Only took a week this time and posted before midnight for a change. Hope you enjoy!
Summary: Nixie wonders about the salve and Veridia makes a choice.
Nixie picked up the jar that Veridia had set by the sink. It was a plain glass but the 'salve' inside was pretty colour, a nice soft pink. The lid had fallen into the basin and sat over the plug hole. Nixie picked it up and set it on top of the jar. What even was that stuff?
Nixie knocked the lid off the top of the jar and dipped her finger into it before wiping the salve onto the back of her hand. Her skin tingled under it. It was not a nice feeling. The tingling quickly turned to a horrid stinging. Nixie turned on the tap and shoved her hand under the water wiping the 'salve' off the back of her hand and the tip of her finger.
Whatever that was, that was not a healing salve. 'Nothing that harms' Veridia had said. Yeah right.
Moon Jellyfish do not sting Mermaids like that. Despite her natural healing powers, creating healing potions and all that wasn't her strong suit but one vital fact that was drilled in during all those four potion classes she went to was that the Moon Jelly, once taken from the central layer of the jellyfish and mixed with seawater was harmless to Mermaids and used as a base for a whole range of potions. It doesn't sting.
Anemones didn't sting and Sea Moss was just Sea Moss.
Nixie screwed the lid back on and carefully picked the jar up and took it with her down to the grotto. It wasn't until much later on that night she would think over this again and realise something that would have been so glaringly obvious if she hadn't been so preoccupied. Her hands were still wet.
Nixie stood in the little potion alcove with her arms crossed. Veridia made that salve here so whatever she used had to be in here somewhere. If it had been her that made it Nixie would have left everything sitting out so if she needed more it would have been there ready and waiting. Unfortunately it seemed Veridia was as neat about those kinds of things as Rita.
Everything had been put away.
Nixie sighed and sat down on the floor cross legged. There were a whole load of little wooden chests down here with various supplies - including all the kelp wraps and that. They weren't overly large, she could easily pick them up one at a time. They were pretty though, they had unusual carvings across the edges that looked like they could be flowers and had a large circle on the lid made up of lots of interlinking lines.
Nixie pulled the first one out and opened it up. It was the healing supplies one.
Nixie took out the next one. It was filled with empty vials.
The third one - a collection of vials with a gap large enough for two in the middle. Nixie closed the lid and pushed it to the side. Not that one.
The next one looked more promising initially. It still contained a large array of jars of all different shapes and sizes but they contained all the wrong kind of stuff. Nixie pulled one jar out. It was short, about the size of her hand and filled with sea urchin spines. The next jar was twice the height but half as wide filled with pieces of dried coral.
Nixie shoved it to the side and pulled out the last box.
"What are you looking for?"
Nixie jumped at the sudden voice behind her. Veridia. Again.
"Can you stop coming up behind me? You're as bad as Rita," Nixie exhaled, trying to sort out her breathing. "Wait, I thought you were with her?"
"She'll be okay for a few minutes."
That was a good sign, if Veridia was willing to leave her then she must be okay. Back at the start Veridia had refused to leave Rita for even a second.
"How is she?" Nixie asked tentatively. Everyone kept asking that, herself included. It sucked.
"Better than she was when she was unconscious down here."
Nixie opened up the last box, "well that's something then."
The box held nothing she was looking for. Nixie slammed the lid shut.
"I'm trying to find the stuff you made that salve from," Nixie answered Veridia's question from before.
"It's over here. I kept it out."
Veridia took down a jar from a shelf above Nixie and handed it over a jar. It was half filled with a clear jelly. Nixie turned it over in her hands. On the side was a silver moon with four purple rings in the centre - the sign used to signify Moon jelly.
"This is the stuff you used?"
Veridia nodded.
"Well whatever that's made of - it is not Moon Jelly. It made my skin go all stingy."
"Pass it here."
Nixie passed over the jar.
Veridia took off the lid and ran her finger around the rim. Almost immediately after she wiped it against her dress.
"Told you. What is it?"
"Feels like Irukandji."
"Why would she have that?"
Irukandji was a highly venomous type of jellyfish. Mermaids had a higher tolerance for stings than land people but Irukandji could still cause some serious damage. It's not the kind of thing that would just be left lying around, and not the kind of thing that would be in a jar labelled for Moon jellyfish.
"Some potions call for it," Veridia said slowly, "Nixie I need your help to make an antitoxin."
"Another salve?" That worked so well last time.
"No, we can't put anything over the cuts. Can you get me an empty vial?"
Veridia's tone gave no room for arguing. She wouldn't have fought back anyway. Contrary to what some Mermaids would say about her, she did know when to shut her mouth.
Nixie dropped swiftly to the ground and opened up the chest of vials. She took one out and stood up while turning around, setting the vial down beside Veridia. The Mermaid had gathered a collection of tiny jars, smaller than her finger in the few seconds Nixie had turned her back.
"In that other box under the table, there should be two vials - one is a really dark blue then beside it a light green one in. They're both in the top corner, get me both."
Nixie turned back and crouched down, pulling out the chest Veridia was talking about. In the top corner there was a fancy vial filled with a deep, dark blue liquid and beside it, just like she said, one with light green.
Nixie set them beside Veridia who had half filled the empty vial with something turquoise. She took the blue one and added three drops then added five drops of the green vial.
"What is all that stuff?"
"Mostly plant extracts. Here," Veridia handed her the vial, "you need to take some."
"Why?" Nixie took it from Veridia and held it up to the light. It wasn't the most unappealing colour - a dark greenish blue colour. She wouldn't save it was a nice colour but it was alright.
"You put the salve on too."
Nixie sighed. She put the glass to her lips and tipped it back, swallowing a few drops of the blue whatever it was. It tasted like salt and like green. It tasted like the colour green looked. It wasn't awful but she wouldn't be in a hurry to drink it again.
Nixie handed it back to Veridia who took a small amount of the potion-thing, like she had.
"Why did it affect Rita so fast when I'm still fine? I mean it stung quite fast but I feel fine." It had been a short while since she'd come into contact with the salve and she was fine. Yet based on the state they found Rita in it acted immediately.
"The venom doesn't normally act instantly, but because of the cuts on Rita's shoulder it likely went straight into her bloodstream. She needs this now," Veridia placed a cap over the vial.
"I'm coming with you."
Life was bullshit.
It wasn't a difficult conclusion to reach. You spent years stuck away in schools, learning a lot of useless stuff so you can go on and learn some not useless stuff, so you can get a job and make money.
Maybe you find someone and spend your life with them, maybe you get a job you like, maybe you turn into a fish with super cool powers and a super cool literal symbol of the gods calling to you and then life becomes exciting.
Unless you're Zac and you decide not to go after the super cool literal symbol of the gods.
Cam stared up at his ceiling and sighed. Everything was bullshit right now. School was bullshit - the one class he was actually doing pretty well he was now on the verge because they didn't have a teacher anymore and his attention span meant he couldn't focus and do work on his own outside of school. Zac was hardly ever about and when he was Lyla was always hanging around and pissing off Evie, or he was all distracted and mopey.
The only thing he really had going was thinking about how cool it would be to have that Trident. Now Zac didn't want it. Because it was too dangerous. He had a point but all the same, to him it felt like Zac was giving up the biggest chance of his life. If it had been him, he would have leapt for the chance to be more than just Cam. The comic relief best friend who spent his whole life in Zac's shadow, now more than ever.
Cam sighed.
Life really is bullshit.
"You need to drink this."
Veridia tilted Rita's chin up and carefully tipped the vial's contents into Rita's mouth. She waited until the Mermaid swallowed the antitoxin before letting Rita rest her head back down on the pillow. She was asleep again almost instantly.
So long as that antitoxin worked, that was one less thing to worry about. Council matters had taken up almost all of her time over the last four years and there was a lot of specialised healing potions and knowledge in the general sense that she'd forgotten over the years or simply never had time to learn. Leading a Pod was a full time occupation, it was her duty to protect them.
What would they do if she didn't return tomorrow?
They would worry. Cordelia would be furious, It had been hard enough getting Cordelia to agree to her leaving when they all thought she would be there for only a few days. Now it had stretched into a week the Pod had been left. Without any word from her, who knows what will happen amongst the Pod.
"Will she be okay?" Nixie asked, interrupting Veridia's thoughts.
"She will be. In time at least," Veridia paused before continuing, "but I'll need you to keep an eye on her."
"Me? Why?"
Veridia took a breath and forced herself to make the choice. "I have to go back to the Pod tomorrow."
The words felt like knives against her tongue and cut into her stomach. It was what had to be done, so why did it feel so bad?
"You're leaving?" Nixie questioned. "Just like that?"
"Nixie-" Veridia began.
"You came here to help her, you can't just leave now when she still needs you. If you care about her at all - "
"Nixie enough."
"No! It's not. You can't leave. Especially not when it was that stuff you made that did this!"
"Nixie."
"What are you going to do? Banish me," Nixie spat. "You've already done that."
Nixie shot a glare before storming out.
If you care about her at all.
Veridia sat back down on the bed and placed her hand over Rita's.
"You said you'd stay."
"I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere."
Zac watched the Moon creep up into view of his window, silvery bright and round enough that it could be mistaken for the Full Moon's face. He knew better. The Full Moon was a force like nothing he had ever felt. It called to him and he couldn't resist it, he didn't want to resist it and it didn't want him too.
The Moon wanted him to have the Trident. The moment he touched the smooth handle of the Trident, the Moon Spell broke. It wanted him there, in that chamber. He didn't want to be there.
He didn't want the Trident.
He didn't want any of this.
Zac sat back on the couch opposite the window and watched the Moon slowly rise. He lost track of how long he sat there before his eyes closed and sleep took him.
Veridia woke to Rita shivering beside her. She placed a hand on Rita's arm. The Mermaid's skin was cold. Too cold. At least the fever had broken.
The last however many hours had been a blur of fitful sleep, waking up at every slight movement from the Mermaid beside her and making sure Rita had something to drink every time she woke up. Her fever had worsened since Nixie left but the redness on her skin from the wounds had lessened.
Little victories.
Rita shifted and settled in closer beside Veridia. Veridia wrapped her arms around Rita, holding her close. Back in the Pod they had shared a cave together from the day Rita had arrived at Mako until the day she left. She'd long lost count of how many nights they'd spent lying side by side in the water.
Veridia slowly curled one hand into a fist to warm Rita up. Rita nestled in closer to Veridia and Veridia wrapped her arms tighter around her. Nixie's accusation swirled around her mind.
If you care about her at all.
She needed more time here. For all the truly horrible moments, there was one redeeming light in it all - she was here now with the only Mermaid she had ever loved. She had to follow this through. It didn't matter if she never got to see Rita again after this as long as she would be okay.
Her responsibility was to her Pod. They couldn't be left. The Full Moon ceremony was a vital part of life in the Pod and as head of the Pod she had a duty to be there.
"Love and duty don't mix. It has to be one or other."
"Well I'm choosing both. I'll always choose both."
"You can't have both."
"I'll have both until I can't anymore."
"And then what?"
"I choose you."
It had been so easy back then. They had been in the final Moon cycle before getting their Moon Rings and had been on guard duty, watching the Moon Pool -
The Moon Pool.
That was it.
Love and duty can mix and she was going to have both.
Veridia untangled herself from the Mermaid draped across her, missing the warmth of another body immediately. She pulled the cover's back up over Rita, placed a kiss on the Mermaid's forehead and left without looking back.
If she looked back she wouldn't leave.
The house was still and quiet all the way down until the bookcase door, every light was off but a Mermaid's eyes can see as well in the dark as a land person can in the day. And that one window illuminated by the almost Full Moon provided more than enough light.
Veridia tilted the 'Mermaid Myth' book and the bookcase opened. The tunnel down to the grotto was still lit, none of the Mermaids knew how to turn the lights off and she hadn't found any time to look.
At least those lights were softer the closer to the pool entrance she got. She had reached the entrance to the pool cavern before hearing someone behind her.
"You're still leaving," the accusing tone in Nixie's voice was almost enough to make Veridia admit what she was doing. Almost. No matter the events of the past few weeks she was still the head of the council and didn't owe an explanation.
"Her fever broke but keep an eye on her. When she wakes up make sure she drinks plenty, and has something to eat, she hasn't eaten in ... too long."
That can't have helped anything. Mermaids could cope with prolonged fast, better than land people at least, but not when they were recovering from a near fatal accident.
"Why are you leaving?" Nixie asked. "You came all this way and now you're just abandoning us."
"I'll come back when I can."
"Don't bother," Nixie turned and stalked off back up the stairs.
Veridia took a deep breath and dove into the water.
This chapter is another one that had a large chunk of it moved into the next chapter, because of this I am no longer aiming for a set amount of chapters. It's now just going to be however many it ends up being instead of working to a set number.
The next chapter is less put together than this one was so it will take a bit longer but I have now completely finished and passed my HNC so I officially have no more work to do apart from writing. I have been working on a silicone H20/Mako style mermaid top however, I have updates on that on my tumblr and instagram and I'm gathering supplies to begin making a H20/Mako style tail.
Tumblr: mako-and-tails-and-stuff
Instagram: mako_and_tails_and_stuff
I also post updates on my writing on tumblr and I'm way more active on tumblr than on instagram.
Chapter 14 is underway, almost 1,800 words so if I keep up this level of productiveness there may be another chapter next week.
Until next time :)