I don’t really understand how this ship is still intact after so many centuries under water. I sent as Jason and I explored the hold of the shipwreck we’d found the other day. While it was obvious the vessel had suffered damage before sinking, it was still structurally sound. Except for the hole in the hull I’d created when my body crashed through during the fight with the nekahi it was intact.
The deck of the ship was littered with rigging still connected to the foremast which was lying the length of the wreck. The main mast was missing but the mizzenmast was still intact. It was eerie to see the ship lying at the bottom of the ocean as though it had just been sunk. The ropes, which should have rotted long ago, were still strong and the pulleys moved easily when Jason tugged on one end. There weren’t any bodies on deck, but the detritus left behind showed the craft faced a violent end.
The on-deck cannons were intact and were still polished, which was another mystery. The name of the vessel was written in large, gilded letters on the stern, and I looked forward to getting to a computer so I could look up the history of the Flor do Mar. After we finished scouring the deck, Jason and I decided to keep exploring the rest of the ship while Brian was eating his meal. We swam through the hole in the side of the ship into a treasure trove.
There were hundreds of chests in the hold, many of which had broken open and were spilling their valuable cargo across the hold space. There were also bars of silver and gold stacked floor to ceiling within locked steel cages and barrels filled with loose precious gems.
I’ve never seen so much wealth in one place before, Jason sent, what are the laws concerning shipwrecks?
I don’t really worry too much about salvage laws, since there are millions of shipwrecks on the bottom of the ocean and only a small percentage of those will ever be found. That’s not including the thousands of cargo containers that fall off cargo ships into the oceans each year. Besides, there seems to be some sort of magic keeping the ship in such perfect condition and we don’t want that to fall into human hands. We’ll take some of the gold and silver coins, bars and some of the gems with us. After all, that’s how I’ve amassed my fortune over the years.
We quickly realized the way below decks was blocked and we couldn’t remove enough debris to get around the obstruction, so we swam back out the hole in the side and made our way to the upper deck. We could see great damage to the half deck, and it looked like the main mast crushed that portion of the ship when it snapped off, probably due to one of the violent storms common to the waters in this area. If the mast destroyed the ship’s wheel at that point, there hadn’t been any hope of steering and that was likely what led to its sinking.
We were able to use our hands and claws to clear enough rubble to swim down the main staircase and finally make our way to the captain's cabin. The door was shut but we were able to use our strength to force it open and swam into another mystery. While we could see perfectly well underwater, we could only see in whites, blacks and greys inside the ship because the sunlight from the surface was cut off. However, the instant we entered the cabin, I could see in vivid color again because there was light spilling from one of the beams above the captain’s berth.
The cabin was a mess, probably because the contents were thrown around violently during the storm that led to the sinking of this vessel. Chests containing gold, silver and jewels were burst open but the wood of the chests themselves was remarkably well-preserved.
Jason, we’re going to take as much of this treasure as we can but we must get it to the surface before I can add it to the pocket dimension on my necklace.
You’re not going to try opening it underwater again? Jason laughed in my mind.
Once is enough, thank you very much, I sent as I stuck my tongue out at him. He laughed harder. I opened the pocket dimension while underwater last year so I could extract my trident and although I didn’t notice anything at the time, hundreds of gallons of water poured in my mother’s throne room when I opened the pocket dimension later to store the trident. It took a lot of work to get the rest of the water out of the magical storage area in the necklace.
What do you think this is? Jason asked as he looked at the glowing object on the wall.
My guess is it’s some kind of protection or preservation charm. It didn’t keep the ship from sinking, but it has preserved it for at least four hundred years.
Four hundred years?
I’m guessing, but this type of ship is called a carrack and they went out of favor with the trading companies in the seventeenth century. I murmured as I examined the charm.
It was glowing so brightly it was difficult to make out the details but I did notice there were large symbols etched at the four cardinal points of a compass and smaller symbols between each of the larger ones. This close to the object, I could feel waves of energy pulsing from the charm and spreading throughout the ship.
Let’s leave it here for now, I sent to Jason, and gather some of this treasure and leave it on the sea floor before we explore the rest of the ship.
We chatted mentally as we filled ten mesh dive bags with treasure. We wanted to gather as much as we could but knew we would be leaving a lot of valuables behind. We focused on gold and silver coins and jewelry which could be easily melted down to sell. Once a bag was as full as possible without bursting, Jason would take it outside and place it on the seabed away from the ship.
When we finished with the captain's cabin we explored the rest of the ship which was preserved like an underwater museum. As we swam from space to space below decks we witnessed what life must have been like on a ship like this. There was evidence of a violent storm in each area we explored but it wasn’t until we got to the galley that we found a body amongst the wreckage.
It was a bit of a shock to see the man, who I assumed was the cook, floating in the galley. His head was bent at an unnatural angle, so he probably broke his neck in the storm. Except for that, he looked like he was sleeping. Since the galley was dark I couldn’t tell what color he was wearing but the fabric was rough. His feet were bare and he had burn scars along each arm. Cooking on a ship must have been a dangerous business.
While we didn’t find any other bodies it still felt like we were swimming in a tomb. We were respectfully silent as we kept looking for magical artifacts but didn’t find any.
The rest of the crew must have been on deck dealing with the storm, Jason mused as we made our way above deck.
You’re probably right. The cook would have been doing what he could to keep hot drinks ready for anyone able to come below so that’s why he was the only person we found.
So, what’s the plan? Jason asked and I turned to look at him. His hair was gently waving in the current and the scarlet and purple fins on his forearms were rippling, too. He smiled, opening his arms to me and my heart melted. I took one of his webbed hands in mine and marveled as I looked at his claws, which could cut through steel. They only stuck about an inch beyond his fingertips, but I knew they could extend six inches when he wanted them to.
I put my arms around his waist and put my head on his chest. The fact he would willingly become a merman for me always filled me with such joy. I wanted to spend the rest of our lives together letting him know how I felt.
I’ve got a couple of suggestions, I sent as I turned my face to his with a wicked smile.
Is that so? he asked and gave me a kiss.
I’m not interrupting anything, am I? Brian called as he slipped the tips of two tentacles between us and pushed us away from one another.
I don’t think that’s necessary, I muttered.
He laughed as he responded, I take my role of chaperone very seriously.
No one asked you to do that, Jason grumped.
Actually—we did, I said smiling. I swam back over and gave Jason a quick peck on the lips, just three more months until we get married, then I’m all yours.
I’m looking forward to that, he said and laughed.
July 15
Indi
an Ocean
50 Nautical Miles South of Melbourne, Australia
“Hey, toss me another Ginger Chilli,” Brian called from the captain’s chair on the bridge of the Hatteras 70 Motor Yacht I’d purchased in Melbourne. After we discussed the best way to get the treasure to the surface so I could add it to the pocket dimension on my necklace, we concluded we should get a boat. We decided I should get the boat while Brian and Jason moved the treasure from the hold of the Flor do Mar.
It only took me a few hours to swim to Melbourne, but it took a few days to locate and purchase a boat. I wasn’t going to buy something cheap, since I planned on having it sailed to my home in Newport Beach. So, after some searching, I bought a seventy-foot yacht which was extremely easy to sail. Thankfully, the previous owner had installed extra fuel tanks so I didn’t have to stop for fuel on the way back to the shipwreck. Still, it took almost a full day from Melbourne to return to our spot. It gave me plenty of time to contact Josef and Alister to update them on the magical item I found. They agreed with my decision to harvest some of the treasure before I removed the object from the wreck.
When I finally returned to the spot where I'd left Jason and Brian, I dropped anchor and mentally called for them to start bringing up treasure. At first Brian tried to save time and grabbed a chest in each of his tentacles but when he moved a hundred feet from the Flor do Mar, the wood disintegrated, and the contents spilled back to the ocean floor. We suspected something would happen when we moved out of range of the protection charm, but we didn’t expect anything that drastic. It was a good thing I’d purchased a hundred extra mesh dive bags while I was in Australia.
It took us most of another day for Jason and Brian to bring up treasure in bags and I’d add each bag to the pocket dimension. I was grateful the weight of my necklace stayed the same regardless of how much I added to the dimensional locker. When we’d removed a quarter of the treasure from the wreck, I decided it was time to remove the charm from the Flor do Mar.
Jason insisted on going with me into the captain’s cabin to remove the magical item, which I thought was sweet.
Are you sure you don’t want me to remove it? Jason asked.
Thank you, but King Alister and Josef gave this assignment to me. If it makes you feel any better, I’m pretty sure nothing is going to happen once I remove it and the ship probably won’t be affected until we swim far enough away, I mused as I studied the object embedded in the wood. I purchased some dive knives at the same time I bought the bags so between my claws and the knives I felt certain I could easily remove it from the beam.
Here goes nothing, I sent as I used my claw to score a rough circle around the object. The wood parted easily, and I tried to use the blunt end of one of the knives to pry out the charm. Unfortunately, it didn’t budge.
Hmmm, my claws seem to work. Hold this please, I sent and handed Jason the knife as I continued to carve into the wood. I cut a square section surrounding the charm from the beam then Jason and I each used a dive knife to pry the square from the rest of the ship. The moment the piece we’d been working on broke away from the bulkhead, there was a shockwave and the ship shuddered.
Uh oh, I sent. I may have been wrong about nothing happening once we removed the charm.
Let’s get out of here, Jason mentally shouted as he pulled me to the door and shoved me through.
I tucked the block containing the charm under my right arm and swam as fast as I could to reach the deck.
I’m right behind you, Jason assured me once we cleared the deck and swam towards the surface. We stopped a hundred feet away from the Flor do Mar and turned back to see what was happening. The ship disappeared in moments as we watched hundreds of years’ worth of decay disintegrate every piece of wood and organic material on the once proud ship.
Treasure hunters might possibly find the remains of this ship in the future but at least they won’t find evidence of magic, I said as I grabbed Jason’s hand as we raced to the surface.
Once we got back on the boat, I added the charm embedded in the block of wood to the pocket dimension and we got underway. We set a course to Flinders Island off the coast of Tasmania to refuel and buy food and drinks popular in Tasmania, which is where we got the Ginger Chilli soft drink.
“No problem, do you want something to eat, too?” I asked Brian as I rooted through the ice chest for the Tasmanian soda.
“Ooo, how about a few of those Wallaby pies?” Brian turned in the seat to grin at me.
“It’s a good thing we bought so many of them,” I laughed as I tossed him the drink then grabbed three pies.
“Do you want anything Jason?” I asked and tossed him a couple of pies after he held up two fingers, then walked Brian’s three over to him. “You sure you guys don’t mind sailing back to Newport Beach?” I asked as I munched on my own pie.
“It’ll be fun,” Jason grinned. “Besides, unless we leave your new boat behind, we need to sail it back. It’ll only take a month, then there will only be two months until the wedding—less planning for me,” Jason teased.
“You know there’s not much planning,” I said as I poked him in the stomach. “We’re having a simple wedding on the cliff at the house.”
“I’m just teasing,” he said as he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me on the top of my head.
“You better not miss Alister and Aileene’s wedding,” I warned.
“We won’t,” Brian promised.
“If we need to dock in Hawaii and swim home, we’ll make sure we’re on time; don’t worry.” Jason soothed.
“It’s not me you’ll have to worry about if you miss it, you’ll have an angry Royal Dragon to deal with.” I laughed evilly.
“Do you mean Alister or Aileene?” Brian asked.
“Yep,” I answered as both Brian and Jason suddenly looked nervous.
July 22
Newport Beach, California
“Hello stranger, I haven’t seen you in a couple weeks.” Enrique said as I walked up.
“I took a trip to Australia and Tasmania,” I smiled at my friend behind the counter of my favorite restaurant.
“You want your usual?” he asked and when I nodded, added my order to the register.
“How’s the tab for Nick?”
“You’ve still got a balance of twenty dollars,” Enrique said as he continued to add my order.
“Wow, he went through a lot of food while I was gone,” I said. “Add two-hundred dollars on there for him and add his order to mine.”
Enrique looked at me and smiled as he did so. “Go ahead and sit, we’ll bring your food out to you,” he said as he charged my credit card for the meal.
After filling up my cup with iced tea, I sat at one of the tables outside and enjoyed the feel of the sun on my face. I’d be a poor mermaid if I didn’t enjoy the taste of fish I’d caught with my own hands but there’s just something about a burger from my favorite restaurant to bring a smile to my face. Even though I must eat my meals in the ocean a few times a week, I come to In-N-Out for lunch every day I’m home; or in a place where they have In-N-Out.
“Where you been? I’d about starved to death without you here,” said a disheveled man as he sat across from me. It was obvious he’d been living rough, and the shopping cart parked next to the table further highlighted the fact this man was homeless.
“Hello, Nick,” I smiled, “I’m pretty sure you’ve been eating just fine. According to Enrique you almost went through the money I left for you while I was away.”
“I don’t know nothing about that, I just know you wasn’t here,” Nick grumped as he took the Red Bull I held out for him. As he gulped down the drink, I took a good look at him. He was wearing a grimy pull-over surfer hoodie and a tattered OP bathing suit. The sandals on his feet were held together by twine and duct tape and his gray-streaked shoulder-length blond hair was matted in dreads. It was hard to tell how old Nick was, but I knew he’d been living on the streets for decades. The regular customers were used
to Nick, but I could hear others complaining about his presence and his body odor, which was rather rank. Even though my senses were greater than a normal human, I was able to ignore the stench, which was a good thing.
“Is today a bad day?” I asked and after he nodded, I told him about my trip to Tasmania to capture the nekahi. I wasn’t worried about him sharing the truth since most people would assume his ramblings were part of his mental instability. Nick listened to my story with wide-eyed appreciation, and I could see his face relax as I shared. Before long, he was laughing with me as I told him about the meal with my mother.
“Hey guys, here’s your food,” Enrique interrupted when he brought over our meals. Even though he was the manager he always insisted on serving Nick himself.
He placed one cardboard box containing a double-double and fries in front of Nick and he put three of the same things in front of me. After Enrique stepped away, Nick pushed his box toward me, and his hand hovered before the three boxes on my side. I haven’t figured out the system Nick uses to choose which of mine he would take, but after a minute of indecision he finally grabbed at a container as though I would snatch it away from him. He trusted Enrique and me, as much as he trusted anyone, but he was still worried we might try to poison him.
Once Nick made his choice, I was able to start eating my lunch.
“What’s today?” he asked between bites.
“Saturday, July 22,” I answered wondering where he was going with this.
“Didn’t you have a gig today?” he stared at me.
I nodded as I started in on my second burger, “Yep, it was a party for a five-year old girl.”
“How was it?” Nick asked as he finished his burger and stared longingly at the box he had pushed away earlier. Since this was all part of the game, I pushed it back and he dug in.
Besides finding treasure in the ocean I also own a specialty party company called Festive Tails, where parents can book mermaids and princesses to come to their child’s party. It’s fun for me to play a mermaid for children’s parties. I have thirty-five people working for me, but I love to go out as often as I can. It always surprised me how many people enjoyed getting a chance to play a mermaid or merman and since we got the chance to bring joy to children at the same time, I always felt it was a win-win. It really is amazing how easily children believe the fantastic and see magic and wonder everywhere. It makes me sad when I see the adults, who have lost their sense of wonder, smile indulgently at the children for they’ve lost the capacity to believe in things they can’t see.
Scales of Justice Page 4
