Chapter Nine

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My week with the trolls ended swiftly. On my last day, Coten and I were exhausted. But I had to continue.

"The next of the six races is the merrow. They live below the water, in the Merrow Lagoon. To get there, you must walk northwest about three leagues. Then, go below the water, and give someone my note." He handed me a letter.

"But I cannot breath underwater," I pointed out.

He smiled. "I know, Human." He knew my name by then, but he continued to call me that, just to spite me.

"Evelin," I corrected.

"Here." He handed me three dried leaves. "This is Aquweed, an extremely rare herb. With it, you can breath underwater for no more than an hour."

I reached into my satchel.

"No, Human, you do not have time to sketch it. Go!"

I took the herb and placed it in my satchel. "Farwell, Coten. Thank you for your help."

"No," he said, looking up at me with his glistening, obsidian eyes. "Thank you, Evelin. For you may be the one to save us all."

I left with a smile, in the southeastern direction, according to the sun. I made it about one and a half leagues before needing rest.

The day was extremely hot, and the sun was beating down on me. I decided to rest that evening and continue in the night. Coten had told me sleeping in the open was dangerous at night, anyway.

I awoke to the moon, and continued on my way. The stars guided my path. Girec had taught me the different constellations. He always had enjoyed reading, and was full of useless information. I was glad he had taught me this, however.

I tried not to be frightened of the unfamiliar sounds with no luck. I had no idea what lurked in the trees. It could be anything. I picked up my pace.

Soon, the trees thinned, and opened up to a beautiful, small lake. Merrow Lagoon.  The moon shined on the water, the surface reflective, making it like a second sky. Not a single ripple travelled through the pond, and the silence was ominous. A shiver went up my spine. I turned around. Nothing was there.

I tried to stay up the entire night, but I fell asleep a few hours before dawn.

When I awoke, I was relieved to see that I was still alive. I walked over to the lake and studied my reflection. Last time, with the trolls, I hadn't made a good impression. I wanted this time to be different. My hair looked atrocious. My face seemed extra pale, and dark circles lined the bottom of my eyes.

I opened my satchel to try to find something to tame my wild, shoulder-length mane of hair. I didn't have a comb or hairbrush, so I ripped my fingers through it, and attempted to tie it up with a piece of fabric I ripped off my already-tattered tunic. Then, I splashed water on my face, hoping it would bring some color to my face.

I was extremely excited for this. Merrow were like mermaids in fairy tales, I suspected, and I'd always wanted to be able to breath underwater. I pulled a leaf out of my satchel and sucked on it. It tasted like mint. I left the rest of my stuff above the water, knowing it would get wet, and then I dove into the lake. It did not gradually get deeper, instead it was like jumping into pit.

It was also much, much deeper than anyone would ever suspect. I held my breath for as long as I could. What if the Aquweed doesn't work? I wondered. I will die!

When I couldn't hold my breath any longer, I breathed out and prepared to drown. But instead, I gulped in some air. I squealed in excitement, but no sound came out. Maybe the Aquweed affected my vocal cords. After all, people cannot talk underwater anyway.

I dove down deeper and deeper, and I enjoyed passing multicolored fish. But there was no sign of any human-like creatures. I started to doubt Coten. But once my feet touched the bottom, a civilization of merrow appeared before me. Not wanting them to see me (and possibly want to kill me), I hid behind a coral rock and watched them. It was miraculous that they hadn't seen me already.

I noticed the crowded, gray stone buildings. merrow crowded the water. A palace loomed behind a forest of flowing seaweed, made from coral, with towers that had a slight aura of light. The sun shined through the waters, so a glimmering, blue-gold light blanketed everything. Looking up, I could see the clouds and the sky through the water. It would have been an even more spectacular sight, if it wasn't so overcrowded. Some merrow swam above others, because there were so many. There did not seem to be enough room in the lake for all of them.

The merrow themselves had skin slightly tinted with pale gray or blue, tougher than a human's, like a dolphin. Their hair was gauzy and scaly, constantly moving and flowing like a fish's fins, in gold and silver. Each merr had blue irises, ranging from black-blue to turquoise. The younger ones had tail, but the older ones had two legs. They wore clothing made from the materials under the sea--seaweed, coral, and animal skin. I saw one wearing a necklace made from bubbles.

I peeked my head out further. A male merr turned and made eye contact with me. I ducked my head back behind the rock. But it was too late. He walked, or rather, swam, over to my rock. I closed my eyes, hoping he wouldn't find me.

"I can see you," he said. His voice was as smooth as the sea, with no gurgles or bubbles, as I had imagined.

I opened my eyes guiltily and waved hello. I could not speak in the water.

"You're not supposed to be here," he whispered, pulling me farther behind the rock. I examined his hand. Five fingers, tough like a shark's dorsal fin. Tinted gray, like the rest of him. The fingers were longer and more pointed than a human hand. No finger nails, but not webbed, as I expected.

I looked up at him, wishing I had some parchment. But it would get all wet, anyway. His hair was a shimmery dark gold. His eyes were the color of indigo. His anatomy looked the same as a human's. A male had broader shoulders and a more chiseled jawline than a female. They also had shorter hair. Or was it hair? I also admired the way he moved so effortlessly in the water; my movements were clumsy and awkward.

He looked at me with confusion. "What are you doing?" he asked.

I blinked, realizing it was rude to stare. He was more of a human than creature. I wondered if all merrow spoke the common tongue.

"Are you a mute?" he asked. "Or do humans not speak the common language?"

I tipped my hand side to side, indicating that I was sort of a mute. He raised an eyebrow. It looked like a streak of gold paint on his skin.

"How do you talk, then?"

I pointed up at the surface.

"You use gestures?" he asked.

I shook my head no, and pointed up again.

"The surface?"

Yes, I mouthed, nodding.

"Very well," he said. "Hold on to my back. I'll take you to the surface. Then I can figure out what to do with you."

He swam smoothly, and as fast as the fastest fish. The colors of the lake were a blur. He sat me down on the rocks near the surface once we reached the top.

"Speak," he said.

"My name is Evelin Fendway," I began. "I came here to study all five races, and take the information back to Krialle. Once there, I will find out more about the Enchantment that keeps you here. And I will set you free." 

The merr looked doubtful.

"Here," I said. "This is a letter from a chieftain of the trolls. He will explain it to you."

The merr accepted the letter, and read it carefully. he looked up. "Really? You want to help us?"

"Yes," I said.

"And you want to learn about us throughout this week."

I nodded.

"I will talk to our sovereign. Stay here." Mar swam away.

I didn't like being told what to do. "Stay here" sounded like a dog command. I was not a dog.

I skipped a few rocks around the lake, then wrung out my wet hair. I heard the merr returning, and I hid behind a rock.

"Human?" he said. I heard his splashes from walking in the water.

"Human?" he repeated.

I stifled a laugh and peeked behind the rock. But he was no longer there. I looked behind me.

"Hello, Human." He was standing right behind me! On land.  "Did you think hiding from me was funny?"

"Yes, I did, actually," I said, smirking.

He laughed. At me. Even though it was supposed to be the other way around. I was the one who had played the joke, after all.

He was odd. Perhaps all merrow were. "Why are you laughing?" I asked.

"Because humans are odd. I told you to stay there, so you'd be safe. Instead, you disobey, and put yourself in harm. Why would you do such a foolish thing?"

"I am not a dog," I said, turning my nose up. "I do not follow commands. Especially not ones from people I've just met."

"D-og," he said. "Those are human pets, correct?"

"Y-es," I said, mocking his tone.

"We do not have those in the lagoon."

"Speaking of the lagoon, will you take me there, please?" I asked, with a falsely angelic smile.

"Our sovereign does not wish for you to come yet."

"You talked to him about me, then?"

"I talked to her, yes," he replied.

"Her? You have a female ruler? A queen?"

"We call her 'king.'"

"Really?"

"Yes, that way there is no difference between female rulers and male rulers,"

I liked the sound of that. "Female merrow are equal to the males?"

"Of course," he said. "That's the way it has always been."

"So, your king, then. What did she say?" I asked.

"She will let you study us above and below the lagoon, but she does not want you to take merrow secrets back to your human kingdom . . . "

"Understandable."

"And you must agree to one thing."

"Yes?"

"You must return her father to us, even if you fail your quest."

"Where is he?"

"Our previous king was stolen by a human two years ago. It is why we despise the humans so. Along with the fact that they trapped  us here, causing us to have overcrowding issues. There are no other bodies of water deep enough for us to live in on this island."

Strange. A chieftain of the trolls was stolen. A king of the merrow was stolen. Who was this human causing all this chaos?

"What did the human look like?"

"He was tall, with dark hair and eyes. He befriended us, and gave us things from the human lands. Then he left, taking our king with him. He left Havane before anyone even knew what had happened. We have no idea how he even left the island with our king, who was bound by the Enchantment to stay on Havane."

Tall, with dark hair. That could be anyone!

"Do you remember anything else? Was he tall or short? Was his chin more round or square? Did he have a wide forehead? Or thick eyebrows?"

"I only knew him for two weeks. I do not remember."

I sighed. "I suppose I'll start drawing you, now."

"No. You must promise to bring our king back."

"Fine. I promise."

He looked me in the eyes. The shade of indigo was incredible. "Promises are a very serious things among the merrow."

"Very well." I looked him in the eyes, very seriously. "I will bring your king back to you. You have my word."

He smiled, satisfied. "Right. Begin, then."

"Very well. I suppose we should get started. Tell me about the merrow." I pulled out my sketch book and leaned forward, my chin in my hand.

He said nothing.

"Come on, tell me something!"

"But . . . I do not know what to say when you are looking at me like that. It's . . . uncomfortable."

"Start with your name, then," I said with a sigh.

"I am Nimue."

"Go on . . . " I couldn't believe it. This was even harder than getting a troll to talk, and that was saying something.

"Um  . . . "

"The name of your king, perhaps."

"Oh, right. Her name is Assana . . . "

I groaned at his quietness. "Tell me about your home, what you eat, what you do. Anything would be fine!"

"I live in the water. I eat fish. I swim."

"Are you being serious?" I complained. "Tell me something real."

"That was real."

I groaned again.

"I apologize."

"Well, I don't. What do you live in?"

"The wat--"

"No. Not 'the water' tell me more."

"Very well. I live in a dwelling made of stone. It protects the things inside from the currents, whenever they are extremely strong. Like the wind storms you have above the water."

I smiled. "That's a start. Tell me about your family."

He told me of his mother, and his younger sister, who hadn't lost her tail yet.

"Lost her tail?" I asked.

"Yes. Merrow are born with a tail, like a dolphin. Once they are about two or three, their tail sheds off, and they have two legs. Young merrow need to stay in the water all the time. Older ones do not. Once we have our legs, we can walk on land, as long as we don't get dehydrated."

"Perfect," I said. I wrote it down. With some prodding, I got more and more out of Nimue, until I began to become familiar with the merrow. I wanted to meet and learn more. I was especially excited to meet this female king of theirs.

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