corpses.
This trench is a mass grave . . . of pregnant women. Hundreds of pregnant women. Swollen bellies protrude from the bloated figures layering one another. Further beneath I see the stark ivory of bone. Some mouths are agape in a silent scream, eyes wide in a forever panic. Soulless, decaying bodies piled on top of one another haphazard and forgotten. Pale skin flutters with the waves of the water, shredded and atrophied, like wet tissue. I vomit up seaweed and fish into a cloud in front of me. My mind spins for an explanation, for how this could be, and land on Alana. She wanted me to see this, she knew something was here despite being trapped in the pool on the island for years.
Why?
How did these bodies get here? Why are they all with child? To think of the little body decaying inside each of these corpses makes me want to tear my own skin off. My muscles seize and spasm at the sight. My hands tremble and I want to cry, but no tears ever come, for I am a mermaid, and our tears are nothing but sea water, making the pain all the more unbearable. Carnivorous fish feast on the fresher bodies at the top of the trench and my stomach threatens to spill again. My instincts kick in as my eyes dart around the forest for any other signs of life. Besides the animals that surround me, no human or mermaid seems to be around but me. How could this happen? Who would do such an unforgivable, heinous thing? And why?
Why?
Why?
Why?
Bile rises in my throat and the gills at my sides constrict. I look around at the dozens of bodies and see that they are all at different stages of decay. Some are mere bones, ivory skeletons a stark contrast to the darkness of the shadowed trench. Some are fresh with bloat. Clothing still intact, hair swaying around a frozen face.
Without a second thought, I dart from the forest trench as fast as my fins will take me, into the open ocean and beyond. I pump my tail as fast as I can, water pulling through my hair, and I head straight for the caves. Straight to Calypso.
Clouds of fish scatter as I swim through the reef and rock surrounding the cave tunnels. I see a few mermaids lingering about the coral, hunting. I pass them in a blur as I swim through the largest opening of the cave, bile still burning my throat at the thought of what I saw. Those poor women, holding the gift of life inside of them. Holding so much hope in their hearts. The most precious, innocent thing there is. To think of the families that never saw their wives, mothers, sisters, daughters again. They just never came home—
Oh my stars, the flyers of the missing women. They were all with child. That was the connection. I wouldn’t have known it from just a portrait of their faces, but if I had only investigated harder. If I had gone to visit each family member of those women, I would have discovered it. The drawn portraits of those women must have cost the families a couple months wages to be made, but it wasn't just the women they were searching for. It was the unborn child as well.
I know Alana is not responsible for this. Not only did she want me to find this trench, she has been stuck on the island for years. These murders haven’t been occurring that long, so how did she know they were there? What made her send me here? Did she know about my mission to solve the mystery? Did she see me pouring over the flyers?
This heinous act was deliberately carried out by someone. A serial murderer. Essentially mass genocide. To take a life is bad enough, but to take two? To take dozens? I can’t begin to comprehend this fully. My mind spins and spins.
My heart cracks in two. Those were my people down there and I failed them. We failed them. My father and I. I should have pushed harder, demanded more attention to the flyers. If my father knew this was where the mystery led, he would double the guards in the towns. He would send ships out to monitor passing travelers. Investigate this nightmare.
When I breach the surface inside the cave, it almost shocks me to see everyone going about their business as usual when something so horrific is lying miles away in a trench in our ocean. I have to remind myself I am the only one who saw the nightmare. None of them even know it exists, except Alana. Or do they?
"Cealene! I've been looking for you!" Marina calls me over to the waterfall, so cheery and bright, compared to what swirls inside my head. I hesitate before heading over to her, not wanting to waste another minute before telling Calypso about the trench. She and Brea lounge beneath the tumbling water. Before I can even open my mouth, Marina reads my face detecting the worry that spreads across my eyes. She sits up, splashing the water around her waist. "What is it?" she demands and my eyes begin to well.
"I . . . there's . . ." I can't seem to get the words out. Or maybe I don't know how to put what I saw into words. Maybe something so monstrous shouldn't be put into words at all. Now Brea leans closer to me, my worry spreading to her too.
"What is it, Cealene? Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Marina's voice borders on hysteria, and I feel guilty for causing her panic. Brea rests a hand on my arm, peering into my eyes, "Take a breath. Tell us what happened." Her touch sends a jolt of calm through me and I gather my thoughts.
"I was swimming through a sea forest, south of the mangroves, and I came across a trench. It was filled with . . . bodies." I take a breath, willing my voice to stop shaking. "They were human. Females with child. It looked like dozens of them . . ." My voice trails off. Marina's slender fingers shoots to her mouth, covering her lips in disbelief. Brea's eyes meet Marina's as she says, "Calypso. Now." Marina nods but doesn't seem to trust herself to speak.
Brea leads the way to Calypso's room in the caves, adorned with wicked things from the sea. A shark's skull. A trident made of steel and bone. A crown of eel teeth. And bone structures that look a little bit too much like human femurs for my liking. It's smart, I suppose, to use a discarded skeleton for building, but given the circumstances, it hits a little too close to home at the moment.
As we approach, I see her lounging in the small pool below the trickling waterfall. Her onyx tail spills over the edge, scales reflecting green in the dim light. When she sees us approaching with such urgency she puts down her freshly sharpened dagger and rock.
"Something's happened," she predicts, her voice stern. Brea takes over, presumably knowing that Marina and I can barely contain ourselves long enough to explain the story once again. When Brea finishes, Calypso eyes us all in contemplation.
"Where were you exactly, Cealene?" Calypso's honey-coated voice calms me enough that I can recall my trip through the sea forest and exactly where I saw the trench. I told her about the ship from above and the bodies all piled on top of one another like layers of a fresh catch stacked in a wooden barrel. Calypso's glowing green eyes widen as she takes in my story. Her claws tighten around the hilt of the dagger as I finish answering her questions. Disgust curls her lips when she says to me, "Take me there."
I lead the way out of the caves and into the open sea as Calypso follows close behind. Brea and Marina flanking her on either sides. Together we make out way past the mangroves and into the sea forest. We pass the mushroom domed trees and filter through the tall ropes of kelp and seaweed shooting up towards the surface. Nausea roils my belly as we near the trench once again. If I never saw this place ever again, it would be too soon. But twice in one day . . . I cannot.
As soon as we get close enough to where the sea floor begins to open up and crack, I pause, not wanting to go any further. I feel Marina halt beside me as the water whooshes past my shoulder, billowing my hair around me. I point ahead to where the dark trench opens up near the cracked coral patch and the sea grasses swaying around its edges.
Calypso swims ahead, dagger in hand, and Brea trails close behind her. Marina places her hands on my shoulders, giving me a reassuring squeeze before passing me and following ahead. I stay behind, idling in place as they search the dark opening of the sea floor. I watch as they near the wide berth of the trench and peer in, getting a closer look. As soon as Marina makes out the figures she jolts back, just as I did, and turns her body away, her dark hair swirling behind her from the movement. Brea's claws come out feeling a threat, but no one is here to attack. Whoever did this is long gone now. The only thing left behind are the hundreds of bodies in this underwater necropolis.
Calypso swims the perimeter, inspecting their faces and bodies. She looks around the trench opening, inspecting the sea grass and the brush as if to look for clues of who might be behind this. Trail marks, netting, anchors, tracks. But from her body language it doesn't seem that she’s come up with anything of use. After a few more moments of looking around the area, she nods for us to head out, and she leads us back home.
When we surface just outside the caves, we beach ourselves on the small sandy shore. Waves rush in, causing white frothy bubbles to line the shore with every crest. The sun peeks through the big puffy clouds, creating moments of direct sunlight on the beach. Crabs hurry along the sand in their sideways dance, avoiding the tide rushing in as they gather food. Brea looks like she’s just seen a ghost, the warmth of her skin leeched away, and Marina hasn’t stopped crying since we surfaced. Silent tears roll down her iridescent cheeks in succession. My hands still shake uncontrollably, so I fiddle with the straps of my harpoon in hopes of masking it.
"I'm going to put the word out to our neighboring pods to see if anyone has come across this trench before. Maybe someone has information. Though I doubt it is an act of the past. Some of those bodies near the top seem to be much too fresh for my liking." Anger floods Calypso's face as she speaks, but she doesn't look us in the eye. She just glances out at the sea, as if it might offer some answers. I know how hard this must be for Calypso. She has been trying for years and years to bring fertility back to her kind, for her people and for herself and someone out there is just throwing it away as if life has no value at all. I don’t tell her that Alana urged me to visit the trench. It would only deepen the bad blood between them if I brought it up to her now. I would have to explain visiting my willow and how I came to meet Alana. My loyalty to my new friend tells me to let it lie. It’s not like the information as to how I came across the trench is important anyways. It doesn’t help us find the culprit.
"We will figure this out." I can't help but feel like her words don't hold much hope. She doesn't think we can find who is doing this and I'm not sure I disagree. I nod to her, not wanting to push any further. Maybe I can ask Ezera to help. Maybe he can ask around the docks to see if anyone’s ever heard of anything strange going around near the trench. But if this has been going on for years and no one has detected it yet . . . I don't have much hope.
"I don't understand," Brea says. "It has to be by the hands of a human right? They must be capturing woman on land and bringing them to the same coordinates of the sea to drop them there? Or diving down from a boat with the bodies? I've heard some humans can deep dive up to several meters. Hold their breath for up to twenty minutes." Her voice trails off as she contemplates her thoughts. "But why? Why would anyone want to harm these females? What purpose would it serve to anyone?"
"I don't know . . ." Marina's voice sounds distant. Almost a whisper, as she too looks out at the water for answers. Of all the things to bring to these three females, this is by far the worst I could ever dream. A group of females who have been cursed with infertility, have been presented with a tragedy of dead mothers. Guilt coats my insides for making them endure it.
But I couldn't keep it to myself. Someone needed to know, in hopes of stopping it from happening again. The more who know about it, the better chance we have of stopping it.
I keep my plan of going to Ezera with this to myself, knowing how Calypso feels about mingling with humans. She wouldn't trust any intel that came from him anyways.
When we hear a ship near, we dive into the frothy waves and descend deep into the sea. Calypso turns left towards the reefs to hunt, while the rest of us swim lower, into the caves. As we surface from the water, Brea heads over to Lyla and the others to ask if they've ever come across the trench, while Marina and I head to the males, wielding weapons in preparation for the trip to Ember Island.
As Marina tells the males about the trench, I look up at the jagged rock wall that serves as the armory for the pod. Tridents and harpoons line the inner wall, along with daggers and swords. Some are made from materials of the sea, and some are clearly stolen from land, pieces that can only have been made by a blacksmith. These must have been treated with water manipulation to keep from rusting in this environment. Whether they were pilfered from ships or lost to the sea unintentionally, the one thing that is clear is that the steel swords with a golden inlay and adorned with jewels were not made by the hands of any sea creature. Some of these pieces even look like they could have come straight from Pearle Castle, from the royal guard’s armory in the eastern wing. I don't dare ask about it. I’d rather not know. But my father has been aware of the slick and sinister pirates that sail the seas, and he's aware of their schemes and tactics. Some of these weapons have made it into the hands of pirates before finding their way here in the merfolk armory.
Admiring the wall of shining armor is a much-needed distraction as Marina recounts the story of our visit to the sea forest and what lies within the dark trench. The males put down their tools and stare at us both, wide eyed and concerned.
Kai reaches out, grabbing Marina's hand. "I'm so sorry you had to see that." The gesture is sincere and heartfelt, his hand engulfing hers. I don't know how much Marina and Kai have talked about their future and what it holds once this curse is broken, but I do remember her words on the Island of Bones. I do remember her desire to become a mother. And Kai must know at least that much because he sees what this must have done to her.
Where sorrow and worry fills Kai's face, only wrath and anger fills Okiro's. "What kind of sick individual would ever dream of doing such a thing? Repeatedly." He shakes his head in disbelief, eyes closed. "If what you say is true, about the amount of bodies, and the varying levels of decay, it has to be a group. There is no way one person could be doing this alone. There must be some sort of clan out for some kind of vengeance. I just don't see the motive." He picks up an iron hatchet with engraved symbols on the handle and continues sharpening it with more effort and strength than he had been before. Anger flutters the muscles in his jaw as he works in silence.
"Calypso said she will alert the other neighboring pods to keep an eye out, but I don't have much hope in that," I explain, looking over to Marina. "If it's gone undetected for this long, they must have a pretty good system for staying under the radar."
"Unless we set up a system to oversee the area. Between the surrounding pods and us. We could monitor in intervals." A light sparks in Okiro's deep set eyes as he explains. Marina nods in agreement.
We leave the males to their work and Marina heads out to her sunken ship, needing to clear her head. I also think she wanted to leave her mark in the ship one last time before we head out for Ember Island tomorrow.
Because Calypso plans to leave at first light, Ezera and I are meeting tonight to talk one last time before I go. I'm itching to tell him about the trench to see if he can get any more information about it on land. Especially working at the docks, he has a much higher chance of hearing something, even if it’s a myth told between sailors at the saloon in town.
I decide to help Lyla prepare an array of foods we can take on the trip with us. Although we will hunt along the way to keep us fed, the long treks through the open ocean will be gaps of time where travelling towards the coasts or reefs to find food will slow us down. We certainly aren’t going to take down a whale in the open ocean while travelling the seas. So as a precaution, Lyla is making each of us a few things that we can pack with us. We’re also bringing a few medicinal items in case of emergency, which gives me pause. I know this journey won't be easy and I know it won't even be the most dangerous part, but I'm hoping nothing unexpected occurs in the next few days. Breaking the curse without any surprises will be enough of a challenge as it is.
Working side by side with Lyla has calmed my nerves and put some much needed distance from memories of the trench. Something about her emits a sense of peace. There is a serene aura about her and wherever she is, whatever she passes, it infects her surroundings with that same calming aura. It's intoxicating.
As night falls and the sea gets dark, I make my way to the mangroves on high alert. The trip has become second nature to me now, but traveling a distance like this at night is a bit of a risk for anyone, especially for someone like me who is still learning. Different creatures lurk through these waters at night. Dangerous creatures, including myself. It's strange to remind myself that I am a top predator of the ocean now, amongst the deadliest of creatures. But still I'm careful as I swim towards the mangrove passage. If I were meeting anyone else here at night, I might be worried for their safety, but not Ezera. I know he can navigate these waters as well as I can. He is no stranger to the sea, even at night.
When I near my destination, I swim along the surface, letting the moonlight bathe me with a neon glow. The pattern of the water tells me that no one is out here at this time of night to spot me. And even if there were, the light of the moon is faint enough for a human to mistake me for some other sea creature.
I enter the copse of trees where the sea floor rises to meet the strange roots, and I can see the faint orange light of a lantern bobbing further down the trail on what can only be the Juliette. As I swim up to the boat, Ezera's silhouette comes into view. His broad shoulders are black against the glowing light of the lantern. More features come into view as I approach the stern. His pale hair is pulled back into a knot at the base of his neck, revealing all of the angles of his face. His jaw.
“Hey, sailor." My voice barely sounds like my own every time I hear it. Something about being in this body has given my voice an airy chime that was never there before. Spending most of our days underwater, I don't hear it often. But in the quiet of the night, it rings through the trees, sounding foreign to me. Ezera stands from his place near the mast and strides towards me.
"Princess," he replies, "or should I call you Curse Breaker, now?" Amusement lights his eyes, making me want to roll mine.
"Please don't. My nerves are already frayed enough at the thought." When I told Ezera about the curse and the prophecy deeming me as the one to break it, I thought he would look at me like I was crazy, like I swallowed too much sea water. Of course, that's absolutely impossible, seeing as I'm part fish. But I really did worry that he wouldn't understand. I was wrong.
So very wrong.
He took in everything I said about Calypso and the Sea Wars as if it were a history lesson. He was fascinated with the prophecy and the steps it will take to break the curse.
"So how was your day?" His question is innocent enough, but if he only knew. I nearly burst out into tears when I think of the easiest way to answer. I decide the best way is to just dive right in with my visit to the willow. I tell him about spotting my mother and father and about how it made me feel. I tell him about Alana and the sea forest just beyond these mangroves and the trench with the bodies. Once my words begin to flow, they seem to just tumble out. Ezera is easy to talk to about anything—even the bodies of those poor women. I watch as his eyes widen at my words and his jaw hardens. Shock and anger line his features as I continue my account of taking Calypso and the others there. When I'm finished, I sigh. Taking a much needed break from talking.
Several moments pass as Ezera takes everything in.
"Regretting asking about my day, huh?" I attempt to lighten the mood. He draws his hand up to rub at his face, the lantern now glowing from below.
"Never," he reassures me. "But I also wouldn't want to relive this day ever again if I didn't have to. And I just made you do that by asking about it."
"I wanted to tell you. I needed to," I say as I lean my arms against the boat. "I want you to ask around about the trench or see if anyone knows anything." I don't hide my unapologetic urgency from him.
"Done." He doesn't hesitate to answer, determined to solve this tragic mystery. For me, for himself, for those women. I don't know. I'm just glad he is doing it.