Page 10 of Storm and Sea

He flattened his fins, slowing his momentum. “You shouldn’t be swimming so fast,” Nyel called as she swam to meet him.

“I’m fine,” she said, but her gills worked hard, the delicate layers of tissue pulsing in and out as she panted. “I needed to talk to you before⁠—”

“I know I shouldn’t have,” Nyel interrupted, his tears mixing with the water around him as his voice broke. “I know, I know, I’m so sorry, I just⁠—”

“Nyel, stop. You did the right thing. What Bianca did in there, what she’s been doing since you turned eighteen, I should have stepped in sooner.”

“It’s not your problem.”

“You’re my nephew. You’re blood. And your mother…” She let out a weary breath. “She is a difficult person.”

They floated there, letting the words drift through the water. He knew she was about to tell him to come back and make things right.

And he’d do it.

“She isn’t going to let this go anytime soon. I think it’s best to let her cool down for a few days.”

Nyel recoiled. “Really?”

“Yes. I’ll talk to her and try to smooth things out with the Ernestis. She’s probably making a scene as we speak.”

Nyel imagined his mother’s reaction and shivered to think of it directed at him.

“Stay with a friend for a while. Come back when you feel ready.”

“I… I don’t have anywhere to stay,” Nyel confessed. The only person he knew well enough to ask such a favor was Chel, and he assumed that was off the table. Remembering the hurt look in her eyes made Nyel’s chest tighten. Chel didn’t deserve this.

Sonia tilted her head, considering him. “Then go to the surface for a while. Bianca won’t look for you there.”

“S-surface?” Nyel’s head shot up in surprise.

“The old human tower island—you know the one. The humans won’t bother you there; they abandoned it long ago.” Sonia didn’t miss his hesitation. “What? You’ve… tell me you’ve experienced Marvassa before, right? You’ve changed?”

Nyel swished his tail uncomfortably. “Only once, and it was by accident. I got caught up in a rogue wave, and it washed me ashore and…” He remembered the sensation. The tickling. The nakedness of having no scales. The impact of the sun on his skin.

“Then it shouldn’t be a problem. The first time is the hardest. I still think it was a mistake on your parents’ part to shelter you. By your age, you should have more experience surfacing. But that’s neither here nor there. The point is to stay in the tower house, and I’ll come to get you when things have settled.”

“No, Sonia, you can’t surface. Not in your state.”

She rubbed at the small bulge on her belly. “I’ll send word then. Staying here won’t help you or Bianca right now. Give it time.”

Nyel’s shoulders dropped in resignation. It was the best option. Undoubtedly, his mother would look for him when Sonia came to say he wasn’t coming back. But she wouldn’t dare surface. He never asked, but Nyel got the feeling that both his parents were scared of Marvassa.

“Hey.” Sonia touched his cheek with a gentle hand. “Everything will be okay. You did the right thing.”

Nyel nodded though he wasn’t so sure. She hugged him before turning and swimming slowly to their home. The adrenaline of his escape was finally fading away, and the shake in his shoulders trickled to the tip of his tail.

How could Mom do that to me?

He knew she wanted to see him Bonded. But didn’t that also mean he had to be happy? That it was still his choice? The dinners with potential mates had been pleasant at best and awkward at worst. Yet tonight felt different. It was like his mother had placed all her cuttlefish eggs in one basket—and that basket was named Chel.

“No” wasn’t an option.

Is it even my life anymore?

Nyel didn’t know. The lingering feeling of being a passenger on his own Spirits blessed journey was unnerving. Frustration built in his chest until the burn in his eyes became too much. He clenched his fists, teeth grinding as the ocean snatched the tears from his cheeks.

This is my life. Not hers.