Page 92 of Sea's Secret

“Okay, I will see you later then,” Meria said, taking a few steps back. I was frozen in that spot, my hand still in mid-air as she backed away from me. “Thank you.”

“Thank me? For what?” I asked.

“For this. For opening up to me. I appreciate it.”

“I did not–What are you talking about?” I was extremely confused. I had not opened up at all. I had told her hardly anything, and I pushed her away when all I wanted to do was kiss her.

“You say things, Dominick, with your actions.” Then before I could ask her what she meant, she was gone with the door closed behind her.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Meria

He was in pain. I could see it all over his face. And, yes, I knew that he was constantly in some sort of pain, but that pain felt different. He loved his brother. That was clear, but he was so worried about him. I had a sense that Peter would be fine. Pixies, although mischievous and childish, were not truly wicked. They meant well, and from what I heard in the chimes, they expected Peter to come to their isle. They expected him to go after his love. Peter may not have understood that he loved Gwendolyn, but everyone else could see it.

I touched my cheek as I walked to the railing of the ship, watching the water below us splash against the hull. My heart was so light; I felt like I was floating. Dominick’s lips had pressed against my cheek–so close to my lips. I realized as I touched my face where his lips had been that I wanted him to kiss me, to truly and fully press his mouth against mine. I was sure that it would be life-changing. As terrifying as that was, and even with how unsure I was of what a life with a pirate would be, I still wanted it. I still wanted Dominick, even though I did not know how it could work between us.

Us. I smiled. The sound of ‘us’ made my heart flip. What I wouldn't give to wake up beside Dominick every single day. I could see him in my mind, being a father, holding a child in his arms and with a smile, grunting as our child touched his face; I wanted that. I had never pictured Edmar in such a way. Every single daydream about my life after marriage included the babies I would have, care for, and love–a family of my own. Edmar had never been interested in that and never found his way into my dreams. Sure, he would have been needed to father my children, and in my imaginings, some of the merchildren I had imagined did have his red tail. But in my thoughts about a life with Dominick, it was clear that I could see us sailing the seas. I could see him teaching me all about sailing. We could raise our family on a ship and in the sea. I could see a barefooted little boy, running around the deck with Dominick’s brown hair and blue eyes.

I clutched the side of the boat. I wanted that. I wanted that life so badly. I shook my head and moved my hand from my face. Dominick had a hard time opening up. I did not blame him for that. He had gone through much in his life, and I did not know all of it.

I still needed to find my mother in Walden. That voyage would not be our only adventure together. I took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly as I watched Pixie Isle shrink away in the distance. I forced my thoughts away from Dominick. How were my people? I missed my nieces and my nephews and my sisters, even though the latter could be rather irritating. Would Finn be waiting for me when we returned from the Misted Seas? I wished he was with me. I missed Finn possibly the most. I told myself that once I found my mother, once I found out the truth about Marren, I could save my people and return home. Sure, I wanted to go home because I loved the sea and my people and my family, especially Finn, but I didn't have the same all encompassing desire that I had before my journey with Dominick. I watched the crew work, and I wondered if I would be satisfied never again returning to the sea. Sure, land, it was dry, and humans were strange, but I was growing used to my legs, and even though Dominick was closed off more than I liked, I wanted his company as long as he would give it to me. I looked off into the distance, and Pixie Isle was gone, and a darkness crept over, not only the sky, but the water–it was so dark, almost black.

Then there was a slight shift in the magical feelings within the sea; it soon sounded like there was thunder beneath the ship, shaking the boat. I turned around, and the crew were all standing there, frozen.

Dominick burst from his room, his hair handsomely disheveled. “These are sea serpent infested seas, here, just before the Mirror Sea. The serpents hunt in large schools and can gnaw holes into the hull of the ship. We must hurry through these waters!” Dominick shouted. I looked into the water and saw that it was already full of small green-gray tails–serpents? Sea serpents had been extinct since before the Great War, I thought. Sea serpents ruined everything in their path, eating whatever they came in contact with. They used to eat the reefs and had destroyed so many miles of seaways. They would sink us all. While I would be fine, the men aboard would not be.

There were loud scrapes and crunching, like breaking wood. I looked down again, seeing the serpents latching on by their teeth, trying to get into the hull. I began to sing within my soul:

Creatures of the sea–

Calm–calm–

Shift with the waves–

Float away–Float away.

I urged them to leave the ship alone, wondering if my song would be effective from the ship’s deck. I tried to shift the current, moving my hands back and forth to cause the waves to move the creatures away from the ship. I repeated the song for a fifth time, and the sounds of the wood breaking lessened. The ship, which had vibrated with intense pressure, quieted. They were still swarming around the ship, and I was certain that the ship was going to take on water because they had already done damage, but hopefully, we would make it out of those waters.

I continued to sing. Their heads were, then, out of the water, and I was shocked by the hundreds of sea serpents that I saw, their heads bobbing to my song, the sea rocking them back and forth and away from the ship.

Float away–

Float away creatures of Mother Sea–

Float away,

away from me.

I watched as the swarm of sea snakes slithered slowly away. I clutched the side of the railing as I realized how weak I had become from using my magical song.

“Meria!” I turned to see Dominick, his hair tousled in the wind and his dark blue eyes locked onto mine. He rushed to my side and held me in his arms. I was pressed against his chest, and his warmth made me feel better–not as drained. “What did you do? Are you hurting? What happened?”

“I am fine.”

“What did you do?” I was shocked when he touched my cheeks, turning my head this way and that as if inspecting me to ensure that everything was in its place.

“I just did my job. I am your mermaid, afterall,” I said, feeling both more exhausted in his embrace as well as more energized. How that was possible, I did not understand.

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