A Thousand Salt Kisses Later (Book 2 of Salt Kiss series)

A Mer-Mate

"Oh, father!" I heard Nephys cry. "You don't understand, Llyr and Ri have thrown us all out of The Jewel. We have had to flee to Evergreen."

Tairise was silent for a while. I watched as he stroked his long beard. He frowned and appeared deep in thought. "Hmmm," he said eventually, resting his elbow on the arm of his chair. "After all these years."

Nephys sank to the floor. "Yes," she sniffed, leaning her arms on the lap of her father's tail and looking up at him. It was a vast, pale green tail, with big billowing fins.

He put a comforting hand on her head and sighed. "The Timsah Kingdom are really taking command of The Jewel now," he said. "They are pulling them further away from Evergreen."

"I believe so," said Spirit, who had been silent so far. "I think that was always their plan, but because of what we have done, with Crystal, we have given them the perfect excuse."

Tairise looked at me. "You understand you were fetched under my orders," he said.

I raised my eyebrows in shock. I was officially a pawn! No wonder Ri had interrogated me like that. And, coming to think of it, no wonder we had been banished. I was part of a conspiracy against his union with the Timsahs - a much bigger conspiracy than just Nephys and Spirit conducting a little experiment.

"I'm sorry," said Tairise, "you must feel..?"

"Used," I intercepted slowly.

Tairise put a hand back to his beard and looked down. "Hmmm," he answered.

"I'm so, so sorry Crystal," said Nephys looking up at me, "I let it go ahead too, but it was because I heard you still desperately loved Llyr."

My eyes fell quickly towards the floor, which I then silently begged to open up and swallow me. Nephys quickly slapped a hand over her mouth, realizing what she had done.

I hadn't exactly wanted my undying love for Llyr aired in public like this. In fact, I had prayed it was just Nephys and Ri who knew about my conversation with George that day.

I glanced sideways at Spirit. He was watching me, I realized. I looked down again; I could feel the burn of everybody's' eyes on me.

Somebody please just change the subject, I willed.

"I.. had been thinking of him again," I said eventually, annoyed that I had to explain myself. "But I find he is different to how I remembered."

My last sentence came out more bitter than what I had hoped. My voice was strained and angry. There was more silence.

"He has been utterly rotten," Nephys said.

Tairise looked up at Spirit. "Do we know exactly what their numbers are yet?" he asked.

"Around fifteen thousand," replied Spirit. "Fifteen thousand fighters, anyway."

It appeared they were discussing battle now, almost as though it were imminent. I thought back hurriedly to my third degree with Ri. "They are still not certain if my being here was to cause a problem with the marriage" I explained. "I told Ri that I did not know whether I was being brought to see Llyr or not."

"And I informed Ri that I had wanted her to meet Jasper, who had admired her from a distance," said Spirit. "But they have obvious suspicions that this is not the case."

Who's Jasper? I wondered.

Tairise nodded, but his facial expression did not quite relax. "In any event, Ri's banishing of my daughter is a bold message."

Spirit sighed. "I am sure of it," he replied.

"So... if the Timsah's were to declare war on Evergreen, they would certainly out-number our seven thousand," said Tairise.

"Yes," Spirit replied, "but The Jewel may block such a thing, for old time's sake."

"Hmmm," said Tairise. "After this blunder, we need tostop it coming to that. We need to show them all that we are going to toleratethe union. And I'm afraid we are going to have to tolerate it because we have no choice. This ball,this gesture, must go ahead."

***

I had been shown a room in the palace. It was like a smaller version of the 'meeting room' downstairs, and my 'bed' just looked like a little lawn. I swam past the long blades of seaweed a little apprehensively. I truly hoped there were no animals rustling about in there. The whole eel thing was still fresh on my mind.

I lay tensely on the bed and rested my head on a little grassy nole which I presumed to be my pillow. My body moulded into the earth and I relaxed. This was actually delightfully comfy.

As I lay there my mind drifted to the matter of the impending ball and my temples throbbed once more. I needed to be gone from the seas before this dreadful event.

Tairise had set a date for in 'seven moons,' which I was pretty sure meant in seven days. I therefore had one week exactly to find a mate.

My mind traveled to the strange surges of attraction that I had encountered during my journey to Evergreen that day, and then to a time even further back. I remembered years ago, the summer when I met Llyr when Bright had rowed me home one evening in George's boat. I had complained about how much I hated Spirit and Bright had defended him.

"Really, he's a nice guy," Bright had said.

"Nice?" I'd squeaked.

"Yeah, honestly," Bright had insisted. "He's got a soft side, most of our mers will tell you that. It's just that you just have to dig deep."

I wouldn't say I had exactly encountered a soft side today, but I had seen a much nicer, really quite gentlemanly - or gentlemermanly - side. As I lay there, I bit my lip.

He was one of the most gorgeous guys I had ever seen in my life. But can I really do it?

There was the sound of swishing, and I sat up. Three Evergreen mermaids entered my room.

"Miss White," they giggled melodically. They were brunette maids with delicate features, and matching henna bhindis. My first thought was how identical they looked, and that they must be triplets or at the very least sisters. They were wrapped head to tail in sea-ivy, and dragged big net balls which looked packed full of stuff.

"Hi..." I said unsurely.

"We are your maids-in-waiting," said the maid in the centre, swimming forward.

I gave a small smile, whilst trying to suppress a frown. Maids-in-waiting? This made me feel so... elite, and not in a good way.

"I'm Cresstina, and these are my daughters; Blue and Wavia," said the maid at the forefront, hand drifting to the left and then the right like a tendril of sea-foliage.

"I'm Crystal," I said, remembering now that a mer could indeed resemble the age of their child, due to their crazy-long lifespans.

"We have come to dress you," they said. "There will be a dinner tonight in the palace, for Princess Nephys and yourself."

I looked down. I was still wearing Nephys's carrier bag across my chest, and it was looking rather misshapen after our journey. I smiled at them. Perhaps I could use a little assistance after all.

"Okay, great," I said.

As they eagerly homed in on me, I couldn't help but feel a faint buzz of excitement. I wondered if my mate would be dining with us tonight.