I delivered the last note to the final NO. Hopefully, they would get the message out to everyone in Aiseiri. Passing by the glamorous pubs at the center of Aiseiri, I made my way to an exit sluice. It was past time for Mom and me to have our conversation.
Being catapulted up through the tube and into the depths of the ocean was always a freeing experience. Like getting caught up in a geyser and shooting towards the sky. Not that I’d ever been on one, but I imagined it was the same kind of feeling.
With a quick flick of my tail, I angled towards my section of the ringed city. Each of the five kingdoms in the ocean were set up the same way. Concentric ripples and rings. Each kingdom had a different section of the ocean to protect.
Each city was set up in rings with the king and royal family at the center. The rings got bigger as the power diffused. And our place out on the farther ring spoke of the suddenness and absolute loss of all power my position had afforded us.
As I swam over the city, I marveled at it once again. A brilliant blue jewel in a field of blue. No one was sure how old the magic was that kept us hidden from the rest of the world, because in the end it didn’t matter. Not really. We were people of the sea.
Living at the bottom of the ocean floor presented some issues, but I wasn’t interested enough or smart enough to think through the magic or anything else that protected us. As long as the magic held that gave me a sun every rotation, I was happy with my lack of knowledge. I just knew it worked.
Aiseiri was the biggest kingdom. Our king—Sylol—could trace his family line back to that of Poseidon himself. Apparently, Poseidon had wanted a lover that could live in the sea indefinitely. He took a human female and made her into the first of our kind. From her and the god himself, we all enjoyed life.
By the time I got back home, my notiz was full of messages. And the stupid thing hadn’t stopped buzzing since I returned back through the sluice. “Mom! We need to have that talk.” Ignoring the communication device that I would undoubtedly have to return to the Navy (which wasn’t all bad), I walked through our small home. All four rooms of it. Mom was nowhere to be found.
“Mom?” I called out, even though I hadn’t seen her in the dwelling. Standing in the front room, I spun in a tight circle. Where the hades had she gone? It wasn’t like she had an important date or anything. Mom hadn’t taken a lover for as long as I’d been aware of such things. About the same time the voices in my mind showed up. Her friend circle had become very small as well. Just one or two other female mers who tried to keep to themselves.
It had just been her and me, together, against the vast ocean. My biggest supporter. My best friend. My…Mom. There was none better.
A soft knock sounded on the door. Walking over, I opened it. Saw the local crazy female from down the ripple. “Hey Entha. Have you seen my mom?” I asked as I stepped out. I didn’t really have time to get into a debate about the reality of a possible Kraken living just beyond the barrier of Aiseiri.
The smaller female nodded as she tossed looks in either direction. “They got her, Ser. They got her.” Her voice was shrill and sent bumps raising up all over my arms and neck.
“Who got her, Entha?” I grabbed the female’s shoulders. Tried to keep from shaking her when she kept looking for the shadows.
“They did.” She looked up at me. Her pale green eyes were milkier than usual. Her deep emerald hair was a typical tangled mess. Her normally pink skin was a bright blotchy red in places. She was terrified.
“Who is they?” I asked, trying to pitch my voice into a softer tone. It wouldn’t do to scare the poor thing even more.
“They came in the dark. From beyond the barrier. Red glowing eyes.” Her small frame shook so hard I was pretty sure I could feel her bones vibrating against each other. Her eyes were wide when she looked up at me. “They were with the Great Beastie.” Her whispered shout killed all of my hopes. The female had no idea—hades, probably didn’t even realize where she was—and I was letting what happened today in Winona’s office get to me.
I smiled down at Entha. Felt bad for her, even as I kept myself from shouting into her face with frustration. She couldn’t help it if her brain was a bit scrambled after all these years. From the stories I’d heard, she had been an admiral in the Navy. The second-to-top spot above everyone. But a couple centuries of slowly going crazy would leave anyone not at their best.
Taking Entha’s hand, I pulled her along behind me. With the light fading, I knew I needed to hurry, or I would end up carrying the poor female back to her dwelling. “Come on, Entha. Let’s get you home.”
She patted my hand. “You’re a good girl, Ser. Too bad they took your momma.”
Gritting my teeth, I just made a humming noise in the base of my throat. I had to remind myself she didn’t understand. “Did you have a good day?”
A girlish giggle floated from her mouth. “Oh yes, dear. That big strapping boy from two dwellings down came over and moved some rocks for me.” She pulled on my hand and tugged me down to hear her whisper. “I might have been looking at his butt. It was very juicy.”
Laughter shot from my mouth. “Entha, you dirty darter. The poor male was just trying to help you out.”
She cackled and shook as we continued walking. “Oh, and he did.” She wiggled her emerald eyebrows as we arrived at her house.
Snickering, I opened her door. “For shame, you molly. Did you at least give him some food for his troubles?”
Entha winked at me as she moved into her dwelling. “Did I ever.” With a saucy smile, she slammed the door in my face.
Laughing again, I turned back towards my own dwelling. The female was close to a thousand revolutions. I guess it didn’t matter the age as long as the fins still moved water.
Walking back to my home, my thoughts went back to my mom. Where the hades had she gone? She was sick, frail, and had promised me a conversation about things I needed to know. There was no way she would have ditched out.
Knocking on the door of the dwelling next to ours, I waited for Henri to answer. No one came to the door, even after waiting for close to ten cycles. “Henri?” I knocked for what had to be the twentieth time.
“Missing some people, Seren?” an unfamiliar male voice asked from behind me.
I turned, my hand automatically going to my weapon. One of the few things the Navy couldn’t take from me. “Who wants to know?” I asked as I raised my laser cannon.
The figure was cloaked in heavy fabric. Only bright pink eyes were visible. “Kenton is unhappy. You should have learned to ride with the tides.” The figure spun and ran away.
Crumpled at his feet was a familiar blanket. Blood seeped into the sand of the dry ocean floor. “Mom!”