Chapter 16: Brine

Wendy saw hooks in her dream. The barbed ends tore her face and stretched her eyelids apart. Then through the blur, she saw Brine. Again she heard his voice. She felt his fingers through her hair like a smooth current.

"Faster. Conch, melt it faster!"

"Brine, my core temperature – "

"Conch!"

Wendy opened her eyes. Blocks of ice melted like butter to her either side.

And as the ice dripped away, a merman with huge silver eyes pounced forward.

"Wendy!"

"Brine! Brine! Oh dear Brine!"

Laughing a storm of bubbles, Brine seized Wendy. Spinning her around with his indigo tail, Brine hugged the girl as if to never let go.

"Wendy!" Brine paused as Wendy embraced back. He smiled, spying the golden-sapphire comb in her hair. The stolen pirate gold; his gift to Wendy, long ago on their first adventure.

"I can't believe it." Brine squeezed Wendy tight.. "I've missed you more and more. And –"

Excitedly, Brine held Wendy at arms length. She blushed as the merman beamed at her chatoyant tail and pale, creamy torso. "And - and look at you! You're a mermaid! You – you look – I mean you always look beau – but – "

Exhausted in bliss, Brine blew through puffed cheeks. "Wendy you're a mermaid!"

Wendy smiled wider than a rainbow. She'd never been outspoken by anyone in such excitement, and it heartened the frightened girl.

Brine! She'd found him! And he was unhurt, not by the seawitch, Captain Hook, or sea monster. Allowing herself to believe everything was going to be all right, Wendy smiled at her merman.

Brine smiled back, his features much unchanged from Wendy's memories: Wide silver eyes that caught strands of black-green hair, tucked behind serrated ears. A white scar, spread horizontally across his collar bone, which crept into the dark blue scales sprinkled across his shoulders. A brilliant indigo fin to match a brilliant white smile.

Wendy's eyes pulled like magnets to the corner of Brine's smile. Helpless but to stare, she did so shyly. Brine's hidden kiss, a self described curse, was missing.

Brine's soft gaze cut deeply into Wendy's suspicions…that the merman had given her his hidden kiss.

"Brine…." Relieved and at long last happy, Wendy reached forward a hand. Tentatively, she touched the merman's cheek, feeling that he was real. Not a nightmare. Not a longing. Not a memory. "I thought I'd never see you again. But you're all right. You're all right."

Wendy stroked Brine's cheek. Surprised, her fingers extended as they brushed over a long scar, curved along the merman's cheek like a trail of white pebbles.

Brine's face darkened. Gently, he took Wendy's hand.

"Of course I'm all right." Brine ensured, pressing her hands against his. Tilting his head, he ushered Wendy's gaze from the scar extending from the corner of his mouth and up his cheek. "Why wouldn't I be? You're here. With me! But…"

Brine glanced at the spot of ocean where the Jolly Roger had anchored before sailing away.

"But Wendy…how? How are you a mermaid? How did you come here? And..why?"

Wendy had only time to answer with a faltered expression.

"Brine! Brine!" A merman warrior appeared. Instinctively, Brine swerved before Wendy, but the warrior was too harried to notice her.

"Quickly!" Urgently, the warrior ushered at Brine. Barnacles covered his arms and knuckles like gauntlets. "Quickly, Brine. Conch needs you. It's Leviathan – he's changing back."

Brine straightened. Taking Wendy's hand, he swam forward. "Coming. Right now."

Struggling to continue at Brine's speed, Wendy noticed with vague surprise that the warrior waited, and then acknowledged Brine with a sort of salute as he passed. One corner turn later, Wendy's surprise left her speechless as they came face to face with the savage head of the leviathan.

The sea monster lay still over the sea bed. Subdued under a row of tridents, the leviathan tracked the approaching mer with a silver eye. The brawny merman, having regained his trident, was settled at the leviathan's head. Trident cast aside, the brawny merman stroked the sea monster's dark, golden-amber scales…almost affectionately.

They army of mermen swiveled with simultaneous grace as Brine arrived.

The brawny merman looked up. His silver eyes immediately found Wendy. In a snap, the brawny merman was over the girl, holding her at trident point.

"Conch!"

"Clam it, Brine." Dismissively, the brawny merman – Conch – pushed Brine away with a muscular arm. His crinkly, silver eyes never left Wendy. "I've never seen this maid. And she almost got you and Leviathan killed."

"Conch! She's a friend! I've told you about her – "

"The Graveyard is forbidden." Conch interrupted, leaning his trident closer to Wendy's neck. He squinted at Wendy, perplexed in his guard. "And everyone knows to protect the ice from harm. Unless…they're…"

Conch cocked his head, as if noticing Wendy's abnormal features for the first time. "…foreigners."

Conch crouched and Wendy suddenly felt warmth gush over her, like the faucet of a hot shower. Conch noticed, and straightened as Brine insisted that Wendy was his friend.

"Later, Brine."

Half turning, the trident grazing Wendy's chin, Conch nodded at the sea monster. "I'm too warm from melting that ice. And saving this little maid. Leviathan won't respond. You have to do it."

Brine shook his head. "Conch, let her go."

Conch actually put a hand on his hip. "Really? Brine…go help Leviathan."

Brine looked trapped. His eyes swept to the sea monster, then to Wendy.

Conch sighed. "Come on Brine," said the brawny merman softly. Slightly he retracted the trident from Wendy's throat. "I'm not gong to hurt her."

Conch looked at Brine. "…go help your brother."

Brine met Wendy's eyes. "Don't be afraid."

Wendy did not dare nod. The trident hovered inches from her eyes. Breathing hard, she glanced up at Conch. His shoulders and chest were tight. His fingers itched along the shaft of the trident, ready to spring. But the brawny merman was turned away, watching Brine. Afraid to move, Wendy did the same.

Her heart leapt.

Brine, unarmed, lowered himself to the sea monster's silver eye. Then, placing his forehead against the monster, Brine closed his eyes and whispered.

"Go home, Brother. Leviathan…go home."

A violent interchange of wills spasmed over the monster's body like a ripple. Sprigs of black magic leaked from beneath the lethal scales. Fascinated, Wendy watched as the sea monster twisted and roared, transforming into…

…a merman. A merman with golden amber scales and fins the color of a shinny penny. Scars and fresh injuries smudged the sea with dark blue blood.

Conch exhaled.

"Escort Leviathan home." Conch ordered the mer warriors as Brine sagged beside the transformed merman. "Bring him to Lorelei, but make sure their child does not see."

The warriors rapidly obeyed. Efficiently, they cradled the merman, Leviathan, over their backs. Wendy glimpsed an intense, triangular face inset with crinkly silver eyes before Leviathan was surrounded and swept away.

"And now…"

Wendy gasped as Conch hauled her upright. Aiming the trident, the brawny merman brought Wendy to his face. "Who are you, where do you come from, and what do you want with my brother?"

"Brother?" Feebly Wendy waved her fins, trying to resist Conch. The merman glanced down, looking more amused than irritated at her weak attempts. "Brother?"

"Yeah." Jerking his head, Conch gestured to Brine. "The little wide-eyed clam over there that just saved the day. Brine. Son of Basalt. Brother to me. Prince of the Northern Neversea."

Wendy stopped. Hanging in Conch's grip, she gaped at Brine. "Prince?"

Brine opened his mouth, almost smiling, almost apologetic, and altogether concerned for Wendy's safety.

But he never spoke. For at that moment, a merman skydived into Brine and slammed into the seabed.

And the merman…was Peter Pan.