A woman with feather-like fins swam gracefully towards her from the center tunnel, shimmering just like the reef. She was beautiful. Her hair was long and golden like Anna’s but much lighter and shinier. Her eyes were ice blue, her skin white. When the woman came within feet of Anna, her smile looked familiar. Anna had seen it before. She was certain of it.
“Hello,” Anna said.
The woman’s smile turned. Anna thought she had upset her.
“I am Anna Lott. I was born in Mern and I am now a citizen of the Ikarus kingdom.”
As her golden hair flowed with the water, the woman wore a look of confusion and she seemed to be getting more upset. Without another word, the woman pushed her finger through Anna’s bubble and pulled it back out again. Water slowly filled to the top before popping completely. Anna was holding her breath again and the woman did nothing to help her.
Anna gave in and inhaled. But when the water filled her lungs, it didn’t drown her. It was like liquid air that she could breathe.
“Anna Lott. You are not just a Mern,” the sparkling woman said. “I am Glassinger—Glassinger Lott, a maiden of Mern. And you’re my daughter. I remember watching you swim at Mile Beach. I would come up to the sand bar and smile at your little toes. I’ve wanted to meet you for so long.”
My mother, she thought. Anna could see herself in Glassinger’s eyes. “If I can breathe water, then how did I almost drown as a child?”
“Out of fear. Because your mind told you that people cannot breathe underwater. You held your breath until you blacked out, then, lying on the sand bottom, you started breathing. I was there. I watched you. You looked so beautiful, sleeping beneath the surface. Then after about a half hour, the land-dwellers pulled you out. There are many things I need to explain to you.”
“Burton Lang explained everything,” Anna said.
“Then I’m sure he told you that we abandoned the rest of the world,” Glassinger said. Her glow dimmed as if she was perturbed by the mention of Burton.
“No. He did not.”
“I was a part of the Divine Alliance, the Resistance, until I realized that my involvement could jeopardize the secrecy of our city beneath the sea. No one knew of our kingdom and the few that did couldn’t reach it if they tried. Burton sent Gabriel Volpi to Naan and the Nekrums followed. It’s Burton’s fault that the Nekrums are here. I renounced my oath to fight. The sky monsters are no threat to what they can’t see,” said Glassinger.
“Burton told me that they come from another world,” Anna said.
“Yes,” Glassinger confirmed.
“If they can travel the heavens, then they surely have the capability of finding you,” Anna said. “No one is safe. You can either fight now and end the war, or hide. They will never stop hunting you down.”
Glassinger seemed to have her mind already made up. “I have kept out of the mages’ affairs for centuries and I intend to keep it that way.”
“How could you? How could you stand back while innocent people are slaughtered?” Anna asked furiously. “How can I be your daughter when I am nothing like you?”
“My beautiful daughter, of course I don’t like to see people die, but I will not risk the exposure of this civilization. This planet is ninety percent water. Merns are native to Naan. We’ve always been here, even before Gabriel. He brought these monsters. It is Men that don’t belong here. Men belong on Enot,” said Glassinger.
“I see. Then I guess I don’t belong here either.”
Glassinger frowned. “Anna, don’t be silly. You are a Mern, a maiden of the great underwater city.”
“What I don’t understand is why this is called the ‘great’ Mern city. What is so great about it? Its leader turns a blind eye to the suffering of others. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Even mothers abandon their children when another kingdom comes to take them away,” Anna said loudly. “Since I was a cousin to the royal Lott family, most of whom were slaughtered, Ikarus took me in to protect me.”
“Careful! I didn’t abandon you,” Glassinger said. “If Burton told you the truth, then he would have told you how the Ikarus soldiers picked you up before we could get to you.”
“We?” Anna asked.
Glassinger’s body lit up even brighter and illuminated more of the water’s depth. The glowing city was now blinding. There were creatures everywhere; fish, water birds, whales, dolphins, and even people with webbed fingers, glossy skin, and fins across their arms and backs, all looking on. “Because we are limited to the water, it was quite difficult to reach you. But we have sent many waterbirds to patrol the rivers, lakes, and ponds to try and contact you. We are all connected telepathically here in Mern. All knowledge is shared among all creatures, similar to the technology of the Nekrums. Only our abilities are natural—organic.”
Anna was stunned. “But when the mages attacked, how could an army of soldiers from far away get to me before my mother who was right beneath my feet?”
“Anna,” Glassinger said, bowing to her. “Unlike you, I cannot breathe air. I only had a chance near the docks to take you before they boarded you onto the ship. But you were heavily guarded and I couldn’t reach you. My love for you has remained strong, even after all of this time.”
“I want you to understand something. I’m going back to fight this war. I have loved ones at Ikarus. And if you really love me, you will defend the kingdom that I came to call my home.”
The finned people of Mern looked on anticipating Glassinger’s response. By their expression, Anna could tell that they wanted to fight. They wanted to fight for peace, to end the suffering of humanity for good. But Glassinger remained silent.
Anna felt let down. If she ever had a child of her
