Dark Waters

Chapter 7

Upon seeing the Garden of the Pearls, I was torn between feeling truly insulted that no one had showed this to me before, and feeling absolute awe and wonder. It was easily the most beautiful place I had ever been to. The ground was carpeted with white sand that shimmered like iridescent diamonds. Everywhere in the oblong garden, coral and sea anemones and sea urchins and a hundred other aquatic plants bloomed in colors so brilliant they nearly scorched my eyes with pinks and blues, purples and teals, oranges and yellows. Small rocks were scattered everywhere, and each one of them was studded with pearls. There must have been thousands of the jewels in the garden, covering every surface that wasn’t colorful or shimmering. They decorated to stones that lined the path, creating stunning whirls and twirls, and shimmered softly in the glow of the sea floor. They shone with quiet humility, as if they knew very well how beautiful they were but didn’t intend to shove your nose in it. I liked the garden instantly, but something was odd to me. The whole garden was on a rectangular patch of land, and every stone surface was expertly adorned but one. At the very end of the garden path, there stood not a gate, nor an undersea arbor, nor a view of the empty ocean beyond. There was a

rock.

It was a boulder the size of my bedroom in my old house, irregularly shaped but smooth, and a stately gray color. No pearls lay on the surface of this stone. It seemed to mark the edge of the mermaids’ civilization, telling everyone that there was nothing further beyond.

 

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Lanntryns said. I made a noise of agreement, still lost in the contemplation of the garden.

 

“This is my favorite spot in town. Not a lot of people come here, oddly enough. It’s simply stunning. Older than my father, too. It was finished almost fifty years before he was born.” I nodded slowly, following a trail of pearls on the nearest rock with my finger.

 

“It’s amazing,” I said, and it was. I had never seen something so amazing in my life.

 

“Marin,” said Lanntryns, and I immediately snapped out of my reverie. I could tell by his tone that he had something important to say. “I brought you here because I wanted to show you my favorite place, yes. But I also wanted to talk to you. I think you need to be careful who you place your trust in.”

 What the hell was that supposed to mean?

 

“What are you saying?’ I asked defensively, drawing myself up to my full height.

 

“Only that sometimes people are not who they seem to be. They can turn on you in an instant, and I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

 

I colored slightly. “I can take care of myself, Lanntryns. I don’t know who you think is so untrustworthy, but I hardly think that I can’t tell who my friends are.”

 

“I meant no offense,” said Lanntryns quickly. I opened my mouth to make some quick retort, but was surprised by a slight wheeze that issued from my mouth. Shit. I was running out of air. I needed to get back to Aelaria as soon as possible.  Better to be blunt and wrap this up.

 

“I don’t know who you think I have to be wary of here, but-”