s desires stirred, he looked up the beach and down.
The feelings careening through her exploded into her corner of his brain, effectively shattering what little restraint remained. Beach. Still empty, was Calder’s last coherent thought before he claimed the woman that completed him.
The warm sand made a soft bed, and they did not hear the approaching footsteps. From far away, there was a cough, the sound was out of place in the sensations. The cough was repeated, a grating sound in the current of emotions driving them both.
Gaire retreated. Calder lay on his back, panting, suddenly bereft of Gaire’s moist warmth, elbows dug into the sand. His eyes opened in a fierce glare, his cursing growl not far behind. “What is it?”
Hope’s mocking grin met his angry gaze. “They need her.” Melody stood nearby, a complete copy of Hope’s expression.
Calder threw his head against the white seaside pillow.
Already standing, Gaire leaned over him, her face upside down in his view. “Come, beloved, we have years yet.” Vulnerability, nervousness, and uncertainty broadcasted from her side of their bond. She chewed on a fingernail, and her chin quivered.
His frustration ebbed, his desire quieted by her distress.
“Really?” She offered a small nod, and then Calder really did smile. He reached out. Stepping around, she slipped her hand into Calder’s and helped him to his feet.
“You say years.” Calder twitched his reddish eyebrows, and then he draped his arm around her. “Do merfolk live longer than humans?”
Lifting her chin, she brought her eyes to his, lowering her voice and arching one ebony brow, the quiver had disappeared. “We age like humans until we reach maturity. At that time, our years lengthen. When your human form died, you were reborn as mature mer. We’ll live twice as long as humans and only grow white with age. Agility and flexibility will be our curse until we die.”
Will old age be our cause of death, Gaire?
Chapter 6
Calder crossed his arms. “Why does your clan need Gaire?”
“It’s the only thing we’ve been missing. With a queen, we can say our society is matriarchal. Gaire is the first to show the signs of being queen. Well… that we are aware of.”
“What are you saying?”
Hope had tears in her eyes, and she moved her hand rapidly in sign after sign, while Melody shook her head. She turned back to him, “I don’t know much. What I know has been passed on from others. Did you ever meet the Madam Gardener while in Cathair Uisce?”
“Yes, she came to see me when I first arrived.” He pulled at some errant grass, sulking over the lack of information. “When she introduced herself, she said she had expected ‘more.’”
Hope guffawed, and Melody launched into a tirade of finger talk with Hope nodding now and then. The two said nothing more to Calder, but leisurely kept their spots.
Irritate
d that they had given him no more information, he studied his surroundings. Here, the dome was only visible intermittently when he looked straight up. It pulsed every so often, rainbow colors beginning at the zenith and traveling downward in a ripple.
Finally, Gaire stepped out the door, followed by a silver haired woman. Her legs were covered in scales in grays and mossy green. Calder looked at her curiously, but he had not paid attention to the feelings from the link.
Leading the older woman forward, Gaire smiled at Calder. “Calder, I want you to meet someone. She left Cathair Uisce after we did,” She turned her smile to the other woman, then back to him. “No, she left because we did.”
Calder stood, dusting sand from his shorts.
Gaire’s happiness shone in her eyes and hummed along their bond. She put her hand on his forearm. “May I present Mariella, Daughter of Morvoren, Daughter of Arglwyddes, Chief Madam Gardener. She is my favorite of all the Gardeners. Her skill with coral is legendary. She fashioned beautiful gardens outside the palace.”
The other woman laughed good-naturedly. “I only did what I could. My skills do not compare to the Gardeners of old.”
Calder shook her smooth, tattooed hand.
“Mariella helped explain why I needed to help you.”
“Nonsense, I know what you know to be true. I only have the added weight of experience. You will gain that immediately when you are queen.”
“Thank you.”
Calder’s eyebrows raised as Gaire’s cheeks cooled to a blue.
She pushed the thought, “She told me to call her by her name. I have never called her anything but Madam Gardener and curtsied to her throughout my life. It’s… awkward for me.”
Calder smiled at the older woman, when she took his hand, she swayed. He braced his arm to steady her. “Are you all right?”
“I’m sorry, dears.” She looked around the worried group. Hope and Melody had also stepped forward to offer assistance. Mariella continued, “It’s been some long years since I’ve walked on the earth. It does not move as waters do and my muscles are wearied. May we sit beneath the palms?”
“I’ll be there in one moment,” thought Gaire, her expression was grave. The twins followed, looking grim and nodding.
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