Secrets of Galathea Volume 1

by Elle Beaumont

  “Don’t mind him, he’s perpetually rankled,” Ruari teased, his voice light considering the situation.

  “He hates me,” Zinnia stated, not looking affronted in the least. She recalled the glare he offered her during the trial and it seemed his hatred had lessened none.

  “No, he hates Jager.” He chuckled and eyed Jager. “If we were not brothers, I daresay he’d feel the same way about me. As it is, he isn’t a fan of what I have and he doesn’t.”

  “But he will be king one day,” Zinnia offered and in return Jager snorted.

  Ruari’s head reared back, and he shrugged a shoulder. “True, but is a title everything? You ought to know.” He didn’t say it harshly, but it still stung.

  In the hallway, Prince Loch approached. A deep blue tail propelled him and the severity of his gaze was not lost on Zinnia. “Two carriages await. Let’s go.”

  “Before we leave, Your Highness, we will meet with the coven at the pillars, then the Crevice.” Jager’s gaze challenged the prince, but no argument poured from him. Not even a scolding.

  The carriages waited and the small group of soldiers had gathered before the drivers called out their departure.

  “King Eidir wishes to downplay this, but keep your wits about you, Zinnia. This is not a joke, it is not something to take lightly. Kriegen has become a monster and won’t hesitate to kill you.” Jager pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

  As the carriage pulled to a stop in front of the circle of pillars, Oinone approached and clasped her hands in front of her. “Jager,” she called out, her green eyes searching the window.

  “Oinone.” He bowed his head and moved toward her. “He told you, then?” Jager’s eyes flicked toward Dru.

  “Dru told me, we’ve assembled and are ready. Jager… we won’t be able to fight him, not this time. We need more time.” She paused.

  “More witches, I think you mean. What are swords and tridents against magic?” he whispered viciously.

  Oinone glanced at her prior students. “Be careful today, this is no trial.”

  Once the coven fully assembled, the entourage of soldiers and witches alike went forth to the Crevice. None were prepared for what they saw. A collective gasp rang out and the younger mer let shrieks of terror escape.

  The Crevice had split open; black, tar-like bubbles escaped and tendrils of the same black liquid snaked through the water. Tendrils, or rather tentacles, slapped down on the sea floor, and a booming cackle of laughter emitted through the current.

  The soldiers had long since spilled onto the scene, abandoning their hippocampus as they held up their shields and weapons. In return, the Kraken’s bindings snapped and allowed him to emerge fully from his prison.

  His voice hummed through the current. “Brother, you came,” his voice rumbled as his immense form slithered across the sea floor. Kriegen loomed just above his brother.

  “You knew I would,” he shouted.

  One of his tentacles shifted into a blackened hand and it swiped through the current. “Yes, I suppose I did,” he sneered. The Kraken’s distorted features no longer resembled that of a mer and were not quite a beast, either. “I would have been disappointed had you not.” The sea floor trembled, sending new cracks spreading along the Crevice edge. A groan sounded as it tore open wider.

  Zinnia gasped, Dru gripped her hand and used his shoulder to steady her. She wanted to flee, wanted to be far from the fight because they didn’t belong here… or did they? They had not taken up their vows with a coven, but they would protect their kingdom and people. Zinnia didn’t need a vow binding her to that.

  The sound of Loch’s voice tore Zinnia’s attention from the Kraken. He had his body turned away and he was shouting. The king pushed his way through the crowd. Golden plated armor covered his body and a helm shielded his face. He had taken it far more seriously than what they believed.

  “Your Majesty,” the Kraken hissed, and let his appendages ripple and pull him closer to the king. With every movement, the sea floor shuddered, and the water became deprived of oxygen.

  “Kriegen!” Jager shouted. His brother turned to him for a moment, considering him.

  To the side, King Eidir advanced. There was nothing he could do to physically harm the monster, but he would lead his people. “It is time to do away with you, once and for all!” Eidir shouted.

  The monster paid little attention to the king, but in a lightning-fast maneuver, the Kraken whipped out a tentacle, slapped it down onto the king and not one, but two more tentacles followed suit. A hiss of laughter erupted from Kriegen as he pulled his blackened limbs back to reveal a lifeless King Eidir.

  Zinnia shrieked and Dru reeled her toward his side as Oinone came up to them.

  “Come, we all need to be together. Have heart. Together we are stronger. We need to bind him back to the Crevice.” Oinone pulled them off to where the other witches gathered, and they joined hands and began to hum. Together, their voices united and built nearly tangible notes in the water. Thick cords of magic billowed in the current, growing and growing.

  Chaos erupted. Someone squeezed Zinnia’s hand, and when she looked up, it was Prince Ruari. His pale cheeks flushed with color and his blue eyes sparkled with a new intensity, one that she recognized as grim determination.

  Nothing could be said to him at that moment. She knew the loss of a parent and instead she threaded her hand with his and allowed her body to rest against his, too. Prince or not, he grieved just the same as any other.

  The battle raged on. The distraction the soldiers provided didn’t last long; there were too few of them and the Kraken’s rage gave him strength. Too long they had shackled him to the depths. His shriek boomed through the air as his tentacle slapped down on the last soldiers that were left.

  The monster loomed above the coven and his limbs struck down once more. His body slithered closer to the coven. His mouth contorted into a vicious grin and with a strike, he disrupted the coven’s circle.

  A sound burst from his mouth, a note, and Zinnia realized it was a spell. He was casting a spell!

  They could all die.

  Zinnia’s tears melded with the seawater as the blood of the coven began to ooze into the surrounding water. A sob lodged itself in Zinnia’s throat but as much as she wanted to curl in on herself, she pulled herself together. She swam off and motioned toward the rest of the coven. The Kraken’s attention had been pulled away.

  Jager swam toward his brother, calling to the god of the sea, calling upon every cell of his magical makeup so he could bind his brother. Little by little the monster’s appendages seemed to still, and the floor groaned as it began to seal. His contorted figure seemed to shrink, but he was not without a fight; some bindings snapped and caused shock waves to ripple through the sea.

  The coven continued to work, but it was Zinnia who pulled away from the circle and swam a distance behind the thrashing beast. A song poured from within as she lifted her hands and began to weave magic in the current. She allowed herself to focus on the hum, ignoring the thunderous growl of the Kraken as he spun around to face the maid who dared defy him.

  Perhaps it wasn’t the brightest of ideas, but the strands of her magic lashed against him and caused him to flinch, and it allowed for the coven to weave their bindings more efficiently, too.

  A curse escaped Jager, but he kept chanting his spell and circled his hand in the water to create a thick tendril of magic and then did the same before he launched them forward at the angered monster.

  Oinone pulled her hands free and the rest of the coven did the same; as they pushed their hands forward, they all released a band of bindings. The Kraken was slapped in several directions by the invisible chains, and his limbs began to buckle.

  A sickening crack filled the current as the Crevice groaned in dismay. The monster’s body began to bend and collapse beneath the bindings.

  Neither Jager nor Zinnia or the coven relented.

  In one last effort, the Kraken began to
slap his tentacles down to crush as many as he could, but the pull of the bindings began to yank him back into the deep. He howled in fury and lashed out; one tentacle fell heavily on a part of the circle.

  “Don’t stop, Zinnia!” Jager cried out and averted his gaze from his brother to the fallen coven members. There was less magic flowing forth, but the bindings had latched onto the monster.

  She didn’t stop; as much as she may have wanted to, she kept her focus on trapping the beast.

  One last cry emitted from the Kraken before his body was swallowed up by his prison once again, and it wouldn’t be the last.

  Despite the temporary victory, no one cheered. Bodies littered the sea floor, and blood coursed through the current. The reality slammed through everyone; the king had been killed today.

  A week had passed since the battle between mer and Kriegen.

  Since the incident, Prince Loch had shut down the teaching of magic at the Academy. He didn’t outlaw magic, but he didn’t make it easy for a mer to be taught. There was still such contempt in his gaze for witches and for the first time, he couldn’t be blamed for that.

  “We need to move forward, away from magic. The Dark Arts are far too enticing. If it is harder to come by the knowledge, then it will be equally difficult to find trouble,” Prince Loch had declared at a formal meeting.

  Zinnia had been there, alongside Dru and Jager. She still couldn’t believe how swiftly the events had occurred, but she knew for certain that she would not refrain from practicing magic. She knew Dru wouldn’t cease either.

  “From here we will plan and be ready for the Kraken when he breaks loose again because the next time there won’t be any more binding.” Prince Ruari looked at Jager as he said this.

  “No, you’re right. The next time he perishes.” Jager folded his hands and sat back.

  Once they were all in agreement, Zinnia swam into the hall and steeled herself. She felt, rather than saw, a presence by her side. One flick of the tail and she knew who it was.

  Despite the weight of the moment, a smile tugged at her lips. Surprise washed over her dark gaze when the figure lifted her hand.

  “I will see you around, Zinnia. Our work is not finished.” Prince Ruari’s lips teased the back of her hand and he gave her a roguish smile.

  He swam away and left her gaping down at her hand. A small blush colored her cheeks.

  “And I still find this interesting,” Dru offered and chuckled.

  Zinnia had not heard him, and she startled before a laugh escaped.

  “So do I.”

  Voice of the Sea

  Ruari pinched the bridge of his nose, his green eyes screwing shut as his older brother spoke.

  “Magic has poisoned society—we know from history what it is capable of doing—and what it has done to those who were considered good. It can eat a mer from the inside out, Ruari!” Loch had waited until the council swam from the room before having this conversation. Whether it was because he wanted to honor his brother, or because he didn’t want the council to see the impending brawl, was unknown.

  Ruari’s eyes popped open and widened in shock. “Are you seriously blaming all magic? One bad clam spoils them all?”

  “Our father is dead! In case I have to remind you, Brother.”

  The way he said it sounded like an accusation, even though it had little to do with Ruari, and everything to do with Kriegen. That was a nightmare—a story that had been passed down through the ages. Who knew that one day the monster would break loose?

  A mirthless laugh escaped Ruari. “No, you don’t!” He slammed his fist on the stone table, and pushed himself from the chair he sat in. “I was there, but would you blame me for his death? Because I’m a witch—because I have magic? Does jealousy so blind you—”

  Loch struck Ruari’s face in a lightning-fast reflex. His blue eyes blazed with fury. “Careful,” Loch hissed. “I care little for your magic, and I’m certainly not jealous of your wretched abilities.” His mouth opened as if he were about to say something else, but thought better of it, and swam out of the room.

  Ruari was left alone and stunned by the blow to his face. It stung as much as Loch’s blatant hatred for witches and their magic. The battle at the crevice had been almost a month ago now, which meant the mer who had been shut out of Selith Academy were floundering. They needed somewhere to go, and yet it sounded as if Loch was one tide away from banishing magic altogether.

  That wouldn’t happen, not if he had any say in it.

  There was hope, and he felt it pulsing in his chest. Ruari felt the hum of it in his veins, and he had seen it reflected in Zinnia’s dark eyes. Sweet Muir, she was a bright spot amidst one of his darkest moments. Despite what Loch may have thought, Ruari mourned their father too. He wept as his remains were brought to Noman’s Island and set ablaze on the shore. And he wept when he arrived at breakfast and found his father’s chair empty.

  Puffing a breath out, Ruari watched the bubbles form in Loch’s wake. He could hear his brother’s voice down the hall but didn’t turn to look for him.

  Loch turned around just as Ruari began to pull away. “Ruari, wait—I owe you—”

  “Nothing. You owe me nothing, Loch.”

  Ruari swam to the first level of the palace and rushed outside. Past the on-duty guards, past the trainees in the courtyard, and toward the stable. The distinct sound of playful clicking noises came from the hippocampi, which resounded in the current. He felt their quick movements as their tails pushed the water around—it was another one of their silly games.

  “Kooi, girl, are you in or are you out?” he called, as he swam further into the barn. Rows of stalls with live kelp floating in them lined each side. Some of the creatures played with the long tendrils of kelp. Occasionally, a few peered through the strands to watch the merman swim by.

  Moving forward, he saw a flash of teal and deep green, and then the tell-tale white face of Kooi. He chuckled when she fled into the mass of kelp. “I thought you’d like a free ride, but maybe I was wrong.” A sigh came from him as he spun in the water, his green eyes flicking toward another stall. “Tizzi might want a ride though,” he mused out loud and felt a sharp tug on the tip of his tail.

  When Ruari swung around, the white face of the striped hippocampus glared at him. Grinning, he lifted his hands and stroked Kooi’s smooth face. “I have to see someone special, please?” he asked softly.

  Kooi bumped her mouth to his cheek and made a clicking noise in agreement.

  “Good girl.” With that, he let her out and opted to ride astride her back freely instead of burdening her with equipment.

  Beyond Selith’s palace the open sea called Ruari. He never once cared that he wasn’t the heir to the throne before today, but today he cared. Loch was close to making a grand mistake. What did Ruari know, when he didn’t carry the weight of a kingdom or race on his shoulders? Clearly nothing.

  Kooi let out a trill as she tore through the water. The current was strong today, but it was no match for the muscled creature. She gracefully swam, using her frilled tail and forelegs to maneuver through it.

  A few jellyfish bobbed above them to illuminate their path, opting to dash away when they came too close.

  In hindsight, perhaps Ruari should have taken an escort with him, but he was known for being a hair impulsive and reckless. The person he was about to see, however, was not one he thought he needed an escort around.

  As Kooi lowered herself to the sea floor, Ruari slid from her back and scratched her frilly head, smiling. His eyes immediately latched onto the mermaid approaching him, and he felt his breath hitch.

  “Miss Zinnia, fancy seeing you here,” he teased, the corner of his lips tilting upward.

  “…yes, fancy seeing me at my house.” She narrowed her eyes, lips twisting as she looked at him with a smile. “Your Highness, where are my manners,” she said, bowing and saluting with her fingers.

  Rushing up to Zinnia, Ruari lifted a brow and laughed. “I wanted
to see you, you know, outside of the political drama and meetings,” he said softly.

  “Oh? You’re not fond of all those informative meetings, are you?” She crossed her arms; the sound of her bangles clinking together made the hippocampus trill.

  He scrunched his nose up at the mention of the meetings. “Yes, just as I’m fond of barnacles finding their way into my bed.” He sucked his bottom lip into his mouth, focusing on his train of thought. As far as Ruari knew, Zinnia and her friend had yet to choose a coven. “You haven’t chosen yet, right? A coven, I mean.” Breath fled his nostrils, and he chided himself for sounding like a fool.

  She cocked her head to the side and smiled. “No, not when it could be ripped away from us. I wasn’t sure if it would be an option still,” she said quietly, looking around before she motioned for him to follow.

  As Ruari followed her, he spun around to speak to Kooi. Her frilled ears swiveled, awaiting a command. “I will call for you.” With a flick of his tail, he shifted his position and propelled himself past Zinnia. Stopping short, he spun to face Zinnia. “I won’t let it not be an option. I promise.” An earnest look overcame his features, but he saw the doubt flickering in Zinnia’s eyes—the same feeling that had seemed to haunt him in the past several weeks.

  He could tell there was something more she wanted to say, and yet she didn’t. She continued to swim, and only stopped when she passed the threshold of her home. Ruari lingered there, letting his eyes sweep along the small hall.

  “She’s not home—my mother—if you were wondering.” Zinnia laughed.

  Moving into the hall, he twisted his form so he could wind his way toward her. “I doubt she would be keen on the idea that I’m here, and alone with you.” Although, the idea did tickle him. Ruari chuckled, his eyes following Zinnia as she busied herself with tidying. It seemed to him that she was refusing to look his way.

  “Are you okay?” he inquired, swimming up to her and closing the space between them.