Silver Tides (Silver Tides Series) (38 page)

Even from a distance, knowing that Daniel had called Atlantis home for two years made me feel affection for it. We swam through the outer suburbs that were clearly abandoned. The city was larger than I'd anticipated; more of it was unoccupied than was lived in. It was only as we drew into the palace precinct that homes were lit with glowing coral. The palace spires towered over the city two white shadows in the dark.

It seemed Atlantis was a city that never slept as people bustled about, until I realized it was a parade to welcome home the Heart of the Sea. The excitement surrounding its return was palpable, though the five seals swimming with royalty and guards was dampening festivities considerably.

We swam through Atlantis with the merfolk staring at us like a beetroot stain on a white angora sweater. I was suddenly grateful for all the years I was invisible in high school. Being glared at with open hatred was considerably worse than being unseen.

The male merfolk hissed at us and mothers turned their children's faces away. I heard the words 'abomination' and 'heresy,' hissed as we passed by. I felt like a rat in a five-star-gourmet-restaurant, no one wanted me in Atlantis. I was risking my life for ungrateful people like Cordulla. It hurt. I swished my tail faster to get out of the public eye while still maintaining my poise.

Guards were stationed outside the old fashioned fence that reminded me of the black iron gate that surrounded Buckingham palace. It seemed strange to have a fence that anyone could easily swim over, the distraction helped to quell the negative feelings that were being shot at me by the guards. I swam through the gates with my muzzle held high, hoping to convey that I was royalty and untainted by their hatred. I would never admit how much it hurt to be hated for being something I could do nothing about.

The palace door was open, as were all the windows, in anticipation of the relic returning home. I could see phosphorescent coral dimly lighting the halls and rooms as we swam through the palace. I had been holding my breath for some time, but there was no strain on my lungs. I made a mental note to see how long I could hold my breath after our excursion, deliberately making plans for the future to push the thoughts of my potential death from my mind.

The palace was deceptively large. From the outside it looked like a large coral with a broad base that stretched into two tall towers. I noticed a ballroom, throneroom, and various other regal rooms for receiving guests built into the lower levels. As we ascended the furtherest spire the rooms were smaller for private use; bedrooms, offices and lounge rooms were lit with glowing marine life.

I recognized Celeste’s room immediately; it had remained unaltered since the day she had escaped her wedding. The room had seemed so tiny in the Heart of the Sea; as it stretched before me, I felt lost in its grandeur. My flipper caressed the frame of the four-poster bed; the experience was surreal.

“What now?” Charlie asked by flapping his flipper, agitated by being enclosed and surrounded by people who were still in essence our enemies.

“I return the Heart of the Sea,” I motioned in return. I felt proud of myself for being so adept at underwater seal communication. I could literally talk under water; there was no one who would appreciate the irony of that statement.

Daniel placed the crystal starfish into my mouth so I could maneuver it into the empty chamber.  Daniel helped me jiggle the Heart of the Sea into place, his hands careful between my canine teeth. I waited expectantly. Nothing happened. Daniel hovered beside me his disappointment obvious. The others looked confused and bewildered at the nothingness.

In the dim coral light a plaque captured my attention: “
Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
I saw Celeste’s face imploring me to do something. Just as Charlie had predicted, I knew what to do.

sacrifice

The epiphany flashed through my mind, as clear as being hit with a paint ball gun. My heart began to pound with fear, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. I pushed aside my rational thoughts, that I couldn’t breath under water and the pressure at such a depth would crush me before the fur even fell to the bed centimeters below.

I subtly reached for my chest to undo my fur; my inexperience made it take longer. I grappled with my pelt, trying to find the right spot to release it. I had to work quickly before anyone realized what I was trying to do. Daniel and Charlie were looking around to ensure that I wouldn’t be attacked; they had no idea that I was the threat they feared.

The catch finally released; I felt the cold water hit my bare skin beneath its magical shield.

Charlie screamed audibly as the fur slid off my body. I grasped the Heart of the Sea with my fingers and jiggled it to connect where it should. Daniel desperately tried to place the pelt back over my shoulders. Charlie was on my other side glaring at me through his seal eyes, his flippers desperately trying to help Daniel replace my pelt. As the three of us connected I felt a bolt of energy surge through us into the starfish shaped crystal.

My body began to spasm, and intense pain vibrated through me. Being crushed by the water felt like a burn covering my whole body.

Daniel and Charlie cradled me between them. I couldn’t tell if the palace was vibrating or if it was my body shaking. Daniel was ordering me to stay with him as he tried to breathe air into my lungs, which were swiftly filling with water. The pain was so intense I disconnected my mind from my body.

I imagined I was standing outside myself watching Daniel and Charlie try to save me. Charlie was pumping my chest with his flippers, tears mingling with the sea as he tried to get the water out of my lungs.

Daniel was breathing his air into my lungs, but the external pressure was greater than the little air he was delivering. The misery in his eyes was heartbreaking. I ached for them, they had both been good to me. I hoped that they would comfort each other when I was gone.

Mum was kneeling at my head stroking my hair while King Leo was locked in stone. Mum’s heartbroken sobs shook her selkie body, threatening to tear off her skin unwittingly. Her heartache filled me with sorrow. I didn’t want to leave them; I loved them, but if my death brought peace to the merfolk and selkies, it was a sacrifice I was willing to make.

I wanted to comfort them, to tell them everything would be all right, but circumstances wouldn’t allow it. There were so many things that I wished I could say to all of them. I wanted to thank Daniel for the sparkle that he’d brought into my life. And hug my Mum and tell her I loved her and she’d raised me right. I wanted to say goodbye to Dad and tell Charlie to use the ‘seal legs’ joke. I hoped that Miranda would forgive Tamara and Tammy and that Jaimie would dump Tim before he stole her future. But that world was slipping away from me. The whole room was shaking around me like an earthquake, except that it wasn’t the room; it was my body shutting down.

Cordulla looked pleased as the last air bubbles from my lungs escaped up into the pocket of space where the Heart of the Sea sat. I watched the pathetic bubbles of air, the last evidence of my life disappear behind the crystal relic. The bubbles moved the Heart of the Sea incrementally.

The water in the room began to swirl around us like a mini-tornado; Cordulla was no longer pleased. A loud noise like rushing water filled the palace and mingled with cries of fear from the guards and palace inhabitants.

My body was still in the fray, held by Mum, Daniel and Charlie. A consuming light filled the room, and I began to move toward the light. Then there was darkness
.

the light

The light was so bright it burned my eyes and my lungs felt like a sponge filled with water. Through the brightness I began to see shadows hovering over me, and voices echoing around me. The world of white began to focus into pictures and conversations.

“Mya... Mya... ”

I opened and closed my eyes, till I could make out Charlie’s face. He gave me a goofy grin. “Welcome back, sleeping beauty.”

My mouth felt stuffed full of cotton wool as I tried to make a smart aleck comment in return. I wanted to lift my hand for a friendly slap but my extremities felt water logged.

Mum jumped onto the bed, virtually smothering me. “Mya! You’re alive!”

“Did I die?” I mumbled groggily, confused by the strange way Mum and Charlie were looking at me. I looked around to discover Daniel and King Leo looking at me strangely, frozen by my awakening. I focused back on Mum for an explanation of what had happened.

“You stopped breathing,” Mum replied diplomatically.

“Until you started breathing water like a fish,” Charlie joked. “You’re a real-life anomaly.” He was the only one who seemed unfazed by the strange events.

“How is that any different to what I’ve been up till now?” I asked groggily.

“Mya,” Daniel said, sweeping me up in his arms. “You turned into a mermaid.”

“Not really,” I denied, seeing the startled look on Mum and Charlie’s faces. “I’m just a Selkie with a different set of skills.”

I looked around the room for the first time; it looked familiar. I was sitting on a four-poster bed being held up by Daniel, and there was a familiar wooden wardrobe, but I couldn’t place where I was. My arms began to feel functional as I hugged Daniel back.

“Where are we?” I asked confused, pulling away from the embrace to look into Daniel’s dazzling blue eyes.

“Celeste’s room,” Daniel said, smiling. “The lights came on a few minutes after you...”

“Kicked the bucket,” Charlie finished, laughing at his own joke.

Mum glared at him unamused.

“It looks so different,” I said, seeing the intricate details in the wall for the first time; it was like a crystal fairy castle that glimmered in the light.

“The water is so airated that we can remain in our human form as long as we stay in the force-field.” Mum smiled, smoothing my hair protectively. “You did good honey.”

Mum beamed with pride at my accomplishment, but the fearful look in her eyes made me wonder if she would ever let me leave her sight again after the scare I’d given her.

Suddenly King Leo became reanimated and crossed the room, he patted me on the head, I almost expected him to say, “Good job, pig,” like the farmer in
Babe
. My near death encounter coupled with being in an enemy city had made King Leo wary, which was manifesting itself in him not having found a voice yet.

“Let me take you to your room,” Daniel enthused.

I looked at him confused, “What room?” It’d felt like I’d only been dead, unconscious, whatever, for a few minutes. Yet Daniel had prepared a room for me, which was unnerving.

“The finfolk inventors started setting up a room for you to stay so we could be together,” Daniel responded, cheerily. “We don’t need to worry about oxygen and air pressure anymore, but it was set up beautifully for you.”

“How long have I been sleeping?” I asked concerned. The task that Daniel was explaining sounded like it had taken a long time. I had commitments on land that had to be met; my friends were counting on me.

Charlie sighed, looking apprehensive. “Ten days,” he finally breathed.

“What?” I squealed in horror.

“It’s been about half a hour,” Mum said giving Charlie a playful hit.

I sighed in relief. “Jaimie would have killed me if I missed another day of school.”

“You’re not going to school,” Daniel said smugly. “I’ve set up a whole wing for you so you can start preparing to rule Atlantis.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, utterly mystified.

plans

“I love you; I want to marry you and make you my queen,” Daniel said, passionately. “I know this is a terrible proposal, and I will do it right eventually, but right now, there is so much to do to unite our kingdoms. I need you here, please.”

I looked into Daniel’s pleading blue eyes and could see flecks of gold swimming in their midst. He loved me, needed me, and wanted me to be with him. I felt a longing deep within me to stay to give up everything and be with Daniel.

Inside, I knew that it was too early. The treaties needed to be redrafted, and the royal families had to liaise with the people and each other. My mind was filled with the countless things that had to happen before I could move to Atlantis, graduating high school was high on my list.

Daniel took my silence as agreement and continued. “I’ve set up one of the spires for the selkie royalty; you’ll all be together. Father is preparing one of the districts for the Selkies to inhabit. We’re going to be one people again, just like Alamer.”

I looked at Mum who was unconvinced by the speech, and King Leo, who needed to discuss the treaty before any selkies moved into Atlantis, let alone all of them. There was an uneasy silence.

King Leo was showing respect to Daniel by refraining from contradicting him. The light had been on for less than an hour, and the old way of thinking was hard to change in such short time. My parents could see the benefits of our two colonies joining, the added security and improved living standards were a big draw card, but it was not going to happen immediately. I was not ready to be queen and leave my life on land behind. Even though the transformations were making me less and less human, I’d never felt like I wanted to be on land more than what I did at that moment.

Daniel meant well, but he was getting ahead of himself.

I looked into Daniel’s hope-filled eyes and felt guilty. "I can't stay here tonight. None of us can."

Daniel tried to interrupt me, but I placed my fingers gently to his lips. "Your motives are pure and your eagerness is commendable, but there's a whole lot that needs to happen before anyone moves anywhere. The laws need to be reviewed and the people need to be made aware of what the laws are. Treaties need to be reinstated or rewritten or both. We need to proceed cautiously with tact and wisdom."

"She's right," King Leo agreed, looking at me with pride. "Everyone needs to rest and reconvene tomorrow for talks."

King Leo’s words were heavy with the realization that he would have to return to a city where people would hiss at him and discuss how to bring our two nations together. But after years of watching selkie’s die unnecessarily from exposure and preventable illnesses, King Leo was willing to try anything to keep his people together. A city that provided clean housing, adequate food and a chance for a better life was something that my father was willing to negotiate for, no matter how distasteful he found merfolk.

"See that's why I need you here," Daniel pleaded earnestly, his golden curls bobbing. "You're my voice of reason."

"I'll be here tomorrow, because it’s the weekend and then I’ll come after school," I agreed.

"Please, Mya," Daniel said, holding my face gently in his hands.

Being invisible, no one had ever really wanted or needed me, my existence was inconsequential, but being wanted and needed was a heady drug that I could too easily become addicted to. I had to remain true to myself.

"I want to go home to my Dad," I implored. I wanted Daniel to understand that I couldn’t stay yet, that I had a life on land, and I knew how it worked. I wasn’t ready to be a wife or a queen or anything else so overwhelmingly terrifying at seventeen.

King Leo flinched at my denial of his paternity, but his face remained an emotionless mask.

I shot him an apologetic look but he’d been hurt. There was so much that I needed to work out within my own family. Not the least of which was having an actual conversation with my biological father.

Daniel sighed, realizing he couldn’t dissuade me from my decision. “Fine, let’s get you home or you’ll be exhausted, but I expect you back tomorrow.”

"Charlie will guard you until relations are acceptable between our people," King Leo stated, his voice deep and warm. He smiled at me with a look that I couldn’t decipher—was it fondness or sorrow?

"There's no need," Daniel assured. "The merfolk will leave Mya in peace."

King Leo gave Daniel a beseeching look. "Allow an old king to practice some paternal concern."

They were enemy kings, trying to forge more than an alliance, they wanted to start a whole new kingdom based on mutual respect. We were trying to become a family. Daniel didn’t think I was unsafe, but all the discussion in the world wouldn’t change King Leo’s mind. Everyone needed to make allowances, Daniel bowed his head in deference.

Mum looked torn between her two lives, till I took her hand. "Let's go home, Mum."

She followed me as though our roles had reversed; she was too embarrassed to look at King Leo. I didn’t envy the decision that Mum had to make. Since I’d turned, she could return to King Leo’s side, but Mum’s marriage to Dad was no farce, she loved him. She had to choose between her duty and her heart. Mum didn’t have to stay on land to protect me, since Charlie had been appointed as a full time guard, but I doubted that she would leave me, only time would tell.

The palace was lit up; the internal light had ignited its beauty. The walls shone like iridescent diamonds; a crystal palace glimmering under the sea. It was a different place than the gloomy building we had entered. I was looking forward to exploring the palace with Daniel on the weekend.

The lights sudden ignition had brought the merfolk to the palace gates. Their faces were turned toward the palace, its brilliance dazzling them. I hoped that the drastic physical changes to the city would make the treaty transition easier between the selkies and merfolk.

Daniel, King Leo, Mum, Charlie, Dr. Conneely, Cordulla and I stood on the top step staring into a sea of faces. Their expectant expressions begged an explanation for the selkie’s in their midst, along with the hatred and fear in their eyes there was interest and awe.

"This is Princess Mya Belan," announced Daniel, holding up my hand, "your future queen, the Heart of the Sea."

The same people who had hissed at my arrival now bent the knee and bowed. Complete silence filled the air as hundreds of merfolk; both footed and finned bowed to me in deference. I was overwhelmed by the magnitude of having to care for two formerly warring nations. I was humbled by the respect they were showing me.

In such an inspiring and profound moment, all I could think was, “The whole kingdom is looking at me naked right now.”

It took all my will power to not wrap my pelt around me, or cover my private areas with my hands. Daniel made a brief speech about the new peace that the selkies had brought to Atlantis, and the extensive rewriting of the law that was to commence in the morning.

Daniel finished his speech. “We are no longer enemies, but family.”

The people were silent, their faces filled with surprise, confusion and a myriad of other emotions I didn’t want to identify. I had a vision of being attacked by the mob and thrown into open ocean. I kept my pelt close; as did the other selkies.

Then the mermaids began to clap enthusiastically, the finfolk joined them out of duty. The guards forged ahead cutting a path through the crowd. Daniel and I walked down the path holding hands. The mermaids reached over the guards to stroke my hair or touch my shoulder and arms. They wanted to touch the alien that fulfilled the prophecy. A few children offered coral bouquets, which I stopped to accept. It took a long time to leave, I felt like Kate Middleton, smiling and saying thank-you. It felt so weird and right, like it was what I was supposed to do.

The merman guards escorted us out of the city and all the way to shore. We emerged from the dark sea under Queenscliff pier. It was after midnight, I was exhausted. Mum helped me get dressed, while King Leo, Daniel and Charlie stood guard.

When I emerged dressed and shivering from exhaustion, Dr. Conneely bid us farewell. He disappeared into the shadows, and I wondered if we would ever see him again.

King Leo stood waiting regally at the shore. For a moment I thought he looked pained but he relaxed his face into an emotionless mask.

“I will see you both tomorrow,” he said to Mum and I, it sounded like an order, but a question hung in the air.

“We will be here,” Mum replied, composed.

“Charlie, take care of them,” King Leo ordered again. He didn’t wait for Charlie’s bow; he pulled on his pelt and dove into the sea.

“I don’t envy him the meetings he’s going to have tonight,” Charlie said quietly.

My teeth were chattered as a cold wind cut through my clothes.

“Let’s get going,” Mum instructed. Charlie fell in step behind me.

Daniel wrapped his arm around my waist, holding me up as we walked to the car. I was glad to be dressed despite still feeling damp and weighed down with fatigue. I clutched Daniel’s hand possessively; glad for his company, and still overwhelmed that he had chosen me.

Except for Mum's white Corolla, Queenscliff pier was abandoned. The sea roared a gentle goodnight. Charlie and Mum jumped into the car quickly, as much to get out of the cold as to give Daniel and I a few minutes alone. We’d had virtually no alone time together since I’d discovered Daniel’s secret. I had a feeling that we would have even less now that we were trying to rejoin the selkies and merfolk.

Daniel kissed me gently. "You know, people are all weird about saying the L word, like it's going to change everything ... It's stupid, because it's only going to make things better. Mya, I love you."

I smiled, unfazed by Mum and Charlie sitting in the car waiting for me.

"I love you too." I smiled, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him. "See you tomorrow." I held him a little too long like a stalker, breathing in his unique scent, but he didn’t mind, because he loved me. I kissed him happily again, before jumping into the car.

In the car I was beaming like a person with a lifetime supply of Baskin Robbins ice cream. Charlie gave me a strange look, but didn’t say anything. I wasn’t super excited about having a bodyguard, but by Monday I was sure we would have worked out some cover story and the logistics of how it would work. It seemed like a small concession, considering King Leo was allowing me to leave the colony indefinitely.

There were so many things left to resolve. I didn’t envy Mum’s choice. I didn’t want her to talk to me about it, but I was curious. I still hadn’t had a conversation with King Leo, but all those things would come.

Mum drove the car home via Corio bay. I watched the sparking lights reflecting off the silver tides, I knew my life would never be the same again.