Clash of Tides (A merman story)

“All right,” I reply.

Hass acknowledges me with his eyes and then starts moving, going into the wall of grey liquid. Every inch we move, we get closer, closer, and closer. I brace myself. I don’t want Hass to know I am afraid. Instead of clenching my hands into fists, I let Hass grip my fingers.

He enters the murky water, and then, I follow behind him. On my skin, the liquid feels no different than before; however, there is nothing but foggy water all around me. I suppose this is like blindness, but different; instead of seeing darkness, you only see a light and shadowy color. A foul odor whiffs into my nostrils, reminding me of the poor and dead. If there are decayed bodies in here, a Belua or mermaid, it would not surprise me.

The current gets stronger, thrashing us about, but Hass keeps me from floating away. Hass said the mermen took measures to protect themselves, and I can see that clearly now. If you don’t know where to go, you can easily get lost; the same as being lost in a fog.

We keep moving, battling the force tossing us around. It’s as if we are in a loss carriage, where your body is thrown from side-to-side. The only thing next to me is Hass, and even for him, it’s a struggle. After a few moments, suddenly, the water’s current calms itself. Hass moves through the liquid with ease, like before. As we keep going, clear water appears in front of the other mermen and us.

“We made it through,” Hass says as we cross into familiar waters.

He releases my hand, and what I see stuns me. The undersea castle has been untouched, but the surrounding underwater caves are different. Most of the mermen’s homes have descended inward, crumbled, and closed. Even the beautiful fishes I saw before are nowhere to be seen. In front of the castle, a group of mermen—the ones with silver chains—stand watch. Under them, covering the underwater floor appears to be seaweed. Everywhere I look, below me, are the dark-green plants.

“There is so much seaweed,” I say as I continue to stare.

“It is not seaweed, Elena,” Hass says. He turns to look at me with narrow eyes. “For your protection, do not go anywhere near those plants. Like the wild cryptids, they will try and kill any creature that crosses their path.” His voice is firm, intimidating.

I cannot hold back my curiosity. “Why are they here? They were not here before.” Silence passes between us. And for a moment, I remember what Hass said before. “Measures to protect ourselves,” I repeat the words softly.

“Yes,” he answers. His voice is monotone, and as I settle my sight on his form, I see the despair in his multi-colored irises. Words do not need to be exchanged between us; I know what he is feeling, the pain of losing his home and world. I felt the same back then when my father left and my mother planned my new future. My home, my life, everything had changed.

“Come,” he says as he swims before me. “I will have one of the guards take you to Assan.”

“You are not taking me?” Concern laces my voice as I think about being alone with one of the mermen.

Hass looks back, with a soft smile etched on his lips. “I have matters to intend to, but you will be safe.”

He does not stray away from me. I can tell he is waiting for me to get comfortable, for me to trust his words. In the end, I have no choice but to follow what he says. If I want to return home, indelibly, I must trust Assan and Hass.

I nod, and Hass continues swimming. While watching Hass, I slide my gaze from side-to-side, catching quick glimpses of the destroyed cave-like homes and surroundings. As we go towards the castle, we stay high above the seaweed, or what resembles seaweed. Once we get closer, the mermen guard with slit eyes rushes to Hass and bows his head. I can recognize him from before: he has long silver locks, a muscular build, one cobalt pupil, and one coral pink pupil. Dark blue scales run down his bottom to the end of his tail. His features remind me of Tobias’s, aside from the black hair.

Now since he is closer, I can make out the emblem around his chest. It’s an engraving of a mer, with scales covering its form and its sharp nails out.

“Mamoru, where is Assan?” Hass asks.

The white-haired mer raises his head and answers, “He is safe within the castle.” He flicks his gaze to me, with a blank stare, and then back to Hass.

“I am glad to hear he is safe”—Hass turns to me—“Please take Elena to Assan, as I have other matters to intend to; the king is waiting for my report.”

Mamoru nods his head. “Of course,” he says, now looking my direction,” follow me inside.” He spins around, moves his tail up and down, heading to the castle.

A part of me is scared to go alone without Hass, but I’ve already been alone in the undersea world and survived. I trail Mamoru, entering the castle. Like the outside, the inside is untouched from war. The cryptids illuminate our path as we weave through wide corridors of hallways and water. However, something I did not see before catches my eye. On each side of me—on the rocky wall—are engrained pictures. I slide my gaze between two images, trying to understand what they are.

One appears to be a mermaid holding a merchild up to her face. On her body is a dress, but I can see her tail peeking through at the bottom. The child is male, with hair reaching to his shoulders. They both look happy, smiling, and staring at each other. I wonder who they are.

As we keep swimming, I look at the other one. This one is different. It’s a male, but there is no tail, only two feet. He is standing, covered in a cloak. He has long hair, and he has proud features etched on his face. His chiseled jaw and sharp cheekbones remind me of royalty. Even Hlynn has a King, but he lives on the mainland, and I’ve only heard of him through the stories Seidon told me.

Is this the King, Assan’s father? I return my gaze to the other picture, questioning, Could that be Assan and his mother? What happened to her? Why did she leave?

“Don’t fall behind.” Mamoru’s voice breaks my thoughts. Up ahead, I see he is waiting for me at the beginning of another corridor. Whenever we’re going, it’s deep within the castle.

“I’m coming!” I increase my speed to catch up.

We ease our way through more passageways, going deeper into the water. If it wasn’t for the mer power shared with me, I am sure the pressure would have killed me by now. Finally, Mamoru stops, but I am confused.

When I went to a cave-like room before, nothing was blocking its path. This time, there is a giant stone in the way.

“He is inside.” The merman says as he raises his hand. My eyes widen. If Assan is locked away, then what state is he in, or did something else happen?

I decide not to ask because soon I will see the truth for myself. I slide my eyes to the blockade in our path. Around the massive rock, fingers made out of water form, just like Assan did against the berserker.

Between the merman and mermaids, I’ve seen similar abilities with Assan.

For this question, my curious nature overtakes my patience in waiting. I part my lips and ask, “Do all the mermen have the same powers?”

He does not say anything, and I wonder if he will reply.

The guard’s back is still facing me. “Some do, and some do not. Of course, Assan and the king are different; their power will always be stronger than a normal merman’s,” he says.

So not all merpeople are the same. I wonder what classifies who is powerful and who isn’t. Instead of nagging him more, I stay silent.

The hand made of water grips the stone, lifts it a few inches, and then moves it across the underwater rocky wall. I see how the merman is shifting his hand and furrowing his brows. It’s as if he is picking it up himself, using his strength to maneuver an object four times his size. Back then, when Assan was fighting the berserker, he used so much of his power, but he didn’t flinch. He was unwavering, dismissing the creature that tried to kill him and take me.

It’s almost scary to think how powerful Assan is; I shudder at the thought.

He places the rock down with a loud thud. His chest rapidly rises and falls as he lowers his hand. Quickly he shakes his fingers for what I assume is the pain he is feeling.

“You can enter now. When you get inside, swim straight up, and you will find the prince.” He points one finger to the opening; however, I am confused.

I kick my legs, propelling myself next to the slit-eyed guard. For once, I am tasked with finding my own way in this world of mythical creatures and monsters. It is shocking to see a merman trusting me; however, I guess this is Assan’s doing.

“You are not going with me?” I ask.

He flicks his tail and thrust back around. “No, I am not allowed to enter the prince’s chamber.”

At those words, panic flows through every part of me. The only man’s room I have been in was Seidon’s, and that was when we were children. I swallow the gulp climbing up my throat as I try to form thoughts in my brain. Assan’s room! Why does he want me to wait there?

Even if I don’t want to, I know it does not matter what my feelings are. This is his kingdom and world, and Assan’s orders are obeyed. I flex my arms, extend my legs, and swim into the darkness of the hole. Once I enter, I maneuver myself upwards and keep swimming. Above me, there is a faint light and opening to a new section of the cave.

As I emerge towards the illumination, I wonder if Assan is up there. And if he is alone, is he in his merman form or human form? Whatever the case is, this will be our last time together. Assan says he never lies, that when he says something, he will do it. He promised to let me go and never seek me out again, but even now, I question, do I want that?