Nereids. Wonder and gratitude filled him. They were beautiful,fierce—magical creatures whose instinct was to help rather than hurt. They looked out for sailors in need of them. Sailorsandswimmers. They’d rescued him.
Salt stung his eyes and clung to his lashes. His shoulder dug into the beach, his head on the sand. He struggled to sit up, his lungs and body still starving for air. Hands shaking, he wiped sand from his mouth and jaw and croaked out the only question that mattered to him, “Bel?”
“Down shore from here,” one of the sea nymphs answered. “The ichthyocentaur dragged you out then north from where you started.”
Hard coughs racked him again. “But she’s out of the water? Bel?” His throat burned, his voice breaking. The liquid still in his chest rattled with every breath, taking up precious room from air.
“Out of the sea.” The same Nereid nodded. Diamond-bright sunlight glistened on the beads of water pearling on her dark-brown skin. “Safe.” Long, kelp-like hair flowed over her shoulders and down her body, covering her breasts and pooling in her lap. She wore the wide, reddish-tan ribbons like clothing.
“Safe for now,” the second Nereid who’d brought him ashore cautioned as she stood and looked out to sea, a frown pulling at her mouth. Mossy hair covered her to her knees. The thick, twisting locks were the bright green of sea algae and dotted with colorful coral and sea stars. “But the day’s already more than half done, and you’d best be back over the border before nightfall.”
Seawater, salt, and soreness grated in Carver’s throat. “Water? Do you have anything to drink?” he rasped, gingerly touching the front of his neck.
Both Nereids shook their heads. Seashells jangled, and a few periwinkles slipped out.
He consciously slowed his breathing, trying not to choke on every inhalation. Bellanca. Border before nightfall. He was alive—miraculously—so he could do this.
He stood, and his head spun. His limbs like lead, he took a step on the soft sand and swayed like he’d never swayed in his life, even at his drunkest.
“Easy, human.” The Nereids surrounded him. Each took an arm. “We’ll swim you there. It’ll be faster.”
He lifted his gaze to the sea and grimaced, not keen on getting back in the water.
The green-haired Nereid laughed, the sound like waves bubbling up a beach and then frothing back down again. “Don’t worry. The ichthyocentaur is long gone.”
“And knows better than to battle us again,” the other one added.
“Thank you for helping me,” Carver croaked as they propelled him toward the water. They splashed through the shallows, the Nereids half carrying him. A wave washed up his thighs, reminding him of his nakedness. He exhaled sharply as the water hit his lower abdomen. Then they were swimming.
The sea nymphs set off at a mind-boggling pace, keeping him afloat and cutting through the waves so quickly that the wind chilled his skin and goose bumps peppered his body.
“The gods never entirely forsook Atlantis. They’re ever watchful, and Poseidon posted us here to keep an eye on sailors in the great basin.”
Carver turned his head, meeting the kelp-haired Nereid’s deep-brown eyes as she swam like a lightning bolt through the water. “He still cares?”
“Of course. The islanders pray to him. He hears them, even if he keeps his distance.”
“Why do we never see you?” he asked, the long ribbons of her rosy-brown hair brushing him underwater.
“Never?” She laughed, the chiming so beautiful it hurt his already aching chest. “Where do you think ‘Be a Nereid’ comes from? Humans see and need us more than we’d like.”
“Of course,” he murmured, staring at the bright blue sky as the nymphs swept him back toward the cove by the owl cavern.Be a Nereid.It was how anyone in Atlantis started a sentence asking a woman for help. Dione did it. So did Theophania, Lilika, Spiro… Even Dex and Silas. Nereids, guardians of the sea. Guardians ofAtlantis. Gratitude swelled inside him. “You saved my life. Thank you.”
The dark-skinned nymph nodded as she tore through the sea. “The hot one didn’t need our help. We chose you instead.”
He smiled faintly. No, the “hot one” rarely needed help. He felt entirely redundant sometimes, but those days when he couldhelp Bel and they accomplished something together… Those were the only days he remembered in the end.
They finally rounded the owl cavern from the north, and he saw Bel sitting on the beach. His heart contracted painfully. She was dressed again, her head bowed against her updrawn knees and her loose hair falling around her. She hugged her legs, unmoving, her arms crossed around her shins. She sat there, curled inward, a small scrap of red on the beach, and for the first time, he thought Bel looked fragile, beaten… Like she couldn’t take on the worlds with bared teeth and blazing cheek.
His heart twisted. He never wanted to see her looking this way again, but part of him also found comfort in her distress. Maybe he wasn’t so redundant after all. Bel didn’t need saving, but maybe she needed him anyway.
The Nereids let him go just a few strokes from shore, and Carver weakly swam the rest of the way in. He turned to say goodbye, but they’d vanished, the sea empty and undisturbed. He turned back around, slowly moving up the sand. He wasn’t at all steady, but he made his way forward one step at a time. Bel didn’t look up. She hadn’t heard him. He swallowed hard.
“Bel!” A sudden cough tore at his throat.
Her head snapped up. Her lips parted, and she stared, her face the splotchy red-and-white of gut-wrenching sobs. “Carver?” Her voice hurt his heart, so scraping rough, so tear-broken and unsure. She stood, unsteady, her eyes shock-wide and huge.
He started to run to her and stumbled, half falling to the sand. He lurched up as she pitched forward and bolted down the beach. His heart beat violently, stealing what little breath he had. She rushed into his arms, and the impact of her body against his rammed him back a step. They both nearly fell. He somehow got his balance, and the first real strength he found was to grip her like he’d never let her go.
