A Thousand Salt Kisses (Book 1 of Salt Kiss series)

><> Chapter Twenty-Three <><

"Crystal!" a familiar voice called.

I turned around, now halfway back up the stairway to the garden.

I squinted and in the dark I could see a white triangular object gliding towards the jetty. Where is he?

As the triangle got nearer, I realized that it was a sail, and soon after I was able to make out a little wooden boat to which it was attached. Llyr was perched on the edge steering unsurely.

"Sorry," he said distractedly fumbling with a couple of ropes. "This is not the easiest thing to work."

"Where did you get it?" I asked.

"Oh, I just pulled it out of the harbor. I thought it looked like a very basic boat, but it's... you know, fiddly?" He looked at me, as though to check he'd said the right word.

I felt laughter escape my lips. "Yes, fiddly!" I said, trying to regain a straight face.

He took my hand and I lowered myself into the sail boat.

"I'll take it back later, don't worry," he said, tugging at a rope and pushing us away from the jetty.

After some experimentation with the sail ropes we set off, traveling slowly and slightly more surely over the still dark waters.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked.

"Somewhere where I can see you would be good," I said, looking around at the ebony night enveloping us.

"Of course, I'm sorry I forget you can't see in the dark."

"Why can you?"

"Yes, I can see you perfectly."

"Okay, what color dress am I wearing then?" I challenged, just to be sure.

"Blue, with white bits," he said. "And I can see the shells around your foot as well."

I felt my anklet in the dark. He really could see. That was comforting, as traveling on the sea in the pitch black was highly disconcerting. I felt like I was blindfolded and had no idea where I was going.

"Don't worry, you know I'll look after you," he said, sensing my fear.

I smiled, which I trusted he would see. "So I guess that's how you guys find your way about in the deep dark waters then?"

"Yes, it helps," said Llyr.

As ever, I wanted to know more about his world.

"Where do you live?" I pressed.

"In the Jeweled Kingdom," he replied. "In a palace. It's purple, and made from a big jewel."

"Oh, the Amethyst Palace?" 

"Yes, the Amethyst palace. Although I'm sad to say those poisons have ruined it," Llyr said. He was probably angry, but he never showed it. "It's eroding in places. Maybe we will have Spirit restore it when we can be sure that those ships won't be coming back."

"I'm sorry on behalf of my species," I said guiltily. "You said they've been making your people ill?"

"Yes," he said solemnly, "some of the younger mer have not been able to survive."

I bit my lip. 

"We tried to treat them with all the remedies we could source, but three passed last season," he continued, his voice heavy with sorrow. He paused for a long time, and I began to wonder if he was okay. Although I could not see him, I sensed he were reliving the memories.

"You were there when they...?" I trailed off.

"At the third death," he replied. "They brought her to the palace."

He fell silent again.

"So terrible," I said, softly.

"Yes but still, it'snot the first time we've had to contend with men and their poisons," said Llyr,his voice returning to its normal tone now. "We used to get a lot of oilships around ten years ago. They always leaked all over the seas; we could not even see the jewels at one point because they were covered in thick black slime. So, we messed withtheir boats, sent them off-course and they kept getting so lost that they had no choice but to change their route in the end. But still, there will be other mer out there now suffering because of these ships."