Emily Windsnap and the Castle in the Mist Part 8

"When Neptune found her body, he took the ring from her and a""

"I know this part," I said quickly a" even if it wasn't exactly how Mr. Beeston had told it. I had to get it right this time, show Aaron he could trust me. "He tore the pearl ring from her finger and threw away his own ring, the diamond one."

"That's right," Aaron said. "And no one has ever seen the rings a" till now." He fell silent.

"The kraken had Neptune's ring," I said. "I found it."

Aaron stepped toward me. "Emily, these rings can only be worn by certain folk."

"I know," I said, swallowing.

"A human and a merperson in love, or a child of such a pair . . ." His voice trailed off, and he looked at me, questioning.

I didn't reply. Finally I nodded.

"I thought as much," Aaron said, suddenly smiling. "You're a semi-mer! You are, aren't you?"

"How did you know?"

"You said you swam here through the tunnels. No human can swim underwater that far. It's impossible." He grinned wider. His whole face changed with his smile; it was like watching a two-dimensional picture come to life. "You found the diamond ring!" he said. "You really found it!"

"Why is that so great?" I asked.

Aaron led me back to the gla.s.s cabinet. "Look," he said, pointing to an inscription in black, swirly writing beneath the rings.

I read aloud. "*When the rings touch, they will overrule any act born of hatred or anger. Only love shall reign.'"

I looked up at Aaron. "I don't understand," I said.

"There's a curse," he answered me, his face darkening. "It must be undone. And soon."

"What curse?" I shuddered. Did he know about the curse on me? Surely not a" he couldn't!

Aaron brushed my question away with a flick of his hand. "We still need to find the pearl ring, though," he said. "And that's impossible."

"Who says it's impossible? I found this one!" I said, my breath tripping over my words as it raced into my throat.

"The second ring will be much harder to find. The one Neptune ripped from Aurora's finger. He swore it could only be found when it was seen under the light of a full moon. But there was a catch."

"A catch?"

"The ring was buried so deep it has never seen the moon's light. And so it has never been found. Neptune and Aurora married under a full moon on the spring equinox, at midnight. At that moment, the sea's tide is the lowest it ever gets a" and only then is it low enough for the ring to be visible. But those conditions occur only every five hundred years. It's virtually impossible to find it. We'll never stop the curse."

"What curse?" I asked again.

Aaron walked to a small recess. His breath misted the windowpane as he looked out. "After Aurora died, Neptune turned to hatred and anger. There were storms for years. Ships were wrecked at sea. Many fishermen died, many humans perished in the seas, over the years that followed. But even that wasn't enough for Neptune. Even that couldn't take away his rage."

"So what did he do?"

"First he banned any more marriages between humans and merfolk. He swore the two worlds would never again live in harmony."

Well, yes, I knew all about that. "And second?" I asked.

"Neptune and Aurora had two children," said Aaron. "A son and a daughter."

"What happened to them?"

"In his grief and sorrow, Neptune cursed them," he went on. "His own children. Each of his own children, and their children, and every generation that followed a" every single one of them would die young, and always on Aurora's birthday, as she did. He couldn't forgive her a" and because of this, her family would forever be punished."

"His family too," I said.

Aaron nodded. "Their family. And there was another curse placed on them. They would never fit in, never be of one world or the other. They would be not quite human, not quite merperson. Whichever form they took, it would always be held back by remnants of their other form. Every single generation forever would be the same. Do you understand?"

Did I understand? If only he knew how well I understood! It was almost the same as the curse on me! "Aaron. Look!" I thrust my hands in front of his face, opening my fingers so he could see how they were webbed.

"Of course," he said. "I should have noticed before. I was too busy looking at the ring. "You're the same."

I nodded.

"The only way to undo these curses would be to bring the rings together again," said Aaron.

"Because the curses came from hatred and anger," I said, finally understanding the significance of what I had found. We just had to find the other ring, and we could end the curse on his family! And end the curse on me too! I could keep being a semi-mer! I wouldn't have to lose my parents! The thought sent my hopes soaring. Till Aaron spoke again.

"But that will almost certainly never happen," he said. "The chance will come only once every five hundred years."

"When was the marriage?"

"No one knows for sure. The wedding was shrouded in secrecy, protected by Neptune's magic. No one has ever known the exact year it took place. I think it must have been about five hundred years ago, though. It could be more. The moment has probably already pa.s.sed. So the curses will remain forever, and nothing will ever bring back harmony between land and sea."

Aaron fell back into silence. His words spun around and around in my head. I'd found one ring. Why couldn't we find the other?

"Where was it buried?" I asked suddenly. "The second ring. Where was it buried?"

"Right where she died. Just beyond her home." Aaron ran a hand through his sleek hair.

"Her home?" I asked. I was pretty sure what he was going to say. Pretty sure he wasn't just telling me any old story, someone else's story. I was pretty sure it was his story. That her home was his home, her family his. That was when I realized I was pretty sure of something else too. The reason I felt so comfortable with him and cared so much about what he had to say a" it was because he was like me. Caught between two worlds. It was almost as though I'd found a brother.

"Yes," he said. "She lived here at Half Light Castle. In fact, Neptune had the castle built especially for her, for them. A place of magic and beauty and love, where their two worlds came together. And ever since, it's been a symbol of the exact opposite, keeping every generation separate from the rest of the world."

"Completely separate? Don't you ever see anyone else?"

"There has been more life here at different points in the castle's history. But it's never been a happy place since that time. And, with the curses, the family's dwindled more and more over the years. It's just me and Mother now. We have a few visitors who bring us our supplies, but they hardly talk to us."

"Why not?"

"Mostly they're sirens, employed by Neptune. They don't dare go against Neptune's rule. They're all instructed not to talk to us, although there are a few who I'm secretly friends with," Aaron said. "It's a pretty lonely life," he added.

Sirens! That's what he was going to say earlier, when he changed it to servants. I knew it! And I was right about Aaron being descended from Neptune and Aurora too! Before I had a chance to say anything, the alarm sounded again, crashing into every bit of s.p.a.ce around us, filling my head with noise.

Aaron jumped as though he'd been stung. "Mother," he said. "I forgot!"

"What is it?" I called over the din.

"It's my mother. She's confined to bed. She rings it when she needs me. I didn't go to her earlier. Emily, I have to leave." Aaron hurried to the door. "I don't dare take you with me; the shock will only make her worse."

Outside the chapel, waves crashed against the rocks. The sky was starting to grow light; above the mist, clouds were turning pink, antic.i.p.ating the day ahead. Cobwebs shone brightly in the door frame: elaborate spiraling mazes in one corner, half-finished sc.r.a.ps and threads dangling loosely in another, gaping and half-empty like derelict houses.

"Quick. Go back to the tunnels. It's the only way. It's too dangerous on the rocks." Aaron led me to the door that would take me back to the cellar. "Down there," he said, opening the door and virtually shoving me inside. "You'll find your way back?"

"Yes, of course."

"Come back soon!" he said urgently. "Promise me!"

"I promise," I said.

"Good." He allowed himself a brief smile. "I have to go now." And with that, he closed the door and left me in the darkness.

Lowering myself down, I made my way smoothly back to the cellar and set off for Fortuna. Heading back didn't feel half so difficult. The current drew me along. The ring vibrated in my hand, buzzing warmly. It seemed as excited as I was. It was willing me to get back to Shona and tell her everything.

As I swam, I watched the sky changing moment by moment, the clouds growing orange and bright. The sun rose in front of me, shining hard into my eyes as though it were a weapon sent to blind me. Beneath it, the mist rolled along the top of the sea like a thin layer of snow. Don't let Millie be up yet, I said to myself, swimming as hard as I could to get back despite my tail feeling as though it were made of iron and despite my breath coming out in rasps, shorter and shorter with every stroke.

The second I swam through the porthole, Shona was there.

"Where have you been?" she whispered fiercely.

"Is Millie up?"

"No." She shook her head. "I couldn't sleep and I was calling you. I figured you must have still been asleep."

"Shona. I got there," I said. "I got to the castle!"

Shona whistled. "Flipping fins! How? What's it like? Did you go inside? Does anyone live there?"

I laughed, holding up my hands to ward off any more questions. "I'll tell you everything," I said. "Just let me get my breath back."

Shona listened in silence to the whole story. When I'd finished, she simply stared at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Emily, you have to find the other ring. It's your only hope!"

"I know a" but I can't. It's impossible. No one's seen it for hundreds of years. It's buried too deep. It's not suddenly going to turn up now!"

Shona bowed her head. "We have to find it, Emily. We have to find a way. We can't give up. There's too much to lose."

"You're telling me!" Shona wasn't even the one with something to lose. I was going to lose the whole of the mermaid world or the whole of my life as I'd known it up until now. Mr. Beeston's words hadn't left my mind for a second. Neptune's word is law. I would see my parents on the night of the full moon, one of them for the last time ever. And I didn't even know which one.

"And before you say I have nothing to lose," Shona said, reading my mind as usual, "I do. I've got you to lose. And I'm not prepared to let that happen. OK?"

I let myself smile at my best friend. "OK," I said.

We stared out at the castle. It seemed to be staring back at us, the mist curling around its base like a dark blanket, the turrets bright and harsh in the sun, the windows shining like lights.

"We can find it," Shona insisted quietly as she swam toward me and grabbed my hand. "Emily, you can end the curse! You just need to bring the rings back together. You'll change Aaron's life as well!"

The thought made my heart soar. A day ago, I didn't even know he existed; now my fate was inextricably linked to his. "Maybe it'll bring harmony back to sea and land too," I said. Before I could stop myself, I added, "And then Neptune would change his mind, and Mom and Dad could go on being together!"

Then I stopped. How could I be such a fool? My shoulders slumped and I sank lower in the water as I thought about what I was saying. What if Mom and Dad didn't even want to be together? The way things had been lately, they would probably be happy with Neptune's new law! And then there was, of course, the fact that the pearl ring was buried so deep it would never be seen.

I was going to lose a parent. It would happen just as Mr. Beeston had told us. When the full moon came, Neptune would bring my parents to me and I would say good-bye to one of them a" forever. The thought was so dark and so huge, it felt as if I were falling into it, into the deep chasm that was my future. I stroked the gold band on my finger, pressed the diamond against my palm, looking for comfort, but it felt cold. It had no comfort to offer me.

"Who am I kidding?" I said, my words as heavy as my heart. "We're not going to find the ring. We'll never stop all these terrible things from happening."

"We will NOT give up!" Shona said, swimming around in front of my face and lifting my chin just as Mom does when she forces me to listen. "Do you hear me?" she said sternly. "That is not my best friend talking. The one who explores shipwrecks and caves and breaks into prisons to rescue her dad! We'll find a way. OK?"

I nodded gratefully. "OK," I said. She was right. I couldn't give up. I couldn't just let my life slip away, lose a parent, lose half of myself. Being a mermaid wasn't just something I did for fun. It was part of who I was. We had to find the other ring and bring the two together. Then anything born of anger and hatred would end. The curse on me would have to be lifted, and the curse on Aaron and his family too. He could have a completely new life. Perhaps he and his mom could even come to Allpoints Island with us! Yes, we had to find the ring. It was as simple as that.

"OK," I said again. "We need to find out when the full moon is. That's how long we have till the curse on me is complete. As soon as the full moon has pa.s.sed, that's it. I won't be a semi-mer anymore, and Neptune will take back his ring."

"And I may never see you again," Shona said quietly.

We both looked down in silence. Below me, a couple of black-and-yellow striped fish darted into the boat like lovers running away together. They swam off to the other end, leaving the sea fans waving gently behind them.

Just then, a shuffling noise above us made us both glance up. Millie's face appeared at the trapdoor. "Ah, you're awake," she said. "I was just going to make some breakfast. You coming?"

"We'll be right up," I said. Conversation closed a" for now.

I munched slowly on my one piece of toast. I had to make the most of it; I wouldn't get anything else till lunchtime, and even then it wouldn't be enough to satisfy the gnawing in my stomach. I didn't know if it was just hunger or the pain of missing my parents so much. Either way it hurt.

Millie sipped her tea. "Not the same without milk," she murmured. "I can't be having too much bergamot." She winced as she put her cup down. "So, what shall we do today?" she asked almost brightly. She sounded as though we were on a package vacation and just had to decide among the pool, the beach, and the trip to see the dolphins. "I thought we might try some dowsing," she added before we had a chance to reply. "It could help us to work out where we are."

"What's dowsing?" I asked.

Millie closed her eyes and drew a heavy breath. Gathering her cloak around her, she held her hands up to her chest. "Dowsing," she said, her voice husky and deep, "is the harnessing of the senses a" or, more precisely, of the sixth sense."

"The sixth sense?" Shona asked. "I thought we only had five senses."

"Intuition, my dear," Millie replied, briefly opening an eye to glance at Shona. "The ability to dowse is something I firmly believe to be within us all," she went on. "Most of us do not know a fraction of what we can do. For too many of us, our intuition is ignored, or relegated to some backwater of the mind. But it's there. It's all there." She fell silent, nodding gently as she breathed heavily and slowly.

Her eyes closed, she held her hands out in front of her, palms facing up. "Dowsing is often used to find water, but it can do so much more." She glanced at our blank faces before continuing. "In layman's terms, it is a way of tuning in to sources of spiritual power, harnessing nature's own resources just as the chakras harness the powers within our bodies."

"Mm," I said, not following a word.

After a few more deep breaths, her eyes snapped open and she sat up straight. "OK then," she said, smiling at us both. "We just need a Scrabble set and a coat hanger and we're set." And with that, she got up and went inside.

Shona and I took one look at each other and burst out laughing. "You'll get used to her," I said. "Just look as though you know what she's talking about and you'll be fine."

"But she's got a point," Shona said.