Clash of Tides (A merman story)
Chapter 24 - |Water vapor| Part 1

HIS FATHER STAYS ACROSS from me, keeping the distance between us. I do not know if the space is on purpose, but I feel more comfortable this way.

He walks in my direction at a slow pace, and I move back slightly, bumping into the bed frame.

“You do not have to keep moving away from me. Hurting you will only incite Assan’s anger, and I am sure neither of us wants to see him angry; it’s an awful emotion my son needs to control, but alas, he is like his mother.”

The merking sighs while rubbing one of his temples.

At the mention of Assan’s mother, the queen, my ears perk up, and questions form in my head. I want to inquire more about the mermaid queen, but I decide to stay silent, curious over what the King has to say.

He looks away for a moment, at the water, with a distant expression on his face. In a way, it’s like he is reminiscing, or perhaps he is thinking about the queen. I want to hold back, not to say anything, but the lack of knowledge bothers me.

“Why are the mermaids not here?” I ask, and his mismatched eyes return to mine.

He studies me as we stand in silence, pacing back and forth. For a second, I think to ask another question, but he parts his lips, stops, and says, “Some tales of truth are best unsaid.” A graceful yet sad smile adorns his features.

It’s clear he does not want to press the matter further, so I won’t. If I can’t get Assan to tell me the whole truth, then the King will be no different.

I clench my teeth and curl my fingers into a fist. “Perhaps the truth should be shared when threatening one’s life and demanding a child.”

His eyes are in shock, widened by my retort. I hold firm, despite the anger I see in the King’s now narrow, multi-colored irises.

Our sights lock - a staring contest of power. He already said he would not hurt me because Assan will not allow it. And I believe in Assan, but as for the King, I can only hope he will keep his word.

A quick grin spreads across his lips, throwing me into confusion. A chuckle leaves his throat, and he turns gracefully and then glances at me from over his shoulder.

“Most humans cower in the face of a mercreature,” he says, with the wicked smile still on his face, and his mismatched eyes change, switching to a mixture of gold and green.

Either he is angry or showing off his power. I will show no fear.

I don’t adjust my stance or move. It’s clear he wants me to be afraid of him, to take back the words I said, but I will not. Not now or ever.

“I have faced mermaids and a berserker. Even then, I did not cower, so I will not cower now.” My own words surprise me, making me question where this Elena is coming from. This is not the passive girl I once was, who accepted her fate. I have been through so much, and I made a promise to Joe: as long as I am alive, I will not let any harm come to him again. My boat is strong; I will not let the current destroy me.

His once mixed eyeballs return to normal, and he maneuvers his head away from my view, looking back at the water. Liquid rises from the pool, forming what appears to be a mermaid and a human woman. The woman covers her face, showing she’s in distress.

I am curious why he is putting on a show for me, so I walk closer to the water but keep space between us.

“What drives you, Elena? A sad human can’t resist the lure of a mermaid, yet alone a merman.” His voice is low with desire.

The puppets made of water move again, but this time the mermaid opens her mouth, singing to the woman. As if in a trance, the woman drops her hands and turns towards the mermaid. Quickly the mermaid swims to the woman, her hands change to claws, and she slashes the woman’s throat, causing water to spray out.

I digress, moving away from the puppet who s enjoying her kill. As I watch her smile grow wider, her watery body burst into droplets, dropping back into the liquid before me.

Assan’s father stays still and says, “That should have been your fate, but it was not. Since something else drives your will to live despite your sadness, I will honor your request by telling you the truth.”

He half spins towards me with a grimace.

“Which truth?” I ask, this time, not moving away from him. Will I finally get the answers to the questions I seek?

“I am sure you have wondered why Assan needs a child, yes? Or should I say, rather, why the mermen need a child?”

My heart beats with anticipation. I incline my head, waiting for him to speak; however, my mind wonders if he will lie to me.

As he parts his lips, I say, “How do I know you will not lie to me?”

A sly smile flashes across his face. “Since Assan has decided to free you and let you live, lying to you serves no purposes. What I am about to tell you will prepare you for what will happen. But know this, Elena,” he pauses, and his eyes form slits, “if you reveal the mers to other humans, I will replace you and end you. Do you understand?” His cold voice is authoritative, almost as if he is passing a sentence on me.

His threat hangs in the air, causing the tension between us to build again. Behind his sly grin sleeps a monster in waiting, and I don’t want to test the king’s promise to end my life. Assan’s and the mermaid’s other form was frightening enough. I can only wonder what the king looks like.

Despite his cruel words, I can tell he wants to protect his people. I simply nod my head, and he acknowledges me before releasing a breath.

“Making threats against humans is not a pastime I enjoy, especially to one my son seems to care for,” he pauses, closes his eyes, and then pinches the bridge of his nose. As he spins around, he says, “Sit now, Elena, for I will tell you about our enemy, the Belua.”

“I have wondered about the truth for so long now…” I think back to the events over the last few days: when I first met Assan, when I first met Terza, and when I saw Mika speaking to the Belua. When that thought strikes me, I question if I should ask Assan’s father about it. For now, it is best to hear him out first. As he suggests, I sit on the bed and wait for him to speak.

He glances over his shoulder, watching me on the bed. I probably seem like a curious child, waiting for a parent to tell me a tale.

“Then you will hear the truths that will impact your world and ours,” he says as he quickly strolls to the edge of the water.

As he lifts both hands into the air, water comes up again like reverse rain. Shapes form, but this time not a human or mermaid, but a Belua. I can tell by the webbed hands and feet, along with the hairs hanging from just the back top of its head.

“Assan told me he already spoke to you about our enemy, the Belua.”

“Yes, but he did not tell me much about them,” I pause, thinking back to my conversation with Assan, “He said...that the mers were at war with the Belua, and if they have their way, even humans will suffer.”

I lower my gaze to the ground, musing over the words I just spoke. If what Assan said was true, then why was Mika with a Belua? Maybe they captured her and forced her to work for them.

“My son didn’t lie to you about the Belua; they desire both the land and sea, but we do not know when they will strike at the human world.”

His words knock me from my thoughts. I flick my sight back to the shapes above the water. This time, he created a group of humans. They are walking about merrily, not paying attention to anything around them. Slowly, the Belua circles them at all sides and attacks. I gasp; the humans scream before bursting into droplets.

“What are the Belua, and where did they come from?” I leap from the bed, unable to hold back my questions any longer. I am fighting to protect Joe, but if the Belua come to Hlynn, giving myself to a nobleman will not help any of us.

Assan’s father whips around; his lips are pursed together. He furrows his brow, and his worried face doesn’t seem to be directed at me. He is staring in my direction, but it’s like he is looking past me, thinking about the thoughts swirling in his head.

“Over the centuries, the mers have tried to learn more about the Belua. We have searched for their locations over a dozen times but have found nothing. The mers that came before us believed the Belua came from the darkest depths of the ocean. Like all the creatures of the sea, they were born into existence, but they felt cursed.”

“Cursed,” I repeat to myself, trying to digest everything I am now learning.

“Unlike mers, the Belua can walk on land when they wish. But with their hideous forms, they were shunned by humans, called monsters, and were driven back to the sea. And to them, us mers are a reminder of what they are not - sea creatures that can blend in with humans. If the humans do not accept them, they will destroy humanity, and in the ocean, the mers reign over the waters, but the Belua want what they feel is theirs: the sea and land.”

My words catch in my throat. Assan kept all of this from me, but even still, I cannot forgive him or the mers for what they did. If this war has been raging for years, what has Assan’s father done to end it besides fighting and bloodshed? This is not my world, and perhaps, I should not question the king; however, if Joe will be affected by this, I must speak up.

“I know little of the undersea world, let alone noble affairs and war. However, I am curious. Isn’t there another way to end this? Surely you have tried talking-”

“The past kings tried that for ages; the witch refuses to compromise!”

“What witch?” I ask, perplexed.

The merking in front of me lets out a long sigh and shakes his head.

“The queen of the Belua cannot be reasoned with. We believe she uses her powers to hide from our sight, but of course, she sends her minions to attack and kill my mers.”

“If she can shield herself from the past merkings, then she must be powerful,” I say as I shift on my feet, wondering about the Belua’s queen. In these oceans, now I know of two queens, but what are their powers like?

“Elena,” Assan’s father calls to me, and our gazes meet. His mismatched eyes stare right into mine; his sharp expression sends a chill to run through me, but I will not turn from him, even if he does intimidate me.

“Say what you will.” The words leave my lips as I wait to hear the reason behind Assan's actions. My heart thumps in my chest, wondering what the King will say, but there's no turning back; I need to know the truth.