Marcus scowled, but for once his grim expression wasn’t aimed at her. “I can’t believe some of the damage you showed me. It just doesn’t make sense that it is worse down deep than it is near the surface. That suggests something like an oil spill or chemical contamination from careless transport.” He shook his head, one lock of wavy hair flopping into his eyes in a way Beka found ridiculously endearing. “And I’m happy to help, especially if the answers lead us to something that would explain the reason the fish have disappeared.”
A spasm of guilt made Beka wince. She was still struggling to deal with Kesh’s admission from last night. She really liked the Selkie prince, and she knew he was doing his best to protect his people from what he rightfully saw as the Human threat, but she couldn’t allow him to purposely throw off the natural balance as he’d been doing. Distress from her divided loyalties had kept her up tossing and turning most of the night, almost feverish with worry. Even now, her stomach was twisted into knots and she shook her head at the apple Marcus offered her. Hopefully Kesh listened to her, and would send the fish back where they belonged, and she wouldn’t be forced to choose between her new friend and her responsibilities as Baba.
“I know you’re worried about your father not catching enough fish,” she said sympathetically. “It must be hard to watch him struggle to keep the boat going when he is this sick.”
Marcus shrugged. “My father is a tough old goat; he’ll be fine. I’m more worried about some of the other folks who depend on fishing to keep their families fed and a roof over their heads.” A distant look flitted over his face, as if for a moment he wandered through long-forgotten days, revisiting the path once trod by his own younger, more innocent feet.
“My mother left us when I was seven and my kid brother was five,” he admitted. “My father wasn’t much good at being a da; he absolutely sucked at being both mother and father. A lot of the fishing folk picked up the slack; the women made sure we had clean clothes for school, instead of a bunch of patched and outgrown rags, and that there was real food in the fridge from time to time, instead of just frozen dinners or big pots of leftover fish stew.
“Anyway, these are good people, most of them the same folks that looked out for us when we were growing up. If I can find any way to return the favor, I will. I’m not planning to stick around once my father doesn’t need me anymore, but I’d like to help out while I’m here.” He visually shook off his old memories, shoving them down deeper than the cold, dark waters they’d just been diving in, and favored her with one of his rare and powerful grins. “Besides, somebody has to keep an eye on you; otherwise who knows what kind of trouble you’ll get yourself into.”
Beka grinned back, vowing to get those fish back for him if she had to steal Kesh’s seal skin and hold it for ransom, like in the old tales. “Who, me?” she said innocently. “When have you ever known me to get into trouble?”
They both laughed, the unaccustomed activity making Marcus suddenly seem younger and less unyielding. Beka had a thought. Marcus worked so hard on the boat for his father, and never seemed to do anything for fun. Maybe she could repay him for his help by getting him to actually relax and have a good time for a change. Although she fully expected that the suggestion that he could have fun in her company would meet with an argument, to say the least.
She leaned forward a little, and hid a tiny smile as she caught him looking down the front of her bathing suit. At least she knew he was not completely oblivious to her charms. Such as they were. Perversely, that knowledge gave her the courage to make her suggestion.
“You’re an impressive diver,” she said. “You must have spent a lot of time in the water when you were younger.”
He nodded. “Kind of hard to avoid, growing up on the bay.”
“Ever go surfing?” she asked. “Because I have an extra board; I just thought maybe I’d thank you for all your help by taking you out on the waves some morning.”
His expression turned to stone, and their temporary camaraderie seemed to slide through her grasp like the fish that got away. Shadows filled his eyes as the past swallowed him up.
“I did surf, when I was younger,” he said, his voice flat. “I was okay at it. Not great. Even then, I was really too big to ever be supple enough for anything other than simply powering through the water. My brother Kyle, though, he was a wizard.” He shook his head. “You should have seen him; he rode the waves like he was a part of them, as if that board were just an extension of his body. I swear, some days it was as if the water were dancing with him. The sheer joy of it used to radiate from his whole being. Even the other surfers used to stop what they were doing just to watch, if they weren’t racing out into the breakers to try and imitate him. It was really something to see.”