SAGE

I padded back to my place in the yurt we shared, sat in the dark room, and covered my legs with a cloth. I looked over at Bear’s bed, he had the blanket pulled over his face. He must be sleeping. I laid down and rolled over, letting out a breath. Looking at the dried animal skin wall of our yurt, I closed my eyes and let thoughts overtake my mind. What had really happened out there? He had never lied to me before, but the story he was telling just seemed too unlikely. He was such a kind-hearted person, he would give almost anyone the benefit of the doubt--it was his downfall--but to trust a Mermaid? Had she put him under some kind of spell?

After hours of the thoughts not sending me to sleep, I kicked the blanket off my legs and walked outside. I unsettled the loose stones that caressed the ground at my feet. An unusual colour splayed across them. I took a closer look. Blood… blood mixed with dirt, as if signs of struggle had occurred. My heart began to race. I walked to the yurt as fast as my legs would carry me, without running, and pulled back Bear’s covers. The bed was empty. I ran back to the water, rushing into its stillness. “What have you done with him?!” My screams echoed in the quiet. “Take me instead, you monster!” My chest heaved as quiet sobs escaped my lips, their accompanying tears staining my cheeks. 

After moments of heartbreak and anger, I stood up straight, pulled myself together, and wiped the wet intruders from my cheeks. This has got to stop. Whatever this monster has done with him, I will find it and destroy it. I will take back what is mine. My Bear. 

I ran into the village, shouting for anyone who would listen, “One of our own has been taken by a Mermaid!” People began to gather, emerging from their yurts and longhouses. “Bear was taken by the light of the moon. He was taken by one of our enemies. The Merfolk were warned to stay away, and they have respected that for some time. But tonight…” I paused, holding back my fury. “Tonight, one of those Merfolk have gone rogue and broke the treaty.” I paused just long enough to let the words settle. People murmured and gasped, my fury rising in my belly. “And tonight, we go after them. Gather your things.”

“You are not going, young lady.” Bear’s father made his way into the crowd.

“You can’t stop me. I will not sit here idly and wait for his return. You can, but I will not,” I insisted, my voice as sharp as daggers, cracked, breaking. 

“It is not safe for you. For a girl,” he continued, but I ignored him.

“Who’s with me?” I shouted. People from the village looked at one another before many stepped toward me, offering themselves.

When all tools and weapons were gathered and everything was in order, we piled into boats, as many men as would fit, and journeyed across the sea, keeping an eye out for any appearing Mer. I travelled in a smaller boat along with ten men. Women weren't allowed to come on the journey, apart from me. If they had tried to physically stop me, I would have gone regardless. Luckily for them, they didn’t. They must have cared for Bear more than I had originally thought. I touched my saddlebag, which was filled with scrolls that Bear had given to me. I brought them with me for reference, hoping that something in that bag would lead me to him.

As the last of my fellow venturers fell asleep--each one of them sprawled at some part of the ship's floor--I peered into my bag. Time for research.

Countless hours and scrolls later, I had come to a conclusion. If history proved anything, it was that the only way to heal a dark Mermaid bite was to seek help from a faerie. Though I doubted any Mer would have Bear’s best interest in heart, and he was probably deep in the ocean by now. However, if he did somehow escape and have the knowledge I had now, maybe, just maybe, he was on his way to seek help from a faerie.

I went through the options in my head. I held a finger up to signify the first option. If she had his best interest in mind--which he seemed to believe--then she took him to the Mermaid kingdom to seek some type of cure… or, the more likely option, to drown him. Who knew what went through the mind of these otherworldly creatures? I had read a lot about the Mermaid kingdom, which was laced in jewels, shining lights of blue and green, immaculate chambers filled with treasures, and haunted by sharks and other predatory species. 

I held a second finger up for the unlikely option. Bear made his way to a faerie, which would only be found in the Isle of faeries, who were known for their healing abilities. The Isle also contained a rare flower, the dewdrop, which would heal any illness if the ill were to drink water from its petals. 

I took to my scrolls for more information. Running my finger over a map that detailed the layout of the magical place and made the connection. 

Okay, so you would go west through the sea, land about here, I pointed to a patch of land that had the name half worn away from the page. I couldn’t quite work out what it was, Sugar something… I took an educated guess, Sugarland. Who knew if that was right? I trailed my finger through the large territory. You’d end up somewhere here. I sucked in a breath at the word ‘portal’ and above it were the words, ‘The Isle of faeries’. 

If he had made a venture that large, he was likely in a lot of danger. I doubted the Mer had any intentions of helping Bear, thus making that an unlikely route. The more likely option being that she took him to the Mer kingdom. Knowing what I had to do, I looked at my fellow Vikings before standing, pulling my bag filled with information over my neck, sitting it across my body, readying to make the dive. Someone stirred. I stilled, anxiously looking back at the sleeping arrangement of bodies. “The Isle... The Isle of faeries,” he mumbled in his slumber. I held my breath, wincing. My words had drifted into his dream state. I waited until he had stilled completely before I took the plunge into the deep. 

The water was freezing and deeper than I had thought. I was never taught to swim. If you fell off a boat, too bad, you were fish food. I felt something touch my foot. Angst shot up my body. I began to panic and flail about, reaching for the ship. This was a bad idea! I never should have dove into the deep. What was I thinking? It was known as the vanishing deep for a reason. I would most likely need my men for backup, anyway. Stupid, stupid. 

Scrambling for the edge, I made my way back on without waking anyone. I let a sharp sigh escape my lips as I leaned against the boat's edge, my wet hair draping over the tip. Sinking into the wood, I felt something tug at my hair. A little scream made its way out of my mouth as I sharply turned to see a pile of sandy brown hair. Gasping, I looked over the wooden canopy. Had someone fallen overboard? How had he survived? The more I took in his appearance, I realised he couldn’t have been much older than myself. 

“Are you okay?” I mouthed, as to not wake the others.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” The voice mesmerised my ears, like the most beautiful song I had even heard.

I felt my mood lull and my body relaxed under his spell. “Because you’re in the ocean without a boat…” My voice sounded foreign and docile to my ears.

He let out a bellowing laugh, which somehow came out like another unworldly symphony. “Don’t be silly. I am a Merman.”