Shallow Waters (Book 2 in the Mermaids of Damariscotta Trilogy)

Chapter 6 - The Under Realms

With a spurt of speed, my new tail pushed me several yards backwards with just one flick.  Isla laughed.

“You’re like a new born Mer.” She laughed again.

“Well, I’m not exactly used to this.”

“Shall I show you a few tricks?”

“Yes, please.”

“First the Dolphin Dive.”

“The what?”

“Watch and learn.” Isla laughed.

Isla dove underwater, her tail flicking madly, she arched her back shot right up, like a rocket out a bottle, out of the surface and high over me.  Her wet green tail glimmered in the sunlight as her body curved again ready for the dive.

Down, down, down she went until I could no longer see her.  I suddenly realised I was in the middle of Damariscotta River and ducked down below so no sailors or fishermen on passing boats would see me with a Mermaid’s tail in the water.

Isla appeared suddenly at my elbow, giggling to herself, as I squirmed in surprise.

“Can you talk underwater yet?” she asked.

“I haven’t tried.” I answered, it coming out a little gargled.

“You’ll get the hang of it.  Come on, I’ll show you my home.”

“How far out is it?”

“Pretty far, but, luckily, we’re fast so we’ll get there in no time.”

“Will we come here when it’s time for me to change back?”

“Of course.  You don’t think I’ll let you drown do you?”

“Just checking.”

Isla suddenly burst forth, a trail of bubbles appearing in her wake, shooting off into the distance with just a few flicks of her long green tail.  I followed suit, may be not as neatly, but I was just as quick as Isla.  She led me deeper underwater until the sunlight was blocked out by the mass of blue and green sea.

Soon enough we were out of the River, out passed Deer Island and into the main ocean.  The current here became harder to push past but Isla held tightly onto me so that I wouldn’t slip behind in the stream.

I wasn’t even paying attention to my surroundings; I was just too busy trying to keep up with my cousin that I didn’t have time to enjoy the surroundings.

“We’re almost there.” Isla said hushed, over her shoulder.

Still with a tight grip on my hand, she led me over a wreck of some long since sunk ship and dived again.  Gaining speed, I easily kept up with her now, now that we were no longer in the throng of the current.  Isla led me down into a sort of large oval cavern.

Little cave like dwellings came into view as we neared the ‘ground level’ as Isla called it.

“This is where most of my community lives.”

“Where do you live?” I asked.

“I live with the rest of the Royal Family.  Over there.” She pointed.

Although it still looked cave like, it was the largest one of them all.  Still not as large as the castles that I’d seen on land but it was a considerable size compared to the many small dwellings around about.

“They’re staring at me.” I said, noticing the faces poking out of their caves, watching our procession towards the castle-like cave.

“They’ve been expecting you even though they never really believed you’d change.”