Clash of Tides (A merman story)

HASS WATCHES ME AS I place my legs in the water, over the edge of the pool. To my surprise, his face lacks emotion, making me wonder what thoughts are going through his mind. Is he thinking about Terza? Perhaps wondering why she betrayed him and the other mermen.

For a moment, guilt fills the pit of my stomach, making me feel heavy. If I kept the truth to myself, Hass wouldn’t be hurting now over what Terza did. Then again, Terza freed me, and because of her, I found out what was happening to Joe. I wish and hope my mother has not done anything more to him.

When I remember Joe’s body, bruised with flesh wounds around his ankles, the anger returns, boiling inside me.

Hass moves in the water, swimming in front of me. His hand reaches for my own, but I shake my head, and he retracts his fingers.

“You do not need to keep helping me. I am sure I have caused you enough trouble.”

“Do not think of the past,” he pauses, averting his eyes, “I have been tasked to return you home, and I will,” he says as he flickers his gaze back to me.

“It is hard not to remember the past when it affects the future.” After speaking, I jump down from my spot, entering the cool liquid. On Hass’s face, I see the pain from before- the time when he learned his sister’s betrayal.

Maybe I should not ask, but curiosity overwhelms me. “Have you seen Terza?”

Hass gives me a sharp glare, and the anger behind his mismatched eyes is clear like the sky on a cloudless day.

“I have not, and until Assan orders me to, I will not seek her out. I don’t know why Terza did what she did, but it must have been for a good reason.”

I remain wordless. Even I don’t know why she freed me. I want to tell Hass I’m grateful for what Terza did, but it may only upset him further.

“I hope you see Terza again, Hass, and know I didn’t mean to cause you pain.” Right now, when I look at the merman who was kind to me, I see mixed emotions coming from him. His eyes are somber, boring into mine, and yet he clenches his fist in what I assume is anger.

After a moment, he raises his pursed lips into a weary smile and relaxes his hands.

An exhausted sigh leaves his throat; he looks up at the sky and says, “You are not at fault for any of this. Maybe the time of the mers is over; perhaps we are just battling our own fate instead of accepting it.”

As the water from his brown tresses runs down his face, it’s like tears are pouring from his eyes. In a way, it’s like he is crying for his people, for the home he wants to protect. Despite letting me go, Assan is fighting on. I may not know much about the Belua, but even the mers cannot just let their boat sink with the current.

“I do not believe that.”

Hass lowers his gaze and stares at me, perplexity showing with his arch brow.

“Sometimes we must fight against fate, even if it means all seems hopeless. I’m sure Assan told you of my life on land. For one such as me, hope is like a lost sailor, wondering if he’ll ever find his way home.”

Without making a sound, Hass’s eyebrows return to normal, and he looks at me with a strange curiosity gleaming in his eyes. Although his mouth forms a tight line, he slowly turns from me and gestures with his hand for me to swim next to him. As I comply with his request, he parts his lips and begins to speak.

“Mers may be powerful, but the ability to see the future is blinded from our sight. Maybe you are right, Elena, and there is hope in my dying race. Alas, we have spoken enough. The queen is upon us, and there’s no telling what she has brought with her. We must make haste!” He urges me as he takes my hand into his.

“Where are we going?”

“Since the mermaids are in the castle, we need to exit through the waterways. Stick close to me, and once we get outside, we should be fine.”

“And if a breakser is nearby?”

My heart leaps in my throat. I don’t want to see a breakser again, let alone another mermaid, but this is the only way to return home.

Hass’s fingers curl around my own. When I see his face, he isn’t smiling or comforting me, but his brows are tight together, and his lips twist into a grimace.

“Then we swim until we reach the underwater tunnels to the waterfalls, understand?”

I nod my head in acknowledgment. As he places his hand on my chest, granting me yet again the ability of the mers, I feel fear for the unknowns we are about to face.

“Stay close and don’t leave my side.”

“I will stay near you.”

His gaze bores into mine. I don’t know what will happen when we leave this room, but I must be strong and follow Hass’s directions.

“Until I take my last breath, I’m forever in service to the royal family. Since Assan wishes for your freedom, I will grant my future king’s request,” he says wryly.

“Hass-I knows you do not want to free me, but I believe Assan will find a way to save the mers.”

He lowers his lips to a slight frown. “Maybe he will, one day, but for now, my responsibility is to see you home.”

“Then let us go.” As I squeeze his fingers, we glance at each other, passing unspoken words through our expressions. Perhaps, it’s understanding, or maybe Hass realizes there is value in what I said.

Staying speechless, he spins around, and I do the same. We both dive into the water, swimming down the tunnel back to the entrance of Assan’s room.

I see the rock from before is still in the same place with a clear vision, allowing passage to the prince’s chambers. Even though I am curious about Assan’s underwater dwellings, I keep my sight on Hass.

He turns to look at me and says, “I cannot say for certain what awaits us, but be aware of your surroundings. If you notice anything behind us, tell me.” I can hear the serious tone in his voice but also fear. Out in the open waters, will it just be Hass and me – no Assan and no guards, just the two of us?

As the merman flickers his tail, propelling himself forward, I stay close to him, trailing his path. We glide past the huge rock. Hass tightens his grip on my hand and jerks his head in the direction we need to go. I maneuver my body that way when someone or something catches my attention from the corner of my eye.

I do a side-ways glance towards the object in the corner. In the distance are Assan and a group of mermen. Guards. All of the mers, including Assan, are staring at something my eyes cannot see from here.

What are they doing? I think to myself, for once wishing I had abilities to see through stone.

They are going to the Chambers of the Royals. The queen and the mermaids are there, and we must leave before they spot us. The king and Assan will distract them, but we must hurry. This way, I hear Hass’s voice in my mind. I dart my gaze to him and watch him point where we need to go. Looking back – I don’t, no, I can’t see him again, but a part of me wants to see him one last time. Quickly I slide my sight back to the spot where I saw the mers. When I see the sea prince now, he is different from before. Around his neck is bathed in gold chains, with an emblem hanging in the center by his chest; he reminds me of royalty, regal and proud.

I spin around quickly.

Feelings are not for one such as me, and I remind myself. Hass then stares at me with a doleful expression, and for a second, I forgot he could hear my thoughts.

Having feelings for another is never wrong, Elena, but emotions cloud our judgment and best interest. Hass’s words are scolding, but I do not blame him. Feelings are why I am leaving this world behind, and feelings are what swayed Assan’s decisions.

Then it is time to be unclouded, I respond.

The tunnel is up ahead, and it will be in complete darkness. Keep your hand on mine so we do not get separated. Once we are outside, we will make for the passageways leading to the forest waterfalls.

I acknowledge him by nodding my head. Together, we angle ourselves in the water, pushing towards the direction of the tunnel. Thanks to the cyrpid, I can see our surroundings. This time, as I swim through the hallways of the underwater castle, I notice this area is different than before. On one side of the walls are giant rocks, like Assan’s room. On the other, there are more engraved pictures. With crowns on their heads and emblems on their chest, Mermen are formed in a circle, looking confident and proud. There is a bowl in the middle of the group (or, I believe, a bowl) with water in it. The mermen have their hands pointed at the water in some ceremony.

Questioning Hass about this is possible, but I don’t want to distract him from our destination.

We keep going, twisting around corners and going down many corridors. Some of them have engraved markings, and some do not.

Hass slows our pace in front of a huge rock.

This way, he orders me and releases his grip on my fingers. He clenches his hand into a fist, and the water forms the same before us. The liquid imitates his movements – the giant fist rests against the rock – and as Hass pushes his arm, the water sways, nearly sweeping me away from my spot.

He grunts; his muscles stiffen, but soon, the boulder slides across the ocean floor, revealing the tunnel for my escape. Panting, he glances at me. Go inside. Do not worry; nothing in there will harm you. With one hand, he gestures to the entrance. Beyond the circular opening, my eyes see nothing – even with my mer sight - but the darkness that has swallowed the whole passageway.

This is not my first time swimming with blinded vision. I push myself into the unknown with my resolve to see Joe again. Behind me, light still filters in from the castle, and for a moment, I capture memories of the narrow space. All around me is just rock and no other forms of life. The space is only big enough for a body to pass through, not turn around. I suppose it’s dark on purpose, perhaps to prevent enemies from finding the hidden way out. With Hass sealing the tunnel and no way to spin around, there is only one direction to go, onward.

As he moves the stone back in place, the glow fades, locking us away from the mers who may hurt us.

The light is gone; I cannot see or hear anything but the sound of water rumbling in my ears.

Instead of calling out to Hass like a frightened child, I start swimming, eager to return home so I can assure Joe will be safe. Even though I cannot see, I keep going. A slight pain shoots through my arm as I feel it scrape against what must be a rock.

Clenching my teeth, I continue moving, hoping to distract myself from my feelings. In front of me is black, and I assume Hass is behind me.

“We have a while before we reach the outside, but the mermaids should not sense your presence now,” Hass says and then lets out a sigh of relief.

Despite feeling the happiness that I am out of the mermaids’ range, curious thoughts still come to me. The affairs of the underwater kingdom are no longer my concern, but I want to know about Assan’s mother, the queen.

“Do you think they will agree?” I ask.

“The queen is a stubborn mermaid, so it is hard to know.”

“She is stubborn like Assan, or is Assan stubborn like her?”

Hass chuckles at my words and says, “I always tell Assan he is stubborn like his mother, and yet, he never believes me.”

After hearing the queen is stubborn, Assan’s behavior makes more sense. As I start to join in the laughter, my foot catches on a rock, causing my skin to burn. From what I feel, it’s like liquid is pouring from the wound, and I hiss from the pain.

“Are you alright?”

“I just scratched myself, but I will be fine. The darkness hides the path so well; I cannot see anything.”

“I have passed through this tunnel many times and have grown too accustomed to its walls. They should be able to help you along the way.”

I stop. “Who are they?”

Hass does not respond to me and stays quiet. I wish I could spin around to see what he is doing, but I wait in silence for whomever or whatever they are. A few minutes pass, and then glowing blue lights emerge from the sides of us. The lights shimmer in the water, brightening the black around us, and twirl about. Some swim up to my cheek and brush against my skin, almost as if they want to touch me. Even though they are slimy, they are also soft and cool. Upon a closer look, the lights are tiny fish. More of them come from the rocks and form a school. They are so blue in color, it reminds me of Assan’s fin, but brighter – a pricing blue that cuts the darkness.

In a group, the small fish move fluidly in the water as they circle me, swimming in front and under me. Watching them is like watching fireflies in a forest, dancing around trees and in bushes creating paths with their light.

“They are fish that shine under the water, in pure darkness.” I can hear the warmth in his voice.

“They are beautiful, but why did they come out now?”

I remember what Hass said, saying they would help.

“I called to them,” he says, matter-of-factly.

“Called to them?”

“Yes, have you not seen Assan call other sea creatures before?”

I shake my head and answer, “No.”

“I suppose that is to be expected. If he can avoid it, Assan does not like to involve sea creatures in his affairs, and it is his way of protecting them.”

“Assan really does care about his home,” I say softly.

“He does, and he must care about you, too, Elena. Let us not waste his decision. We need to get going. The fish will help guide you, so you don’t injure yourself.”

To hear Hass say what I suspected hurts me more. Assan cares about me, so much so that he freed me and took on the responsibility of saving his people alone. His actions are noble, but I still cannot forget the pain he put me through.

I shake my head, shrugging off the thoughts about Assan and the mers. At least now, I can see ahead of me. It is a straight path, aside from the jagged rocks jutting out the walls. It is no surprise that Hass knew I was getting myself hurt.

“Are we almost there?”

“Yes, the outside is almost upon us.”

Once I hear his response, I continue my advance through the waterway, with the little fish by my side. They have spread out – some are swimming next to me, others are under and in front of me. In a way, it seems they are used to this, to guiding travelers through their dark home.

Coming into view is a small circular opening. On the other side, there is light.

“Is that it?” I ask as the anticipation of returning home fills me with glee.

“Pass that entrance leads to open water. From there, we will swim towards the rocks and look for the passage leading up to the forest,” Hass says.

“Up to the forest?”

“Yes, we will swim to the sidewall of the island, so you will need to climb up the rocks to the waterfall,” he explains.

I cut him off. “And from there, go through the forest back to Hlynn.”

“Correct, but before we leave the tunnel, there is something I must ask you.”

His sudden need to ask me something throws me off guard, and I hum in response.

“Elena, that man from before, who came for you, who is he to you?”

My heart clenches to the thought of Sai. I halt my advance to the tunnel’s opening. I want to see Hass, read his face, and see why he asks about him. Surely, Assan told Hass about Seidon and what happened at the waterfall.

“He is my friend. We have known each other since we were babes.”

“Is that so...” Hass says as if he is thinking about what to say next. Again, it is quiet, an uncomfortable silence that only leads to more answers that will need explaining. My muscles get stiff, and from the tension, I twitch. It is like we are waiting for the other to speak. I know what I saw, but talking about it with a mer will make it real, but was it real? Seidon, the boy I grew up with and watched over me, is he even human?

Do you know anything about Seidon? If you do, please tell me!

No response. Nothing. He is holding back. I need to see his face, to get an idea of what he is thinking. I grit my teeth as my feet scrape the rocks and my legs start to bend, conforming to the shape I need to spin around.

“Stop, you will just hurt yourself. Causing yourself to bleed before going into open waters will just call the predators to us.”

“Then please, tell me what you know about Sai? Please, Hass, he is my friend.” I cannot help but beg for his knowledge. If Sai is something else, if his life is in any danger, then I must know.

“Elena, you want to forget about my world and people, don’t you?”

Denying the truth is fruitless. “Yes, I do, but what does that have to do with Seidon?”

“I should have never said anything, but before you leave the seas, hear this, Elena.

My words catch in my throat. Instead of speaking, I muse over what Hass is about to tell me. Of course, I’m sure he knows and may feel my panic, so I simply respond with, “Anything you can tell me about Seidon, I will listen.”

There is a pregnant pause. “Be wary of those you speak with, for what you see with your eyes may not always be true. The queen of the Belua, witch of the sea, has many unknown abilities, even to us. The king warned you, Elena, so heed his warning.”

I digest his words, trying to understand their meaning, but it only leads to more questions. Regardless, Hass is right – now, since I know more about the undersea world, I need to be careful who I trust, even those closest to me. But still, I want to know more about Seidon; however, I can tell Hass is keeping the truth from me. If I keep asking him, he will not tell me. Perhaps, if I agreed to stay with Assan, maybe he would have told me more.

“I understand…” I say, even though I wish to keep pressing him for an answer, there is no point. Once I decided to leave the sea and its secrets behind, I cut myself off from further information.

Up ahead, a faint light seeps the darkness, and slowly, the glow fish swim away from us.

“Once we get outside, follow my lead.” His commanding voice returns, like before, when he took charge of the mermen.

As we get closer and closer, the view beyond the tunnel becomes clear: there is wide open water, with various sizes of sea creatures roaming about, and above the surface, the sun’s beams must be shining down on the liquid.

It feels good knowing soon that I can stretch out my body again and no longer be covered in blackness. As we pass through the circular opening, relief floods through me. Hass quickly trials behind me and then darts in front, leading the way.

Let us go.

We make haste, moving as fast as I can. However, I notice the fish around us disperse as we keep going. The tiny sea creatures go in different directions, bumping into each other like they are consumed with fear.

Elena! We must hurry!

Hass, what is wrong?

A scaly figure comes into view from the corner of my eye, and I already know what it is, a Belua.

A/N: I'm back! I'll upload the next chapter soon! Yes, I won't make everyone wait for months this time. Thanks so much to everyone who's still reading this story.