Ice Crypt (Mermaids of Eriana Kwai Book 2) (45 page)

“Dani finished freeing the Host of Eriana,” said Meela, finding strength in her voice. “She was going to use it to save our people.”

For a moment, the silence thickened. Then whispers broke out on the beach.

That was all Meela said. She didn’t mention the part where Dani had used her as a sacrifice. Maybe she didn’t feel the need to share Dani’s final act with the island.

The man closed his eyes, rubbing a hand across them. His wife threw herself over Dani’s body, shaking with sobs.

Someone splashed up behind us. I let go of Meela’s hand and recoiled.

“What happened? Are you all right?”

It was Meela’s father. I’d seen him once before, when I was ten. It was hard to forget the face of the man who’d nearly killed me.

“You look like you’re going to be sick,” he said. “Can you stand?”

A soft, pretty woman who must have been her mother waded in behind him.

“Honey, are you in shock?”

“No. I … Mama, Papa, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“What didn’t you know?” said her father.

“The blood needed to free Eriana’s Host was a sacrifice,” said Meela.

Her mother cried out. She dropped to her knees, flinging a hand to her daughter’s forehead as though to check for a fever.

“It’s okay,” said Meela. “I’m not going to die. We figured out—I mean, Tanuu realised—well …”

Where Meela’s toes should have been, a tail flipped out of the water. It fluttered in the breeze before sinking back into the sea.

My heart thrummed.

I’d always loved Meela the way she was, and I wouldn’t have changed anything about her—but seeing her as a mermaid awoke something new inside me. We were the same, now. We could have a life together.

I wanted to kiss Meela right there in front of everyone.

“It was the only way I could survive,” she said.

A stunned silence followed. Then, something shifted in the others around us.

Annith grabbed the girl with the ponytail by the elbow, pointing out a young boy on the beach who’d been injured. The two of them waded over to help.

Blacktail grabbed Tanuu’s hand.

“You’re bleeding,” she said. “Let’s go get bandages.”

He let her pull him away.

Alone with Meela and her parents, I finally drew their attention. Her father’s gaze travelled from my hair, to my eyes, to the iron-made scar peeking out of the water.

His aura shifted from shock, to mistrust, to fear.

He recognised me—and he clearly thought he had killed me all those years ago.

“Mama, Papa,” said Meela. “I want you to meet Lysi.”

Her mother squeaked. “But I thought—”

“I remember,” said her father, not taking his eyes off me. “Is she the one who changed you?”

“Yes,” said Meela. “She saved my life.”

Her parents scanned me up and down. I resisted the urge to sink below the surface, away from their appraising stares.

Meela’s heart beat wildly enough for me to feel it. I wanted to grab her hand again, but I didn’t. As much as I wanted Meela’s parents to understand her feelings, I didn’t know much about them or how they would react. This was Meela’s territory.

“A demon,” whispered her mother.

She reached for her daughter, hesitated, then touched her arm gently.

“Meela, you’re freezing. Do you feel—?”

“I feel normal, Mama. I promise.”

I wondered if she was lying. She must have felt stronger, quicker.

Her father cast a wary glance at me. “How can we trust you, Metlaa Gaela? Your entire biology has changed. We have no way of knowing the effects on your mind.”

“It’s not like that. I’m the same—”

“And what about a demon’s instincts?” said her mother, recoiling as though Meela had threatened to bite her.

Meela dropped her gaze, clearly hurt.

Any elation I felt fizzled away. I had made a huge mistake.

Would I be the reason for Meela’s rejection from her own family? I’d wanted to save her, but all I’d done was build a wall of ice between her and her parents.

Meela tried again. “Mama, I …”

She swallowed hard, eyes brimming with tears.

I spoke up. “This is a lot to understand, I know. But mermaid or not, Meela is the same girl you raised—”

The woman’s eyes snapped to me. “She is not the same. Look at her!”

Anger flared in my chest. I closed my eyes before they could redden. This was exactly why Nilus had been afraid to tell his parents about his transformation.

My eyelids flew open. Nilus.

I opened my mouth—and hesitated. Meela’s lip trembled. Her parents were slumped, shivering, as though breaking apart in the waves.

I couldn’t tell them about Nilus now. Not after all this. Their family had been through too much today.

Plus, first they had to come to terms with Meela’s transformation.

I drew a steadying breath. I couldn’t let her parents do this to her.

“Her body has changed, but her mind and heart haven’t,” I said. “This is who she is. You can accept her, or you can dismiss her as a part of your family. The choice is yours. Decide what kind of parents you want to be.”

Her mother’s eyes widened, as though really seeing me for the first time. I sat tall in the water, challenging her to see me for who I really was: a mermaid, capable of loving, driven by emotions, empathy, and morals. I was not a demon, and neither was her daughter.

Finally, voice trembling, she said, “You don’t think I love Meela no matter what?”

“Do you?” said Meela, barely audible. “Or am I just a sea rat, now?”

There was a long pause.

Then her mother burst into tears. She threw herself at Meela, hugging her tightly.

“Of course I love you,” she said, sobbing. “Of course. I’m sorry.”

Her father caught my eye, and there was something desperate behind those dark irises—sad, pleading.

I nodded, a silent promise. I’d brought Meela irrevocably into my world, and I would do everything in my power to keep her safe.

I backed off, letting them absorb the change that had come crashing down on their family like a tidal wave. Eventually, when her parents were ready, I would let Meela be the one to tell them about Nilus.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
A Journey Begun

I sensed every cell in my mother’s body as she hugged me—the warm blood in her veins, the strong pulse of her heart, her soft, vulnerable flesh and muscles and bones.

I flinched as my tail picked up a disturbance in the water. Would I ever get used to this? It was my father, leaning over so he could wrap his thick arms around the two of us. He held on as my mother sobbed and tears flooded from my eyes.

“Honey, I never want you to feel that way,” said my mother. “We love you even as a … a mermaid.”

I leaned back and pushed a lock of wet hair from her cheek. Though I believed in unconditional love, my parents’ acceptance of me in any form—with any biology—meant more than they would ever know.

My mother drew a steadying breath. “This is it, then. You’re going to live in the ocean with … with Lysi, here.”

I nodded. That thought kept me from panicking. I could never run through the forest again, never sleep in my bed again, but I would have Lysi. The entire ocean was ours to explore. The prospect sent a thrill through my veins.

My mother dabbed at her eyes, seemed to realise she was using a shirt sleeve that was even wetter and saltier than her tears, and let her arm fall with a gentle splash.

“I expected it would be hard the day my baby left the nest, but I always thought it would be …”

“To marry a tall, dark, handsome man, and live in a house in the woods and have twelve children,” I said.

My mother softened. “Maybe you can still find your dark and handsome man beneath the water. How are the mermen? Are they all like that one?”

She nodded towards the horizon.

“Uh, there’s something you need to understand,” I said.

I glanced to Lysi. She had backed away, not meeting my eye.

Though my heart pounded, I felt more certain about myself than I ever had. Lysi was a part of my life. The world could react however they wanted, and it wouldn’t affect how I felt about her.

I reached for Lysi and grabbed her hand for them to see, pulling her back beside me.

“I love Lysi. I’m in love with her.”

Lysi’s pulse beat strong against my palm.

My parents looked between us, unmasked shock on their faces.

“Honey, you don’t think this is just because—”

“No,” I said. “It’s real. I’ve loved her since the day we met.”

My mother nodded slowly. I waited for the chill to settle between us, for the accusations to start all over again. But she smiled.

“Meela, that’s wonderful.”

I opened my mouth, made no sound, and closed it. After all her talk about wanting me to start a family, could she be serious?

“But what about …”

I tried to sense her, searching for disappointment.

“Honey, if spending your life with Lysi is what makes you happy, then I’m happy.”

Her pulse beat steadily. She was being truthful.

“Didn’t we just establish that I love you no matter what?” she said.

I threw myself at her, hugging her tightly.

“I love you, Mama.”

“I love you, too. Now relax your arms a little. You’re crushing me.”

I let go. “Sorry.”

Hesitantly, I turned to my father, who hadn’t said anything in a long while.

He shrugged and said gruffly, “I think I’ve always known.”

I stared at him, surprised. Then he smiled a little.

“You are my daughter,” he said. “You always will be.”

I bit my lip to stop it from trembling. I hugged him, this time carefully.

When I let go, both of them turned to Lysi.

“Take care of her,” said my mother. “Make her come visit once in a while.”

“I promise,” said Lysi.

The three of them exchanged a smile—and that was more than I could have asked for.

My mother shivered violently. My father noticed as well, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

“You two should go home and dry off,” I said. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

“You had better be, young lady,” said my father.

They waded from the tide, looking weak and frigid.

I glanced back to the high boulder. Mujihi, his wife, and Dani’s body had gone.

I would never forget Mujihi’s contorted expression—the sorrow lined in his face.

Texas, Hassun, and a few members of the Massacre Committee had gone, too.

There would be a funeral for the victims. I would have attended, if fate had led me in a different direction.

On the beach, Blondie and Fern led the trainees in making a pile of weapons and ammo near the treeline. Others helped clean up, while many had disappeared, taking the injured with them.

Sitting among a cluster of driftwood, Anyo and Adette were hugging, father more emotional than daughter.

Seeing my parents leave, my friends splashed up. They’d clearly been waiting for the chance to swoop in.

Tanuu trailed behind, eyeing Lysi with an odd expression. I thought it might have been mistrust, but he projected something else.

Jealousy.

“I’m sorry, Tanuu,” I said.

His gaze darted between Lysi and me, apparently working out the situation that had led him to this bachelor status.

Blacktail watched him. Something hopeful flickered in her aura.

Of course. Why didn’t I see that before?

I bit my lip to hide a smile.

Annith slung an arm across Tanuu’s shoulders. “You’ll be all right. Won’t he, Meela?”

“Yeah,” I said. “There are plenty of fish in the sea.”

I splashed my tail, sending a waterfall in their direction. Annith and Blacktail screamed and covered their heads, but Tanuu was too slow. He wiped an arm across his eyes, laughing.

“That was terrible! Your first joke as a mermaid and that’s what you go with?”

I grinned.

“To be clear,” he said slowly, “what you’re feeling is real, right? She hasn’t got some, like, mermaid lure over you?”

Lysi laughed. “That only works on men.”

Tanuu squinted at her, looking as if he were preparing to run.

“I won’t use it against you,” she said.

Looking no less assured, he stepped behind Blacktail.

“If you do, you gotta go through her.”

Blacktail laughed.

Above us, the clouds dissipated, opening up a blissfully clear sky. The ocean had quieted. The world below the surface was calm enough that I felt disturbances against my tail from a distant school of fish.

“Think Adaro will be back?” said Blacktail.

“He’s got more important plans, now,” said Lysi.

“Like what?”

“Once he gets back to Utopia, I imagine he’ll break his promise to the Aleut people. He’ll use the serpent to chase them away from his territory.”

I was about to say how sorry I felt for the Aleut people when Tanuu said, “Excellent.”

We turned to him in horror.

“What’s the matter with you?” said Annith.

“The Aleutian Islands are a part of Alaska,” he said.

“So?” I said.

Tanuu sighed. “I forgot you were all taking battle-axe throwing lessons instead of social studies.”