Marina thought she had felt pain before. As she floated in the darkness between consciousness and unconsciousness, every inch of her body screamed in pain. The last thing she recalled before her vision darkened was being pulled from the fire that destroyed her home. Even though she was safe, her skin still felt like it was still burning. She could hear the voice of the man that had saved her talking to someone else above her.
“She is going to be horribly disfigured.”
A small feminine voice that did not sound entirely human scoffed from nearby. “Please, that will be the least of her worries. That degree of burning, she will be lucky to survive the hour let alone the night. You know what must be done if you are to save her.”
The voice grimaced even as careful hands started to remove the tattered remains of her clothing. She was grateful for this, as the pressure of the remaining garment was hurting her. She would have likely blushed in shame at the older man seeing her bare body, in other circumstances.
“Marina,” The male voice called. “Can you hear me? I can save your life but there will be a price. Do you want to live?”
She tried to form the words for no. Let her suffering end here. Then an image of her Ma and Pa came to her mind. Their smiling, hard working faces before the bandits had gotten them. Her siblings face swam into view, already sadden by the lose of her parents. She changed her mind and said. “Yes.”
The male voice came back to her, approving. “As you wish. You will be changed though. I am so sorry for this.”
The feminine voice spoke up again. “At least she is a water child. If she had been earth or air, she likely would have still died. The water will purge the burns from her body as she transforms.”
Transforms, Marina did not know what to think of that word as the man began to chant.
“Lady Limu, we are your children. We carry your blood and the spark of your elemental magic within us. This girl is dying. Please, grant her ascension to her true form. I beg you make her Undine as is her right. Please, Mother, save this child!”
Then she felt hands lift her up. She braced herself for pain that never came. She felt herself slowly be lowered into water. The Traveler’s River, she guessed. As she passed out, she cast her mind back to how she had gotten into this situation in the first place.
***
Marina Petraki looked in the mirror at herself, carefully trying to get her mess of black hair into a neat ponytail. Every time she put it in place, a single strand would fall to land between her glowing emerald eyes. She frowned as she surrendered. Her mother and father had the same issue, as did most of the people of the Green Phoenixes. Water hates to be contained or controlled and this trait was common in her people. It was rare for them to even make a permanent residence let alone the Inn that her parents ran. The Silver Serpent Inn was situated along the Traveler’s River, which she reflected was the only reason her parents could stand to live in the same place for so long. She looked over the rest of her body and smiled at her perfect olive colored complexion. Sure, she did not have a body that would launch ships to war for her hand, but she was pleased by what she saw. Green Phoenixes did not need to worry about dry skin or outbreaks, one of the small perks of being aligned to the element of water.
She donned a green gown that left her legs and arms bare. The spring air was already warm enough during the day that she would want to dress lightly, not that she was a fan of overdressing anyways. She preferred tight single piece outfits that would not restrain her if she fell in the river. Which had happened more times than she cared to count. She groaned as she donned the shoes her parents insist, she wear while she was helping in the Inn. She hated to wear them, preferring to be bare foot whenever possible.
She sighed as she gave herself one last examination and headed down the stairs. Her Ma was waiting for her at the bottom, a tray with breakfast on it.
“Here you go, dear.” Her mother kissed her on the cheek.
Her mother was only half Green Phoenix, and she had the lighter skin color of her Golden Phoenix mother. She showed no signs of her age though. Water always looks the same after all. Once a Green Phoenix was an adult, it was many decades before their bodies recalled they were mortal and showed signs of wear. It did often get them confused as sisters though instead of mother and child. Her father often remarked on how similar she and her mother looked, even more so than Marina’s older sister, Magda.
“Any news from Magda or Marios?” Marina asked her mother as she sat down to eat. There were no guests again today, of course.
“None today, but we haven’t had a barge or boat come by in a while.” Her mother tried in vain to tame the stray hair on Marina’s face. “Your sister only just got married last summer. She likely will come out of the honeymoon phase soon and then she and her captain will stop by.”
She nodded, though not completely happy. Marios had started this. He had signed on as a deck hand on a ship that was able to travel both up and down the river as freely as if had been the Grand Road and not a body of water with a temperamental current. On his leave last year, their sister had set her cap for the captain of the ship, who was Marios’ age. They had a grand wedding party down by the river for Magda and Gianni that had last from dusk until dawn. She sighed.
“I’m just glad she picked a ship that had Marios on it.” Her mother continued. “I feel much better knowing my children are together with a close friend and brother-in-law. I worry about what you will choose to do, all by yourself.”
There was no question that Marina would leave. Her heart yearned for freedom. To flow where it willed and not bound to one spot.
“Well, my birthday is next week. I might go down to the coast and undertake the Ordeal. Neither of my siblings did it, so at least I can have that over them. Maybe I can find my calling on the way.”
Her mother smiled. “That would be nice dear. I know your father was very put out neither of the others wanted to do it. You know he still drinks with his buddies that took it with him when they stop in. It opens doors for you that otherwise might be closed. Still though, I heard a girl nearly died last month on route to hers. Perhaps we should hire a bodyguard to go with you since you don’t know how to fight.”
Marina blushed, not wanting to shatter her Ma’s world view. Her Pa had made damn sure both his daughters were proficient in unarmed fighting in case someone ever tried to grab them. She was also a beast with the club they kept under the bar for unruly people. It had been their little secret from Ma.
A bell rang from the riverside, making both look towards the door.
“A boat? Well maybe that’s your siblings now. We won’t start getting the usual traffic on the river until next month. Why don’t you go down to check it out. Maybe direct some people our way?”
Marina rolled her eyes as she finished eating. It wasn’t like there was another Inn in this town for them to stay at. Ever the dutiful daughter, she got up and kissed her Ma on the cheek.
“Thanks for breakfast, Ma. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
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Her mother grinned and waved her off. “Good, try to come back with some customers.”
***
Marina dropped her shoes off at the door as she left. Even if she had wanted to wear them, the docks would ruin them, and her parents would be out money to replace them. She walked through the village of Fjords and down to the riverside docks. The village had been built originally to support the ferry that took people traveling the Grand Road across where the Traveler’s River intersected it. Then the barge and boat crews that made their living selling wares along the river and at the southern coast had found it a good spot to rest along the way. She was proud of her town, even if it wasn’t as grand as some of the cities elsewhere on Phoenix.
She waved to various people as she passed them. Most of the residents had the same glowing emerald eyes as she did, though there were a few with gold or sapphire. Completely absent was the burning fiery eyes of Red Phoenixes, but that was to be expected. She smiled as she saw some barefooted children heading up an old hill. She and her siblings would often ‘investigate’ the abandoned storage shed up there in their youth. It was the perfect hiding place for children wanting to get out of work. She smiled fondly at the many memories as she arrived at the dockside.
The crew looked rough, as if they had just come through a terrible storm. Odd, she thought as she watched them start to disembark, the weather had been fair for three days now. As she pondered this, a man with a gold tooth and eye patch waved at her.
“Hello, bonnie lass. There be an Inn where me and my honest lads can forget our troubles for a spell?”
She frowned; she had never heard speech quite like that before. She quickly turned this into a polite smile. “Sure, sir. My parents Inn, the Silver Serpent, is in that direction.” She pointed it out to him. “Just be aware, my parents have the right to cut your men off if they drink too much. We don’t want another drowning on our hands.”
The captain laughed loudly, earning several annoyed glances from the dock workers. “No worries there, missy. Any man of mine that gets that stinking drunk will feel me hand. Lass, would you mind doing me a small favor as well?” He lowered his voice. “We’ve a passenger on board, and he did not come up when the bell rang for shore. Would ye mind getting someone to try and rouse him? This be his destination and it would be a shame to have to throw him out into the water to mark the journey’s end.”
She gave him a small smile. This was not an unusual request. Often sailors would become uneasy of returning to shore after so long on the river. “Sure thing, sir. I’ll evict him from your ship. I’m quite good at it.”
He grinned back and handed her a small silver coin. “Here, there will be four more of these if ye get him off me ship.”
Her eyes boggled at the coin. Five whole silvers, she could use that money for her trip to the southern coast for sure.
“Count on me, sir.”
The other crew gave her grateful nods as they all filed off in the direction of the inn. Marina carefully boarded the ship and then looked around. She had not been raised a fool, especially since there was a Slice of Paradiso brothel just a little way outside the town. The matron there also doubled as the primary school teacher for the village children. She had drilled into the girls’ heads caution when at the docks. She had taken it on herself to make sure as few of the village girls ended up in slavery as possible. Once she was satisfied there was no men left behind to jump her and put her in chains, she went towards the hold. Most ships on the river were the same and this was no exception. She easily found the crew hold and the only occupant inside. She stopped short at what she saw.
The man was as large as her Pa was but was covered in well-toned muscles like her brother. His hair was as black as hers was. What really got her attention was his skin was a very light shade of green. She had never seen a person with that color skin before and she stopped short. Then she scolded herself, after all, if the legends were true all the Green Phoenixes also had green skin. She approached the hammock.
“Hello, sir?”
The man’s eyes opened, revealing them to be a deep blue. “Hello, I don’t recall seeing you on this ship before, miss. The captain will be mad there is a stowaway.”
Marina giggled at the misunderstanding. “No sir, you see you have arrived in Fjords. The captain asked me to evict you from his ship as this was your destination and you would not wake up for them.”
The man sighed as he sat up. “I thought they were pranking me again. Good lads but they just cannot help themselves sometimes when it comes to ribbing a soul. So I pretended to be asleep and when they gave up, I assumed the joke was over.”
“Sorry to be the bearer of the news. Need any help with your stuff?”
The man shook his head as he scooped up a pack. “This is all I have. Wouldn’t say no to some company on the way to the Inn. My old friend Manoussos still in charge of the Silver Serpent?”
She scoffed. “I mean, technically it’s Pa’s Inn. But Ma, that’s Katina to her friends, is the one that’s really in charge.”
The man blinked. “You’re Manoussos and Katina’s daughter? I thought their girl had the same blonde hair as her father did?”
Marina sighed. “That’s Magda. I’m their third child, Marina.”
The man laughed at this. She looked at him in surprise. “Nothing, I just can’t believe the irony that they named all three of their children with M names. I honestly figured Katina would put her foot down.”
Marina chuckled. “She tried but after my wetting ceremony, she agreed that ‘Heart of the Sea’ suited me as a name.”
The man cocked an eyebrow as they walked. “How far did you swim, Marina Petraki?”
She shrugged. “Pa changes it every time he tells it. I suspect it was just a few strokes.”
The man laughed even harder. “Should have known. Your father actually rolled over and floated on his back down the River a ways before your granddad got him back. Must run in the family.”
She nodded. “You must know my parents well.”
The man looked shocked. “Sure I do, let me guess, did they never mention their Undine friend? Old Negmed?”
She consulted her memories. “Not as an Undine or green skinned mind, but Pa does always complain about a Negmed.”
The grin came back. “That old river rat. I was a friend of his father’s truth be told. I was like an uncle to him until he grew up and started causing trouble. Then we became friends and had some adventures.”
Marina did some math and looked at the man in amazement as they walked. “Wow, you must be in your fifties.”
The man groaned. “Not quite. Your dad was born when your granddad was young. Your father was not much older when he sired Marios and Magda. I had just reached my fifteenth summer when you father was born. Got many years left in these bones and on the river. But I came to speak to your parents about a matter of importance. I hope they can help me with a little problem I’m having.”
Marina stopped as the approached the town square. “I’m sure they will if they can. My parents love to help people out.”
She then saw smoke, rising from the roof of the Inn. They didn’t have a fire going, it was far too warm. Her mother cooked using a stove made by an artificer that required no fire to prepare food either. Her heart raced in panic at the sight. Next to her, Negmed started to run for the inn.
“Stay here, Marina. I’ll go and check it out.”
Marina did not hear that order, panic for her parents gripped her heart as she ran towards the now clearly burning Inn. She pushed the door open and the sight that met her eyes made her scream in despair. The crew and captain of the ship were all laying in pools of blood around the room, their eyes glossy and something coating their bodies. She reached down and touched it to confirm it was bear fat from their own larder. Then she stepped around the bar. The fire had not reached the first floor yet but it would not be long before it did. The other villagers would be reacting, but she knew it would be too late. The fire starter had used bear fat on the bodies, they likely used it upstairs too.
She entered the kitchen and saw what she had been dreading. Her parents were dead, both with various cuts and wounds to their body. From her father’s body was stuck a spear. Its shaft was made of bone, not wood and the tip looked like a shark tooth that a tradesman had tried to sell to her ages ago. She fell to her knees in disbelief as she took in the sight. Her parents, gone in the space of time for her to wake a man from his slumber on the boat. She should have been here, maybe she could have saved them. She tried to ignore that small and still rational voice telling her she would have just ended up just as dead as her parents. She heard the floor above her creak. She knew she needed to get out, her parents would be so angry if she died mourning them. Her eyes rested on her grandfather’s favorite trident handing on the wall above her mother’s precious stove. She would save that at least if nothing else. She grabbed the weapon and ran to the window, breaking it easily with the weapon. She tossed it out and was about to climb out herself when there was an awful sound from above. She made the biggest mistake of her young life as she looked up. The ceiling gave way and fiery debris rained down on her. All she knew from that moment onward was burning pain and darkness.
***
Negmed sat and watched as Marina twitched in the water. Her burns healed and the scabs fell away, revealing new skin. However, it was no longer the pretty olive color it had been before. Now Marina’s skin was a deep green, way darker than his own. He watched until the transformation was complete and then he fished the new Undine out of the river. He took out his cloak and laid it over the girl to cover her up. He pushed down the emotions that threatened to flow over. Negmed looked over at the trident leaning against a stump. The girl had sacrificed herself to save this heirloom so naturally he had brought it with them. He turned to face the small blue spirit that had urged him to do this very process.
“What now, spirit?”
The Naiad shrugged as she watched over Marina. “I don’t know. Lady Limu sent me to make sure she lived. I have no other instructions. What will you do now, Negmed?”
His expression turned to stone. “As if you have to ask. I am going to hunt down the ones responsible and kill them.”
The Naiad nodded. “As is your right. What if the girl asks to go? Will you take her? She has even more right than you do. She cannot remain here. None here will recognize her in her new form since her kin is away. Marina Petrika is as good as dead. She will need a new name and a new life.”
He sighed. “I will help her pick a name once she awakens as an Undine. She might want me to take her to her siblings. I will gladly do that if she wishes.”
The spirit nodded. “I will make arrangements for your transportation. She will not want to leave the river; it will likely drive her elemental blood mad at this point. You should go and ask the town what happened. I will watch over Marina until she wakes. Will you tell her the truth about yourself?”
Negmed sighed and rose. There was much left to do, it seemed. “I have no choice now. Worry not, Marina. One way or another, I will make them pay.”
He almost grabbed the trident but left it instead. It was Marina’s by right now. She had paid her humanity for it and had become half elemental. He would also need to arrange some clothing for the girl.