Of Neptune (The Syrena Legacy) (17 page)

What draws my attention the most are the paintings on the walls between the intermittent deluges of limestone. Galen said that in the Cave of Memories back home, they keep paintings and murals and sculptures from the past. I wonder if this is Neptune’s version of the Cave of Memories. The depictions seem to tell a story, possibly the one I’m about to hear.

To my left is a painting with a giant Syrena on it, wielding a humongloid trident in his hand. From the colossal waves in front of him and the mark of a trident on his stomach, my bet is that this is the General Triton sending destruction to Tartessos.

On my right is what looks like what all the history books depict as the first Thanksgiving. People—that is, a mix of humans, Syrena, and Half-Breeds—dressed in Pilgrim-like clothing are sharing a meal at a long picnic table outside. Children run around, chasing a happy-looking dog. The background of the painting shows wooden houses and buildings being constructed, and beyond that, the vast forest. I imagine this as the beginning of Neptune.

The middle wall illustrates a town of ancient times. Stone buildings, windows without glass, cobblestone pathways. The people—again, a mix of breeds—fill the small square in the center and children play in a fountain that has a Syrena statue on it. It’s obvious that this is a marketplace of some sort; people can be seen trading things like necklaces and bracelets for things like loaves of bread and pigeons in small carrying cages. It’s a peaceful scene—all the faces are painted with contented smiles.

I’m drawn back to the present when Reed puts a hand on my shoulder. I smile robotically, just in case I missed an introduction or something, but there is no one new nearby. It must be cool in here; everyone’s breath ghosts in front of their face as they greet us. He leads me to the center of the circle of benches. I notice that everyone is quickly taking their seats.

I don’t want to be in the center. It reminds me of the last time I was in the center of a crowd—the tribunal held to investigate all the Royals for fraud. Not a happy time.

Reder steps up to us. “Reed, what took you so long? We’ve been waiting. How did Toby get so far ahead of you two?” Reder smiles at me. I’d forgotten how friendly he is. “Toby told me about Galen,” he says. “We’ll do everything we can to help. If he wants to be found, we’ll find him.”

Why does everyone keep saying that?

“Thank you,” I choke out, prying my hand from Reed’s. Reder pretends not to notice the violence with which I do this. “Reed said we could form a private search party tomorrow. To aid the sheriff.”

Reder’s eyes dart to his son, then he purses his lips. “Absolutely. I’ll make an announcement after the Retelling tonight.”

“Retelling?” I ask.

Reder throws his head back and laughs as if I’ve told a joke. It catches the attention of several people already seated around us. Well, several more people who may or may not have already been paying attention to us. “I keep forgetting you’re not from around here, Emma,” he says. “That you’re new to all of this. But, of course, you are. That’s why we’re holding a Huddle in the first place. And maybe after tonight, you won’t feel so new.” He nods to a front-row bench behind him. “I saved you the best seat in the house.”

Reed says nothing, just drags me away by my wrist this time—which I guess is easier to keep hold of—hauling me toward the bench left open for us. “How did you guys build all of this?” I whisper as we sit. My attention is again drawn to the painted cave wall directly in front of us, where Triton sends the waves to shore. The small symbol on his stomach stands out to me. And of course, it reminds me of Galen. “Is that how you knew Galen was a Triton Royal?”

Reed shrugs. “Everyone knows about the mark. Our Archives keep their memories just as well as yours do. They wouldn’t forget the mark of a Triton Royal. In fact, it was an Archive who painted that. Archives painted everything in here, since we don’t have access to the Cave of Memories. Everything here has a special meaning.”

Even this mini Cave of Memories is too much for me to take in all at once. I hope Reed and I can come back and explore this place. It would take a full day to get through the paintings alone.

He grins. “Impressed? You’ll be more impressed to know we did this all the old-fashioned way.”

I shake my head. He rolls his eyes. I contemplate pinching the “fool” out of him as they say in these parts. “These benches we’re sitting on?” he says. “They’re over a hundred years old. See that guy over there? He helped build this place. And that lady? The one talking to Dad? She’s the one who found it when she was just a fingerling. Lucia is her name. She got lost in here, and when they found her, they found all this.” He makes a sweeping motion toward the ceiling of the cave.

I allow myself to be impressed. Lucia must be pretty freaking ancient for a full-blooded Syrena to be sporting a head of white hair, wrinkles in abundance, and bony angles poking from her modest bathing suit.… She has to be older than the average geriatric Syrena—which puts her at more than three hundred years old.

Or maybe not. Mom and Galen both confirmed that Syrena age faster on land, but I’m not sure how much faster gravity speeds up the process. Doesn’t look like gravity was all that kind to Lucia.…

Wait.
Syrena age faster on land
. Does that mean
I
would live longer if I stayed in the ocean? Is that what Galen was talking about?

He wants me to live in the ocean so he can have me longer? Probably I should have let him actually talk it out with me, instead of cutting him with all my sharp, negative words. Or am I connecting dots that aren’t there? Am I reading between lines that haven’t been written?

All I know is, my stomach is seriously considering vomiting, and for lack of a better place, Reed’s lap seems to be the best target. If I aim in front of me, it might get on Reder. Besides, I’ve never seen Reed feel out of place. I’m betting a lap of upchuck will do the trick. It’ll be fun.

Yep, my stomach just flopped over. I’m upchucking in three … two … one …

“Thank you all for coming tonight,” Reder’s voice booms.

Even my stomach is unwilling to trample on Reder’s hospitality. It settles down all at once, as if chastising me for letting it act up in the first place. Still, a small corner of it aches, and I don’t think that ache will go away until I see Galen again.

Until I confirm whether I’m a heartless butthole or seriously overthinking every little thing that Galen said. Either way, it’s going to suck for me. Either way, I lose.

If I’m heartless, I’ve lost Galen for sure. If I’m overthinking things, and everything he said can be taken at face value … I’ve lost Galen.

So if I’ve lost him, why am I sending people out to find him?

Some questions can’t be answered, some shouldn’t, and some weren’t questions to begin with. I can’t decide which category this falls into.

But for now: life.

And I’ve entirely missed Reder’s introduction to the Retelling and the fact that all the lights have been dimmed and adjusted to focus on him, and that the audience has grown maddeningly quiet while the voices in my head shout at each other.

“So Poseidon came ashore and made peace with mankind,” Reder is saying. “Not just peace, though. He made friendships. Established a successful city where humans and Syrena could interact and live in harmony. Where they could form close bonds.”

Reder chuckles. “And even Poseidon appreciated the curves of the land-dwelling women, did he not, friends?” This evokes a knowing laugh from the crowd. “So he took a human mate himself and had many children with her, Half-Breed sons and daughters who adored their father. Other Syrena were content to do the same, and so they, too, made sons and daughters with humans.”

Then he focuses his attention directly on me, and I’m so grateful the lights don’t follow his gaze. When you’re sitting next to the speaker’s son and the speaker’s talking about taking a mate …
that’s when you become hyperaware that maybe you’ve been giving the wrong impression—you stupid freaking idiot
.

Or you’re just being pyscho again.
Awesome.

“They continued on for almost a century, living prosperously. Poseidon used his Gift to feed his city; the words ‘I’m hungry’ could never be heard. What was left of the food they harvested from the oceans was traded to surrounding cities. In fact, the port of Tartessos became the epicenter for trading: It attracted merchants from around the world, eager to trade for its tin, bronze, and gold. Even human kings sent gifts to keep our great General Poseidon pleased.”

“And that is when General Triton became jealous of his brother’s prosperity. In a fit, he poisoned the minds of our Syrena brethren against humans, and he divided the kingdoms into two territories. Those who believed his lies about the humans moved to Triton territory; those who saw the good in humans, the potential of forming alliances with them, moved to Poseidon territory. After the Great Sunder, Triton still was not happy.” At this Reder shakes his head. A disapproving moan moves through the audience. I glance at Reed beside me, but he doesn’t notice. He sits expressionlessly, engrossed in the tale, though he’s doubtless heard it many times. So far, the rendition of what Galen told me is fair, except of course in the Retelling, a more negative light is cast on Triton instead of Poseidon. And this is the first time I’ve heard mention of a Great Sunder. I look past that though, and try to be objective about what really did happen all those years ago.

“Afraid that his brother would gain too much power by forging such strong alliances with the humans,” Reder continues, “the inconsolable general set out to ruin Tartessos. He sent forth messengers to the human rulers in the areas surrounding the cities, telling of horrifying things such as enslavement of humans and the unnatural breeding of them. He even sent word that Poseidon had taken another human ruler’s wife as his own and that their own queens were not safe from him if he gained more power.” A wave of agitation roars behind me. Some shout things like, “Triton is a liar!” and “He’s no general of ours!”

After a few seconds, Reder holds up his hands. The Huddle sends a percussive
shhhh
resounding through the meeting cave. In Galen’s version, Poseidon actually did take a human’s wife as his own, though now I’m not sure how he could have accomplished that. I’m finding it difficult to glean the actual truth from the two stories.

When the crowd is sufficiently hushed, Reder begins again. “When Poseidon learned of the armies marching against him on land, he appealed to his good friend and well-respected Archive, Neptune, for assistance. Neptune called an emergency council with the other Archives. It was then that Triton made his final move to destroy all Poseidon had worked for. He told the Archive council that he would be willing to use his Gift to save his brother, as long as Poseidon admitted to making a mistake in forging bonds with the humans, and that they could not be trusted. He insisted that Poseidon abandon his city, everything he created there, to live as a Syrena from then on. In exchange for his help against the humans, Triton also demanded that all Syrena stay in the ocean henceforth. Having no other options presented—they couldn’t outnumber the humans after all—the Archive council agreed. Neptune was devastated, of course, to deliver the news to Poseidon. Faced with the decision of the council, the king was outraged, to say the least, but was terrified for his mate and his Half-Breed children who could not return to the ocean with him. That is when Neptune, the Great Archive, became our founding father. He told General Poseidon that he would secretly remain behind on land, never to return to the Syrena realm, and care for Poseidon’s family—and any who wished to abandon the way of life of the ocean dweller. Many did, as we well know. Those who chose to stay on land were believed to have died by the humans’ swords. And hence began the secret.”

“Neptune kept his self-sacrificing promise, friends, helping all who wished to stay ashore escape before the human armies arrived to meet their deaths by the great waves of Triton. He took the refugees farther inland, forbidding them to step foot in the oceans again, because they might be sensed by Trackers. After a time, they realized they could utilize the rivers and other freshwater sources without being detected, and so they did. Our brave descendants not only adapted to a new way of life on land, they embraced it, friends. They became as humans, so as not to be discovered by either species. At first, they were a lost, wandering people, but Neptune led them to a place of their own, a land of their own. They lived there in the fertile valley, unbothered for centuries until the Great Wars began—the humans call it the Spanish Reconquista. Caught in the crosshairs of human disagreement, our brethren were forced to find a more neutral place to etch out their lives. Though long dead, they knew Neptune would want them to seek safety elsewhere. When they heard of Columbus’s expeditions to the New Land, a large part of them made preparations to sail to it. When they arrived, they did as the human pioneers and forged their way to lands of their own, farther and farther inland. And when they happened upon this small vale nestled between the protection of the mountains and surrounded by freshwater springs and caves, they knew they’d found home.”

I become aware of sniffling behind me, and I can understand why. Reder really is a great storyteller, putting emotion and meaning into each syllable—and who doesn’t like happy endings? A great exodus and a homecoming. If it weren’t for the Galen-ache in my stomach, I’d be afloat with all the feel-good emotions like the rest of the gathering.

I wonder what Galen would think of this rendition. He probably would not approve, but who is he to say which story is the truth? From his perspective, Triton’s motive was not envy: He sought to protect the Syrena realm by limiting communication with humans. He disagreed with Poseidon’s lenient view of dealings with them and believed humans would one day turn on his brother. Also, in Galen’s version, Poseidon appealed to Triton for help against the human armies; Reder’s portrayal makes that sound very unlikely.