The Hunter's Pursuit

24. A Partial Admission

    Her first coherent thought was more a...recognition, than anything else. She was trapped in darkness, but a familiar scent wrapped around her. One she hadn't noticed before. A fresh morning breeze mixed with saltwater.

    Her eyes stung with the grit of exhaustion as she struggled to force them open. It took a moment for her vision to clear. When it did, she was staring up at a bunk. Viviane twisted onto her side with a faint grunt, observing her surroundings. She was alone in the crew quarters.

    Waning sunlight filtered through a porthole across the way. Hadn't it just been early morning? How long had she been down here? Viviane managed to sit up but swayed dizzily when she swung her feet off the side of Jacob's bunk. She massaged her forehead, taking slow, even breaths. She braced her other hand on the mattress.

    "Don't try to stand yet," Emilia advised, stepping out of her quarters. She crossed the room and halted before Viviane. "You need to take it easy for a moment."

    "What time is it?"

    "Nearly sunset."

    "I was out all day?"

    Emilia's answering laugh sounded more like a dry scoff. "Three days, actually." Viviane's eyes widened. "Amos and I did what we could to try to wake you sooner. We even used smelling salts, but nothing worked. You've had several of us very worried."

    Viviane combed her fingers through her hair, detangling a few knots that had formed while she slept. "What happened?"

    "I was hoping you could tell me. Jacob only said that you'd fainted, and Amos and I couldn't find any signs of injury on you." Emilia's emerald eyes held a glint of suspicion.

    "The only other explanation I could think of was that you were in a regenerative sleep, but that's something only Faeries, Witches, and Scindoes experience, and it only happens when they've wielded too much magic. I've never seen you wield magic."

    Viviane averted her eyes with a sigh. She hadn't revealed her truth to a single person since she'd first fled her sisters. If she was going to tell someone now, it might as well be Emilia. She'd grown fond of the woman during their time at sea, and keeping this secret from her now could damage the semblance of friendship that had formed between them.

    For some reason, Viviane found that thought saddening. She hadn't cared for friends before, but there was something about the way she'd been able to laugh and joke and talk around Emilia. It was refreshing. Perhaps sharing the truth would be refreshing as well.

    Slowly, Viviane bowed her head. "You would be correct." Emilia blinked, but said nothing. "You think I'm a Scindo, just like everyone else aboard this ship, but that's not true. I just don't contradict peoples' assumptions because it's safer for me that way. I think people would fear me if they knew what I was, just as they fear my cousin species."

    She swallowed hard, bracing herself for Emilia's reaction. "In truth, I am a Mer."

    Emilia's eyes widened. "A Falorean Mer?" Viviane nodded. "But then...if..." She shook her dark head, disbelief coating her features. "How are you here? Don't Mer live in the sea?"

    "Our Goddess granted us the ability to shift between two forms when we were first created. I can live as a Human or as a Mer. I can even retain some of my Mer attributes when in my Human form, but that is a rare ability and can only be learned through years of practice."

    Emilia beckoned for her to continue. Viviane cast a quick glance towards the stairs, then back to the galley, ensuring that they were alone before she carried on.