Chapter Eight Conquest of Chimera

Chapter Eight

Conquest of Chimera

 

  “What did you do?” Penelope asked.

   Kian heard nothing. All his attention was on Kia’s smiling face.

  “I’m alright Kian; you brought me back, they gave you another gift…” Kia said batting the water out of her eyes.

  “Yes, they are,” he sighed, “generous.  They could have told us.” He glanced away mumbling, “They’re still playing games, still manipulating us, still driving us somewhere. Too soon to know where,” He shook his head embraced her forgetting they were not alone. “I could have lost you forever.” He said the words as though he was cursing.

  Kia eyes darted away from him, “No you can’t lose me. They can always make another…”

  “Never say that, never,” Kian said, cutting her off as he gently stroked water from her glistening cheek.  

  “They, who are, they” Penelope asked easing away as she spoke.

  Kian looked up, “Oh, there you are.” He smiled at Penelope helping Kia right herself in the sloshing waves. “Let’s get to dry land and I’ll tell you everything. I am sure you have much to tell us too.”

  Penelope shook her head, “I cannot.”

  Kia pulled away from Kian and slowly swam toward her. Penelope backed away, preparing to dive.

  “It’s alright little one,” Kia reached out her hand, “We will not hurt you. I have never met a mermaid. I did not think they existed.”

   “A what,” Kian asked drawing up behind Kia.

 “You did not notice her tail fin, her fine silvery scales, and her skin blue as the ocean.  What a lovely creature.”

   Kia’s voice was soft and sweet. Penelope’s expression softened at the sound of it.

     Clasping Kia’s shoulders Kian stayed behind her fearing he might scare the young girl away.

  “You have no legs?” Kian tone was a mix of compassion and confusion.

   “You pity me?” She asked her long black hair rippling as it nestled over her chest, preserving her modesty. “I have the sea, my family, what more do I need.” With that she promptly dove, wiggling her tailfin just before it slipped out of sight. Moments later, she popped up behind them. “You have legs but no fur. You have nothing. You are just poor naked animals.” She looked down at the water as if studying its sparkling sunlit surface, “Yet you scold the sky. It heard you. It closed her open flesh and brought her back from death. You must be Gods. Yet you die? How can this be?”

   “Penelope we are not Gods.” Kian said sliding around Kia as he drew near to the mythical creature. “We are just people.”

  “Now you lie.” Penelope folded her arms and glared at him. “We are people, my kind, we of the sea, they of the forest, they of the air- all different, but all people. But you are just arms and legs. Your skin is white and bare.” She swam up close to them, “Ugh and some of it hangs loose, horrid.”

  “Loose,” Kian lifted his right arm and grinned, “This is not my skin,” he said tugging at his leather shirt -sleeve. “These are my clothes.”

   Penelope slowly reached out her hand and started to touch it. Hesitating she withdrew it, “What sort of cloth is this?”

 “Oh so you know about clothes?” Kia asked.

   “The Ferrins wear clothes of course, some Avys don’t but they are so small they are hard to see. They all have their wings.  But this does not look like any cloth or needle plaiting’s I have ever seen. What is it?”

  “Leather,” Kia said.

  “Lea, ther, I do not know that word.”

   Kian pressed his lips together, slowly shaking his head. Penelope’s face was clenching. Kia did not notice. “Animal skin,” she answered without hesitation.

  “No.” Penelope said her voice blunt as a rock. “You are animals or Gods or something but your skin does not look like your clothes.” Penelope’s eyes widened. She jerked her hand away. “The skin of the dead, you wear death. You are monsters. You came from sky. You came from the storm. You come from darkness. That is why you have power over death!”      

 Kian rolled his eyes at Kia. She glanced up at him then looked at Penelope. “We are sorry. They gave us these garments. We did not choose them. Please believe me.”

  “They, your Gods,” Penelope tilted her head, narrowing her eyes as she turned her face toward the sky.

   “They are not our Gods,” Kian said, “but they obviously think they are. We did not kill people. They must have.”

  “Why should I believe you?” Penelope snapped.        

   “Because we are people too,” with that he yanked off his leather tunic, slung it away, and unfurled his wings spraying water everywhere making a rainbow as sunlight struck it. Rising like a great bird, he smiled down at Penelope when he saw her face beaming up at him with delight.   

  “Of course,” Kia said hunching her shoulders and flinging out her wings. One quick flap and she was fluttering by his side.

  “So glad you didn’t take of your top off,” Kian said.

  “Maybe I should.”

  “No, no. We’ll deal with that problem later. We shouldn’t have that problem to begin with. They knew. They made Penelope just as they made you. They’re testing us, that’s got to be it.”

  “Or playing with us,” Kia features grew dark. “But then they’re also people, cruel people.” She bowed her head. “Just as I said people do not change.” 

  “Yeah, but you also said people are many things.”

  “I did not mean that literally,” Kia replied.

    Kian looked down at Penelope’s exquisite mermaid body lolling in the sparkling water and rubbed his chin, “Well apparently they did. Let’s go down and see if our new friend can get us some proper attire.”