Chapter Four
There are certain rules involved in entering the archives, many of which are unforgiving enough to deter most Undine from visiting—which is why the archives easily became Serena’s second home.
All scales must be retracted. To accomplish this is a painful, tedious experience for most. Yet Serena visits so regularly that she shows her second skin almost without thought.
As they enter the large, underground cavern, Serena watches the pair of guards out of the corner of her eye. Kai's chin lifts to the impressive display of hard-backed books crawling up the wall, and his hands brush the thick columns etched with pictures of Undine history as he walks by. They hold up the crushing weight of earth and trees resting on top of the cave.
Serena reaches toward the etchings with her fingertips. They remind her of what the entire kingdom might of looked like a hundred years ago. She takes a deep breath in and can feel the muscles in her shoulders relax.
The Records Keeper, Mariam, is perched on top of a ladder leaning against one of the columns, fiddling with a mirror that reflects light over the catalogues—the most important source of light in the entire archives. The archives is a register of all the books in the Undine library, including the king's own personal library, which is set off in a restricted room.
Flickers of light shine against what few scales show on Mariam's arms. As far as Undine colors go, the deep brown shade of her scales is rather unremarkable—a phrase Miriam has used to describe her own coloring. To Serena, the shade comes across as wholesome and genuine as opposed to the flashy gold that Zayla flaunts as she accuses Serena of absconding.
"I'll be down in just a minute!" Mariam calls as the ladder wavers.
Ervin wraps his hands around the bottom rungs, steadying it while Kai continues to gaze at the books.
"How many times have you been in here?" Serena asks him.
Kai looks at her. "Enough. Why?"
Serena shrugs. "You seem to enjoy it—more than most, anyway."
"Our visits are required every tenth high tide, at minimum." Ervin interrupts, glancing at Serena. "During our rounds."
A screech from above draws all of their eyes up. Mariam has leaned too far out. Her body balances between the ladder and open air, her arms waving in tight circles. Another gasp, and the Records Keeper falls. Serena freezes to the spot, watching in horror as Mariam's robe flaps through the air. The sound of pulsating fabric grows louder as she descends, directly over Serena.
Pulled away, Serena twirls once then finds herself surrounded by strong arms, the side of her face pressing into Kai’s broad chest. Behind her, the flapping material also comes to a sudden stop. She turns around, eyes wide, expecting the worst. Instead, she watches Ervin set Mariam carefully down on her feet.
"Thank you so much Ervin," Mariam says, her hands trembling. She pats his shoulder, then tugs down on her robes.
Serena takes in a shaky breath and Kai clears his throat. Realizing she has a white-knuckled grip on Kai's robe, Serena releases her grasp and smooths out the material.
"Sorry," she says.
He shakes his head once. The smile is gone from his face, but not his eyes—and he continues to look at Serena as if there is more to say.
Serena remembers herself. "I am grateful for your protection," she nods, bending her knees in a semi-curtsy.
The corners of his mouth turn down, disappointed by the formality.
"Everything okay?" A maiden steps out from the shelves of books.
"Sasha—I'd nearly forgotten you were back there," says Mariam. "I just had a little fall. The longer I am out of water, the clumsier I get. If Ervin hadn't been here, we'd be in need of a new Records Keeper sooner than I thought." Mariam winks at Serena.
Serena crosses her arms. She almost fell to her death, and she is already joking about it.
"What were you doing up there?" Sasha asks as she moves to help Ervin straighten the ladder. Recognizable by her bright orange scales, Sasha Sunbeam—along with her sister and mother— are the only maidens to sport the vibrant color.
Serena looks up, walking over to the pair. "Plants sometimes grow over the holes, blocking out the sunlight."
Ervin stares up into the ceiling. "How do you get rid of them?"
Serena and Mariam exchange a glance, eyebrows raised. Neither wanting to reveal that Serena often makes trips into The Dry just to clear out plants.
"Oh, these things usually work themselves out," says Mariam. "We'll have to endure a few days of low light." She makes a pointed glance at Serena.
Though Ervin misses the exchange, Serena isn't sure that Sasha did.
Serena will have to make another trip soon. Hopefully this time without werewolf interference or any unwanted Undine onlookers—Serena isn't sure which is worse.
"Anyway, Sasha arrived with instructions from your Caste Master." Mariam motions to a table stacked with books.
"In lieu of lessons for the day…" Sasha says, trailing off. "Sorry."
"She is giving me homework?" Serena walks over and runs her finger down the spines. This isn't the first time the hard covers have been under her touch. Werewolves. They are some of the least decorative volumes in the archives, as if the ancients were trying to disgrace the species through deprivation of jewels and elaborate etchings. "Is this my punishment?" she asks.
"Punishment for what happened at our excursion?" Sasha asks, coming up alongside Serena.
Serena looks at Sasha, one of her caste mates, out of the corner of her eye. Amidst a caste that only ever displayed indifference to Serena, at least Sasha was kind, always making sure to greet Serena before the lessons began.
"Yes," Serena mumbles. "The king was not happy."
Mariam shrugs. "I don't see how it can be a punishment. You've already read—"
"Enough to know this will take quite some time to finish." Serena cuts off Mariam, looking over her shoulder at Ervin and Kai who are inspecting the ladder. She motions to the hole of depleted sunlight, and Mariam nods back.
If Serena can sneak out without catching the attention of the guards, she can fix the hole and be back before they notice.
"In fact," Serena says in a louder voice, "this will probably take me most of the next high tide to complete."
Ervin finally catches on, his shoulders sagging. "Whose punishment is this, anyway?"
"Oh, it won't be so bad," Mariam says. She hands Serena a leather strip to bind a stack of books together. "You can brush up on the history of the King's Guard while you wait."
Serena smiles to herself as Ervin groans. She's been through those books, too—directly after Ervin was chosen for guard duty. Very dry reading, for any of the Undine.
Kai walks over to Ervin and pats his shoulder once. "Good luck with that."
"You're not staying?" Serena and Ervin ask together, both looking at Kai.
Kai looks at Serena, surprise lighting his face. "I was just tasked with making sure you got to the archives—Ervin can take it from here."
Ervin crosses his arms, leaning toward Serena as they watch Kai leave. "I told them you wouldn't cause any problems getting to the archives," Ervin says. "But it might take the entire King's Guard to get you to leave."
Serena smiles up at her friend, nudging him in the arm. "I'll take being the subject of conversation between guard members as a compliment."
"Don't flatter yourself," Ervin tilts his head toward her, his demeanor more relaxed now that the Second in Command isn't around.
"Oh trust me," says Serena. "I don't." She walks over to Mariam's table, chooses five books and lashes them together. Looking from Ervin to Mariam, Serena ties the binding around her waist.
"Some tea for Ervin?" Serena asks.
Mariam nods, trying to keep a smile off her face, and disappears to the back of the cavern. Ervin walks to the section on the King's Guard, dragging his fingertips across the book spines and pulling one out.
Serena turns her back to Ervin, scaling the wall to one
of many reading coves carved into the cavern. The idea was to entice more of the Undine to the archives by making it feel like home, but the design did not have the desired effect.
Reaching her favorite spot high up on one wall, Serena shrinks back into the large space to disappear from prying eyes on the floor.
"How can I keep an eye on you if you are way up there?" Ervin shouts.
"Maybe I can help with that." Sasha's soft voice floats up to Serena. The sound of scales scratching against rock crawls closer and closer to Serena, until Sasha pokes her head over the lip of the cove. "Mind if I join you?"
"I suppose not," Serena shuffles some of her books out of the way. The coves were not meant for more than one person.
Sasha crawls all the way in, lowering her voice to a whisper. "I thought I could turn pages and make some noise, you know, if you need to…exit, for a moment."
Serena risks a glance over the ledge. "You wouldn't tell?"
Shrugging, Sasha pulls her knees up to her chest and smiles. "Who would I tell?"
The smell of jasmine and chamomile drift upward—another treasure found above seas, and another secret kept between Serena and Mariam.
"Here we are," says Mariam, walking toward Ervin with a full mug of steeping tea. "It'll keep you awake and alert."
Serena catches the half-smile on Mariam's face. In fact, it will do the opposite, as sensitive as Undine are to herbs grown in The Dry.
"The tea should put him to asleep," Serena whispers to Sasha. "But it might be helpful if you were up here making noise should he wake before I return."
The maidens hear Ervin suck in his first sip. They look at each other, pressing their lips tight to keep from giggling.
"It’s pretty good. You want some up there?" Ervin asks, his loud voice echoing in the otherwise quiet archives.
Serena puts one finger over her lips, signaling Sasha not to answer.
"Oh, Serena will be too absorbed in her books by now," Mariam responds from her place at the catalogues. "Always is. And Sasha—I always thought her hard of hearing, that girl."
Serena lies down on her stomach, spreading the first book open. Sasha does the same on the other side of the book.
"We'll have to wait until the tea takes effect," whispers Serena. "Don't you have to go back to the caste?"
Wriggling into the hard rock, Sasha shrugs. "I'll just tell Zayla I got held up on a task for Mariam—which isn't a complete lie."
A small pang of jealousy runs through Serena's chest. The beloved maidens of the Sunbeam family never get in trouble.
Ignoring it because Sasha has never been anything but nice to Serena, the maidens bend their heads over the book, Serena tilting it so Sasha doesn't have to read upside down. The first chapter tells of the history between werewolves and Undine.
"I can't believe we created them," says Sasha.
Serena turns the page. "We needed the protection."
Undine must go on land during the full moon in Ungainly form to conceive and then to give birth to their young. Mostly clumsy and unused to Ungainly bodies, the Undine needed protection from creatures that patrol the forest and from humans. Though male Undine are of course required to go on land the first time, to conceive, traditionally they do not accompany their mates during labor.
"Especially on the birthing nights."
"Like the Maiden's Massacre." Right as the words finish forming on her lips, Sasha covers her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry," she says through her fingers. "I didn't mean to bring that up."
Serena tries forcing a smile. "It's okay. It's not like I remember it."
During a birthing night, when Serena's own mother was in labor with her, the werewolves revolted. A chaotic blood bath under the full moon ensued. Serena runs her fingers over the scratchy pages in the history book.
"They say it was over quick," says Serena.
Up and down the beach, werewolves slaughtered maidens and their babies, fresh from the womb. The king himself emerged to the cries of his dying wife, along with a score of guards and Serena's own father, or so she was told. The Undine were wholly unprepared for the uprising. The king's wife passed to the afterlife in her husband's arms. Turning in rage at the werewolves, the king engaged in a fight that left him eternally debilitated. The only Undine to return alive was Serena, in the arms of the king, as he crawled back to the waves.
"They say that as the bodies of the dead were burning as an offering to the armory fires, including that of the queen and her newborn son, plus my own mother and father, I was swaddled and sleeping in my orphanage cradle." Serena doesn't bother to hide the bitter tone to her voice. "It's no wonder most maidens don't like me. It should have been the queen, or at least her son that returned—not me."
Playing with the frayed edges of the hard-backed book, Sasha leans her head against one hand. "Maybe the fact that it was you who returned in the arms of the king is what sets you apart from other maidens. It's not that you are disliked—it's just from day one, you have been on another level."
"What do you mean?" asks Serena.
Sasha shrugs, a concentrated frown on her face. "Growing up, whenever I was talking about our caste with my mother and your name came up, she changes the subject abruptly. Based on the same reaction I get from our other caste mates when you are mentioned, their mothers did the same. Discussing you is as forbidden as discussing personal habits of the king—even though it has never been decreed."
Serena stares at Sasha, trying to process this new information. Looking intently at the words in the open book in front of them, Sasha avoids Serena's gaze.
"So why talk to me now?" asks Serena.
Sasha smiles, finally meeting her gaze. "Probably because I am not supposed to."
Sasha's smile is as bright at the sun, and it is almost impossible not to return the gesture.
"Come on," says Sasha. "Let's concentrate on more important things. Like The Choosing. I'm hoping for garden duty—what about you?"
"I don't know," Serena peeks over the ledge at Mariam. "I love being in the archives, and Mariam told the council she needs a new assistant. The match just makes sense, especially since no one else will be pining after the job."
"Yeah but the council isn't always known for making sense," says Sasha. "But what else could they possibly assign to you?"
Serena shrugs, turning the page of the book. A vivid drawing of a werewolf standing over a dead maiden in Ungainly form covers the entire page. The wolf is almost twice her size, shoulders bulking with muscle. Yellow saliva drips from the beast's fangs into an open gash in the maiden's neck. A pool of her own blood seeps onto the ground beside her, and the wolf's curved claws rest in the thick, crimson puddle.
"Well if that isn't a foretelling…" Sasha mumbles.
Serena's eyes snap to hers.
"Sorry," says Sasha.
Taking a deep breath in, Serena squeezes her eyes shut and closes the book.
A clatter below startles the maidens, and they peek over the ledge. Mariam has dropped her own mug but instead of cleaning up the mess, she is watching Ervin for signs of movement. He is already face down on his book, arms draped over the table, his breathing slow and deep. Mariam looks up at Serena and nods.
Laying her hand on Serena's shoulder, Sasha leans toward Serena. "I'll help cover, and I promise I won't tell."
Serena raises an eyebrow. Kind or not, how does she know she can trust this maiden?
"Let me do this one thing for you," Sasha whispers. "Consider it a…Choosing gift."
Relenting, Serena smiles. "Thank you, Sasha." She scales down the wall, padded boots hitting the ground with a light thud.
Mariam turns as Serena passes, mouthing the words, 'be careful'.
'Always am', Serena mouths back, with a light pat on the back of Mariam's shoulder.
Serena leaves the archives, diving back into the water to navigate the entrance tunnel. When she reaches the surface, bobbing on the west side of Vancouver Island, the sun is sinki
ng into the ocean. Already, she can spot the outline of the moon behind her. It is waning, and though it may look the part of a full moon there will be no werewolves tonight…hopefully. Though her history lessons have taught that werewolves can only change on a full moon, the werewolf that chased her was no mirage.
Normally, the shadows cast by seagulls skimming the waves for their dinner hides Serena as she moves in closer to shore undetected. This evening, though, the skies are as deserted as the thin strip of beach. A light rain falls and thunder cracks in the distance.
Serena disappears below the water, resurfacing down the stream. The beach, for the most part, is off the Ungainly-beaten path. Only those with a sense of adventure, or those looking for a long walk and some privacy, come here. Her eyes scan the shoreline for signs of life—Ungainly or otherwise. Werewolves aren't the only animals to inhabit these forests—grizzly bears, coyotes, and cougars all patrol the borders where Serena's world ends. But there are no creatures on the beaches tonight.
She dips down once again and appears farther up the coast. The rain falls harder now, and lightning flashes as though the sky goddess herself is giving Serena the all clear.
One powerful push and Serena is caught up in the breakers. She swims just below the whitecaps, a mirror image of a surfer gliding on a wave. One of her fins slice up, catching the feel of briny air.
All too soon, the earth below angles up to meet the sky, and the ocean disappears in a squeeze between them. Serena's smile grows wider, as it always does when she flirts with the edge of the world.
Somersaulting with the dying wave, Serena’s fins brush against sand, air, sand, air. On the next flip, a cold wind scrapes against the bottom of her freshly formed feet, still raw from scales retracting in. Serena tucks her legs for one more roll then straightens them to stand. She sinks into wet sand as the remnants of a once powerful wave lick at her ankles—a desperate attempt to call her back into its clutches.
Serena moves forward, toward the moon. Another force, almost as powerful as the ocean, calls to the Undine maiden.