SAGE (Tales of the Merman Book 1) Read online

  His brothers had the same look on their faces. After five days of sleeping on hard stone, without the comfort of the blankets and furs they were all used to, food that was meant to keep them alive, not nourish them, and the confining space of the cell, they were all a bit testy. Only the hope that Marshall had gotten out and contacted others gave them the strength to endure.

  Sage expected his father to show, but with each passing day, he started to realize that his father wasn't going to reconsider.

  He flapped his tail fin restlessly as Heath dove down beside him to eat. Fish swarmed around his body, trapped in the small pond and unable to find an escape. Sage reached down, grabbed one with his hand and lifted it to his mouth, biting into the tasteless meat.

  Gary probably hated him by now. Almost a week without contact. His heart ached at the thought of Gary thinking he wasn't coming back. He wanted to figure out a way to send word, but even if he had a way, which he didn't, he would only put Gary's life at risk by sending someone to him. Even if Sage was free and able to go to him, he wouldn't chance being followed and having Gary killed because of his father's paranoia.

  "You okay?" Randy sank down into the water and shifted from human form.

  "I will be. I hate not knowing what is going on out there. If anyone even knows we are being held."

  Randy glanced at the guards. "They know where we are. All of us gone at once would alert people. They are used to seeing us around, besides, I trust Marshall. He will come through for us. It may take time for the clans to start arriving. I expect them here any day now."

  "Then what?" Sage frowned as Heath surfaced beside him.

  "I don't know. I guess they will come talk to us, let us explain why we called them. They are smart enough to come in force. Once Marshall alerts them that we are being held, they won't trust Father. They will bring others with them." Randy kept his voice low so the guards couldn't hear.

  "According to the law, one person from each tribe will be nominated to replace the king. The king will also be in the running unless he is found guilty of a major offense. If the people choose to keep him in place, then we have no choice but to follow his laws or suffer the consequences." Sage glanced over to where Everest slept. "The four of us have made clear our feelings and it would be up to the king to decide if we were given another chance or if we are punished."

  Heath sighed. "There is no way they will allow Father to remain king. Not if he is threatening to kill people."

  "From what Barron tells me, most the clans wish to move forward and live among the humans. We are not the only species to do this. Wolves and others have done it for years. The humans are no wiser about them than they are us. Rumors and myths, but nothing of fact." Randy flipped his tail, splashing water over them.

  Heath shoved Randy. "Careful."

  "The wolves have done this for years without issue. They police their own and cover-up any mishaps. We could do the same." Sage glanced at Randy. "Does Barron know more on how they do this?"

  Randy shook his head, his long brown hair falling forward over his muscular shoulders. "No, I don't know if any of us really know. The relationship with wolves and us is not a strong one. They tend to stay away from the water, they aren't much at swimming. I'm sure we could send someone to seek them out and find out, but there is no telling if they will speak with us."

  Sage dove into the water, he'd heard enough. He wanted out of here. He wanted to see Gary, assure him things were okay between them. The longer he was gone, the more likely Gary would think Sage was gone and move on.

  The thought of Gary with anyone else caused Sage to cringe. No matter how many times he told himself he couldn't be with a human, he found himself trying to find ways to make it work. Maybe that was why he was so ready to fight his father now. He had a stake in this. For the first time in his life, a human mattered to him and he wanted to be able to come and go freely to see him. He didn't want to have to hide anything from the clan.

  He might not be able to tell Gary what he was, but he would be able to see him more easily. Being king would make it harder to find the time, but now, with everything that was going on, there was no guarantee that he would be the new king.

  With all the clans involved, he could easily be voted down. He frowned at the thought of the royal line leaving his family after hundreds of years, but he also knew that might be best for the people. He wondered if he could vote for Heath to take his place and be their clans candidate for king.

  As he dove to the bottom of the pond and chased several fish, he wondered how long the elections would take once everyone arrived, and just how much longer he would be away from Gary.

  He didn't have to wonder long. When he surfaced from the water, several unknown men, standing at the edge of the pond, met him. He pushed his thick hair back from his face as he looked at them. They stood naked, but that made sense if they traveled from other parts of the world. They wouldn't have robes to change into.

  Sage was shocked that his father hadn't met them and offered them robes and comfort. Then again, maybe he had and they refused.

  His brothers shifted form and slowly rose from the water, and Everest stirred from his slumber to sit up, looking at the others, appearing surprised by their presence.

  Sage shifted and rose, bowing his head to the newcomers. "Welcome."

  The guards watched curiously from the entrance, spears at the ready should anyone try to flee.

  "Thank you." One of the three men stepped forward.

  He appeared Asian, but Sage couldn't be sure. His was skin tanned and hair dark. The two others were both blond and looked as American as he was.

  "I am the clan leader from China. My name is Tiko. This is Credish, and Freemont, both of them are tribe leaders in Australia. Others have also arrived and more will come." Tiko glanced around at them. "We were told there were five brothers."

  Heath nodded. "There are, but Barron is traveling. Word has been sent for him to return. I am Heath. These are my brothers, Randy, Everest, and Sage."

  Tiko's gaze lingered on Sage. "You are next in line for the throne?"

  Sage bowed his head. "Yes. I am oldest."

  "You know by calling us that it changes things a bit." Credish stepped forward.

  "We were aware of the law when we had you contacted. We tried to handle this without bringing in others, but you can see how that went." Sage glanced at his brothers and then motioned to the stone slabs they used for beds. "Please come sit and we can talk. I'm sorry we don't have anything more comfortable for you."

  "We requested your release, but your father claims that you are a risk to the kingdom." Credish stepped toward the beds. "We told him we would talk here and decide for ourselves if you are a risk. We left several of our guards with your father as well."

  Sage was relieved to hear that.

  They all took seats on the stone slabs, the brothers on one and the visitors on another. They faced each other with calm expressions, and Sage hoped that they would continue to remain calm as they talked.

  "So your messenger said you had gone to your father with concerns about his leadership and he had you locked up. We admit we were shocked to hear that you were willing to risk losing your families standing as royalty for this. Are things really as dire as this would lead us to think?" Credish glanced from one brother to the other.

  Sage nodded. "I have been assisting my father for years, learning from him so I can one day take his place, but within the last month I have seen a change. His desire for power grows, while the clan's desire for freedom is also growing. More and more are leaving for other clans or straight out choosing to leave and live among the humans. Our father is talking of killing those who choose to leave or that live with the humans. We have never been a people who kills each other. Only the most severe crimes have led to the death of one of us. When we tried to talk to our father, ask him to change his thinking or step down, he refused. We fear that his need for control, and his refusal to change and adapt with the times i
s a threat to our people." Sage frowned, but didn't drop his gaze from the others.

  Heath cleared his throat. "We knew that he might have us arrested, that is why we had a messenger ready to go to you. We think it's time to move forward or risk losing control of our people. Many are choosing to live on land, and we hear many clans are already breaking the law and allowing it."

  Tiko nodded. "Our clan has been allowing it for some time now, even though we know it is against the law. I agree with you. We need to change or we put everyone at risk."

  Freemont had been silent since arriving. He shifted as he pulled his long blond hair back. "Our clan also has allowed some to live among the humans. We also have one human who is aware of what we are. She is mate to one of us and has kept our secret for over ten years now."

  "We heard there were several humans that are aware of our existence," Everest said.

  "It has been brought up that it might be time to come forward." Tiko wiped his hand over his chin. "I am torn on this issue."

  "As am I." Sage met Tiko's stare. "This would be something we would have to discuss with everyone. Not a decision to be taken lightly."

  "Agreed." Tiko stood and started to pace. "I assume that we all agree that you had reason to call us and we should start the removal of your father from the throne." He glanced at the other two visitors.

  They nodded.

  "We will have you released, and will keep your father under guard. We must wait for the other clans to arrive and then we will nominate one from each clan that desires to try for king. Are there any other issues we need to be made aware of?" Tiko asked.

  The brothers looked at one another and each shook their head.

  "Good. Then I will order your release. We ask that you stay close and not leave the area. Sage, you will take over the King's duties while we wait." Tiko glanced at the guards. "Will your guards be an issue?"

  "Balick is my father's guard. He is loyal to him. I don't know how he will react. The rest should take orders as delivered. I think most of them long for change as we do. I don't see too many having issues with this." Sage glanced at the guards.

  Heath stood. "Thank you for coming so quickly and for giving this the attention we hoped you would."

  "You were right to call us. I fear the others would revolt if your father started issuing death orders on those who live inland." Credish stood.

  As the newcomers turned to leave, Tiko glanced back. "Give me a few moments to speak to your father and have my guards escort him out of the royal office. Once he is contained, you will be released. We will plan a meeting tomorrow at nine in the morning and see what other clans have arrived by then."

  Sage bowed his head. "Thank you."

  They exchanged troubled stares and the three visitors left the cell.

  Sage turned to his brothers with a worried stare. "And so it begins."

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Gary stared out over the ocean. He sat on the same rock he and Sage had sat on the first day they really talked. He smiled, remembering that day. It seemed like forever ago.

  It was going on ten days now since he'd last talked to Sage. He waited several days before finally going to the Coral Shop to ask Everest if he'd heard from him, but he found the shop locked. He had tried every day since, and found it still closed.

  He knew Everest took vacations off and on, but there was always someone else filling in at the shop. It shocked him that no one was there. Still he doubted the two things had anything to do with one another. It was just his dumb luck that Everest was on vacation when he needed to talk to him.

  Gary combed his fingers through his hair as he watched the sun melt into the water. He probably shouldn't be going to Everest with his and Sage's problems anyway. He just needed to face facts, Sage didn't give him his number, didn't share any personal information with him, and hadn't shown up in almost two weeks. He needed to accept Sage just didn't want to see him.

  It shouldn't hurt as bad as it did. He rubbed his chest absently as he remembered how sincere Sage seemed when they talked about him attending the art show with him. They talked about doing a lot of things together.

  Gary pushed up off the rock and started the short walk down the beach toward his apartment. He needed to paint. He couldn't waste all his time moping about a man he only knew for a week. Things had just felt so different with him.

  Gary kicked the sand from his flip-flops as he left the beach and walked the block to his place. He smiled politely at his neighbor as he unlocked his door and went inside. Slipping off his shoes as he tossed his keys on the coffee table, he wondered if he had it in him to paint. There were four completed paintings of Sage he had worked on over the ten days, but it was time to move on, paint something else and try to push Sage from his mind, and his heart.

  He grabbed a soda from the fridge before going down to his makeshift studio and placing a blank canvas on the easel. He searched his mind trying to think of anything to paint that wouldn't remind him of Sage, but everything led right back to him.

  Forcing himself to just paint, he started another beach scene, working on first the sand and then the water's edge. He found his focus and was an hour into the painting when the doorbell rang. He set the brush down and made his way for the door, expecting a neighbor.

  He smiled when he opened the door and found Derrick standing there. "Hey, come on in."

  "Thanks." Derrick moved inside and turned to Gary as he shut the door. "Sorry to just drop in."

  "No. I'm glad you did. I wouldn't have given you my address if I didn't want you to stop by." Gary gestured to the couch. "Have a seat. Can I get you a drink?"

  "No thanks. I just got off work and thought I would stop in and see how you are. I keep meaning to drop by the shop and see how you've been and if you want to go diving again, but I can't seem to escape work to make it over there. I decided to risk coming here and see if you were up for another dive." Derrick relaxed back against the couch.

  He was in navy blue dress pants and a light blue button up. His dark skin and a thick patch of chest hair showed where he had unbuttoned the top two buttons. He looked good. It was a different look than the swim trunks and scuba gear.

  Gary liked it.

  "I would love to plan something. I have to get hold of Tony since he has the boat, but even if he can't go, he might let us borrow it. Got you hooked, huh?" Gary took a seat beside him on the couch.

  "Yeah, it was amazing. I never imagined swimming through schools of fish like that. It was just out of this world. Is it always like that?" Derrick brought one knee up on the couch as he turned to face Gary.

  "Not always. We got lucky that day. I've never seen so many fish around like that before. I wish I had an underwater camera for times like that."

  "Oh that would be cool. I might have to look into getting one." Derrick grinned. "I was jealous hearing Tony talk about what it was like in Hawaii."

  "Me, too. He is a lucky bastard. I doubt I'll ever have enough money to go travel like he does."

  "Me neither."

  "I tried to paint the fish, but I just couldn't seem to get them right. I can paint a man no problem, but a simple little fish…" Gary shrugged. "There's a place up in Santa Barbra where I have wanted to dive, but we need to plan a couple days for that one."

  "I'm game. I'll need a little warning so I can get time off work if we go during the week, but I'm free on weekends." Derrick played with a loose string on his pants. "I would love to see more of the area. I still feel like a tourist."

  "I've lived here my whole life and still haven't seen half the State." He glanced at his watch. "Have you eaten?"

  "Not yet. I came over straight from work."

  "Want to go grab something? I'm starving."

  "Sure."

  Gary stood and turned to slip on his shoes. "Anything certain you like?"

  Derrick pushed up from the couch. "I'm a vegetarian."

  "Around here, that should be simple enough. Pizza, pasta, or Chinese?"


  "Oh, Chinese sounds good. I haven't had that in a while."

  Gary fisted his keys. "We can eat there or bring it back and put on a movie or something to watch while we eat."

  Derrick hesitated for a moment. "You sure that's okay?"

  Forcing thoughts of Sage back, Gary nodded. He'd sat around alone long enough waiting for Sage to show. It wasn't like this was a date. Just two friends hanging out. "Yeah, if you are okay with it."

  Derrick shifted from one foot to another. "I just don't want to cause you problems with —"

  "Things are complicated right now." He really didn't want to talk about it. "It won't cause any problems. We're just going to watch a movie and eat."

  "Okay, then a movie sounds good."

  "Perfect." Gary opened the door and stepped aside so Derrick could go out. He then shut and locked the door and they headed down to the sidewalk. "There is a place about a half a block away. They have great food. I used to go there all the time. Been so caught up in trying to paint, I haven't really gone out much the last few months."

  "I'm still learning my way around. I don't live too far from here, but I'm still trying to find places I like."

  "It has to be hard since most places around are steak or seafood."

  "I'll eat a little fish from time to time. I just seem to feel better without the meat."

  Gary glanced over at Derrick's muscular body. "Seems to work for you."

  A slight blush shone through Derrick's black skin. "Thanks. I like to stay healthy."

  "I try. I jog some. Have a gym membership, but haven't been in a few weeks. I wish I could be more serious about going."

  "You look good to me."

  The tone of Derrick's voice caused Gary to stumble. He glanced up at Derrick and his breath caught at the intense look he found staring back at him. There was no doubting Derrick's interest in him.

  Gary recovered and continued down the sidewalk as emotions pulled at him. He liked Derrick and if things were really over with Sage, there was no reason not to explore things. But Derrick wasn't who he really wanted. He wanted Sage. No matter how many reasons he had to move on, part of him still held on to hope that Sage would return. "Thanks. I should take more time away from painting though. Work out a bit more."