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I break the surface of the water, emerging from the far side of the pier. My eight arms merge to create two legs upon which I trudge up the shoreline. My tentacles settle against my body, merging with my skin to create artful whorls that could be tattoos. A bluish glow emanates from my body, but that, too, will recede.
At least, that is my hope. The tidal magic granted to elite shengard guarantees a complete human transformation during a new moon. It’s just so rare for any of us to take advantage of it, since very few have a reason to be near the surface, let alone take part in land-based activities.
Especially after the traveling island of Mu vanished, and many potential mates were lost to the rift, there was no reason for my people, the Neres, to care about the surface.
I thank the stars that my mate’s explorer family were spared the fate of their people. Maru, my second in command, was not so lucky. His potential mate was on the island when it disappeared beyond the veil.
It’s why he is with me now. To ensure that my mate hasn’t met the same end.
Maru waits beneath the pier holding a black bundle. He has already taken on his human disguise. “Here. I have heard from agents that this is the best types of coverings for an occasion such as this.”
After a few tries, I finally clasp the tiny fastener and open the clothing bag. The garments inside were all black. “Are you sure about this?”
Maru waves his hand over his body in answer. He has already donned the garments. A simple black jacket with a white-collared undershirt. A pair of matching trousers. Exceptionally boring.
His waist-length black hair is tied at the nape of his neck, and slithers along his back like a living thing. “I have spied a few human minds, along with the intel from our scouts. This outfit passes for formal wear in this realm.”
I shrug and start with the shirt and jacket, checking the fit against Maru’s configuration. Gritting my teeth, I adjust the buttons on the shirt when they were misaligned. Maru helps with the ludicrous ribbon around my neck that he calls a bowtie.
He secures it, then steps back. “Now the pants.”
There were a few mistakes and a near tragedy with the zipper, but in the end, Maru deems me acceptable. Finally, he hands me a weapon to put inside my jacket pocket.
“That is not a weapon, sir. Well, I suppose anything can be,” he adds, correcting himself. “However, that is a phone, and its main purpose is for communication. Everyone seems to have one, though most use it to watch videos and post pictures.”
“Pictures? As in intel? Research?”
Maru shrugs. “Perhaps they are amassing a digital archive for future generations.”
A few dozen questions pop into my head, but I let them go. Now is not the time to indulge my technological curiosity.
The device is intuitive enough. It’s something the peoples of Mur would have dreamed up had they been allowed to exist.
The thought of Kaia’s people’s demise makes the anxiety well within me once more. “Let’s get on with it.”
Maru leads me to a long metal box on wheels. In my research, I know it is a conveyance, yet I don’t recall one looking so out of proportion. “What is this?”
“It is a car, and will be our transport.” As if in emphasis, he opens the door and waits for me to slip inside of it. He climbs in after me.
“I thought cars were supposed to be smaller?” This one is longer than the ones I remember seeing. It was also black. What is their obsession with this black color?
Maru shrugs. “This type is apparently, for it seems humans think the color goes well with everything.”
I clear my head from nonsense thoughts and shift my inner compass toward her.
Kaia.
The bond that ties us together has stretched so thin, to be barely a vibration. But I know she lives. It’s the same way as I would know that my arm had rotted and fallen off my body.
“I have recruited a driver to take us to the venue where your mate is likely to be.”
“Are you sure she is at this venue? She could be anywhere in this large terrain.”
“The magazine clipping that has been scavenged by our scouts shows various important current events. One of which is an auction that is hosted by Friends of the Ocean at the aquarium this evening.”
Maru hands over the glossy pamphlet. The auction itself doesn’t interest me. The feature article does.
In it is the image of a family standing in front of a too-familiar vessel. The Oceana. There are two versions of the image. It is labeled “Then and Now.”
