Brellitine Grever and The Sea of Gelled (The Brell Trilogy Book 1) Page 7

  The inside of the large shop was dimly lit with a greenish glow. Seaweed grew inside the boulder, gently moving with the rhythm of the soft song playing inside. Corals lined the walls, mimicking the ocean floor. Fish flitted in and out of a model of a sunken ship at the far end of the shop. The pet store looked like a miniature diorama of the sea, packed with brightly coloured fish. She could see a few merpeople inside, talking to others with aquamarine shirts.

  “Hello, madam!” A cheery voice called out to her. A pot-bellied man with a bald head approached her. He wore a blue shirt with ‘Pets a Glory’ printed across in golden letters. “Welcome to Pets a Glory!” He waved his arms in the air. “How may I be of assistance to you?”

  “Um… does he belong to you?” She held out the turtle to the man.

  Without even looking at the name tag, the man cried out “Ripples!” He very gingerly took the turtle from her and began rubbing his shell.

  “Oh, thank you for bringing him back!” he smiled, air tears of joy almost coming out of his eyes. “He swam out this morning and our team here has been worrying so much about him.” He looked up at her with a brilliant grin. “I’m Jackson.”

  “I’m Br —”she hesitated, then peeked at the note Lily had given her. “Susan.”

  “Well Susan, you have done a good deed today.” He swam deeper into the boulder. “Topaz!” he yelled.

  A slim brunette sprang out of nowhere and spotted the small turtle. “Oh my! Ripples!” she squealed. Her eyes shifted to Brell. “Did you bring him back?”

  She nodded, slightly embarrassed.

  “Not many people would do that. Most would just keep the stray pet for themselves.” Topaz rubbed Ripples’ shell, crooning a tune. “He seems to be in good condition, I’ll just check him out real quick. I’ll be back in a moment.”

  “How can you guys keep turtles as pets?” Brell asked Jackson.

  He seemed more than ready to answer. “You’ll be surprised but most pets kept are turtles. Ripples is a red-eared slider. He’s the smallest one we have had so far.”

  “I thought red-eared sliders are fresh water creatures.”

  “Ah, dear, magic goes a long way.” He winked.

  Topaz returned. “He’s all fine. Here, he loves a good rubbing on his shell. Try it!” Brell looked apprehensive, so Topaz smiled encouragingly. “Go on …”

  Ripples looked at her, blinking. Suddenly, he yawned, revealing a toothless mouth. She rubbed his shell gently, watching with growing fascination how he loved it. She wondered if she could save up for a pet turtle, then with a pang realised that this was not her world. “I have to go.” She thanked the owners and left with a smile on her face. She stepped out into the pathway and froze as a loud gong rang through the water five times.

  Five o’clock! As she looked around her, she was truly alarmed to see the water darkening.

  “Bucklebow Inn… Bucklebow Inn!” she muttered, gazing at the boulder next to her. ‘2351559’. Doing a quick mental calculation, she swam forward hurriedly. Four hundred and forty one boulders to go!

  *

  After the gong went off for six o’clock, she spotted it. Bucklebow Inn was seven times the size of a normal building and had multi-coloured pastel stripes all over it. ‘BUCKLEBOW INN’ was carved into the rough stone door. Brell tucked strands of stray hair behind her ears, took a deep gulp of water and pushed open the door to the lobby of the inn.

  It was richly furnished with colourful coral, glass, and crystal ornaments with plush red-felt sofas scattered around the room. A crowd of merpeople sauntered around chatting, dancing, and some were even drunk. The inn, which from outside seemed quiet and orderly, was booming with noise inside. Brell quietly slipped past a couple who were staring into each other’s eyes and made her way to the back of the lobby, where a mermaid sat behind a rosewood desk, sorting out papers into files. The moment Brell approached her, she stood up.

  “Welcome,” she greeted in a creamy, smooth voice, “to Bucklebow Inn. How may I help you ma’am?”

  Brell was a bit taken back when she said ‘ma’am’. “I… um… booked a room?” she asked, silently berating herself. Why was she asking a question?

  The mermaid pulled out a clear file and withdrew a thick sheet of paper from it.

  “Name, please?”

  “Susan Morris.”

  The mermaid’s dark eyes flickered across the paper. “Yes ma’am, you did book a room. It is for two nights and a day. The money has been paid. Room 21, second floor. I hope you have a good stay at Bucklebow Inn.”

  She handed her a semi-transparent blue pebble with ‘Room 21’ etched across it in black. “Check out time is at 10 am.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Room 21 is in the south corridor. You’ll want to take the door on your left to get there,” she said, pointing to the door in the back wall.

  Brell thanked the woman, and swam over. In place of a handle, the door had a small cup-shaped structure. She stared at it incredulously and then tapped it but nothing happened. She slowly tried turning it, but it was just rigid and firm. Even when she pushed it, it didn’t budge. Irritated, her tail flicked back and forth as she stared at the door. As another mermaid came up behind her, Brell pretended to search the pouch Lily had given her while she surreptitiously watched the other mermaid. The mermaid dropped a round object into the cup, and the door swung open and closed behind the mermaid.

  Brell gently placed the blue pebble she had in the cup. It glowed faintly, and the door automatically opened up. Picking up the pebble again, she entered the hallway.

  She hastily made her way to a sign saying ‘First Floor’ and an arrow pointing up. Above it, cut into the ceiling, was a huge circular disk. It took her a few minutes to grasp the fact that there were no stairs. One had to swim through the circle to enter the floors. Swimming up to the second floor, she found that the room to her immediate left was room 21. Dropping the stone into the cup to unlock the door, Brell pushed into the room.

  Compared to the boulder Lily was in, this room was a mouse-hole with just a simple bed, washbasin, dresser and table. She eased herself on the bed, removed the bracelet from her wrist and placed the pouch on the table. Laying back, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, but anxiety flooded over her once more as she thought about Timmy.

  To calm herself, she thought of what Lily had told her, ‘After the procession, contact Callum with your Dreign’.

  What procession? She tried to recollect her thoughts. Land seemed a million years away. It didn’t seem real that just that morning she had been searching for Timmy. It all felt like a prolonged dream to her. She yawned, and closed her eyes, exhausted by the events of that day.

  *

  Brell shot up in bed, trying to find the source of the horn noise that had woken her, hands automatically covering her ears. She groaned as the noise became louder. Stumbling out of bed, she grabbed her things and went down to the lobby, shocked at its now empty state.

  She wrung her hands as she stepped out of the inn and stopped abruptly, looking around. It seemed as if everyone in Gelled had come out of their houses. Thousands of merpeople crowded the available space between the boulders, but guards dressed in khaki uniforms had formed a barrier to create a large open path in the middle. Mermen in khaki uniforms with black stripes and trumpets pressed to their mouths moved slowly down the path. A merman at the front of the procession announced loudly, “The Royal Family… Her Royal Majesty, Queen Maude!”

  Another merman clad in khaki appeared with a huge yellow flag. As the current caught the flag, she noticed it had a large ‘G’ printed on it in black, with a slanting line cutting through the curve of the letter.

  The crowd didn’t cheer as he passed by. She realised that everyone was watching the procession with suspicious, judgmental eyes. The atmosphere was rather tense. Callum had told her that Zeldae controlled the Royal Family, which was probably why no one liked them.

  Four mermen appeared, carrying a throne over
their heads. The golden chair was encrusted with precious stones and on the red velvet cushion sat a tall, slender mermaid with a waterfall of straight jet-black hair to her waist. Her heart-shaped face looked even more gorgeous with two dimples on her cheek when she smiled. Her fair skin was covered with a maroon shirt that ended at her hips to give way to a light blue tail. In contrast with her dark black hair, the silver crown on her head seemed almost white. She seemed rather oblivious to the death stares given to her by the people as she waved and smiled. Something flashed on her neck and Brell squinted, trying to see. A pendant rested between the queen’s collarbones. It looked so familiar that Brell was certain she had seen it somewhere before. Before she could place it, another announcement rang over the crowd.

  “His Royal Majesty, King Jade!”

  Seated on a less-ornate throne was a sturdy, firm mouthed, square-faced merman with curly chestnut hair resting on his shoulders. A solid gold crown with a huge jade in the middle sat regally on his head and she noticed that he had a dark blue tail that complemented his wife’s. He wore a rich red robe lined with gold, but where the queen was bright and smiling, his demeanour was stoic, his mouth set in a grim line.

  Again the merman called out. “Her Royal Highness, Princess Lenny.”

  On a slightly shorter throne sat a tall, thin mermaid with fair colouring. She seemed to be in her teens, but it was hard to tell with her white hair that was twisted into a side knot resting on her shoulder. Her silvery shirt almost seemed like a mirror, and her crown was barely distinguishable against her pale hair. She looked like a ghost. Even her tail was an eerie shade of bluish white. The only thing that stood out against her paleness were her coal black eyes that swept across the crowd. With a start, Brell noticed that she had slightly pointed ears, almost like an elf. She didn’t wave or smile but looked lost in thought, glancing out over the crowd from time to time. Brell noticed a silver, curved bracelet hanging limply from her wrist.

  The merman called out, “His Royal Highness, Prince Callum!”

  Chapter 9: Shock

  She stopped breathing. There was no way… She blinked twice, pinched and even almost slapped herself. But the boy on the next throne was unmistakably the one she had met in the woods and the boy who had brought her here. No matter how many times she squinted, she saw the same thing: chubby faced, blonde-haired Callum. He was wearing a warm coffee-coloured shirt, and below that was a deep blue tail with hints of gold in it. On his arm was a thick band of gold, and his hair was flattened by a thin golden crown. Why hadn’t he told her he was a merman who was a prince?

  Before she could think anymore, his throne was moved ahead. The merman introduced many more Royal Family members, but she didn’t pay attention. The words had turned to a small humming at the back of her head as she tried to contact Callum. He blocked her. She tried again but he kept on blocking her. She grunted in frustration and turned to leave.

  The herald’s voice broke through her thoughts. “Her Royal Highness, Princess Lily.”

  She spun around in amazement and gaped at Lily, who was sitting on a purple throne. Lily’s eyes flickered through the crowd and for a tiny second, they settled on Brell and then moved on.

  She realised that if Callum was in the Royal Family, he and Lily were obviously related. She remembered the things she had said to him in the forest. “You’re a stranger! And this is my brother we are talking about. I am going to search for him and you are not going to stop me!”

  She had behaved rudely to a prince… but he deserved it. Anyway, she tried contacting him again but he blocked her. Sighing, she went back to her room and locked the door. Outside, the procession continued.

  Her Dreign glowed a faint blue.

  “Brell?” Callum’s voice washed through her brain.

  “You idiot!” she burst. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were a prince? I nearly had a heart attack when I saw you in the procession. And you have a tail! And Lily is also a princess —”

  “Calm down. I don’t have much time to talk so listen. The procession is still going on. When it gets over, come to Alcove Avenue 2354320. Make sure that no one is following you. On the seabed will be a big rock. Meet me there.”

  “But —”

  “I have to go! Remember: Alcove Avenue 2354320.”

  Just like that, he cut the connection. Swishing her tail in anger, Brell waited till she heard the people enter the inn again. She went down to the lobby and asked the receptionist “Is it over?”

  “Yes. Wasn’t it amazing! Princess Lily is so beautiful!” she sighed, and rubbed her hands. “I’m envious.”

  Another mermaid piped up. “Did you forget Prince Callum? God, he is so cute! I want to meet him personally.” They both giggled like little kids. If only they knew how frustrating he was!

  Rolling her eyes, Brell swam out of the inn and made her way to Alcove Avenue. On her way there, she observed merpeople clad in stark black garments moving in a single file. Each of the merpeople dressed in black had a strange tattoo on their upper left arm. It was a black fish with an arrow through it. None of them said a word and they didn’t look at anyone. They moved through the streets in a blank parade with soulless eyes.

  When she reached Alcove Avenue, she hid behind a huge clump of seaweed and watched the path by which she had come to check if anyone was following her. Alcove Avenue was a dull place with absolutely no merpeople and it had a bleak, lonely feel to it — almost like the underwater version of the Wandering Woods.

  She heard a rustling sound behind her. Someone was there. Picking up a jagged rock from the seabed, she held it close. It was the nearest thing she had to a weapon. The noise was heard once more and her heartbeat nearly stopped. A shadow moved out from a boulder behind her and — “You moron!”

  “Good to see you too.” Callum nodded. His blue-gold tail sparkled in the sunlight that had filtered through the water, but this time he wore a plain, loose white shirt. All the gold ornaments were gone.

  “You …” she could hardly bring herself to say what she wanted to. Her eyes strayed to his tail. It was a shock to see him like this.

  “I’m a Prince, yes, and Lily is my aunt. But we can discuss this later; I’m on a really tight schedule. My guard thinks I’ve gone off to meet Valery which is why they haven’t followed me.”

  “Who is Valery?” she asked.

  “Never mind.” He said, and began swimming towards one of the boulders in the water.

  “Where are we going, exactly?”

  The house he went towards looked no different than any other boulder. Without knocking, he swam right in. It was completely devoid of colour - grey chairs, thin black curtains and a crumbling bed. He swam to the middle of the room and swept his tail gently against the cold curved floor, murmuring words too inaudible for her to hear and leaving behind a trail of golden shimmer. The shimmer gathered together to form a golden knob and a door. He tugged the knob sharply, and opened the door to reveal a void with swirling black mist inside.

  “Go on.” He said, and pointed to the mist.

  “Are you sure?” she asked slowly. “Where does this go to?”

  “Brellitine Grever.” he said slowly. “I have very little time. If you want to get your brother back, you have to trust me.”

  Nervously, she dipped her tail into it. It was freezing cold! Suddenly, a strong yank on her tail dragged her into the unfamiliar darkness.

  She struggled to see clearly, gulping mouthfuls of water. The sensation was familiar, a Meander must have brought her here. Her vision was hampered by a large number of merpeople who were talking loudly and boisterously.

  “Could she be the one?”

  “So young.”

  “That youngling don’ stand a penny chance. Don’ know what ‘ey were thinking.”

  “The tail. How did she get —”

  “ENOUGH!”

  Silence replaced the commotion. She realised she was in a small, dark room and her back was pressed against its rocky walls. Callum
was standing next to her and the bunch of merpeople around him were whispering and appraising her with hard, shrewd eyes.

  One of them, a tall, muscular merman with a nut-brown tail and stark black eyes whispered something to Callum. The latter nodded and said loudly, “All right, everybody calm down.”

  The crowd’s babble lessened to a bearable volume.

  “This is Brellitine Grever. The Dreign has accepted her.”

  The crowd drew a startled breath. He continued, oblivious to their amazement. “Brell, welcome to the rebel group. We call ourselves ‘The Sacri’ which means ‘The Seekers of Truth’ in the ancient sea language. We are here to help you find Timmy. I’m sorry I didn’t say all this before, but I wasn’t sure if it was my secret to reveal.”

  “Why are you helping me?” she looked around the room. There were equal number of mermaids and mermen in the room and they all still looked shocked.

  “Let’s just say we all know how it feels when Zeldae takes away someone we love.” A slim, tall mermaid with gorgeous slanting eyes, honey skin and straight black hair spoke up. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Brellitine.” She said, and shook her hand.

  “Call me Brell.”

  Callum introduced the mermaid. “This is Meaken — the leader of this part of the Sacri.”

  “This part? There are more Sacri?” Brell asked, looking at him in awe.

  “Of course, but this is the only one in Gelled. Our reach stretches to all of the Seven Seas. It’s Stephano’s job to find new recruits. We have been leading organized assaults on Zeldae’s power ever since she got the throne.” Meaken said and moved away to reveal a long oval table with twenty one chairs around it. “We must get down to business immediately.”

  Ten chairs were placed on either side and one was at the head. Meaken seated herself at the head of the table, and the muscular merman sat to her left while Callum sat to her right. Meaken flipped her tail and silver shimmer flew out, forming a chair at the other end.

  “Sit.”

  Brell sat, noticing just then the rocky walls of the cave-like room they were in. The wall next to her had a delicate, yet hauntingly beautiful symbol carved on it. A childhood memory almost danced through her mind, pulling at her memory, but she couldn’t quite put a finger on it.