I was left to sit alone in a bare room with a single slim window and a pool of water. I regarded the pool for a few moments wondering if I should dirty it with the filth I was covered in; I settled with dipping my feet into the water. My legs quickly morphed into a tail and I sighed in relief. I giggled then splashed the water before scolding myself for being so childish when my life was close to ending. The door opened and the strange man entered the room alone holding his staff. His eyes narrowed at me as he closed the door behind him, then he smiled. His smile was like the chilliest day of winter when the cold hurt your lungs with each breath and ice collected on the tops of the sea.
“My, you are short for an adult, might I ask your name?”
Silence grew between us. For some reason a voice within me shouted that I should keep my name from him. Landwalkers feared giving up names thinking Waterfolk could curse them, nonsense, but there were stories of dark creatures that needed names to ensnare their victims.
I made designs in the puddle of water that had settled beside me. Suddenly the oily feel of dark power filled the room making me gag. I grabbed my throat feeling as if I was choking. Without thinking I dived into the water and the feeling diminished.
“Smart one aren’t you. The power of the Gentle God will not keep you safe in my presence. I have lived longer than humanity and witnessed its pathetic creation. How you ask? Simple; I helped create you.” I couldn’t tell if he was lying, but after feeling his power roll over me like an unstoppable wave I was willing to give him the benefit of my doubt. “I was given brief credit, but then I was forgotten by humanity. They gave praise and credit to the Gentle God while I was left to suffer in darkness so I gathered all my power and tried to wipe humanity off the face of this world.”
I held in a small gasp as I watched the man slowly change. His skin turned as black as the space between the stars while his eyes glowed like twin pale green moons. His ears elongated to points while his mouth grew wider. Hair grew quickly from his head until it brushed the floor like a blue metal water fall.
He grew taller until his head brushed the ceiling. Instinctively I shrank back.
“If you cooperate with me your suffering on this earth shall be brief.” He lunged for me and I dived beneath the water. The top of the water erupted and steam hissed in the air as the demon’s skin touched the water. He pulled back snarling and hissing while I huddled at the bottom of the pool. “Filthy cunt,” he howled. “You were not the first one I’ve brought here. I will take that divine power that clothes you.”
The door shook as someone banged against it. Within the blink of an eye the demon resumed his human form and opened the door slowly with one hand, his other clutched to his body. His skin looked boiled and blood dripped from several cuts. “I’m okay,” he said in a raspy voice. “She just caught me off guard.”
“Sir, do you want us to punish her?”
The demon shook his head. “Leave her for now, get her food, hopefully a full belly will make my work easier.”
“But Shepherd Stone!” The demon gave him one look and the guard was immediately groveling. Did he know a demon stood before him? Could he feel the oily power that rolled off him?
The guard kissed the demon’s sandaled feet then darted to his own feet and away from the room. I watched the demon smirk then close the door behind him leaving me locked alone in the cell.
I sank to the bottom of the pool feeling calmer now that I was surrounded by water. I thought of the phrase my grandmother once said to me; “When fools wish.”
I had wished to see what was beyond the Forbidden Line and now here I was trapped behind it. What other wishes would come true? I sang my mother’s song to calm myself as my body began to shiver. My wounds would take a few more days to heal.
There was a muffled thud then three fish hit the water. I stared at their blank black eyes for a moment then threw them out of the pool as a rank smell reached my nose. How dare they give me rotting fish. I was not some wild animal that would eat anything that was given me. Did they think we ate fish whole? I did not have the tools to prepare raw fish nor cook a whole fish.
I peeked over the edge of the pool; the door was already closed. Carefully I heaved myself over the lip of the pool then gathered the fish and placed them by the door. Over the next several days they continued to bring my rotting fish and I continued to leave them by the door. They brought several different kinds and I began to wonder if what they were bringing me wasn’t rotten, but different from the salt water fish that my village ate.
Slowly my strength drained away from me and I began to feel dizzy every time I left the water. The demon came to harass me every night, his power seeping into the walls until they grayed and the paint began to peel.
“Since you refuse to cooperate I will no longer have them flush your pool. If you don’t want that to happen just speak to me, tell me of your village and people, tell me your name,” he told me.
After two weeks I lay at the bottom of the pool, the water murky. I had begun to see shadows float beside me and whisper; soon I was learning the names of the Waterfolk who had been held in this room before me. They clung to me begging for stories from home while weeping; their voice sang with such sorrow that my sleep became interrupted. Soon the only sleep I could get was when my body forced me to sleep to conserve what little energy I had left.
I felt the water shift around me and opened my eyes. My vision was so blurry that I could barely see through the murk of my pool. I felt hands grab my arms and drag me above the water. I gasped as the cold air hit me then began to shiver. I was laid on the edge in the sliver of sunlight that managed to shine through the window of my cell. The tiles felt warm against my skin, but I couldn’t enjoy its warmth as my muscles seized painfully.
Someone brushed the hair back from my face and I looked at them through the corner of my eye. “Sol?” they whispered gently. I recognized this voice. I tried to speak his name but it came out as a croak.
“Rrra.”
“It’s ok; they brought me here because they hoped seeing a familiar face might get you to eat. I told them how you would cook for me and even stood up to your fiance’s guards on my behalf.”
I began to cry. My body hurt so much and the room stank. Was this how I was to die? Rather that I go down fighting then waste away in prison. I would kill that demon and avenge all the deaths of the Waterfolk he had tortured and killed. My anger seemed to renew my energy and I pushed myself shakily up to my elbows. “Sol, can you understand me?”
“Y-y-yes,” I stammered.
“Praise to the heavens. You know that you’re dying?”
“I-if…I…could smack…you…I…would.” Ryaa laughed surprising me. Was he genuinely worried or was this a trick? Could I still be in the pool dreaming? I pinched the skin of my hands. I was awake. “Why…are you here?” Ryaa slid a covered bowl toward me then removed the top. My stomach contracted and my mouth watered as I smelled untainted soup. I collapsed on my side with a groan. Ryaa gently cradled me in his lap.
“Here, let me feed you. If your condition is anything to go by you’re more stubborn than I am.” I managed to giggle as he placed a spoon against my lips. “Hey, you got to eat.” Reluctantly I let him feed me. His warmth and the warmth of the soup relaxed my body to the point where I fell asleep.
I woke with a start hitting my head on his chin. He cursed under his breath while I rolled out of his lap. “Give a man notice before you go leaping woman.”
“Oh, so I’m a woman now?” My shivering had stopped and new strength was flowing through me. I did not feel up to leaping, but a leisurely swim was tempting. I looked at the pool wishing that it was clean then sighed. I doubted the demon would allow it. “So, why are you here?” I asked again. Ryaa stood up rubbing the back of his neck then pointed to my chest.
“Your clothes are filthy, I have someone who can wash them, and you can borrow my cloak until I come back.”
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“Fine, no peeking,” I said bitterly. I would find out one way or another. I slipped into the water and quickly removed my robes only leaving my Grace on. As I climbed back out the sunlight hit the Grace causing an explosion of light that briefly blinded me. I heard Ryaa cry out in pain and heard him stumble back from me. The light faded and I gasped as I looked around the room. The floor was now covered in sand and my pool, now taking up half the room, was clean and sparkling. Flowers grew on the surface while little fish darted between their roots. The walls were clean of the tainted power and smelled like a flower unknown to me.
“How did…” Ryaa began. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
“It wasn’t me. Waterfolk don’t have magic, this is either a miracle or…” I didn’t want to say the last part aloud. The last thing I needed was to be associated with demon magic. Ryaa was now looking at me with new fear. I rolled my eyes, dropped the robes and dived back into the water; if he didn’t want to believe me it was his problem. My body changed quickly as I lay on my back staring at the nearly invisible patterns on the ceiling. I wondered if they had been there before or if they had appeared after that strange light.
The door burst open suddenly and three guards surged into the room swords drawn then stopped in their tracks looking bewildered. Several old men dressed in similar robes to what the demon wore stumbled in after them, their mouths open in awe.
“It’s a miracle!” The first one said.
“Don’t be tricked, it’s demon magic.”
“Demon magic cannot form the heavenly script so perfectly,” a third said as he followed the pattern on the ceiling with his outstretched fingers. “At best a demon can only do as good as a human.” The man turned to look at me. “Something is odd about that demon.”
“Young man how different was this demon while you were held captive?” the first old man asked. Ryaa rubbed his hands on his pants then shrugged.
“She treated me as a human, almost motherly. She said we were the same, that we are separating ourselves, not the water,” Ryaa said carefully watching for a reaction. The third man scoffed while his brethren looked thoughtful. I suspected that they were priests of the temple I was in. We only had one archpriest who served five different manors. Every few months he would come to our waters to offer his knowledge and perform rites.
I sank beneath the water until my eyes rested above the water. The men turned to regard me. My face heated up in embarrassment, but why was I embarrassed? I hadn’t done anything wrong; I was just as bewildered as they.
The first priest came to the edge of the pool and kneeled touching the water. His body immediately relaxed and he turned smiling to his brethren. “My pain is gone,” he said. He leaped up into the air laughing startling us all. “It’s gone, I’m healed!”
“Hold on Brother, how can you be healed this is a demon trick?” the cynical priest said folding his arms. “We need Shepherd Stone here.”
“I don’t like his teachings,” muttered the second priest shaking his head. “But he still ranks over us…” The two priests began to murmur among themselves as they left the room. The laughing one remained and turned his attention back to me.
“Don’t mind my brothers, they are very cautious and by the writ. They miss a lot of the beauty and truths of this world. I’m Brother Roberts; may I ask your name child?” I came up slowly, my eyes darting to Ryaa briefly. Should I answer him, what if he was the demon in disguise? “Don’t worry, I won’t curse your name, I don’t have that power.”
“Neither do I,” I said quickly. I felt like a shy child confronted with a stranger. I knew he was not a demon even though I caught the faint whiff of something spoiled; it was the same smell on the fish they had been trying to feed me. Was it possible that he was the source? “Have you been trying to poison me?” He looked taken aback for a moment then chuckled.
“No, we do not poison people here, not even demons, why don’t you come up here and sit with me.”
My eyes narrowed as I tried to tell if he was lying to me. “Someone tried to poison me; it was all over the fish. All of you call us demons not realizing that…” I hesitated. If they knew that a demon was among them it would put them in great danger. They wouldn’t believe me and the demon might restrict all contact that I had. I sank to the bottom of my pool and found that it too had changed. The tile had been replaced by silt and more plant life. I plucked a strand of kelp and ran it through my fingers. Was the Gentle God blessing me?
I heard a splash and felt the water shift around me. I turned around to find Ryaa in the pool above me, his shadow blocking out the light. I tensed immediately wondering what he was doing when he grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the surface. He wiped the water from his eyes with his free hand then grinned widely at me. “Why are you acting so strange? Don’t you hate Waterfolk?” I asked.
“Listen,” he said leading me up the miniature beach till I was clear of the water. My tail separated into legs and the spots of my camouflage faded away. “I know you can’t hurt me, honor and all that right? Well I’m returning the favor.” He leaned in close and whispered in my ear making it tingle. “Besides how can I hurt the woman who likes me?” I felt my face heat and pushed away from him.
“You’re absolutely mad! I love Lord Cadfael, I mean Vael, you, you tail-headed tuna!”
Ryaa leaned conspiratorially close to Brother Roberts.
“See, I told you I could get her to react, but don’t let her sing, her voice would frighten children,” Ryaa said winking.
“Drag me in a whirlpool,” I muttered under my breath. Did all Landwalkers act like this? I knew my voice was horrible above water, but underwater when I sang as Waterfolk I had been known to calm and soothe others with my voice. My mother used to say that I was made to live in water. I remembered how my voice sounded when I had screamed the night I had freed Ryaa. I had never known my voice could contain such power. Did the warriors know about the defensive potential of our voices? If I ever returned home I would ask the elders for information.
I stumbled over to the window and rested my arms on the sill. One story below I could see people moving about the town in much the same way that my people did. Their voices sounded harsh compared to the singing voices of the Waterfolk. Despite my hearing I could not understand every conversation in the rush of noise that all living things made. “Different from home, yes?” Brother Roberts asked as he came to stand beside me. I nodded as I sighed. I missed Vael. I wanted to be held in his arms so tight that I would feel like I would break. “Despite what most people believe, I don’t think you’re demons. I know you must think us odd and hate us for our foolishness. ”
“The only one I hate is Lady Ai.”
“Who is she?”
“My betrothed’s former wife. She is an evil woman,” I said bitterly as I turned away from the busy street. Tears pricked my eyes but I held them back with determination. “She broke his heart and hid his son away for five years. She treats them both like trash that has collected by a stray current. A woman that evil should not be so beautiful.”
“You know many times in nature the most dangerous things are the most beautiful.” Brother Roberts placed his hand on my shoulder making me flinch. Ryaa I tolerated touching me, but the only one I wanted to touch was Vael. “Take the belladonna for example. It produces such beautiful flowers, but if you were to eat its fruit it would kill you.”
“Use an easier example Brother, I doubt she has seen a belladonna,” Ryaa said from beside the pool. He was twisting petals off of one of the flowers then throwing them back into the water. “I know, take yourself as an example Sol, you are beautiful, but could easily kill us if you had the mind to.” I couldn’t stop myself from laughing and the men joined me. For the first time since being captured I felt relaxed.
“Listen I must return to my duties. Ryaa, please look after this sweet young lady while I go talk to Shepherd Stone.” Brother Roberts knocked on the door then waved as the guard opened it. After the edge of his tan robe disappeared around the corner the door shut firmly.
“Do you want your underclothes washed?” Ryaa asked as soon as they we were alone. I clutched at my Grace trying to keep my fear from my face and voice as I answered.
“No, I need something to clothe my besides your cloak. I would like a comb though.” I touched my matted hair and sighed. My hair looked like a tangle of kelp after it washed on the beach.
“Are you sure, I can have a pair of robes brought to you?”
“Look, you’re not seeing me naked if that’s your intention. I am betrothed and will remain faithful.” Ryaa blushed and rubbed his nose.
“Um…I…” he said turning away from me.
“What?”
“In order to…to dress your wounds… I had to strip you down.”
I stared at him in horror with my jaw hanging down like a leaf about to fall. A tight ball of fire stirred in my belly and I turned around and struck the wall with such force that it shook. Chunks of stone fell on the sandy floor. I heard Ryaa choke behind me and glared at him. He flinched and held his hands up in defense. “Is this how all Landwalkers treat their women? Is this why you have been kind? Guilt?”
“No! Forgive me for worrying about your health. I was focused on helping you, not violating you. You are as pure when I met you. Not that I saw that part!”
I didn’t remember crossing the distance between us. Ryaa had paled to the point that he looked sick. Slowly color returned to his face as a sob escaped my lips. I fell to my knees covering my face in shame. How could Vael want me now that I had been seen by another man? I didn’t move as Ryaa wrapped his arms around my shoulders and began to rock me. “I’m sorry,” he murmured over and over again as I let out all of my pain. So much had been taken from me, was this how Ryaa felt when he was my prisoner? I should be the one comforting him, apologizing for crossing the Forbidden Line and ruining both our lives. Everything was better when he insulted me and called me demoness, because I deserved it.
“I’m sorry for scaring you,” I said into his shoulder. My voice was muffled by the woolen fabric of his shirt. I tilted my head up to look at him and he smiled down at me. “You should hate me, I dragged you into the sea, I could have killed you and-” He placed a finger to my lips and silenced me.
“My father told me, ‘we make the choices we make, but even if it’s a mistake something good may happen.’ He said that to me a few months ago to get me to move back to the coast.” He must have seen the question in my eyes for he shook his head and released me.
“Tell me,” I begged him. I wanted to know why his eyes were filled with such pain.
“No! I’m going. I’ll…I’ll see you tomorrow.” He got up and strode away angrily leaving me to think alone.