The trio swam back to the Rigel’s manor, and surfaced under the docks once more. Cidaris arched his brows when Nucello pointed at a boat. Baetica leaned over and whispered, “Garrick was out this morning dropping off those scales and stones. That’s his boat, which means he’s back.”

Cidaris rolled his eyes. “Of course his boat means he’s back. I’m not a moron.”

Nucello blew out a raspberry as he tried not to laugh. “Could have fooled us,” he said as he hit Cidaris on the back of his head. “Maybe you just intended to lose the scales. Thought it might be nice to have a chat with Garrick.”

Baetica splashed them and ducked under water. Nucello and Cidaris followed. “Quiet you two, someone is coming.”

Slowly, so as not to splash the water around them, the three mermen resurfaced.

“Peter!” called out the same elderly female who heckled Raine the night before.

Cidaris lifted his body further out of the water, to see if he could spot Raine somewhere on the shore, but both Nucello and Baetica put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down. Glaring at them, he swatted their hands off and swam closer to the edge of the dock.

“Coming,” called out a young boy as he skipped over the rocks along the base of the wharf. Scrambling, he climbed up the steep slope and thumped onto the wooden planks in front of Raine’s nurse.

“Here. Take this. Take this. That’s a good boy. Now toss it over there, where no one will see it.” Cidaris glanced above him as the boy thumped to the end of the pier and launched something into the water.

Nucello snarled and swam after the glass bottle. Grabbing it, he tossed it back. The glass shattered on the rocks beside the docks. The nurse screamed and Peter tried to run before the nurse grabbed him and held him in front of her as some sort of shield or tribute, as Nucello pulled himself up out of the water and glared at them.

“And you said I’m stupid,” Cidaris hissed at Baetica as the two of them dashed to Nucello’s fin, to pull him back in.

“Keep your junk out of our waters, you old hag.”

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Cidaris pulled himself half way out of the water and tried to push Nucello back in.

“I… I’m sorry.” The old woman stammered. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “It’s just… my mistress had a message for one of… well one of you.” The woman wiped her cheeks as she hiccupped.

“Who’s the message for?” asked Cidaris as he sat on the pier and shoved Nucello backwards. The older merman let go and fell on top of Baetica with a giant splash.

“A young man, er… merman, by the name of Cidaris.”

“I am Cidaris.” He felt Baetica or Nucello swat his fin as he spoke. Glancing down, he saw the two older mermen glaring at him. Nucello in annoyance, and Baetica in disbelief.

“Oh, well then, in that case.” She pushed Peter towards the rocks where the remains of the jar littered the shore. “Get that and bring it to me.”

Peter glanced askance at the trio of merfolk at the end of the pier, and hesitated until the nurse swatted him. Shooting her an angry glare, he carefully hopped down to the shore and picked up the now damp paper before scrambling back up to the top of the wharf. The boy thrust the paper towards the nurse who took it and held it out with two fingers.

The nurse looked at Cidaris and sighed. “I don’t suppose you could come closer?”

Cidaris looked at the wooden planks he was resting his elbows on, as he tried to think of a polite way to say no.

“Do not go up there,” Baetica hissed. “We don’t know where Garrick is, and in spite of her message for you, it might be a trap from him.”

Cidaris glanced down at Baetica and Nucello and shook his head. “It’s not from him. Relax.”

Nucello threw his hands in the air. “I give up Baetica. I’m not trying to keep this kid alive any longer. We’ve been exposed for too long already.”

“Go,” Cidaris said. “I’ll follow you shortly. But Nucello is right, we’ll be harder to spot if it’s just me.”

Baetica shook his head, but disappeared beneath the surface. Nucello did the same and Cidaris watched the dark outlines of their bodies move towards deeper waters before turning his attention back to the nurse who was nervously shuffling forward. Every few feet she stood up straighter and strained her neck upwards as though she was trying to see the water beneath him and determine if any dangers lurked for her closer to the edge.

“They’re gone?” she asked timidly.

“They’re gone.”

“Good. Well, good.” She wiped her free hand on her dress and tottered closer still before thrusting the note towards Cidaris. “Here. You can read can’t you?” Her arm withdrew and she held the letter up to her face. “No, I suppose that’s too much to ask of someone like yourself.”

“Please tell me what the letter says? I assume it’s from Raine.” His whole face lit up as he breathed her name.

“Yes.” The woman’s gaze darted around the pier, and Cidaris got the idea that this whole situation of speaking with him about Raine was rather distasteful for her. “She wishes you to know that she has figured out a way for your plan to succeed. Someone who will marry the two of you, for what that’s worth.”

“Please tell her I will be there.”

“Be there as soon as the tide is high.”

“Tell her I love her,” said Cidaris as he dropped to the waters below.

“Yes, yes. I will. Come Peter, let’s be off.”