A Thousand Salt Kisses Later (Book 2 of Salt Kiss series)

A Salty Spell

I sat there gob-smacked. A thousand kisses. A thousand kisses. Really?

My first thought was that it didn't really seem like that less. My mind flashed back to all those hot days and nights when his salty lips pressed up against mine. I would have thought we had kissed about a million times that summer... But according to Aisling, it seemed a thousand was enough to seal the deal.

He really must have really loved me then, I thought, glancing to my side where he sat. But the question that had been on my mind since that day in George's hut lingered. Does he love me now?

Ri interrupted my thoughts with a loud, angry noise. It was the noise someone would make if they were being hit by a bus. He leaned over Aisling towards his son, eyebrows now knitted with contempt.

He began to shout at Llyr in mermese, and it wasn't hard to guess what was being said. "Now look what you've done!" and, "I told you so, didn't I?" were amongst the sentences I imagined being hurled at him.

Llyr snapped out of his stupor and got up from his seat next to me. He moved around Aisling to face his father, speaking back in a soft but firm tone. His body language suggested he was trying to reason with him.

Ri was not listening, however. He held up his hand and looked away, continuing to shout, his voice full of blame and fury.

Llyr too eventually grew tired of his father's anger and began to shout back until the two mermen were engaged in a full-blown row.

Nephys hugged my arm. "Oh gosh," she said softly, looking down at our fins.

"What are they saying?" I whispered.

"Ri's blaming Llyr, and Llyr's saying how could he know..." said Nephys.

"Well, yeah... I kind of got that much..." I replied quietly.

Suddenly Llyr shouted something and Nephys flinched, looking up at him abruptly. I watched her face closely, she frowned and her mouth had opened with outrage.

My stomach lurched. I knew what her expression read. It was a 'How could you say that?' kind of a look.

My mind began to race. Did he tell Ri that he never loved me, that it was just a summer fling?

Now the two of them were looking back at Aisling again. I followed their stare, and saw that the old mer was still locked in a deep trance. His head was tilted backwards, and his eyes were rolled back into his head. He was still in communication with the spirit world.

"Ask him then," shouted Ri. "In human!" he finished, glaring at me.

My head began to spin. I don't think I want to know the content of their discussion anymore. It can't be good, especially if Ri wants me to hear it.

Llyr sighed and looked over at me. I stared back at him nervously. There was a conflict in his eyes, as though he was about to say something, but he knew it was going to hurt me.

I swallowed hard and looked down. There was a silence.

"How does the spell get reversed?" he eventually asked Aisling.

It was like another sharp stab to the heart. I was quite sure that I wanted to go back to the land, but I wasn't stupid. I knew the message that was being conveyed: Llyr didn't want me here. He wanted everything back to normal so he could marry Kara and live happily ever after.

I felt the pain, that ferocious burn, deep in the middle of my chest, but by now my poor heart was growing more and more accustomed to it.

***

I stared at my hands, which were folded into my lap. The thoughts thudding through my mind were mainly of a torturous nature. However, there were little pockets of contemplation whereby more practical things were considered. For example, I wondered how long my little silver rings would last down here before they rusted, and how long my fingertips would take to shrivel up like they did in the bath.

I had sat like this for quite some time, really ever since Llyr had asked Aisling that fateful question. The four mermen had left ages ago now.

Aisling had communicated the spirits' answer to Llyr in mermese, and they had all fallen into silence again. I imagined that there was some kind of solution, as Ri appeared satisfied by the outcome. I had not been very interested myself at the time, I was way too miserable and had sat there gazing into my lap.

Coral and Llyr had said goodbye, and I had nodded mutely in response, not taking my eyes away from my hands.

Nephys had been instructed by Ri to relay the information to me, and I had heard her agree in a tone of disdain. Llyr had lingered behind for a moment, but I'm not sure for what purpose, exactly. Maybe he had wanted to give me a final wave, a 'cheerio old chap', wish me luck.

In any case, he had eventually turned and swum. I felt his presence disappear and I heard the sounds of his swishes grow fainter and fainter until I was sure he had gone.

Now, some hours later, Nephys perched by my side again and put a comforting hand on my back.

"I can't imagine what you're going through," she began. "I'm heartbroken myself."

"I guess it's good to know where I stand," I whispered. "Once and for all."

Nephys sighed. "I don't know what has gotten into him, Crystal. Maybe he is just sick and tired of being at war with Ri; he wants a simple life."

"Maybe he just loves Kara," I replied. I have to face up to the truth.

"She is nothing compared to you," Nephys insisted. "She is just a body; that's it. You have a beautiful soul Crystal, Aisling even said it. The Llyr I know; that's what he would choose above all else."

I was silent for a while. "But he didn't, did he?"

Nephys was silent, and I knew her answer.

"So, how do I get my legs back then?" I asked. May as well get the hell out of here.

Nephys exhaled. It was very long juddering exhalation. It went on for about a minute.

"Come on Nephys; it can't get much worse than this," I said impatiently.

"Well, there are two things that get us to shift," she began. "There's going to surface, obviously, and there's another thing. Aisling says the other thing should work."

"Mmmm?" I said. "So, going to surface... and?"

Nephys put another arm around me and hugged me tightly. "Going to surface and..." she trailed off.

"Seriously, it can't be that bad," I protested. "At this rate, I don't care if I have to peel the thing apart. I just need to go home. I have to go now Nephys; I need to get away from all this. I can't be here."

"Okay, then I'm just going to say it," said Nephys decisively. I was quite sure she could sense the depths of my despair. "Crystal, if you want to go home, we are going to have to find you a mate."