Distant thunder rumbled through the rocks, rousing her from sleep. She tried to blink the scene into focus, but her mind was still clouded from the tranquilizer. She squinted across the rock’s surface to see three figures moving at the other end. One was seated on the rock, pulling a second figure out of the water as the third assisted from below.
Sapphyre shakily pushed herself upright as cut fragments of netting fell around her. She pressed a hand to her head, finding the woven crown at her hairline. The open ocean was choppy and obscured by dense fog. Storm clouds hung heavy in the air, and waves lapped at the rock.
The green merman grunted as he gave one last heave to steady the human on the rock. The orange mermaid huffed breathily and climbed up next to them.
The blue mermaid’s heart leapt into her throat. “Luis!”
Khallista and Nathaneal turned their heads, the worry on their faces lifting for a moment when they saw their sister had revived. The more pressing matter, however, was the fading human man between them.
Sapphyre struggled across the rock to them, and choked on her breath when she saw him.
Luis was pale and scarcely breathing. His wet shirt was heavily stained with blood, and his face was dull and unmoving.
Sapphyre cringed and squeezed beside Nathaneal to take Luis’ face into her hands. “Luis,” she wavered on the verge of tears.
His eyes blinked open weakly. “Te’Phyre,” escaped his lips.
Khallista brought her hands to her mouth, surprised to hear him speak Sapphyre’s name in such a way.
“Luis, I’m so sorry,” Sapphyre cried as the tears streamed down her face.
“I led them straight to you,” Luis heaved a painful breath. “It’s my own fault.”
“Don’t say that!” The mermaid shook though a sob. “Be’Than, can you heal him?”
“I—I don’t know,” Nathaneal’s lips skewed. “I’ve used a lot of magic today between the wave and this mist—and I really don’t know if I’m powerful enough—”
“You have to!” Khallista bleated, her own eyes wet with tears.
Sapphyre was too choked up to speak, but she nodded to him to offer her support.
Nathaneal’s insecurity was quelled. He bent in and tore Luis’ shirt to expose the raw wound. He then placed his hands around the wound and frowned in intense concentration.
Particles of water began to appear from the mist in the air, shimmering with light that magnified as the droplets merged together. As if moving through a current, the streams of glowing water collected into one, and they spiraled into the hole in Luis’ shoulder.
Luis winced in pain and arched his back, but Nathaneal held firm to control the water as it filled the wound and shone with an immense light.
The light faded, and a clean bullet rolled off his chest and onto the rock.
Nathaneal relaxed and slumped forward.
Luis gasped a full breath of air and struggled to his side to cough out a remnant of seawater and blood.
Khallista’s hands were clamped at her mouth, watching with hopeful eyes.
Luis felt Sapphyre’s hands on his head as he tried to roll onto his elbow to sit up. Breathing hard to catch his breath, he grabbed at his shoulder and rubbed the space below his collarbone. He looked down at where the wound had been, but only a pale scar remained. He found the bullet at his side and picked it up.
“...Whoa.” He breathed.
In a wave of relief, Sapphyre gathered Luis into her arms and squeezed him as tightly as possible. He tried to sit up, but he instead fell faint against her chest.
“That went from being the worst, to the coolest thing ever.” He said breathily, looking up at her with a weak grin.
Sapphyre’s brows arched in a grateful smile as her siblings glanced at each other.
“Are you okay?” He asked her, trembling as he brought his hand to her cheek.
She pressed her hand against his. “I am now.”
He hummed and shut his eyes, slipping back against her chest peacefully.
She turned to her brother. “Thank you. Thank you, both.” She shook her head. “We would have been lost without you.”
Nathaneal lent a tired arm around her as Khallista huddled closer. “I’m just glad we were here so we could help.”
“How did you even know to go to the beach?”
“Mama’Ne told us,” Khallista leaned on her hip, glancing out at the ocean.
“I thought it was odd that Mama’Ne wanted us to follow you,” Nathaneal expounded, “I thought maybe she just wanted us to help welcome Luis, but I bet it was her weird sense of premonition again.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Sapphyre rested her chin on Luis’ head. “I’m still not sure how she found me out in the kelp when I first got here.”
“Can we go now?” Khallista asked suddenly.
Nathaneal frowned. “We’re not going anywhere tonight.”
Her blue eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
Her brother pointed to Luis.
“But Phyre can just turn him into a merman and we can go, right?”
“He’s got to get stronger first; he’d never make the swim to the village like this.” He paused. “No offense.”
“None taken.” Luis mumbled, unmoving.
Khallista slid away from Nathaneal and kicked her tail in the water. It was clear she was not fond of the idea, but with nothing to reason with, she held her peace.
“We’ll be safe here for now. We’re far enough from the shore and the mist should cover us.” He shook his head, glancing through the clouded light. “I think I’ve used more magic today than I’ve ever used in all my training. But we’re all alive, and we’ll be home as soon as we can.”
“Alive, but still a burden.” Luis opened his eyes to glance up at Sapphyre.
“Shh,” she hushed him. “Alive, and here with me. Te’Luis, I love you.”
He pressed his lips into a placated smile. “I love you too, Te’Phyre.”
Wrapping her arms around him and gently stroking his hair, Sapphyre closed her eyes and began to sing.
Tears filled his eyes as he heard her voice. Though she was not singing words, her beautiful voice resonated through his very being as he lay against her chest. Her lullaby soothed him until he drifted to sleep in her arms.
—
Luis wiggled his toes in the sand just as a wave pushed forward and covered them.
“Getting your last bit of standing in?” Nathaneal joked as he slid onto the beach beside him.
“Standing is overrated.” Luis said offhandedly, rocking on his heels as Nathaneal smirked.
Despite his fear of being at the surface, Nathaneal scouted out a small island where the group could relocate. Though they were able to find a few things for Luis to eat along the way, the human was perhaps the most relieved of them all to reach the drier provisions—and dry land—on the island.
With clear, shallow waters surrounding the beach and Nathaneal’s protective mist, the island would be a safe haven for Luis to begin his life as a merman. The four would have nothing to worry about until they were ready to submerge to the village.
Now, Luis stood in the morning light as he prepared to take the plunge.
Nathaneal scooted to a seated position. “How long have Phyre and Khalli been talking?”
“A little bit,” Luis replied. “They seemed like they needed some sister time.”
The deep green merman pressed his lips together. “Khalli’s having a tough time,” he said quietly. “She’s good at talking up how much she hates everything in Enclei, but I think she’s actually homesick. She freaked out when she heard we’d probably be here a few days for you to get accustomed to your tail.”
“I hope it won’t take me that long,” Luis tried.
Nathaneal shook his head. “We really need to make sure you can make the trip; it’s not the easiest or safest.” He leaned backward and propped his elbows in the sand. “Honestly—not to be rude, but—Khalli’s the reason we’re all in this situation anyway. If she hadn’t bucked orders and gotten caught on the surface, those men wouldn’t have known to look for you and Sapphyre.”
“I wouldn’t blame that on her; she had no way of knowing that would happen.” Luis glanced aside. “If anything, it was me not noticing I was being followed. Thank goodness you and Khalli were there.” He rubbed the scar on his bare chest with a repentant half-smile. “I literally have you to thank for my life.”
“Hey, you saved my little sister, and you love my big sister. I will forever be in your debt.” Nathaneal bowed.
“I think the debt is cleared, sir.” Luis returned the bow graciously. “Although, I did want to ask: in the cove, when the wave hit, the guy in there with us was my friend. Did you happen to see if he made it out okay?”
“Ugh, I saw him in there, and I felt horrible because it was too late to stop the wave,” Nathaneal grimaced. “But I made sure he made it to the surface while Khalli took care of you.”
“Oh, good,” Luis sighed with relief. “Gosh, there’s another life to thank you for.”
Nathaneal shook his head. “He would have been fine, but I pushed him out the current.” He hunched over with a nervous expression. “He was a bit out of breath, but that was probably from the shock of seeing me.”
“Jared was surprised when he saw Sapphyre, too... but he’s the only one I would have trusted. He even shielded her tail from the other officers.” Luis sat back on the sand. “I could care less about my life back there, but I will miss him.”
“Well, Sapphyre snuck to the surface for quite a while to see you; maybe you can do the same—you know, if humans don’t scour the beaches every day looking for more mermaids now that three different ones were spotted…”
“I may have to wait a while, but I’m going to have to try.” Luis smile out to the water.
The merman looked down at the sand. “It stinks humans can’t be like you and him. I think we could actually all live peaceably together. But humans are weird and unpredictable—no offense.” He shrunk down almost instantly.
Luis finally laughed. “None taken.”
The human and merman glanced up when they heard the two sisters returning through the shallows. Sapphyre immediately slid up to Luis as Khallista rolled back into a patch of sun near Nathaneal.
“Is everybody okay now?” Nathaneal asked, glancing between Sapphyre and Khallista.
“If by ‘everybody’ you mean me, then yes.” Khallista spoke, unmoved.
“We had a good talk,” Sapphyre settled into Luis’ lap. “We all understand it’s very hard for her since she misses Daddy’De, but she’s far from being alone. We all heal in different ways, and even if things don’t make sense, we have to trust that we’re all just trying to look out for each other.” She glanced up at Luis’ gentle expression. “...And I may or may not have pushed her into talking about him with me...”
Luis snorted. “Aw, I’m already rubbing off on you.”
“It was good, though.” Khallista rolled to her side. “I haven’t wanted to think about him because it made me sad. But thinking of some of the memories made me feel better.”
Nathaneal was grinning. “I’m really glad to hear that, Khalli—really. And please know I’d love to talk about Dad with you too,” he paused, “as uncool as that may sound.”
“No, that would be good...” Khalli rolled back to her back and held her arms over her eyes. “Phyre, I don’t know how you enjoy this. It’s way too bright.”
The three chuckled and even Khallista had begun to smile as the mood lightened.
Luis tilted his head as he glanced at the orange mermaid. “Khallista, I’ve been meaning to thank for your help, too.”
She blinked and turned her head toward him. Somewhat sheepishly, she shrugged with a half-smile. “Oh, you’re welcome.”
“She’s got something of yours, too,” Nathaneal shot a very particular glance at Khallista.
“Oh...” Much less enthusiastically, she rose and turned away modestly so she could fish a yellow-handled pocketknife from her bodice. Twisting backward, she then held it out in Luis’ direction.
Luis straightened up. “My pocketknife?”
“If there’s one thing Khalli’s good at, it’s finding things.” Nathaneal watched as Luis leaned to accept his knife. “She saw it on the sea floor near the cove when we were making our escape. She ended up using it to cut Phyre from the nets while I was carrying you over. I was kind of shocked she knew how to use it.”
“I’m glad it went to good use,” Luis flicked it open and closed a few times. “Although I guess I’m not going to have pockets for much longer.”
“I can hold onto it for you,” Khallista jumped at the chance.
“Oh, you will?” Nathaneal grinned cheekily.
“Shut up, Be’Than!” She barked and purposely climbed over her brother to be closer to Luis. Her tone then changed completely as she gently held out her hand. “At least until we make you something so you can hold it.”
Luis chuckled and handed the yellow knife back to her. “Don’t worry, I trust you.”
“You may be the only one who does!”
Khallista’s orange tail fluke smacked her brother in the face. He flopped back onto the sand with a groan, and Khallista stuck out her tongue as she slid the knife back into her bodice. She then flashed a smile to Luis. “Thank you, Luis.”
Luis broke into a laugh, though he tried to contain it for fear Nathaneal would not think it was as funny. Thankfully, the green merman rolled his eyes and grinned as he lay against the beach. On the other side of him, Sapphyre was also chuckling.
The human turned back to the blue mermaid with a contented sigh. “Well, I think I’m as ready as ever.”
Sapphyre’s posture rose as a smile widened across her face. “All right.” She pushed away from the beach, drifted out to the shallows, and she opened her arms toward him.
The scene brought a smile beaming to his face; his beautiful blue mermaid was beckoning to him in the pastel hues of the shallow water. He stepped into the ocean, and his heart began to race. He walked through the waves with anxious determination until he reached her. The water lapped at his chest as he took her into his arms.
Nathaneal and Khallista looked on from their place on the beach. Khallista let out a dreamy sigh as Luis lightly kissed Sapphyre’s cheek. Nathaneal nudged her to keep quiet, though he couldn’t help a smile from spreading across his own lips.
“It’s a little late now, but this isn’t going to hurt, is it?” Luis smirked. “Though, I doubt much can match a gunshot to the chest.”
Sapphyre shook her head. “Mama’Ne said you would fall asleep.”
“And wake up into a new life with you.” He pressed his forehead against hers. “Bring it on.”
She smiled and closed her eyes, running her fingers across his back. “Thank you, Luis,”
He tilted his head. “For what?”
“For everything,” her turquoise eyes turned up. “You helped me learn. You stopped me from feeling so alone; you brought me happiness beyond anything I could imagine...” Her lips pulled to a smile. “And you love me.”
Luis held her tighter. “You helped me so much too. You gave me hope and purpose. You gave me friendship, trust, and love, and I am eternally grateful.” He drew his hand to her cheek and held her head in his hand. “I will always love you.”
“Always and forever.”
They leaned together, and with eyes closed in anticipation, their lips touched. The passionate kiss mirrored the waves rolling gently around them until Luis puffed a breath through his nose.
His eyes squinted tighter and he broke away.
Glowing streams flowed through the waves and collected around him.
Lips parted, he took in a deep breath before his legs gave out.
Sapphyre caught him as he slumped forward, and she cradled him in her arms as he drifted out of consciousness.
<< Chapter 12 - Chapter 14 >>