The knock at the door awakened me from the first bit of sleep I was able to grasp over the past twenty-four hours. Wiping my eyes and running my fingers through my hair, I rolled out of bed to greet my guests. Brendan hadn’t moved, so I tried to walk quietly and quickly even though the fear of seeing Kain slithered through my bones.
I opened the door to see one stern face and two unexpected companions standing just behind it. Kain’s height blocked the rising sun from my view but his dark, ominous silhouette trapped the words in my throat. His expression was blank yet cold, reminding me of something dangerous and on edge. He wasn’t happy to be here and he made no attempt to ease my discomfort. I looked up at him and tried to smile. When I was met with an unemotional stare, I peeked around his frame to welcome the two others instead.
Daniel pushed his way past Kain and gave me a hug that nearly caused me to cry. He kissed my check and stepped away, glancing over his shoulder to address Kain. “I can give her a hug,” he chided as if needing to justify some unspoken rule. Turning back to me, he said, “Where’s Brendan?”
Wordlessly, I stepped aside and waved my hand toward the bed. Daniel promptly entered our hotel room, threw his bag on the kitchen table, and walked to the injured selkie. He knelt down on the floor and had a whispered conversation with Brendan who’d just woken up. I was curious to know what they were talking about, but a nudge against my shoulder drew my attention to the other familiar face.
“So, this was your plan?” Carissa’s sultry voice and crooked grin only added intrigue to her persona. Kain snapped his head around to glare at her.
“You knew about this?” he asked.
His body shook with anger and if I was on the receiving end of that rage, I would have wilted away. But Carissa ignored him and stepped closer. She kissed me on both cheeks like a European and flipped her sunglasses up to the top of her head. Looking around our modest home through the half opened door, I watched her take in all the flaws and I suddenly felt very uncomfortable. She made a noise of either content or disgust before stepping back away from Kain and me to resume her aura of nonchalance.
“Daniel’s going to stay here and we’re going for a drive,” Kain broke the tense silence.
I wanted to make some kind of mafia joke but it wasn’t appropriate in this situation. After all, with the way Kain felt about me right now, maybe he did want to “take me on a drive” to make me “swim with the fishes”.
“Who’s going?” I asked quietly.
“We are,” Kain replied nodding his head at Carissa and me.
“Where are we going?”
“To see someone.”
All of the fun and the life that made Kain such an amazing person had disappeared. I knew I had contributed to that and it saddened me more than I wanted to admit. Behind that hardened exterior, he was hurting. His father was gone, he was a leader amongst our people, and worse than anything, I’d betrayed him.
“Eviana?”
I must have been staring at him. “I-I’ll go get dressed. Do you want to come in?” Carissa turned toward the door, but Kain stopped her in her tracks.
“No. We’ll wait here.”
It was such a cold, hard response. I quickly turned around and ran inside before he could see the tears running down my face. Slamming the door shut a little harder than necessary, I slumped against the frame as though it could absorb all of the pain and remorse consuming my body right now.
“Just give him some time,” Daniel said from the other side of the room.
I belatedly noticed Brendan staring at me with concern and curiosity in his eyes and before I said something to make things worse, I ducked into the bathroom like a coward. The boys spoke in hushed voices and after a few minutes I heard Daniel banging around in the kitchen, presumably finding something for breakfast. Not knowing how I felt about leaving Brendan and Daniel together, I brushed my teeth and hair concentrating instead on making myself presentable.
Brendan was standing outside the door when I opened it, startling a small scream from my lips. “Why are you out of bed?” Without answering, he pushed me back inside the bathroom, closing the door behind us. In the tiny room, we nearly pressed up against each other and I could see just how horrible he looked. I laid my hand on the side of his cheek to feel his overly warm skin pressing back. “Brendan,” I whispered.
He pulled my hand away from his face and smiled at me. “Thank you.”
Kissing my forehead, he allowed me to wrap my arms around his waist even though I was sure it hurt him.
“I know what this took for you. Just try to focus on the task at hand and let your friends come to you when they’re ready.”
It was probably the best advice anyone could give me and it was exactly what I needed to hear.
I helped Brendan back to the bed just as Daniel walked over with two bowls of oatmeal for each of them. I thanked my friend who didn’t seem to hate me at all and joined the two outside that I wasn’t so sure about.
The sun had broken free of its nighttime prison highlighting the sky in brilliant reds and oranges. I briefly recalled the old saying about red mornings and sailor’s warnings, and considering the company I kept, perhaps I needed to heed the omen. Following my two silent companions to the parking lot, I wondered what I’d really asked for when I called Kain. I just knew that there was more going on in the merfolk politics than anyone ever let me know, and now we may be getting ourselves right into the middle of it. But then I thought of Brendan and the way he looked right now, and there was no question in my mind that I was doing the right thing.
At the far end of the parking lot sat a black Lexus sedan with dark tinted windows and a sleek body design. I stopped to look up at Kain, but Carissa answered my silent question instead.
“One of the perks to being in charge.”
“This is yours, Kain?”
He extended his arm and I heard the beep that unlocked the doors. There was another sound and the car suddenly started while we were still ten feet or more away. Kain never did answer my question but I saw the slight smile he tried to hide from me. Maybe there was still some life left in him after all.
We were all in the car heading south along the coast before I finally spoke again. Kain drove and Carissa sat in the passenger seat, leaving me alone in the back like a criminal. “Who are we going to see?”
Carissa turned to look at Kain, but when he stayed silent she resumed her pretend fascination with the scenery outside.
“Hello. Is anyone going to speak to me?”
“Jeremiah Williams,” Kain finally answered.
“What?” Jeremiah Williams was a legend amongst the merfolk, but more importantly, I thought he was dead. I said as much to my disgruntled car mates.
“He’s very much alive and we’d prefer him stay off the radar,” Carissa added.
“How do you know him?” I asked, directing my question to Kain.
He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and seemed hesitant to tell me. “He’s a distant relative.”
“You’re related to Jeremiah Williams?”
The questionable merman had been a famous actor in his younger years, but once he retired from the spotlight, the rest of the clans seemed to act like he didn’t exist anymore. I’d always wondered if he’d been shunned, although until recently, I didn’t think that was a punishment practiced anymore. Now the more I thought about it, the more I had a feeling that is exactly what had happened to him.
“What did he do?” I asked in a barely audible whisper.
“I don’t know,” Kain replied solemnly.
Instead of asking more questions, I just sat back in my seat and thought about what was happening. We were going to see a merman who’d done something bad enough to be shunned from the community. Granted, I was also facing the same kind of treatment, but something in my gut was telling me that Jeremiah’s punishment was for a far worse crime than being a runaway bride.
We drove for another half hour along the barren Maryland shores,
passing a car only every few minutes. The white dunes were trimmed with green grasses and the occasional scrub pine, reminding me of the pine trees that surrounded the lake where Brendan and I met the naiad. I almost wanted to ask if either Carissa or Kain had ever seen a naiad before, but decided to keep that to myself for now.
We pulled into a sand driveway leading up to a large beach house. Three white columns held up the aluminum roof of the plantation-like brick home. Lush green landscape bordered the perimeter of the acreage even though the surrounding environment was full of sand dunes. The driveway gates opened as though we were expected and Kain parked the car beside an impressive water feature consuming the majority of the front yard. The fountain masterpiece boasted three different ponds interlaced and connected to a raised structure in the middle. Water spewed from the highest fountain and trickled over the faux rocks and lily pads supplying a constant rhythmic beat of drips and splashes. Carissa and I were admiring the gorgeous pink flower at the edge of one of the lower ponds when the water before us suddenly shot up toward the sky, sending droplets raining down all over us.
“And who do we ‘ave here?” A strangled accented voice asked.
It sounded as though he was speaking through a tunnel. I looked up to see a man made completely out of water standing before us. Well, standing wasn’t exactly accurate. More like floating on the water’s surface, yet he never broke contact with the pond.
“Aye…cat got yer tongue, young maidens?”
The accent sounded Scottish and it was somewhat difficult to understand. He laughed and twirled around the pond, reminding me of those captive dolphin shows humans get such a kick out of. Although he never added color to his appearance like the naiad had done, I recognized the outline of a hat and jacket on the body of this water sprite. At least I had decided that he must be a water sprite.
“There ye go lassie. I am, indeed, a water sprite.”
And one that could apparently hear my thoughts too. In an instant, his face appeared abruptly next to mine and I felt the cool moisture of his aquatic body dripping in front of me.
“Abhainn is ma name ‘n I am here to serve ye.”
I couldn’t help but hear the underlying anger in his words and it instantly put me on alert. “It’s nice to meet you Abhainn. I am Eviana and this is Carissa and Kain,” I said pointing my thumb toward the silent merfolk beside me. Apparently they hadn’t ever seen a water sprite before. “Why would you be taking care of us?” I asked, trying not to sound too ignorant or rude.
Abhainn tilted his head to the side like a vulture and continued to stare at me, probably probing my head to see if I was being sincere with my line of questioning. “Why, that is the way things are, my maiden.” When I looked at him in confusion, he straightened up, crossed his arms over his chest and continued. “My master keeps me here to invite in the welcomed guests ‘n chase those away who mean harm.”
He stunned us all into silence with that explanation. “Do you mean to say you’re trapped here? In this fountain?” Carissa asked with such sincerity in her tone that I turned to look at her in astonishment.
“Aye,” Abhainn replied curtly and nodded toward the house. “He captured me years ago ‘n now I live here,” he spread his arms out wide as a wicked grin appeared on his liquid face, “in this beautiful concrete prison.” Abhainn laughed again, this time sending chills down my spine.
Turning to face Kain on my right, I whispered, “What has Jeremiah done?”
“I don’t know,” he murmured back. “Let’s go find out.”
We turned to walk to the front door, all the while hearing Abhainn swirl around his small watery home in what must have been frustration and resentment. I’d never heard any stories about water sprites being captured before but then I didn’t even know that they still existed. Yet here it was, in less than a month, I’d met two. One who was petrified of me and one who’d been trapped by a merman. I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen next, but I had a feeling that we were going to leave here with a different view of our kind.
A human servant met us at the door and without saying a word, ushered us inside. The house looked immaculate with high open ceilings and dark hardwood floors. It smelled of vanilla and something else that I couldn’t quite place. We didn’t have a chance to notice much more of the architecture since the human man moved through the house without slowing down.
We walked to the back of the living space where the hallway opened up at the end of our path. Sure enough, the thick humid air hit us like a wall the moment we stepped through the arched entryway into an atrium of sorts. In front of us was a large, rectangular indoor swimming pool complete with rock boulders, waterfalls, and colorful lighting. Around the perimeter sat at least a dozen people with another ten or more standing at attention in various parts of the room.
It took me a moment to realize that something was off with this picture. Every person seemed to be in some kind of trance, or at least that would be the best way to describe it. They made little movement when we arrived making me even more leery of the merman that we were here to meet. An exotic music mix of drumming and chanting filled the background and the pool lights changed colors in sync with the beat of the song.
Our human escort walked to the far end of the pool and bent down next to the edge like he was searching for something in the water. The three of us stood absolutely still at the entrance not knowing what to expect next.
A rustling in the corner closest to us briefly drew my eyes to the side. There, a man around thirty years old, sat on a small wooden stool and stared intently at me. His short black hair was cropped close to his head like a soldier and his dark body glistened with moisture that clung to him like a second skin. Something about him immediately felt familiar and when I caught his scent, my heart nearly stopped beating. It took an immense amount of control not to alert my companions that I’d just recognized another selkie.
Considering we’d been attacked only a few nights ago, my first reaction to seeing him in a merman’s home was one of fear. Was he being controlled too? Was he one of the seals that had attacked us? An almost unnoticeable smile threatened to escape his lips, but it wasn’t malevolent or threatening. He simply seemed to be greeting me without attracting any unwanted attention.
“Well, well. My long lost cousin returns at last.”
I thought it was a disembodied voice until I stepped to the side of Kain to see the merman swimming in the pool. Jeremiah Williams had to be at least fifty years old by now, but he didn’t look a day over twenty. His long blond hair hung freely around his face, clinging to his wet neck and carelessly flowing around his shoulders in the water. The strong jaw line and chiseled muscles made him way more beautiful than any man should ever be. It was easy to see why he’d succeeded in Hollywood, and it was equally easy to see that he made no attempt to appease anyone but himself.
“Kain, you’ve let me down.” Jeremiah swam over to the edge of the pool and crossed his perfectly toned arms on the edge while shaking his head in disgust. “Look at you! You have the face of an ancient.”
“Some of us can’t be a playboy all the time. I have many responsibilities now,” Kain replied through gritted teeth.
Jeremiah just waved his hand at him. “Nonsense. You have people helping you. Just tell them to take better care of you. We aren’t going to stay young forever.” His smile freaked me out and I wanted to make a comment about his age, but when I made a small move to step forward, Kain discretely shook his head.
“You have no idea what I face now, Jeremiah,” Kain said slowly.
“No?”
The merman kicked his tail and pulled himself up on the edge of the pool. Immediately, three female servants ran to his side. One had a towel that she used to gently blot the water droplets off his muscular chest and stomach. The other carried an ornate glass pitcher and she quickly began dipping it in the pool and pouring the contents over the iridescent tail of the merman. Keeping that area wet would allow him
to maintain his half human, half fish form for a little longer. The last servant passed a gold goblet to Jeremiah and he took a long sip of its contents before continuing. It was clear that he was putting on a show, and I didn’t think it was only for our benefit. Jeremiah liked to perform.
“Well, do enlighten me cousin. What’s going on that I don’t know about?”
Kain sucked in a breath and the next four words he spoke not only changed the entire atmosphere but also promised to have a profound impact on our lives.
“We are at war.”