Restless Waves

Chapter 58

Rowan was suspicious when they had another peaceful night. He still hadn't heard from Jack, and none of Mandy's brothers had turned up at the house. Rowan wanted to believe that nobody knew what Jack had done, but Rowan wasn't sure. The supernatural world was surprising, in the most bizarre ways. Nobody could know, or everyone could know, and Rowan wouldn't be surprised.

"How do you feel this morning?" Kaerius asked when Rowan came out of the bathroom.

"My head feels better. I think the bruises are going down too."

Kaerius agreed. "How is your wrist?"

"Sore still, but not as bad as yesterday. I think it'll be fine in a few days." Rowan was going to save up for a really good first aid kit. He could no longer go to the hospital for injuries unless they were a matter of life and death. He was bonded to a Thalassic Mortal and healed quicker than usual. He didn't want to give humans a reason to be suspicious.

Kaerius stood by the door, hovering from one foot to the other. "Can I go to Michaels fish tank?"

"You don't have to ask," Rowan chuckled, pulling on his socks. "You can spend all day in there if you wanted." The guilt swirled in his gut for not being able to take him to the ocean where he belonged.

Instead of leaving the room straight away, Kaerius moved to Rowan's side and quickly kissed his cheek. Then he turned with a small smile and left Rowan in a happy daze to stare after him. Kaerius only saw Michael on his way to the basement. When he reached the bottom of the basement stairs, he noticed how the curtains were pulled back and blue light streamed around the open space.

Mandy was calmly floating in the tank, examining her white tail with rainbow flecks. Kaerius wanted to gush about her being royalty and having the same tail as Rowan when in fact, Rowan had her tail. Mandy had always been a royal. Kaerius was annoyed at the Goddess for letting her daughter suffer for so long.

"I join?" he asked.

"Of course," Mandy beamed.

Kaerius stripped and climbed in. The saltwater on his skin felt as good as the sun on human skin. He dipped under the water and held onto the kelp plants until his tail returned. The tank was big enough for Mandy to be at one end and Kaerius at the other and still have a few metres between them.

Kaerius breathed in the icy saltwater. His gills were finally open and inhaling the water. He turned to look at Mandy and her beautiful tail. Her dark blonde hair floated all around her. She looked comfortable among the plants and the cold. Kaerius wished Rowan had come with him, so he could see how happy she was.

"Your tail is beautiful Kaerius," Mandy said in the Thalassic Tongue; her first language.

Kaerius's pride was as long as the distance from Michael's house to the beach. He touched his fins, admiring his turquoise scales. "Thank you. Yours is too." Kaerius wiggled his fingers. They felt oddly bare and skinny when they didn't have the extra webbing between them. He clenched his jaw a few times, getting used to his sharp teeth again. Even eating cooked fish with human teeth was a waste of his energy.

"Have you got anyone missing you at home?" Mandy asked.

"My uncle and my uncle's father. Laiken and Jaiker. We travelled with a group, but they went west a few weeks ago." Kaerius hadn't thought much about his sea creature group. He knew they wouldn't come back.

"Have Laiken and Jaiker been on land yet?"

Kaerius frowned and said, "They can't because they're just normal. I'm not from a Royal family."