"I want to go swimming. Want to come?" Laylan asked with a big smile on her face.

"Well," he began then thought about it. He turned back toward the village and scanned the crowd. He didn't see anyone he was looking for and answered, "Okay, let's go." He turned back toward Laylan with a small smirk across his face.

They took off through the trees heading toward the coast. "So are you feeling better about your destiny? Are you accepting it gracefully as you should?" Luca.s.sius asked as they walked through the forest.

"Technically, no, I am not. I still don't like it. I know that choice is merely an illusion but I don't like it. Call me an illogical human if you want but I still don't like the idea of not having a choice in the decisions that I am going to make." She shrugged as she spoke. "I don't want to go to the Mortal World and leave Cion behind. I don't want to go live with humans. I just want to stay here and stay with people that I have always known. But I know I must go and I will go and do what I am supposed to do. I will find who I need to find and do what I have to do." Laylan stopped talking and walked in silence. She took a deep breath and let it out. "But today, I'm not thinking about it. I just want to go swimming with Jade and get my mind off of all of this. So no more talk of destiny and fate." She finished and smiled at Luca.s.sius. He smiled back and accepted her request.

"Okay, so…" he paused trying to find something to talk about but couldn't.

Laylan giggled at the thought. "Wow, Luca.s.sius not having anything to say? That's a first." She laughed and nudged him with her elbow in his arm.

"Be quiet. I don't want to hear about it," he laughed back.

She let out a loud laugh that echoed through the wood. "Fine, race you to the coast." She laughed and began running.

Luca.s.sius laughed to himself at Laylan's irrational behavior and began jogging after her. He could hear her laughter from the wood in front of him. When he cleared through the trees and could see Laylan out in the water she called out to him, "Slow poke!" with a laugh.

He began to walk out into the water when suddenly he saw bubbles rise to the surface of the water. A beautiful face broke through and peered up at him. Her striking coal black hair hung down into the water and her deep aqua blue eyes pierced into Luca.s.sius.

"h.e.l.lo, Jade. How are you today?"

A smile crossed her face as she answered, "Good. Are you joining Laylan for a swim?"

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"Yes, are you?"

"Of course, you are in my water," she laughed.

Luca.s.sius chuckled as he watched Jade jump back into the water barely making a ripple. He went ahead and jumped in after her and swam out to Laylan. He stopped in front of her just as four heads rose out of the water.

Jade was the closest to them with her aqua blue eyes. A blond woman with deep turquoise eyes floated near Jade. There was a red head with dark emerald eyes that drifted next to a brunette with light sky blue eyes, as Jade chimed, "So are we swimming or what?"

"Let's go." Laylan said and sank down into the water. The others followed her under the surface and the difference was obvious.

They all swam together until they reached a small island and they all beached themselves on the warm sand. Laylan and Luca.s.sius sat up with their legs crossed while the others all lay back on their elbows. Their vibrant fins s.h.i.+mmered in the sun.

Jade laid there with her green-blue tail, the blond named Ruby had an orange fin. The red head, Raine's tail was yellow and the brunette, Sadie, had a soft pink fin. They all sat around and talked about Laylan's upcoming trip to the Mortal World.

"Well, I personally hope that I never have to go to the Mortal World, to live in a world without magick? I could never fathom the thought of that." Ruby said with obvious disdain in her voice.

"I know, don't remind me." Laylan mirrored the same voice that Ruby had used.

"It's not as bad as you all are making it out to be. Sure the magick isn't quite the same there as it is here, but there are still some forms of magick." Luca.s.sius replied.

"You must be remembering a different world then I do. The world that I remember had no magick but us. There was no beauty or compa.s.sion. It was a horrible place," Jade argued.

"I know the humans weren't the best creatures in the universe but their world wasn't magickless," Luca.s.sius defended.

"Maybe not for you, but if you remember, humans had been hunting us for years. We lived in fear of everything. We had trouble finding food; we were unable to find mates because the mermen had left to seek refuge deep in the arctic waters. We couldn't even come up for fresh air because the humans might spot us and come to hunt. I don't know how your life was in the Mortal World but mine wasn't as great as yours seemed to be," Jade spat at Luca.s.sius.

Silence fell over the group as the argument had been brought to a close by Jade's proclamation. Luca.s.sius looked sympathetically at Jade, "I apologize, Jade, I had forgotten how it had been for you all. But Laylan won't experience the same hards.h.i.+ps. She will be in disguise as a human so she will be among them as one of them. I didn't want to scare her with our old tales." Luca.s.sius explained softly.

Jade took a deep breath and faced up to the sun with her eyes closed. After a moment, she turned back to Luca.s.sius before replying. "I don't like the idea of Laylan going alone. She knows nothing really of human nature and therefore she could get hurt. I don't like the idea of banis.h.i.+ng her to the Mortal World like this."

"She isn't being banished to the Mortal World! She is being sent on a mission, if you will. As much as we all don't like the idea, she must go! She has to experience humanity in order to become what she was chosen to be! She has to go!" Luca.s.sius jumped up in defense of his parents' choice to send Laylan. Jade, Laylan and the others all looked up at Luca.s.sius as he nearly yelled his defense. "Not to mention she has to find all that she needs to find so that we have a more suitable army to fight the underworld. Did you forget about that, Jade? Of all people here in Cion, you should definitely remember that!"

Jade's eyes filled with pain as she remembered the last battle they had fought against the underworld in the Mortal World. Her entire family had been wiped out when she herself was still a small merchild. Her best friend had also given his own life to save her before the G.o.ddess had devastated the demons that had infested her oceans. Saving what was left of the merpeople that she had called her children. Jade felt tears well up in her eyes at the memories and realization of what Luca.s.sius spoke of. She squeezed her eyes closed and felt the hot tears run down her cheeks. Jade nodded her head to acknowledge her understanding of his statement.

Luca.s.sius relaxed his posture and his face became calm and soft again. He looked up at the sky and could see the stars beginning to twinkle in the clear blue. The sun was approaching the water on the horizon. "It's getting late, Laylan. We should start heading back. Jade," he knelt down to look into her aqua blue eyes. He spoke with great sympathy as he said, "I apologize, and I never meant to bring up memories of our past. I did not mean to seem callous with my explanations. I do agree with your perspective view of Laylan going alone. This is why…" He paused and looked back at Laylan. A smile crept across his gentle face as he continued, "She is not going alone." Then he looked back at Jade.

Shock struck Laylan's eyes as he said this. Her biggest fear was going to a new world alone, not knowing anyone there. Now those fears were dashed into oblivion. "Are you going with me?" Laylan couldn't help but ask.

No one acknowledged her question, but Jade nodded in agreement and understanding at Luca.s.sius. She glanced at Laylan still sitting on the sand. Her arms extended and Laylan responded by rising to her knees and embracing Jade. "Till we meet again, M'lady, please take great care of you and try not to stay gone too long." Jade whispered in Laylan's ear.

"Yes, I will take care and I will be back before you know it. Till we meet again, Jade, and you take care as well." Laylan whispered back. She embraced the other three and wished them all farewell before they disappeared from the beach.

Laylan turned and looked up to Luca.s.sius' face and could see sadness in his look, as if he were saying goodbye as well. He turned to Laylan and smiled knowing what was about to happen.

"Are you going with me, Luke? Greagan and Gomorrah didn't mention anyone else going but me." Laylan asked.

"No one was supposed to." He answered with a smile. "But after hearing Jade's argument, I have decided that she is correct. And I have determined that I am going with you to the Mortal World."