SAGE (Tales of the Merman Book 1) Read online

  His father's face grew crimson. "They risk our whole existence. All it takes is one human to find out about us and we are finished."

  "There already are humans that know about us, Father. They have kept our secrets for years." Randy stepped forward.

  "Who? Why was I not made aware of this?" The King's gaze leveled on Randy.

  "Because they know what you would do if you did know." Everest stepped forward.

  "I would have to kill the human. It is too big a risk for us."

  "Exactly," Sage said. "That is why you were not made aware. Times are different, Father. It is only a matter of time before humans learn of us. We can't hide the way we used to. Humans have technology to go places they never have before. Satellites search the waters and probably record our movement. I wouldn't doubt if some know of us now and are only waiting and watching before they confront us."

  His Father's face paled, but he didn't back down. "How many humans know about us?"

  Randy shook his head. "We aren't telling you. We won't be part of you sending out your armies to kill them."

  "I must protect the people." The King slammed his fist down on the desk.

  "We agree and that is why we have come to ask you to step down. Hand leadership to Sage. Let him lead our people into the future, without strong-arming them or threatening them." Heath gripped Sage's shoulder. "It's clear that you have made up your mind and will not listen to reason. We need change. We need to prepare for the future. The old ways don't work anymore. The people are unhappy and you don't seem to care. We are losing control, Father. The time for change is now."

  The King glared at his sons. "You wish me to step down?"

  "Yes, Father." Randy glanced at his brothers and they all nodded.

  "Sage is not ready." The King moved back around his desk to his stone seat.

  "He is more than ready. You have trained him for years. He knows what is going on better than anyone else. He cares about the people and will do all he can to move them forward," Heath argued.

  "And if I refuse?" The King looked at his sons cautiously.

  "We are prepared to call a vote of the clan leaders to have you removed from leadership. Once we do that, the clans will vote in a new king." Everest gripped Sage's forearm. "We would like to keep this from going public and deal with it as a family. But if you refuse, you leave us no choice but to contact the others."

  "You would turn on your king? Your father?"

  The four of them nodded.

  "We don't want to hurt you, Father, but we feel you are moving us in a destructive position. We want what is best for the people."

  "As do I, but clearly you do not understand that." The King shook his head. "You leave me no choice. You have come in and threatened your king, and that is a crime. I could have you all killed for this."

  Sage tensed. This was exactly what he feared. He glanced at his brothers as he tried to think of a way to turn things around. "Father, please listen. We can talk about this. Let us explain why we feel the way we do."

  "You have told me enough. Balick! Guards!" The King's bellow echoed through the caverns of the cave.

  "Father —" Heath stepped to the desk, bracing his hands on the stone as Balick and several other guards ran into the room.

  "No. I have heard enough. I am sickened that my own flesh and blood would turn on me." The King motioned to his sons. "Balick, arrest all four of them. I want them locked up and sequestered from the rest of the clan. They are not to speak to anyone. Put them in the large cell. Let them rot together."

  "Father, think about this. Let us handle this quietly." Sage shrugged Balick's hand off his shoulder.

  "You have shown your true feelings, kept secrets from me, and threatened the position of king. I will not tolerate this, not even from my own sons." The King turned his back to them. "Take them away, Balick."

  Sage frowned as Balick's hand wrapped around his arm. He glanced at his brothers, who were also being led out, and then back to his father's back. "This isn't over, Father. There are issues that need to be dealt with. The people aren't happy. It's time for change."

  "Let it be, Sage." Balick turned him away from the desk. "Come peacefully and we will try to work things out."

  "You can't change this." Heath called as one of the guards led him from the office.

  Sage resisted the urge to fight. There were too many guards, and there was no point in making matters worse. Hopefully Heath had spoken to Marshal and word would reach the other clans within a few days. One other hope was that Barron would show and talk some sense into their father.

  With a sigh, Sage let Balick lead him from the office and through the corridors of the cave to the back where the cells were.

  As the guards pushed them into the large chamber, he glanced at his brothers, hoping they had done the right thing. None of them looked surprised or worried.

  "Well, that went well." Randy brushed his fingers through his hair.

  Sage looked around the large chamber. A large salt-water pool took most the space, allowing them to shift so they didn't lose their strength. It allowed little room for swimming, more like the humans hot tub but deeper. To the far side of the chamber, six stone slabs sat with fur pelts and seaweed filled pillows. Another small pool was farther back, to be used as a bathroom.

  It wasn't the first time Sage had seen the cells, but this was the first time he looked at it as a captive instead of captor. "We knew the risks." Sage eyed the guards, not daring to say anything. He glanced at Heath, but didn't dare ask about Marshal.

  "Might as well get comfortable. We might be here awhile." Everest pulled a pelt from one stone slab and wrapped it around his shoulders.

  "Don't worry. Others will hear about us in here and try to talk some sense into, Father." Heath looked at everyone in the room and nodded.

  "We should expect guests then. Father will just arrest them as well." Sage glanced at the guards, wishing they would leave.

  There were no bars blocking the entrance. Five guards stood a foot apart, blocking the way with their own bodies and weapons. Sage knew they had orders to kill anyone that tried to force their way past them.

  Randy pulled his robe over his head and tossed it on one of the beds. "I've wanted a vacation, but this wasn't what I had in mind." He closed his eyes and stepped down into the pool, shifting once the water engulfed him.

  Sage shook his head and went to one of the beds, sitting down on the hard surface. He ran his fingers over the soft fur blanket and sighed. Life had just gone from bad to worse, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

  Lying back on the stone slab, he closed his eyes and thought about the only good thing in his life. Gary.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Gary double-checked to make sure he had all of his equipment and zipped his duffle bag up. He stepped out front and glanced up at the sky, feeling the heat of the sun against his face. There was a gentle breeze that carried the scent of salt water and it reminded him of Sage.

  He hadn't heard from Sage at all in the last two days, not that he expected to. Sage warned him it would be could be a few days before he would see him. It didn't make Gary miss him any less. His bed was cold and lonely without Sage by his side. How quickly he grew used to having Sage's strong body pressed against him as he slept.

  He leaned against the doorway, looking out over the beach. Diving would be a good distraction today. He was excited to go. It was better than staring at paintings of Sage, which seemed to be all he could paint anymore. He needed to get his mind on work and not Sage if he expected to have enough paintings finished to enter the art show. He might just have to enter a few of his older pieces if he didn't get new ones finished in time.

  "Hey, Gary." Derrick smiled as he walked toward the shop. He wore a pair of long swimming trunks and no shirt. He carried a large duffle bag over his shoulder.

  "Hi, Derrick. Glad you decided to come. I was just about to close up here. Come on in while I shut things down." Gary moved ba
ck inside, trying not to notice Derrick's abs. The man worked out, a lot. There wasn't an inch of fat on the man's body and Gary would have to be dead not to notice. He shoved his hands in his pocket to stifle the urge to reach out and run his fingers over the ridges.

  "I'm really excited. Learning to dive was the best thing I ever did." Derrick dropped his bag on the floor and leaned against the display counter. "Need help with anything?"

  Gary shook his head. "Nope. It'll just take me a second, then we can go. We are meeting my friend Tony about twenty miles from here."

  "Cool." Derrick brushed his fingers through his dark brown hair. "I haven't explored much. Just a few places during class. It will be cool to get out and really see what is out there."

  "The area where we are going is great. I think you'll like it." Gary shut off the lights and turned back to grab his bag. "Ready?"

  "Yep." Derrick picked up his bag. "So how long you had this shop?"

  "My dad opened it in the sixties." Gary turned the sign to closed and locked the door. "I took it over when he died."

  "What a great job." Derrick fell into step as they made their way to Gary's car.

  "It's not bad, but not what I really want to do. I've debated on selling the shop." Gary hit the unlock button on his keychain and then popped open the trunk.

  "Really, wow I can't imagine anything better. What is it you wish to do?"

  "Art. I paint." Gary set his bag in the trunk and pushed it back to make room for Derrick's.

  "Painting, huh? Like flowers and stuff or people?"

  "Both. I paint a bit of everything, but ocean scenes are my favorite."

  "I wish I could paint. I can draw a bit, but really, without the computer to assist me, I don't have much talent. I can do just about anything on the computer though." Derrick opened the passenger door and got in the car.

  "Might have to have you help me design a website. My dad hated technology. Never wanted to put anything online. I've been thinking about doing something." Gary pulled the car out onto the road.

  "I'd be glad to help. You got a logo or anything?"

  "Nope. Dad said we didn't need one."

  "Let me mess around with a few ideas and see what you think. If you're serious about this?"

  "I am. It might help sales and profit if people can order online. Things slow down in the winter, so anything that might help would be appreciated."

  The drive went surprisingly fast and as they left the car and headed toward Tony's boat, Derrick looked around in awe. "So how many will be diving?"

  "I think three of us. Tony might bring his wife, but she doesn't dive." Gary hoped he left her at home. The day would be much more enjoyable if he did.

  "Cool. I'm a bit nervous. Afraid I won't be able to keep up with you guys."

  Gary led them down the dock to the boat. "You will do fine. We've all been there. Only one way to learn. Got to do it. We will help you out, don't stress it."

  Tony waved from the boat and Gary waved back as they stepped aboard. Tony's brother, Travis, stood beside him.

  "Hey you two. This is Derrick. He just got his diving license and wanted to try something a little more exciting than what he's been doing. Derrick, this is Tony and his brother Travis." Gary and Derrick set their bags to the side.

  "Great to meet you." Travis stepped up and shook Derrick's hand. He looked much like Tony, only older and a bit more refined. Tony was more carefree, where Travis was a control freak who had to have everything a certain way and organized.

  Tony smiled and nodded. "Glad you joined us. Make yourself at home."

  "Tina didn't come?" Gary asked relieved.

  "Nope she went shopping with her mother instead." Tony grinned. "I was more than happy to let her have the credit card."

  Gary grinned. "Means we have all day. If Tina was here we would be on a time schedule."

  "I'm still supposed to be home by seven," Tony said.

  "We'll try and get you there." Gary slapped his hand on Tony's shoulder. "Hate to see you get in trouble with the wife."

  "Hell, I am always in trouble with the wife." Tony shook his head as he went back to sorting his equipment.

  "We ready to go?" Travis called.

  "Yep." Gary glanced around. "What can I help with?"

  "Nothing. We got it. You two just sit back and enjoy." Tony glanced up at the two of them and smiled.

  Gary realized that Tony thought Derrick was the guy he was dating. Gary hadn't talked to Tony to tell him that Sage couldn't make it or that he invited Derrick instead. He would have to set him straight once they had a chance to talk.

  Turning to Derrick, he nodded to the bench seat. "Want a drink?"

  "Water?" Derrick relaxed back against the seat as the boat started to pull out.

  Derrick's dark black skin was a sharp contrast to the ivory white seat and Gary's gaze lingered longer on him that it probably should have. He turned for the cooler, pulling out two water bottles and handing one to Derrick as he sat down.

  "Thanks. So do you guys do this often?" Derrick looked out over the water as the boat picked up speed.

  "Not often enough. Tony's wife doesn't allow it." Gary made sure he said it loud enough for Tony to hear.

  "Hey, it's not my fault." Tony glared.

  "His wife is one of a kind," Gary whispered.

  "You don't like her?" Derrick played with the cap on his water.

  "Not a bit." Gary glanced back over at Tony, keeping his voice low. "I don't know anyone that does."

  Derrick raised a brow, but kept silent.

  "We actually get out about once a month. Sometimes there are more of us, but for the most part it's just a small group." Gary noticed Derrick looking a bit nervous and he reached over, resting his hand on his leg. "Don't worry, you will do fine."

  "I'm just not as experienced as all of you," Derrick admitted.

  "Don't stress. It's easy. If we are lucky, everything goes smooth. We got your back if anything goes wrong." He pulled his hand back as the boat started to slow.

  "We're here already?" Derrick sat forward and turned to look over the side of the boat.

  "Yeah. We don't go too far out. This way we can spend more time diving." Gary stood and nodded to their bags. "Time to suit up."

  As they unloaded equipment, Gary wished Sage was here with him. He liked Derrick, hoped they would be good friends in time, but he wanted to share this with Sage. He liked the thought of escaping the world and retreating underwater together.

  He smiled wondering if he could do an underwater painting. One that had the two of them side by side scuba diving. He wouldn't be able to catch the great features of Sage's face like he was with the others, but to have a painting of the two of them together, doing something they both enjoyed was motivation enough for him to try.

  Making a vow to pay extra special attention to the dive and his surroundings so he could paint them right, he hurried and finished getting ready.

  Derrick struggled with his suit and Gary smiled as he remembered how hard it was for him when he started. His father used to complain that he would never learn everything. Moving to where Derrick stood, he offered to help.

  "Thanks. I just can't seem to find an easy way to do this. You'd think by now I would have it down." Derrick turned so Gary could help.

  "It takes time to get used to all this. You have to make sure you don't forget anything." Gary brushed his hands down Derrick's arms and nodded up at him. "Looks good."

  They stood inches apart and as Gary dropped his hands from Derrick's arms, Derrick reached out and caught them in his. Gary glanced down, noticing how pale his white skin looked against the dark brown fingers. He glanced up, caught off guard by the touch.

  "Thank you for this. I really don't know many people around here yet. For you to invite me out like this was really great." Derrick caressed his thumbs over Gary's wrists. "I hope you might let me show my thanks by taking you out to dinner one night."

  Gary sucked in a breath. "Wow, I'm flatte
red, but —"

  "You're not gay?" Derrick quickly dropped Gary's hands. "I'm sorry, I thought…"

  Gary smiled as he shook his head. "No, it's okay. You thought right. I am. But I'm sort of seeing someone right now."

  Derrick shrugged. "Always my luck. I'm sorry, I had no idea. I hadn't heard you mention anyone, but it's not like we know each other that well."

  "He and I just started seeing each other. I'm not sure where it's going but I hope…" Gary shook his head. "You know how it is with new relationships."

  "I'm happy for you. But I hope that if things ever change, you will consider my offer. Even if we just go out as friends."

  "I'd like that." Gary clasped his hand on Derrick's shoulder. "I'm glad we met, and we can still do dinner and stuff, I just don't want you to get the wrong idea."

  Gary meant what he said. If he hadn't just met Sage, he wouldn't have hesitated for a moment to go out with Derrick, but his emotions were too wrapped up in Sage for anyone else to matter.

  "I'm happy with friends. I won't deny I hoped for more, but I respect that you're with someone. I hope I get to meet him sometime."

  "Me, too." Gary smiled. "I think you would like him."

  "You two about ready?" Tony called.

  Gary glanced at Derrick and smiled. "Let's do this."

  The three of them did a final check on their equipment. With a final glance at each other, they nodded that they were ready.

  "See you when you get back up." Travis gave them each a wave.

  Gary watched as Tony took to the water first. He nodded for Derrick to go next. He waited a few moments and then waved at Tony and fell into the water, once again wishing Sage was by his side.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Sage watched as several buckets of fresh live fish were dumped into the large pond. His stomach turned at the thought of another day of the tasteless meal. He longed to go out into the ocean and hunt for his own meal, select his own fish and feel his blood pump as he sailed through the water with the dolphin and other merman as they tracked their dinner.