“Their story?”
“Uhm, about who they are, how long they’ve been together. That kind of thing.”
She gave me a strange look, one with far more understanding than she should have without an explanation.“Let me know when you would like to meet them. I will introduce you, and you can ask them yourself.”
She wouldn’t be Lelas if she would have filled me in herself. I was pretty sure when I got around to telling her that I’d decided the tribe was my home, that I intended to stay and I wanted to take a more active role in getting to know everyone, she would just smile and say,“Well, of course you do. I thought that was what you were thinking.”
Glancing over, I saw Syleen eyeing me. She’d heard every word I said. Probably everyone had. I’d forgotten about that. To my surprise, Syleen gave a small nod before looking away.
Twenty-Five
BRETT WRIGHT
Thetribe embarked once more at sunrise the next morning. Everyone had clutched on to rooted plants in order to sleep, exactly like how we’d done during the hunt. Only Wrell slept differently. As I watched, he slipped below the sand, once again completely covering himself except for his face. I wasn’t sure if this was part of the healing process or if this was how he always slept. By the time we’d gone to sleep during the hunt each night, it had been dark enough that I’d never been able to see anyone else. We were shallower now than we had been during the hunt, so it was never as dark. The moonlight didn’t completely illuminate the seafloor, but it provided enough light that I could make out sleeping forms of the mers around me. I could even see the color of Lelas’s hair shimmering as she slept a few feet away. I’d woken in time to see Wrell extricate himself, sand pouring over his muscles. It was worth waking up for. Got the blood flowing quicker than coffee, that was for sure.
We started off in much the same manner as we had yesterday, one big cluster, like a large school of fish. As the day went on, the mers gradually separated into smaller groups. It reminded me of trips we’d taken as a class in school. We always started out together, but by the end, everybody had formed their own smaller groups. It wasn’t a bad thing, just the nature of people. The nature of mers too, it seemed.
Lelas and I had been swimming together for a few hours, not saying much, merely enjoying each other’s company, when Syleen slowed in front of us. She let others pass until we came upon her, and then she swam along with us.
She looked at me, and I forced myself to smile. For a second, I thought she was going to smile back, but then she turned to Lelas.“Would it offend if I took some of Brett’s time for myself, Lelas?”
Lelas paused and glanced at me. It was hardly more than the briefest of moments, but enough that it was noticeable.“No, Syleen. That is fine, of course.”She looked around, trying to find someone who would help her make a graceful exit. Her eyes fell on Wrell.“I have not spoken to Wrell since we started this migration. I should check and make sure he is feeling all right with all the exertion.”
Syleen nodded.“Thank you, dear.”
Dear?Referring to me by name? I couldn’t imagine those being good signs.
We swam in silence for a while. Just enough time to make me more and more nervous.
Finally, she addressed me, keeping her eyes straight ahead.“I have been remiss in not thanking you sooner for allowing Moheetla to work through your hands.”
I looked at her, taken off guard both by her words and by the sincere kindness I heard in her tone.“Oh! You mean with Wrell?”
She turned and looked at me, probably trying to decide if I was being petulant or had mental capacity issues. With surprising grace, she let the moment pass without commentary.
“By the time we returned from the hunt, it seemed you had adjusted to the experience. Perhaps even found value in it as well.”
I nodded and tried to keep my words brief. Syleen’s nearly friendly demeanor was probably tenuous at best. I didn’t want to say the wrong thing.“Yes, by the end, I’d say you’re right. It really made me recognize how much I belong in the sea. How I feel at home here.”Damn it, a simple yes would have sufficed.
Her eyes narrowed, and I braced for a cutting retort, but none came.“I too feel Moheetla’s presence to the deepest level while hunting the White Spirit.”
I didn’t really remember saying all of that, but I let it go and nodded.
“Even so, you did seem quite intent on making your hunger pains known to the rest of the group.”
“I thought I was gonna die! I’ve never been so long without food. Especially with the exertion we put forth.”
“We all had the same hunger.”
“I’m sure we did. I guess I’m just not used to being hungry. Before being a part of the tribe, I ate constantly. Kinda spoiled, I guess. I think it might be the demon blood that requires so much food.”Way to go. What was she going to latch onto first? Alluding that I was part of the tribe, that I was spoiled, my demon blood?
“Perhaps.”She lifted her face and watched the sunlight ripple on the underside of the waves, never breaking her smooth flow as her onyx tail flicked lightly in the current.“In truth, I have been giving much thought to your demon blood.”
Here it comes, the it’s-not-us-it’s-you talk. Time to leave the tribe. Of course it would come less than a day after I’d begun to believe in home.
Continuing to swim, Syleen reached up and twisted her mass of black hair into a loose knot, forming a semblance of a ponytail. It made her look younger. It also had the strange effect of drawing attention to the plainness of her face, her lack of distinguishing features. She looked almost vulnerable.
“In considering your demonstrations of demon power, I have found myself wondering what other aspects to this fire you may possess.”
