Tides

Chapter 3- Mer

He let go of me as we fell. I splashed into the water immediately feeling better than I had in years. It was salt water, real ocean water.

I spread my hands as the skin between my fingers expanded so they were webbed, my toes did the same. Taking a deep breath of the water I felt my hair change as I swam deeper, half dragged down by the jewels I was wearing and half because I never wanted to see the surface again.

Then my eyes caught a flash of gold.

Turning I saw something I hadn’t see since my mother died. A Sian as my mother had called them, though all humans just called them golden dolphins. But they were so much more than that.

“You have returned to us child,” a feminine voice echoed in my head.

“It was not my choice to leave,” I told her speaking through my mind as well.

“But now you choose to stay, choose your rightful path and name?” She asked tilting her head up as if with pride.

I could not answer though. In truth my heart was torn. “I have just returned to the ocean after being forcefully kept away, I need time to decide.”

“Decide soon or your companion may drown waiting,” she laughed mockingly.

Looking up I saw the man who had helped rescue me, the captain. Our eyes met for a split second before I turned back to the creature, “I will decide when I am good and ready.” I told her dryly before starting to swim away back to the man.

“You do not even know your true name,” The golden dolphin said making me stop to turn and look at her.

“Are you going to tell it to me?” I asked.

It was as if she gave me a knowing smile, “Only when you join us again, weather it be by choice or force.”

I shot down to her, stopping an inch from her face, “Is that a threat?”

“Possibly if you choose wrong, but for now lets just call it a warning,” My anger was so fierce I simply turned around and swam up before I could give her another thought. Grabbing the man I dragged him to the surface, looking back just before we got there to see the thing had vanished, thank the gods.

As we came into the air he began to splutter, “Fool.” I half shouted. “Would you like to drown or is it just that you cannot swim to save your life?”

“You…you are not human?” He stuttered as if it had only now dawned on him.

“I think you already knew that and it was simply just confirmed for you,” I said sighing. “Deep breath and I’ll get us there faster than any one of your men can swim.”

He took a deep breath and I grasped his hand before dragging him under. This was it, I though, I’m free. The ocean world went by us in a blur as I stretched my hands and feet making us go faster than any other creature though possible. I saw the boat coming up and sent us into an uphill dive, bursting out of the water and dropping him on the ship while I leapt right over it. Not bad considering my lack of practise.

I could go now, I could leave and do as I please weather it be on land or sea. Then I stopped. There was just this feeling inside of me. Like eyes were upon me. Turning in the water I could see the ship still in the same place above it. So I swam up to just below the surface. He was there, along with most of the crew he stood there looking out of the ocean but only his eyes had truly found me.

Sighing to myself I slowly swam back to the ship. My head coming above the water just below where he was standing. Originally I think that I told myself I’d just say thank you but now, looking at him…

I would not leave yet.

“Would you take these jewel’s I wear Captain as payment for helping me escape?” I asked. “I neither want or need them now.”

“But as I recall it was you who got us past the main guard.” He spoke back, a smile on his face as he leaned over the side of the boat.

“They only wanted me, you would have died at there swords just so they could then spin a tale of how you had tried to take me and they had saved me from your vial clutches.” I said before laughing. “Do throw me some rope, it’s awful tiring treading water even for someone who’s practically a fish.”

A rope was thrown down and I climbed out and onto the boat. They all looked at me oddly as my hands and feet went back to normal while my hair turned white again. I was suddenly conscious that I wasn’t even wearing proper clothes but simply had silk roughly tied around me while the jewelled shackles still adorned my wrist’s, ankles and the collar my neck.

“What are you?” The only girl I could make out amongst the men asked.

I shook my head and cast my eyes down, all the confidence I’d felt earlier gone. Then my head was spinning, the world turning upside down. I must have wobbled on my legs as suddenly there was a man gently lowering me so that I could sit on the floor.

“Archer,” The captain said. “Is he even conscious?”

“Doesn’t matter,” The girl said sternly. “Praxis I’m putting him in your room, who or whatever he is just look at the amount his feet are bleeding. He need’s patching up and fast.”

With that I was whisked away. Put in a bed that was no where near as fine as the one in the palace but felt so much better. They picked at me feet, probably getting shards of glass and crystal out before bandaging them up. Everything that would be removed from me was taken along with the silk and I was covered in a woollen blanket.

“Go,” I herd Praxis murmur to someone. “I’ll watch over him tonight, you get some rest.” Whoever it was went out the room leaving us alone. There was so much I wanted to say, so many questions I had to ask. “I’m not even sure if your awake or asleep,” He whispered to me as he grasped my hand, sitting himself on the bed next to me. My voice failed me but I grasped him hand back. A sad smile played on his face for a minuet longer before he spoke again. “I’m Praxis by the way.”

I smiled a little, liking how awkward he seemed around me. “Your pirates aren’t you?” I asked with a dry voice.

“Yere,” He said.

I smiled a little more, “He always told me if I ever came into the hand of pirates I’d be beaten to a bloody pulp, locked up and raped before being sold to the highest bidder.” Sighing I rolled over, clutching the blankets to me. “But you are a lot nice than he ever was.”

Praxis didn’t seem to know what to say to that, I guess it was a pretty hard thing to follow. “You know your safe here.” He didn’t mean it as a question but simply a statement.

Letting out a little laugh I fully looked at him. “May we sail far tonight because the land is no place for me and there is no where on it I shall ever be safe.”

“But you are safe in the ocean?” He asked, frowning slightly.

I shook my head. “I am destined to die by drowning. It is why we left the ocean though many believed if we had stayed then my destiny may have changed.”

“How can you drown where you can breath under water?” He said looking very confused.

“I can only breath under water when I want to, witch makes me think that when I die it will be because I choose to.” I told him as I began to drift off.

He clutched my hand tighter. “And the golden dolphin?”

“Came to take me back, but I will not throw away what my mother gave me so easily.” I yawned.

He may have asked me something else, or said something else at least but I was to far gone to hear it so simply drifted off into my land of dreams.