Son of a Mermaid (20 page)

Lybio shook his head. “No, Sire,” he said in answer, but Shea couldn’t tell if he were answering only the King or both questions.

“Then there is still time,” the King declared.

“That is all well and good, Sire,” said Lybio, “ but what of the rest of the Adluos? Who will reign in their war-mongering ways?”

“Most Adluos are as eager for peace as the Aequoreans,” Kae offered quietly, as if unsure whether she should even speak in the King’s presence. She took a deep breath and added, “They are not all as evil as their Prince. It was an Adluo who helped us escape.”

The King nodded his head slowly. “My wife’s brother was King of the Southern Ocean. Brynneliana is half Adluo. They are not a bad clan. They only lack proper leadership.”

“Perhaps that is the real reason the gods have marked both your daughter and your grandson with the trident,” said Lady Kata. Everyone in the room turned to look at the Caribbean mermaid. “The gods don’t make mistakes.”

The King smiled, lifting a hand to touch Lady Kata’s cheek. “I knew there was good reason to invite you to sit at my table. Your brilliance shines even through the darkest of nights.” He turned to focus on Shea. “The Lady is right. Your mother’s destiny lies in the Southern Ocean.”

“As long as she doesn’t have to marry that evil Prince guy who killed my father,” Shea said, swishing his tail. “She doesn’t have to, right?”

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” the King agreed. A sharp knocking resounded through the chamber. The room fell silent, as everyone turned to stare toward the door. Lybio looked at the King, who nodded his head from where it lay propped on the pillows of seaweed.

“Who seeks to enter?” Lybio called.

“Unlock this door at once, you sniveling sea worm!” a shrill voice rang out. “I heard my brother lies near death! I demand to see him!” There was no mistaking Princess Winona’s voice.

The King nodded again, his eyes twinkling. “Let’s have some fun with my dear sister, shall we? Let her enter,” he told Lybio in a low voice. “Shea, stand in the shadows for now and don’t breathe a word.” The King relaxed into his pillows and closed his eyes, pretending to be unconscious once again.

Lybio swam to the chamber door and pushed aside the stone bench. Princess Winona swept into the room, her golden scepter gleaming in her hand as she shook it in Lybio’s face. “How dare you leave me standing in the hallway like a…like a mere servant? You are useless, you old jellyfish! You’ll be mucking out the dolphin stalls by nightfall!”

“I apologize, Your Highness,” Lybio said, bowing his head. “Princess Brynn thought it best to use extreme caution, since there’s an assassin on the loose in the castle.”

The elderly Princess snorted, her eyes sweeping the crowd gathered next to the King. She clutched her free hand to her chest. “My dear brother lies on death’s doorstep, no doubt at the hands of that Adluo Prince. In the interest of peace, I shall be forced to take over the Atlantic throne.”

“You?” Kira put her hands on her hips. “Why would you become Queen, when it is Brynn who bears the Mark?”

Princess Winona narrowed her eyes, still looking at her brother. “Isn’t it obvious? My brother’s wife was Adluo. Brynn bears the blood of their clan. She shall have to rule the Southern Ocean once Demyan has been brought to Neptune’s justice in Atlantis.” Princess Winona let out an exaggerated sigh. “I never wanted the responsibility of ruling, but I shall bear it for the sake of my people.”

“Not if the King survives,” Lybio said.

“He won’t.” Winona shook her head, her face filled with remorse. “I spoke to his Healer earlier.” She reached down and took the King’s limp hand into her own, squeezing it gently.

Suddenly, the King’s hand grabbed Winona’s wrist, and his eyes flew open. “What if the Healers are wrong?” He chuckled, a big smile on his face. “Surprise!”

Winona
’s eyes widened to the size of giant clamshells. She screamed and tried to pull away from the King’s grip. The golden scepter flew from her other hand, dropping to the chamber floor with a loud clatter, crashing to pieces with gems scattering across the tiles. All eyes turned to see a trickle of blue oozing from the scepter’s head, through a hole where one of the gems had been.

Lady Kata pointed at the oily blue trail slowly rising toward the chamber ceiling. “The jellyfish toxin! She poisoned her own brother!”

The King tightened his grip on Winona’s wrist, his expression suddenly grim. “You? You did this to me? But, Winona, why?”

Her ensuing laughter sounded crazed. “Isn’t it obvious? I should have been crowned Queen of the Atlantic long ago! Father thought you would be the stronger leader, but he was wrong.
Wrong!
”

The King looked at his sister with sadness in his eyes. “The gods did not choose you, Winona.” Lybio swam forward and grabbed both arms of the Princess.

“The gods were wrong!” Her teeth bared in a feral grin as she struggled against Lybio’s strong grasp. He tightened his grip and the old Princess winced in pain. “How dare you handle royalty in such a way!”

“How dare you attempt such treachery?” Lybio countered. “How did you think to escape notice?”

“The timing seemed perfectly suited for blame to fall upon that Adluo monster they call a Prince,” Winona said as she narrowed her eyes, ceasing her useless struggle. “Even his own entourage thinks him unfit to rule. One of his soldiers, a nice young fellow named Zan, brought me the blue tincture.”

“And you chose to work with foreign soldiers against your own clan?” The King shook his head slowly. “Sister, the merman Zan is no mere soldier but Demyan’s second in command and his Arcane Advisor. You, my dear, were used.”

Shock registered on Winona’s face. “But… But…”

Shea swam forward out of Kira’s shadow. “The Prince blames our King for the death of his father.” he said. “Demyan will stop at nothing until he rules the whole of the Atlantic as well as his own ocean. You played into his scheme because you are a selfish old woman who cares for nothing but herself. That is why the gods didn’t choose you.”

Winona
swiveled her head to stare at him, her lips curled to reply when her eyes widened with confusion and surprise. “You… You look like my brother…when he was a mere guppy of a boy. Who are you, a ghost?” She reached a trembling hand to touch Shea’s face.

He pulled away. “Not a ghost. Not a rumor. I’m here to save my mother before it’s too late.” He turned to the King. “Now, Sire, how
do
we save her from Demyan?”

“I have a plan…”

Shea was out of breath by the time he and Kae had swum down the long corridor to where the High Chancellor’s chamber was located. As he rounded yet another corner, he slammed straight into Kae as she came back around with her hands held out in front of her. “Stop,” she hissed. “They’re just up ahead.”

He peered around the corner, trying to steady his breathing. Demyan’s right hand gripped Princess Brynneliana by the elbow, while two of his armed soldiers hovered at the far end of the hallway, keeping guard. Demyan was rapping on the door with his knuckles and looking impatient. “Shouldn’t we go stop them?”

Kae shook her head and grabbed his arm with both hands. “The King said to wait. We’re supposed to keep an eye on them, and stall for more time if need be. Only the King can stop them.”

“Where is the High Chancellor?” Demyan’s voice carried clearly through the hall. He banged his fist upon the door again.

“Maybe he remained in the Great Hall with the crowd,” said Brynn, her voice sounding wobbly. “Perhaps we should return to my father’s chambers to await the return of the Healers. They may have found an antidote by now.”

“Let us hope they are busy finding a cure for such evil treachery,” sniffed Demyan. “Poison is the weapon of women and the weak. Who in Poseidon’s name would ever want to harm poor helpless Theo? I fear the repercussions of our cousin’s death.”

Shea snorted with disgust. “Yeah, right. As if he wasn’t behind the whole thing.”

“Hush,” Kae said, elbowing him in the ribs. “Listen.”

“In the meantime, my dearest Princess,” Demyan was saying, “We must hasten to secure the peace between our oceans by binding it with our marriage.”

Shea could hear his mother gasp. “Could we not merely sign the engagement tablet? Do we have to celebrate tonight?” He peeked around the corner and was disgusted by the self-satisfied smile he saw upon Demyan’s face.

“Dear Princess, it is for the good of the oceans. Our oceans, Atlantic and Southern both. We need to reassure the Adluo soldiers that this Solstice celebration was not some elaborate trap to kill their king. We must present a united front to our friends and enemies alike, especially in light of the death of Prince Azul. The Pacific King will be looking for retribution.”

Brynn looked horrified. “But no one could think we would purposefully poison the heir to the Pacific? Not when your King lies dead and my father hovers on the edge of life from the same poison?”

“Desperate times call for desperate actions,” Demyan said. He banged one last time on the chamber door, and seemed startled when it suddenly swung inward. In the doorway before them hovered the High Chancellor of Atlantis, with his long white hair and a beard which flowed past his waist. Over his bushy white brows sat a verdigris circlet of metal shaped like a wreath of laurel leaves, the ancient symbol of both victory and honor. In one hand he held a stone tablet. “Forgive me,” said the merman. “I was reading and must have been lost in thought.”

“It’s quite all right, High Chancellor,” Demyan said smoothly. “I hope we are not disturbing you too greatly by visiting your chambers.”

“Not at all,” the white haired merman insisted. “Come in, come in. Do you bring news of the King’s condition? Has he yet awoken?”

“My father still sleeps,” Brynn told him as she swam into the chamber. “But he yet clings to this life.”

“
Clings
being the operative word,” Demyan said. He signaled to his guards, who swam closer. “Stay right here, outside this doorway. Let no one enter.” The pair nodded and posted themselves to either side of the chamber door, staring straight ahead. Demyan entered the room and swung the door closed behind him.

Shea swung around to face Kae. “Now what? We can’t hear them with the door closed.”

“There’s no other way out of the chamber,” Kae said in a low voice. “So we wait here.”

He frowned. “I hate waiting.”

“I know, me too.” She took his hand in hers. “But it’s easier when we’re together.”

He pulled her closer and kissed her quickly on the mouth. Kissing underwater was a whole new experience, his gills pumping faster. He’d gotten used to the constant taste of the saltwater in his mouth, but tasting it on Kae’s lips was somehow different. He leaned in to kiss her again, but she dropped his hand and moved away. “What’s wrong?”

Kae shook her head. “We shouldn’t. The King wouldn’t approve.”

“Why would he care? Because I’m his grandson?” Shea reached for her hand and pulled her toward him.

“Because you’re his heir,” she whispered, her green eyes wide. “He knew about you this whole time. There are no secrets from King Koios.”

“I don’t want to keep how I feel about you a secret,” Shea said, putting his arms around her waist. “Besides, I can’t really be his heir. I’m half-drylander, remember?”

Kae giggled. “Remember when I called you Garbage Boy?”

“I remember.” He gently lowered his mouth onto hers, feeling her body melt against his and savoring each moment of the kiss.

“Well, what do we have here?”

Shea and Kae both startled at the sound of the rumbling voice, looking up to find one of the large Adluo guards towering over them, a leer on his face and spear in his hand. Kae trembled in his arms as Shea struggled for something to say.

“What’d you find, Clive?” called the guard still stationed at the door.

The Adluo looming over Shea smirked. “Two little lovebirds, hiding in the shadows.”

“Please, sir,” Kae spoke up. “We were just looking for a quiet corner. If my father finds us he’ll send me away to live with relatives and Neptune knows what else he might do…” she let the sentence trail off as she raised her eyebrows beseechingly.

The guard narrowed his eyes at Shea and stared for so long that Shea began to think he must have recognized him. Instead, the guard finally frowned and shook a stern finger in Shea’s face. “Do you have true feelings for this girl?”

Shea felt his cheeks burn as he answered. “Yes, sir, I do.” He tried not to look at Kae, but couldn’t help but see her smiling.

“Do you love her?”

Shea’s eyes flew open wide at the question. The thought had never even crossed his mind. “I… I don’t know…”

The guard’s frown grew wider. “Then this is no way to treat a lady, you jellyfish. Ask her out proper next time, and get her father’s permission. And decide how you feel about her before you go making a public spectacle of yourselves.”

“Yes, sir,” Shea answered, bowing his head deferentially. The Adluo had no idea who they were, and better still – he was going to let them go! He grabbed Kae’s hand and started to swim backward. “You’re right, of course. I should go speak with her father right now.”

The guard nodded his head. “Good lad. These may be dark times, but it’s no excuse for that kind of behavior. You should always do the right thing, especially with a mermaid as lovely as this.”

“Let’s go find your father right now, sweetie,” Shea said, tugging Kae along. They swam down the corridor and pulled to an abrupt stop around the next corner. Shea furrowed his eyebrows as he slowly peeked back around to see if the Adluo had followed them. “It’s alright,” he said, turning back to Kae. “He went back to his post.” She was staring at him with a strange smile on her face. “What?”

“So you have feelings for me, huh?” She poked him in the side.

“What was I supposed to say?” Shea felt defensive and annoyed at the same time. “Should I have told him we were really there to spy on his Prince?”

Kae’s face fell a bit. “So you were lying?”

“No, no,” Shea said quickly. “Not about that. It’s just so…complicated,” he added lamely. “My whole life has changed in so many ways today, I’m not sure what I think about anything.” He reached out to touch her cheek. “I do know you are very special to me, and I don’t want to lose you.”

Kae glanced over his shoulder. “Someone’s coming. We need to hide.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the windows overlooking the courtyard. “Quickly, through here.”

She released his hand and swam right through the window, disappearing down below the opening. Shea suddenly realized there was no glass and followed her out into the open yard as the voices grew louder in the hallway.

“Such a shame, marring the Solstice when it should be such a happy occasion,” said an unfamiliar voice. “Over the last thousand years, I have seen many Kings and Queens come and go. Death is but another part of life and should not be feared. It is all in the hands of the gods. You should know that better than most, Prince Demyan.”

“What do you mean, sir?” Shea recognized the Adluo prince’s voice.

“I mean no disrespect, of course,” the other voice continued. “But news of your father’s death must have come as a shock to you. And then to lose both your uncle and aunt, and now your cousin in such quick succession… It is remarkable that you are holding up so well.”

“We all do what we must for the good of the clans,” Demyan was saying as he swam closer to where Shea and Kae hid.

“Tell me, is there anything I can do to ease the tensions of the gathered crowd?” Shea wondered again who it could be. He glanced at Kae, who shrugged.

Demyan answered the question. “Why, yes, High Chancellor, thank you for asking. I believe there is something you can do for us.” Shea peered over the edge of the window and saw Demyan take his mother’s hand and roughly pull her to his side. “Something you can do for all of us, and change this day from a sad occasion back into a happy one.”

“Yes?”

“Marry us.”

The group had stopped directly in front of the window, against the opposite wall. The two soldiers hovered at the rear of the small procession and looked as surprised by Demyan’s words as Shea felt. The High Chancellor pursed his lips, as if considering the request. “Well,” he said slowly, “It is still a Solstice holiday until midnight, so a marriage tonight would be considered legitimate in the eyes of the gods and the Council of Atlantis.”

“Perhaps we should wait until my father awakens…” Brynn started, but Demyan cut her off.

“If we wait,” he said, enunciating each word, “We may miss this opportunity to form a legal union. Those unhappy soldiers might act in a…drastic manner.” Shea saw his mother’s face pale instantly.

“Are you feeling well, my dear?” asked the Chancellor, peering at her more closely. “For truly, I’m sure there is no harm in waiting until the Winter Solstice as we had originally planned…”

“No!” roared Demyan. “We will be married TONIGHT.” He paused to take a deep breath. “I will not put my soldiers at risk from further treachery by rogue Aequorean rebels,” he said icily, “nor will I swim in circles while the Pacific clan mounts an attack on either the Atlantic or Southern Ocean. Perform the ceremony NOW.”

“But… But Prince Demyan,” spluttered the High Chancellor. “Marriage is a sacred rite, a public act, a ceremony of pomp which demands witnesses. Especially a wedding which will bind two clans together for hundreds of years.” He shook his head. “I can not perform such a ceremony within the confines of a hallway. Tradition dictates such a wedding be held in a public place, before the people of both clans.”

“Fine. Let us adjourn immediately to the outer courtyards.” Demyan tugged on the Princess’s hand. “We can dispatch the servants to gather the crowds.”

The High Chancellor’s face lit up. “Oh, yes. A courtyard wedding is a splendid idea! We can adjourn afterward to the surface to enjoy the spectacle of the drylander fireworks in the night sky. Their arcs of colored fire always makes me feel like a guppy once more.”

“Prince Demyan,” Brynn said, “I’m not sure this is the best course of action while my father lies ill. Our union needs his approval.”

“He gave his approval for a wedding to bind our clans as part of the peace accords, signed earlier today,” Demyan reminded her, lowering his brow. “And if you try to forestall me any longer, I will begin to suspect some other treachery.”