Mermaids are Menacing (Book 2) Complete

35.) Tis the Season

"Roka there are people around!" I whispered urgently.

"Yes, its the shoal." He agreed. His fingers kneeded against my back.

"We can't do that here." I said harshly.

"Its a celebration during mating season. What else would we be doing?" He asked.

Roka said it as if it was obvious. I took this moment to look around and noticed that those around us had also coupled up. Panic. What in the abyss was this?!

"No need to put yourself in a riptide." Roka soothed. "No one will hurt you here. Your safe." He said rubbing my back.

"Roka I dont like this." I said shaking my head. "Its to much."

He stopped moving. It was as if i poured water on him. The thrall continued to move around us. Like a rock amongst the waves. With a sudden twist we dove down and bursting out of the frey. The swarm continued their rotation not noticing our abscence.

Down, down, down. To the reefs floor. 
There was no longer the wriggling member at my hip and while i still felt the pulsing vibration its hold on me lessened. Roka sat me on the floor and circled about me.

"Are you alright now?" Roka asked.

I nodded.

"The first time can be intimidating." He assured me.

"It was alot." I agreed. Trying not to thing about the mingling of tenticles and fins that were seared into my brain.

"Dont worry we can stay down here as long as you need and if you dont want to go back up, you dont have to." He comforted. "You can always try again next year."

"Next year?" I asked suprized.

"Now that you have seen this place, isn't it better than the Orcs?" He asked. "Your people are here."

"My people?" I asked.

"Of course, I could smell that scent miles away." He grinned.

"Roka I dont know where this misunderstanding happened but my mothers name is Thistle, not Pearl." I informed him. "I have legs not fins."

He laughed.

"Thats not what being a child of the Sea Dragons Pearl means." He disagreed. "All Sirenaidea are children of the Pearl." He gestured to those who mingled far above us.

"See these markings" he gestured to the swirl on his chest and then touching the scaled pattern on my arm. "This comes from the Sea Dragons Pearl. A reminder of what created us, unique to each Sirenaidea. This is visible proof of the mana it gave us. What we have contained from birth." He explained.

"That doesn't make any sense I wasn't born with this and I've never seen that Pearl." I disagreed.

"You may have not seen it but there is no doubt you were raised near it." He continued.

"Fertility, long life spans, strength, crystals that cause these marks, the scent of your blood." He said gripping my arm tightly.

"All of these things can mean only one thing. The Sea Dragons Pearl was in that valley." Roka explained.

A feeling of shock rolled through me.

"Pyros stole it nearly a century ago. After a time we couldn't even walk on dry land to look for it." He said bitterly. "No matter how many humans we paid to search. There was never any news, but then you came along." He said grabbing my shoulders

"wonderful you! You are the first remnant of our Pearl to be found since it was taken. You dont realize how much hope we have now that we've found you. The queen was so thrilled she allowed the dwendling stockpile of mana to be shared with the reef entire." The intensity in his eyes was blistering. True desperation.

"Since we met you. Now we know where to look! Somewhere in that valley, in those caves, our pearl is waiting. Soon we will have it back and our people will thrive again. We wont have to abandon our clutches on far off shores to become carnals. Nor will we lose our scales and sanity." He said placing his forhead against mine.

"Believe me when I tell you this, we are so happy to have you come home." He said hugging me.

I was at a loss for words, staring at my arm dully. Pyros was a bad person? That couldn't be right. He saved my parents gave us a home. He did so much good, how could he even get down here in the first place? It was so well protected and the crystals here are white not red.

My mind started to turn facts over. Why was their always a guard for the caves? There wasn't a guard at the caves entrance. Before the attack no one had ever gotten into the village but if there really was someone out there looking for something in that cave it made since that there was a guard.

And didn't Cerastes say that Pyros was always looking for a way to make more dragons? If the pearl could work on humans couldn't it fix dragons? Were we just another expirement that turned out well?

If what Roka said was true, then grandpa trees words were right. Home is where that little bit of Sirenaide came from.

I've met plenty of bad dragons but wasnt Pyros a good one?

Weren't my family good people?

With each passing encounter I learned that what I thought I knew to be true might be wrong. My world consisted of sand on the beach, with each new wave of information it changed.

"Is there a place we can sleep?" I asked.

"You must be tired." He agreed.

"It was just a big day." I shrugged.

"Are you hungry?" He asked.

"I just want to sleep." I affirmed.

"Thats alright, ill bring you to a good place." He said picking me up.