Therin swam forward.“Brett, none of that lessens that I wanted a relationship with you or that you are a part of this tribe.”
“Doesn’t it?”I looked at Syleen.“If I refuse to go on this wild goose chase, what then?”
She remained stoic.“While I am unclear of the meaning of goose chase, I will assume you are inquiring what will happen if you decide not to help us save our race.”She didn’t wait for a response.“If that is your choice, then it is simply that: your choice. You will remain a part of the tribe, no less than you were before. That said, I cannot imagine being part of the tribe when such a choice would demonstrate that you care so little about it.”
“You really can’t see how I might feel a little used or manipulated in this situation?”
Her chin lifted ever so slightly.“Thissituationis bigger than you or me. Bigger than our tribe, as we believe it endangers mers as an entire species.”
I couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of my voice.“Avoiding the question? Convenient.”
No one responded, just stared at me—Syleen in defiance, Therin in a mix of guilt and nervousness, Wrell and Greylin with pure hope in their eyes. This was not about demon, mer, or human for them. This was about children of their tribes being stolen. Friends being taken. Friends’ lives being destroyed. For once, I was forced to agree with Syleen. This was bigger than me, than the five of us here. Bigger than my daddy issues, bigger than whether I truly belonged with the mers or not. If they were correct, I was the only one that could help end an atrocity that had been going on for over a century. It didn’t matter about my feelings or what had motivated Therin to find me in the first place. I had to go. Despite myself, I wanted to.
As they waited, I inspected the four mers.“So, why the secrecy? Why pull me out in the middle of the night, tell me not to tell anyone, and then ambush me like this?”
Therin looked at Syleen, as if waiting for permission.
“I’m going to do it, by the way. No matter what your answer is. I’ve already decided. I’m going to help.”I tried not to be offended by the surprise on Therin and Syleen’s faces. Clearly they’d either thought they’d ruined their chances of convincing me or had little faith I’d help to begin with.“You might as well just tell the truth. All of it.”
Syleen spoke up, her voice steely but less cold than it had been a moment before.“Not all are in agreement with our theory. Much less our plan on how to handle this threat.”
Therin cut in before I could question more.“We met here tonight so we could talk to you in private. Give you a chance to hear what is happening and decide on your own what you choose to do about it. If you choose to help, as you say you have, we must leave tonight.”
“Tonight?”
“Yes, tonight.”Syleen looked over her shoulder this time, as if expecting to be interrupted.“And soon, this has already taken too long.”
“Why? Are we in danger?”
She took a second before she replied.“No, I would not say we are in danger. The plan, however, might be if it is not enacted immediately. If we are discovered to be missing and have to return, it will be nearly impossible to get away without alerting the rest of the tribe.”
“Why can’t the rest of the tribe know what’s going on? Maybe they could join.”
Syleen shook her head.“That is the point, exactly. Those that would agree with us would demand to join, and with too many, this plan is doomed to failure.”
“Why?”
She gave an impatient shake of her head, as if saying these many questions were simply wasting time. She answered anyway.“The first thing that must happen is meeting with other tribes, learning what they know in order to discover what the best way to proceed might be. As I have told you already, if we see each other and do not go on our own way, it is a challenge to a fight. The only chance we will have in speaking with other tribes without inciting war will be to have few of us in number. In addition, Zef does not agree with our theory of the disappearances. He would not be in favor of such a quest. The last thing we need to do is incite conflict within the tribe.”
“Still, I don’t see why the secrecy. And Zef wouldn’t cause an issue—”
“Enough!”Syleen made a swiping motion with her arm, cutting me off.“There is no more time. If you must continue to ask questions, wait until the journey has begun. There will be enough time to have all your questions answered. Even the amount you tend to ask. Are you willing to go or not?”
I nearly said no, not until they explained things further. However, looking at Wrell and Greylin’s faces convinced me not to take the risk. If this could help change the fate of the tribe, of the entire mer species, then what other choice did I have? Besides, what was I worried about? Maybe Therin’s intentions hadn’t been completely benign like I’d thought when he found me, but still, I trusted him. I didn’t think he’d out and out lie to me, and for sure I didn’t think he would cause me any harm.“Yes. I’ll go, as I already said.”
Syleen gave me a stiff smile.“Very well. You, Therin, and Wrell will leave immediately.”
I looked over the four mers, trying to judge if she was serious.“What about you and Greylin?”
She shook her head.“Therin, Greylin, and Wrell are our best hunters. Even as competent as Rulus and Flain are, they cannot provide for the entire tribe. We need Greylin to stay with us. And if I leave, Zef will know immediately what is going on. I must stay to help postpone his realization of what has transpired. Even if I can stall for a day, that should provide enough time for you to make enough headway to discover what you need to know and devise a plan. Even Zef and all his years cannot track you through the open ocean so quickly.”
“I have to go back long enough to let Lelas know what is going on.”
“Absolutely not. There can be no others that know. Besides, we are already losing valuable time.”
I nearly agreed. I didn’t completely understand what the rush was and why they were so worried about Zef finding out, but their adrenaline was contagious, and I could feel myself already itching to go. Sonia flashed through my mind. I’d not gotten to tell her good-bye, and I wasn’t going to make that mistake again, even if there didn’t seem to be a danger of anything happening. Lelas was too important to leave without saying a word. Even as I thought it, a truth dawned on me. This whole time, I’d been seeing Lelas as Sonia’s replacement. Unintentionally, but still. She wasn’t a replacement for Sonia. No one would be able to replace Sonia. Likewise, no one would be able to replace Lelas. She was just as dear to me as Sonia had been, and all on her own merit, in no way tied to Sonia.“No. I’m not just leaving Lelas without any warning. She’ll be worried to death and feel like I abandoned her. I’m not doing that.”
Apparently, Syleen had been trying to hide her feelings that I was losing my mind earlier, because she stared at me in utter astonishment.
