Chapter 4: Making a Splash

It was only seven in the morning when Mike stepped out of his bedroom to the sound of crashing waves and wind. His suite had a large viewing deck off the living room and the sliding door had been left open. The curtains danced in the breeze, and he saw three figures standing by the balcony.

A carafe of coffee was on the counter of the kitchenette, so he poured himself a fresh mug. Ratu, Quetzalli, and Beth were all leaning against the railing, eyes out towards the water. Beth and Quetzalli were wearing lightweight robes that covered bathing suits beneath, while Ratu had on a wrap. Every now and then, the wind would rustle their clothing, lifting the fabric high enough to see their asses pressed against the elastic fabric of bathing suits.

“The gods have blessed me,” he muttered, deciding to wait another minute and just watch the beauties standing before him. The rays of the rising sun obliterated the shadows, giving the scene a surreal aura. They stood in silence, content to enjoy the sunrise and the waves below.

After his meeting with Cyrus, Mike had returned to his bedroom through the rat portal under his bed and gone to dinner with everyone. The food was excellent, but it didn’t compare to what he was used to at home. Eulalie had used her weaving skills to generate a duplicate of the bracelet the Order had made, and he kept the real one in his pocket for now. As far as he could tell, that was yet another trick they had all pulled off.

Mike took in the sight for a bit longer, then stepped out onto the deck. “Good morning,” he said. The others turned to greet him, lazy smiles on their faces. “What are we looking at?”

“The Order is up to something.” Beth gestured down below. “Remember when I told you at dinner they wouldn’t let me down into the Cove? They’ve got patrols down there now, and ... just come look.”

Curious, Mike walked up to the railing and looked down at the beach. The Cove was a stretch of beach with natural lava rock barriers on both sides that vanished into the water. From where he stood, he could make out a beautiful reef system that started about fifty feet from shore. He had never been snorkeling before, and wondered if he would get a chance to check it out.

But what had Beth’s attention was the fact that the barriers were currently being patrolled by the Order. Though they wore clothing suited for the climate, he could make out wands and swords strapped to waists, thighs, and even an ankle holster. Down below in the Cove, the water level was receding relative to the beaches outside of Paradise.

“Are they draining it?” he asked.

There was a small dock that ran along one of the barriers, and the pilings beneath had been revealed. Tables and chairs had been placed in the sand where the water ebbed, and elaborate table settings were being placed.

“It looks that way.” Beth held out a hand and closed her eyes, as if deep in concentration. “Something is pulling the water away from shore.”

Curious, he opened his mind to study the magic around the beach. The magical barrier around Paradise was a large pink dome that was difficult for him to see in the bright light of day. It extended well past the Cove. In the water below, swirling lines of green and blue were directing the water out to sea.

“It’s probably why they closed it,” Beth said. “They’re getting ready for ... something.”

“That doesn’t sound ominous at all.” Ratu chuckled and turned around, her back to the railing. Shimmering scales twisted all along her thighs and upper arms as she studied Mike. “It’s water magic. Whoever is manipulating the Cove is being meticulous. That reef system would likely be sensitive to a sudden shift in the current.”

“Interesting.” Mike looked at Quetzalli. “What do you think?”

The dragon turned in his direction and winked. “I think I’m hungry for breakfast.”

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Mike walked inside and opened it to see Ingrid standing there. She wore a sheer white blouse with a bikini top beneath and a loose pair of shorts.

“Good. You’re up.” She walked inside uninvited and took a look around. “Your presence has been requested.”

“By who?” Mike asked.

Ingrid made her frustrated face, then shook it off. “The royal court. The merfolk wish to meet with you immediately after breakfast.”

“Merfolk?” Mike raised an eyebrow and looked at the others, who had come inside. “As in mermaids?”

“You catch on quick.” Ingrid surveyed the lot of them. “Where’s the intern?”

“In her room,” Mike replied. “As you probably remember, she made the decision to drink plenty of booze with her dinner, and ... well...” He left the rest unsaid. Cyrus had told him that Ingrid carried a truth stone that would recognize a lie when spoken out loud. Yes, Lily had sucked down another bottle of wine last night. Of course she had made a spectacle of herself. He wasn’t sure if she was up to something or just having fun at this point.

“Ugh. You need to learn to control your people.” Ingrid shook her head in disgust. “I’ll alert the kitchen staff, maybe they’ll bring up some food later. If she’s as hungover as I think she is, I do not want her speaking to the royal family.”

Mike nodded his agreement. In truth, Lily’s hangover was a ruse for her to stay in the room and guard the portal under his bed. Ratu had created a simple illusion spell that would mask it, but it wouldn’t hold up if someone checked underneath. He also didn’t want anyone fixing the cameras they had shorted out.

“Yes, well, Lily has always struggled with authority.” Beth moved next to Mike. “Is our current attire appropriate for merfolk royalty, or should we change?”

Ingrid snorted, a small smile appearing. “What you’re wearing is fine. Swimsuits are preferred, actually. We’ll be meeting them out in the Cove, and everybody will get at least a little wet. In terms of the merfolk, you’ll be overdressed, honestly.”

“Lovely. Well ... shall we?” Beth offered her arm to Mike, and he hooked his arm around hers. On the way out, Beth slipped the Do Not Disturb sign onto the latch of the door. “We don’t want anyone disturbing Lily,” she explained.

“On that, we all agree.” Ingrid took them to the elevator, and they all rode down together. When the door opened at the bottom, Aurora was there to greet them.

“Good morning,” she declared with a smile. Aurora did a quick scan of the group and then looked at her clipboard. “Will Miss Lily be joining us?”

Ingrid shook her head. “Too much to drink. She’ll be sleeping in today.”

“I see.”

Though Aurora smiled, Mike saw the cracks in the facade. This had messed up somebody’s plans. The weirdest part about the whole affair with the cameras was that he knew they were there, the Order knew that he knew, but nobody was going to come out and yell at him for destroying equipment they had installed to spy on him. Eulalie had tried to explain it using the psychology of espionage, whereas Ratu had done so from a political angle. The whole affair was a little childish, but the consequences of a missed camera or spell were dire.

“Maybe you should send up some breakfast in an hour or so,” Beth offered, placing a casual hand on Aurora’s wrist. “Make sure whoever you send knocks loudly until she answers.”

Aurora chuckled, but Mike could already see that the woman was scheming. His primary plan was to play the fool and reinforce the notion that he was just an ordinary guy with an entourage of beautiful women who he fucked when he felt like it.

“Everything okay?” Aurora studied Mike’s face, and he realized that he had been scowling.

“Yeah,” he replied, rubbing his sternum. “Coffee on an empty stomach, so a bit of heartburn is all.”

“Let me show you to your table. We’re dining in the Cove this morning. Our visitors will be arriving in about forty minutes.” Aurora spun in place and led them down to the beach. They walked past the pool and the beach bar, then along a wooden ramp that descended onto the sand. Everyone paused to leave their shoes behind in a small cubby, and Mike noticed that the women had all painted their toes. Ingrid was the only one who hadn’t. When she saw him looking, he pointed at her feet, then his own.

“Looks like we missed the memo,” he said with a grin. “If you want, we could paint each others toes later, maybe have a—”

Ingrid ignored him and walked onto the sand. He shrugged and followed the mage down to the edge of the water where tables and chairs had been set up. They sat down and were immediately offered a menu of primarily egg dishes. Mike noticed that most of the serving staff seemed to be locals. When they wandered off after taking orders, he looked over at Aurora, who had joined them at the table.

“Is the wait staff part of the Order?” he asked.

Aurora shook her head. “Not really. Occasionally you might have a knight or mage who washes out early and needs a quieter job, but we hire locally. Anyone working here not only knows how to keep their mouth shut, but they’re making at least six figures a year.”

Beth, who had been sipping water, choked on it. She sputtered for a moment, and then wiped her face. “Seriously, six figures?”

“Yes. As well as access to certain amenities.” Aurora gestured around them. “For example, many of them live in Order-owned properties by the beach, or even on it. When the Order hires someone, they try to make it the career of a lifetime. The men and women who are serving you food today are paid well, and their families are cared for. Breaking our trust wouldn’t just cost them a job, but an entire lifestyle.”

“So even though they serve us, they do stand above their peers.” Ratu tilted her head thoughtfully. “But what if they decide that they wish to move on?”

“There are other opportunities within the Order. If the man cooking your eggs decides he wants to be a chemical engineer, we send him to school, pay his tuition, and the Order gains a chemist in a few years.” Aurora set her clipboard down and leaned against the table. “Any other questions?”

“You aren’t a local. Does that mean you are ... washed out?” Quetzalli frowned and looked at Mike. “Did I use that term correctly?”

“Sort of, but it isn’t nice.” Mike looked at Aurora. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Actually, she’s a little on point.” Aurora turned toward Quetzalli. “When I was younger, my family got involved with a paranormal entity that required the Order’s intervention. I wanted to join up, but didn’t have the killer instinct necessary to become a knight. Great with a blade, average with magic, but the killing part? Blood makes me gag.

“So they found somewhere else for me to work. I get to meet interesting people, see amazing creatures, and all without the expectation of murder!” Aurora clapped her hands together. “Speaking of which, would anybody here be interested in a murder mystery dinner in two nights?”

“There won’t be time,” Ingrid said. “The itinerary is full. We were going to do a flyover of the property this morning, but that was pushed back by ... this.” She gestured toward the still draining Cove. “So we’ll try to do that later tonight. As long as the weather holds, we should strike out early tomorrow morning.”

“Agreed.” Mike was about to add something else when his breakfast was set down in front of him. He thanked his server and then tackled the massive omelet he had ordered. Halfway through his meal, he realized someone was missing. “Where’s Wallace?”

“Somewhere else.” Ingrid frowned at her plate. “The merfolk aren’t very fond of him.”

“Tell me more about the merfolk.” Ratu sipped at a cup of tea, her sparkling eyes fixed on the mage. “I assume their culture varies wildly based on location.”

“They do.” Ingrid’s forehead scrunched up. “To our knowledge, all merfolk have a monarchical system, meaning a king or queen. Their anatomy will vary depending on their ecosystem. For example, the merfolk in northern Europe look less human than the ones we have here. The colder waters are far more hostile, and they rarely surface because they can freeze. There was a massive kingdom once upon a time along eastern Africa, but they’re gone now.”

“What happened?” asked Beth.

“Resource issues. They were forced to move to deeper waters due to lack of food, which meant dealing with stronger predators in the deeps. In-fighting caused a bunch of them to flee to different waters after a monarch died, and I won’t even get into the wars they fought.”

“Wars? With who?”

Ingrid sighed and leaned back in her chair. “With whoever pissed them off. The Order spent a huge amount of time cleaning up messes in that area, but local tribes got into fights with them, and the British as well. Ships kept disappearing, that was usually merfolk. Ferdinand the Second commissioned Columbus to find a transatlantic route because of it.”

“I thought the whole point of Columbus was to find a shorter path to India?” Beth had leaned forward in her seat, her chin propped up in her hands. At the mention of Columbus, Quetzalli frowned at what was left of her breakfast and stopped eating.

Ingrid nodded. “That, too. The longer voyages were problematic, but fighting with merfolk was making trips around the Cape of Good Hope unprofitable. Just like countries on earth, merfolk colonies differ wildly. Some colonies were wiped out due to being too friendly, while others were destroyed for being too violent. The few that remain today are either completely xenophobic or have found a way to work with local communities, like the Kingdom of Nalu does here.”

Aurora spoke up. “The Kingdom of Nalu used to act similarly as the Order for centuries. The Hawaiian people didn’t even know they were here beyond rumors and rare sightings. The merfolk only involved themselves when the island came under attack from the supernatural. According to the historians of Nalu, their people were given refuge here by the gods themselves.”

“Gods?” Mike perked up. “The gods of Hawaii?”

Ingrid shrugged. “It’s only conjecture. The Order hasn’t interacted with any of the gods in this region, but have no reason to doubt the merfolk. It’s entirely possible they came across magic users of immense power, or even gods from a different pantheon. We don’t pretend to understand them fully, but if I were to give you one piece of advice, it would be this—deities are notoriously flakey.” The mage smirked. “But back to the basics. Native islanders and merfolk never truly interacted until the late 1700s. They struck an accord with leaders on land and attempted to unite the islands.”

“It went poorly.” Aurora shook her head. “The kingdom of Hawaii had a choice. Cut themselves off from the rest of the world, or try to find their place. When they chose the latter, they opened themselves up to trouble.”

“What happened?” Mike looked back and forth between the women.

“Resources.” Ratu lowered her tea and shook her head. “Once everyone knew what Hawaii had, someone came and took it.”

“That’s right. The monarchy here was overthrown by the US in less than 24 hours.” Aurora stared at her plate. “The merfolk never even had a chance to support their land bound allies. So they hid once more.”

“And they stayed that way until 1941.” Ingrid looked knowingly at Mike. “When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.”

“Were they at Pearl Harbor?” asked Mike.

“No. But that’s when they realized that they could no longer avoid the troubles of the world. They have a saying I rather enjoy: the tide comes and goes regardless of our feelings. If they wanted to stay, they either needed to announce their presence to the world, or find a way to remain in plain sight. And that’s when we got involved.” Ingrid gestured at Paradise. “The Order’s first task was to find a way to unify Hawaii with one of the global powers so that it wouldn’t be flipped over so easily in the future. So we arranged for Hawaii to become the 50th state.”

“Wow.” Mike knew that the Order was powerful, but this sounded almost outlandish. “So Hawaii is the 50th state because of mermaids?”

“It was headed that way already. The Order expedited the process is all.” Ingrid picked up an orange and dug in her thumbnail to start peeling it. “Suffice to say, the merfolk here are among the friendliest on the planet. At the same time, they would not hesitate to drown you should you piss them off. Right now, with so many of their own dead, veiled threats are being made.”

“And they are very interested in you.” Aurora set her napkin on top of her plate. “When we told them that the Caretaker himself was coming, they demanded a meeting right away.”

“That sounds a little ominous.” Mike noticed that Quetzalli had turned away from the conversation. It was clear that she was upset. “So is there anything else I should know before meeting with them?”

“Don’t stare.” Aurora chuckled. “They expect it a little bit, but it does piss them off.”

Everyone except Quetzalli finished their meal. Once the table was cleared, they were free to walk around as long as they stayed within earshot. Mike watched the storm dragon wander off, but Ratu was close behind. Figuring the naga had Quetzalli covered, he walked down to the edge of the water with Beth.

She stood with her feet in the sand, staring down as the water swept across the top of her feet. When it washed back out, the water sucked sand out from beneath, causing her feet to sink and gradually disappear. There was a look of wonderment in her eyes as the water swirled along her toes before vanishing into the tide.

“When I was a little girl, my family took trips to the ocean in the summer. I used to think that if I stood still long enough, I would sink down to my waist in the sand, and that’s when I would get my mermaid tail.” She wiggled her toes back and forth, causing her feet to sink even deeper. “One time, when I was eleven, I tried to bury my lower half in the hopes that it would hasten the process.”

Mike laughed. “I came to the ocean a couple of times with my scout troop, but wasn’t really big on going in the water. The waves always felt too big for me, like they were going to gobble me up.”

“I wanted them to gobble me up, to take me away.” Beth inhaled deeply through her nose. “It was like a calling. I briefly considered going into the Coast Guard.”

“You probably would have been good at it.”

“Maybe. But I didn’t want to be on a boat, staring down from above. I wanted to be part of the water, swimming beneath the waves, exploring its secrets.” Beth sighed. “But the best fit was being some type of marine biologist, and hoping for research in the corners of the earth. Not an easy gig to land.”

“I bet.” In truth, he had no idea.

“I did a couple of intro biology classes in college. Didn’t like it. I like things that are dynamic, constantly changing.” Her eyes shimmered as she gazed out at the waves. “Guess that isn’t a shocking character revelation.”

Mike smiled. “Out of curiosity, what does the magic look like to you? Out in the water, I mean.”

“It’s not something I see. I feel it right in here.” Beth put a hand to her chest. “I don’t even know how to properly describe it. It’s a kind of pressure. I feel how the water wants to move, but I also feel how it’s being changed. There’s a primal power to it, as if the ocean was asked to move and it agreed. How do you see it?”

“Bands of shimmering light.” His answer was far more straightforward than hers. Beth could see some magic, but her attunement to water was incredibly strong. “They’re very pretty.”

Beth stood there for another minute, then turned her attention to Aurora, who was standing by the ramp to the beach. “How much longer until they get here?” she asked, raising her voice to be heard.

Aurora looked at her watch. “A few minutes. They’re running late.”

Beth pointed to the dock. “Am I allowed to go there?”

The hostess thought for a moment, then nodded. “It shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Great.” Beth’s fingers curled around Mike’s, and she pulled him toward the dock. They had to climb up a small hill of sand to get to the structure, and she led him onto the dock. About twenty feet past the waterline, he realized that the water wasn’t lying flat, but had taken on a sloped quality. If he didn’t know better, it looked like the ocean was receding to form a vertical edge.

They were near the end of the dock when Beth pulled off her cover, revealing a dark blue swimsuit. Hair tumbled down across her back as she handed her cover to Mike, then tossed a smile his way over a shoulder.

“Don’t let anyone shoot me,” she said with a wink, then took off running. Over his shoulder, Mike heard Aurora, Ingrid, and a few other members of the Order shout, but there was no stopping Beth. When she reached the end of the dock, she leapt high into the air, letting out a whoop of delight as she curled her body into a ball. Her brunette curls trailed behind her like the tail of a shooting star as she fell, the moment searing itself into his brain.

The surface of the water swirled, and it almost looked as if the ocean rose to greet her. Beth broke the surface, disappearing beneath the waves. Behind him, Mike heard footsteps as Aurora and Ingrid ran out onto the dock.

“Of all the—” Ingrid moved past Mike and stared down into the water. “I would expect this from the intern, maybe, not your attorney!”

“Good help is hard to find.” Mike shrugged, keeping the grin off his face.

“I swear to God, if she just cannonballed one of the royal family, I will fucking drown her myself!” Aurora’s mask had slipped completely, her eyes now pinpricks of anger. “Get her out of the water!”

“Hey. Beth.” Mike looked over the side of the dock. Though the water was clear to the bottom, he saw no sign of her. “If anyone has a rock, we can tie a note to it and drop—”

Aurora moved like she was going to strangle him, but Ingrid interceded, pushing the woman away. The two of them had a very rushed conversation about obscene demands, something about peeing in the pool, and the phrase ‘diplomatic incident’. Aurora eventually stormed away down the dock, where a few Order members waited. Other than some dirty looks from them, nobody said anything.

Ingrid and Mike stood at the end of the dock for over a minute before the mage spoke. “Is she okay down there?”

“Probably.” He shrugged, fighting to keep the smirk off his face. “Maybe she met an interesting starfish or something.”

“Look, I know you think this is all fun and games, but this is serious business. When this is all over, you get to fly back to your house and do whatever it is you do there. This is my job, and I have to live with any fallout here, and for all I know, your friend pissed off a mermaid and is being held in a chokehold until she drowns.”

“Do mermaids do that?” Mike raised an eyebrow. “That sounds a little extreme.”

“This is their territory. The Order cares for the property, but the land and the magic that sustains it? That’s all from the Kingdom.” Ingrid pushed a finger in his face. “And if they decide they don’t like you, I want you to know that the Order will not stand in their way.”

Mike looked out at the water, contemplating Ingrid’s words. He had definitely struck a nerve, which was fine. The more off balance he kept them, the better off he would be. However, the merfolk were a factor he hadn’t accounted for. The last thing he needed was to be dragged out into the ocean and fed to a mutant octopus or something.

“Okay,” he said after another minute of silence. “I promise that I’ll be on some of my best behavior when the merfolk arrive.”

Ingrid sighed, the tension going out of her shoulders. “Thank you.”

“But if these merfolk try anything fishy...” he added, grinning dumbly.

“I swear to God I’ll cut you,” Ingrid hissed. “There are sharks out here, they’d never find the body.”

“That’s the thing about sharks. They always get right to the—” Mike was interrupted by a splash as Beth emerged from the water, her mouth open wide as she gasped for air.

“They’re here!” she shouted, then turned to look at him. “Their delegation is almost here, I saw them!”

“Did you wave?” Mike knelt down and held out his hand. “I hear ocean people like waves.”

Beth narrowed her eyes at him while Ingrid stomped off, muttering to herself.

“You just can’t help it, can you?” Beth shook her head and took the offered hand.

“No,” Mike replied as he pulled her up. “No, I cannot.”

Ratu stood behind Quetzalli, watching as the dragon dipped her toes in a tide pool that had formed. A small crab kept popping out of a nearby hole to wave its claws threateningly in their direction, only to vanish if either of them moved. The dragon crouched down and stuck her fingers in the sand, splaying them wide.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Ratu stepped past Quetzalli, which caused the crab to vanish. She knelt down and touched the sand, then closed her eyes and expanded her senses. The crab was huddled in its burrow, nervously pacing back and forth. Beneath them, she could feel the creatures of the sea as they tunneled, slumbered, or generally shifted about beneath the sand.

Quetzalli let out a long sigh. “I don’t even know that it’s worth mentioning. To hear the tale of the merfolk so casually discussed. It isn’t dissimilar to what happened to the humans who worshiped me. I can still see them, in my mind’s eye. My people, cut down by merciless Spaniards, exposed to disease, enslaved. Dragons have long memories.”

“And long lives,” Ratu added. “For you and I, this is our own history. But you have to remember that humans live such short lives. They are so far removed from the travesties of the past.”

“I guess.” Quetzalli kicked a shell across the sand. “This whole time I’ve lived at the house, I’ve forgotten that Mike isn’t your typical human. He’s been an apt pupil, a dear friend, a gracious host—”

“And a generous lover.” Ratu smirked at the memory of making Mike eat her out for almost an hour yesterday evening. Her legs had coiled around his torso, holding her body in place as she came several times. The man hadn’t even complained when she just wanted to lie there in a state of post-orgasmic bliss. He took a quick shower and then crawled under the bed to travel half-way around the world for tea with Death and Cyrus.

Quetzalli blushed and she giggled. “That, too. The human body has many experiences unique to it. I must say that sex is one of them. It’s not really something my kind do for fun.”

“Mine do. Even in our serpentine form.” She moved next to Quetzalli and wrapped their arms together. “We do it like this. Sometimes we could spend days sliding across and over each other, deep beneath the earth. Some naga will create a chain, potentially dozens long.”

“If dragons did that, we would have destroyed whole mountain chains. For us, it was often rough, like a battle. Our powers get released, not unlike my current form. Storm dragons like me would go out to sea and end up summoning hurricanes. Days spent in passion would later become attempts to shepherd the storm away from civilization. Or not, depending on the dragon.” Quetzalli shrugged, which caused her arm to slide free. “I can’t say I entirely blame humanity for hunting us down, but to condemn an entire species out of ignorance is never okay.”

Ratu bit her lip and nodded. To her knowledge, her clan was likely still around. Naga were far more prudent when it came to revealing themselves, especially in the last century. It wouldn’t surprise her to learn that the naga secretly ran entire governments or even corporations. Why worry about mankind when you could rule them from above?

After all, there was a reason that people often referred to politicians as snakes.

“Well, you should know that I’m here for you if you ever wish to talk. We live extremely long lives, and friends who can walk the long journey with us are more valuable than diamonds.” Ratu felt a pulse of power from deep in the bay and turned her attention toward it. “Looks like the merfolk are here.”

Beth and Mike were running down the dock as the drained water in the Cove flowed back, then lifted itself up like a giant, oncoming wave. The wall of water was nearly twenty feet tall, and revealed a sandbar that was covered in stone furniture. Ratu and Quetzalli hurried back to where Mike and Beth stood, the latter making a hand gesture that glowed briefly before stripping the water away from her body. When she saw Ratu looking, she winked.

“This is so cool,” she whispered, then turned her attention toward the wall of water. Shadows had appeared as multiple figures approached. Many were holding spears as they emerged from the murk, revealing merfolk who averaged nine feet long from head to tail. They wore minimal clothing, which was more ornamental than anything else. Other than metallic bracers and shoulder pads, the warriors were naked. The men had their penises tucked into a belt around their waist, though a couple were dangling freely. Their members shifted and twitched in such a manner that Ratu suspected they could be prehensile.

A trio of individuals hovered in the middle of the group, each one wearing a crown made of coral. Waves of power radiated out through the water, and the central merfolk advanced. As they passed from liquid to air, two of the merfolk were held aloft by spheres of water that formed around their lower halves, allowing them to travel toward the nearest stone table. These were both men. One carried a crystalline sphere in his hands and the other a stack of stone tablets.