When The Moons And Mirrors Rise

Chapter 15

"The first thing you need to know about the merfolk is to never ask their name because otherwise they'll see you as a threat for having asked their soul name. Ask how to call them, or how to ask of them, and they'll tell you their given name," said Sahe-kel, one of the crewmembers. Ris knew a bit about the merfolk but none of their culture and, when she asked if they'd need to learn the language, the captain said Sahe-kel was the best speaker on board. She certainly was very familiar with Saaen, fingers quick when she signed in any language.
"In Saaen, to ask someone's name, you say 'Uhlt dorth' liinar spaacnit fer zy'ao?'" Sahe-kel signed it as she spoke, and Ris and Lulu tried to sign it back. Lulu had been quiet lately, something she sometimes did, but she enjoyed signing so there hadn't been a lack of words from her.

"Merfolk live in pods, each with a king and queen. Every year, the pods meet at the TenthTide Shores so the High Counsel can meet. This year, there's a Great Tide, so there will be celebrations and festivities. The sand-singers will also be there -- most of them usually are, though, but especially because of the Great Tide."
"The merfolk and sand-singers are enemies, aren't they?" Ris asked.
"Yes, relationships between them are uneasy and tense at best. It's been a few years since the last big battle I think though, so hopefully nothing comes up."

Sahe-kel explained that the seafolk often fought over territory, rights to the TenthTide Shores, whether or not they should settle their differences and live in peace, and such similar things. Most of the territory disputes were easily settled, since they'd decided long ago which regions belonged to which people, so the intruders would get punished because they should have known better. Some regions are unclaimed through, so clashes over them are harder to deal with. The clashes aren't too bad these days,but there had been some big wars. It's been said the great rage of the merfolk and sand-singers combined is enough to bring a fierce storm upon the oceans. Although a semblance of peace didn't sound encouraging, it was far better than all-out war.

"What do you think the seafolk will think of us?" Ris said.
"We're friends with them. They might think you're strange for coming to them for help with your quest," she answered.
"Why do you need their help?" asked Leyin, coming over.
"Almost all of them are telepathic, and we'll need really strong telepathics to help the Enchanted talk to their wyvern-star and have their fates restored."

"You care," said Leyin, and Ris nodded. "So few people truly care about us. 'You're wonderful and powerful for saving the wyvern-stars, we respect you. But such a pity you lost literally everything when they left!' They ignore us." Her fingers became sharp with sarcastic exaggeration, angry with the truth of how little she had. "I've lived for two hundred and sixty-four years. Yet I have been abandoned, forsaken, forgotten; no-one stays by me, I am worthless. The friendship I had with Ëtacihruðuhl is not worth this." Her face dulled, agony and sorrow clouding eyes hidden behind her hair.
"Leyin, we are your friends. You're not worthless, and you're not alone," Sahe-kel reminded her, and she sighed.
"I want to help you, Ris. I'll come with you." Leyin looked at Ris with a faint smile. She grinned, a brief sense of calmness and completion overwhelming her for a heartbeat. She had all those who could help her, now.

Ris went to get Kestrel and Ink. Leyin told Ink she was joining us, and he hopped closer to her with one eye fixed on her with an amazed curiosity. Lulu glanced at Kestrel, and the Fay turned to face RIs and me. Our friends, our fellow questers, our teammates. The words in Ris' soul sang, and she breathed calmly and deeply as she and the others faced the waters.

Ink sat on Leyin's shoulder while she and Ris helped in the galley. Kestrel helped the sailors with the sails, and Lulu was napping since she'd done something to her anke -- again -- and Captain Nebula was giving it a chance to rest. Lulu had insisted it was fine, But Nebula was the captain and gave her an order.

"Was so long ago crow talked to you. After ship went, Ink alone. Ink chattered, spoke to self, wished had gone with. Had no group, just wander. Why all of us not good yesterdays or yesteryears? For Ink it's fine, crow used to it, but people need people. Bird found food, slept, chattered. Do you miss Ëtacihruðuhl?" Leyin nodded, and Ink jabbered on. "Ink wish could befriend wyvern-stars, know one or few, they different and peculiar."
"Maybe you can, once the quest is completed," Leyin replied before going back to chopping vegetables. Ris scraped out a bowl with a spatula.
"What is that? Spatula, think is called. 'Spatula' sounds like 'spectacular'. Spah-tyoo-lah, spehk-tahk-yoo-lar."

We'd passed the very tip of the TenthTide Shores, a long, thin shoal with nothing growing on it, surrounded by the seafoam-and-sky-blue ocean. White waves danced gently up and down the sands. We hadn't come close enough, but Nebula let us look through her telescope. Ink opted not to fly out to it, instead peering through the telescope and cawing 'aha!' every time he got the chance. We saw some seafolk during the day, small groups of either merfolk or sand-singers -- always apart, never mingling. Nebula said there'd be more the closer we got to Carnar, their city.

Nebula brought a wooden case from her cabin after dinner was tidied away. She took out a fiddle and began playing a lively song on the deck, dancing, her cherry-red hair getting tossed about in the salty breeze, risibility shiny on her face. Leyin tapped Ris' shoulder and told her it was a sand-singer tune, usually sung not played. Ris signed back that Nebula was amazing at playing. She played it once, then once again with Sahe-kel and the others singing it as well.

The music pulled Ris' mind away from her world of quests to one of indigo light and silver specks glowing softly in the deep. She closed her eyes and felt the Vagabond rocking gently in the swells, felt the night air on her face, the touch of the ocean on her skin, the pound of waves falling into foamy sand. She heard whispers, the song of the moons. She saw silver, indigo, soft pink, black, pearl, azure, sapphire, amethust. Violet, teal, periwinkle. All of it flashed between focus, dancing between reality and imagination like a dream, as Ris' heart copied the rhythm of the song, and when it ended the world seemed wrong for beong how she had always known it. Sometimes things are like that; they pull you so dar from what is and everthuing feels deeply strange when you return or realise you're not where you thought you were. SOmetimes you even realise you're not who you thought you were.

It was a really nice night, too, so we slept on the deck. Pear curld ip on Ris' stomach, and she ran her fingers along the kits scales as she stared out into the sky. The song remained as a whisper in her mind ans she fell asleep. I watched the sky turn west, watched Argenti set and Lumen rise, watched Stella return with the morning. Ris woke and watched the last stars fade with the night with me, and we made breakfast.