Herm's Secret06

Kate O'Hearn

Circaidy Gregory Press (2011)

Tags:

Mermaids, Fantasy, Young Adult, whalesong

Come to Herm now, or you’ll die, the strange voice warns. On the magical, mist-shrouded island of Herm, Lori discovers the secret of her true nature and joins the fight for the survival of a rare species of whales. Her arrival on Herm is only the beginning of a terrifying ordeal that will change her life forever.

Circaidy Gregory Press

Copyright Information

Text © 2010 Kate O’Hearn.

Cover Art: © 2010 Robert O’Hearn.

Illustrations in text © 2010 Joy Chan.

www.joychan.net/

This ebook is sold subject to the condition that it shall not be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent.

ISBN 978-1-906451-31-8

www.circaidygregory.co.uk

Independent Books for Independent Readers

Published by Circaidy Gregory Press

Creative Media Centre,

45 Robertson St, Hastings,

Sussex TN34 1HL

Ebook version by Alex Bell

Author's Note

Whales are the very heart of the ocean. Please end the senseless slaughter and ask whaling countries to stop! Remember, whales are people too …

They say the sea is cold, but the sea contains the hottest blood of all, and the wildest, the most urgent.

All the whales in the wider deeps, hot are they, as they urge on and on, and dive beneath the icebergs. The right whales, the sperm-whales, the hammer-heads, the killers there they blow, there they blow, hot wild white breath out of the sea!

from ‘Whales Weep Not’ by D. H. Lawrence

6 months ago

As dawn started to break on the eastern horizon, Caspian floated peacefully at the ocean’s calm surface. Sandwiched between his mother and father, he waited patiently for his grandfather to rise and call them forward to begin the day.

When Andori arrived, he took a deep, cleansing breath and turned towards the rising sun. He raised his head in the air and started to sing.

Lost in the sweet, haunting melody, Caspian felt the same peace he felt every morning as he sang along with the fourteen other members of his family. He looked over to his grandfather where he saw the elderly mermaid, Undine, seated contently on his back. Her eyes were closed and she was trying to sing along with the family’s song as best she could.

Suddenly the peace was shattered by a warning cry from Caspian’s uncle.

“Whalers!” Zenith shouted. “Everyone get beneath the surface!”

Before diving, Caspian stole a quick look at the swiftly approaching hunters. At the bow of the factory whaling ship he saw a man standing before the large harpoon gun. It was pointed right at them. An instant later, he heard the whooshing sound of the gun as the whaler opened fire.

Caspian felt the first deadly harpoon sail directly over his back. It missed him by a breath. But then he heard an agonized scream and realised he hadn’t been the target.

“Father!” He cried. Caspian swam closer and saw the end of the deadly harpoon sticking out of his father’s side as the tow line connecting it to the whaling ship was pulled taut. While the water around him turned red with blood, Caspian heard his father calling out to the elderly mermaid’s daughter, Colleen.

A heartbeat later, another harpoon struck Caspian’s mother. Her howls of pain and terror mixed with his father’s as both his parents fought to survive.

“Mother, no!” Caspian shouted. He didn’t know what to do; he was crippled with fear. Beside him, his father continued to howl in pain and thrash in the water. But on his other side, his mother became silent and still.

He swam over to her. But even before he touched her side, he knew it was too late. His mother was dead.

“Caspian, dive!” ordered his uncle Zenith. “Everyone, get down beneath the surface!”

Unable to think, Caspian followed his uncle’s orders and dove beneath the waves. Above him he could still hear his father’s screams as he thrashed and twisted against the tow line that connected him to the ship.

Before the rest of Caspian’s family could submerge themselves, the whaler’s murderous gun fired again and again. Three more members were struck by deadly harpoons. Their howls filled the air as their blood poured into the ocean.

“Father, no!” Zenith suddenly cried.

“Andori and Undine have been hit!” shouted another.

Caspian and two of his cousins rose to the surface. They were met by a sight more horrible than anything they had ever imagined. Their grandfather had been shot by a harpoon, but before it entered Andori, it had passed through Undine’s tail and impaled the elderly mermaid to his back. In his dying agony, Andori rolled in the water. As the harpoon line coiled cruelly around his massive body, Undine was caught in the line and crushed to his side.

Struck silent by the sight, Caspian and the others watched the terrible scene playing out before their eyes as one by one their family was slaughtered by whalers.

“Boys, get over here,” cried Zenith. “Help me with Zephyr!”

Caspian watched his uncle struggling to support his father’s head at the surface to keep him breathing. But as he arrived to help, there was a loud whine and a grinding sound coming from the whaling ship.

“They’re lowering the collection ramp!” Zenith panicked. “We must hurry. If they get everyone on board, we’ll lose them forever!”

Caspian couldn’t turn away from the murderous whaling ship. The blood-streaked ramp coming down into the water looked like a terrible, yawning mouth preparing to eat.

“Caspian,” his cousin Coral shouted. “Come on! Help us before they haul your father on board. He’s still alive and needs you!”

Tearing his gaze from the awful ship, Caspian concentrated on his unconscious father. Zenith was still at his head, while the other survivors were gathering around his wound.

“All of you,” Zenith ordered, “use all your weight. Push down on Zephyr’s tail. The tow line is still connected. If we push hard enough, it will tear the harpoon out of his side and we can free him.”

As if in a dream, Caspian joined the others pressing their massive heads against Zephyr’s side, forcing him deeper into the water. With the ship’s tow line drawing tighter, they watched the shaft of the harpoon slowly cutting its way out of his wound. In one final, tearing pop, the deadly, three-pronged point was torn free of Caspian’s father.

Once it was gone, two members of the family remained with the stricken whale to keep his head above the surface. The seven other survivors moved to free the remaining wounded members of the family: those who were still alive, but tethered to the whaling ship.

Caspian went over to help free a younger cousin. But as he worked, he caught sight of his mother’s body being drawn out of the water and hauled up the ship’s tall ramp.

“No!” he cried. Leaving his cousin, he swam over to the ramp and leaped onto the end, trying to catch hold of her. He couldn’t let them take her. Not his mother. But he was too late; she was beyond his reach.

Sliding back into the water, Caspian howled in unbearable grief as he watched the faces of the men at the top of the ramp. Holding their vicious cutting blades, waiting to receive his mother’s body …

Present

Come to Herm now or you’ll die …

The memory of her uncle’s warning haunted Lori as she lay curled against the cold window of the Boeing 757 on its transatlantic flight from Toronto to London. She couldn’t sleep. There were just too many disturbing questions spinning around in her head. Sitting up, she angrily punched her pillow, adjusted her blanket and struggled to find a comfortable position.

“You all right, kiddo?”

Lori turned to the concerned face of her father. His eyes betrayed what the rest of him was trying very hard to conceal. He was frightened for her.

“I’m fine thanks,” she said, a little too eagerly.

He nodded, but wasn’t convinced. “Then settle down and try to relax. We’ve got a long flight ahead of us.”

When he looked away, Lori studied him a moment longer. He was trying desperately to believe in her, to convince himself that his thirteen-year-old daughter wasn’t going insane. But it was difficult. Even Lori was finding it hard to believe she wasn’t crazy. And she hadn’t told him everything that was happening.

Letting her eyes drift away from her father, she looked across the aisle to her aunt Anne, who was seated between her two older brothers. Her seat was reclined and she was asleep. Danny was curled against his window and snoring. Lori’s oldest brother, Eddie, was awake. Feeling her eyes on him, he turned to her and smiled brightly. “Hey, Bug, won’t be long now.”

Lori offered a weak smile back and nodded. Her brothers and aunt had no idea what was happening or why they were suddenly flying to England. Back when it all started, her father had thought it best not to tell them too much until they got to the bottom of the mystery. All they knew was that their mother’s brother had been in touch and sent them free tickets to come to Herm, a small island in the Channel Isles.

They were blissfully ignorant of the strange voice that had suddenly arrived in Lori’s head; with its dire warning that if she didn’t contact her mysterious uncle on Herm she would soon die.

She turned back to the small window and gazed out at the night sky. Are you there? She silently called with her mind. Can you hear me?

There was only silence. The mysterious presence was there; somehow she could feel it. She just couldn’t reach it with words at the moment. But even when she could hear it, it was never very clear.

Shivering from nerves and not the cold window, she pulled the airline blanket tighter around herself, lay her head down and tried to sleep.

Lor-lie, wake up!

Lori woke with a jolt; she hadn’t been aware that she’d drifted off. Sitting up, she suddenly felt a sharp cramp cutting through her lower abdomen. She glanced over to her father. His seat was reclined and he was snoring softly.

Lor-lie, can you hear me?

The voice was back, booming in her head – louder and clearer than ever before. “Yes – yes, I can,” she answered.

Thank heavens!

“Who are you?”

I’m Caspian.

Lori was terrified. The strange voice now had a name. This confirmed her worst fears. She was well and truly insane. “Caspian?” She looked around the small cabin to see if anyone was watching her. “Where are you?”

I’m here. But I am there with you too. We are connected.

“I don’t understand,” she whispered back. “You’re just a voice in my head. You’re not real!”

Lor-lie, I promise, I am as real as you are. In time you’ll see for yourself. But right now there’s no time to explain. Just listen to me. It’s starting. You must be extra careful now. You are in such terrible danger. You mustn’t let yourself get wet. Do you hear me? You can drink, but for heaven’s sake, don’t get wet! As soon as you arrive at the airport, tell your uncle Jeremy that I told you it’s starting. He’ll know what to do. The time of your Trial has arrived. Tell him Lor-lie. Your Trial has arrived.

“What’s arrived? What trial?” Lori pleaded as fear rose in her voice. “I haven’t done anything wrong, why am I on trial?”

It’s not that kind of trial. It’s more like an ordeal. We just call it the Trial.

“But what is it?”

The change. You are changing Lor-lie.

“Into what?”

Before Caspian could answer, another fierce cramp tore through her lower abdomen and down her legs. Lori also became aware of the terrible ache in her feet and rising nausea in her stomach.

“Lori? What’s going on?”

Her father was awake and staring intently at her.

Every time Lori had spoken to her father about the strange voice, he’d become upset and angry. In the tight confines of the aeroplane, and feeling as she did, she couldn’t bear it.

Instead she rubbed at her legs and said, “I really don’t feel well. The pain starts in my stomach but then shoots all the way down to my feet.” Suddenly she felt she was about to be violently ill. “Dad, let me out, I’m going to be sick!”

Her father stood and let her out of her seat. Lori raced down the long aisle to the toilet. Falling to her knees, she started to throw up. Before she’d finished, she felt her father’s reassuring presence behind her.

“It’s all right, I’m here,” he gently offered, as he held back her long auburn hair. “Get it all out of your system.”

When she’d emptied her stomach, Lori struggled to stand again. “Dad, I don’t know what’s wrong. I feel awful. I’m aching everywhere. Even my feet are killing me.”

Her father reached past her and turned on the cold tap. “Here, throw some water on your face.”

Don’t do it Lor-lie! For heaven’s sake, don’t do it!

A deep frown cut across her brow. “Why?”

“Because it’ll help,” her father offered.

Lori looked up to him. “I wasn’t talking to you. I was speaking to Caspian.”

“Who’s Caspian?”

Lori shrugged apologetically. “I’m sorry Dad, but the voice is back. He said his name is Caspian and that I shouldn’t get wet.”

“He?” her father said fearfully. “The voice in your head is a man?”

“I – I don’t know,” Lori answered, feeling she was about to be sick again. “I think so.” She concentrated on the voice. “Caspian, why can’t I get wet?”

If you do you will change. And there on the aeroplane, the change will kill you.

Lori looked desperately up to her father and shut off the tap. “He says if I get wet, I’ll die.”

Her father’s concern turned to anger. Shaking his head, he looked at her reflection in the mirror. “What is going on here, Lori? Who is this Caspian? Why can you hear him when no one else can?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know anything any more. There’s this weird voice in my head that says I’m going to die. Uncle Jeremy won’t tell us anything but sends us plane tickets. I’m so sorry I called him.” Tears rushed to her eyes. “We shouldn’t be here, Dad. You should be at home in bed and I should be in an asylum with all the other crazy people.”

He pulled her into a tight embrace. “Oh baby, it’s not your fault and you don’t belong in an asylum. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have raised my voice. I’m just frustrated by what’s going on.”

“Me too,” Lori agreed. “I keep getting the feeling that something really awful is about to happen. But I don’t know what, and no one will tell me –”

“Brian, what’s wrong?”

Lori’s aunt Anne was standing at the door.

“Our girl’s got a bit of a bug,” her father explained. “She’s not feeling well.”

“Let me take a look,” Anne said. “You go back to the boys and let them know everything is all right.”

Backing out of the toilet, Lori’s father said, “Just in case, don’t turn on the water again. Not until we get to the bottom of this.”

“I won’t,” Lori promised. When she was alone with her aunt, she sat down on the edge of the toilet.

“What’s all this about water?” aunt Anne asked as she put her hand on Lori’s forehead.

“Nothing – ”

In that instant, Lori ached to tell her aunt everything. But her father had warned her not to. Anne was a surgeon. She only believed in things that could be seen, touched or analysed. If they told her about the strange voice, Anne would insist it was puberty playing tricks on her and refuse to come. But her father wanted a doctor along just in case something really was happening.

“Well,” Anne said, as she finished her brief examination, “Your temperature is a bit high. I’d say you’ve got yourself a fever.”

“But I never get sick.”

“I know,” Anne agreed. “But it’s probably the excitement of the trip. Stay here for a moment. I’m going to see if I can scrounge up some Paracetamol from the flight attendant.”

Left alone sitting on the toilet, Lori felt fresh waves of cramps starting in her stomach and flowing down her legs. “What’s wrong with me?”

It’s the Trial, Caspian softly called. I’m sorry it hurts so much. If I could take the pain away, I would. But I can’t. All I can do is say I’m here for you.

Lori heard the caring in his deep, gentle voice, but it didn’t help. Caspian and his cryptic warnings of death terrified her. “Who are you?”

The one who loves you, Caspian responded. Lor-lie I know this is hard for you to believe and that you’re very frightened of me right now. But you don’t have to be. You and I are joined. We have been connected all our lives. And I know you’ve only just started to hear me, but I’ve always heard you. We’ve grown up together. I’ve heard you like my father hears your mother, or like my cousin Coral hears your cousin Miranda. One day my sons will hear your daughters.

“Daughters?” Lori repeated. “What are you talking about? I don’t have any daughters. I’m only thirteen. I’m just a kid.”

Caspian chuckled lightly; I don’t have any sons either. I’m just a kid too.

Lori shook her head. “I still don’t understand. What’s happening to me? Why can we hear each other?”

Because, Lor-lie, you are unique. I wish I could tell you more, but your mother says I should wait until after the Trial.

“Wait a minute,” Lori said. “That’s the second time you’ve mentioned my mother. What’s she got to do with this? She’s gone. She ran away from us years ago and hasn’t been back.”

Lori heard a sound that might have been a long, deep sigh. Lor-lie, you’ve been angry with your mother for so long, but you’ve been wrong. She didn’t abandon you and your family. Your mother is trapped in a terrible, dark place. She’s been living a life of misery in unbearable loneliness, praying for the time of your Trial when I could finally reach you and tell you what happened to her.

Lori’s head was starting to spin. Everything was happening too fast. She frowned. “No, you’re lying. She ran away. She told us she was going on a work conference. But there was no conference. When Dad called the police, they tracked down her flight to Africa. She left us alone and didn’t come back. So don’t tell me you can talk to her because I know you can’t!”

Lor-Lie, please believe me. What you thought happened to your mother was wrong. She is trapped and has been waiting for the day when you can finally free her.

“Free her from what? Where is she trapped?”

I know you are anxious, Caspian said gently, we all are. But this isn’t the time to tell you. Concentrate on yourself first. Just get to Herm and complete the Trial. Then we will tell you everything.

This was getting her nowhere. “Well, if you won’t tell me where she is, will you at least tell me what the Trial is?”

The Trial is when you will become your true self.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lori winced as a fresh wave of cramps ran down her legs.

Please Lor-lie, forget everything else and try to relax. Tomorrow is going to be a very special day.

Lori crossed her arms over her chest. “You know, for a mysterious voice, you’re not very helpful!”

In response, she heard Caspian chuckling lightly.

The return of her aunt cut off further conversation. “Here you go, sweetheart.” She held out two tablets. “These should help with the pain and bring your temperature back down.”

Lori took the pills and followed her aunt back to her seat.

“You all right, Bug?” her brother, Eddie, quietly asked.

“She’s fine,” her aunt answered. “Just a small case of air-sickness.”

When she was seated, her father leaned closer to her. “Really, how are you?”

“Truth?” Lori asked. When he nodded, she said, “I feel rotten.”

“I’m so sorry. Hopefully you’ll feel better by the time we arrive.”

Lori nodded and settled back down to rest. Caspian said she would understand everything tomorrow. All she could do now was wait.

Several hours later, Lori woke. The pain in her stomach and legs was greatly diminished. Activity in the cabin was picking up and breakfast was being served.

She yawned, and gazed out the window. The sun was well up above the aeroplane, but beneath them dark thunderheads blocked their view of the sea.

“Looks like there’s a big storm beneath us,” she said to her father.

He leaned over and peered out the window. “The news did say London would be rainy all week.”

Lor-lie, you must be very careful! Caspian suddenly warned. Don’t let yourself get wet. It will kill you if you do!

Lori’s expression darkened and she felt herself shivering. It was starting again.

“What is it?” her father asked.

“It’s Caspian. He keeps saying I’ll die if I get wet.”

“What is it with him, you and water?” her father demanded. “What’s so dangerous about it?”

“He won’t tell me,” Lori said. “He said we’ll find out when we get to Herm. But that I shouldn’t get wet before then.”

“I don’t like this, Lori. What’s all the mystery about? Why can’t he just come out and say what’s going on?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. He just says that we’ve got to talk to Jeremy.”

“Oh don’t you worry about that,” her father said darkly, “we’ll talk to your uncle all right. Then maybe we’ll find out what is going on.”

Above them, the seatbelt sign burst to life as the captain’s voice came over the speaker and announced that they were approaching Gatwick Airport.

“We’re starting our descent,” her father offered, as he reached out and took her hand. “It won’t be long now.”

“Come on, I won’t hurt you.”

Luc Robichaud held up a piece of apple to the nervous parrot. “Please, come and see; it’s very sweet and good.”

Slowly, hesitantly, the powdery-blue bird crept down its perch toward the treat.

“That’s right, good boy; this is all for you.”

Luc smiled as the bird moved closer. It stopped just short of his outstretched hand and cautiously took hold of the apple in its large, sharp beak.

“Luc, stop!”

The sudden noise caused the parrot to drop the apple and screech in terror as it flew wildly across the large aviary.

“Get out of there this instant!”

Luc looked at his father’s furious face as he quietly left the walk-in cage.

Andre Robichaud stormed forward and caught hold of Luc’s arm. He squeezed it painfully and shouted, “How many times must I tell you to stay out of there? Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?”

“He wouldn’t hurt me, Papa,” Luc said. “You saw, he took the apple from me.”

“I’m not concerned about you,” his father said furiously. “Do you have any idea how precious that bird is to me and what you could be exposing him to? Luc, that parrot is the very last of its kind from the wild. It cost me a fortune to get him. I won’t have you contaminating his cage. If you can’t agree to that, I’ll send you back to school right now and you can finish your term break there. Do you understand me?”

Luc’s father held on to his arm a moment longer. He shook his head and sighed tiredly. “Why must you always make my life so difficult? Tell me, Luc, what should I do to make you understand the importance of this collection?”

“I do understand,” Luc mumbled. “Your collection is the most precious thing in the world to you.”

“Yes, it is,” his father agreed. “I have spent half my life gathering these rare species together. Don’t you realise what you are seeing in here?”

“Yes Papa,” Luc replied. “It’s your collection.”

“It is more than that,” his father responded. “The true importance of any collection lies in possessing the only one of a kind.” He pointed at the terrified parrot. “Like this blue bird here. The Spix macaw. It is now completely extinct in the wild. This bird was the very last wild specimen and I don’t want him touched, tamed or infected.”

Drawing Luc away from the huge cage, his father took him into another room of the private zoo. “And here is another specimen that is officially extinct; the Tasmanian wolf. It was last seen in the 1930s. There have been reports of other sightings, and I have my men out searching, but until they find more, this one too is the last of its kind, making it all the more precious to me.”

Luc looked at the sad, strange animal endlessly pacing the confines of its cage. It looked like something nature couldn’t decide on – whether to make it a wolf or a tiger. Instead, it ended up looking a bit like both and a lot like neither.

“Papa, I don’t understand,” he said hesitantly. “Why must you always own the last of a kind? Wouldn’t it be better to let others know these exist? Maybe they could do something to bring them back from extinction?”

Andre Robichaud turned dark, piercing eyes on his son. “You have disappointed me yet again. After all these years, you still do not understand. What value would all of these animals have for me if they could be brought back from extinction?”

Luc said nothing, but shrugged.

“None. I would no longer have the very last. Believe me; I will not share my precious collection with anyone. They are mine and mine alone. Possession is power. I possess these things; therefore I hold the power over them. The life and death of entire species rests with me. It is my privilege and my right.”

Luc listened to his father and felt a shiver start down his spine. “But Papa, what kind of life is this for these animals? They’re always locked in cages, never smelling fresh air or going outside. It’s just not fair.”

“Fair?” his father shot. “Luc, these animals have never had it so good. They get the best food, clean conditions and protection from predators, hunting and diseases. What more do they need?”

“They need their freedom, Papa. They should be out in the wild. Not locked away.”

A dark expression rose on his father’s face. “You sound more like your mother every day.”

That was meant as an insult. Finally his father calmed down and rested a hand on his shoulder. “Luc, I must be your role model, not your mother. Look around you. I have attained everything I have ever dreamed of. Your mother had nothing until the day I found her. And one day, all of this will be yours. You must be prepared for when that time comes.”

His father started to direct him away. “Now, come along, I have just had a special delivery and I want you to see it.”

As they passed through another section of the private zoo, Luc stopped. This area had remained empty all of Luc’s fifteen years. It held the biggest aquarium he had ever seen: larger even than the ones in marine parks that held killer whales. The glass and steel-framed walls climbed high into the air, and also went deep underground to where there was a private viewing area built into a chamber far beneath the estate. The aquarium was filled with sea water and decorated with exotic sea plants, rocks and coral, but held nothing else.

“Papa,” Luc cautiously asked, “What goes in here?”

Throughout the years, Luc had asked his father that very same question countless times and never received an answer.

At first his father said nothing. Then he looked at the tank and sighed. “There are things in the sea, more precious than can ever be imagined on land. When that tank finally holds its intended occupants then, and only then, will my collection be complete. Now come along.”

Luc knew better than to press further. Instead he silently followed his father away from the zoo and back into the main complex of the huge estate. When they reached the spacious front foyer, he saw several of his father’s men surrounding a pair of delivery men. They were all gathered before a large packing crate.

At their approach, his father’s men bowed their heads and nodded respectfully.

“This is it?” Andre Robichaud demanded.

“Yes, Monsieur,” one of the delivery men said. “It is delivered as you ordered.”

“Very good, open it up.”

Luc stood beside his father as the crate was carefully opened. Soon the men were pulling out a package and peeling back the covers to reveal a beautiful Van Gogh painting.

“I bought this at auction in Paris last week,” his father explained. “I won’t tell you how much it cost but as I have already explained, nothing worth having comes cheaply.”

Luc looked at the painting and saw its beauty but he still couldn’t understand his father’s obsession with collecting unusual pieces of art or animals.

“I have the perfect spot for you, my friend,” his father said as he received the painting. Without a backward glance, he rudely called to his men, “Pay those men and get them out of here.”

Luc trailed behind his father as they made their way though the huge mansion. “Where are you going to hang it,” he finally asked.

“In my study,” his father answered.

Luc felt a flutter of excitement. He’d not been allowed in the study since he was young. He kept close to his father and hoped he would finally see what was kept in the mysterious room.

When they approached the heavy oak double doors, his father handed over the painting. “Don’t drop it,” he warned, as he fished the keys from his pocket.

As the double doors opened, Luc anxiously peered in. The room was richly decorated and furnished with beautiful, dark antiques. A large grandfather clock was ticking softly in the corner. A thick, Oriental rug lay across most of the hardwood floor. The walls were covered in tall bookshelves that were filled with first editions. But as far as he could see, the study didn’t hold anything unusual enough to explain why he was never allowed inside. Then his breath caught in his throat as his eyes settled on the large painting hanging behind his father’s ornate, antique desk.

It was a portrait of a beautiful woman. She had rich, dark auburn hair hanging long and wavy down her bare shoulders, stunning, electric blue eyes in a smooth, alabaster face. But looking into those eyes, Luc could see heavy sadness resting there.

“Mother,” he finally muttered.

Forgetting his father, Luc placed the Van Gogh down on a studded leather chair and walked over to the painting.

Until this moment, Luc hadn’t been able to remember anything of his mother. She’d left when he was just a young boy. But as he studied the fine features in the beautiful face in the portrait, flashes of memories long buried came rushing back to the surface. Her smile and how she always smelled of flowers. Her sweet laughter, filling the air and making him feel safe and loved – but then memories of other sounds awoke: the sound of her crying late at night, and the terrible fights between his parents. And then the bruises on his mother’s face that she would try so hard to conceal. Suddenly he remembered all the fear and violence of his early childhood.

“Papa, why didn’t you tell me you had this portrait,” Luc finally asked. “You’ve removed every other trace of mother from the house. I haven’t seen her since I was young.”

His father became greatly disturbed and tried to lead Luc away from the portrait. “Luc, your mother is gone,” he said. “There was no point in keeping her pictures around. It would only have caused you pain.”

“But I don’t have anything to remember her by,” Luc said, refusing to turn away from the portrait.

“What do you need to remember? She was here and then she left. Your mother never cared for you. I was the one who stayed. I am the one paying for your education, not her. She doesn’t deserve your love and devotion.”

“But –”

“No Luc,” his father insisted, as he forcibly turned him from the portrait. “It is time you accepted the truth. Your mother was a weak woman. Believe me, we are both better off without her.”

Luc studied his father’s face as he looked at the painting. His expression contradicted his words. He still loved the woman in the portrait.

“But if she was so bad, why do you still have that.”

Finally, his father drew his eyes from the portrait. “That is none of your business.”

The sudden ringing of the telephone ended their conversation. When his father answered it, he looked up at Luc. “Close the door behind you when you leave.”

Knowing how swiftly his father’s mood could change, Luc decided it was safest to obey.

“Luc,” his father called after him. “I don’t want to catch you in here again. The past is gone, finished. There is nothing for you to find in here.”

“Yes, Papa,” Luc said softly, as he left the study.

As he closed the double doors behind him, Luc heard his father start shouting into the telephone, “I don’t care what they want them for or who they kill with them. That’s not our concern. If they have the money, we ship the merchandise. Do you understand me? If you can’t do that, then we have a problem. And you know how I solve my problems –”

Luc didn’t wait to hear more. It had taken him years to discover the truth about his father and what he did for a living. But once he had, Luc wished more than anything that he didn’t know the truth.

Andre Robichaud was an illegal arms dealer. A criminal.

For so long, his father’s brutal reputation had been the cause of countless fights at the private schools Luc attended. He’d struggled for years to defend his father, until he finally discovered the truth. That dreadful revelation was also what kept him from having friends. Every time he started to form a friendship, the other person would learn who his father was and stop talking to him. Everyone was frightened of Andre Robichaud, and frightened of knowing his son, too. So Luc lived his life in silent loneliness, never finding anyone he could talk to, or share his most private thoughts with.

As Luc moved through the large house, more lost memories of his mother rose to the surface. There was something about the study – something terrible. But the more he tried to catch hold of a solid memory, the faster it would slip away again like water through his fingers.

Gatwick Airport was huge.

Lori’s family cleared customs, collected their luggage and headed towards the arrivals lounge.

“How are we ever going to find Jeremy in all of this?” Danny miserably complained, walking between Lori and Eddie. “This place is too big.”

“Jeremy said he’ll be carrying a sign with our name on it,” Eddie explained as he pushed the trolley loaded with their luggage.

Scanning the crowd, Lori saw a man with a sign. Then another. And another. Finally she turned to her father. “Dad, they’re all holding up signs.”

Her father suddenly pointed. “Yes, but only one of them says Watson on it. Over there, look – ”

Lori followed her father’s finger. “Wow!” she cried. “He’s huge!”

“Wouldn’t want to get him mad, eh Bug,” Eddie teased, as they watched their uncle waving his arms frantically in the air to catch their attention.

Jeremy Muldoon was a giant. Standing nearly seven feet tall, he had the body of a wrestler. Beside him, Lori saw a boy about Danny’s age with fine, blonde hair. He was already very tall, but string-bean thin. Beside him was a girl. Lori realised she could have been her twin sister. They were almost the same height and had the same dark, reddish hair and freckles. But as Lori approached, she saw that the girl had bright green eyes, while hers were blue.

“My God, I’d know that face anywhere!” Jeremy cried as he ran forward and scooped Lori up in his tree-trunk arms. “Child, you’re the spitting image of your mum! Lord, are we glad to see you.” He put Lori down and opened his arms to embrace Eddie and Danny. “We’re glad to see all of you.”

“We didn’t think we’d ever meet you,” said the blonde boy, shyly stepping forward. “Hi, I’m Aaron.”

“Lori, Eddie and Danny,” Jeremy said, “these are your cousins. This is Aaron and here is Miranda.”

Lori’s father offered his hand. “Jeremy, I’m Brian Watson, it’s nice to meet you.”

As Jeremy accepted the outstretched hand, he pulled Lori’s father into a warm embrace. “Glad to meet you too, Brian. Wish I could say we’ve heard all about you, but we haven’t. All we knew was that you existed. Colleen would never tell us where you were or how we could get in touch. One thing we did know for certain was that she loved you and was very happy.”

“Well, you know more than I did,” Lori’s father said. “She told me she didn’t have any family and that she was an orphan.”

“I’m sure she had her reasons,” Jeremy said, cryptically. Then his eyes came to rest on Anne and he smiled again. “And who have we got here?”

“This is my sister, Anne,” Lori’s father explained. “She’s a doctor. I wanted her to come along with us. You know, just in case.”

“We’ve got a doctor in the family?” Jeremy said. “Thank heavens. It’s about time.”

Lori watched her aunt’s face turn red with a blush as she was introduced to Jeremy. But then she turned to her brother. “Just in case what?”

“Nothing,” Lori’s father said.

As her family chatted, Lori could hear Caspian’s excited voice in the distance. She could also feel his emotions. But there was a definite edge to them. Something was seriously wrong.

“Why are we all standing around here?” Jeremy finally said, laughing and slapping Eddie playfully on the back with a blow that nearly knocked him over. “You must be thirsty and hungry after your long flight. How about we find ourselves somewhere to grab a snack? Our flight to Guernsey doesn’t leave for a couple of hours yet. From there, we’ll take a ferry to Herm. So we’ve got some time to get to know each other better.”

Lori stopped walking at Caspian’s urgent call.

No, Lor-lie, you can’t waste precious time. You’ve got to tell Jeremy that your Trial has already started. Tell him about the cramps in your legs.

“Lori?” her father stopped. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know,” she answered, truthfully. Looking up to her uncle she frowned. “Um, Jeremy, please don’t think I’m completely crazy, but it’s about that voice I’ve been hearing. You know, the one I told you about on the phone –”

Jeremy smiled broadly at Lori. Going down on one knee, he was as tall as she was as he reached out and took both her hands. “Who is it then? Caspian or Coral?”

“It’s Caspian!” Lori said excitedly. “You know about him?”

“Sure enough! He’s a wonderful lad, full of beans and the pride of his father.”

“Voice?” her aunt said, stepping forward. “What voice?”

“Yeah Bug,” Eddie added. “What are you talking about? Who’s Caspian?”

Jeremy looked up at Lori’s father. “You didn’t tell them?”

He shrugged. “Tell them what? I don’t even understand what’s been going on. That’s why we’re here. To finally get some answers.”

Lori explained to her aunt and brothers about the strange voice in her head and its dire warning that she would die if she didn’t get to Herm immediately.

When she finished, Anne gave an accusing look at her brother. “And you didn’t bother to mention this to me or the boys? Brian, what were you thinking?”

“I was thinking of Lori’s welfare,” her father shot back.

“But Dad, if Lori is hearing voices, she should be in a hospital, not going on vacation,” Eddie said.

“Lori doesn’t need a hospital,” Jeremy said, joining the argument. “What she needs is to get to Herm.”

“Why?” Anne demanded. “What’s wrong with her?”

“I can’t tell you here,” Jeremy said. “We must get to Herm first.”

As the argument between her aunt, brothers, father and uncle intensified, Lori felt Caspian growing more agitated. Finally he called to her; Stop them, Lor-lie. You don’t have time for this. You’ve got to tell your uncle that the Trial has started. Tell him now!

“Everyone shut up,” Lori shouted. She could feel the pressure of fear building in her stomach as Caspian’s warning rang in her ears. She turned to Jeremy. “Caspian says we’re almost out of time. He says the Trial has already started.”

“What!” Jeremy cried in horror. “How long ago did it start?”

Stunned by his sudden change, she shrugged. “I’m not too sure – um –”

Jeremy grasped her by the arms, his face hovering inches from hers. “Lorelie, listen to me very carefully, this is very, very important. How long ago did it start? What are you feeling right now?”

Lori looked back up to her father, “I – I’m not sure when it started – a few hours, maybe. I had bad cramps in my stomach and legs. Anne gave me some pills and I fell asleep.”

“What does all of this mean?” demanded her father. “What the hell is happening to my daughter?”

Jeremy ignored her father as he stared intently at Lori. “Lorelie, this is terribly important. How do you feel? Are your legs itchy? Do they sting or burn?”

“Brian, we should go,” Anne said worriedly. “Voice or no voice, coming here was a mistake.”

“Answer us, Lorelie,” Aaron pleaded. “Please, tell us, how do you feel?”

“My name is Lori,” Lori suddenly snapped. “Not Lorelie. And you want to know how I feel?” She turned to her cousin as tears filled her eyes. “I’m really scared! I don’t understand what’s happening to me and no one will tell me anything.”

Jeremy’s voice softened as he put his arms around her and hugged her tightly. “I’m so sorry, lass, I know you’re scared. We all are. But you must tell us about your legs. Do they itch or sting?”

“No. I’ve just had some cramps, but they’re fine now. Please tell me what’s going on?”

Instead of answering, Jeremy looked back to Aaron. “You and Miranda take everyone upstairs. Find a quiet corner and wait for me. I’ll arrange a flight directly to Herm.”

Before Lori or her family could say another word, Jeremy was running away, and swallowed up by the crowd.

“What’s going on here, kids?” Anne asked.

“We’re really sorry to be frightening you like this,” Aaron said, “but there’s a lot going on here that you just don’t understand.”

“Then help us understand,” Eddie demanded.

“Not here,” Aaron said. “Let’s do what Jeremy says and go upstairs.” With that, he headed towards the escalator.

Lori held her aunt’s hand as they rode the escalator up to Gatwick’s second level. Shops and restaurants filled the entire floor and were crowded with travellers waiting for their flights. Lori didn’t notice any of them. Shock and fear were overwhelming her every sense. As it was, she was barely aware of the return of her leg cramps and backache.

As Aaron led the group to a cluster of empty chairs, Eddie caught hold of his arm. “All right Aaron, now you’ve got us up here. What’s going on? Tell me, what’s happening to my sister?”

“This isn’t easy,” Aaron started. “We are a very small, very private family.”

“And?” Eddie demanded.

“And if we tell you right now, you won’t believe us,” Miranda cut in, “but you must, because it’s all true.”

“What is?” Lori asked.

“Lori, you are facing a Trial –” Aaron continued.

“I know,” she said, throwing up her arms in exasperation. “Caspian keeps telling me. But he won’t say what it is!”

“He was probably waiting for Jeremy or Gran to tell you,” Miranda offered.

“Why?” Lori’s father demanded. “Why can’t you tell us? What’s the big secret?”

Aaron looked at his sister, then over to Lori. “Because it is a big secret and I know for sure you won’t believe it, coming from us.”

Lori’s father shook his head and started pacing the small area. “This is getting us nowhere! What kind of games are you people playing here?”

Miranda suddenly pointed. “Here comes Jeremy! He’ll tell you.”

Everyone turned and saw Jeremy racing towards them. His mobile phone was pressed to his ear and they could hear him saying, “We’re on our way. Get ready to move the moment we arrive.”

Snapping shut his phone; he stood before the group. “I’ve just found out they don’t fly helicopters out of Gatwick,” Jeremy gulped air and tried to catch his breath. “But we caught some luck. They do fly out of South Nutfield Airport. That’s just a few minutes down the road. I’ve called ahead and arranged for a large private helicopter to get us all straight to Herm. The pilot is preparing for take off right now. We just have to get there.”

“I’m sorry, Jeremy,” Lori’s father said grimly, “but we aren’t flying anywhere until you give us some answers.”

“You didn’t tell them?” Jeremy turned to Aaron.

“We wanted to wait for you. They wouldn’t have believed us if Miri and I told them.”

“That’s probably true,” Jeremy agreed. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his wallet and handed it to Aaron. “Look, it’s really raining out and we can’t risk Lori getting wet. You and your sister go and try to find something for her to wear that will keep her completely dry. But be as quick as you can.”

Jeremy turned his attention to Lori and her family. “I understand your frustrations. You want explanations and you’ll get them.” He looked at Lori and placed his hands lightly on her shoulders. “But before I start, I need you to answer a question for me.”

“Go on,” Lori said.

“For the past couple of weeks, even before you started to hear Caspian, have you been having trouble with water and getting wet?”

Lori gazed past her uncle to her father and aunt. She shrugged.

“Have you?” her father pressed.

Lori finally nodded.

“When you got wet, your legs started to itch, didn’t they?” Jeremy continued. “And if you spent any time at all in water, they really started to burn. Right?”

Lori was stunned. Her uncle knew everything about her – things she hadn’t dared tell her father or aunt. “Yes,” she finally whispered.

“Lori, why didn’t you say something?” her father asked.

“I didn’t want to worry you. You got really upset when I told you about the voice. What would have happened if I told you this, too? I was just hoping it would go away.”

“But it didn’t go away, did it?” Jeremy pressed. “In fact, it got worse.”

“Yes, and before long my throat really started to hurt.”

“Your throat,” Anne repeated. “Lori, I’m your doctor. Why didn’t you come to me? How does it hurt?”

“It burns, doesn’t it?” Jeremy agreed. He traced a line on either side of his neck, “just about here and here?”

“Yes,” Lori cried. “But how did you know?”

“Because that is where your gills will form.”

“Gills?” Anne repeated. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Everyone, please listen to me very carefully. Lori is a mermaid.”

“A what!” her father cried. “Jeremy you are completely insane!” Shaking his head, he started to pace. “Let me get this straight. You brought us five thousand miles over here, insisting that Lori’s life is in terrible danger. You wouldn’t tell us what’s happening or anything about the voice. Now you expect us to believe a story like that?”

“This is simply ridiculous,” Anne said. “Mermaids don’t exist. They are a physical impossibility, nothing more than silly fairytales and lonely sailors’ fantasies.”

“You listen to me, Jeremy,” Lori’s father continued. “I don’t know why you are doing this, but it stops now. This isn’t funny.”

“No Brian, it isn’t,” Jeremy agreed. Then he looked at Anne. “It’s deadly serious. My sister, Colleen, is a mermaid. My mother is one too. The men of our family carry it in our blood, but it mainly shows up in the women. When they reach puberty, they become mermaids.”

“That’s crazy!” Lori’s father cried. Reaching forward, he caught hold of Lori’s arm. “We’re not listening to any more lies. Anne, boys, grab your things, we’re leaving.”

No Lor-lie! Caspian cried. It’s true. I swear everything Jeremy is saying is true. You are a mermaid! So is your mother. You haven’t changed yet, but it is coming. That’s the Trial; when your body changes from legs to your tail. Tell your father, please. You must believe us!

“It can’t be true!” Lori cried, shouting at empty air. “Caspian, you’re lying. Mermaids don’t exist!”

“Lower your voice!” Jeremy hushed, catching Lori by the arm. “For heaven’s sake, lower your voice. What’s Caspian saying?”

Lori tore her arm away from her uncle and curled into her father. “Dad, Caspian says it’s all true. He says I’m going to have a tail. But it can’t be. They’re lies, they’ve got to be.”

“Lori, stop and think about it,” Jeremy pleaded. “The pain you felt in your legs when you got wet, the sickening weakness when you tried to stand: You didn’t mention your hands, but they hurt too when you’re wet. Don’t they?”

Lori buried her head in her father’s chest. “Stop it!”

“Don’t they?” Jeremy pressed.

“Lori?” her father asked, drawing her away from him. “Is he right? Do your hands hurt?”

Lori lifted her frightened eyes upward and nodded.

“Listen to me child,” Jeremy said gently. “I wish to God you didn’t have to hear it this way, but we’re out of time. Your hands hurt when you got wet because the next time you get wet, there will be webbing between your fingers.”

“No!” Lori cried, clinging to her father again.

Pulling her close, Lori’s father said to Jeremy, “You keep insisting there is no time. What’s that supposed to mean? No time for what?”

Jeremy turned away from Lori and lowered his head. His big shoulders slumped and he started to wring his hands. When he finally spoke, he was shaking.

“The Trial is when one of our girls first suffers the change. When it starts, the new mermaid must be in Herm waters for the change. If she is not, then –”

“Then what?” Anne demanded.

“Then within hours of the start of the Trial, the girl will change anyway. She will change – and she will die.”

“No!” Danny cried. Suddenly breaking his long silence he stepped forward. “That’s not true. You’re lying.”

“No I’m not,” Jeremy said gently. He turned to Lori. “Ask Caspian, he’ll tell you. My little sister died during the Trial. It started late in the night and came on so fast. By morning she was half-turned. We got her down to the water, but it was too late. Serena died in my father’s arms. And we were on Herm!”

Lori looked back to her father and nodded. “Caspian says it’s all true. He says we’ve got to get to Herm now to complete the Trial.”

“Why does it have to be Herm water?” Lori’s father demanded. “What about other water?”

“Any other water can trigger the change, but that is the danger. Once the very first change starts, it can’t be stopped. And unless it’s in Herm’s water –”

“I’ll die,” Lori finished grimly.

“No. That’s impossible,” Anne argued. “This is all some kind of insane fantasy. You people are delusional. Do you forget I’m a doctor? Mermaids simply can’t exist. They are physically and genetically impossible.”

“But they do,” Jeremy argued. “And if we don’t get Lori to Herm soon, her death will prove it.”

Table of Contents

Cover page

Title page

Copyright page

Credits

Herm's Secret