Page 18 of Cerban
When I was done, Fionn ran a hand through his long hair. "Cerban, it's clear from how you talk about her. Clear to me and Rainse, probably the other finfolk as well. But not to humans. They don't recognise their mates as we do. And you realise the problem. Without her registered in the database, the agency will never confirm it. Pam will argue you’re blinded by infatuation, not instinct. And Paul will use this to push for tighter controls.” He growled. "Kelon has a lot to answer for. He destroyed the trust between us and the humans, at least for now. I am doing my best to rebuild it, but that will take time."
“I don’t care about their controls,” I growled. “I care about Maelis. She would be dead if I had followed their rules. Dead. And I know in my heart she is mine.”
Fionn’s expression softened. “I believe you, brother. But belief won’t protect you from Pam’s decisions. What I can do is put my word on record – tell her I recognise the bond, even if the agency refuses to. Coming from me, it may carry weight.”
Hope flared, sharp and painful. “You would do that?”
He inclined his head. “Of course. You are my clutch-brother. And maybe Pam will agree to test Maelis, add her DNA to the database to have definite proof. But until then, you must hold steady. Don’t break your confinement. Don’t give Paul more ammunition. Every misstep will make Pam dig her heels in deeper.”
Rainse gave a dry chuckle. “Patience has never been his strongest skill.”
“Then he’ll have to learn it,” Fionn said. His voice softened again, almost a smile tugging at his lips. “For her.”
The screen flickered, then dissolved into black.
I stood in the silence, Rainse watching me with that same infuriatingly knowing smirk. My hand strayed to the pocket where her note rested against my chest. My greenskin tightened at the thought of her.
Patience. For her, I would try. But patience alone would never be enough.
11
Maelis
Tyrone brought it in folded neatly, his expression half-exasperated, half-conspiratorial. “Don’t ask how it got here,” he muttered, sliding the slip of paper onto my blanket. “Just read it before Paul catches me smuggling contraband.”
He gave me a wink paired with a concerned frown. We knew this was forbidden. There wouldn't be consequences for me, not really. But I'd had enough time to think about what it would mean for Cerban if it was discovered that he had not gone against the rules yet again. He might be sent back to his home planet, never allowed to return to Earth. The finfolk had come here because on their planet, only a few men got to be with women. Climate change had meant that only a small proportion of the population was female. To get a mate, as they called it, you had to apply and go through vigorous tests - or at least that's what I'd heard. The finmen who'd come to the island had not been allowed to be in a relationship. They'd stay alone for the rest of their lives. The thought made me sad. Some people chose to be single and that was fine until it became a decree imposed on you by others. Everyone deserved a chance of finding love. And if I wasn't careful, Cerban's might be taken away from him for the second time.
The moment Tyrone left, I unfolded the note with hands that trembled more than I liked to admit.
Maelis,
I am forbidden to see you, but I cannot stop thinking of you. You are strong and brave and you fought for your life as fiercely as any warrior I have known. I will respect the humans’ rules for now because you need rest, but I will not stay away forever. When you are well, if you wish it, I will come to you.
Cerban
I pressed the paper to my chest, fighting a ridiculous urge to smile. Strong and brave. A warrior. No one had ever written words like that about me before.
Maybe I had judged these aliens prematurely. I did really like him - and not just because he'd saved my life. Not just because he was forbidden.
As much as I wanted to reply, I was also cautious that it would only increase the chance of discovery. If I wrote to him again, it had to be something important, not just a random note professing how much I wanted to see him.
And I had just the thing. I couldn't get the strange rhythm of the bubbles out of my mind.
I’d replayed the footage half a dozen times since yesterday, staring at the steady rise of air against the cave wall. Five bursts. Pause. Five bursts. Pause. Not random. Not natural.
Cerban needed to know. He’d been there, had seen them too – I was certain of it. And if I was right, if those bubbles meant something, then he was the only one who could help me unravel it.
The thought of diving again made my chest tighten. Images of rock crushing down, of the last hiss of my regulator, jolted through me like electric shocks. But the bubbles gave that fear shape, turned it into something I could face. If I could solve their mystery, then the cave wouldn’t just be the place I almost died. It would be the place I found answers.
I unfolded his note again, tracing his name with my fingertip. Desperation pressed at me. I had to tell him.
When Tyrone came back to check my vitals, I blurted, “Can you get another message to him?”
He froze, thermometer in hand. “Maelis–”
“Please. Just one. It’s not about thank-yous or romance or whatever Pam and Paul think is happening. This is important. I need him to know what I saw down there.”
Tyrone sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “You’re going to get me fired. Or worse.”
