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A burning beam had fallen and singed my tail. I cried out, but then gritted my teeth against the pain. At the sound of my cry, the prince stirred. His eyes did not open, but he murmured something.
Relief filled me so quickly that it was dizzying. He’s still alive. I must help him! I must save him.
Determination joined the relief I felt and filled me with gritty purpose. I had to do this, for if he died, I would return to the devoid, endless days I’d lived before. And that wasn’t truly living at all. I would risk anything, everything, to avoid that.
So I put my arm around him, and pulled. And at that moment, I discovered something: either humans didn’t weigh very much, or mermaids were very strong. It was a challenge to pull him through the floor to the lip of the boat, but mostly because of the choking smoke and my desire to avoid more burning embers.
Once we were on the side, I lowered him down. When his legs were in the water, still clutching his arms, I flung both of us backward and into the sparkling sea. Then, with his body resting atop my own, I swam for all I was worth.
It was not long before I reached the shore and was able to pull him onto dry land. I hovered over him, uncertain what to do next. His eyes were still closed, and his hair was slicked back. Had I drowned him? Biting down on my bottom lip, I waited, my eyes alert to any change.
And then I began to sing. I didn’t know why I hadn’t thought of it earlier. It was our summoning song; the one Nurse had taught each of us when we were small. Some of my sisters had learned it before they could speak, and everyone said I sang it best of all. If any of them were near enough to hear, they would come and they would help.
I did not care about being caught, or the fact that our contact with humans was frowned upon. Nothing mattered but his being okay.
My lips parted, I tipped my head back and let my voice rise to the sky to serenade the clouds.
And before I was finished, he began to cough. Acting on sudden instinct, I leaned forward and put my lips to his. I slid my tongue inside the warm cave of his cool, delicious mouth, and began to kiss him. As I did, I could feel the water that had been in his lungs come to the surface of his mouth.
I released his lips and he began to cough up the water.
Then, slowly, his eyes began to open. Those beautiful, dark eyes, hazy and unfocused, but still looking at me.
“Hello.”
His wonderful, proud brow furrowed. “Who… who are you?”
But before I could answer, I heard my name. My head whipped around and I saw my sister, Tatianna, waving in the distance.
“Ari! Ari, what are you doing? You have to come home—now! When Father hears this?—”
I blocked out the rest of her scolding voice and turned back to the prince, but he had sunk back into sleep with his eyes closed. But this time, I knew he would be okay. His chest was moving, and something told me this was as it should be.
And then there was a sharp, barking sound filling the air, and the sound of human voices.
“Ari!” my sister called out again.
I leaned down and allowed my lips the brief pleasure of again tasting his mouth before I turned and dove into the water.
My smile was practically larger than my face and allowed me to ignore Tatianna as she scolded. I heard a few things she said, of course. ‘Humans’ repeated over and over and ‘forbidden’ and most of all ‘Father’. But Tatianna would not tattle on me, and we both knew it. So I swam toward home and did my best to pretend I was alone. I wanted to stay in my memories for as long as was possible.
I had touched him! Even the memory was thrilling. I had kissed him!
“Oh, Ari!” Tatianna exclaimed, stopping so suddenly I nearly collided with her. “Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?”
“Hmm?” I was in such a daze of bliss, I’d quite forgotten my pain. “Oh, that? It is nothing.”
She gave me a disapproving look and continued on with her lecture while I started the memory of the prince’s and my brief time together all over from the beginning.
He actually spoke to me! He wanted to know who I was!
“Ari? Ari, are you listening to me?”
“Of course, Tat,” I murmured.
“You are not!” she contradicted. “You must see reason! You must listen to good sense!”
But whatever “reason” or “good sense” she offered, I didn’t hear it, so I didn’t think to concern myself with it, either.
