Page 44 of Oceansong
“I will miss you when you go. I hope this situation with the mer will beresolved by then. If there is something I can do to end this without any more deaths, I will. For your sake.”
“Thanks, Bàba. That means a lot.” A smile pressed against her cheeks. At eleven thirty p.m., the sun was fading, leaving a sky full of deep violet streaks against a navy-blue backdrop, the hazy glow of the leftover sun slipping through cracks in the dark colors.
Bàba’s next words chilled her. “Even if I have to make sure every last one of them is dead.”
Biting her lip, Angie stared into the horizon. The remainder of the sun vanished, violet and blue blending into obsidian night. Glittery stars filled the sky, clouds parting to unveil the silver moon. Flowing water and frog and insect sounds surrounded them, their soft breathing chiming in harmony with the biophonic chorus.
The air had become a lot colder.
Kaden met her as planned. His tigerseye-hued gaze was fixed on her. “You’re looking refreshed today.”
“I feel better. Finally got a good nights’ sleep, but I still feel like I could sleep an entire day.” Or, more apt, she could hibernate like a dormant squirrel or bear in the brutal winters.
Kaden straightened up, his tail flexing. “How about a change of scenery? Here.” He pointed to an empty rowboat some feet away from them. Angie had seen it when she passed by to meet Kaden earlier, but she hadn’t paid it much attention.
“Here, what? The rowboat? Where did that come from?”
“It appeared abandoned on a nearby island. Nobody seemed to have claimed it for tidesdays, so I guided it here.”
“Convenient.” Angie scrunched her face.
“I thought so, too. The place I have in mind is some miles from here. You can use that. By swimming under you, I’ll use the waves to propel you in the right direction.” He gave her a self-satisfied grin.
“Aww.” Angie gave him a mock-pout. “No more merman-back rides?”
Kaden stared at her. “What? No! I was exhausted after the first time.” He leaned onto his forearms, his lower body still underwater.
“Not used to giving people aquatic piggyback rides?” Angie quirked an eyebrow.
“Well, typically, the most that mer carry while swimming are their children. And parents carry their babies at their fronts up until they’re about a year old, so we’re not built to carry anything more than about thirty pounds for long distances. Especially not on our backs.” Kaden motioned for Angie to get in the boat, and heart thumping from not knowing what to expect, she took her chance and boarded.
He pulled the boat into the water before ducking under it. From beneath her, she caught glimpses of his form. Sunlight winked off each scale on his tail, a brilliant crimson lightshow. The beach disappeared behind her. His grace and agility in the water was a marvel to her, the smooth way he cut sideways, under and over to avoid rocks and buoys.
Minutes later, a mass came into her field of vision. Sheet ice, floating innocently on top of the water. Her boat was moving too fast, and she was going to crash, while Kaden could just duck underneath it.
He probably didn’t even see the ice. The boat’s nose was inches away, and they were showing no sign of slowing.
Tamade!
Instinctively, she climbed overboard and threw herself into the icy seas with a yelp. Everything below her neck numbed in an instant, and her teeth chattered.
To her chagrin, the boat cut sideways and made it safely onto the other side of the thin ice, and stopped. Kaden stuck his head out of the water, questioning her with his eyes. “What are you doing?”
He directed the boat back to her, and with icy blasts still firing through her nerves, she climbed aboard until they reached a tiny island one more mile out.
“You all right?” Kaden used his tail to muscle his way onto the surface after she stepped off the boat. She swore he was fighting back a smile, and she glared at him.
When she found enough breath, she spoke through a clenched jaw. “I thought my stomach was going to fall out of my body after jumping off.”
“I would have gotten you around safely, as you saw.” Kaden’s shoulders shook, a short laugh sputtering from his lips. “But you decided to, quite literally, jump ship.”
“You’re laughing?” Angie clenched her fists and narrowed her eyes at him, her face scrunched. “Not funny! I didn’t know you were going to do that, or if you even knew the ice was there. That was like a water ride from the deepest level of the Hells.”
“I knew. But I’m sorry that I could not warn you earlier.” Kaden’s smile faded, and he pursed his lips. “I’ve been thinking of what you said. About your mother.”
She shivered. “I’m listening.”
“I would like to show you her final resting place. It’s the least I can do after we took her body from you and denied you peace.”
