by Wendi Wilson
“Genevieve was a lovely mermaid,” Merric says without preamble. “I fell in love with her instantly, right after she punched me in the mouth.” He pauses to chuckle. “Soon after we married, your mother was born. Ah, she was the most beautiful merling, with her mother’s red hair and my good looks.”
He shoots me a grin before letting it drop into a frown. “Genevieve was swimming in shallow waters, looking for seashells to decorate Merryn’s room when a human whaling ship sailed near. I had been searching for her all morning. I saw her in the distance and called out to her. She turned, a beautiful smile lighting up her face, when it happened.”
“What happened?” I ask, afraid I already know the answer.
“A sailor on the deck of the ship must have seen her tailfin shimmering in the water. He grabbed a harpoon and shot, its jagged edge piercing her abdomen and going straight through to exit from her back.”
My hand flies to my chest, a pain burning there as I imagine Merric watching his beloved wife killed in front of him. My grandmother. Killed by a human. This whole situation is becoming clearer with each word that passes his lips.
“She died in my arms that day, leaving Merryn motherless and myself with a burning hatred of all things human.
“The law…” The words trail from my lips, my voice barely a whisper as everything starts to make perfect sense. I clear my throat. “That’s why relationships between the merpeople and humans are forbidden.”
“Yes,” he says, staring through me as if lost in the memory. “I was so angry. I did not give myself time to grieve. Genevieve’s wake had barely ended when I made the first declaration of the new laws. All Mer were forbidden to have any contact whatsoever with humans. The penalty for such contact would be banishment.”
I swallow thickly, unable to tamp down the emotion his memory stirred. “That’s understandable,” I say. “You were grief-stricken, probably out of your mind with pain.”
“That’s very kind of you,” he says, his eyes refocusing on me, “but my rage did not stop there. A series of subsequent laws were enacted, each worse than the one before, each instilling a hatred of all humans in my people. I let my anger and pain poison them.”
“What kind of laws?” I ask, not sure if I really want to know the answer.
King Merric drops his eyes to the floor and I swear, I see a pink tinge light up his cheeks. “If any Mer forms any kind of relationship with a human, the penalty is death. If said Mer somehow escapes punishment, and a child is conceived, that child will be considered an abomination and will be executed in front of his or her parents, who will then also be executed. Any Mer who is found to have known about these crimes and did not report it to me shall be banished from Delmare forever.”
“That’s…awful.”
His eyes jump back up to meet mine. “I know. I regret my rash words, but what I regret even more is letting the people of Delmare become so hateful and full of vengeance. They are a bloodthirsty lot when it comes to humankind, luring sailors to their death any time a boat crosses their paths.”
“Can you reverse the laws?” I ask. “You said earlier that you don’t want to kill me. At least, not if you can help it, right?”
“Kailani, when Merryn left I was devastated. My only child, the only thing I had left of my beloved, deserted me for a…a human.” He spits the last word out like a curse. “I raged against her to all the people of my kingdom, worked them up into a frenzy, and declared her dead to me. When I found out she had gone to the sea witch, whom I had exiled for crimes against our race, my rage multiplied exponentially. I sent my best hunters to search for her and the human. If they were found in the water, he would be killed and she would be brought here to be executed in front of the people on whom she turned her back.”
I jerk back, unable to keep the disgust from my face. His kindness and regret made me forget for a while why I was here. My life for the lives of my parents. Regardless of the fact that he’s my grandfather, he put a price on my head.
“So, now you have all of us and, what? You’re going to kill us all? Or stick to your deal and let them go now that you have me?”
His head rears back as if I’d slapped him. A trickle of fear makes its way up my spine. Maybe I should have kept some of the venom from my voice. He is the king, after all, and holds my life in his hands.
“Kailani,” he says, his voice soft, “I regret my words and my actions from that time. I was a broken Mer, my heart shredded by the decision my only daughter made to leave our home. To leave me. I am trying to undo the damage I caused, but the hate runs deep in the hearts of my people. I must tread lightly, or they will revolt. Should that happen, all four of us would be dead.”
“But… you’re the king.”
“And kings fall. I am sure it is much the same on land with your human leaders.”
“But-”
“Enough of this,” he says, interrupting me. “I am positive you are anxious to see your parents. I have them locked in the queen’s suite of rooms. I shall take you there now.”
“But I thought… You told Adrian you’d take me to my cell, yourself.”
“My people assume you will be locked in our prison, as your father was for many years.” I must flinch, because he hurries to add, “He was well taken care of, not abused. Worry not. When Merryn was captured, I moved them both to Genevieve’s rooms to keep them safe. I told my people I wanted them close, so I could keep my eye on them, and that was not a lie. There are some who would harm them to appease their hatred for humans.”
“Well, thank you for that.”
He nods and holds out an arm, indicating I should precede him through the arched entryway. Once I swim through, he passes me and takes the lead, his head held high. I take the hint and keep my head lowered like the submissive prisoner I’m supposed to be. I don’t see much of the palace and before I know it, he stops in front a pair of large, gilded doors.
He opens both doors simultaneously and swims through, leaving me out in the hall. I hear my mother’s voice ask, “Daddy?” before he veers to the side and leaves me in plain view. She shouts my name, but before I can respond, I’m wrapped in her arms and being pulled into the room.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt? How did you get here? I told you to stay out of the water!”
“Mom, stop,” I say, pulling away from her. “I’m fine. I can explain every…thing.”
My words trail off and my body freezes in place when I notice the merman floating behind her. His dark hair sways gently in the water around his shoulders and his blue eyes are wide. No one says a word as we stare at each other, neither of us moving an inch. The sound of the door closing breaks the trance. I hear the sound of a lock clicking and look behind me to see King Merric has left the room.
“Kailani.” My mom’s voice draws my attention from the door and back to her. “This is Dante,” she says, nodding in the merman’s direction. My eyes follow her nod and land on him, soaking the sight of him in. “Your father.”
Chapter Ten
“Hi, baby girl.”
His voice is smooth and deep, just like I’d always imagined it would be. No, that’s not quite right. It’s not how I imagined it. It’s how I remember it. I remember his voice, those words. He used to call me baby girl, before…
“Daddy?”
The word squeaks out and suddenly I’m wrapped in his arms, sobs wracking my body. My mother’s soft form presses against my back and it feels so good to be sandwiched between them. They hug each other around me and don’t let go until I get ahold of myself.
“How are you here?” Mom asks as she pulls me further into the room. “I told you to stay out of the water.”
I look from her to my father and back again. “I had to come. He said the king would kill you both if I didn’t.”
“Who said that? What are you talking about?”
Her questions pepper me like darts, her voice rising with each word. My father reaches out, placing his hand on her arm. Her body visib
ly relaxes as he trails his fingers down to her hand, interlacing their fingers. Fascinated, I stare at their hands for a long moment.
“Kai?”
My eyes jerk up to his face and he nods, encouraging me to continue. Once I start talking, the words spill out like a waterfall. I start with the night Ms. Coraline reversed her spell and tell them everything that happened, including my conversation with Adrian about him helping us in return for making him human.
“Oh, God, Kai. I’m so sorry. I had no idea you would get so sick. I thought staying out of the water would work.”
“It’s okay, Mom. Bryce and his parents came up with a solution. I owe them so much.”
“Soul mates, huh?” my dad mumbles.
I shoot him a grin. “Yes. Don’t forget the telepathic synergy and the power to vanquish evil sea witches.”
“Okay, I guess I’ll just have to get used to the fact that you’re not a little girl anymore.”
I laugh, then look at each of them in turn, growing serious. “So, King Merric is my grandfather, he doesn’t really want to kill us, but he may have to if he can’t find a way out with the hateful people of Delmare.”
My mother nods, saying, “Yes. It’s true. I’ve spoken to him and he’s made peace with my decision to become human.” She turns to Dad and smiles. “He knows I did it for love.”
“So, do you think we should tell him about Adrian? Maybe he could come up with a plan to use Adrian to get us out of here and keep the heat off of himself?”
“Maybe,” she says her eyes unfocused. “If Daddy can’t find a way to change the people’s minds, it may be our only option.”
Hearing my mother call anyone, much less King Merric, “daddy” is just weird. I shake it off and look back at my father. His eyes soften and he reaches out his free hand, grasping mine. I pull his hand into my chest, pressing it against the locket hidden beneath my dress.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you.” I pull the chain, lifting the locket out so they can see it. “I found this.”
My father’s eyes widen. He releases our hands and cradles the charm gently, turning it over in his hands to read the inscription on the back, his voice quiet.
“My love is as boundless as the sea and stronger than any monsters that lie within.”
“It’s beautiful,” I say, breaking the silence the followed his words. “Celine and Bran cast a spell on it. If anyone near intends to harm me, it heats up.”
“Really?” he asks, releasing the locket and watching it float down to rest against my chest.
“Yeah,” I say, tucking it back under the dress. “They put the same spell on your watch for Bryce.”
“My watch?”
I feel the heat of a flush creep into my cheeks as my mom answers him. “Kailani has worn it every day since she was about six, when she found it in my room.”
The corners of his mouth lift into a sad smile. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you, baby girl.”
“Dad,” I say, my voice firm, “I understand. You made the decision to put me first. You both did. I could never resent you for that.”
Mom’s mouth turns up as she pulls me into a hug. “I’m so happy to be with you, but I really wish you hadn’t come. It’s dangerous here for us all.”
I pull back so I can see her face. “What was I supposed to do? Leave you both here to die and go on my merry way? No. We are getting out of here. All of us.”
“That’s my girl,” Dad says, ruffling my hair.
“We need a plan,” I mumble. “And we need to find Bryce.”
Bryce? I call out through our bond. Bryce, please. Answer me.
Nothing. Complete and utter silence. That scares me more than the hundreds of merpeople outside these walls that want to kill me.
Ugh. I’m so bored. The awkward silence that’s enveloped us for the last few hours is weighing down on me like a ton of bricks. Dad keeps trying, but any conversation he strikes up peters out almost as soon as it starts. I want to feel comfortable around him. He’s my dad. But I just don’t know him yet.
A knock at the door breaks the quiet and we all look at each other with comically incredulous expressions. I can’t imagine King Merric knocking. This is all his to enter at will. Plus, he knows we can’t open the door. He locked it himself.
“Who is it?” I call out for lack of a better response.
“It is Adrian, Kailani Ericson.”
I swim quickly to the panel and say, “We can’t open the door. It’s locked.”
I hear a click and back away just before the door swings inward. “That is why I have the key.”
He swims forward carrying a large, covered tray. Crossing to a large, golden table, he sets it down before removing the dome with a flourish. “It is time for breakfast.”
My stomach growls at the word and I realize I haven’t eaten since we left the beach. Slept, either, for that matter. It’s been at least thirty hours. I’m surprised I haven’t passed out, yet.
I swim to the table, ready to attack the food. My stomach turns at the sight. The tray is piled high with dead fish and some kind of slimy looking seaweed. I throw up in my mouth a little.
“Is this all there is? I can’t eat raw fish. That’s disgusting.” I know I sound like a whiny brat, but I’m suddenly starving and it really is disgusting.
“I am so sorry, Kailani Ericson, let me just go start one of these ‘fires’ humans are so fond of and cook this fish for you.”
“I told you to call me Kai and did you just make a joke, Adrian?”
A slight reddish tinge highlights his cheeks. “This is what the Mer eat,” he says, his words stiff and formal once more.
“Kai,” my dad says, pulling my attention from Adrian and his hot and cold attitude, “it’s not so bad.”
I look at the platter and wrinkle my nose. “It looks pretty bad to me.”
“Honey,” my mom adds, “you’re a mermaid…for now. That means every part of your body, including your taste buds, is Mer. Try it.”
“I don’t know, Mom.”
“Trust me,” she replies quietly.
I can tell she’s still feeling guilty about ordering me to stay out of the water, which led to me getting sick. Pinching my lips together and stiffening my spine, I swim closer. I grab a piece of seaweed, the lesser of two evils. Closing my eyes, I shove it into my mouth.
Intense flavor explodes on my tongue. Salty and slightly chewy, the texture is better than I could have hoped. I swallow with a moan of pleasure, my stomach grumbling for more. My eyes open and focus on my parents, both of them grinning.
“Well?” Mom asks, as if she can’t tell.
“Okay, I was wrong. You were right,” I say before shoving another piece into my mouth.
“Now, try the fish. You need the protein,” she says as I swallow the huge mouthful.
“I don’t kn-”
“Try it, Kailani,” she says in her best “mom” voice, cutting off my protest.
I feel the seaweed trying to come back up as I reach out and lift a fish by the tail. “How am I supposed to eat this?”
“Just take a bite,” my dad says, his voice gentle.
My eyes wander from the fish to my parents, then to Adrian. One silver eyebrow is arched, daring me to wuss out and refuse to eat it. Oh, he’s finding this amusing, is he? Keeping my eyes locked onto his, I suck water into my lungs and lift the fish to my mouth. His mouth turns up, calling my bluff. Irritation courses through me at that smile.
I release the water I’ve been holding in as I open my mouth and chomp down, tearing a piece of flesh off with my teeth. Chewing slowly, I savor the salty, mild flavor before swallowing.
“I must be starving,” I say, “because this actually tastes good. I usually hate fish.”
“It tastes good because you are a Mer,” Adrian says, his smirk gone. “The Mer eat fish.”
“Thanks a lot, Mr. Know-It-All,” I say, sticking my tongue out at him and his superior attitude.
I take another
bite, my thoughts swirl as I watch Adrian watching me. He seems so arrogant, so full of pride in being a merman. It’s clear he feels the Mer are superior to humans, yet he jumped at the chance to betray his own people and live the rest of his days as one.
Swallowing, I ask, “Adrian, why do you want to become human?”
His eyes widen and shift frantically to my parents, then back to me. I shake my head and swim past him to the open doorway. Peeking my head out, I look both ways to confirm the hall is empty. Satisfied that no one is around, I push the door closed and turn back to Adrian, whose face is beet red. With embarrassment or anger, I’m not sure.
“It’s okay,” I say, holding my hands up in a placating manner. “I’ve discussed our deal with my parents and we have a lot to fill you in on. Did you know King Merric is my grandfather?”
“Of course,” he says with a nod.
“Well, thanks a lot for telling me.” My words drip with sarcasm.
“I am sorry, Kailan… Kai. I did not feel it was my place to tell you.”
He’s probably right. It would look suspicious if he told me and I wasn’t realistically shocked at my grandfather’s admission of our family ties. I nod, letting him know I understand and won’t be holding it against him.
“My father doesn’t want to execute us,” my mother says, breaking the silence.
Adrian’s head jerks back at her words. His mouth opens and closes a few times before he can form words. “What is this? Some sort of trick to entrap me in treason? Of course, he wants to execute you. He made the law!”
He turns and swims for the door. I have to stop him and make him believe us, so I shoot forward and slip in front of it, holding my arms up in front of me. He pulls up short, hurt shining in his eyes.
“Adrian, please. Hear us out. This is not a trick or a trap. My mom is telling the truth.”
He swivels and looks at Mom, who nods encouragingly. Throwing his head back and gazing at the ceiling, Adrian huffs and swims back to my parents. Feeling the tension drain out of me, I follow slowly behind.
I keep quiet, listening to my mother and father explain the king’s change of heart, his protection of them both while they’ve been here, and his desire to get all three of us out here, alive and safe. When they finish speaking, Adrian stares across the room, his eyes unfocused.
