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you want to heal the wound rather than die of it, you need to keep it dry. The water prevents the wound from dying and closing properly. I presume the ball has been removed?"
    Loreanne nodded. "The crabs removed it."
    Andrew raised an eyebrow but did not comment, for he wasn't sure he wanted to hear the explanation, or wanted to know what an explanation would do to his ordered mind. "Loreanne says you need water to survive as a mermaid, and it looks to me as if your shoulder requires air. A contradiction?"
    "Not for a mermaid!"
    He reluctantly smiled, and inclined his head. "What we need is a method to keep you comfortably half in the water and half out."
    "Impossible human," snarled the mermaid. She reminded Andrew of an injured wild dog, all teeth and no noise, no intelligence.
    "We'll see." Next to him, Loreanne floated, wringing her hands. Andrew smiled when he noticed what she was doing. Some female traits are universal. "I suggest we construct a form of a hammock throne for her," he told Loreanne. "When she sits in it her lower body will be in the water, the upper out."
    "But her skin will get too dry!"
    "Not if one of those barrels in the caverns contain whale oil."
    "Whale oil!" Her face turned sallow.
    "Insensitive human beast! I should turn you over to the barracudas!" Margareen hissed.
    Andrew frowned, then realized the mermaids would think of whales as of their realm and would not hunt whales as man does. "The kegs are here, and I'd wager in White's book that the unfortunate creature would like you to use it if it might save your life. Would probably offer it if they were alive, too."
    Margareen preened. "What you say is true. Our whale friends are noble creatures and would do anything for us."
    "Then it is settled." He turned to swim out of the grotto.
    "Settled? No wait!"
    "Come, Loreanne. I could use your help." He swam swiftly away, ignoring Margareen's protests.

     
    "You were very good with her," Loreanne said with surprise.
    Andrew's mouth twitched. "She's no worse than my father. Easier. I'd almost forgotten how it had been."
    As they swam Andrew took note of landmarks they passed. He wondered if Loreanne would be quick to take the cap from him to prevent his escape. Then seeing the restless sharks again he decided she had no need, for those creatures were now so frenzied they would rip him to shreds should he attempt to swim out of the cove, and the dolphins would no doubt keep him from reaching the shore.
    When they reached the cavern landing, he watched, fascinated, as Loreanne rolled herself out of the water and onto the rock. Once in the air, her sparkling scales shimmered in the air like heat waves rising from land. As he watched, the scales partially dissolved and fell to the rock floor as thin nearly translucent pieces of mother-of-pearl. They made the sound of bells in the wind.
    When the transformation completed she lay on the floor nude.
    "Do you do that each time you get out of the water?" He held out his hand to help her stand.
    "If necessary." She rose stiffly, hanging on to Andrew a moment for balance.
    "You mean you can control it?"
    She laughed. "Yes. But I do not do it too much. It's too hard, and sometimes it may only be one or the other and the choice is worse." She walked stiffly over to the chest next to the wall that Andrew had not noticed before. She flipped it open and pulled out a monk's robe. She slipped it over her head and tied the rope belt loosely.
    Andrew laughed to himself. What would the abbey do if they knew a pagan fantasy creature had commandeered one of their robes?
    "What do we do now?" she asked.
    "We search the ship salvage in the cavern's for ideas."
    "Ideas? You mean you don't know what we are going to do?"
    He grinned. "Only generally. It depends on what we have to work with."
    They started up the walkway.
    "How did all this ship salvage get in the caverns?" he asked.
    "The others, they did it."
    "Others?" He looked around. "I thought you and Margareen were alone