Page 62 of Entangled

“I can’t wait to be an aunt,” added Melite, bouncing up and down on the bed excitedly.

“I could have a boy. And he might be human. Right?” Merrow asked her mother.

“Not all boys born to sea nymphs are human,” answered her mother. “You do have one undine brother, remember.”

“Yes, but you and Father were both undines at the time. That’s different.” Merrow got up and paced the floor, wringing her hands together. “I have to admit, I am having doubts about getting married to Sebastian, although I don’t want him know. That is why I wanted to talk with you three privately.”

“I figured as much. Come sit back down, Merrow.” Her mother patted the bed with her hand. Merrow sat down again, even though she would have rather continued to pace. “You haven’t known Sebastian long enough to really realize if you love him and want to be his wife. That is understandable.”

“Nay, that’s not why. I know I love him and that I want to marry him. It’s not him, Mother. It’s just…I mean…”

“We know what you mean,” said Galene, having read her mind. “The bigger part of it is that you don’t want to stop being a sea nymph.”

“That’s right,” she admitted. “Is that selfish of me? I just can’t help feeling this way. I am not sure I want to be human, after all. I love the sea, and swimming and life under the waves. I crave everything about it. I also love being with all my siblings.” She reached out and took her sisters’ hands in hers. “I also like having a tail at times and being able to swim really fast and not have to hold my breath under the water. I look forward to teaching my child, if she is an undine, all about life as a sea nymph. I want her to experience all the things that are special to me. But if I am a human, I’ll give up all those things. I won’t be able to be that big a part of my child’s life, and that makes me sad.”

“Well, how do you think Sebastian will feel?” asked Melite. “He’ll never be able to spend that kind of time with an undine child under the water, either.”

“I didn’t think of that,” Merrow answered. “I suppose he would feel a lot like me right now.”

“There is nothing you can do about it, Merrow.” Galene looked to her with sadness in her eyes. “You will marry Sebastian and when you do, you will become human.”

“It’s not that awful, I suppose,” her mother tried to console her. “Besides, you will gain a soul.”

“I’d give up having a soul all together if I could only marry Sebastian but stay an undine too.”

“That’s not possible,” said Galene.

“It’ll never happen, sister.” Melite had tears in her eyes. “Don’t worry.We will take care of your child for you and raise her as if she were our own.”

“Thank you,” said Merrow. “But I can’t allow you to take my child back through the portal once it’s born. Sebastian and I will want to raise our family here. On Mura.”

“It seems to me that you have a difficult choice to make, then,” said her mother.

“Mayhap I can birth my baby but never get married at all?” Even when Merrow said the words, they sounded stupid.

“Your father would never condone that,” said Dee. “Merrow, you’d better get married before we go back through the portal. I don’t want Nereus finding out about all this by reading my mind when we return.”

“Was Father the one to open the portal when you returned?” asked Merrow. “If so, he might already know.”

“Nay, it was Nerites,” said Melite. “He knows how to use the Calling Conch on his own now.”

“I still can’t believe that Sebastian was able to reach all of you using his just his mind.” Merrow felt proud of him that he should even want to try to help her in that manner.

“What did you say?” asked Galene in surprise.

“I’m proud of Sebastian for calling you with his mind,” Merrow answered.

Her sisters looked at each other oddly, and Merrow instantly had a queasy feeling in her stomach. “What is it?” she asked. “Tell me.”

“Sebastian isn’t the one who called us,” her mother answered for them.

“He’s not?” Merrow didn’t understand. “But that is what he told me.”

“He’s a human, sister,” Melite reminded her. “You know as well as us that he doesn’t have the power to call us with his mind. Especially from so far away.”

“I didn’t think so,” she answered, suddenly feeling so silly. “But he sounded so certain that he called you. I guess I wanted to believe him and that is why I didn’t question it.”

“Mayhap he thinks he called to us, but that is not who summoned us,” explained her mother.

“Then who did?” asked Merrow.

“It was that odd little man with the pointed ears,” said Galene.

“It was Elric. The sage,” her mother told her. “He has more than enough magic to accomplish such a feat. That is why so many of your sisters heard him and wanted to come here to help you.”

“Mayhap I’ll have to thank him personally.” Merrow felt bad for Sebastian and didn’t want to tell him that the elf had obviously tricked him somehow. Sebastian would be so upset to think others had made a fool out of him.

“If there is a way to marry Sebastian and stay an undine, Elric would be the only one to tell you how to do that,” said her mother.

“Do you think he’ll know?” Merrow’s hopes picked up. Mayhap she could end up having everything she wanted, after all.

“It’s worth a shot.” Her mother stood up and stretched. “Merrow, you’d better find him and ask him about it first thing in the morning. I get the feeling Sebastian isn’t that fond of Elric. If he knew what you were doing, he might try to stop you.”

“You’re right,” said Merrow. “I shall find and ask Elric about it first thing in the morning.” Merrow had a newfound confidence, thinking that Elric might have enough magic to help her with her request. Now, the only problem would be trying to convince him to do so.

“Sister, if he can’t help you, are you still going to marry Sebastian and become human?” asked Melite.

Merrow wished her sister hadn’t asked that question, because she really didn’t know how to answer that right now.