Page 86 of Whispers of the Starlit Sea
“And after?” Sorcha prompted gently.
Ciara drew a steadying breath. “After a flash of yellow light brighter than the sun, the storm just…stopped.” She blinked, remembering. “We swam for the surface, all of us. But it was already over. Ewan found me. He tried to convince me to leave with him. He said we could start over, somewhere no one knew us.”
Her voice faltered.
“I couldn’t,” she finished quietly.
Sorcha touched her arm. “And Rona?”
Ciara shook her head. “No one’s seen her since the storm ended.”
A hush fell between them, heavy with all they hadn’t said. Together, the sisters turned toward the cavern where their mother reposed, the water cool and hushed as they glided side by side. Ahead, Maeve and a few others waited quietly at the queen’s side.
True smiles broke over the faces of the mermaids as they spotted Sorcha, and she found herself passed around until each had hugged her. Aunt Maeve squeezed her tightly, a knowing glint in her eye. “I knew he would do it,” she whispered.
Her mother held her the longest. “My dear girl,” she murmured. “You’ve returned to us.”
Sorcha pulled back, her fingers clutching her mother’s hands. “I can’t stay, Mother. But I needed to come home. To see you. To…say goodbye.” Her voice trembled on the final word. She hadn’t been able to say goodbye to her father, but here, in the quiet of the sea, she felt him near. Her mother gave her an understanding look, and they all settled down for a time of sharing their stories. Sorcha settled into her usual spot in the sand by Ciara as Queen Cliodna returned to her seaweed-draped divan.
After a pause, Sorcha drew a deep breath. “I also bring a message from the king of Toravik.”
Her mother tilted her head, one elegant brow rising in amusement. “Do you, now?”
“He hopes to speak with you. Perhaps to renew the pact that once existed between our peoples.”
“A curious thought. Tell him I will meet him near the shore three days hence.” She paused. “I’m assuming you can get a message to him in return?”
Sorcha nodded slowly. “Yes. I’m going back, Mother.”
“But we need you here!” cried one of her younger cousins, who had until now only stared at Sorcha in silent awe. “You’re our Healer.”
Sorcha gave a soft smile. “And you’ll still have one. Maeve is here, and you’re about to start your own training, aren’t you?”
“You know you are valued here, Sorcha,” Mother said.
She shook her head. “I know you love me; all of you do. But here, my worth has always been tied to what I can do. I want to be somewhere I’m not measured by what I can do but where I’m wanted simply for who I am.”
“What will you do up there?” Aunt Maeve asked.
“I’m going to school. I want to learn, to explore. To see the world beyond the sea. And to find out who I am in it.”
“And the sailor?” her mother asked.
Sorcha couldn’t stop the warmth that rose across her cheeks.
“Ah. I understand how it is.” She gave her daughter a benevolent smile. “You will always have a place among your people, Sorcha. But your home must be where your heart lies.”
Sorcha left them then, circling the grotto one final time in quiet farewell. She passed the coral palace, pausing at her hidden nook to retrieve her old jar of trinkets. Each piece was a memory, a thread of the life she was leaving behind.
Ciara joined her as she swam through the gates. “I had to stay, you know,” she offered. “For Mother. I couldn’t leave her. Not now.”
Sorcha squeezed her sister’s arm. “Thank you. The Watchers will have the perfect leader when you’re ready.”
“You’ll visit?”
“Often,” Sorcha promised.
They said one last goodbye, then Sorcha headed for the surface, and for the sailor who waited for her there.
