The World Between

Chapter 9: Walter

The next morning after Maia and Zephi had done their training on the deck surrounding the tavern, the group went to the market to satisfy the curiosity of each of its members. Zephi picked up ingredients and undersea herbs that could only be found in the city, while Maia tried unsuccessfully not to gawk at the citizens.

When most people imagine merpeople, they think of beautiful mermaids with long locks of hair, sometimes luring sailors to their deaths, and while those types of merpeople do exist, they are only a minority. As they walked through the market, Maia realized that there are as many types and races of merpeople as there are humans, if not more because the Between is not limited to only humanity. There are very few pureblooded mermaids in Shiverdawn, instead it is the descendants of merpeople who interbred with humans and other similar species. The pureblooded merpeople preferred to remain their cities beneath the seas, unable to limit themselves to a lake, no matter how large. If unable to stay beneath the sea, their children would be raised by their air-breathing parent on land. As you can imagine, this can feel suffocating; either way, they are denying an aspect of their ancestry and of themselves. Perhaps you have a part of yourself you try to ignore because it seems easier not to acknowledge it, yet still it aches, and you think if only I had a place that I could be all of me–for the descendants of merpeople, Shiverdawn is that place.

No one knows how these children ended up coming to Shiverdawn initially, but like how most places are created, it was likely someone looking for a place that felt like home. Shiverdawn became sacred to many of the merpeople and led to the eventual development of a reverence for the island above. What was once a small village became a large city, as merpeople and their families immigrated to enjoy the air, land, and water as well as the unique kinship. They were soon followed by travelers wanting to trade or visit the unusual city, which only led to further expansion and further diversity in Shiverdawn's population.

At that moment, Maia and Zephi stood in front of a food stall selling fried and dried eel by a man who was gray and dappled like a tiger shark with slick black hair. He and Zephi haggled good-naturedly about the price of dried eel as Maia happily munched her unagi on a stick. Even as she ate, the smells wafting through the market enticed her for more. She was about to ask Zephi if they could visit a stall of sweets next when suddenly a commotion rose from further down the deck. Trelli shot forward with a bolt of curiosity, and Maia stood stunned for a moment before rushing after her. She suddenly felt like a parent considering using a leash for their rambunctious child, if only for their safety and her sanity.

When she caught up with the small Elixi hovering in the air, they stood amidst a curious crowd surrounding several guards, two of which were carrying a small man with pointed features and large eyes. He was spitting what Maia assumed were curses. She was correct, he knew some very colorful phrases in gnomish, all of which involved the guards' mothers.

"What's going on?" She asked no one in particular.

"The outsider was asking around about ancient texts about the floating island. Someone heard him try to bribe a bookseller for forbidden texts." Someone nearby whispered.

"This feels a little out of proportion to me."

They looked at her with horror, "Do you want to be crushed?"

"Seems a little dramatic." Maia muttered to herself, only to get dirty looks from people nearby.

"At least stop getting me dirty, you imbeciles!" The small man shouted as the guards dragged him. Suddenly, the guard backhanded him across the face. Without thinking, Maia pushed her way through the crowd.

"Hey, you dicks! Take your hands off him!" She yelled. The guards briefly dropped the man and Maia stepped in front of him, shielding him further harm. The guards looked at one another confused by the sudden interference. They were unused to anyone stopping them from going about what they considered regular business.

"Get out of the way. This man has broken our laws, and now must be punished as is only right," said one of the guards with small red scales like a rash across his cheeks.

"And who are you to decide that punishment? It is one thing to arrest a criminal and completely another to abuse your authority, though you seem to think they are one and the same." She spun to face the crowd, "And the rest of you are just as guilty allowing this to happen in front of you. Do you really think four guards are necessary to arrest one small man? A man whose only crime is seeking out information?" A few in the crowd had the grace to look disappointed in themselves, but most just seemed bewildered by her sudden appearance and speech. Maia crouched to the man on the ground and peered at the burning red mark emerging on his face.

"We should put some ice on that." She said gently brushing a finger over the mark. The man looked just as surprised as the audience that had gathered, his large gray eyes shining with angry tears.

"Arrest this outsider as well. We don't need anyone getting any ideas," said a guard gruffly. The red scaled man grabbed Maia up by the arm harshly.

"You're coming with us now, you sanctimonious bitch." He said with a cruel chuckle. As in her world many who sought positions of power only did so to allow them more opportunity to use it against others; in this case, the guard was one of those people. Maia broke from his grasp as Zephi had taught her, but was met with a punch to the face from the other guard. She hadn't come far enough in her training to take such a hit and keep standing, and so she crumpled unconscious to the ground.

~

Maia's face throbbed as she regained consciousness, her cheek pressed against a hard wooden floor. She sat up slowly, groaning in pain.

"Well, the idiot's awake," said a voice nearby. Maia assessed her surroundings and found she was in a small cell, iron bars on three sides with a wall behind her. In the adjacent cell sat the man she had tried to protect, and Trelli was nowhere to be seen. Her bag with Thatcher inside sat against a far wall next to a sleeping guard.

"Idiot?" She asked groggily."

"Yes, what were you thinking getting involved? You just got yourself arrested as well." The man said.

"What else was I supposed to do? Just let that guy beat the shit out of you?" She spat back.

"Well, yes. That's what everyone else was doing, and at least you wouldn't be in here too. Now I feel responsible for you."

"I'm so sorry for giving a fuck then. Next time, I'll just let them manhandle you." She said, as she tried to ascertain whether her nose was broken. She couldn't breathe through it very well, and dried blood came off on her fingers.

"Hmph." He hesitated before adding, "It needs to be reset."

"Huh?"

"Your nose. Come here." He gestured for her to come closer. Maia crawled over to his cell, and he reached his small arms through the bars and placed a thumb on each side of her nose.

"This is going to be painful. Prepare yourself." Without any further warning he cracked her nose over to one side, and Maia yelled from the pain, tears welling up in her eyes and streaming down her face. She had seen it done in movies, but she hadn't ever expected it to hurt quite so much, but then again, action stars didn't often cry or get knocked out in the first place.

As Maia rolled melodramatically around on the floor, he said, "Thank you. I did not expect anyone to come to my aid. I am sorry that it led to your imprisonment as well."

Maia wiped away her tears, "What are strangers for if not sticking their noses into other people's business after all?"

"You have a strange way of speaking, but yes. Though, it did end up with yours broken."

"Everyone needs to get their nose broken at least once standing up to the man." She said with a pained smile. "Anyways, what's your name? I feel like I should know since we are going to be cellmates."

The man stood up proudly, extending his arm through the bars for a handshake, "I am Walter."