Moon-Bright Tides by RoAnna Sylver

Author:RoAnna Sylver
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mermaids, LGBT, Romance, supernatural romance, fantasy romance, Lesbian, Short Stories
Publisher: RoAnna Sylver
Published: 2018-01-24T16:00:00+00:00

EVEN IF MANY THINGS had changed in Riven’s life, one thing remained the same—she still had to go out every midnight and sing the spell. But one night, as Riven left, Moonbright followed. As she’d suspected, as Moonbright recovered, her scales sometimes took on a faint luminescent sheen, a glow after the sun had gone down. They shone through the water as she swam alongside Riven’s boat, and this new light, though not as strong as her lantern, made Riven feel a great deal safer. Maybe these nightly trips weren’t the worst things in the world. Still, they came close.

"You don’t seem to enjoy this," Moonbright observed when Riven started to make a soft but high-pitched whine. It continued as she brought her boat to a halt and slowly rose to her feet.

"I don’t," she said at last, reaching for the chain around her neck and pulling out the shell on the end. "It’s cold and dark and wet, and maybe you like those things, or other humans do, but I don’t, and never have. The ocean at night terrifies me, and I spend every minute praying for this job to be over."

Moonbright gave a lazy turn in the cold water, scales gleaming and tail flowing behind her in a graceful curve. "Why do you do this if it frightens you so?"

"Because I have to," Riven sighed, looking up at the empty place the moon had once hung in the sky. "Somebody has to bring in the tides, and send them out again. And without the moon, it’s up to us. Me," she murmured, dropping her head. "It’s just up to me, now."

"It’s that?" Moonbright inquired, pointing at the shell in Riven’s hand. It was a thoroughly human gesture; until now she tended to indicate something with a head-tilt or full-arm flowing gesture, not a direct finger-point. Riven wondered if she’d unconsciously picked anything up from her. "What calls the ocean, yes?"

"In the place of the moon," Riven confirmed. "This, and the song. My family’s always done it, since I can remember—since it happened, I suppose. Whatever it was that...made it necessary for us to do it."

She fell silent, and for a moment, neither moved nor spoke. Moonbright’s curious gaze stayed on her, but a sad realization came over her face, and she stopped her slow twirl, holding as still as possible while staying afloat.

"You’re alone. Doing this. You don’t want to be, but you are." Moonbright slipped closer to the boat, reaching up to grasp the edge. "I know what ‘alone’ looks like. And feels like."

"I know you do," Riven answered, just above a whisper. Her eyes flicked down, but not to Moonbright. She stared into the dark water for a few seconds, then tore her gaze away, and made herself continue. "It’s just the way it is. It’s better for everyone."

"Not for you," Moonbright said, and Riven looked over to see her resting her arms and chin on the boat’s edge, regarding Riven with a pensive gaze. "You’re nothing out here but sad and scared.

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