What the Tide Brings

Chapter 16 - Kaelin - Ambush

Kaelin laid in bed, thinking. She was curious about her sister. What was she doing? Was she an emissary for their father? Did she mean to take Kaelin home? Kaelin needed to know.

In spite of her promise to Liam that she wouldn't, Kaelin had to find Amaya. She jumped out of bed and pushed her feet into the cushy slippers on the floor. She didn't bother getting changed out of the nightgown. She would just have to remove her clothes anyway; she was sure that Amaya would not leave the water to search the land.

Most mermaids could go their entire existence never setting foot in the surface world. Amaya was one of those. She was closing in on a thousand years old and she had never once felt the need, unlike Kaelin, who had thought about the world above every day of her life, often sneaking away for days at a time to get glimpses. Occasionally even sneaking on shore to look around up close.

Kaelin crept down the stairs. Her heart leapt and she froze when one of the steps let out a groan. She waited to see if Liam or his mother had been awakened by the sound. When it seemed they hadn't, she continued down, slipping out the back door. She left the slippers on the porch and ran across the beach. She stopped just short of the rolling tide, pulled the hem of the nightgown up around her thighs, and slowly waded into the water until it rose to her knees. She closed her eyes and sent out a call to her sister. She hoped that Amaya would respond. If not in person, then with a location to meet her.

An answer came through immediately: The image of an undersea cave flashed in her mind.

Kaelin pulled the gown over her head and tossed it back to the shore. She dove into the water, letting her body change into its natural form. She released a breath when she felt her legs fuse together to form her tail. Her lungs filled with the satisfying salt water. It scratched an itch she hadn't even known she felt.

Slicing through the current, Kaelin swam straight to the spot Amaya indicated, but Amaya had not arrived yet. Not keen on being seen by anyone other than her sister, Kaelin decided to enter the cavern.

It was much darker inside, so she her natural illumination shine brighter; just enough that she wasn't in complete blackness. She sent out a vibration to get a better feel for the place. It was much more vast than it seemed from the outside. Tiny creatures had made homes in the hidden crevices all around her. She ignored them, turning her mind back to her sister, seeking out confirmation that she was indeed on her way. Amaya only let her know that she was almost there.

But something struck Kaelin as being wrong. Amaya was being awfully evasive, and it felt to Kaelin that she was closer than she let on. It wasn't Amaya's way to deceive. She was always straightforward with her intentions.

Warily, Kaelin released another vibration, unable to shake the nagging feeling that she was being set up. She wouldn't put it past her father to use her dearest sister for his own purposes. Amaya, ever the dutiful daughter, would have to comply.

At the mouth of the cave, a figure appeared. A mass of golden hair shined in the fractured moonlight that penetrated the surface told Kaelin it was her sister, as did the memory she received as a greeting: she and Amaya playing in a grotto, not unlike the one they were in, swimming with the brightly hued fish that resided there.

Kaelin sent her own happy thoughts to her sister. That was their custom. Unlike humans, who greeted each other with words and handshakes, mermaids used emotions and memories to say hello. Especially when greeting loved ones.

Kaelin swam toward her sister, closer to the light, making her own glow dim. Amaya reached out to touch Kaelin's cheek. "It has been far too long since last I saw your face." It was not so much words as a feeling.