Page 171 of Storm and Sea

“It’s a good plan. I just didn’t think we’d get this far.”

He smiled, and Nyel felt as though a cyclone of wind had stolen his breath. But far from being afraid of the storm, Nyel wanted to settle at its very core.

“You were right about this from the beginning. I should have listened,” Atreus said.

Nyel beamed and dove headfirst into his plan.

He explained how the Sireni were suffering from the polluted water. Explained that Sireni wanted the ships gone as much as the humans did. Nyel went into detail about how they could work together to accomplish this. With the Sireni working as shepherds to herd the fish away from the big ships and towards the bay, they could increase the local fisherman’s yields. And as the local fishing grew, the outsourced market would die off. Baia Vita would become less and less dependent on outside sources and return to its self-sufficient roots.

“This all sounds great. In theory,” the sheriff said after listening intently.

“What are your concerns, Sheriff? I think that Nyel has made an excellent case,” the mayor said, making Nyel’s chest bloom.

“This all hinges on the idea that the rest of your people will want to help us. From the sounds of it, your kind went into hiding to stay away. Not work alongside us.”

“I’ll convince them,” Nyel said with so much conviction he almost believed it himself. “For the first time in a long time, our goals are aligned. I’ll convince them this is the best way. My village, Corallina, is risking starvation or being forced into colder waters. This is a more appealing alternative.”

The Sheriff opened her mouth to argue, but Mayor Gianfranchi cut her off.

“Camilla,” he reached into a drawer, throwing a thick stack of papers onto the desk. They landed with a ‘thump.’

Nyel couldn’t make sense of them but recognized the swishing script that the humans used to sign their names at the bottom of each sheet. All of them began with a letter that resembled an upside-down triangle with a missing side.

“Vincenzo has us in the palm of his hand,” the mayor said gravely.

At this, the Sheriff’s shoulders sagged. “I understand.”

“By spring, there will be nothing left of us.”

“We have good people here, Mayor. I left mainland life to protect people like them. These Mer…” Her gaze landed on Nyel. “I don’t know you.”

“Camilla,” the mayor implored, “the mainland is already here. Vincenzo has his claws in all of us. By the end of winter, he’ll be buried so deep there won’t be any hope of eradicating him.”

“I want to protect this place,” Atreus spoke up for the first time. “I’ll fight for it alongside you.”

Giovanni cleared his throat from the back of the room, and all eyes turned to him.

“If I may interject, I can attest to my son’s dedication to this island. He has done nothing but uphold our values and maintain our traditions since I’ve known him as a boy.”

The emotion pouring from Atreus was palpable as he reached for the shark’s tooth at his chest but shyly dropped his hand when he caught Nyel watching.

“Furthermore,” Giovanni continued, “My family has lived on this land for generations. Never before have I witnessed such a swift decline in who we are. Every night, I pray for a miracle to save us.” He opened his hand, gesturing to the two Mer. “And if the resurrection of one of our oldest legends isn’t a miracle, I do not know what is.”

“Alvise is vile,” Marina said. “He won’t stop until all of us are under his thumb or driven off. It’s bad enough that he took the valley from us, but now he’s after everything else. The law doesn’t apply to him.”

At this, Sheriff Fanti’s jaw flexed, teeth grinding.

“Camilla, please,” the mayor pleaded, “this is our only chance.”

Nyel’s heart jumped like a frightened rabbit when the sheriff’s eyes landed on him.

“Get your people on board.”

“I will,” Nyel said, equal parts excited and terrified.

“Then let’s set up a meeting!” Mayor Gianfranchi declared before the sheriff could poke more holes in his delicate plan. “Would you be able to get a meeting with your leaders?”

“Uh, we don’t have a leader, but I’ll figure something out.”