Budding Magic

  ****

  Dara was surprised to see Alana pull out their mama's workbook and prepare to read. She scooted over to share the book. When touching, the twins didn't need any word exchange. They seemed to simply understand each other. The two read companionably, pointing our phrases of interest.

  Vevila motioned for Kane to come play with her. They walked quietly away until they lost sight of their sisters, and then laughingly ran toward the water's edge, flinging clothes as they ran.

  Rhoswen shrugged and prepared herself to watch over the sleeping girls. To pass the time, she practiced writing out spells and curses. Kellan's eyebrows rose when she saw the curses. Rhoswen showed Kellan how she was breaking them in half so they wouldn't have any power. Kellan shrugged and motioned that she was going to look for food. Rhoswen nodded.

  With Kellan gone, Rhoswen drew out the dreams she had last night. She knew they weren't just dreams, they meant something—something important—something dreadful.

  She saw her grandmother, Saidie holding an infant. The baby had green eyes. Baby's usually had very dark eyes, the vivid green left Rhoswen feeling uneasy. Saidie looked younger than Rhoswen had ever seen her. Rhoswen watched as the dream Saidie took the baby and gave her over to an old beggar woman with instructions to bury her in the bog. Saidie handed her one coin. The infant cried feebly in her arms.

  "This is what you want?" the old woman asked. "There ain't no com'n back from that."

  "Just do it," Saidie snarled at her, "and don't be thinking you can get more money, either."

  The old woman pulled down the cover from the baby's face and held her up.

  "There, there," Saidie said angrily. "Just what are you doing?"

  "I just figure," the old woman told her, "that the babe should see whose ordering her to die."

  "She's blind," Saidie laughed at her. "She can't see anything."

  "I wouldn't be so sure," the old woman said as she re-covered the infants head and walked away.

  Saidie walked away without even a glance back.

  "I wouldn't be too sure of that at all," Druantia said as her disguise fell away. "Shhh, shhh. I'll get you a wet nurse, and all will be well. We will call you Celeste, for you are so beautiful."

  Rhoswen could see that the baby was anything but. It looked as if it had never been fed or bathed. The birthing fluid was still imbedded in its hair. It was scrawny and dirty. Rhoswen frowned with disgust.

  Rhoswen's dream self jumped as Druantia met her gaze. Rhoswen looked at the baby again to find it clean and healthy. Rhoswen was enchanted by the baby's radiant smile. Her hair was snowy white. Even though the baby's eye's were blind, they glowed brilliantly green.

  "She is special," Druantia told her. "From this day on, I do not recognize Saidie Alice O'Byrne. I will no longer hear her cry or bless her life's details." She removed a hair from her long braid and watched as it floated away. "Caryn and Aine, I do hear and will continue to hear their children's-children cry, and bless their unions and lives."

  "What of the father?" Rhoswen asked. "Is he not responsible for this as well?"

  "She did not tell them," Druantia told her, "her husband or her lover. No, this is fully on her shoulders."

  Rhoswen could see the family links for the baby Celeste. Her mother was their Grandmother Saidie, but Celeste's father was not Saidie's husband. He was Rhoswen's own grandfather from their father's side. So, Celeste was their aunt—both mama and papa's half sister. If was so confounding. Even more wretched was the fact that Uncle Stefan was only papa's half brother—and not related to Celeste at all! For there had been deception with that conception as well. Rhoswen carefully drew out the perplexing web of deceit, working out who had wronged whom, and trying to understand why a baby was ordered to be murdered.

  Off in the distance, Vevila screamed as Kane grabbed her foot and yanked her under. She came up sputtering and immediately set out for revenge. She had Kane in a flash, and dunked her, but good.

  "Okay, okay," Kane yelled out laughing.

  Vevila had no chance to respond for she was suddenly surrounded with slippery hands and fins. They pulled her under with them to the deep, deep waters below.

  Kane looked around expectantly, but found herself alone. Disappointed, she swam to the shore and brooded. She threw rocks into the water, which she knew irritated the merfolk. When no one responded, she paced back and forth. She wasn't scared for Vevila, because the merfolk loved Vevila, and would capture her at every opportunity.

  What annoyed her was that they had been having so much fun and the merfolk ruined it! It had been a long time since they had so played. The merfolk could have at least stayed to play with both of them. They didn't have to just steal Vevila away—again. They could have taken her, too! Even as she thought it, she shivered. Their city was way, way down in the waters. Vevila had described it, and it sounded so incredible. She longed to see such sights, but the cold depths scared her deeply.

  The merfolk had trained all the sisters on the art of the swim. It was exhilarating, one thing which Kane had so dearly enjoyed. She sighed and kicked some more rocks. It had been a long time since the merfolk had stayed upside long enough to play.

  Kane walked up a steep path that led to the high rock up above. She knew that there wasn't a chance that she could miss the water, but it looked so small and narrow from way up here. She had watched her sister's dive many times, but had never found the courage to do it herself. She grabbed her courage and dived.

  She hit the water, her hands cutting a path. The dive drove her deeper than she had ever dived before. It felt exhilarating with the water rushing along her sides. Kane's body slowed from the drop. Determinedly, she kept her head pointed downward and continued to swim. She started to panic as her lungs demanded air. She stubbornly pulled up her courage, gritted her teeth, and moved on. The others swam to the merfolk, she could too.

  Her head started to pound, and she was so scared. She was a long way down, deeper than she had ever been before. She could feel the pressure. She might have stopped and pushed toward the surface if not for the lights. They were so beautiful. They glowed in the water, a rainbow of flaring colors. She was mesmerized by the lights. She forgot about her body, forgot about her aching lungs, or the human need to breathe. She no longer felt the desperate urge to flee to the surface. She felt the current carry her towards the lights—and let herself drift.

  Her thoughts turned strange and she was thinking how thankful she was to have such short hair, maybe that was the secret, maybe that was why she hadn't swam to the merfolk. Her hair had been too tangled and interfered with her arm strokes. She noticed that her arms now felt too heavy to move, it was getting harder to see the lights, and something was making them dim.

  A merman saw her drifting, surprised and alarmed—he swam out and caught her up. He knew this human child was one of Aine's daughters. He had watched them play, but this one had never shown a desire for the water deep. He breathed for her, and faster than sound, brought her to the shell.

  :Kane!: Vevila cried out.

  Kane felt the sticky, slimy mouth on hers and pushed away—repulsed. The merman immediately released her and Vevila sat down beside her. Kane sat up and looked around—feeling confused. Merfolk watched her curiously. She was sitting on a spongy type floor, surrounded by luminance colors. She had to squint for the lights were so bright.

  :You're okay now,: Vevila sent to her. She quickly pressed against Kane's lips when she started to speak. :Use only mind speech down here. Normal speech echo's off these walls and is very painful—watch.: Vevila sent an empathic warning to the merfolk. They quickly left the area.

  "Lamb," she spoke very softly, almost a whisper.

  "LL-A-MM,"

  Vevila's voice boomed against the walls. Kane quickly covered her ears, wondering if they were going to bleed.

  "L-A-MM, LAM, LAM, lam, lam, lammm," her words echoed around the chamber.

  Vevila held Kane tight.

  :What were yo
u doing, to have come this far unassisted!: Vevila scolded. :Even I, do not come this far down without help:

  :You left me,: Kane cried. :I was so sad and lonely.:

  Kane was flooded with feelings of remorse and regret. She looked around confused, and realized the feelings were coming from a merchild down in the water.

  :They speak with empathy,: Vevila told her, :they are very sensitive to emotion. This one felt your pain.:

  :I don't remember them being like that up above,: Kane was still feeling confused.

  :It has something to do with the water,: Vevila tried to explain. :I don't really understand, either.:

  Kane felt a curiosity with anticipation. She was surprised to feel Vevila send out a feeling of doubt. She then felt their disappointment. She had to hold her lips to stop herself from speaking out, it was all so strange.

  :They want to know if you will sing for them, too?: Vevila asked her.

  :Sing in my head?: Kane asked.

  :Not exactly—feel,: were Vevila's puzzling words. She closed her eyes in concentration.

  Kane was flooded with an empathic melody. It was like a dream. There weren't any limitations to the emotional extremes running through her being. She heard an enchanting melody which touched her very soul. She felt giddy with joy, then languid and relaxed. She felt hugged and loved, and then empty with despair, only to find herself gathered up again to soar with the angels. Sometimes, she pictured images—sometimes it was just pure expression. Finally, after the roller coaster of emotions, she was let down to rest soothingly in her own body.

  Kane opened her eyes, blinking with surprise. Quite a few of the merfolk had gathered around them. Their eyes glowed with that inner luminance which allowed them to see in the dark. Kane knew from experience that their shimmering skin, which seemed to glow, was very tough, but so soft and silky it was a joy to touch.

  Kane had never seen so many in one spot before. They were vivid and alive, their colors ranging in every hue possible within the rainbow. They had the webbed feet and hands which allowed them such grace in the water. They had long silky fins which gave them the extra speed and agility. These people were totally unlike any of the sloppy pictures that Kane had seen. She would need to capture this in a drawing of her own. Their hair was a flow of strands which resembled the softest of silken-like fibers—like the finest of silk when blowing in the wind. Their gills were in the neck, directly below their delicately curved ears.

  Kane felt a question posed at her. She knew, though she didn't know why she knew, that they were asking her if she would so honor them. She felt uncertain and regretted that she didn't know how to do what Vevila had just done. To her surprise, they nodded with understanding—young. She was young, maybe at another time.

  :You don't need to even try to explain,: Vevila told her. :They seem to feel what you feel as you're feeling it.:

  :That wouldn't always be very comfortable,: Kane said disturbed.

  :Maybe not, but incredibly honest,: was Vevila's reply before she launched into another melody. This one was perky and fun.

  They brought them crunchy sweet things to eat. They seemed to know about Vevila's squeamish reaction to slimy type foods. Kane watched, as gladly they ate the slimy foods themselves. For once she was glad—and benefited—from her sisters finicky eating habits. Their food looked a little ghastly even for her bottomless gut.

  :You're not going to like the next part,: Vevila told her ironically.

  :Why is that?: Kane asked surprised.

  :You got down here with the help of high-rock right?: She asked, although she already knew.

  :So?: Kane frowned at her.

  :It will take more time to get us up to the surface,: Vevila told her, :and for some reason, they will not take us faster than we can swim.: She sighed. :We will have to wear a bubble.:

  :What is that?: Kane asked skeptically.

  In demonstration, a merman formed an air bubble made from spit and snot in the water—mostly snot. Kane touched it tentatively. It was sticky, very slimy, and seemed to be pretty tough. She started to form the words, but found no words were needed. They were nodding their heads in expectation. She looked at the mess doubtfully.

  Kane was surprised to feel little fingers in her hair. She pushed away with surprise, only to be pulled back around. She could feel her already wet hair get heavier as they splattered something onto it.

  :They are coating your hair,: Vevila told her. :The oil will help the bubble to not stick into your hair—as much.:

  Kane looked over to Vevila and watched curiously as they braided and twisted her hair tight against her head. Vevila had a lot of hair and it tended to fluff out in all directions. It looked odd to Kane for it to be so contained. When they were finished confining her hair, they liberally covered it with grease.

  :You're going to have to do this first,: Kane told Vevila as she watched them create another bubble.

  :Try not to think about it,: Vevila instructed. :Hold your arms out to the side or back. Your head has to penetrate the layer. It will instantly seal around your throat. Once it's on, it's truly amazing how far you can explore with their air. I think their air is higher in oxygen than our own. Oh—shut your mouth tightly while jumping into it—and don't breath—until you see it is around you. It's very painful and scary when you get it up your nose.: Vevila quickly pressed Kane's lips closed over her exclamation. She held Kane's mouth until she was calm. Kane shuddered, but nodded.

  Kane watched, Vevila didn't even think about it. She just pulled her arms behind her and dived head first into the bubble. She came up smiling, her head totally enclosed in the bubble. The merfolk smiled, Kane could feel their approval.

  Kane closed her eyes. She didn't want them to see her as the coward she felt. She put her arms to her side, pressed her mouth tightly closed, shut down her breath, and tipped into the bubble. She felt the pressure of the snot incase her hair and then allow her head to pass. She felt it seal lightly around her throat. The bubble forced her head upward, pulling her legs downward. She blew her breath out and opened her eyes. Vevila was looking at her proudly. She could see the merfolk smiling and felt their pride—another daughter of Aine.

  She saw that they had been inside a giant pearl, opened on its bottom to allow passage. The giant pearl, was sitting in the bloody biggest oyster Kane could even imagine. She was very glad of the bubble right them, because she didn't think she would have been able to resist the gulp of breath upon seeing the oyster. She had trouble wrapping her mind around it. The spongy surface had been the oyster's muscles. She paused to watch the great beating heart.

  Kane noticed that her bubble was getting a little smaller, and that there were little air bubbles attaching to its sides.

  :My bubble seems to be leaking,: Kane sent to Vevila trying not to panic.

  :Just the type of air we don't want to breath,: Vevila assured her. :What you're seeing is supposed to happen.:

  :Okay,: Kane responded still feeling a little afraid.

  She soon forgot about the fear when Vevila grabbed her hand to show her the merbabies in the nursery. They were so little and delicate, so colorful and vivid. Kane noticed a merman on each side of the nursery guarding their precious little ones. They were playing some kind of racing game. She wanted to play with them, but couldn't figure out how to manage the bubble during such play. She shrugged and allowed herself to be pushed onward.

  They didn't immediately head for the surface. The merchildren led them around showing Kane some of their wondrous sights. The luminous glowing still confused Kane, until she got close enough to see that fluid was rushing through some of their structures.

  :Illuminant,: Vevila told her and then pointed. :they harvest it from those bloody big weeds over there.:

  Kane nodded, now she got it. The merfolk watched curiously as they explored the various shelters and food acres. They didn't stop them from going anywhere they desired. At the same time Kane realized how tired she was getting, the merchild was leadi
ng them up to the surface.

  They gently touched fingers as had become their traditional parting. Kane placed her face in the water to watch the merchild retreat to the depths below.

  "That was truly… ama—zing" Kane stuttered to a halt as she witnessed Vevila's struggle to get out of the bubble of snot.

  Vevila used her hand to break through the upper portion pulling the gooey snot away with her hand, trying to keep it free of her hair. She flicked it away with disgust. Vevila grabbed some soap weed and started scrubbing out her hair. Her long strands were sticking together in a gummy mess.

  "You can't stay in there all day you know," Vevila told Kane. "You'll run out of oxygen pretty soon. Notice how small the bubble has become. If you wait for it to finish, you'll have this goo totally imbedded in your hair and up your nose—not fun at all."

  Even with her care in breaking the bubble, Vevila still had plenty of the repugnant snot in her hair. Kane watched her and thought about her own situation.

  Kane made an opening at the base of the neck and worked her way around. She let the water push the mess up and away. She barely got any into her hair—her ears though were another matter. She scrubbed like mad to get the snot and the grease out of her head, neck, and ears.

  "So that's what that smell is!" Kane said with disgust.

  "That was really clever," Vevila praised, "getting the bubble off like that. I knew I took you down there for some reason."

  Kane would have made some kind of retort, but was just too tired. They made their way back. Kellan had gathered up some nuts and berries. Kane ate a few, but then just curled up and went to sleep. Vevila made hand gestures to imply that Kane had swam down to the merfolk. Kellan's eyebrows rose with surprise. She knew that Kane had never gotten up the nerve to go that far before. She nodded proudly. Kane was no longer—the baby. Vevila watched for awhile as the girls moved around in their sleep, and then curled up and fell asleep herself.

  Return to Toc