Sous

At the age of fifty-five, Hacate stood in the front courtyard of the school that now had over a thousand students and dozens of professors. The reputation of the school was quickly growing and since there was no other school like it in all of Nadia, the desire to get in was growing per day. It wasn't something she was able to focus on at the moment, for she was standing outside with several other professors including Clarence.

They stood in the rain watching mermaids be carried into the school on gurnies. They were on a rescue mission, an operation.

The rains had been falling for months as a result of a witch in Vania being done wrong by a mermaid, it was said. She affected the weather causing many of the great lakes and ponds to flood. The extra flood water then made its way to the seas where many of the fresh water mermaids died.

They weren't able to rescue many but they were able to rescue some, including many within the same clan. But there was one mermaid that was completely by herself. Her entire clan had been killed when they swept into the ocean.

This was when the big baths formed in Hacate. To house the mermaids, Hacate ordered the construction of baths that would act as their housing until they were able to go back to their ponds. Or when the rains stopped. The rains wouldn't stop though unless the witch in Vania was reasoned with, but at that moment for Hacate, the lonely mermaid was her focused.

This mermaid didn't speak nor interact with the other clans. There was a corner in the baths that she clung to and didn't leave its area. She barely ate and day by day Hacate found the mermaid looking more and more like she was going to whither away.

Hacate would spend all of her days and nights with this mermaid, even canceling the classes she taught just to get this mermaid to exist. The mermaid seemed to lack the will and was clearly depressed.

She wanted sure if the mermaid wanted or needed company, even still Hacate did her best to speak with the mermaid, learn about her but it seemed the mermaid spoke another language. A language Hacate hadn't any knowledge of.

Nadia had a richness of languages but the main language spoken was Atin. Atin was spoken mostly in the southern and central region of Nadia but once a person traveled to the Valley of Trey, the language would become submissive. Atin was also shared with the northern border of Canas so many of Canas spoke the same language even if the dialect was a bit different in contrast.

There was only one linguist professor on campus and it was at that point in time, Hacate began to etch out a plan to bring in more linguists; after all, one of the houses was House of Communication. Communication couldn't be done if there was a barrier between the languages.

The only time Hacate saw happiness within the mermaid was when she held a small hand made mirror. Hacate wasn't sure where she got the mirror from but it allowed her to demonstrate just the tiniest bit of joy. It would seem the mermaid liked looking at her reflection. That she liked talking to her reflection because it made her feel that she wasn't alone. The mermaid was simply lonely.

One day as Hacate walked towards the baths, a hall monitor came running toward her, pointing in the direction of the bath. Hacate followed the boy and saw the mermaids gather around the body of the mermaid from the different clan.

She paused before taking a step to investigate, overcome with disappointment and grief. Her steps echoed on the marble floor, the mermaids swimming to the other side of the bath.

Hacate knelt down, seeing the mermaid wasn't in the water but was on the side of the pool. Her body was still warm so she had only died recently.

She picked the mermaid up and took her into her office. She cleaned off her desk and laid her there with Clarence entering into her office soon enough. He watched Hacate place her hand over the heart of the mermaid. No longer needing a wand and having gain the ability to do an assortment of advanced spells, she closed her eyes.

Clarence went over to one of the chairs and sat down, his body still within the form of a thirteen year old boy. He crossed his legs and rested his hand on his arm.

"And what do you plan to do?" He inquired.

"I plan to bring her back to life."

"For her...or yourself?"

Hacate released her hand from the mermaid's heart. She looked at Clarence for asking such an invasive question. It was selfish of her...to assume this mermaid wanted to come back.

"That mermaid radiated sorrow. Her entire clan had been wiped out and her only friend was her own reflection." She stood there listening to his words. "You want to bring her back for what purpose?" He looked at his friend. "We don't know the tongue she speaks."

"We can create a spell-"

"A spell takes longer than a day and you know that."

"Her spirit is in her body still."

"Let her spirit leave, Hacate."

Hacate looked at the mermaid then looked at Clarence. She had made her decision. "No." She placed her hand on the heart of the mermaid, sending a jolt of electricity in the form of a powerful spell that allowed the heart to beat and the the brain to receive transmissions. It was bliss to watch the mermaid take a gulp of air but it would prove tortuous for the mermaid.

The mermaid was placed back into baths with the other mermaids even as the rain continued to fall. The mermaids had known what Hacate had done and felt it taboo. They stayed away from the newly awaken mermaid. Just as right, for the mermaid with the pseudo energy it was given in the form of magic was starting to decompose. With the mirror the mermaid had, she saw her skin peeling, the blood curaculating, the muscle and tissue becoming exposed. Her eyes popping from her face, her jaw unhinged from her facial bone. And though she felt no pain, she felt even more distraught as she gazed on into the mirror eventually breaking it. She pulled herself out of the water onto the marble floor like she did when she took her life but this time, she didn't die, she just laid there. At night the hall monitor would come by and with his wand, push her into the water.

Her body continued to decay, affecting the bath water the other mermaids swum in. They got sick, fevers, vomiting, and spasming. The mermaids soon had to be relocated to the bath where the water was fresh and nor contaminated.

Hactae and Clarence looked at the decaying mermaid.

"You brought her to life because you knew you could. No other reason justifies this," he scolded Hacate.

Hacate walked over to the mermaid and held out her hand. The mermaid took the hand, being lifted from the pool. She placed her hand on the mermaid's heart and just as quickly she was able to give life, she was able to take it.

The mermaid fell limp onto the marble floor. Clarence noticed Hacate did not apologize for her actions to the mermaid which he found the most disturbing. He didn't say anything to his friend, however. Besides, they needed to go visit a witch in Vania to see what can be done to stop this rain.

No one knew the name of this witch nor did anyone know her name. As they sat in her small one foor, one room house made of mud and brick, they noticed very little about the place that made her stand out. Still Vania was a beautiful place with a rich vampire culture mostly seen at night. In the woods was a strong population of thriving basilisk which kept the spider population to a very minimal amount.

They managed to find this witch simply by word of mouth. Within Vania, there were small communities of witches and wizards that seemed to have a cordial relationship with the vampires. They didn't seem to have any of the same rights as the vampires such as the ability to hold office, but it also seemed they didn't care to be equal to vampires and they preferred to be amongst their own.

This which was a short woman who made lovely green tea. Her hair was dark black and her eyes were small, and kind. She wore a long robe that dragged on the ground with large cuffed sleeves that kept her hands hidden. She down at the table with them.

"What may I pay this visit to?"

"You flooded many of the lakes and ponds because of the rain," said Hacate. "We had to rescue many of the mermaids, so many deaths led Hunters to us."

"Hunters?" Asked the witch.

"Its a new government force that investigates spirits leaving their host body, death," exclaimed Clarence.

"I see." She took a sip of her green tea, smacking her lips as she did so. "When I was out seeking herbs for my tea."

"Camelia sinensis isn't a herb," Clarence corrected.

"Oh dear." She paused. "Anyway, I managed to find some on a river bank but there were group of mermaids, boys, who taunted me, one in particular."

"So you flooded them out." Hacate said, leaning back in her chair.

"I heard the entire clan died."

"You heard correct." Clarence confirmed.

The witch raised her arm and snapped her fingers, causing the rain to stop. She drunk all of her tea and smiled at her guest. "I do not apologize for my actions. Please leave my home."