World of Aluvia 2 (19 page)

The ocean had claimed her.

She was, impossibly, a mermaid.

The light faded. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she saw no more.

She awoke in a strange mesh basket made of sea fronds. She thrashed about, uncertain how to get out of the woven strands that surrounded her, but Tristan pulled back the top and smiled down at her, saying, “Good morning, sleepy little clam in your shell.”

Was she dreaming? Didn’t he almost… Wasn’t she…

As the memory roared over her, Phoebe struggled to sit up.

“Tristan! You’re okay!”

“I’m fine, just fine! And I see you’re feeling better,” he said, as she pulled herself free from the strange cylinder. “A good long sleep always heals. But I think you will find yourself much changed.”

That was putting it mildly. She gazed down at her body.

“What on Aluvia happened?” Phoebe shook her head, confused. She ran her hands down her sides. Blue scales were cool and slick against her palms. The change was real, all right.

Mermaid
.

Shock held her paralyzed for a long moment, fingers pressing against the scales. They felt pliable but resistant to pressure. She felt along her neck and confirmed that her scales and her fin were matched by gills like any mermaid. She blinked, able to see through the water as if it were crystal clear, like never before.

She didn’t know how to move, how to swim with a tail, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the unbelievable sight of her own body, so tremendously changed. What did this mean? Would she be trapped beneath the waves forever? If she were on legs, her knees would have given out. As it was, she sank to the sandy bottom of the small cave they were in, uncertain how to even catch herself.

Sierra.
Sierra
! What if Phoebe could never return to her sister? She may be bossy, but Phoebe loved her. Tristan’s next words interrupted Phoebe’s spiraling panic as he pulled her up, hands strong against her back and arms.

“After the attack and, well, what happened with the shadow and your, uh,
change,
I decided we needed more help. Maybe the elders would know what had happened to you. I came back home, with you, to Morgance. This is Mina’s room.” The words were stated simply, but she knew from his tone there was a lot more he wasn’t saying. He guided her to a large sea sponge that looked much like a couch. She slid onto it with a bumbling thump but was too numb to care.

“I thought I wasn’t permitted here.”

“Well, obviously things have changed,” a new voice rang through the little cave. A tall, elegant mermaid floated into the room, swishing her tail and moving with precision. Her eyes trailed up and down Phoebe’s rumpled hair, even now swirling across her face. The regal mermaid sighed.

The black and white hair was familiar. This was an elder, one who had been at the temple when Phoebe was banished. This time she was near enough for Phoebe to see the detailed fish spears tattooed along her arms and neck. Unusual and intimidating. Her tail was a deep gold.

“Yes, Phoebe Quinn, I remember you well. I know who you are, what you are, and why you are here. As much as I hate to admit it, we need you. You witnessed the dark shadow from our past, and you somehow saved Tristan through your gifts. You used magic in a way no merfolk has done since the golden era of our people. Two hundred years ago! I believe you hold answers we seek, young human. No matter that you are shaped as a mermaid for the moment.”

“For the moment?” Confusion battered at Phoebe’s brain.

“There is no guarantee that you will remain a merfolk, my dear. That necklace of yours has been glowing nonstop since Tristan brought you here. The other elders think it is the reason you have been able to transform.”

Phoebe caught her breath. Maybe she’d get to see her sister again after all! A second thought came right on the heels of her relief: an important merfolk leader admitted they needed her. Finally!

Of course, she had no idea what being a mermaid might mean, especially if it
was
permanent.

Then an even more exciting thought struck her. Maybe her magical hold over the merfolk wouldn’t work if she were one of them. If Tristan had feelings for her, they’d be his own. She knew Tristan had always cared for her, but maybe, in
this
form, she could be something more to him. A human was clearly not a possible partner, but now? Thinking of the way his gaze often lingered on her, she blushed. Hope lifted her battered spirits.

“Thank you, but who are you? I remember you’re an elder, but I’m afraid I don’t know how to address you.” Tristan used to call Phoebe
milady
when they first met. Maybe that was a word she should use with the elder?

“Oh, Tristan hasn’t told you? I’m Elder Odessa. Yes, I’m one of the seven elders of the merfolk, married to one of the others. My family has led the merfolk in one way or the other since our earliest records.”

Gulp. “Nice to meet you. Milady.”
Definitely add the ‘milady.’

The mermaid smiled a chilly smile. “I’m also Tristan and Mina’s mother.”

Gulp indeed.

he three of them moved to Tristan’s larger room, and he helped Phoebe onto another of the reclining sea sponge couches favored by the merfolk. It was much easier to stay on the ground under the water now than it had been as a human, which explained how gracefully all of the merfolk moved around near the ocean floor. A mysterious heavy weight balanced in her middle, keeping her from rising up accidentally, but she didn’t understand how to use it to help her move properly. Phoebe flushed at her clumsy swimming; she was a better swimmer with legs than with a tail fin! But Tristan didn’t seem to mind.

Mina arrived, carrying dinner in nets. Or lunch. Phoebe had lost track of time.

“The blue suits you,” Mina said, for once without a flippant tone to her voice. Her eyes were sparkling as she whispered to Phoebe, “Maybe we can really be sisters now!”

A thrill coursed through Phoebe at the thought, overwhelmed only by the pain at the thought of losing Sierra in exchange.

Phoebe desperately wanted to know if she still had the magic the elders feared but was too afraid to ask. She didn’t feel any different inside, though there was no denying she was a far cry from Ordinary Phoebe now.

Her stomach gurgled. Mina giggled, and even Odessa’s lips gave a twitch.

“Eat, Phoebe Quinn. The magic that transformed you has also depleted you. You have slept long, but you need nourishment. Afterward, we must speak about the events of yesterday. It will be unpleasant.”

That sounded ominous, but Phoebe was too ravenous to care. They ate oysters and seaweed salad. Phoebe found the raw food disgusting to look at, but it tasted divine, and her starving body acted as if it had decided to consume the entire contents of the ocean floor. She slurped another oyster off its shell and enjoyed the briny flavor.

As she ate, it dawned on her that Tristan and Mina were something like heirs-to-the-throne among their people, as close to royalty as the merfolk had. It was shocking to consider. When would they think it was important enough to mention that their parents were key leaders among the merfolk? That his mother and father were among those who said Phoebe had to go away? Would the lies ever end?

“Now that you have taken strength from our meal, tell me what you saw. Tristan has told us his version of what happened, while you slept deeply and long. He consented to be tested at the ancient temple, and his story remained the same even under the influence of the temple’s blue light. His testimony in conjunction with your own magical transformation has convinced us. Our elders, save one, are in agreement that his report must be true. You must tell me your version, though. You surely have more to add,” Odessa said.

With an uncertain glance at Tristan, who nodded at her, Phoebe took a deep breath and began her story. She left out nothing, telling of the wraiths, the red light and the shadowy form, the sense of dying, how Tristan’s hand reminded her of who she was. The fight, the water wraith’s attack, the plea she made. When she finished, she was trembling, and Odessa was frowning.

“This is serious business, young one. Beyond the amazing miracle of becoming a mermaid, if that is indeed what has happened, you witnessed Baleros stirring and felt his power. He is as powerful as I feared. Our people must prepare immediately. The wraiths which are known to be his servants, the glowing red light, the despair that overcame you, the half-consumed body of Aedan… these all align with the old texts about our ancient foe.

“This is dire news indeed. But even with this proof and agreement that our enemy is indeed rising, we must proceed very carefully.”

“Milady?” Phoebe asked, uncertain what she meant.

Tristan spoke, voice low, “The elders do not like or trust you, Phoebe, as they made plain. Even though they must now reluctantly accept that our ancient enemy is rising, they still do not wish you to be here, not even Elder Maher. They fear your magic and believe you have charmed me. That you could charm all of us to your will.”

“Charmed?”

“I suggested the word ‘mer-charmer,’” Odessa pronounced with a wave of her hand toward Phoebe.

“I don’t understand. What’s a mer-charmer?”

Odessa stared at her with a raised eyebrow. “You, my dear.”

Phoebe’s confusion must have been plain because Tristan added, “Like a fairy keeper but different.”

She clenched her fists, sealing her lips against a groan. She’d hoped that it wouldn’t still be happening. “So you’re… compelled to be around me right now? Even though I’m the same as you now? Mina? I’m… controlling you?” she asked the one she trusted most to be honest in this situation.
Please say no, please say no, please say no.

“Whale manure,” Mina said, moving to Phoebe and laying one arm around her. “You couldn’t order around a minnow.”

“They’re grasping at straws, Phoebe. Pay them no mind,” Tristan added, but his eyes didn’t quite meet hers.

Neither one had answered the question, she noted.

Odessa sneered. “Denial serves only our enemy. Once I saw you, even before your change, I understood why my children were always sneaking away to be with you, a mere human. It’s a strong pull. And Tristan has always been a bit impatient and impulsive with his emotions, haven’t you, dear?”