The Engkanto Quartet: Voyage to the East

Merfolks of Masinloc

The next day, a man with long, curly hair and a thick beard had come out of the deep onto the surface. He jumped out of the water into the air in one movement, revealing himself to the ship’s crew. He had the upper body and the head of a man, but the lower body was that of the fish with thick, slippery scales. Twisting his body back to the water, the merman slithered into the deep. He was the same merman that Rakly and Isuk encountered on the shores of Mischief Island. Another merfolk jumped out of the sea and back, and then another one. 

Tikloi was waiting for another one to come out before releasing the arrow. But the dwarf stopped him. “Halt!” the dwarf commanded. At once, the Engkantean warrior dropped the bow. “Right at this moment, I don’t think these are enemies. You know that we have friends from the undersea in the mermaids and the mermen,” Velmer continued. 

When one merman had come out of the water, Velmer greeted the creature, “It’s good to meet folks like you in the sea. We are humble sailors lost at sea. Are you a friend?” 

The merman did not utter a word. Instead, he made some signs, guiding the ship in a particular direction. 

“Are you the ones who were eyeing on us back in Mischief Island?” Rakly asked. And then he realized it was not the right question to ask. “I’m sorry, but I’m wondering if you could tell us who you are and why you are following us,” he corrected himself.

There was still no answer from the merman, who moved lithely in the water, making a splash with his tail.

“I’m going to release this arrow if they’re not going to answer,” Tikloi said. He was becoming impatient, which was unlikely of him. Maybe it was because, after weeks of getting stuck on an island, they’re in the same situation again. 

Then suddenly, other merfolks had come out onto the surface — ten, twenty, no thirty of them by Isuk’s count. It was but a troop of mermen pushing the Whaler, thereby increasing the speed of the otherwise shipwreck-slowed ship. “Let’s follow their lead at this moment,” Velmer said. “Maybe, they’re on our side to help us.”

“But if they’re friends, they should have talked to us already,” Rakly replied. He was visibly irked, but he had to keep himself controlled and collected.

“They won’t talk when threatened,” Ito chimed in. “Who would be in their right mind to do so? Every creature on earth has the pride to protect. You might be asking the impossible.”

“Let’s see what they’re up to,” the dwarf replied. Then he raised his voice at one of the mermen who was on the surface again, “Hey! Where are you bringing us, friend?”

And again, not a word.

They’re moving away from their original direction, getting farther toward the cold and open seas northward to another unfamiliar territory. The ship sped up, pushed, and guided by the merfolks. After hours of sailing, which felt like an eternity, an island emerged on the horizon. 

Ito flew above the ship and warned them about the island that was a few leagues away from their location. 

When they came closer to the island, the mermen disappeared, which slowed down the ship. But the current pulled them into the rocky shores.

“It’s a trap,” Tikloi cried. “It would have been better had I released the arrow.”

“I don’t see any hostile acts. The mermaids and mermen are friends of Engkanto. But let’s see what surprise they will have for us. I have a bad feeling. But I know Leila will always be on our side,” Velmer said. 

“Isn’t it an act of hostility to be dragged to this place without our consent? And who is this Leila, anyway?” Isuk asked.

“I know Leila, too,” said the Sarimanok. “She’s a wonderful, beautiful mermaid.”

The mention of a beautiful mermaid made Isuk pull back in a corner. He had been aching to see a real mermaid. Konradus told some detailed stories of the mermaids, sailors talked about them, and old wives in Ragua suspected their husbands of having affairs with mermaids. 

“The queen of the mermaids. She’s a friend. The mermaids are a loyal ally; they helped us during the war. I don’t recall any conflict with them, although it’s not the same with the rest of the merfolks. They have many different groups and factions down there. But the mermaids are not going to bend to Lor Gorgo,” the dwarf explained.  

“I feel we’re in danger. These are mermen. And they’re not talking. The sea will be our grave if we let ourselves into their trap,” Rakly said as he maneuvered the ship back to the direction of the east. But the wind and the sea current were against them, leading them northwest and pulling them toward the island. “This is not a good sign.”

“Look out! More mermen are coming out of the water,” Ito, who was hovering above the ship, said.

The mermen reappeared, but this time, their number had dramatically increased. They surrounded the ship, escorting it toward the rocks. “Get yourselves ready,” Velmer said. He realized the baleful intention of the strange sea creatures. “These merfolks were not the friendly ones. They’re not of the same kind as our friends. They’re not allies.”

Underwater the mermen were pushing the ship toward the island, and Isuk had lost control of the wheel. While Tikloi let an arrow fly against a merman who got closer to the outrigger. But he missed the target. But it bounced off the water. “Stop! Please, don’t initiate the fight,” Velmer yelled as Tikloi was to release another one.

Mermen kept appearing in the water, and several mermen had swum ahead of the ship to the island.

“I remember perfectly, and I understand it now. This is the Isle of Masinloc,” said the dwarf. “They’re leading us to this small island just like they did to lost sailors and fisherfolks.”  

“Masinloc? That’s the island that Nur had asked us to avoid,” recalled Isuk as he looked above the overcast sky.

“Precisely,” Ito butted in. “Get a little closer and... finish. The presence of the dark clouds above is the reason why the king wants you to avoid Masinloc.” 

“Brace yourself. Masinloc is worse than Mischief Island. The pirates of old used to make it their base. But rebel mermen attacked and defeated them on this island,” the dwarf warned. “And I guess these are the same mermen that overpowered the pirates,” he continued. 

Unsheathing his swords, Rakly anticipated that the enemies would launch an attack anytime soon. “Let’s not make the first strike. Hold your arrows, Tikloi. Save them for later. We can defend with blades,” he said.

Rakly perceived that the mermen were saving their attack for the right time when they’re in the best position to succeed. And that was when the ship had reached the island’s rocky shores. On the other hand, the mermen could have attacked them in the sea and sank their boat. Had the merfolks attacked them in the open sea, they would have no chance of surviving. “But why haven’t they attacked us yet?” he asked. “Maybe, they will listen to reason and will talk to us. I don’t know. But their silence is somewhat disturbing.”

“Please, talk to us, mermen,” Isuk pleaded. 

But not a merman said a word. They were on a standoff as no one initiated the first attack, except for the arrow Tikloi released that bounced off the water. No one would yield, either. 

The sound of the waves hitting the rocks had somehow drowned Isuk’s fear that he showed some composure. The dark clouds above decided to start pouring down light rain showers. It was getting colder that Isuk was shivering not out of excitement but out of fright. 

“This is not good,” Ito said. “I can’t fly when it rains.”

“You’re useless as always,” Isuk barked. He’s trying to hide his fear. 

“Let’s get to the cabin,” the Sarimanok pulled Isuk by the hair. But the Raguan refused to hide. 

With swords in both hands, Rakly set his eyes on the rocks and the island. He was thinking of a strategy for escape. But there was not a way. The waves pounding the rocky shores and shallows of Masinloc would drown them before reaching land. And going back to the deeper parts of the sea would give the enemies an advantage. Either way, there was no escape. They only had one choice, and that was to defend themselves and fight to the last drop of their blood.   

“Let’s wait for them to talk to us first,” Velmer suggested. “There must be a reason why the mermen did not strike and destroy the Whaler ship while we’re still in the open sea.”

“But they’re not talking,” Isuk said, getting soaked in the rain, and his voice was shivering in the cold. “We could have collected the rainwater if not for these mermen.”