Lewisil left his grotto and swam towards the shore to see if he could find the items he needed for the spell. As he got to the shallows he saw a small paddle boat swirling in circles above him. Shaking his head, he rose to the surface to see if he could guide the wayward vessel back to shore.
“Come on, come on, come on,” he heard the woman sob. After a moment, he recognized it as the voice of Raine’s nurse. “Please go the right way.”
He cleared his throat as she continued her circle. She screamed and the boat tipped perilously before he grabbed the side and righted it, with the nurse still in the boat. “I’m not going to hurt you, ma’am. Remember me? We met at the wedding.”
Her hand clutched her chest as her wide eyes took him in. Tears streaked her cheeks, as she gasped for breath. “I have a message for Cidaris from Raine,” she squeaked. “Where is he?”
Lewisil sighed. “He is back that way, drowning in his tears.”
The nurse wiped her eyes and nodded. “Raine too. She can barely speak for the tears. We’ve heard that he’s been banished, but Raine would like to see him before he leaves.”
Lewisil dipped his eyes and looked around for other merfolk. Seeing none, he looked up at the nurse. “I’ll tow you to where he is. Perhaps you can give him some hope.”
The nurse sniffled and wiped her nose with a napkin none-to-daintily, before she nodded her assent. Lewisil ducked under the boat and swam to the stern to push her towards the lagoon. As his body splashed in and out of the water, he watched as her tanned skin became whiter and whiter the further behind they left the shore. When they reached the coral reef, he pushed the boat up against the rocks and motioned for her to meet him on the other side of the thin island. Then he dove beneath the rocks and surfaced in front of her once more. This time, with a weeping Cidaris propped up in his arms.
“Oh,” she chittered when she saw him. “He’s just as bad as Raine.”
Cidaris perked up at the sound of the nurse’s voice and pushed himself out of Lewisil’s grasp. “Nurse!”
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“Yes it’s me.”
“Oh nurse, does she hate me? Does she think I’m nothing but a murderer?” He flinched and ducked beneath the waves before surfacing once more. “Is she okay? Does she regret marrying me because of this?”
“Poor girl is heartbroken. She weeps for Garrick. She weeps for you.” The nurse fanned herself with her damp handkerchief. “Oh she’s such a mess.”
“This is my fault,” snapped Cidaris. “I did this to her.” Frantically he searched the shoals for a thin piece of staghorn coral, before turning to the nurse and Lewisil. “I’m sorry, I can’t hurt her anymore.”
Lewisil reached over and grabbed Cidaris’ arm as he tried to stab himself.
“Don’t be so stupid, Cidaris,” cried Lewisil. “I really thought that you had better self-control than this. But first you killed Garrick. And now you want to kill yourself and finish off the heart of the woman who resides in you. How do you think Raine will feel when she hears that you are not only banished but now dead because you killed yourself?” He ripped the staghorn from Cidaris hand. Blood pooled before them as the rough coral sliced through the skin on the younger merman’s palm. “Garrick would have killed you. Garrick wanted to kill you. Garrick would still want to kill you if you hadn’t of killed him first. Not only that, given the new law that the prince has put in place, you should be dead because of that crime. But the prince decided to take into account the situation and decreed that you should only be banished instead. But instead of seeing that for the gift it is, you mope around like a blobfish on the bottom of the ocean.”
Cidaris pulled away from Lewisil and glared at him, but Lewisil waved him towards the grotto’s entrance.
“Go to your lady. Comfort her. Be with her. But leave before the tide traps you and sentences you to a death for tardiness. Once you’re gone we can wait for the right time to ask the prince for a pardon so we can reunite you with your bride.” He glanced towards the nurse who was timidly standing on the narrow shore holding up her skirts as the water kissed the edge of her little boat. “My lady, you might as well embark on your ship. Cidaris will pull you in to shore so you can warn his wife that he will meet her where he met her before.”
“Be quick though. It’s getting very late,” she said as she nodded and wobbled her way to the boat as Lewisil and Cidaris dove beneath the surface.
For the first time since he heard about Nucello’s death, a smile erupted on Cidaris’ face. “Thank you Lewisil. You’re right. This isn’t the end.”
Lewisil patted him on the shoulder and then waved him through the tunnel “Good night boy, and good luck. Once you leave head to Balaenoptera Bay. I will find you there when the time is right.”
Cidaris beamed as he darted out of the tunnel. “Thanks again Lewisil. I will miss you, but I can’t be sad about that right now, because Raine is waiting for me.”