The Fate of the Muse - By Derrolyn Anderson Page 0,117
and turned to see Ethan watching us with a strange look on his face. I turned back to focus on getting Lorelei’s attention, for now she was becoming playful, flipping and twirling in the water with a sweet tinkle of laughter.
“Lorelei, we came to warn you that the bad people are coming to try and catch you.”
She thrust herself out of the water, turning completely around to scan the horizon. I almost felt sorry for Ethan, who was trying desperately not to stare at her breasts.
“I don’t see anyone,” she said.
“Listen to me! They’re not here yet… but they’re coming, and they will try to take Nixie away.”
“No!” she cried, looking around again in a panic.
“It’s true,” I said, “But I don’t know when. Please take us to Nerissa and Nixie so I can tell them too.”
She nodded her agreement, and positioning herself between our two boards, she took one with each hand, her webbed fingers sparkling and iridescent in the last light of the day.
“You’d better lie flat… and hold on tight,” I warned Ethan, demonstrating the best way to get towed in the sea by a mermaid.
Lorelei put her head down and started thrashing her mighty tail, sending us flying through the water swiftly and smoothly. I looked across at Ethan’s face through a veil of saltwater spray, remembering how I’d felt the first time she’d towed me away from Aptos. Now I had someone I could talk to about it, and it occurred to me just how lonely a thing keeping secrets could be.
The minutes passed quickly, and before I knew it we had arrived at the rocky little island nursery where Nixie liked to play with the other youngsters. Lorelei deposited us in a protected spot, and we sat up, bobbing in the gentle swells. Ethan moved his board close to mine, keeping his wet-suited leg in contact with me. Birds screamed and rose in the air upon our arrival, angry about being disturbed from their evening roost.
“Don’t be afraid,” Lorelei called to them, and we watched as the ruckus slowly subsided and the birds landed back on their nests one by one.
I turned to Ethan with a smile, “She’s fast, huh?”
“You can say that again,” he said, looking around in amazement, “We’re way past San Francisco!”
The sun dipped below the horizon, darkening the skies to a rich indigo. It was the gloaming, the magical minutes between sunset and darkness when time felt strangely suspended; my favorite time to be out on the sea. I leaned over and took Ethan’s hand, unbearably happy because for once I wasn’t the only person here to experience it.
I scanned the water for Nerissa, and Lorelei dove under to search for her. A few minutes passed, and I was starting to get a little fearful, but all at once both of their beautiful faces rose from the depths. Nerissa reeled back when she saw Ethan, keeping her distance even as recognition dawned in her sparkling emerald eyes. Her hair fanned out all around her in the darkening water, glossy and black as an oil slick.
Ethan gasped, shocked at the change in her appearance.
“Why did you bring your person?” she asked me, her eyes darting back and forth between us nervously, “It is forbidden.”
“We came to warn you about the bad people,” I said urgently, “Do you remember how they took you? Well, they want to come and take Nixie too! You must leave this place and go somewhere far away.”
She listened, but a familiar skepticism rose in her eyes. I was reminded of the time when Lorelei dismissed my vision, ignoring my warnings of her imminent capture.
“Don’t worry, I already told Nixie to never go close to any boat,” she said vehemently, “They will never catch me again.”
“They want Nixie,” I warned her in the most serious of tones, “And they will come here to look for her. You must go to a different place.”
“No, this is the best place to be,” she replied confidently. “All of our friends will warn us if the bad ones come.” She gestured gracefully all around, and a seal surfaced next to her as if to punctuate her point.
It made sense, I thought, thinking about the the fur seals, dolphins and sea lions that frequented these waters. They were wary and cautious creatures, and I’d already seen how far they’d go to protect the mermaids that they loved. The birds alone were an excellent alarm system.
“See?” said Nerissa, who had apparently been reading my