The Pirate and the Mermaid

Chapter 7 – The Necromancer’s Lecture

Solu was dead. At least that’s what she had thought. After the wracking pain of the ice cold water entering her lungs, her body had relaxed and a peaceful darkness rested over her mind. As she had always been taught would happen, her mind opened to the infinite darkness of the universe and she could feel herself learning the deep truths of existence as she swam through the infinite of the cosmos.

A blinding green light appeared, and chased those truths away. She could feel her soul shudder, and her body in anguish as her lungs were forcefully emptied of the salt water that she had breathed in. Bile rose in her throat, the taste making her gag. The agony of existence was thrust upon her as her soul was wrenched from the peacefulness of death and back into her mortal body.

After mere moments of agony and the deafening throbbing of her heart in her ears, she gratefully passed out. Her next memories were of a gentle bobbing, the familiar sound of oars creaking, and the murmuring whispers of worry all around her. She fell back asleep to these calming sounds.

When next she came around, she could hear a hushed serious discussion but her addled brain couldn’t make out what it was they were saying. There was the slow rolling of a ship, seemingly trying to rock her back to sleep, but she tried to fight it. The discussion became more clear but her mind refused to make sense of it. Against her will, she fell back asleep.

The dreams that she’d had seemed important while they were happening but as she was gently shaken awake, her memory of them disappeared. Her gummy eyes stung from even the gentle light of the lantern across the room from the hard cot she was on. The thin woolen blanket may as well have been a stone slab for how heavy it felt against her body.

“I’m sorry, Solu dear, but you need to wake up,” the gentle voice of Ella said to her, “If I let you sleep any longer, you may just die again.”

Solu fought against her body’s desperate desire to return to sleep. She opened her eyes a little at a time. Her throat burned, there was an uncomfortable lump in the back of her mouth, rubbing against the back of her throat weirdly as she breathed in and out, and her mouth was painfully dry. Ella helped her up and propped her back against a mountain of pillows.

“There you are. Now try to sip this.” Ella placed a warm spoonful of some kind of broth in her mouth. She tried to swallow it but the pain caused her to spit it back out. The burning in her throat intensified as she desperately coughed to catch her breath.

“Slowly now,” Ella admonished patiently as she spooned another mouthful of the broth into her mouth, after she had caught her breath, “You may need to hold it in your mouth for a little bit before you can swallow it.”

Solu did as she was told, and though painful, she carefully managed to get it down. She felt her strength slowly return with each mouthful of the delicious broth. She doubted in that moment that she had ever eaten anything so wonderful in her life, and nothing would ever compare to it again.

After a few days of this, she was able to eat a soup that had soft vegetables in it, and a few more days after that, chunks of meat. When she was finally feeling better, Ella’s demeanor changed drastically.

“Just what in the hells were you thinking, jumping off the ship like that?,” Ella demanded in the horrible lecturing tone that can only be accomplished by grandmothers.

“I saw someone drowning… I thought,” Solu tried to justify.

“Yes, I saw the drowning person in question,” Ella continued, “Mermaids can’t drown.”

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“I didn’t see she was a mermaid until I’d already jumped.”

“I…,” Ella sighed, “I guess I can understand that then. But why did you cut the rope instead of letting us pull you back?”

“I didn’t, she did. And honestly, I don’t think she meant any harm.”

“What?” Ella asked incredulously.

“She genuinely didn’t seem to understand what was happening. I think she was just swimming along when I dropped on her.”

The look on Ella’s face was one of utter confusion, but after a few moments she started snorting, and finally a full bellied laugh. Ella wiped tears from her eyes before exclaiming, “That is quite possibly the funniest thing I’ve heard. The poor thing was probably so confused.”

“And honestly, I…,” Solu began but how could she possibly explain that she wanted to know more about the mermaid. How could she explain the general discontent she had been feeling, how adrift, without it sounding like she was whining.

“What is it?” Ella asked worriedly.

It was then that Solu threw caution to the wind and confessed everything. She wasn’t certain that Ella would understand, but if anyone would it would be her.

After Solu was done, she realized that Ella had just sat there and listened. There wasn’t any judgment on her face, she just listened. At some point she had lit a cigar, but Solu hadn’t even really noticed, had her eyes been closed the entire time? Ella sat and pondered for a few moments, as wafts of the noxious smoke filled the air.

“I see,” Ella smiled kindly down at Solu then she sighed, “Clearly, I’m going to have to keep a closer eye on you girls. I hadn’t even noticed that was how you were feeling.”

Solu looked down at her hands, not sure how to respond, but Ella continued, “As far as leaving the ship, if that’s what you want, it was always an option. I know some captains can be particular about the contracts, but I know Ruth isn’t going to mind. Though, she might act like she does. In fact, I think I have just the thing for severance, if this is really what you want.”

Ella slowly lifted herself off the stool she had been sitting on, and made her way to a shelf full of books, scrolls, and strange occult bric-a-brac. She mumbled to herself pointing at various things as she searched for whatever it was she was looking for.

“Ah ha, there it is,” she said triumphantly as she pulled a scroll and a leather bound tome from the shelf. She brought it over and handed it to Solu, who looked at her quizzically.

“Go on. Take a look.”

Solu opened the book first, and her eyes widened. It was a book on mermaids, and more specifically their language.

“There is a warning at the beginning that you shouldn’t actually speak with a mermaid, as they’ll likely kill you with their mesmerizing song, but I think we can safely ignore that given your natural resistance,” Ella said chuckling, “and the scroll is probably more important than the book.”

Solu untied the string holding the scroll closed and gently unfurled it. She grimaced at the complex diagrams and advanced magical theory, but looking at the top, she understood. This was a spell scroll that taught waterbreathing. She looked at Ella with confusion.

“You’re giving me these?”

“That I am, it’s a pretty good severance package don’t you think?”

“I couldn’t afford to buy these if I worked a dozen years on this ship,” Solu exclaimed.

“Oh, nonsense, there are places in this world where books and such are as cheap as bread. We picked these up from a merchant vessel trying to capitalize on that. I have no use for talking to mermaids, or breathing underwater. You do. Please take them, and we’ll get you some provisions.”

Solu bit her lip, contemplating what the older woman was saying.

“Is it really okay for me to have these?” Solu asked, almost hating that she was hesitating. This could be the start of something new and important for her. Ella grabbed the book from her lap and gently smacked her on the head with it.

“Of course I’m sure. Honestly, do you think I didn’t think this through or something,” Ella exclaimed, “Now get some rest, once you’re better, we’ll get you your supplies and set you back on that island. You’d better go get your girl, idiot, or I’m gonna come back here and tan your hide. You hear?”

“Yes, ma’am!” Solu exclaimed automatically.

Ella left her alone after that, muttering something about girls these days or something like that.