Mutante: Chapter 20
Copyright 2023 Elizabeth Frerichs
“Miss Rose!” Thomas snapped. “You must control your emotions. Your magic is too strong. If you don’t calm down, you will injure one of us!”
Rosie’s eyes flicked over to the mirror. The sand-filled waterspout had clearly reached the ocean floor. A large conch shell flew past them, just missing Waterdancer, and joined the wild whirl. She burrowed her face back into Robert’s chest and slowed her gills, allowing the safety of his arms to remind her that she wasn’t alone. Maybe she didn’t know how to fix things right now, but for the first time in years, she wasn’t alone. And if she could find the right witch, Grandma Essie and Aunt Rina would be around to help her.
“That’s right,” Robert said, rubbing a hand on her back. “You’re doing great. Just keep breathing. I’m right here, and so are Thomas and Waterdancer.”
The seahorse whinnied anxiously, and Rosie couldn’t tell if it was because Robert had said his name or because of his proximity to the waterspout.
She slowed her gills even further, imagining the waterspout dissipating like a handful of sand thrown into an ocean current. It was going to be ok. If nothing else, she could always go live somewhere in the forest like Grandma Essie had done. Maybe a little cottage with a guest room for Robert and a spot for Waterdancer outside. They could visit her, and she’d be safe from her mother’s wrath and the townspeople’s prying eyes. She and Robert could rest. Free from the pain of their pasts. A swell of longing filled her chest.
Somehow, in the past three days, Robert had become a dear friend, and she didn’t want to simply say goodbye at the end of this. At least helping his father would take some time. And if it worked—it would be glorious to be able to help him as much as he had helped her.
Rosie peeked over Robert’s arm. A faint haze stained the water, but that was all that remained of the waterspout.
Thomas breathed a sigh of relief. “Excellent work, Miss Rose.”
“I—thank you. I’m just sorry that I caused so much trouble.” She leaned against Robert, feeling suddenly drained. Twenty minutes ago, she had been more hopeful than in years. Now, she just wanted to curl up in bed and stay there.
“Robert, please get Miss Rose something to eat,” Thomas instructed.
Robert gently transferred Rosie to Waterdancer, and then held out his hand for the enchanted bag.
Rosie gave it to him. “I don’t know if it will even work for you,” she said tiredly. “Maybe it only works for me because of—of magic.”
“Well, it can’t hurt to try.”
“I believe Madam Essie designed that bag for Lady Mariya to use—I doubt it requires magic to work,” Thomas said.
Fortunately, he was correct, and Robert was able to find what they needed. Quickly, he found Rosie a reef apple and handed it to her.
Rosie could barely force herself to eat, but the effort was worth it; she felt much better afterwards.
Robert watched her as she ate. “You look less pale,” he remarked.
“I feel less pale.”
Thomas eyed her. “If you are feeling well enough, we should continue our previous discussion, as it has bearing on what we should do next.”
Rosie nodded reluctantly, The restoration of her physical strength had helped slightly with her emotional state, but the thought of her mother keeping such a huge secret, such a huge part of who she was, from her was an ache that gnawed at the back of her mind. Not to mention that the enemy was now within her.
“Very well. I believe the waterspout resulted from the fireworm’s blessing.”
“Pardon?”
“You said that the blessing increased your ‘natural abilities’ and changed your vision to match that of a fireworm’s, correct?”
Rosie nodded.
“Your tail is evidence that the blessing increased even that so called change-making ability. I believe that more than just your physical abilities were heightened. You have had magic since you were a child, but it wasn’t strong enough to threaten those around you. Or at least it wasn’t expressed in a dangerous fashion. The fireworm’s blessing likely also increased your magical ability.” He cleared his throat. “The waterspout is evidence that strong emotions can provoke a magical outburst.”
“I—do you mean I’ll be a danger to everyone around me all the time?” Rosie burst out, feeling as though the world had suddenly tilted on its axis for about the tenth time this morning.
Thomas shook his head. “I do not believe so. Young witches—or those who have suppressed their magical ability—often find their emotions and magic connected. But as you practice your magic, they will gradually become less entangled. You will still have to be aware of the possibility of danger should you experience a sudden spike of extremely strong emotion; however, it is unlikely to occur regularly.”
Rosie sighed. She had spent most of her childhood in deportment and skill lessons of one variety or another. The thought of another set of lessons was daunting. Yet if she mastered magic, perhaps she might learn to “ride the beast” as Farfandal had put it. Right now, her tail sometimes appeared to take matters in its own fins. It would be a relief to gain control of her own life. With Grandma Essie’s help . . . .
And maybe she wouldn’t have to marry Mr. Wobbegong. He might not like witches anyway—especially not one with such a conspicuous tail.
“What does this have to do with our current situation?” Robert asked, squeezing her hand.
Thomas held her gaze. “You should be very aware of your emotions, Miss Rose. And your body is unused to conducting intentional magic, which means that you will require food and rest, if possible, before attempting any other spells.”
“What other spells would I be doing?” Rosie asked. She had already said the spell for the path.
Thomas winced. “I had intended to tell you once we reached the shed, but—well, the potion brewing can only be done by a witch. It will require a spell to complete.”
“Ah, I see. Lovely,” Rosie said. “And you thought I could just—wing it?”
“You have been fully capable of performing spells thus far. I believed you would succeed admirably with the potion spell once you realized you had already been doing magic.” He looked away. “I did not think you would accept your magical abilities without ample evidence—I apologize if I overstepped.”
Rosie grimaced. “No.” She sighed. “You were right. I just—” She waved a hand towards where the waterspout had been. “Clearly, I’m having a hard time with the truth. I just wasn’t exactly expecting to hear that I’m not who I thought I was. And I’m not exactly a fan of magic.”
Robert leaned over. “You’re exactly who I thought you were: a spunky, kind, clever, easy-to-talk-to, brave mermaid who works to do what’s right even when it isn’t the easy choice. Whether or not you have magic, that doesn’t change.”
Rosie looked down, her stomach twisting like kelp in an ocean current. “I’m not that good. I didn’t want to help my grandmother because it’s the right thing to do. When we started this journey, it was just because I was avoiding my mother.”
“I don’t think you would have continued it for that reason, though,” Robert said. “Am I right?”
She quirked a half smile. “I’m not sure about that.”
“Well, I am,” Thomas said firmly. “You wouldn’t risk your life just to avoid your mother.”
“You don’t know my mother,” Rosie said wryly.
Thomas held her gaze. “You forget that I have been Madam Essie’s magic mirror since she was a young woman. I am quite familiar with your mother.”
“Oh, right.” Would she have gone to such lengths without knowing it was the right thing to do? Probably not. Even the loss of her freedom and the addition of further disapproval wouldn’t have pushed her to keep going. “I suppose—I suppose you’re right. I love going to Grandma Essie’s because it’s a chance to get away from the stares and from my mother’s disapproval. And I continued with our quest to reach my grandmother because I couldn’t bear the thought of losing this small bit of freedom. If I had returned that first day without even having gotten to Grandma’s house, my mother would never have let me go by myself again.” She grimaced. “Mother might have kept me locked up in the house or sent me off on another round of lessons to ‘keep me from further embarrassing the family.’
“But when we found out what had happened to Grandma Essie . . . .” She chuckled sadly. “My mother will be furious that I risked my life, rather than summoning the Witches’ Council. They couldn’t have gotten here in time though. And I may still be grounded or sent off to a convent for the rest of my life, but we still have to save Grandma Essie because it’s the right thing to do—for her and for Aquaria.”
“Exactly,” Robert said triumphantly. “See, doing the right thing is kind of your thing. It’s what makes you so bossy.”
Rosie mock glared at him. “I am not bossy.” She tossed her head, her hair swirling around her. “I’m right.”
He chuckled. “Yeah. At least some of the time. That’s why I’m sticking around to help you the other times.”
Rosie smiled at him. “Thanks.”
“For you, Princess, anytime.”
Thomas nodded. “Indeed. I am at your service as well, Miss Rose. If you ever wish for the benefit of a magic mirror, I will gladly offer my services.”
“Thanks, Thomas,” she said, her eyes beginning to prickle.
Robert clapped his hands together. “So, what do we do now? Go get the kelp and then find a place to rest?”
Thomas hesitated. “If the wards remain sufficiently strong, and if we can avoid detection, the shed would be an acceptable place to rest.”
Robert studied Rosie for a long moment. “How much rest does she need before performing the potion spell, and I suppose, the other path spells?”
“Given her reaction to creating the waterspout, I believe it would be best to wait until tomorrow.”
Rosie glared at the both of them. “‘She’ is right here! And we can’t wait until tomorrow! We only have until noon tomorrow. If it takes too long to find the black sand, Grandma—all our work will have been a waste.”
“If you overexert yourself, you will be unable to perform any spells at all and may even injure yourself,” Thomas said crisply. “It is vital that you rest, or else all our work will have been a waste.”
Robert ran a hand down her arm soothingly. “It’s just one night of sleep. We can wake up early tomorrow morning. Besides, we still have to devise a way to get that turquoise kelp into the beast. Who knows what time it will be when we finish that? It’s already late afternoon.”
Rosie nodded stiffly. What other choice did she have? The lingering weakness that hummed along her bones seemed to whisper that pushing herself today was a very bad idea. If she exhausted herself, she wouldn’t be able to help Grandma, regardless of whether they reached her in time. “Fine.” She checked her timekeeper. “We have two hours until sunset. Let’s just find what we need and get back to the cave.”
Robert exchanged a look with Thomas. After refastening all of Waterdancer’s saddlebags, the group turned down the path and began swimming.
A/N: I really enjoy the dynamic shift between Rosie & Robert 🙂 I hope you guys are enjoying this story too! Thanks for reading!
See you on Saturday!
