Chapter 4

Four

“ T hrow them back into the water, I tell you. They are only going to bring us trouble.” Elric paced back and forth atop the wooden seat of The Spectrum, huffing and puffing in a fit of rage which was normal for the little man.

“Please, don’t hurt us,” cried the older-looking of the two sea nymphs that the Blackseed brothers and Stone had pulled out of the water, caught in their net.

“We need to find our sister,” said the younger one with the blonde hair. She clung to the mermaid with the bright red hair.

Rhys had never seen anything like this. None of them had. “Who are you?” he asked in curiosity.

“I am Galene Havfine and this is my sister, Melite,” said the redhead.

The men introduced themselves as well.

“We’re looking for our sister, Merrow, who came through the portal with us,” said Melite.

“Nay! Don’t tell me there’s more of you creatures?” snapped Elric. “Can this get any worse?”

“Portal?” all the rest of the men said at the same time, focusing on the true trouble here and it wasn’t the girls.

“It was a frightening experience.” Melite looked as if she were going to cry. “All I wanted to do was collect shells at the reef.”

“There was a storm above the water and it must have caused the portal to open up where we were,” explained Galene, smoothing back her sister’s hair.

“An underwater portal?” Darium raised a brow. “Now, that is something new.”

“No more portals,” complained Zann with a swish of his hand through the air. “Can’t we just live in peace for once?”

“You said there was another sister with you?” asked Rhys.

“Yes,” answered Galene, sitting on the deck with Melite. Their tails flipped back and forth as a light rain continued to fall. “Merrow was pulled away from us. We need to find her and get home before our father finds out we disobeyed him and went to the Mystic Reef. If he discovers we went against his wishes, he’s going to be very angry and it won’t be a good thing.”

“An angry father is the least of our worries right now,” mumbled Stone.

“So, that must be what we saw Ravenwolf and his crew capture in their net.” Rhys looked over to where The Thunderbolt, King Ravenwolf’s ship was fishing, but it was no longer there. “I think they’ve got your sister.”

“Merrow was captured?” gasped Melite.

“Never mind that,” Stone broke in. “Tell us, where is your home?”

“We come from the Aegean Sea,” Galene explained.

No response.

“By Greece,” she added.

The men all shrugged.

“I’m sorry, but we’ve never heard of such a place.” Darium was more than concerned.

“How do we know this portal isn’t going to open up again and more of you won’t come through?” asked Elric, zipping back and forth on the ship, moving so fast he made the rest of them dizzy.

“We’re not really sure. We don’t even know what made it open in the first place,” explained Galene. “Please, can you help us find our sister? It’s very important.”

“Nay!” snapped Elric, the same time the rest of the men answered, “aye.”

“We can take them back to Kasculbaugh.” Rhys offered his castle.

“Nay. My castle is closer and it’ll be faster. We’ll dock at Evandorm,” said Zann.

“What are we going to do with these fish girls?” Elric shook his head. “We’re just inviting trouble by taking them back to the castle. They shouldn’t even be here at all.”

“We’re undines,” said Melite.

Silence again.

“Sea nymphs,” added Galene.

“Oh, like a mermaid, right?” Zann looked them up and down. “I mean, we’ve heard of mermaids but have never actually seen one before.”

“Something like that,” answered Galene, shrieking when Fang came up behind her and started licking the back of her neck.

“Fang, get back here.” Stone pulled his dog away.

“How are we going to transport them?” asked Zann. “We’ll need to get a wagon.”

“Nay, we will walk,” answered Galene.

“Really.” Darium looked over to his brothers and shrugged.

“Oh, no. Not like this, of course,” said Galene with a giggle. “We can only swim when we have our tails. But once we are dry and on land, our legs will emerge. We’ll look and walk just like humans.”

“I can’t wait.” Elric’s words dripped with sarcasm. “Let’s get back because I’m hungry for supper.” He smiled evilly. “We’re having fish.”

Sebastian entered the great hall to meet up with his men later that day, having kept away from Merrow. He did not want to be near the lusty sea nymph. What he needed was to discuss the undine with his trusted men and figure out exactly what to do with her. Sebastian liked the idea of having a unique, not to mention beautiful, creature under his control. He also liked the fact he’d have something that the Blackseed brothers did not. After all, his late uncle always stressed to him that being king meant having and maintaining power. Uncle Leofric Sethor never wanted to be less powerful than any of the other kings of Mura. Especially not the Blackseed boys. Sebastian had to uphold that image and make his uncle proud of him. Even from the grave.

“My king, we hear you’ve captured a sea witch,” said his advisor, Drell, approaching him with Sebastian’s captain of the guard, Farrimond. Both these men were at least ten years older than Sebastian’s twenty-five years. They’d been close allies of Sebastian’s uncle. Sethor had always looked to these two for guidance while he served as king. Sebastian would do the same since they were the most experienced men at the castle. Sebastian had served in Sethor’s army, but really knew nothing about being a ruler. Hopefully, these two men could help him uphold his inherited role of king.

“She’s not a sea witch, she’s an undine and her name is Merrow.” Sebastian took a tankard of ale from a serving wench and sat on his dais chair that was placed in front of the fire where he liked to sit and think.

“From whence did she come?” asked Farrimond, since neither of these two men were with him on the fishing ship when it happened.

“She came through an underwater portal.” Hitch, Sebastian’s good friend and also his squire, approached the fire, straddling a wooden bench while holding a bowl of grapes. “Would you care for grapes, my lord?” He held out the bowl but Sebastian shook his head. The last thing on his mind right now was food.

“My lord,” said his steward, Jocet, approaching the table as well. His cook followed behind him with a large cleaver in his hand. The cook was a silent man, not able to talk since his tongue had been cut out by Sethor years ago for making a dish that Sethor said was rancid although Cook argued that it was fine. King Sethor had told Cook that his sense of taste was lacking and his tongue should be used for testing food instead of speaking back to a king. By right, he should have been executed, but Sethor was a nasty man and thought it would be more fun to cut out the cook’s tongue and continue to make him work preparing food. He couldn’t taste the food but neither could he argue or talk back to a king anymore either.

“What is it, Jocet?” Sebastian took another swig of ale.

“Cook wants to know how to prepare mermaid. He wants me to ask you if it should be roasted or basted for the best flavor, now that he has no way of actually tasting the dish first.”

“Nay!” shouted Sebastian, almost choking on his ale. “No one is going to touch Merrow. If anyone should even try, they’ll answer directly to me, and I promise the results will be grave. Understand?” He looked directly at Cook when he spoke, angry with him for even suggesting such a horrible thing. Jocet was Cook’s voice since the man couldn’t speak, but there was nothing wrong with his ears. “Understand?” he said once again, waiting for an answer.

“Aye, my lord,” the men around him all answered one after another. Cook nodded forcefully and bowed before turning and running back to the kitchen.

“Oh!” He heard a feminine voice cry out, followed by the sound of two bodies hitting the floor and a loud clank. He looked over his shoulder and groaned. Merrow was prone on the ground and so was Cook. Cook had dropped his cleaver. Merrow’s bare legs had every man’s attention, since her knees were bent and her legs were not together. “I’m sorry. I’m not as skilled at walking as I am with swimming. I didn’t mean to bump into you. Will you forgive me?”

Of course, Cook didn’t answer, since he couldn’t.

“Please, say something. I feel awful.” Merrow jumped up, picking up the cleaver and holding it out to Cook. “I think you dropped this.”

“Zoroct’s eyes, nay,” Sebastian ground out, using the name of one of Mura’s gods in his curse. He handed his ale to his squire and bolted across the room, grabbing the blade from her. “I’ll take that,” he said. “Cook, get back to the kitchen.” The man wanted his chopping blade back but Sebastian didn’t think it was a good idea. “You’ll get it later. Now go!”

He grabbed Merrow by the arm and all but dragged her to the long, wooden trestle table in front of the fire. “I told you to stay in my solar until I returned. Plus, I locked the door. How did you get out?”

“I have many skills, including picking locks,” she told him. “Coral spikes work well.” She proudly fingered the necklace she wore made of shells, coral, and other sea life type things. Besides, you left me there, all but forgotten, and I was hungry.”

“I see,” he said, actually impressed by her cleverness on land, even though her home was in the water. “Sit down here by me, and be quiet.” He guided her to take a seat next to his squire. He handed the cleaver to one of his men passing by. “Take that to Cook,” he said under his breath, not wanting the damned blade anywhere near this beautiful woman. If she suddenly sprouted a tail again, he couldn’t trust that his men wouldn’t want to kill and eat her after all.

“Want a grape?” asked Hitch, holding out the bowl to her as he raised the tankard to his mouth. Hitch was a few years younger than Sebastian, but much more carefree and reckless. Sebastian always calculated each and every one of his moves, constantly thinking three steps in advance, never wanting surprises. He liked to be prepared for whatever came his way. However, catching a sea nymph and bringing her back to Macada Castle was nothing he could have ever even dreamed of doing. He had no idea what to do with her, or how to take care of her for that matter.

“Oh, thank you, I’d love one. I am so hungry.” Merrow daintily plucked a grape from the bowl and held it while she took a small nibble and sucked out the juice. “Mmmm, this is soooo delicious. I’ve never had one before. It tastes similar to a grub, but sweeter.” She looked so happy. So innocent. And so damned sexy wearing his tunic and sucking on a grape, that he couldn’t think straight right now if he tried.

“Squire, give me my ale!” Sebastian ripped the cup away from Hitch and drank down the liquid.

“So, this is the sea witch I’ve heard the crew talking about,” said Drell, tapping his chin with one long finger. “I thought she’d look more like a fish and less like a human.”

“She’s most likely dangerous. We know nothing about her,” commented Farrimond, watching Merrow with squinted eyes and a pursed mouth. “My king, you need to throw her back into the ocean anon.”

“Yes!” Merrow popped the rest of the grape into her mouth and jumped up. “I’d like that, thank you.”

“Nay,” answered Sebastian in a deep voice. “The girl will stay at my side day and night until I can decide what to do with her.”

Merrow slowly sat back down, looking defeated.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you. How was the fishing trip, my good king?” asked Drell. “Did you catch anything besides…this monstrosity?” He looked down his long but crooked nose at Merrow. It made Sebastian want to punch him for referring to Merrow in such a manner. But Drell was his advisor. Sebastian would be better off trying to befriend the man instead.

“Nothing worth talking about.” Sebastian thunked down his tankard and stood up and stretched. It was late in the day but not nearly time to go to bed yet. He would have to come up with something to do that wouldn’t be hampered by having Merrow along. “Jocet, borrow a gown for Merrow to wear from one of the ladies of the castle and bring it up to my solar. I won’t have her walking around looking like a strumpet.”

“Yes, my lord,” said his steward with a bow of his head.

“Also assign her a handmaid.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Oh, that’s not necessary,” protested Merrow. “I like to do things for myself.”

“I can see that.” Sebastian’s eyes drifted back to her necklace she’d used to pick the locked door. “Farrimond, assign a guard to keep watch over the girl outside my solar door whenever I’m not there.”

“Aye, my lord.” Farrimond exchanged glances with Drell. “So, the sea witch is a prisoner then? Will she be executed?”

“Stop calling her a sea witch,” snapped Sebastian, walking over and taking Merrow’s arm. “And quit asking so many questions. A king never needs to explain his actions to anyone.”

“My king, we need to discuss this situation.” Drell was dogging his heels. “This is going to create quite a stir in the kingdom. Especially since she is a magical being. We can’t have that here. Your uncle wouldn’t have allowed it.”

“I don’t wish to discuss this at the moment. I’ll let you know when I am ready, now see to the other matters.”

“As you wish, your majesty.” Drell fell back as Sebastian continued on to his solar.

“Am I really your prisoner?” asked Merrow. They climbed the stairs together. “And are you going to execute me like Farrimond said?”

“First of all, I haven’t decided yet if you are a prisoner, a guest, or just a burden. Second, Farrimond never said I would execute you, he only asked.” Sebastian stopped in front of his closed door to speak with her. “And third, I want you to start listening to me and stop giving me trouble. I am a king. You do know what a king is, don’t you? Do they have kings where you come from?”

“Yes, we do. I know all about kings. You don’t need to explain.”

“I’m guessing I’m probably the first king you’ve ever met.”

Merrow rolled her eyes, not able to believe the pretentious self-importance of this man. She also found it amusing that he spoke to her as if she were some kind of na?ve child.

“You don’t need to address me like a child. I am an adult if I must remind you.”

“I see.” He opened the door and let her enter, then followed her into the room and closed the door behind him. “How old are you? I’m twenty-five.”

“I’m older than you think.” She walked over and plopped down on the plush mattress of the bed. Not really spending a lot of time on land, her legs became tired easily from walking.

He chuckled. “Oh, you’re such an old lady.”

“One hundred and fifty.”

“What?” His head snapped around and he made a face.

“My age is one hundred and fifty. Years,” she added when he acted like he didn’t understand. “Although to humans, I look to be about the same age as you.”

“Nay. You can’t be.” He shook his head in disbelief and walked closer. “You don’t look that old at all.” He actually had the nerve to get close to her and bend over and peruse her face. He was probably looking for wrinkles.

“For an undine, that isn’t old,” she explained.“My kind can live up to two hundred and fifty years of age.”

“You’ve got to be jesting!”

“Nay. Not at all.” She picked up her necklace and played with it. “I, however, am one of the eldest siblings.”

“By siblings, you’re talking about those two sisters you’re looking for. Right?”

“Yes. Them, and others.”

“How many others?” He walked over and poured himself a goblet of wine from a nearby table. “And do you have both brothers and sisters? I am an only child.” He brought the goblet to his mouth.

“Yes,” she answered. “I have one brother. And forty-nine sisters.”

Sebastian spit a stream of wine across the room. Then he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before he managed to speak. “Did you say…forty-nine? Or was it four? Or nine?”

“You heard me correctly the first time. I have forty-nine sisters, my lord.”

“That’s preposterous.You’ve got to be jesting.”

“Well, mayhap you’re right. I might have the count a little off,” she said, thinking and looking into the air above her head. “Actually, my father has some daughters who are bastard children, so add about another dozen to that number of forty-nine, and that would be more accurate, I suppose.”

He stood there with the goblet dangling from his fingers and his mouth hanging open. “I’d like to meet this mighty man someday. He must have an entire harem at his fingertips.”

“Nay, you don’t want to meet him. And what do you mean by harem?”

“I’m saying, he must have a lot of wives.”

“Oh, that. Nay. Just one.” She shook her head. “Except for a few mistresses through the years who produced the dozen bastard children. But otherwise, all of my true siblings come from the same woman.”

“She, I wouldn’t want to meet,” he commented under his breath. “So all those sisters and only one brother? That’s odd.”

“Not really. It is more common for a sea nymph to birth girls. Nerites is the only boy in my family, besides my father, of course. My brother is very protective of all his sisters.”

“I feel pity for the poor woman who had to bear all those children,” he mumbled into his cup.

“My mother, Doris, disappeared years ago.” Merrow jumped off the bed. “I think she might have been swallowed up by a portal like I was. Are you sure she isn’t here?” She looked at him from the corner of her eye.

“Believe me. If there had been anyone like you here on Mura before, I wouldn’t have forgotten about it. You are the first of your kind to walk this land…or swim this sea.”

There came a knock at the door.

“Enter!” shouted Sebastian, doing nothing to open it himself.

“My lord?” His steward stuck his head into the room. “I’ve brought the handmaid and she has a gown for the nymph to wear.”

“Good. Bring her in.”

The handmaid walked in right behind the steward, and Merrow couldn’t get a good look at her.

“The handmaid’s name is Dee,” said Jocet. “She’ll be here to tend to the sea nymph’s every need.”

“That’s not necessary. I’ll just—oh!” Merrow almost fell over when the handmaid stepped forward holding the gown. This woman named Dee was anything but a servant of the King of Macada Castle. This woman was so much more. This handmaid was her missing mother.