Merman Boyfriend: Ty 2 (special preview)

I had seen ships many times in my life, but never had I been aboard one. It felt strange to be on the water and yet so far away from it still. Haytham had prepared enough medicine for my colony to cure them, as well as have extra should it still linger afterwards. Daddy also had supplies ready, in case there was a need for food or anything since the outbreak started.

“We have other merfolk within the carnival, but we don’t want to risk them getting ill, so Authaire and I will join you.” Haytham says.

“I’m not sure how my people will take to landwalkers amongst them. Most are quite afraid of them. Who knows what the disease has done to their way of thinking either.” My wife, Seira, had a strong distaste for landwalkers. Ever since her sister had run away with one and never returned, she had formed a very harsh opinion.

I wanted to get back home so badly. I had no idea what had happened since I had been away. Time was a blur, I couldn’t quite put my days together. I know, though, I had left in a hurry. I wanted to get gone and back as fast as possible so my family didn’t have to suffer any more. What if I failed them? What if there was nothing left to go home to? I would be lost forever, there would be no reason to go back. I wouldn’t ever want to be in the ocean again.

“Will you miss your legs?”

Echo’s voice brings me out of my dark thoughts. She looks at me from her seat, wearing her bright orange life vest which looks too big for her skinny frame. I smile at her and shake my head. 

“I don’t quite know how you get around on them.” I stretch my legs out. More scales had grown since last I looked, the spell was wearing off. “They make no sense. Especially the feet. How is someone supposed to balance on those?”

Echo leans forward slightly. “What’s it like to have a tail?”

“Well,” I sigh. “When I compare between the two, knowing now what legs are like, I would have to say it’s much better.” I wink at her. “To me, the tail feels weightless, it’s just a natural continuation of me. I’m not in separate pieces, it’s a unified whole working together.”

Echo tilts her head to the side. “Do you get tired?”

“Of course, everyone does. But that’s why I have a large nest for me and my family. It’s where we go to rest and be safe.”

Echo’s smile grows a bit. “Could I see it?”

“I’m afraid not,” Daddy says. “Where we’re going isn’t very safe for you. We have to swim very far down, and I don’t want you getting hurt.”

Echo begins to pout. I recognize that same look from my daughter. “It’s okay. I get it.” She says that, but it still bothers her all the same.

“Maybe one day,” I say to placate. “Who knows what the future holds?”

Echo’s expression is a mix of happy and sad. She nods at me then gets up to look over the railing as the ship takes off.

My legs were beginning to ache, the further out at sea we got, the more they cramped and made me limp when I had to walk. I suppose it was the spell wearing off, but it could have also been my need for the sea as well. 

I was starting to recognize the sky, as the stars came out, I could remember them from my view back home. They filled the sky as it grew blacker, and the moon was full and bright. 

“I think we’re close,” I say to Daddy. “Let’s stop here.”

Authaire stops the boat while Haytham drops anchor. The world is quiet here, nothing but the sound of the waters lapping up onto the boat. Ruby is sitting with Echo, gently stroking her hair while Echo lays sleepily in her arms. Something seems the matter.

“Is she alright?” I ask.

“Echo gets a little sick during full moons,” Ruby says. “She still hasn’t shifted yet, so the full moon affects her.”