Pearls of Arcadia – mermaid fantasy novel?
Updated: Oct 20, 2022
Pearls of Arcadia (a mermaid fantasy novel ) is free on Smashwords for the month of July
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/891090 This has been described as a mermaid fantasy novel.
The island wind blew up, hammering hard against the walls of my little hideout where we brought her that day, the day she escaped my stepfather. I stirred the peat fire to life and it flared briefly, illuminating the silver streaks of sadness that trickled down her face and dripped from her chin.
‘Tell me, mum,’ I begged, ‘Tell me everything you know about my real father.’
Despite seventeen years of misery, my mother had somehow managed to hang on to the beauty that had drawn terrible misfortune to her. I knew how hard it must have been to live with my father’s murderer, but I believed I had a right to know exactly what happened.
Uncle Torquil’s bottle of Drambuie offered itself from the sideboard. It seemed to give a sly wink, so I snatched it up and pushed a glass towards her hoping it would loosen her tongue and help her find the words I desperately needed to hear. It dawned on me that while I’d never known my real father, neither had I known my real mother. Here, at last, was my chance.
‘Go on, mum,’ I urged, ‘I have to know.’ The battering wind ceased as though holding its breath. It’s alive here on the Isle of Erraid and seems to echo what I feel, as though it knows my darkest secret as well as my greatest joy.
In the glow of the fire, mum’s face suddenly burst into a smile. ‘I knew your first question would be about your father, Finn. I can tell you now. Before, you wouldn’t have been able to bear it, not with Alf Webster around.’ She was referring to the miscreant who is my stepfather.
My girlfriend, Bridget, caught my hand and squeezed it to show her support. Torquil, my recently found and much-admired uncle was also present. I suspected he bore a strong resemblance to my father, and though I could see mum found his company disturbing, she cleared her throat and began to talk.