A Thousand Salt Kisses Later (Book 2 of Salt Kiss series)

An Ember

Tairise and Spirit instantly swept Aisling up into their arms and carried him over to the big mossy throne where Tairise had sat earlier that day. The old shaman was out of breath and very weak. His limbs floated around him and Spirit and Tairise had to support him in his seat.

I wondered why he was here, all alone like this. An elderly mer like Aisling would surely be very vulnerable traveling across the barren seascapes in the dark with no protection.

Tairise brought him over some food, and he accepted it with a limp trembling hand. He lay back in the chair and closed his eyes, whilst we watched on anxiously.

Tairise turned to his guests and apologetically asked them if they wouldn't mind moving into another room; "A most cherished, but unexpected guest needs my attention," he told them. They gave a collective nod and exited in a solemn school.

Just a handful of us remained, including Spirit, Bright, Nephys and myself. I loitered about in the foliage, feeling as useless as ever, while the others continued to nurse Aisling.

After about ten minutes, Aisling opened his eyes and sighed wearily. He began to speak in Mermese, but then his eyes fell on me, and he held up a hand and smiled apologetically.

"They told me to leave The Jewel this morning," said Aisling switching to English for my benefit. "They came to me and said I was a charlatan, that I had made up my communications with the spirits."

"Your communications concerning the girl?" asked Tairise, his huge arms crossed over his chest.

I rolled my eyes. Back to 'girl' again, am I?

"Yes," replied Aisling angrily. "News had apparently traveled across the kingdom of this love spell... I know not who leaked it..."

"I knew within hours of your communications," said Bright. "It was all anyone was talking about."

"And the news traveled to me across the kingdoms, well before you did," said Tairise.

"It was only Llyr, Coral, and Ri who were present," said Nephys. "And Crystal and I weren't even allowed to leave my chambers."

"It was not Llyr," said Aisling. "And it most certainly was not Ri."

A giggle escaped my lips at the thought of it being Ri.

Everybody turned.

"Sorry," I said looking down. "I agree; it definitely wasn't Ri. So I guess that only really leaves Coral."

"Hmm," said Tairise. "Interesting, but impossible."

"Ri is temperamental, but I have never seen him so enraged," said Aisling, shaking his head. "The thought that this marriage could be jeopardized was clearly driving him out of his mind. He screamed at me that I had lied about the love spell to hurt Princess Kara, to create cracks in their union. That I was nothing but a fake!"

Tairise broke into a laugh of disbelief. "You have been his trusted most faithful Shaman for centuries!" he cried. "Has he gone completely insane?"

"No," said Aisling. There was an urgency in his voice; he was nothing like the calm, serene shaman I had met the day before. "But you are right in that they are not themselves."

"Well, clearly!" cried Tairise, his nostrils flaring. "They have spurned their brothers and their sisters-" he continued, gesticulating furiously towards Spirit and Nephys.

"As I was about to leave, I saw it in Ri's eyes. Just an ember, at first, a small orange glow," Aisling cut in. "Then it grew bigger. Do you see? His eyes became filled with flames."

My horrible dream of the fire across the water by the lighthouse quickly came to mind. I felt a shudder.

"How do you mean?" said Tairise. He looked bewildered.

"I mean... these people from the Black Seas, they are in possession of magic," said Aisling, with an intense seriousness. "I now have no doubt about it."

A brief silence fell over us.

"I knew it!" Nephys exploded. "What did I tell you, Father?"

"Hmm," said Tairise, clutching his beard, his brown eyes were now wide with concern.

"Llyr and Ri, they have been meddled with by a dark force," said Aisling.

The room fell into a further silence as we processed this. I suppose I should have felt fear, disbelief, but right then, all I felt wash over me was a relief. If this was true, could it be that Llyr is still his sweet self, underneath such magic?

"It's a clever spell," said Aisling. "They mainly appear exactly as themselves, but just as though they have switched loyalties. By being subtle, no one would suspect it a spell at all, including me for all this time."

"Who'd have thought black magic would come to the kingdoms?" breathed Tairise.

"Er, I did," said Nephys huffily.

"My princess, you are clearly more versed in magic than us," said Aisling, "we should have listened. But anyway, back to this spell... like I said, this spell is clever, and it is clever for a reason."

"Why's that?" I asked quietly.

"My dear, it has to be clever because is not very strong," he replied. "I believe it can be reversed if we find the right people to help us."

***

Aisling had been shown to his chambers by Tairise and it was just Nephys, Bright, Spirit and I left sitting around the table at the abandoned dinner party.

I felt like I was in a trance, staring down at the table, trying to process everything we had just learned.

Do Ri and Llyr actually want this marriage to go ahead, or is the spell the only reason for their actions? I thought about Kara and how beautiful she was. Maybe Llyr would still want her regardless. Why is the spell even necessary?

Knowing Ri and his thirst for putting politics above all else, he may be content with the union to happen with or without a spell. The Timsahs were, supposedly a very powerful kingdom and would make irresistible allies.

But then, could it be that they were so evil, so spiritually ugly underneath the dazzling exterior, that the only way they could wriggle into the peaceful heart of The Jeweled Kingdom was by sinister trickery? I thought about Llyr, and what a beautiful person he had been. I could never have imagined the mer I'd known and loved would be impressed by a family who paraded around with ugly monsters and slaughtered for sand.

"Coo-eee! Crystal!" sang Nephys.

"Sorry," I said, coming to. "I was just a bit lost in thought."

I noticed Spirit watched me quietly. I wondered what he was thinking. Is my new-found hope written all over my face? Does he care?

"Well, it is quite a revelation," agreed Nephys. "I mean, I have to say although I believed the Timsahs to be in possession of such powers I didn't think Ri and Llyr to be effected. It is clever indeed. But, now we know what the problem is, we may be able to fix it!"

"How will we do that?" I asked. "Who are these "right people" Aisling spoke of?"

"Oh," said Nephys. "Well, I imagine we will need some people who are skilled in such things."

"You will need to go into the Ocean Forests," said Spirit.

"What do you mean, "you" will need to go?" cried Nephys. "Are you saying you will not be coming with us, Spirit?"

I watched as Spirit swam away from the table and towards the door. "Magic is not of my interest," he said slowly, before leaving us.