He waited only a moment before biting into the corner of the croissant. It seemed to melt on his tongue, the fluffy bits soft and chewy while the dark bits tasted rich and sweet. Reed groaned at the deliciousness, so unlike anything he had ever had before. His eyes closed as he savored the second bite with all of his senses.
In all the seas, in all his moons, he had never come across something like this.Chocolate croissant, he repeated in hismind, trying to memorize the name of it for later. If he ever came back to land, he would have to get another one.
His parents would not believe him if he tried to describe this land delicacy to them. He had no words to explain it, even if he tried. Instead, he leaned against the wooden railing and devoured his treat with vigor. His eyes flickered in the sudden shade as someone walked past him, blocking out the streetlight across from him. But by the time his gaze snapped to the wooden walkway, there was no sign of the pretty young human woman.
Reed had never thought about how different food might be on land. It had seemed inconsequential in comparison to finding a way to save his family. Surely this town, full of magical creatures and beings like him, would have much to offer to the merfolk of Cascadia.
He licked the last bits of the warm, gooey dark spots from his fingertips and frowned. The delicious smell had distracted him from his mission, something he did not have time for. When Reed continued down the row of shops, he took care to study the kinds of wares each held.
Few things looked familiar to him. Items he had only seen in passing, on crashed human ships that had sunk into the depths. The shapes were vaguely familiar, but he did not know what most of them were used for. Then a jeweler caught his eye —pearls and seashells and gemstones displayed on beautiful blue velvet.
“Do you need more pearls?” Reed stepped up to the display, his heart beating fast.
“I’m always on the lookout for more treasures of the sea,” said the old man behind the table. “Have you got something of interest for me, lad?”
“I have these,” he hurried to pour the contents of his pouch onto the table, tucking the gold coins back inside while the man inspected the rest.
“These are quite lovely, boy. Where did you find them?” asked the old man.
Reed straightened to his full height, trying to appear confident. “I am a merman of the Cascadia pod. I have come to gather supplies. Tell me, are these worth much?”
“Indeed, they are,” replied the man with a bright smile. “Could you get me more like this? I would pay quite handsomely for them.”
“Handsomely?” repeated the merman, confused by the strange word.
“I will pay you a lot for each of these pink pearls. Fifty dollars each. If you could promise me twenty more just like these, I would consider hiring you as a diver,” the old man explained.
“Only the pearls?” Reed asked, trying to make sure he understood.
“For the dozen pink pearls here, I can do six hundred right now,” the man nodded. “These gems are fine, but the pearls are far more valuable.”
Though he was not sure how much money that truly meant or how much he would be able to purchase with it, Reed quickly agreed. “Yes. It is a deal.”
“And you’ll bring me more at next Friday’s market?” asked the old man, eyes shining with anticipation.
“I can do that,” the merman replied.
The shop owner hurried to tuck the pearls into a velvet pouch attached to a cord around his waist. Reed collected the remaining seashells and gems, putting them away in his own pouch. The man’s genuine smile and friendly wave were enough to reassure him it had been a fair trade. He took the paper money from the old man’s wrinkled hand and tucked it into his pouch with the rest of his treasures.
If the croissant treat had been only three dollars, then surely six hundred dollars was a lot—enough to secure the supplies andinformation Reed sought. Overfishing had diminished their access to fresh fish, throwing off the food chain in the nearby seas. Skittish fish hid from anything bigger than an otter, no longer an easy meal for hungry mer.
The smell of fish drew his attention to a stall two spaces down, where a fishmonger had an impressive spread of options available for purchase. His heart leaped. With this, Reed could feed his family for days. They would have questions, of course, but they would eat it nonetheless.
The merman bought half their supply, including shrimp and a variety of fishes they hadn’t seen in some time. Thrilled with the success of his mission, Reed nearly took off at a run toward the beach. Or, he would have, if he hadn’t run straight into someone.
He tumbled to the ground, bags of seafood secure in his grip as he windmilled in an attempt to slow his fall. A startled cry came from above. While he braced himself for impact and hit the wooden pier jarringly on his bottom, he squeezed his eyes shut.
When he opened them again, Reed found himself staring up into the blue-green eyes of the beautiful woman he could have sworn he’d seen earlier.Tempest. She held one hand to her chest, as if to calm a racing heart, as he stared up at her unabashedly.
He blinked slowly up at her, taking in the long, tan legs in a flowy white skirt and the tiny strip of cloth that covered the top half of her. Strings of seashells and pearls adorned her skin, hanging around her neck and dripping from her ears. Freckles dotted her skin, little brown beauty marks that he longed to trace.
Reed swallowed hard, clearing his throat.
“Apologies, miss,” he murmured, finally tearing his eyes from her.
She was even more stunning than he remembered. Up close, he could see the smooth skin and deep red of her lips. The strength in her shoulders, her arms, corded with muscles that rivaled any mermaid he had ever known.
He wondered how much time she spent swimming in the ocean to look like that. The noise and chaos of the market around him disappeared as he sank into those pretty eyes the color of the sea. Reed could only stare open-mouthed as she turned to look at him.
