Hurricane - Book 2

Chapter 14

"Mama, please eat," Eshe begged as she coaxed a strip of meat to her mother's mouth. She was only eleven years old, her small hands trembling. The food fell from her mother's mouth and onto the bed.

"You have to eat. You have to fight this." She begged. Their mother was a warrior. One of the most revered warriors in their tribe. She was always so strong...yet now she lie broken. Eshe's lip quivered.

"Eshe?" A small high pitched voice called into the room.

"Don't come any closer, Alberto!" Eshe said, throwing her arms out to stop him. "You could get sick."

"But I want to see mama...." His voice was so small and delicate. His purple scales stood out in the blue water.

He got that color from their father. A Sireno - NOT a Rusal. Eshe had screamed out in anger when she realized she was only half Rusalki. Her other half was of a tribe far away. A weak people that didn't even hunt but chose to farm and gather. But luckily, she inherited the blue scales and the large stature of her mother, so by appearance alone, nobody would ever know she was a half-breed. But Alberto...

There was no hiding the flush of lapis in his scales, the way they caught the light in the water. He was the spitting image of their father. But Eshe was determined to NEVER let him turn out that way. Even though Alberto was only four years old and Eshe eleven, she trained with him. She wrestled with him in the seagrass, teaching him how to fight. How to be fierce.

But despite his training, he had a naturally soft heart. When their mother became sick, he cried for hours, wishing to see her. And despite Eshe reminding him every day, he still asked to visit. So there he was again, peeking his head inside their mother's sick room, asking to see her.

"I want to see mama!" His voice cried out, tears building in his eyes. He swam closer.

"Alberto, don't!" A pair of large purple hands grabbed him before he could enter the room.

Their father, Ciro, floated in the entryway, pulling Alberto into his arms. Alberto began crying louder than ever.

"You were supposed to be watching him!" Eshe yelled at their father. He had only recently come back after disappearing for nearly six months. His only excuse for leaving was that he "needed some alone time," leaving Oksana to shoulder the responsibilities of a warrior, hunter, and mother by herself. The only reason he was back now was when their mother had sent a messenger to find him and beg him to return. She knew she wouldn't be able to care for her children much longer.

"Yeah, well, I got distracted," Ciro said in a much too casual tone. He hadn't shown a shred of remorse when he arrived home—shown no inclination that he cared. He wasn't even sad when Oksana became too ill to even stand.

"Go find us food if you're going to be worthless." Eshe spat at him.

"Isn't that food you're holding?" He said, pointing at the small bowl of swordfish meat.

"This is for mom!"

"Fine." He said, then turned to the wailing Alberto in his arms. "Hey, big guy, want to go help me catch some sea slugs?"

Alberto wiped his eyes, then giving one last sad look at Eshe, he nodded his little head.

"Great! It'll be fun." Ciro said, bouncing Alberto on his hip. Alberto looked a little happier as they disappeared from the house.

Eshe sighed.

She would have killed for a tuna—even a mackerel at this point. But Ciro was no hunter. He could barely catch a clam.