Page 50 of Storm and Sea

Marina showed Nyel everything from the cafés to the general markets. Atreus noticed she only showed Nyel the stores still owned by islanders, deliberately skipping over the chain stores with their flashy neon lights.

“Oh, and this is the heart of Baia Vita. Isn’t she gorgeous?” Marina awed, stopping a few feet from the island’s famous marble fountain.

Nyel’s head tilted to the side, trying to make sense of the sculpture—the half-woman, half-fish creature that represented what humans believed to be a Mer. Nyel’s hand clapped over his mouth, stifling a laugh as Marina continued to admire the statue’s beauty.

Atreus caught his eye, understanding passing between them. All at once, Atreus couldn’t hold it in and burst into a fit of laughter. Nyel lost his composure with him, and they laughed until their stomachs hurt. Atreus had wanted to laugh with someone over the ludicrous fountain for years. Until now, he’d never had anyone to share it with.

A weight lifted in his chest, replaced with a feeling like birds taking to the sky.

“What’s so funny?” Marina asked, grinning despite not getting the joke.

“Nothing, nothing,” Atreus waved but couldn’t help catching Nyel’s gaze again. The gold flecks in his eyes shone like sea glass in the dimming orange glow of sunset.

An unfamiliar warmth spread through Atreus’s chest. It trickled from his heart and settled in his stomach. It took him a moment to make sense of it. But at last, as they recovered from their inside joke, he settled on what it must be. It was the quiet relief of being seen. For the first time in his life, there was someone like him.

Someone who understood.

Nyel smashed into his life like a crashing wave, unsettling everything Atreus had built and causing enough stress to streak his hair gray. But he’d also offered something Atreus never had before.

“Don’t get too attached.

He won’t be around long.”

The voice whispered from a forgotten corner. The sound of it wiped the smile off Atreus’s face almost instantly. He should have agreed with it. Every logical part of him screamed to get rid of Nyel as soon as possible. It was the safest thing to do. But for the first time, Atreus was tempted to keep him around.

“He’ll leave you.”

The disembodied sound reared its ugly head. The words slithered to the forefront of his mind, curling around his insecurities and squeezing tight.

“They always do.”

Shut up.

“When he finally sees you for the

freak you really are, he’ll walk away

without a second thought.”

It spoke with a cruel certainty, dredging up every memory of loss, every scar left by those who had walked away before. Atreus’s jaw clenched so hard his teeth hurt.

I know.

Nyel wished he had about eight more eyes. When he’d first arrived in Baia Vita during the storm, the downpour was so strong he could hardly see anything. Now, as he, Marina, and Atreus walked through the town square, Nyel didn’t blink for fear of missing something.

The buildings cascaded up the hillside, painted in a mosaic of bright colors—each one a vivid hue that contrasted yet harmonized with its neighbor. Warm oranges, soft yellows, and deep blues created a patchwork of vibrant life. Balconies lined with overflowing flower boxes overlooked the winding streets, while clotheslines crisscrossed between flat rooftops, fabrics fluttering in the breeze.

Never in Nyel’s life had he seen so many different things he couldn’t name. He yearned to learn about every single one. But nothing frustrated him more than seeing those familiar human symbols etched onto signs or planks of wood above shops. He knew humans were able to look at those symbols and ‘read’ them.

I want to read. I want to know what it’s saying.

The desire settled in his chest like a hermit crab in its shell. Taking residence with no intention of leaving.

Marina led them to the center of the square, where an ornate statue made of white rock stood high, surrounded by arcs of spouting water.

“This is my favorite part of the square. Isn’t she beautiful?” Marina cooed.

Nyel didn’t know what he was looking at. He cocked his head to the side, trying to get a read on it. Then the pieces fell into place.