A World Of Treason and Tides

Chapter 25: Eating Raw Fish

"Oh you both are here," Myra chimed as we swam towards her. She was sitting on a boulder outside a small restaurant, and another mermaid had been applying a healing paste over her tail.

"Does it hurt terribly?" Ryan's voice was full of concern. He crouched on the sea-floor—he had forgone his tail sometime before—and looked at Myra's tail, careful to touch it.

The mermaid applying the paste looked at us. Her jaws went apart when she saw me, and I saw her eyes go wide. Not knowing what else to do, I flashed a hesitant smile at her. Though she smiled back, her smile did not quite reach her eyes—eyes that grazed over me from head to toe, taking in my human flaws and imperfections. I felt self-conscious and was overcome with an urge to cover myself with a blanket. However realizing that I would not even remember her after we go out of there, I focused my attention on Myra and saw her smiling and talking to Ryan as if nothing had happened.

"—yes I'll be careful," Myra assured Ryan. Then, looking up at the other mermaid, she said, "He worries too much."

"Should I not?" Ryan asked.

I looked at Myra and saw how she did not want to know what all had occurred, how she was fine not knowing.

"Absolutely not. Only thing you need to worry about is you," her brows furrowed as she said, "and her."

Myra looked up at me. "I'm so relieved that you are okay. I may not remember what happened with me, but I certainly do remember those faeries taking you," she said.

"And you don't want to know why you are so badly hurt?"

I could tell from her expression that she was amused at the question. "Why would I?" she said to me, her voice reflecting how absurd she thought my question was. From the corner of my eye, I saw Ryan look up at me, but I did not say anything to either of them. "I remember Fiona—" She gestured at the mermaid. "—lifting the stone over from me, while I was still writhing in pain. Knowing that much is enough for me."

What could I say to that? The realization of how different we were from each other hit me again, with power enough to bury me under the sea-floor. And I silently cursed The Obsidian for its useless magic rendering us to recall only the events that took place in front of our known ones.

Ryan cleared his throat, and in his attempt to lighten the air around us, introduced me to Fiona. I frowned realizong that I was going to remember her scrutinizing gaze—the one thing I was happy to forget. Then he asked Myra, "Why should I worry about me?"

Myra gave him a look that said he had asked a stupid question. Indeed, his question was imbecilic. "Every kingdom, either on the order of Aeron or simply because they now hate the Royals of Water, are in search of you, Ryan. You had the chance to escape—"

"—I didn't want to," Ryan said sternly.

"It doesn't matter. You, King Aadish, Lady Eleanor—you all had the chance to escape while the Royals of the other kingdoms did not. The Kings are dead and their heirs now have to listen to Aeron, while you are free. They want you, Ryan."

"Really? You think I am free?" Ryan hissed. I clutched his shoulder with my fingers. He did not budge. "Granted, I don't have to listen to Aeron's whims. Granted, I am not his prisoner. Granted, my father is not dead, but that does not mean I have my freedom. Ever since we escaped—ever since I came back here—I have been running away from Aeron and his cronies. This is not freedom. Freedom will be when I'll be able to face Aeron and fight him."

"Even if I understand this, they don't," Myra said. I could see the understanding of what Ryan said on her face. I could also see the same helplessness of not being able to do anything on both of their faces.