Up from the Deep, Deep Dark

By Maria Rachel Hooley

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess who thought she would be a queen. In time, she probably would have found her prince and taken the throne beside him, but this princess did not know that she was not completely human. No, she was a mermaid turned human, and the realm she would one day become queen over would be a world of mer, one her sister had abandoned long ago.

In order to rule, she would marry a merman, in spite of loving a very human prince and suffer cruelty from her mother. But that crown would be hers when her mother died, murdered by human traitors. She would have to find a to bring two species together to save not only the merman who was her husband, but the human she loved so deeply and dreamed so desperately to return to. And if she failed, she might yet be considered traitor to the mer in spite of her tail.

This would be quite the fairy tale, but it was my history. I am Alannah of the humans and Halellannah of the mer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Maria Rachel Hooley
• Release date: Aug 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005727697

Maria Rachel Hooley

Maria Rachel Hooley is the author of over forty novels, including When Angels Cry and October Breezes. Her first chapbook of poetry was published by Rose Rock Press in 1999. She is an English teacher who lives in Oklahoma with her three children and husband. She loves reading, and if she could live in a novel, it would be Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn.

Book preview

Chapter 1

I t’s too quiet, I murmured, lying on Kale’s chest in the dark prison cell where it seemed even time had forgotten us. Yet I doubted anything or anyone would forget us, thanks to my mother. How long had we been here? A day? Two? I didn’t know. The absence of glowing plants stretched time.

The mer concern themselves with the human ship, Kale’s voice filled my mind.

And what happens after they resolve that battle? I shuddered, imagining the endless mer bodies lining the ocean floor. The ocean would turn scarlet as death held sway.

We will be executed.

I stiffened, and Kale tightened his embrace. His calm voice gave nothing away.

I wanted to scream but couldn’t. To Orlando, I was already dead. Unable to return to above, I couldn’t correct that thought. I could never return to the human world, and I would never fit in here. There was no place for me even if I somehow survived this.

Why didn’t you just tell the queen I insisted on going? That you tried to keep me under control? You might have saved yourself.

I won’t abandon you.

But you wouldn’t be facing death, I argued, unwilling to think about how the mer executed their traitors or what would happen to my body once I’d died. Would I just become a corpse to rot on the ocean floor? I couldn’t see the mer carrying my body back to the shore for Orlando to find—not that he would even recognize me.

There was a time, he said, you once accused me of feeling nothing, but the truth is, I feel everything for you. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.

In spite of the darkness, I could picture his face as he spoke, his blue eyes haunting me with his heart’s story, and I wished I could love him so unconditionally. Yet Orlando held my heart and always had. He always would.

But here, I replied, there’s nothing you can do, and nothing your death will change.

He kissed my forehead. I can be with you. His voice never wavered, and I knew he was resigned to share my fate. No arguments would change that. How had I deserved such kindness—such loyalty?

Thank you, I whispered, unsure what else to say.

For loving you? It’s all I know. So simple a statement revealed everything.

The cell door swung open. I braced for guards and wondered how the battle had ended. But the light of the hallway cast a silhouette of a large mermaid. Sere!

Milady, you need to come with me.

Go! Kale hissed, pushing me.

What are you doing? I asked Sere, confused. I tried to peer around her for guards who would spill into the room at any moment. Nevertheless, I swam toward her, Kale following closely.

We must leave, she said. We don’t have much time.

I grabbed Kale’s hand to make sure he followed. I bent close to Sere in passing and kissed her cheek.

Thank you! I will never forget your kindness.

I couldn’t let her kill you, child, she whispered, her eyes bright but sad. Not my Halelannah.

I started to swim, but Kale held me back. Let me go first.

Kale peered down the empty hall. He swam forward, propelling himself with his powerful tail. Then he waved for us to come. Together, we cleared not only the halls connecting the cells but also the upper parts of the dungeon, which should, for all intents and purposes, have been heavily guarded. The fact they weren’t made me nervous.

It’s so quiet, I murmured, scanning around us as though mentioning them would suddenly make guards surge into sight.

The merdom is under attack, and as much as the queen wants to execute you both, she has forced everyone into battle, Sere said. While a few guards remain, they have turned a blind eye to you and Kallenadri. Even they know the queen is wrong just as surely as the rest of us mer. They have eyes, Halelannah.

While it made me feel better to know not all the mer hated me, I still knew the challenges ahead. Even if we escaped the dungeons, I had no idea how we’d get through the castle proper without being spotted.

Where’s my mother? I asked. Surely she will see us leaving the castle.

She’s by the Field of Promises, guarding her precious pearls, Sere responded. Her captain tried to force her to stay where she would be safe, but she quickly put him in his place. She trusts no one when it comes to the pearls’ security.

Another impediment removed. We swam through the castle, dodging servants as we went. Although Sere assured us they would not cause problems, I wasn’t so trusting. I just didn’t know which mer would believe in me and which would want to execute me. Sere helped out by distracting the servants to allow us to escape unseen.

I’d almost convinced myself the chaos I felt inside wouldn’t spill into the outside world, but as we swam out through the castle’s back doors, I knew I was wrong.

Sere gave me another hug. This is where I leave you, she said. Kallelandri will take good care of you.

My heart broke at her words. As much as I longed for my old world, I knew I would feel no less a loss in leaving her. I wasn’t sure how much of this world I would miss, but I knew I would miss her kind heart and generous spirit.

As Sere left, I turned and focused on what was going on around me. Servants carried the wounded mer into the castle to be tended. My mother and her maniacal war against the humans had caused this, yet I knew she would never accept the blame. She was above reproach, but she was the key to so much of my misery, and I knew I couldn’t be alone.

As I watched the mer pour into the castle, an odd realization hit me. Considering the sheer number of wounded, it seemed the battle had been planned, almost as though the humans knew of the mer and how best to destroy them, which made no sense. If those humans were anything like Orsino, they should not have known anything about the mer, except perhaps random stories and legends—most of which held little, if any, truth.

What is going on? I asked.

The humans are winning, Kale choked out, a worried frown tugging at his lips, and if that is the case, we are sorely in trouble. Under no circumstances will the queen abandon her precious pearls. The dead will soon outnumber the living. He shook his head. We need to get out of here now.

I might even have responded had I not seen a mermaid swimming toward the castle, lost in grief as she clutched a wee mer. Blood trailed her—a cloudy pink smear.

Without thought, I swam to her even as Kale called out, Halelannah! No! We have to leave!

I knew he followed close behind, but I somehow made it to the woman and her child before he caught me.

The woman didn’t see me, not at first, so intent was she on her child’s face, but then she glanced up. My child, she wailed. Please help her!

Clearly, the mermaid thought I could grant a miracle as she thrust the child at me, yet I had no magic or skills save for those I’d barely learned while tending Orlando. Even so, I looked the child over until I found a gaping wound at her side.

We have to stop the bleeding! I cried, knowing I had nothing to staunch the flow. Desperately, I clamped my palm over the wound, thinking I could somehow seal it, yet the red cloud slowly stained the water above my hand.

Unable to do anything else, I watched the child blink her pale blue eyes a few times before an unnatural stillness came upon her.

The mother, so transfixed in horror, couldn’t manage even to cry out. A moment later, when she realized the child had passed on, her wailing resumed. Though she snatched the child from me and swam away, I could not move. My body refused to obey even the slightest command, and it was only when Kale propelled me forward that I found myself speeding away.

No! I jerked hard, trying to free myself. We can’t just leave!

He stopped, stunned. So was I. All this time, I had wanted to go, and now as death unfolded, I understood my place with the mer.

What do you mean, Halelannah?

I pointed to the stream of injured mer. The healers alone cannot handle the numbers of wounded. They’ll need all the help they can get. If we leave, we are damning more to death when we could save them.

His frown softened. How can this be? All you’ve ever wanted was to escape. Now you wish to stay?

I shook my head. Not indefinitely. Just to help those who least deserve to suffer. I cannot do that by simply swimming back to the world I long for—a world that I do not belong in.

Torn, he looked from me to the battlefield and back. His shoulders tensed, and he shook his head, obviously conflicted. Kale, we have to help. Your people are being slaughtered. Another moment where he looked up at the battle and the bloody water. Finally, he nodded.

So be it. Let’s head to the Field and see what can be done. Stay close until we know what is happening.

All right, I agreed.

He swam, and I followed, growing more and more worried about the casualties of my mother’s war scattered around us.

This should not be, I called as we swam along the ocean floor, which had turned into a graveyard.

Did you expect to find less in this violent battle? His voice rose in disbelief.

No. I caught his arm. I mean this feels wrong. It’s like the humans knew exactly how to destroy your people. They were prepared. According to them, you aren’t even supposed to exist. How would they know the pearls were there?

He shook his head. It doesn’t have to make sense to be, Halelannah. You above all should know that.

With that, he dismissed my statements, and we started swimming again.

Keep an eye out for sharks, he said. All this blood is bound to attract them.

Sharks, I thought grimly. Just what we need right now.

We found the ship over the Field, its long shadow darkening the sea where it floated. The mer flocked around the ship, trying to sink it, but they seemed not to have much luck, especially not with a constant barrage of arrows zipping into the water and sinking into their bodies, cutting through wave after wave of mer as the queen treaded water near her pearls, waiting. This time, she did not wear the fancy gowns and jewelry, but a simple plant attire woven from the leaves of sea plants. It somehow made her all the more formidable, which was probably her intent.

Her baleful gaze dared the ship to come closer, but I wasn’t sure how she alone could stave off such a large foe—at least until I saw two mighty squid near her, getting ready to strike.

At first, I thought the beasts were going to attack her. I even caught Kale’s arm to point them out, but he swam on, unconcerned. Those, he said, are two of the creatures the queen has tamed to do her bidding. That’s all. They won’t hurt her. They might, however, cause grave harm to the humans and their ship. Two would be bad enough, but there will be more. He looked back at me. I'll bring the wounded. Tend them as best you can without pulling any arrows loose. They could bleed to death if you do.

My stomach tightened, and I watched his sleek, shiny tail propelling him into harm's way. What if an arrow pierced his body? How would I come to terms with that?

Once again, I cursed my mother, knowing most mer probably never wanted this. Yet here we all were where many would die in futility.

In horror, I watched Kale swim up next to the ship. It was difficult to see clearly with the blood mucking up the water, and I found myself squinting, trying to keep track of him as the nightmare continued to unfold. Arrows, arrows, and more arrows

Moments later, Kale swam back, an unconscious mer warrior swung over his shoulder.

He's still alive. Do what you can. I'll send someone to help. He pointed to some vegetation growing nearby. These are the herbs you need to pack around the arrow shaft. We planted them close to The Field in case we ever needed to defend this place. I just never believed anything like this would happen.

No one ever believed war would come until it did, and with war comes the unspeakable breaking of bodies and minds. Doubtless, either the queen hadn’t thought of this or she hadn’t considered the casualties a concern. Her people were clearly expendable.

Kale swam back, leaving me to try to stop a gaping spear wound from bleeding, and if the mer and humans had anything in common, it was the fact that their blood didn’t clot in the water any better than humans did. Once I realized this, I reached for the plant and tried to pack it into the damaged flesh as tightly as possible, not that it helped. The blood stilled seeped around my hand and faded in the water.

The mer shuddered as the life left his body. Death claimed him as surely as it had claimed that child, and there had been nothing I could change. His story had died with him—the good and bad as silent as the sea—and I had none of his words to carry with me to offer any mer who might mourn him.

Even though this was the second time I had witnessed such a thing, it didn’t make believing it any easier. It didn’t seem real, yet at the same time it hurt too much to accept. All of this for a queen’s precious pearls, pearls her realm could easily have survived without or farmed more. Nonetheless, instead of giving up her treasures, she wanted her people to sacrifice their lives. Such greed exceeded my understanding, and I wanted to forget such caprice had ever existed.

May I help? a young mer warrior asked, staring not at the dead mer but me. Kallelandri sent me. I am Johandire. His eyes seemed darker green, contrasting to his almost white hair.

No matter what I wanted to say, the words wouldn’t come, and I couldn’t seem to make myself turn loose of the mer who had passed. Wouldn’t that be like saying I didn’t care that he had died, and his death was in vain?

He's...gone. I nodded at the body in my arms.

Johandire followed the path of my gaze and reflected on the dead one I cradled. Whatever thoughts he must have had, he only gave a slight nod.

Then he is at peace, and we must help those not so fortunate. His voice was neutral with resignation, and I couldn't imagine how this didn't bother him. These may not have been my people, but they were people nevertheless, and such slaughter could not be ignored or minimized. He meant well, but how could he believe that, and if only the dead were lucky, what did that say for the living—those who somehow made it through this madness?

With a lump in my throat, I carefully laid the dead mer on the ground as I saw Kale approaching with another wounded fighter. Even as I tended to the spear wound on his shoulder and gauged how badly he was hurt, I prayed for him. I didn't think I could bear a third go-round with death.

In contrast to my last patient, this one was conscious, and the moment I touched him, I saw a gleam of recognition in his eyes. His grimace shifted to a scowl.

You're not even supposed to be here. You've sided with them!

Lucky me, I thought, staring at the one advisor who’d hated me. No, I didn't figure he'd die. He was far too belligerent for that as I realized he felt I had taken the human side instead of aligning myself with the mer. Even he had recognized that a tail did not make me a mer.

I started to defend myself, but Johandire beat me to it. If she were with the humans, she would have already fled, considering this battle is a perfect opportunity, so if you doubt her loyalty, perhaps you can swim yourself back to the castle as opposed to accepting the help she's so graciously been giving.

The wounded mer scowled. How can you trust her? She admitted to missing her human life and wanting no part of our realm.

My back stiffened, and I'd about had enough of this fool. You'd miss them, too, if they were the only life you ever remembered having. It's not my fault I was not raised among the mer.

Fury burned through me, and I fumbled while checking his wound. Finally, I glanced at Johandire. He's weak, but I think with the right care, he'll be fine. You just need to get him back to a healer.

The wounded mer glared at me indignantly. Of course, I'll make it! he snapped. And then I'll see you in the dungeon.

Although there was much I wanted to say, I knew better than to speak. That would only make things worse because this pathetic mer would never hear anything I chose to say. Besides, there was nothing I could say to change his mind even if he did choose to listen. I was already here, trying to help save the mer when by all rights I should have been swimming away. If he didn't recognize that, nothing else would cut through his accusations. He was a lot like the queen.

I looked at Johandire. Can you escort him back to the castle? I asked. The sooner the better, I thought.

Of course. Johandire whispered, Do not dismay over Shavener’s anger. He is a fool and the mer all know it. He carefully lifted the wounded mer and helped him swim, even as Kale returned with yet another wounded fighter, this one was not lucky enough to be so indignant. He flinched as I touched him, and I thought that he would be lucky to be indignant again, considering his condition.

He's in bad shape, Kale said, lying him down in front of me.

An understatement, I thought, for even as Kale began to swim away, the warrior passed, giving me no time to change his fortune. I tried to console myself with the knowledge that I had done everything possible. Another pointless death I could not prevent. How many more would I see die before this battle was done?

In anger, I looked for the queen, but here again the murky water made seeing difficult. A moment later, however, my searching paid off. I spotted her defiantly waiting for the humans. It didn't matter that her people were dying left and right. They didn't matter. They were as disposable as I had been.

She must have felt someone staring—I don't know how, considering all the people around us both—but her gaze settled on me, and her unpleasant frown dissolved into a baleful grimace. I had no doubt that had she not been so worried about her precious pearls, she would've come after me then and there, figuring she'd just carry out my execution herself, but we were in the midst of a bigger war than what burned between us.

The squid moved in, leaving the queen alone. I had no doubt she felt she could conquer the world, but the humans were just one small part,