Chapter 10

Ten

“ W hy am I not surprised to see her already here?” Sebastian looked over the heads of the Blackseed brothers while talking to his squire, noticing Merrow in the courtyard of Evandorm Castle.

“It’s Merrow, my lord,” said Hitch, even though everyone could see her for themselves. “That means the Blackseeds have already won. They’ve captured her.”

“Nay, I won’t allow it. Over my dead body.” Sebastian drew his sword. His army took their cues from him and did the same.

“What is it you want, Ravenwolf?” Zann called out. “You can’t come to my gates with your army and weapons drawn and think I’ll do nothing about it. Guards, arm yourselves,” Zann called out to his soldiers. They ran over and formed a circle around Zann and his brothers.

“Zann, hold up,” Rhys warned him under his breath. “We have women and children in the courtyard.”

“Everyone get inside for your own safety,” was Zann’s order. “All soldiers, draw your swords. Be prepared for battle.”

“Nay!” shouted Merrow, running forward, pushing her way through the sea of armed men until she got to Sebastian. The magical ladies of the castle were right behind her.

“Medea, get inside,” growled Rhys.

“Husband, you know it is really the women who have the magical powers needed to win a war,” Medea spoke freely, not sounding at all concerned about offending her husband or the other men. Sebastian found that odd as well as disrespectful.

“No one is going to battle or go to war over me or my sisters,” said Merrow.

“Is that what this is all about? The sea nymphs?” asked Darium. He had yet to draw his large blade that was strapped to his back, although it seemed evident a fight was about to break out.

“I want all the sea nymphs. Now, hand them over to me,” commanded Sebastian.

“We will not,” spat Zann. “Now leave.”

“Why would I leave when you have something of mine?” Sebastian looked right at Merrow. “Come, Merrow. I want you back at Macada Castle.”

“She’s not yours!” Medea’s hand swished through the air, causing Sebastian’s sword to fly out of his grip. It clattered to the ground. “None of these women belong to any of you.”

“That is a definite act of aggression for which you will all pay.” Sebastian’s eyes turned and he glared at Merrow. She felt his anger and realized he was about to give the command to fight. She also realized that if a fight broke out, Sebastian and his men had no chance of surviving with all the powers these magical beings held.

“You are not taking any of the sea nymphs, Ravenwolf. They are under the protection of me and my brothers,” stated Darium.

“That’s right,” added Rhys. “So, just turn around right now and leave and no one will get hurt.”

“I can’t do that, Blackseed. And neither will I,” Sebastian answered.

Merrow watched in fear as the threat of a battle surfaced. There was no doubt that Sebastian’s pride was going to make him order his men to stay and fight, and she didn’t like that a bit.

“Wait!” cried out Merrow, bending down to retrieve Sebastian’s sword. She picked it up and handed it to him hilt first. “I will return to Macada Castle with you,” she told Sebastian.

Nay, Merrow. What are you doing? came Galene’s silent words in her mind.

You can’t leave us. Please, don’t go, came Melite’s silent cry next.

It’s all right. Trust me, she answered her sisters with her mind. I don’t want anyone to get killed. This is best for now. Meet me at the waterfall at first light. I hear the falls are positioned between all the castles. Just head for the mountains to find them.

“Let me make sure I understand this. You are volunteering to return with me? On your own?” asked Sebastian.

“Yes. That is correct,” she answered.

“Why?”

“I do it with one request only,” she told him. “That you and your army leave here now and that no battle breaks happens.”

“Well, I’m not sure I like those terms,” said Sebastian with a chuckle. “After all, I haven’t got everything I came for yet. So tell me, why would I leave?”

“That’s right,” snarled his captain of the guard from next to him. “Our king will have everything he wants. As well as all the power.”

“Power isn’t something that can be given or even stolen,” said Merrow, trying to bring peace to this hostile situation. “Like respect, it goes hand in hand along with honor. It is something inborn, not created.”

“That’s nonsense, my king.” Farrimond was ready for a fight and getting the army riled. “The Blackseed brothers stole their kingdoms. Kingdoms that should never be in their hands. Let us fight, my lord. We’ll take back all that is rightfully yours.”

“Fighting isn’t the answer,” said Merrow, still holding out his offered sword. “Please,” she said in a mere whisper. “Do what you know in your heart is the right thing to do. Even if it is not what’s expected of you.”

Sebastian scanned the faces of the army of men in Evandorm, weapons drawn, ready to take him down. He took in the frightened looks of Merrow’s sisters as they clung to each other, anxiously awaiting his answer. Their eyes were opened wide in fright. Then he glanced over his shoulder at his men. They were ready to do as commanded, but only Farrimond had that hungry look in his eyes wanting to draw first blood.

Was it really fair to his men to make them fight, just to claim a few more sea nymphs? He didn’t even know what he’d do with them any of them. The one alone was more than enough trouble as it was. Then again, he was king. Backing down would make him look weak. He couldn’t have that. But neither did he want spilled blood over something he couldn’t really justify fighting over.

“You’ll come with me and not sneak out and leave again behind my back?” asked Sebastian.

“I promise. If you leave my sisters be, I will go with you of my own free will and not try to escape again.”

His hand went to his pouch that held her shell charm. He didn’t need to make deals with a sea nymph. If he wanted to, he could just control her by using the charm. She would have to heed to his command then. He could still have her, fight his war, and steal the other sea nymphs if he could manage to pull this off. Then again, these beings were all magical. Honestly, his manpower couldn’t go up against what they could do without even touching a one of them. He’d seen their effects of magic before. He’d also seen what type of damage could be done. The previous kings of Mura were dead, having lost their lives because magic was involved. Mayhap he should just take the nymph and leave and not look back. Perhaps that would be the best deal of them all.

“I’ll call off my men and leave. For now.” Sebastian reached out and took his sword from Merrow, sheathing it. “Lower your weapons, men.”

Many disappointed grunts and groans filled the air.

“My men, lower your blades as well,” Zann called out to his soldiers.

“I will leave with Merrow only,” Sebastian said, reaching down and pulling her up atop his horse with him. “However, if any of you come to my door uninvited again, or try to cause trouble, next time there will be a battle and I will not change my mind about it.” He turned his horse as Merrow slipped her arms around his waist to hold on. “I promise you, that battle will not be called off again, because the next one will be a fight to the death.”

Merrow didn’t say a word to Sebastian on the way back to Macada Castle. She was too distraught since she kept hearing her sisters calling to her in her mind. Nothing was going as planned. Her hope to rescue her sisters and return home had failed since Sebastian arrived too soon. Or mayhap it was really because she stayed in the ocean too long. Even if she had gotten to Evandorm in plenty of time, did it really matter? Her sisters, for some odd reason, seemed to like living like humans. It sounded to her as if they were in no hurry to get back home. Merrow was afraid that being around these humans was tainting her sisters’ minds. Humans and magical beings both, actually. Mayhap that was what made Melite and Galene act this way.

It was up to her now to convince them to go home where they belonged. She kept thinking of her poor mother and how unhappy she seemed to be ever since she turned human. Was giving up everything they loved just to gain a soul worth it? She didn’t think so. Merrow had lived for the last one hundred and fifty years as a sea nymph, an undine, and that is how she would someday die. There was nothing here for her on Mura. She needed to find a way to escape again, and this time meet up with her brother who could lead them back through the portal and to their father where they belonged. The hardest part about this plan was that she had no idea how to save her mother, and the last thing she wanted was to leave her behind.

“Why are you so quiet, Merrow?” asked Sebastian.

“I have nothing to say to you,” she answered with a sniff. “You tried to control me with my charm to do what you wanted me to do. Then you tried to kidnap my sisters. Plus, you also threw Dee into prison again. You are a horrible, horrible man, Sebastian Ravenwolf!”

He chuckled. “For not having anything to say to me, you certainly managed to convey a lot.”

“Well, now I am done.” She’d been holding on to him around his waist, sitting behind him atop his steed. But now she released him, not wanting to feel the warmth of his body pressed up against her anymore. Any emotions she had felt for this man were not real, she reminded herself. They were only because he forced them to happen. It was what he wanted, not her.

“Farrimond, take the men back to Macada and wait for me there,” ordered Sebastian.

“My lord?” asked Farrimond in surprise. “Where are you going? Not back to confront the Blackseed brothers, I hope. If so, we will accompany you.”

“Nay, I assure you I have no plans to go back there. Not yet. Just do what I say. And tell my steward if I am not back by nightfall to serve the meal without me and be sure to close the gate.”

“Aye, my king.” Farrimond rode to the front of the traveling party while Sebastian directed his horse down a path that led in a completely different direction.

“Where are you taking me?” Merrow demanded to know. “And why did it sound as if we won’t return to the castle tonight?”

“I am taking you to a place that I believe will do you good. I am sure you will feel comfortable there.”

“I doubt it. Unless you plan on taking me home.” She noticed he neglected to mention staying anywhere for the night.

“Home?” he questioned. “Nay. Not exactly. But it’s the closest I can do for now so I hope it will suffice.” He rode out into a clearing. There before them was a big, tall waterfall with a small lake at the base of it. The water gushed over the rocks, coming from the high mountains above. The sound of the power behind the water and the churning of the falls was like music to her ears.

“It’s beautiful!” she exclaimed, her eyes fixed on the lush, green vegetation surrounding the falls. A rainbow of colors danced in the spray of the water as it rushed over the cliff. The roar of strength and nature filled her ears. This flowing water made her feel alive and awakened her senses. “Oh, look at the cute little lily pads and the bright colorful flowers floating on the water.”

She couldn’t wait to see them closer. Without waiting for Sebastian to help her dismount, she slid off the horse and took off at a run for the lake.

“I thought that might interest you.” He tied the horse’s reins to a tree and followed her. “This is fresh water, not salt water. Will that make a difference when you submerge yourself in it?”

“What?” Her head snapped around. “What are you saying? You want me to swim in it?”

“Sure. Why not?” he asked with a shrug, sitting atop a nearby rock. “Isn’t that what sea nymphs like to do?” He picked up a handful of small stones and one after another started tossing them into the water. Each hit the surface, creating small circles that rippled out wider and wider until they disappeared.

“Well, yes,” she admitted. “It is exactly what we like to do.” The sounds, the scents of the falls and the lake and the life beneath the surface called to her, begging her to dip her toes into the water. Calling her to go for a swim. She found herself curious as to what underwater life this fresh water lake of Mura held. The beauty of it at the surface alone was intoxicating. What kind of treasures and secrets did it hide?

“What are you waiting for?” The stones he’d thrown were gone now and he brushed his hands together to remove the dirt. “Go for a swim. That’s why we’re here.”

“Oh,” she said, knowing that as soon as she touched the water her tail would emerge, as well as her webbed fingers and toes and the fins at the ends of her ears. She would be in her most natural form which meant she’d look and act quite different from Sebastian and the other humans. For some reason, it made her a little nervous. “Mayhap we should return to the castle after all.” Feeling emotional about turning back into a sea nymph in front of him, as much as it saddened her, she figured it was best not to do so right now. This was a lake, not the ocean. She’d put herself in a vulnerable position right now to lose her legs. She would be a prisoner again but this time of the small lake since she would not able to swim away. It wasn’t at all like being in an ocean. Merrow would also not be able to run away on land if they should be attacked.

“Don’t be silly,” he said. “The water is refreshing. I know, because I swim here quite often myself when I need to be alone to think.”

“Really?” she asked. Hearing him say this, the swim did not seem as threatening to her now. “So…you will be swimming with me?”

“I hadn’t planned on it, but why not?” He got off the rock and started to undress.

“What are you doing?” she gasped.

“Well, I can’t very well go for a dip with my weapon belt attached and my boots and clothes on, can I?”

“I suppose not.”

He detached the pouch he’d had tied to his waist, pausing for a minute, running his hand over it. A shiver ran up her spine. It was the pouch with her charm in it. Was he planning on using it to control her here? She hoped not and wouldn’t like that.

“You’d better hurry, or I’m going to be the first one in the water.” He gently placed the pouch atop a rock that also held his clothes and weapons. Before she knew it, he stood there in just his braies. So much of his skin showed, that he might as well have been naked. The sun danced on his toned body and illuminated his long, dark hair. His chest was wide and looked very solid. The muscle in his arms and upper body made him look quite strong. He was a true warrior, she could see that.

He noticed her watching him. He grinned and reached for the string holding his braies in place.

“Nay!” She quickly turned and headed for the water. The thought of him standing there stark naked made her mind run in several directions at once. She needed to submerge herself in the cool water to clear her head. Because right now she felt very hot and couldn’t stop thinking about them ‘almost’ having made love.

Wasting no more time, Merrow kicked off her shoes and slipped out of her gown and let it fall, pooling around her feet. She didn’t dare look back at him when she heard a splash, knowing he had jumped into the water, and was most likely naked. Pulling her shift up and over her head, she sank down into the cool, fresh water, feeling her change in action. It took only a mere minute or two before her tail emerged and she was a true sea nymph once again.

“Yes!” she said happily, diving down and letting her tail flip up and out of the water. It felt so freeing, so right. This was exactly what she needed right now. This made her happy.

Sebastian dove into the small lake, able to see Merrow underneath the water as her change came about. It was amazing. He had thought he’d always despised magic, since that was what he’d learned from his late uncle. Magic was bad. It was evil. That was what he’d been taught. But seeing the way Merrow transformed from a human into half-fish was something he’d never thought he’d witness. The sunlight streamed through the water and lit up her iridescent tail that magically appeared. Gone were the legs that had made her landbound. Erased was the image of a purely physical girl. She was an undine now. A true goddess of the water. Merrow’s smile told him he was right in bringing her here. He held his breath watching her hold out her hands to caress a passing fish. She seemed to honor each underwater creature, and even treat the seaweed as if it were a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

Merrow suddenly realized he was watching her under the surface. She smiled and swam right toward him. Such beautiful curves of her hips and her breasts. Gliding through the water, her long, strong tail propelled her forward effortlessly. It was all muscle and when it moved, it was once of the sexiest things he’d ever seen in his life. Merrow looked elated to be in any underwater paradise, no matter how small.

Sebastian was just about out of air and needed to resurface. He started to swim upward, but she grabbed his arm and held him down. Warning rushed through him. Was she purposely trying to drown him? Was this her plan to make him pay for taking her away from her sisters and keeping her from her true home?

Relax. Trust me. He heard her words in his mind and didn’t understand how he was hearing her thoughts. It made no sense. Then, he realized what she was doing when she put her mouth up to his and gave him the breath of life, the same as he did for her when she could not breathe after drinking the strong whisky. Come with me he heard her words again, even though she hadn’t even moved her mouth to speak. They swam together under the water as she pointed out things that Sebastian had never known existed.

Look came her thoughts into his head again as she turned over a rock. He discovered a brightly colored salamander dart out and swim up to the surface. Two more overturned rocks led them to a good dozen crayfish. Then she pointed to a turtle swimming by, taking his hand and guiding him to pet its back. Next, she nodded toward a blue frog, swimming after it and following it to the surface. He quickly followed.

When Sebastian popped his head out of the water, he felt invigorated and totally alive. The blue frog hopped atop one of the lily pads. The large pink and yellow flowers that floated on the water gave off a sweet scent that filled the air.

“I never knew there was such beauty under the water,” he said, smoothing back his wet hair.

“Yes, there is quite a bit of beautiful underwater life on Mura.”

“I agree,” he said, drinking in her—the most beautiful water creature of all by far. “Thank you for the breath to allow me to stay underneath the water longer and to see so much more.”

“I wanted you to share what I was experiencing.” She sank back down, only half her face sticking out of the water now.

“Merrow, something odd happened down there. I heard what you said to me. In my mind.”

“Yes.” She raised up out of the water to her waist, using her webbed hands to tread water. “Undines are able to communicate by mind alone.” She looked even more beautiful in her mermaid form than she did as a human. She wasn’t naked, but her aquatic clothes clung to her, showing off her breasts and cleavage. It was almost more like a second skin, or scales, instead of clothes. It looked like a shell of a turtle covering one breast. The other breast wasn’t quite as covered.

“But I am not an undine,” he pointed out. “Why could I hear your thoughts?”

“It is because you are the holder of my charm. That is why you could hear me.”

“Your charm. You mean the shell that fell out of your hair, right?”

“Aye.” They floated back over to the shore as they spoke to each other. “When an undine reaches one hundred years of age, she is allowed to acquire a personal charm. This can be anything from a shell to a rock or even a feather, but it is usually a shell from the Mystic Reef.”

“Is it hard to find one?”

“Nay. It is something that presents itself to the undine when the time is right. All sea nymphs of age have one and wear it on them at all times. It is best when worn woven into our hair. It becomes part of us, I guess you can say. It holds our thoughts, feelings, emotions, and as you’ve seen our sexual desires. It is a way for us to control ourselves since sea nymphs have extremely strong feelings, emotions, and of course…sexual desires. Our charm watches over us and keeps us balanced.”

“I see.” He hoisted himself up out of the water, sitting on the bank with his legs dangling in the lake. He didn’t miss the fact that her gaze went straight to his waist. He still wore his braies, not wanting to make her uncomfortable by removing all of his clothing to swim, like he usually did. “So,why is the holder of your charm able to control you? I don’t understand that part.”

“It only happens when a human is holder of our charm, and something that we hope never happens.”

“Why just humans?”

She looked as if she was not going to explain, but changed her mind. She hoisted herself out of the water and plopped down next to him, letting her long tail dip into the water, swishing back and forth as she explained more.

“With so many sisters, every one of us feels our own calling and has a need to explore our own life. Some of us choose to leave the others and move on. A few of my sisters in the past have even ended up choosing to marry humans, and have gained souls, but also become landbound. Forever. It is a hard decision to make, and often a marriage between an undine and a human does not work out.”

“What do you mean? What happens if it doesn’t work out?”

“If a human man is married to an undine and he is disloyal to her, either the human man or the undine he married will die.”

“Well which is it?” This kind of talk made him feel very uncomfortable since he’d been having all kinds of thoughts regarding her.

“No one knows,” she told him. “So far, no human has been disloyal to his undine wife, and we hope to keep it that way.”

“Is that so?” He kicked his feet in the water, not knowing what to say to that. “I already saw you have the ability to bring forth legs, but is a marriage between a human and a sea nymph even possible?”

“It’s not common, but is very possible, of course.”

He found himself curious and needing to know more. “After seeing the beauty of underwater life, why would a sea nymph ever want to live on land?”

“Sebastian, it happens,” she told him, twirling the end of a strand of her long hair in her fingers. “It is called falling in love. However, once the decision is made, it can never be reversed. The undine will never be anything but a human from then on.”

“I’ll bet that is quite a hard decision to make.”

“It is a chance that is taken, because by marrying a human, as I’ve already told you, ensures that the undine will gain a soul.”

“It seems like a big sacrifice to make just to get a soul. But I suppose it is an undine’s free will to choose that life if she so wishes.”

“Some don’t have that choice. It is made for them.”

“How so?”

“Someone close to me has had her personal charm stolen by a human. He forced her to marry him, even though she was already married to someone else. She turned human and will never again be able to go home to the sea or to the man she loved.”

“That’s awful. What kind of an ogre would do such a horrible thing?” He reached out and gently placed his hand on her tail, where her leg would be. Her skin felt smooth and soft. He ran his fingers up and down, liking that he was touching her in her sea nymph form.

“That awful man was no other than your uncle, King Leofric Sethor.”

“What?” He pulled back his hand and shook his head. “Nay. That makes no sense at all. My uncle never married an undine. He had a human wife.”

“Your uncle kept it a secret since he was also married to someone else at the time. This sea nymph I speak of ended up as his prisoner when she fell through a portal and landed in Mura. Sound familiar?”

He knew she was speaking about them now, but chose to ignore that comment. “Who is she? What is your friend’s name? I don’t think I know her. And where is she now?”

“Her name is Doris,” she told him.

“Doris? I don’t remember anyone by that name.” He thought hard but honestly couldn’t remember any woman at Macada Castle or even on Mura named Doris.

“Of course, not. Because your uncle disguised her as a handmaid and her name was changed to Dee. You put her in the dungeon. Twice now.”

“Dee? Your handmaid?” he asked in shock, now understanding why she’d been so upset when he’d imprisoned the woman for her bad behavior.

“Yes, Sebastian. That is she. Dee was a prisoner of your uncle and is now your prisoner as well. It seems you are truly following in your uncle’s footsteps.”