Toward home.
Nori and Olinne waited for me where the water turned warm.
Tired after hours of swimming, I halted where I was, gazing across the open ocean at them through the beaded strands of early light.
They were erect in the blue, two statues that didn’t meet the ground, oblivious to the shift and tug of the sea as it sent their hair furling in waves around their heads.
Slowly, Nori rose to the surface. Olinne followed.
No turning back now.
I swam to the sky, sucking warm air into my lungs and reveling in the pale sunshine that set the water glittering like diamonds.
“Hello, little creature,” Nori said. She moved in slowly, circling to my side. There was a time when it would’ve made me nervous. But I knew myself better now.
And I was not afraid.
Olinne surfaced, her white-blonde curls undulating behind her. “Not quite little anymore.”
Nori completed her circle, coming to Olinne’s side, her nose wrinkled in distaste. “You’ve given your blood away.”
“Not by choice,” I answered, watching them both with caution.
“There is always a choice, creature,” Olinne replied. I thought I caught a trace of sadness in her words.
I studied the silver-tailed Naiad. “You should’ve told me what I was.”
“We should have,” Olinne agreed softly. “Do not think we will not walk the eternity of Perpetuum without whispering our regret to Theia.”
“You came to do what we asked of you months ago,” Nori interrupted. “You’ve come to see our queen.”
The subtle accusation that, had I gone with them then, I would have learned I was a Naiad didn’t go amiss. But I raised my eyes to meet Nori’s. “Yes.”
Nori nodded once. “She is waiting.”
We dove together, silver, copper, and icy gold. Through the soothing embrace of Leihani water, more turquoise with every swish of our flukes. How had I never noticed how different the sea was here from everywhere else? The sunlight filtered down the surface, speckled and gleaming through the crystal blue, and though the ocean floor lay far below, I could see every inch.
Dolphinfish swam under us in ribbons of green. A coral reef passed below, embellished with a mosaic of anemones. Wave after wave of prismatic color flashed under my nose—and then, a prickle ran down my neck as I met the gaze of a Naiad I’d never seen.
The girl was perhaps the same age as Kye’s younger sister, Breer. Her hair was black and shining even underwater, her tail a gray that verged on blue. She stared open-mouthed at me for a moment, then dashed away, into the arms of an adult version of herself.
All at once, they seemed to be everywhere. Naiads. All female. All beautiful. They listed over the ocean floor, many of their arms and hands full of seaweed and ocean life, as if they’d been working only the moment before and froze at the sight of me.
I watched them as I trailed Nori and Olinne. More waited ahead. I’d never seen so many at once. The light hit their tails, the curves and angles of their fins ranging from silver to blue.
They laced their hands over their navels as we passed, closing their eyes and tilting their chins into their chests.
Nori turned, ensuring I’d stayed behind her. She pointed towards the thick of the reef. Then glided down into it. I followed, banking sideways to avoid the rough knots against my skin. The coral grew thick and wild. Fish evaded our approach, darting like autumn leaves under turbulent winds, too fast for me to see anything but flashes of color.
The Naiads descended into a tunnel of gnarled reef, arching and turning like the entrance of a seashell. Or perhaps a hive. A luminescent glow replaced the light of the sun as we cast ourselves inside. Blue and soft, illuminated from out of the corners of the coral itself. A splash ahead alerted me to the presence of air. I gazed up, watching Nori climb from the water, stepping out of view. Olinne did the same, transitioning her tail into long, creamy legs and lifting her body up.
Rising to the surface, I swept my hair from my face to look around. The blue glow floated everywhere. Nori and Olinne stood over an ivory floor, already dressed in a material much like black silk. Hard and smooth, the stone floor wrapped from the walls and into the ceiling, arching into floor once again on the other side. Unfamiliar plants lined every corner, spikey and green, though without soil, I didn’t understand how they could root and live.
The air in the colony reminded me of that in Nahli’s volcanic chamber. So thick with moisture I might have been walking through a warm cloud, though it didn’t obstruct my vision the way mist or fog would have.
Olinne reached for my hand, pulling me up as my feet braced the cool floor. Nori lifted a black shining swath over my head. Itspilled past my ankles in a rippling, sleeveless column of almost-sheer bliss. I gazed in wonder at it. At the thought of Nori and Olinne wearing dresses. The shapes of their bodies hinted as they moved, shadows and peaks tugging at the smooth fabric.
They led me through a winding passageway that gave me the impression I was walking along the curve of a cylinder, eerie without wind, the soft sounds of distant sea water pulsing against the stone. Or coral. I wasn’t entirely sure what it was. Naiad women dressed in the same black sheaths stopped as we neared, bowing their heads to Nori and Olinne as they walked by, hands connected at their navels, though I caught the curious gaze of more than one who opened their eyes before I’d completely passed.
