Mermaid 23

Cordelia let go of her tail and began drifting downstream. She grabbed for the beam, preventing her from drifting far. She flicked her tail, working out the cramps that had settled in while she rested.
“How do you stand it?” she asked the little fish around her, not expecting an answer.
“You learn where the breaks are.
Cordelia released the beam, swimming in circles looking for the merfolk that must be near. She saw no one and began her trek upstream again.
“You weren’t far from one,” the voice said again.
“Where are you?” she asked, searching.
“Hold still. I’m right here.” One of the gobbie swam into her shoulder, butting her.
“You?” she asked, cradling the fish while she fought the current. “How can you speak?”
“Dragon gobbies aren’t like other,” he explained. “Follow me.”

Mermaid 22

Worse, she occasionally crossed paths with humans on the water's surface. She flet crushed from above and let herself sink while still fighting the current. Once on the seafloor, rather the riverbed, she found a large beam of wood lodged with smaller debris caught on it. She flicked enough away for her to cling. Wrapping herself in a circle and holding her own green tail, she could rest without being washed away.
More fish swam by, upstream and down. Exhausted, Cordelia simply watched them. When she was rested she would approach them and try to get directions, a sense of distance.
The water still tingled, but she was becoming used to that. In fact, she barely noticed any more. Soon she would breathe mountain water as easily as salty seawater. She was a child of mountain water and soon she would prove that by finding her mother.

The Para-Portage of Emily by Muffy Wilson (Review)

The Para-Portage of Emily is an interesting title for an eerie and otherworldly romance. The scene is set on a small island in the winter, where ice fog and snow make everything a little less familiar, a little more magical. Emily takes to her new surrounding with gusto, tracking down the pieces she needs to put her Uncle’s affairs in order and uncover the mysteries behind his estate.
Muffy Wilson does a fantastic job of setting the mood in this novel. We always feel like we have one foot in reality and one in dream. And these dreams are far more vivid than real life is sometimes. It is easy to fall into the setting.
I did have a few hiccups with it. I found the prologue unnecessary, which isn’t an issue normally, but I also found it didn’t have the tone of the book and was very sterile. It worked against everything that came after.
I had a few characters and repetitious scenes/actions that had me skipping passages to get to the next meaty bit.
I love the furry companions that come along. They are used to pace the book – oh, it’s time to let the dog out – as well as ground home reality when the dream seems to take over.
I am not a romance reader normally, but I have been enjoying Muffy’s writings in other venues and decided to try my feet in their pond. I’m still not a romance reader, but that doesn’t negate the fact that the Para-Portage of Emily is a good read.

Mermaid 21

Almost immediately, her tail began ache on top of the tickling in her gills. Fish swam back at her, gobies and mollies, most swimming with the ceaseless current.
The river had narrowed to the point that, emerging on the surface, she could see both sides. Staring in shock, she was washed downstream almost back to the delta. She'd never been in such a small body of water. For a moment, she felt that the banks were closing in, but it passed as the current pushed her back.
When she realized how far she was being washed, she struggled forward again. This time the banks didn't surprise her, but she felt them closing, felt like there wasn't enough water.

Mermaid 20

Cordelia swam slowly around the wide delta, following the edge. Careful to avoid humans, she often had to stay a long way from the beach. The shallow water threatened to beach her. At times, it was hard to tell where the shore was at all, but she managed. Sometimes she surfaced briefly, but always she kept the beach on her left.
The farther she went, the more the water changed. It tingled on her scales, in her gills. It wasn't painful, but it wasn't comfortable either. It felt weird and she flicked her tail harder, trying to shake off something, but she would shake off her skin or the water. The tingling was a part of her. Even so, she wasn't getting used to it, and then it got worse.
Cordelia had followed trade winds and ocean streams that swept her away. She'd felt an undertow pull her tail from under her. All of these were easily avoided and escaped by slipping out of the way. She'd never had to fight one like this pushing her back to the ocean. If she wanted to follow the narrowing banks, she had to swim against that current.

Mermaid 19

Her father lead her to the delta. "I wish I had something to give you, something to help you. I will miss you and worry the entire time you are gone. I know you will want to spend time with your mother, but once you've found the way, you can return, right? Come back so I know you're safe."
Cordelia hugged her father tight. She didn't want to admit how scared she was, how much she would miss him. Instead she said, "I will." Before she was ready, her father let go of her, turning back to the depths of the ocean. "Goodbye, Cordelia, and good luck."
"I love you, Dad," she said, but it was too quiet and he was too far away to hear. Then she was alone where the salt water began to mix with fresh. Alone at the edge of a new world. Taking a deep gulp of water, she flicked her tail, swimming into the mouth of the river.

Mermaid 18

It was another two week before the high tide she needed. There was plenty of time to pepper her father with questions.
"What do I do if the river splits?"
He shook his head, he didn't know.
"What sorts of dangers are there? Do they have sharks?"
He shook his head.
"Can you tell me anything?" she cried, exasperated.
"Very little. The fish you found is a special kind that swims up into the mountains. When you find them, follow."
Cordelia had lost the dead fish but remembered it very clearly. She remembered almost everything about that day, everything she knew about her mother.

Mermaid 17

It was more than a week before Cordelia was sure she wanted to try finding her mother. A week of Meri needling her with questions. A week of Dallas and his obnoxious friends driving her from the house. A week of her father stopping to watch her when they happened to have a moment together. He hadn't said anything more about her mother or the possibility of her leaving. She knew he was thinking about it, and after a week, she couldn't take any more.
"Dad? I want to find my mother. Will you help me?"
He smiled and nodded. "As far as I can."

Mermaid 16

"Father says she won't come to the ocean anymore."
That led to more questions and answers about Cordelia's birth and how she could find her mother.
"Your father will help you? That's awesome. You have to go. How cool would it be to find meet her?"
"And scary," Cordelia added.
"Scary? Why?"
"We don't know what mountain water is like. Here we know about the sharks and killer whales and avoid them, but what lives in the rivers and lakes of mountain water?"
Meri didn't answer immediately, but when she did, it was supportive. "I'm sure you'll know what's dangerous." Her smile grew. "It's probably in your scales," she teased, flicking her tail against Cordelia's. There was a difference between them, Cordelia's being very slightly bluer.
Maybe Meri was right.

Mermaid 15

Neither was the case.
"No way! Your mom lives in mountain water? That is so cool!" She swum in circles around Cordelia, drilling her with questions. "What does she look ike? How did you find out? Can you live in mountain water?"
Cordelia relaxed. Meri's response wasn't a whole lot different from her own.
"That fish you found is from mountain water. My father recognized it and told me about her."
"Have you seen her?"
Cordelia shook her head and turned toward home, knowing Meri would follow. "Father says she won't come to the ocean any more."