by Brandon Witt
“I trust your rest was rejuvenating. I am certain your journey has been a tiresome one.” Queen Akamaii addressed Wrell but swept her gaze over all of us.
Wrell imparted an image of the five of us asleep in the darkness of Nalu’s room combined with a warm feeling of gratitude. On the heels of the vision came one of the scarlet bird enclosed in the glass ball.
At the thought, I jerked my eyes up from their subservient position, expecting to see Akamaii angry at our snooping. Instead, her smile widened, pride filling her cloudy eyes. “I am glad you met her. It has been many years since we have had this particular species. It is one of my favorites. I do believe I could spend weeks simply staring at its delicate features and graceful movements. So much like swimming, yet so very different.”
I was dying to ask how they were able to capture birds and keep them so far under the water. Even if they were able to trap a bird somehow, I couldn’t fathom how they kept the pressure at such a depth from crushing the glass ball.
Therin apparently had no such curiosity, or at least wasn’t inclined to inquire. “Your trust and hospitality are most appreciated. We are humbled by your generosity.”
Akamaii only nodded in response. “May I inquire if you plan to have a prolonged stay with our tribe? If so, I will have other accommodations readied.”
After a moment’s hesitation, we saw a vision of Wrell, Therin, and I swimming through the open seas. Clearly Wrell’s way to say we needed to be on our way.
Lelas glanced over at him, her eyes narrowed, but she gave no greater response than that. My excited feeling of being on the verge of something great darkened at the image. The assumption was clear. Lelas would be staying here with the Scarus. With her mate. Somehow, amid all my worries of Lelas’s mating, the possibility of her not coming with us hadn’t been one of them. From the look she gave him, it hadn’t been one of her considerations either.
Therin spoke, either oblivious to the implication or maybe because of it. “Our stay will be limited. I confess I find myself desiring to stay among your tribe. I have many questions and was unaware of how many things I did not know. While I do hope you offer insight to our quest, we must continue on. If there is a chance that we can discover what is harming our species, then it is time to put the threat to an end, should Moheetla see fit.”
Akamaii paused before she responded, choosing her words carefully. “I am not surprised you have questions. To my knowledge, in our existence, you are the only mers to enter the inner-Scarus territory. Indeed, despite my previous meeting of Wrell and the motive of your journey, I do not believe I would have been persuaded to allow such a risk.” She hesitated again, openly staring at Nalu and Lelas. “This mating helped convince me to allow you entrance. If I am to claim faith in Moheetla, then I must trust that such a mating is for a greater purpose. I cannot fathom a greater purpose than an end to our oppression.”
I found her words to be rather self-aggrandized. She hadn’t been the one to let us enter Scarus territory—that had been Laban. It only took me a moment to realize that Laban would have been able to communicate with her through the distance without us hearing.
“Should we take that to mean you have some knowledge that may prove useful in supporting our quest?” Therin’s voice couldn’t hide the hint of excitement.
“Make no mistake, Chromis, take not our welcome to be an action of self-sacrifice.” Her expression hardened, although I couldn’t understand what had offended her. “We owe no debt to any tribe of mer, save the Synchi, and even that may be called into question. The knowledge I impart will be to protect the existence of my tribe and offspring. We have lost too many. Only recently young Punahele was taken from us. If it benefits the Chromis, the Volitan, or any other tribe, it is not because of my own desire. Only the Scarus and Synchi had no part in this befallen fate.” Her eyes hardened even more as they turned on me, and for the first time, I saw the same queenly disdain that I had found in Syleen’s every expression. “Even with the mating, it is ultimately the abilities of the creature that exited your loins that has given me cause to risk the secrets of our tribe. Only he may prove useful.”
I flinched as she mentioned my ability. Being referred to as a creature didn’t even faze me at this point. Syleen had called me much worse. When Akamaii’s hard stare finally passed from me back to Therin, I looked over at Nalu. If the queen knew about my fire, it had to have come from him. I’d forgotten he was to report back to the queen. I knew I didn’t like the guy.
I glanced around the gargantuan space. Real or not, I felt every eye on me, each drilling into me with hate and suspicion. If the Scarus had never had any other mers here, having a demon in their midst had to be on the scale of… well, having a demon in their midst. What’s worse than that?
Being morning, the room was brighter than it had been the previous day. Even the swirling surface of the ceiling was fully illuminated. The room seemed filled with three times as many mers as yesterday. The waves of fear and hate cascading over me were nearly crippling. I would have easily placed the number of mers to be nearing a thousand. Such a thought would have thrilled me before, but at the moment, it was intimidating. Despite the theory of my indescribable immortality, it felt like they could descend and rip me to pieces at any second. Even the countless vivid fish that darted through the water appeared sinister. Everything seemed smothered in a cloak of combustible hostility.
Wrell finally broke the tension. He offered a vision of his own creation. The familiar redheaded Chromis boy being dragged onto a boat and then pulled up a sandy beach was replaced by the small boy curled on Laban’s lap. As soon as his thrashing form disappeared into the foliage at the beach’s edge, I saw myself—naked and running at lightning speed, combusting into flames as I entered the trees.
Maybe breaking the tension wasn’t exactly what transpired. The entire Scarus tribe tensed as one entity, their bodies stiffening, eyes flashing, weapons raised. Even the queen seemed years younger as fury allowed her withered form to sit up straight, her left arm stretching out to cover the young merboy on Laban’s lap. Only the child seemed to have been spared the vision, as he reacted more slowly than the others, flinching back at Akamaii’s gesture.
Akamaii’s stare that drilled into Wrell was so filled with fire I could have easily believed she had some demonic ancestry of her own. “When you leave our territory, regardless of your success or failure, Volitan, should you ever come within a day’s journey of my people, I promise your destruction—no matter how many centuries may pass nor how long my bones have been turned to foam.”
Wrell offered no act of aggression or form of apology. He simply kept his unwavering gaze trained on Akamaii.
Without taking her eyes from Wrell, the queen spoke, her voice fierce and free of the aged waver I’d noticed before. “Ewalani, take Hoku away.”
A young mermaid, nearly a mirror image of the Akamaii I’d seen in Wrell’s vision, angled over and swept the merboy off Laban’s lap. The child reached for her in relief, wrapping his arms around her neck, his tail encircling her back. Before she swam away with him, she glared at Wrell with even more hate than was offered to demon spawn. No doubt, this was mamma.
Nothing moved in the room as Ewalani swam toward the nearest exit, little Hoku nearly strangled in her protective embrace. His huge brown eyes stared at us in a mix of confusion and fear. He might not have been sure why everyone was upset, but he knew we were the reason.
Akamaii glanced over her shoulder, following Ewalani’s path. When the mermaid and her son were gone, the queen turned her anger back upon Wrell. “I am not fool enough to be unaware of your motivation, Volitan. I—” She broke off, her gaze scanning the room. “The Scarus have suffered enough loss that I do not require any more incentive to share the history of our tribes, of which you seem to be neglectfully ignorant. Nor do I have need of seeing the youngest generation of my offspring fall prey to a vampire—it is a fear I see in my own mind every day. Although never as clearly as today.�
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“Vampire? Did you say you’re worried about vampires?” I didn’t mean to say anything. The last thing the queen needed was for a demon to enter the conversation, but she’d caught me so off guard that I blurted it out without any forethought.
Her eyes flashed toward me, their dark depths blazing. For a moment, I thought she was going to stare at me in silence, then turn back to the others. “Yes, demon. I did indeed say I am worried about vampires.” Her brows furrowed as she steeled herself to continue speaking to such a low life-form. “It is creatures of darkness that I fear. Creatures not unlike yourself.”
It wasn’t even a temptation to refute her claim. Even if I could, what did it matter? “Why vampires?”
She glared at me, disdain replacing the hate in her gaze. Disdain led to quiet disregard. Hatred led to spewing forth of venom. We needed spewage. I hoped Wrell would give her another vision of her grandson, or whoever he was, being trapped. This time throwing in a vampire or two.
Wrell didn’t seem to have the same instinct as I, and no vision came.
“I’ve had some interactions with a vampire. He… killed my best friend.” Where did that come from?
An eyebrow cocked. Not exactly a sign of compassion or camaraderie, but at least it was something. After a time, the queen’s gaze finally left mine, passed over Wrell, then paused on Therin before settling on Lelas.
“I will tell of the Scarus’s history. Of the betrayal of the tribes. I will do this because I see no other course that may lead to the end of this persecution. I do it to save my people. In so doing, my only regret is that it will aid all other mers—tribes that deserve no such salvation.” Akamaii’s eyes passed over the rest of us, even lingering on me for the briefest of moments. “I will not be interrupted. I will not defend my words. They are yours to accept or reject. When the tale has been told, you are to leave our territory and never return.” At this, she held tight to my gaze. “If you are successful, you are the only one from whom I will allow testimony. Although you need not bother. We will know of your success or failure based on the safety of our people.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Therin and Wrell bow their heads in covenant. I followed their lead.
Akamaii continued to sit straight, unassisted and perched on the coral. She lifted her chin, and in so doing, the light struck her face at just such an angle that for the briefest instant I could see her former beauty, her regal demeanor. “Leave us!”
As one, the Scarus tribe rose from their crowded positions and began to file out of the chamber. At first, I only noticed them exiting in rows of ones and twos from the two entrances we’d used. Then, due to the speed the space was emptying, I saw them pouring out of holes and doorways spread throughout the space, even near the pinnacle of the swirling ceiling. Once more, I was overwhelmed at the vastness of the tunnels cutting through the volcanic island.
In less time than I would have dreamed possible, the space was empty, save for the four of us, Nalu, Akamaii, and Laban. In the bright light of morning, and in the absence of the mass of bodies, the room looked even more cavernous than it had when we’d first arrived less than twenty minutes before. Even the shell-like opalescence of the room wasn’t enough to distract from Akamaii. I knew this was it—the information that would tell us whether or not our quest had any hope.
The queen turned to Laban. “You must leave too.”
Laban hesitated for only an instant, no show of emotion playing on his face. “Yes, my queen.”
Nalu moved forward as if to assist him to a rising position, but he waved the younger merman off.
Laban was still visible just outside the entrance when the queen looked at Lelas and Nalu. “You must both leave as well. There are things I must share with our visitors”—she grimaced—“with the others that are not beneficial to the Scarus tribe as a whole.”
Nalu nodded instantly and began to swim away but made it no farther than an arm’s length before he realized Lelas wasn’t following.
For the first time since I’d known her, Lelas looked pained, her eyes flickering from Nalu to the queen, then back again. “Despite what Wrell and the others may believe, though I have found my lifemate, I am not abandoning my tribe or the quest. I do not mean to show disrespect, my queen, but I am committed to seeing this journey through.” Though she spoke to Akamaii, she never looked away from Nalu, her eyes pleading for understanding.
The queen looked on the verge of replying when a vision interrupted her. Lelas and Nalu were in the cylindrical room, closely inspecting the bird in the glass sphere. Beside them, a young, fair-skinned mermaid rapped on the glass with a small finger. She had the dark-red tail of the Scarus tribe but the blonde hair of her mother.
Lelas’s hand rose and covered her heart, and Nalu returned to her side. Through heavy-lidded eyes, she addressed Wrell. “Have you become a prophet today, friend?”
Wrell didn’t reply, only repeated the vision, this time with a sense of desire, of longing.
Lelas gave a small nod. “Yes, that is more than I dared hope for, but that may still be a reality. After we have done all we can to change our tribe’s fate, I can return to see if such a vision could become reality.”
Akamaii’s voice was stern but not overly harsh. “No, my dear. You may not. The knowledge I will offer to aid this journey is one that only a Scarus queen may have. I will soon share it with Ewalani, and it will be her burden. No other in our territory may possess it. The truth may be too much of a temptation, though I believe Moheetla has given the Scarus enough strength to overcome.”
The queen’s gaze left Lelas and turned to Nalu. It was clear he was asking her something in private. From the concerned expression on Lelas’s face, she was no more privy to it than the rest of us. Finally, the queen shook her head.
“The choice is yours. Whether you are Nalu’s mate or not, you are free to choose your own path. It is not mine to dictate. However, once chosen, you may not alter your course.”
Lelas’s blue eyes grew huge, as if finally comprehending what the queen was truly saying. “If I continue on with my tribe to help end the capture of mers, I may no longer return as Nalu’s mate.”
Again, Wrell showed the young, blonde Scarus mermaid. His own sense of desperation washed over us.
Lelas gave him a sad smile. “Thank you for your love and concern, Wrell, and I trust there is a way for me to one day meet that lovely daughter you conjure.” She returned her attention to the queen. “And Nalu, if he stays here and then joins me later, may he return as he wishes?”
The smile Akamaii gave Lelas seemed genuinely regretful. “No, there is no middle ground on this matter. The tribe is more important than one mated pair, even if it is the only mating I have been witness to.”
Panic settled over Lelas. Even if I hadn’t known her so well, I would have been able to see it. She looked like she was being torn in two.
“I will go with you.” Nalu’s voice was strong and steady. He reached out to pull Lelas to him.
She resisted, unwilling to give in to his embrace. “No. You cannot leave your family, your tribe, for me.”
“You are my family. Where you are is where my tribe is—whether it be made of hundreds or just two.”
Akamaii looked at Nalu in shock but quickly regained her composure. “Truly, the lifemate is as powerful as the legends tell.”
Lelas began to protest, but the queen cut her off.
“What is done is done. The choice has been made. Nalu—”
“Lelas, why do you not take a moment to truly consider? Think of the life you can build here. Our hearts will break without you but also revel in your joy.”
I was shocked at Therin, that my paint-by-number father would dare interrupt the Scarus queen. Much less contradict her. Akamaii, judging by her expression, was as surprised as I.
Lelas’s gaze swept over us, pausing longest on me, before returning to Nalu. “I am sorry, my love, but I must see this through with my family. It will kill me to p
art with you, but I see no other choice. I cannot let them risk their lives alone. I have lost those I love too…” She glanced toward the queen, a question in her voice, before looking back at Nalu. “I will not ask you—”
Nalu cut her off and turned to the queen. “Where my mate goes, so must I. May I say my farewells to my family?”
Akamaii’s eyes softened, and for a brief second, I thought she was going to rescind her decree. “Then be off, say your good-byes, and meet your mate at the boundary of our territory. She will be waiting, I am sure.”
Nalu apparently hadn’t had any such delusions about the queen’s determination. Without a pause, he bowed deeply in her direction. “Thank you, my queen.” He straightened, turned to Lelas, and kissed her lips briefly. “I will see you shortly, my mate.”
He paused as Lelas said something to him privately.
“I will not debate. You are my heart. My home.” With a few powerful thrusts of his tail, he turned and sped away, his mocha skin and sapphire scales glinting in the sunlight.
Maybe it was selfish, but no way was I going to try to talk Lelas into staying with the Scarus. She belonged with the Chromis tribe, pure and simple. She belonged with me—with or without her mate. Though I had to admit, asked for or not, Nalu had just earned my blessing.
Akamaii once again waited until we were fully alone to continue. “My words are meant for the four of you alone, and Nalu, when you wish to tell him.” To my surprise, she addressed me. “It seems that you are not able to direct your words to whom you wish?”
It took me a moment to realize she was asking me a question instead of just stating a fact. I nodded, somewhat abashedly. “Very well, then. For you to be allowed to hear what I have to share, I must have your commitment that you will remain silent. Not only in this chamber, but until you have completely exited the Scarus territory and there is no chance for your words to travel farther than you intend.”
That was a small request, although one that would require more restraint than she had reason to assume I would possess. “I give my word.” I glanced around the massive chamber once more, for some reason expecting to see another mer hiding amidst all the human treasure that was spread through the space. There was none. In the absence of all the mers, the vast number and variety of fish was more apparent, and part of me expected the queen to command them to leave. She did no such thing; instead she launched into her story with no more qualifications.
