“Elan, I’m going to visit the Dartmoth’s.” He spat and then whispered in Mom’s ear. She gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. Tammer started for the surface.
“Darling, please be careful!” She called after him.
“Elan, if I don’t go now, he’ll attack her.” He phased and surfaced as a human.
Chapter Six
Thayde
Vitahl took care of Mom and me that night. After phasing back, Mom guided me back to the beach, where we were met with the shocked stares of the restaurant patrons. No one said a word as we passed them. Vitahl wrapped us in blankets and loaded us into his Range Rover. We were home in minutes.
One of the first things I did was go and take a good long look in the mirror. What I saw took me back a few steps. I hadn’t changed that much, but there was definitely a difference. For one, my skin was a golden color, as if I were slightly tanned. My eyes seemed brighter; my skin, clearer.
My hair was the most drastic change. Before, it had been a few inches long and now fell in one length down to my waist. It too, had changed color, lightening quite a bit, almost as if I had gone to the stylist and requested a ton of highlights. It was beautiful, but how it had happened was shocking. This was definitely going to take some getting used to.
Mom said that she and Vitahl would explain as much as they could before Tammer got home. She told me to try not to freak out, which was bordering on nearly impossible. Vitahl ordered Mom and me into our baths and after we were finished, we were met with new, soft blankets and told to curl up on the couch in the living room.
The tall, gentle man smiled sweetly as he relaxed into the white couch and folded his long legs. He eased back against the pillows and nodded before beginning.
“Every merperson has powers beginning at birth. Sometimes these powers are immediately evident and other times they form after maturity. Halflings - those who are half human and half mermaid - aren’t usually able to do anything other than occasionally breathe underwater. Many times, they aren’t able to phase at all. Once in a while, Halflings will be born with a power, but it usually destroys them.”
“What would have happened if you hadn’t thrown me into the water?” I asked.
“You would have killed yourself and burned down my restaurant.” He answered. “There are ways to control your power. You will learn what your powers are and how to control them soon.”
“What kinds of powers are there?”
“Many. You’ve seen them at work already. Tammer has the ability to read minds. He can also control the weather. Your mother has the ability to heal, bring the near dead back to life, and she has what we call The Love, which means that human men fall in love with her very easily. Naira can calm others and read minds.”
I suddenly realized that it was through Naira’s powers that I was able to deal with my father’s death so well and handle my depression.
Vitahl continued, cautioning me to be wary of the merfamilies who were feuding with each other. He explained that the Dartmoth’s were at the heart of it. They were from a pure line that dated back to the beginning of the long standing feud. When Troen took power, they were infuriated that the line fell to him and they left the original family. They claimed different parts of the oceans and set limitations on who could go where. Troen had asked the families to try to solve the matter peacefully, but after a thousand years, his absence had fueled the hatred. Tammer’s father and two brothers had been killed by Ramus, the head of the Dartmoth family, who was now in hiding in the depths of the Pacific Ocean.
“I don’t understand the whole age thing.” I said.
Mom sighed. “Merpeople don’t age the way humans do. We age at a lot slower rate.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. “You mean like Aragorn in Lord of the Rings?”
She laughed. “Yes, that’s a very good example. One year to merpeople is like five years to humans.”
“That’s why Naira seems so advanced…” I trailed off in thought.
“That’s right.”
It was mind boggling. But what did that mean when it came to me?
“You’re probably wondering if you’re going to age the same way,” Mom said, resting her head on the back of the sofa. “You will. Merpeople quickly reach maturity, but after the human age of eighteen, they slow down and there are a few who live extraordinarily long lives. Troen is said to be at least 1500 years old. Most of us don’t live past 800 years.”
“So that would make Ramus the exception?”
“Yes, one of his gifts was long life.”
“What happened with Tammer and you?” I asked. She looked so uneasy, I almost felt guilty I’d asked.