Dark Waters

Epilogue

Once again my head broke the surface of the water, and I gulped in air with pleasure. Next to me, Tyler did the same. His little hand held tight to mine as he filled his lungs.

Ra’loreh surfaced seconds after us and drew in his own deep breaths. “Come this way,” he said, “it’s not far now.”

The small cove that Ra’loreh led us to was tropical and beautiful. Blue water lapped at white sands, and a few tall palms shaded the ocean’s edge.

“This is a good spot,” said Ra’loreh with satisfaction. Tyler and I crawled up the slope until we lay half in the water, half out. Ra”loreh dragged himself up behind us with his hands, for once rather ungraceful. I laughed at his efforts as he flopped, panting, on the sand between us.

He bound my brother and I from our ribcages down to our feet with wet, slimy seaweed. Tyler giggled uncontrollably during the whole ordeal, especially when the wrappings reached his very ticklish feet. I gritted my teeth and tried to ignore the feeling that my lower half was being licked by a very large, very slobbery Newfoundland.

When we were completely wrapped, Ra’loreh scooted himself backwards into the water, looking relieved to be back in his element. “Twenty-four hours,” he said. “That’s all. It’ll be early in the morning tomorrow. I’ll be back to get you when the time comes.”

Tyler and I nodded and bade him our goodbyes. Once he sank back below the surface, we lay back on the sand, holding hands and trying to relax.

The sun beat down on the beach, but the palm fronds over our heads shielded us from the worst of the heat. With the sound of the ocean lapping the shore, I was reminded of my seaside haven, where I could always go when the world went wrong. It had been my place to think, and now it was again.

Lanntryns, looking peaceful in death, had been recovered from the chamber. His body was cast into the dark abyss that separated the human world from the sea one. It never came back down. Most of the merpeople didn’t overthink that, but to me it was a sign that the world from which I hailed was not ready to accept the existence of the world I was about to join. The hostility was still there, not ready to be conquered. Every time my thoughts turned to him, which they did very often, I felt a blow of guilt, like someone punching me square in the stomach. I had killed him. It was on my hands. Everyone assured me that I had done the right thing, that I had saved many lives for the price of one, but it didn’t help the crippling shame that comes with killing.

Aelaria was on the brink of death for many days. During that time I stayed constantly by her side with Tyler, who had grown very attached to the mermaid during my imprisonment. She hovered in and out of reality for hours on end until finally she began to come around. She was weaker than ever before, and she would have a long scar to mar her pristine skin all her days. However, she was that much stronger of mind and spirit that her bodily strength was irrelevant.

A cool sea breeze swept across our faces. I remembered the first time I brought Tyler down to the beach with me, the day he almost baked to death in my mother’s car. He was so tiny as I held him in my lap and let the waves roll over his baby toes. I glanced at him, both a child and an old man, and saw that he was asleep in the sand. I smiled and closed my eyes to do the same.

~~~~~

I awoke to the feeling of the sun on my face and sand on my back. I stretched luxuriously and blinked sleep out of my eyes, my vision still blurry from napping so long. From the angle of the sun in the sky, I could tell that it was early morning.

I propped myself up on my elbows and stared up at the sky. It was so blue that, on the horizon, it was hard to tell where the water ended and the heavens started. I drank the peaceful scene in.

As I watched a flock of seagulls flap around in the distance, a long line of sinuous color flashed in the corner of my vision. I looked down and the serpentine stroke of shimmering ink waved at me again.

I threw my head back and laughed, letting the peals of joy intermingle with twinkling water droplets that splashed up from the sea.