Blood of a Mermaid (9 page)

A chuckle erupted from deep within Lybio’s wide chest. “Is the education of drylanders really so limited? Do you no longer study the ancient gods and demons?” When Shea said nothing, Lybio exhaled a long breath. “I apologize, my Prince. I did not mean to insult. The Gorgons were children of the ancient sea god Phorcys, who is said to preside over the terrors of the deep.”

“I thought merfolk descended from Poseidon, brother of Zeus and ruler of all the oceans?” Shea felt like he had to redeem himself in Lybio’s eyes. He didn’t want Kae’s father thinking he was uneducated. After Hailey had told him about Poseidon, he’d found a book on Greek mythology and read it cover to cover. The author, however, hadn’t covered mermaid lore.

Lybio nodded in agreement. “Yes, Poseidon and his descendents rule the seas, but the existence of mermaids and the various clans predates even Poseidon’s take-over. Poseidon is the one who brought peace and balance to the oceans. He set his own children on the thrones of each of the five oceans, believing that if he bound the oceans together by blood it would end the fighting between the various clans. It is said that to this day, Poseidon himself decides which offspring should inherit the throne of their fathers, marking the heirs with the brand of his own trident.”

At Lybio’s words, Shea felt overly conscious of the birthmark on his own back, shaped unmistakably like a trident. It matched the ones on his mother and his grandfather, who now ruled the Southern and Atlantic Oceans. Shea found it hard to believe that Poseidon himself had decided to “mark” him, but then again, so much of his life had become unbelievable in the last two months.

The older merman continued speaking, unaware of Shea’s discomfort. “The children of Phorcys were dangerous sea monsters, like Skylla who devoured passing sailors, Ekhidna the she-dragon, and the Gorgons with their hair of vipers.”

“Like Medusa?” One of the tales in that book of mythology Shea read had been about Perseus, son of Zeus, who’d been given the impossible task of killing Medusa. Her head was a nest of snakes and her gaze could turn a man to stone, but Perseus had help from the gods and succeeded in his mission.

Lybio agreed. “She was the most famous of the Gorgons, and perhaps the most misunderstood. After her death, her sisters fled, fearing for their lives. It is said they ended up hiding in the ice caves of the Arctic and that they found mates among the Nerine.”

“I thought you said the Nerine didn’t intermingle?”

“They don’t,” Lybio agreed. “Not willingly, at least.”

The pair had almost reached the castle. From his previous visit, Shea recognized the fields of oysters and scallops that lined either side of what he now knew to be an underwater road. He stared at the hundreds of fluted shells sitting in neat horizontal lines along the ocean floor. On three sides of the bed were rows of large stones, covered with green, fingerlike branches of the soft codium weed stretching upwards three feet toward the surface, forming a waving green barrier. He was reminded again of Oklahoma, and the fields he used to tend with his father. The father who was no longer around because of Demyan and his minions.

Lybio slowed his brisk pace and glanced over at Shea. “For a new swimmer, you’re keeping up very well, but you look upset. Are you winded? Do you need to rest?”

Shea noticed Lybio was breathing heavily himself, large bubbles exhaling from his gills. Maybe it was the older merman who needed the brief respite. Shea decided to humor him even though he wasn’t the least bit tired. “Yeah, a little rest would be good,” he agreed.

They stopped swimming, and Lybio rested his arm against one of the lampposts that lined the road for the last mile before the castle courtyard. Shea noticed that the glass globes at top were empty. What was it Kae had told him about the lights? That they were used only for ceremonial occasions? After a few moments of silence, Lybio spoke. “When we get to the castle, do not mention our conversation about the Nerine, or the Gorgons. We are in search of my daughter and I don’t want to confuse the issue in anyone’s mind.”

“Understood.” Shea felt a clench of fear in his belly. “What if someone kidnapped Kae to keep her from testifying in Atlantis?”

“Impossible,” Lybio said with absolute certainty. “Only King Koios and our immediate family knew of the summons. No one else in the castle was privy to the information, or knew why Kae and her mother were leaving today or where they were going.”

“Why else would she have disappeared?”

Lybio had no answer. After several minutes of rest, he nodded to Shea and they continued swimming up the road. Soon they were in sight of the castle. Shea could see the elaborate marble archway that marked the entrance to the courtyard, as well as the tall statue of the Buddha along the edge of the formal gardens, the one that he and Kae had hidden behind to watch the Solstice procession.

The castle itself was not a very imposing structure, built long and low to conform to the ocean’s bottom, with long connecting hallways and clusters of suites that stretched over the span of a mile or so. Since Nantucket Sound is a fairly shallow body of water, the Aequoreans had built a modest summer retreat for their king, only one story high and made from the same local granite as the drylander’s jetties. They’d allowed algae and seaweed to grow on the sides and roof, which served to further camouflage the building from any prying human eyes.

Kae had assured him this castle was modest in comparison to King Koios’s Winter Palace down in the far depths of the Southern Atlantic. He’d also heard the Adluo Castle his mother now occupied had been built on a grandiose scale, comprised of the polished marble local to the Southern Ocean. At the moment, the granite structure that loomed ahead seemed imposing enough, with its myriad rooms and passageways and with so many servants at the king’s beck and call. Shea had no hope of finding his way around the inside, having only visited less than a handful of times. He was glad to have Lybio by his side.

Together they entered the Great Hall, and found King Koios waiting for them. His voice boomed across the hall, “Ah, there you are, my boy! So good to see you again!” He was seated on a tall throne that Shea hadn’t noticed when he’d been in this room on the night of the Solstice celebration.

That night, the cavernous hall had been filled to capacity with guests from every ocean and sea around the globe. Round dining tables had filled every inch of space and long buffet tables lined the far walls, laden with all different manner of foods, some Shea recognized and some that looked completely alien. Kae had told him that everyone of age was welcome to partake in a Solstice feast, even all the servants, and none were ever turned away.

Now, Shea crossed the hall and approached his grandfather’s throne, noting that the king looked fully recovered from his near-death experience. As if reading his mind, King Koios let out a belly laugh. “I can see you giving me the once over with those sharp eyes of yours. I’m fit as a fiddler crab, thanks to you, my boy.”

“It’s good to see you healthy, Sire.” Shea bowed his head as he came to a halt in front of the throne before raising his eyes to meet his grandfather’s deep blue ones. “Thank you for allowing me to help find Lybio’s daughter.”

The king chuckled again. “The moment he told me he was headed to Windmill Point, I knew I’d be seeing you this morning. I’m happy to know you have such compassion for your friends.”

Shea’s eyes darted over to where Lybio hovered in the water near him.
Didn’t he tell him?
Had Lybio not been honest with the king about the nature of Shea’s relationship to his daughter? Before he could say anything more, Lybio cleared his throat.

“You are wise, Sire. I could not stop him from coming to aid in the search. Is the Pacific servant still waiting here in the castle for us to question?”

King Koios gestured toward the swinging doors that led into the kitchens. “Marietta is placating him with food. He is worried he won’t be able to catch up with the carriage and the rest of the Pacific entourage before it reaches Cape Horn. I tried to tell him the passage is no longer dangerous, now that my daughter leads the Adluo clan, but he is still as nervous as a sea robin, blustering on about treacherous conditions.”

Lybio bowed his head. “Thank you for detaining him, Sire. Sheachnadh and I can question him in the kitchens if you like.”

“Nonsense. Bring him out here and let’s see what he has to say for himself.” After Lybio swam out of the hall, the king turned back to look at Shea, narrowing his eyes and lowering his voice so that Shea had to lean forward to hear him. “I’m not sure how much Lybio has told you, but the mermaid was supposed to leave today to testify before the High Court in Atlantis. It is most troubling to me that she disappeared on the eve of her departure, but the nature of her journey is not a fact we want to share with the masses.”

“I understand, Sire.”

“I was hoping to avoid putting you in this position, but if we can not find the girl, and quickly, then I’m afraid I must ask you to take her place.”

“Me?”

“You will travel to the High Court to give your testimony of the events on the night of Summer Solstice, regarding the poisoning plot, all that you and the girl overheard, and of course the slaying of the High Chancellor.”

Shea felt instantly guilty that Kae’s disappearance was giving him the opportunity he’d been hoping for. He’d spent most of the night feeling angry that he wasn’t going to be able to go. He wanted to testify in Atlantis, but right now finding Kae was more important.

He looked over as the kitchen doors swung open and Lybio swam back into the hall with an unfamiliar merman at his side. Shea noted his dark blue hair, reed thin arms and long, pale face. They came before the king and bowed their heads in respect.

The king dispensed with such niceties immediately. “Arise, both of you. We can waste no more time on the proper protocol of Court.”

Lybio nodded brusquely. “Yes, Sire.” He gestured to the blue-haired merman. “This is Riord. He was part of the Pacific delegation who traveled here with Prince Azul, and who have been tasked with bringing his body and belongings back to his father, the king.”

Under the Atlantic king’s direct scrutiny, Riord bowed even deeper, keeping his head down as he spoke. “Forgive me, Sire. I don’t understand why I’ve been detained. I have done nothing wrong.”

“No need to be nervous then, is there? We simply wanted to ask you a few questions,” said King Koios. When Riord didn’t raise his head, the king continued speaking. “I understand you saw one of my servants, a blonde mermaid girl, in the gardens yesterday afternoon.”

“That is correct, Sire.”

“Was she alone in the gardens or accompanied by another?”

“She was with her boyfriend, Sire.”

Shea’s eyes flew wide at the merman’s choice of words and couldn’t keep quiet. “What makes you think the merman was her boyfriend?”

Riord finally looked up at Shea and shrugged. “They were in the gardens quite a while talking and laughing, all the while we were packing up the covered carriage. I couldn’t hear what was being said, but the tone sounded very genial. When the servants came out to light the lanterns in the courtyard, I happened to look over and see them face-to-face, quietly holding hands, before swimming away together into the dark. I assumed…”

The king interrupted. “Before you finish that sentence, you should know that the merman by your side is the girl’s father. Choose your words with care.”

Riord glanced quickly at Lybio. “I meant no disrespect to your daughter. I’m just telling you what I saw.”

Shea’s heart felt tight in his chest, like a vise had been clamped around it with some unseen hand turning the screw. “What did this merman look like?”

Riord closed his eyes for a moment. “Darkish green hair, the color of dying seaweed, with a matching scruff around his jawbone so I knew at a glance he wasn’t one of our company from the Pacific. His scales were also a darkish green, but they were too far for me to see his eyes.”

Seeing the look of surprise on Lybio’s face, Shea turned to him and asked, “Does that description sound familiar?”

“Not at all, and that confuses me. I thought I knew all of Kae’s friends on the staff.”

“I doubt he’s part of the staff,” Riord interrupted. He seemed more at ease in the king’s presence and his tongue had loosened somewhat. “We’ve been here for a few weeks now and I’d never seen him before yesterday. I’ve noticed the blonde around quite a bit, though. In the kitchens, in the halls, she’s hard to miss. That’s one beauty of a mermaid, a
syren
in training if you ask me.”

The king had been oddly quiet as he listened to the questioning. He finally spoke up, asking, “How long was the merman’s hair?”

Riord cocked his head to one side. “A strange question, Sire. How do you mean?”

“I don’t need the exact measurements, just an assessment of his appearance. Did he have the short hair of a guard or soldier, or longer, like my grandson here?”

The Pacific merman’s eyes swept over Shea. “More like him than a soldier. Honestly, when my eyes strayed in their direction, I was more smitten by the mermaid than her mate. Blondes have always been my personal weakness, and this one is certainly the most delectable mermaid I’ve met in a long, long while.”

The use of the word “mate” had Shea’s stomach churning again, but this time he held his tongue. His fists clenched by his sides in frustration, wanting to defend Kae’s honor both from this merman’s leer and his suggestive statements, but he knew that wasn’t his place. He needed to remain silent and allow Lybio to defend his daughter.

Which he did, with a resounding cuff to the side of the head, sending the blue-haired idiot reeling backward. “Do not speak of my daughter in those tones, sir. I will not have it.”

Riord rubbed his head, staying where he’d landed a few paces behind Lybio. “Forgive my wagging tongue. It’s been a long, exhausting few weeks and I know not what I’m saying.”

King Koios rose from his throne. Ignoring the altercation that had just taken place, he thanked Riord for his information. “And now you are free to go join the rest of your entourage. If you hurry, you will catch up with them easily before they even reach the equator.”