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  “And who do we ‘ave here?” A strangled accented voice asked.

  It sounded as though he was speaking through a tunnel. I looked up to see a man made completely out of water standing before us. Well, standing wasn’t exactly accurate. More like floating on the water’s surface, yet he never broke contact with the pond.

  “Aye…cat got yer tongue, young maidens?”

  The accent sounded Scottish and it was somewhat difficult to understand. He laughed and twirled around the pond, reminding me of those captive dolphin shows humans get such a kick out of. Although he never added color to his appearance like the naiad had done, I recognized the outline of a hat and jacket on the body of this water sprite. At least I had decided that he must be a water sprite.

  “There ye go lassie. I am, indeed, a water sprite.”

  And one that could apparently hear my thoughts too. In an instant, his face appeared abruptly next to mine and I felt the cool moisture of his aquatic body dripping in front of me.

  “Abhainn is ma name ‘n I am here to serve ye.”

  I couldn’t help but hear the underlying anger in his words and it instantly put me on alert. “It’s nice to meet you Abhainn. I am Eviana and this is Carissa and Kain,” I said pointing my thumb toward the silent merfolk beside me. Apparently they hadn’t ever seen a water sprite before. “Why would you be taking care of us?” I asked, trying not to sound too ignorant or rude.

  Abhainn tilted his head to the side like a vulture and continued to stare at me, probably probing my head to see if I was being sincere with my line of questioning. “Why, that is the way things are, my maiden.” When I looked at him in confusion, he straightened up, crossed his arms over his chest and continued. “My master keeps me here to invite in the welcomed guests ‘n chase those away who mean harm.”

  He stunned us all into silence with that explanation. “Do you mean to say you’re trapped here? In this fountain?” Carissa asked with such sincerity in her tone that I turned to look at her in astonishment.

  “Aye,” Abhainn replied curtly and nodded toward the house. “He captured me years ago ‘n now I live here,” he spread his arms out wide as a wicked grin appeared on his liquid face, “in this beautiful concrete prison.” Abhainn laughed again, this time sending chills down my spine.

  Turning to face Kain on my right, I whispered, “What has Jeremiah done?”

  “I don’t know,” he murmured back. “Let’s go find out.”

  We turned to walk to the front door, all the while hearing Abhainn swirl around his small watery home in what must have been frustration and resentment. I’d never heard any stories about water sprites being captured before but then I didn’t even know that they still existed. Yet here it was, in less than a month, I’d met two. One who was petrified of me and one who’d been trapped by a merman. I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen next, but I had a feeling that we were going to leave here with a different view of our kind.

  A human servant met us at the door and without saying a word, ushered us inside. The house looked immaculate with high open ceilings and dark hardwood floors. It smelled of vanilla and something else that I couldn’t quite place. We didn’t have a chance to notice much more of the architecture since the human man moved through the house without slowing down.

  We walked to the back of the living space where the hallway opened up at the end of our path. Sure enough, the thick humid air hit us like a wall the moment we stepped through the arched entryway into an atrium of sorts. In front of us was a large, rectangular indoor swimming pool complete with rock boulders, waterfalls, and colorful lighting. Around the perimeter sat at least a dozen people with another ten or more standing at attention in various parts of the room.

  It took me a moment to realize that something was off with this picture. Every person seemed to be in some kind of trance, or at least that would be the best way to describe it. They made little movement when we arrived making me even more leery of the merman that we were here to meet. An exotic music mix of drumming and chanting filled the background and the pool lights changed colors in sync with the beat of the song.

  Our human escort walked to the far end of the pool and bent down next to the edge like he was searching for something in the water. The three of us stood absolutely still at the entrance not knowing what to expect next.

  A rustling in the corner closest to us briefly drew my eyes to the side. There, a man around thirty years old, sat on a small wooden stool and stared intently at me. His short black hair was cropped close to his head like a soldier and his dark body glistened with moisture that clung to him like a second skin. Something about him immediately felt familiar and when I caught his scent, my heart nearly stopped beating. It took an immense amount of control not to alert my companions that I’d just recognized another selkie.

  Considering we’d been attacked only a few nights ago, my first reaction to seeing him in a merman’s home was one of fear. Was he being controlled too? Was he one of the seals that had attacked us? An almost unnoticeable smile threatened to escape his lips, but it wasn’t malevolent or threatening. He simply seemed to be greeting me without attracting any unwanted attention.

  “Well, well. My long lost cousin returns at last.”

  I thought it was a disembodied voice until I stepped to the side of Kain to see the merman swimming in the pool. Jeremiah Williams had to be at least fifty years old by now, but he didn’t look a day over twenty. His long blond hair hung freely around his face, clinging to his wet neck and carelessly flowing around his shoulders in the water. The strong jaw line and chiseled muscles made him way more beautiful than any man should ever be. It was easy to see why he’d succeeded in Hollywood, and it was equally easy to see that he made no attempt to appease anyone but himself.

  “Kain, you’ve let me down.” Jeremiah swam over to the edge of the pool and crossed his perfectly toned arms on the edge while shaking his head in disgust. “Look at you! You have the face of an ancient.”

  “Some of us can’t be a playboy all the time. I have many responsibilities now,” Kain replied through gritted teeth.

  Jeremiah just waved his hand at him. “Nonsense. You have people helping you. Just tell them to take better care of you. We aren’t going to stay young forever.” His smile freaked me out and I wanted to make a comment about his age, but when I made a small move to step forward, Kain discretely shook his head.

  “You have no idea what I face now, Jeremiah,” Kain said slowly.

  “No?”

  The merman kicked his tail and pulled himself up on the edge of the pool. Immediately, three female servants ran to his side. One had a towel that she used to gently blot the water droplets off his muscular chest and stomach. The other carried an ornate glass pitcher and she quickly began dipping it in the pool and pouring the contents over the iridescent tail of the merman. Keeping that area wet would allow him to maintain his half human, half fish form for a little longer. The last servant passed a gold goblet to Jeremiah and he took a long sip of its contents before continuing. It was clear that he was putting on a show, and I didn’t think it was only for our benefit. Jeremiah liked to perform.

  “Well, do enlighten me cousin. What’s going on that I don’t know about?”

  Kain sucked in a breath and the next four words he spoke not only changed the entire atmosphere but also promised to have a profound impact on our lives.

  “We are at war.”

  “What?” Carissa, Jeremiah, and I asked in unison.

  It was hard to comprehend exactly what Kain meant, especially considering that what he was saying sounded completely outrageous. There hadn’t been a war amongst the merfolk in over a thousand years, and even then, that uprising had been squashed relatively quickly and quietly. I couldn’t remember what it had been about exactly, but whatever it was, the Council had resolved the matter.

  Ignoring Carissa and I, Kain took a step closer to his distant relative and addressed him directly. “The Sutherland clan has
declared war on those who will not side with their views to follow The Legacy.”

  Jeremiah relaxed his shoulders slightly and shrugged. “Oh, they’ve been threatening to do that for years. I’m sure this is just another political ploy and scare tactic.” The gorgeous merman touched each of the girls one at a time on the shoulder and they promptly returned to their positions along the wall. He really didn’t seem too concerned with Kain’s declaration.

  “They’ve already attacked us both here and at home.”

  My head whipped over to look at Kain as I stepped up beside him. “They’ve been to our home? What happened? Why didn’t you tell me?” I was frantic and paranoid that something terrible had happened to our families since I’d been gone.

  “It’s not your home anymore, Eviana,” Kain snapped at me.

  It felt like a slap in the face made worse because there was an audience watching our every move. I knew that I left my home behind but it didn’t mean that I’d stopped caring for everyone there. If something bad had happened, I needed to know.

  “Ah,” cooed Jeremiah. “So you’re the runaway bride.”

  He looked me up and down, assessing every part of my body which was easy to do since I jumped to attention when he recognized me. In the distant corner, I heard the selkie shift on his chair again as though this news was important to him too. Jeremiah slowly shook his head from side to side and made a sucking sound with his mouth.

  “You shouldn’t have let her get away from you, Kain. She would have been perfect.”

  I expected Kain to set him straight, and when he didn’t, I nearly jumped in to explain that it wasn’t Kain’s fault. However, he spoke up before I had a chance.

  “Jeremiah, they’ve killed two leaders and are using selkies to do their dirty work. Eviana was attacked just up the coast the other night by three of them. Do you know anything about this?” His brutal tone made it clear this wasn’t a question; this was an accusation.

  “Don’t you dare!” Jeremiah’s tail transformed back into legs and he pushed himself up so that he stood eye to eye with his clan leader. “Are you questioning my loyalty, Kain?”

  “Do I have a reason to?”

  Jeremiah threw his head back and laughed. “Of course you do! Our family shunned me from their world because I refused to stop using my gifts. In fact, following The Legacy wouldn’t be such a bad idea.” He ran his hands through his hair and smiled. “We are a superior race and we’d have continued to rule had the Council not decided to ban the practice of Legacy. Look around this room! Humans and shifters and water sprites are at our mercy. We can control them, so why should we not?”

  Kain quickly grabbed Jeremiah by the shoulders and pulled him close enough for a kiss. Through clenched teeth and a shaky voice, Kain ask him the most important question yet. “Are you involved with this, Jeremiah?”

  The room fell silent with not even a breath being shared amongst each other. We all knew that Jeremiah’s answer could change the course of action for the rest of the meeting and right now, Kain seemed determined to do whatever he could to protect his people. Seemingly unaffected by Kain’s outburst, Jeremiah looked at his cousin’s hands on his arms and then arched an eyebrow in his direction. Kain interpreted the meaning and stepped away slightly.

  “No. I am not involved in this war.”

  Jeremiah held out his arms to the side and another female servant rushed over to wrap a sarong around his waist. The dark red material contrasted greatly with the nude color wraps everyone else in the room wore. Looking around for the first time, I really noticed that all of Jeremiah’s guests or servants were wearing what looked like ancient Greek clothing. The women wore dresses that seemed to wrap around only the modest parts of their body, exposing the skin on their stomach, arms, and legs. The men had on togas, again draped distinctly to show copious amounts of bare skin without compromising their dignity. Jeremiah had created his own little empire here.

  “Please, come with me,” he continued and waved us over to the corner of the swimming pool area where a simple wooden table and chairs hid. Jeremiah took the end seat at the head of the table, while the three of us gathered along the side. Once again, the awaiting servants hurried to our sides carrying trays of fruit and drinks for all of us. He never said a word to them, and that continued to bother me as I tried to figure out how it was possible. “Cousin, tell me what you know.”

  “We think the Sutherland clan has formed a sort of coalition with a few other families both here and in Europe. They want to step out of the shadows and claim their birthright as the ruler of humans and they’re willing to take their war public. The Council has been working diligently for the past few months to negotiate terms with the clans and to keep the casualties out of the media spotlight.”

  I just sat and stared at my childhood friend. I had no idea this was going on around me and although I was angry at myself for being so ignorant, I was also angry at Kain and my mother for not enlightening me. Perhaps if I would’ve known the gravity of the situation, I would’ve made a different choice for my future. Perhaps.

  “You said that two leaders have been killed. Who were they?” Jeremiah asked.

  “One was from a Washington clan, Master Harrison. And the other…”

  “Was my uncle,” Carissa interrupted. “Ren Kiyomizu. He was killed in his mountain home in the Catskills two weeks ago. It’s been ruled a natural death, but there were signs water sprites had been involved.”

  Jeremiah’s eyebrows arched higher than I would have thought possible. “Water sprites, huh?” He rubbed his chin in a way that made me think he once maintained a beard. “You’re Carissa Nakamo?”

  She nodded her head and smiled slightly.

  “I have seen your work. Very impressive. We should talk more about your future.” Kain cleared his throat to remind Jeremiah that there were more pressing issues right now. “Yes cousin, later. I know.” He turned to look directly at me. “Tell me about the attack.”

  Considering I hadn’t spoken more than a few words since we arrived, I looked at Kain to see what he thought. He gave me a small and almost invisible head bob encouraging me to tell my story. So I spent the next few minutes enlightening Jeremiah and the servants all about the attack on Brendan and me and how that led up to our visit today.

  “They stole his skin?” a deep voice from the far side of the room questioned. As one, we turned to see the mysterious speaker and I was surprised to find that the selkie from the corner stool had started moving closer toward us.

  “Malcolm…” Jeremiah warned and the man stopped dead in his tracks.

  Kain looked at the merman, “Who is he?”

  “He’s a selkie,” I replied, never letting my eyes fall from the shifter. I felt Kain and Carissa’s stare boring into my skin, but I could discuss that with them another time. “Why would they take Brendan’s skin?” I continued.

  Malcolm shook his head and let his gaze drop to the floor. “I-I don’t know. If the mermaid clans are controlling selkies, I’d think they would have captured your friend to use him in their army instead. But taking the skin only means they ensure he’ll have a slow and painful death.” He shuddered with those words. “It’s just cruel.”

  “Unless they’re using it as bait to bring you to them,” Jeremiah added.

  “What would they possibly want with me? I have no power and no authority over anyone.”

  Jeremiah’s eyebrows lifted again with my comment but he quickly continued with his thought. “But you are the key to the Matthew and Dumahl clans. If they can’t get their hands on Kain or your mother, you’d be the next best thing.”

  “But I’ve been shunned! Our clans couldn’t care less if something happened to me.”

  “Well, obviously that isn’t true, Eviana,” he said while acknowledging Kain and Carissa’s presence.

  Was he right? Even though I’d received nothing but a cold shoulder from Kain, he was jeopardizing a lot to come here and help me. Carissa may have had a more pe
rsonal reason, but she was still risking banishment as well.

  “Malcolm, come!” Jeremiah demanded, pulling me from my thoughts.

  As though he lost all ability to think for himself, Malcolm walked closer to the table and knelt down next to Jeremiah’s legs. The merman began stroking Malcolm’s short hair like one would pet a dog. “Tell me selkie, have you felt their call?”

  “Yes,” he replied robotically.

  “When?”

  “Almost every night, master. It is not strong enough to obey, but it is strong.”

  “Why is he calling you master?” I asked, standing now to get a better view of this display. I was also quite uncomfortable and didn’t care that Kain was commanding me with his eyes to sit down and shut up.

  “Because he’s mine,” Jeremiah replied as though the answer was obvious. “They all are.” He looked around the room and I followed his head as each and every servant stared back. “Do you not control your selkie?”

  “No!” I gasped. “Why would I do that?”

  “Why not?” he asked in return.

  “Because it’s wrong! Besides, I can’t do that. I’m not a leader.”

  Jeremiah’s wicked laugh echoed through the atrium. “A leader? You don’t have to be a leader to control those that belong to us. Who told you such fairy tales?”

  I didn’t answer. Brendan had told me about the stories of merfolk controlling his kind. He was also the one who said that I couldn’t do that to him now.

  Malcolm sat still next to Jeremiah looking up at the merman like a begging dog. It broke my heart to see this happening in front of me. I would never do that to Brendan; it just wasn’t fair.

  “Are you controlling the humans too?” I asked in a whisper.

  “Of course,” he scoffed like it was the most idiotic question ever asked. “Humans are the easiest. We’ve been in control of their minds for thousands of years. Don’t you recall your ancient Greek history? Poseidon and Amphitrite? They were some of the first merfolk to interact with the humans and shape their culture. ‘Gods of the Sea’ they used to call us. Humans sacrificed each other and their beloved belongings to beg for calm seas and victories in battle. They are so susceptible to superstitions and legends.” He laughed and shook his head again. “It’s actually quite sad to see how weak minded they are. It really would be a better world if we were allowed to practice The Legacy,” he said in a wistful tone.