Scales and Legends

  It was time to see if she could convince a whole clan of mer to join a war. Whitney slowed down, waiting for some sort of invitation. She was sure they knew she was there. And her wait didn’t take long thankfully, since she was still a bit cold. Eight brown-tailed mer swam up to her, all but one with weapons in hand. The last one was a girl, and she held a cloth in her hand. She motioned that she was going to tie it on Whitney’s face. Whitney motioned for her to do so and was surprised in that it was tied around her mouth, not her eyes. Whitney didn’t complain and followed the girl as she led the whole group past the barrier, to the island of ice waiting on the other side.

  Two of the men hopped out and then helped the girl out of the water. Whitney pulled herself up to be seated on the ice ledge. The island wasn’t an actual land mass like Whitney had expected. It was more of an ice island, or an iceberg of some sort. Whitney sat on the edge of the ice and felt the cold penetrate to her bones. She wasn’t made for the temperature it was. Then again, from Sam’s directions and never passing land, she very well could have been in the North Pole for all she knew. She was never one to run around freezing weather in basically a swimsuit and was not about to change on that one. She was freezing, and her breath puffed out clouds that looked like smoke. It was way too cold for her.

  The others with her hopped out of the water and changed into their non-mer forms, all of which include heavy fur coats. A guy who was waiting too far away for Whitney to see clearly began walking toward her. He had on leather pants and large fur boots, but unlike the others in their coats, he only wore a fur vest that showed off his large biceps. His long, pulled-back hair accentuated his rough look. Only one person would walk around with such a presence in a night human camp. Whitney didn’t need to ask who Mr. Tough Guy was. She already knew; this guy had to be Mace, the leader of the Selkie.

  “Mmm mmm mmm,” she said into the cloth.

  The large man with dark, slicked-back hair finally made it to her. He eyed her over suspiciously. Whitney made no move to rise, though all the people that met her were now standing around watching her where she sat, almost as if waiting for her to attack. She wasn’t going anywhere farther out of the water. At this air temperature, the water at least seemed warm now.

  The leader leaned down and untied the cloth from her mouth. Whitney sat and stared at him. He didn’t seem to have a problem with her voice.

  “Obviously my people didn’t look to see you have a pink tail.” He offered her his hand to stand, but Whitney remained seated.

  “But, sir, we had reports that Sam’s mate had a pink tail,” one of the men that had escorted her to the ice island stated. “She has a pink tail.”

  In a lightning quick movement, the man still holding her hand had turned and stared at the person speaking. Mace was staring daggers at the man, like he needed permission to talk, and as silent as the man now was, maybe he did need permission.

  Trying her best to diffuse the hot situation, Whitney spoke, “I was trying to say before that I could stand, but since I’m in shorts and a tank top, I’d rather stay in the water.”

  Mace looked back at her, seeming to forget or ignoring the interruption. He held up a hand and snapped. One of the men took off his warm coat and handed it over to Mace without a word.

  “I can’t take your coat,” Whitney said as Mace held it down to her.

  Mace waved his hand, and the man walked away. “He’ll be fine. We’re used to this cold and really don’t have to wear coats. We do it out of habit.” Which would explain why he wore only a vest with nothing underneath it, Whitney thought.

  Being sure that the guy wasn’t standing there farther away, freezing in the cold, Whitney was relieved to see he was gone now. She didn’t catch where he went, but that was enough to give herself permission to take his coat. Changing into her human legs, she stood up in her summer clothes and accepted the coat gratefully. It was still warm.

  “I believe you must be here to talk, and I have a guess that Sam sent you,” Mace said as he offered Whitney his arm.

  Whitney took it and let the large man lead her back the way he came. When she went to ask how he knew she was from Sam, Mace grinned and answered before she could ask.

  “I was on the beach when you made us all stop the battle. I was having so much fun, and normally I would have been angry at having to stop, but really, to feel that strength of command was just as exhilarating. It has been years since I’ve felt that kind of power. The old king didn’t realize it was you, but man, when he finally figures it out, please take a picture of his face. I’d love a poster-sized print of it.”

  It appeared the Selkie didn’t like the king of the siren that much either. And it seemed like Sam’s knowledge of the Selkie leader was a bit limited, also. Maybe the Selkie leader wasn’t as young as everyone thought. Whitney was a little scared it was going to be a failed mission before she stood a chance.

  “So,” Mace added as he turned and walked straight at what looked like a snow bank. Whitney prepared to turn again, but Mace marched right into the waiting snow. Whitney didn’t mean to pull away, but he had expected her reaction and held tight to the hand she had on his elbow. Surprisingly, he pulled her right into the room with him that was hidden by the snow.

  “I believe this should be more to your liking,” he explained as they walked into what seemed like a large ice room, but there was a roaring fire going in the middle of the room and a large pool on the opposite side. At least two dozen Selkie were in the water, and all turned to watch them as they entered. Mace led her over near the pool of onlookers and stopped to offer her a chair that faced a rather larger chair, likely his throne, made up of animal bones and furs.

  Whitney sat down and realized that the chair she was sitting in was fur-lined, too, and very warm. While she wasn’t a vegetarian, all the furs around the room made her a little uneasy. At one point in her life, she used to be a furry animal, and everyone she loved had been one, too. At least they were all on the other side of the continent, and it wasn’t likely that any of these furs were from animals she could have known. At least she hoped not.

  “So, my pink-tailed mermaid, you’ve come here to speak to us. I presume it’s about the war coming to the siren?”

  “For one, yes,” Whitney replied, putting on her game face. This was her part to play, and she was going to do it well. “But that’s only part of it.”

  Mace raised an eyebrow. All the chit-chatting amongst the swimming Selkie stopped the moment they started talking. The room was silent, and her voice was the only thing in the room making a sound, as Mace didn’t even talk.

  “So first off, I am Sam’s mate,” Whitney said, getting that out in the open. It seemed like Mace already knew, but she didn’t want anyone there thinking she was keeping that a secret. Little whispers began again. People were afraid that she was going to make them do something. Mace nodded to her. “But I’m not a siren.”

  Now the noise grew loud enough that Mace grumbled a bit in response. He turned his glare to the chattering Selkie, and they all stopped. It seemed he liked it more when it was silent. Whitney wasn’t sure she wanted to know what sort of clan he ran. His people all seemed to fear him. He turned back to her with a pleasant smile. Okay, maybe he was a little manic or had multiple personalities.

  “I’m intrigued. If you are Sam’s mate—and from what I heard he created you—how can you not be a siren?”

  “Well, I’m pretty sure you saw my tail. I’m not blue or green.”

  “Which I assumed made you a higher order of siren that they kept locked away,” Mace concluded. That actually made sense and wasn’t a theory she had thought of herself. He might have been a scary leader who with one glare could silence his people, but he was smart, also. Maybe there would be a way to reason with him.

  “I had no idea what the tail meant until I went before and met the leader of the night human council only days ago.” As expected, her words brought the audience in the pool back into their whispers. Now they
didn’t fear her, but thought she was crazy. No mer willingly went to the night human council.

  “You went to the council?” Mace was completely intrigued.

  “I went before the council to ask for a pardon for the siren. I went because I had nothing to do with the night human wars, and there’s an island filled with siren who had nothing to do with them either. I willingly went to the council to try to get them to understand there are innocent mer in the ocean.”

  “And you are here now, so I am to assume they agreed with you?” Mace was quick on that one. It was nice that she didn’t have to explain every detail because every time she talked, the Selkie were up in arms, but when he spoke, they grew silent again.

  “They did. But they didn’t give the entire siren clan a pardon. They gave me and my clan a pardon.” Whitney let the people sitting around talk more. She needed them to believe her and the more they talked, the more she heard people say that what she was saying made sense. A pink tail wasn’t a siren. Everyone knew that. And it seemed only Mace had seen her command the people to stop fighting weeks ago.

  “Now I’m intrigued. I know just about every clan in every ocean. I have never come across a pink tail before. What clan do you belong to?” Mace stood and pressed his fingers together like he was racking his brain for the answer she was about to give. The whole room grew silent as they waited.

  Whitney gave a shrug as he thought and let it all sink in for everyone there. If their leader couldn’t come up with what she was, that was going to work in her favor. No one could dispute what she was going to tell them.

  “Turns out, when Sam made me, he didn’t make another siren because mer can’t make new ones. Fate decided to make me into something that hasn’t been around in a long time, but is needed now.”

  Mace’s eyes grew large. He had figured out what she was saying. He obviously had studied the mer and knew this to be true, along with what she was going to add for everyone else who wasn’t putting two and two together.

  “I’m an Oceanid.”

  It took over an hour for Mace to get his people to calm down. The people in the pool seemed connected to others outside the large room they were in. As the news spread, others quickly began to file in. What went from a few dozen chattering at the prospect of a legendary mer in their presence became over a hundred or more packing tightly into the room. Whitney sat cozy in the warm furs and waited. She had a feeling that Mace would be swayed easier if more of his people were around to find out what she offered. While it seemed they would never disobey him, she needed them to want to be there, too. It wasn’t just Mace she had to convince to help fight, but all the Selkie.

  While people piled in and had to be updated by the people who were now out of the pool, Whitney just sat and watched. Mace seemed to do the same. He understood that more were coming, and he didn’t need to rush it. Soon enough someone was offering Whitney drinks and food while she waited. Whitney had a small bite to eat, but her stomach was in knots because she still had more to say.

  When the food was gone, and more people were arriving, she stood up and walked to the pool. The song of the cold water was different than her Caribbean. Whitney dipped her hand in as she waited and found the water much warmer than the outside sea water.

  “Missing your mate?” Mace asked as he sat down beside her.

  Whitney shrugged. Yes, the water made her think of Sam, but everything made her think of Sam. He was still on the island and busy, it seemed. She wanted to be back beside him, but it looked like her job in the coming war was on the other side from him.

  “New mates need to be around each other,” Mace said as he watched more people push into the large room. It seemed like a very large space until it was filled. Now there was barely any standing room left.

  “I’ve heard that, but what can you do? I was the only one who could leave the island since I’m not a siren.” Whitney shrugged again. There wasn’t much she could do. And the draw of Sam was always worse when she thought about him.

  “We are almost all here,” Mace said as a couple more people entered. “Then we can get back to our conversation.” Mace stood and nodded to Whitney as he walked away. She doubted there was room for anyone else to get into the room.

  Whitney stood up and walked back to her chair of honor, which was still empty. Mace wasn’t in his seat, but she had to guess it wouldn’t be official without him sitting in his kingly chair.

  Mace stood in front of his chair and stared around the room.

  “As everyone has been talking, let me introduce you all to the mer Whitney. She has traveled a long way to get to us, and thus we need to listen to what she has to say. No one will interrupt her or speak unless I give you permission. I’ve called everyone here because what she has to say involves us all.”

  Mace sat down in his chair and peered across at Whitney. There was no way he could read her mind, so why did he know what she had to say? Or was he just guessing? Whitney stood up and looked around the room. She could either face Mace or the people gathered. Not knowing which was less offensive, Whitney moved a few feet off to the side, turning to partially face Mace and partially face the Selkie.

  “I’ve traveled from the siren island to ask for your help. I know that only a month ago, my mate, Sam, asked for help, and you came to his aid. I’m asking for help again. The siren are surrounded by thousands of mer soldiers. The island full of innocent people—women and children included—are waiting for the clans that have gathered to attack. Almost every clan has joined with the Lara, Undine, and Mavkas to try to destroy the siren. From what I gather, you guys don’t exactly like the siren, but your hate isn’t enough to warrant joining in on slaughtering them.”

  So far everyone seemed to agree with what she said. There was actually more dislike than she wanted to see, but she had a chance to change that.

  “I’ve spoken with your leader to explain that while I’m a mate to a siren, I’m not a siren. I technically don’t have to go back and fight to help those people. I don’t have to put myself in harm’s way because I don’t answer to the siren king. I’m an Oceanid.”

  Surprise should have laced everyone’s face, but the ones that had been around before, and those who had been told about it already, were more curious than shocked. Now that she got that out of the way, she needed to lure them in.

  “I’ve gone before the night human council to get a pardon for the siren mer, and I’ve been allowed to start my own clan of mer that will not be hunted on land by the hunters. My clan of mer will be safe and allowed access to the blood banks just like any other night human. This will be a completely new clan of mer, and a free clan. I don’t want to rule over a clan. I hope to keep everything as it is as much as I can, with each kind of mer still living in their own communities. The only catch is that only those that are true of heart and not evil can join my clan, but I hope that the leaders I find in each mer clan will stay and rule over each individual clan.” Whitney waited to see if Mace approved. He seemed intrigued by the idea, so she continued.

  “Anyone who joins my clan will be free. I’m offering a place in this new mer world to anyone that helps the siren. I went before the night human council because I’ve met the siren. I know they are as innocent as I am. I truly believe they need a chance to be free in the night human world, and now they might all die. I ask for help in this war, and in exchange, you get freedom in the night human world as part of my new world of mer.”

  Whitney moved back over to her seat and sat down. That was all she could do, and she hoped it was good enough to sway at least some of them.

  Mace stared at her like he was trying to figure her out. She had one angle, and that was to get them to help in the war. There was nothing else she wanted, and no matter how hard he looked at her, he was not going to find an ulterior motive. Not a single person in the room said a word as they waited to see what their king was going to decide. Finally, Mace nodded, and a woman stepped forward with a small girl in front of her. The child couldn??
?t be more than five or six years old.

  “Prove to us that you can change someone into an Oceanid, and we will then take a vote on whether to help or not.”

  Whitney nodded. That was an easy enough expectation. Whitney changed into her mer form and took a scale from her fin. Changing back, she motioned for the woman to come forward. Instead, she pushed the child forward. Whitney looked at Mace and could see in his eyes exactly who the child was. This was his daughter. If the whole clan decided to not go with her, at least his child would be free. It was a good call.

  “Can I have your right arm?” Whitney asked the girl. She glanced back over her shoulder to her mother. Her mother nodded, and the child held out her arm. Pushing back her sleeve, Whitney pressed her scale to her forearm. The scale melted into her skin, leaving a pink circle in its wake. The girl stared at the mark.

  “Now what?” Mace asked.

  “Nothing. She’s free in the night human world.” It really was that easy. “The hunters are not to touch any mer with that mark. That means they are an Oceanid.”

  Mace studied the child. Standing up, he moved closer and stared at the small mark. Leaning in close, he scooped her into his arms as she transformed. Light brown fur covered her tail like all the other Selkie Whitney had seen, but now her upper body had the purple swirls from Whitney. While the Selkie tail was higher than the siren tail at the waist, the swirls still went around the child’s neck and arms. She was still a Selkie, but also an Oceanid.

  The Selkie, along with Mace, seemed to be transfixed by the difference in the child. No one said a word as he stood and held her above him for all to see. Whitney had to hope it would be enough to get people on her side… because they needed them. Heck, she needed more than just the Selkie, and she had to wonder if there were more in the other clans that wouldn’t support war if they knew there was a different option. But how could she talk to everyone? War was coming quickly to the island, and she most likely didn’t have time to swim all over convincing people to join her.