Sunken Empire

by Brandy Slaven

  "That funny, brother?" Zanthus asks, stalking over to my empty side. I squeak in surprise when he reaches to lift me right out from under Zale who brings up an elbow to rest his head on and watch.

  The former helps pull the blue sundress over my head as he addresses Zephyr again. "Just imagine what she'll give you to dress in the first time you make her angry. We all know you'll be the first to catch that wrath."

  Joining in on the fun, I add, "My options are limitless."

  Zephyr places a hand to his heart as though wounded, but the smile ruins the gesture. Making my way around Zanthus, I come to Zephyr just as he's standing. Going up on my tiptoes, I press my lips against his. Then my stomach breaks the quiet with another growl, and he takes my hand to lead us from the room. Without looking back, I know my other two mer are following.

  "Is it always this quiet in here? Are there no servants or anything? Who cleans the Keep?" I ask, my questions all seemingly running together. The guys are princes of their clan. Out of all the royalty books and movies I've ever seen, they always had a staff of servants. If they've been in the Keep, I'm either blind or oblivious.

  "Merrick is taking care of everything we need for now," Zale answers from behind us.

  I let my confusion show on my face when I glance up to Zephyr.

  He doesn't disappoint. "There were more here before you arrived. We thought it best to give you space."

  "More like make sure they understand who you are and that you will under no circumstance be touched by another male," Zanthus all but growls.

  "Ahh," I reply with a quick wink up to Zeph. "So, you just wanted everyone to know you've claimed me. What if I wanted one of the other mer?"

  A golden flicker of possessiveness flashes in Zephyr's eyes, but it's quickly overridden with amusement. He knows I'm jesting. My brutish mate, however, does not. One of his thick arms wraps around my waist from behind, and he lifts me off my feet.

  "You will not be touched by another male that is not my brother," he warns in my ear.

  Allowing my head to fall back against his shoulder, I let out a short laugh that Zephyr joins in on. Muttering that language in my ear, Zanthus sets me on my feet and steps back. Though, he doesn't go too far if the heat behind me is any indication.

  Ignoring his tantrum, I ask, "What language is that?"

  "Luanerik," Merrick answers from the doorway in front of us. "It's native to our realm, though not many use it anymore. How are you feeling today, highness?"

  It takes me a moment to realize his question and soft smile is for me. I'm appreciative of the answer, one of a hundred that I need, but the way he addresses me catches me off guard.

  "Just fine and you?" I reply politely, knowing the uncertainty is evident in my voice.

  Zephyr chuckles as he tucks me underneath an arm and steers us around Merrick toward the table. It could just be my imagination, but the motion seems stiff. As though he's as worried as Zanthus with another male in our presence, outshining all of those playful words and pretense of not being affected. All three of them are just going to need to get over their shit because we're all in this together and need all the help we can get.

  In a classy respectable move, Zephyr scoots my chair out for me then back in as I sit. I'll admit that there's a fleeting thought of him pulling it out from under me altogether, but he doesn't. More than likely, too scared of one of his brother's retribution. Mainly the brutish one.

  Waiting until the others are seated and Merrick has laid out food from the silver rolling cart, I ignore the scent of actual bacon and eggs wafting to my face to invite him to sit with us. His eyes go wide, and I feel the Zs tense around the table. When his questioning gaze flicks to Zanthus, irritation makes my voice harder. "Don't look at them, Merrick. I asked you to join us, please."

  Zale's scrutiny has my chin turning toward him.

  "Spoken like a true princess, damselfish," he boasts.

  There's plenty enough food on this table to feed the five of us three times over, and Merrick smartly doesn't argue when I tell him to eat. Unashamed of my actions, I roll a fried egg up in a slice of toast with two pieces of bacon before taking a huge bite, using my fingers and all to make sure I don't lose any of it. Before I can stop it, I beam at Zale, mouth closed, of course. How is that for a princess?

  None of them even bat an eye, disappointingly enough. They allow me to eat my fill in peace, taking the fun out of acting out.

  Leaning back against my chair, my belly now full to bursting, I sip at the orange juice in my glass. If we weren't in a completely other realm buried under leagues upon leagues of water, I'd say they just went out into the grove and picked the damn things to squeeze. Merrick's eyes never drift far from his plate, but the other's do. They watch him like a hawk stalking its prey. Which, in itself, is unnerving as hell. The man seems to have been a close advisor, if not a friend, before I was brought here. Things like that shouldn't change for several reasons. One, loyalty is a hard thing to earn and even harder to keep. No reason to throw that away or stir mistrust with jealousy. Two, Merrick doesn't call to me the way my three mer do. They have absolutely nothing to worry about there.

  Patiently waiting until he sets his silverware down, I lay one arm over the other on the table and ask my first question, "Did you know Zanthus and I did the mating thing?"

  Four different reactions happen instantaneously at my words. Merrick smiles with surprise and nods toward Zanthus, who I see in the corner of my eye has his chest puffed out in pride. Zephyr on my other side barks a laugh that shakes the table while Zale chokes on his drink. No one bothers to help him either.

  He's still sputtering when he tries to admonish me. "Damselfish, that's hardly appropriate conversation for breakfast."

  I roll my eyes at him before focusing back on Merrick as he answers, "I felt a shift in power. We all did, so I assumed something had happened between you and the princes."

  "The necklace or talisman, whatever you want to call it," I continue, compelled to get my information, "burned me then exploded like a bomb. Do you know why?"

  Zanthus' growl stops Merrick's curious inspection of my body, forcing his eyes back up to mine as he answers, "If I had to guess, I'd say it was part of the witch's magic being released."

  "So, it wasn't part of the curse breaking?" I ask.

  One side of his lips turns up in a half smile. "A different witch cast that spell, highness. One would have nothing to do with the other."

  Dismay weighs my heart down, so I don't bother correcting the highness thing.

  Then, giving me a small amount of hope back, he adds, "However, we all felt the stirs of our magic at the same time. It faded quickly, but it was there. So either the spell is weakening or whatever you did is working."

  Heat fills my cheeks, but I'm not ashamed of mating with my brutish mer. Nor will I be with the other two. It doesn't matter, though, because his words have put my mind on another track.

  "You say we all. How many is that? How many survivors were there after the war?" I ask, tossing out the questions for any of them to answer.

  Zale picks it up. "We're only fifty or so strong here and the Keep is the main thing that kept us from perishing with the rest of our brethren."

  "I don't think I'm following," I admit. "What did the curse actually do?"

  "It sealed away the powers of any living descendant of Poseidon," Merrick replies smoothly.

  I sit up straight and hold my palms up. "Wait, Poseidon is real?"

  "In the same sense that any god is real under a religion," he tells me.

  Zeph throws his arm on the back of my chair and rubs a thumb across my shoulder. "Where do you think human mythology stems from, little siren? They aren't that creative on their own."

  I bristle defensively for a moment before remembering I wasn't actually born into the human realm.

  Sucking in a breath and letting it out slowly, I ask, "So, if you hadn't been close to the Keep when she put the curse into effect, what would've h
appened?"

  "We'd all be dead," Zanthus states at my side. No preamble, no working up to the big reveal. Just facts, plain and simple.

  Merrick's voice drops into a soothing tone. "Many lives were lost in vain that day. We know not of the other Keeps or kingdoms because the curse doesn't allow us to travel far enough away. Since no one came for the princes, it's a safe bet to assume they've all perished or are suffering the same fate."

  Two birds with one stone with that answer, but I'm still curious enough to ask, "There's more than one kingdom?"

  "Yes, highness," he says, standing and going to grab a book off the shelf. He flips through several pages before twisting it around to set in front of me. "There are five total and each with their own ruler. The princes are heirs to the kingdom of the south, Yhalwgon."

  Glancing at the large map spanning both pages of the book, I determine the name is in their language because it looks nothing like his pronunciation 'all-gen'. Still though, it'd be hard to deny that out of the five kingdoms, it's the largest by far. A huge round chunk of land sits off by itself in the corner of the map, surrounded completely by water. Four smaller islands are spread throughout the ocean.

  "Not to be rude or seem ignorant," I start, running a finger over the page, "but why are the kingdoms above water? Aren't mermaids supposed to have underwater palaces like Atlantis or something?"

  Zephyr chuckles again, and even Merrick smiles as he explains, "That was the way of our people long ago. Until our ancestral leaders grew bored and desired more power. It's said they searched to be rulers of both land and sea. Thus, creating the five kingdoms. It's where the royal palaces now reside. Many of our people used to live within the kingdoms as well, but with the females gone and every man at war, there's no telling the state of disrepair that fell upon our once-wealthy land."

  This conversation has taken a more than morbid turn, but I feel the need to keep pressing. My entire life has been one big April Fool's joke, and I’m being left with what feels like very little time to fix it.

  "Will one of you teach me the Luanerik language?" I request.

  "Zale would love you to teach you, little siren," Zephyr volunteers, smirking at his brother at the end of the table. "He always excelled at studies and is a decent instructor."

  I'm surprised he tacked on a compliment, but I turn to the man in question who nods in return.

  Diving in with two feet, I put the attention back on Merrick. "Do you think that once I'm mated with the other two princes it will break the curse?"

  "It's a possibility, highness," he agrees.

  "You really don't have to call me that, Merrick," I tell him, which earns a stern scowl from Zanthus.

  "Yes, you do," he tells the man. "You need to get used to being addressed per your station, Princess, because once this curse is lifted and we've reclaimed our kingdom, you'll be crowned our queen."

  My heart pounds in fear. Through all of this other crazy business with curses and witches and sexy ass mermen, I never stopped to think about the after. Holy royal balls in a handbasket. I hope the panic sitting in my chest isn't written on my face.

  Merrick's voice softens again. "The curse didn't come with an instruction manual, but if I had to guess, I'd say that we're on the right track."

  Fidgeting and my mind now on other things, I hum goodbyes to Zanthus and Zephyr when they get up to leave, both dropping a kiss against the top of my head.

  I go to help clean up, but Merrick tsks, and Zale pulls me away.

  Letting him lead me to a comfortable chair near the aquatic barrier in the room, I then get to admire his backside as he turns to take a couple books off a shelf.

  Boldly, not caring if I get busted, my head tilts sideways when he moves to keep enjoying the view as I ask, "Why do we eat in the study? Is there not a dining room or something of the sort in the Keep?"

  Finally, he spins back around, the pride in his smile evident for being under my scrutiny. "There is one here, but it's this massive formal thing. My brothers and I have habitually made this a routine. We'd be more than happy to use the other room if you prefer."

  Shaking my head, I decline, "No, that's okay. I was just curious. Would it be okay to explore the Keep some?"

  "Of course you can, Damselfish," he says instantly. "This is your home, and while we're still protected underneath the barrier, you're as safe as you'll ever be. Just promise me you'll take one of us with you for the sake of our sanity."

  I'm sure one day, if we get that far, this helicopter thing will get old, but I find it kind of endearing at the moment. They aren't the only ones that would feel better if I weren't alone. At my nod, he sets three books down on the arm of the chair. Immediately, my hands scoot them into my lap, so I can look them over. Old bindings threaten to crumble under my fingers with the top one, making the others appear almost brand new. With it weathered and used, I figure it's as good a place to start as any. Too bad when I open the cover it's to discover the entire thing is written in Luanerik.

  What was the point in giving me this if I'm not going to be able to read it? I start to ask, but when I glance up, I find Zale's green eyes inches from my face.

  Then his lips wipe out any coherent thought that isn't related to him out of my head. Keeping an arm wrapped around the ancient tomes in my lap, I run my free hand over his shoulders and through the back of that blond hair, locking us together. The taste of him makes me want to go ahead and claim him as my other mate right here in the study. Where his brothers have a more predominantly salty taste, Zale's is more of a hidden surprise, or an after-taste maybe. It doesn't make him any less effective by any means.

  A bright green thread thrums between us behind my eyelids, begging for attention. It wants more of everything he's offering right now. Unfortunately, we've both forgotten we're not exactly alone. A throat clearing softly over by the table brings us out of our bubble. Zale smiles against my lips before pulling back and moving to the chair across from me with his own book.

  I hadn't been lying when I told myself I wasn't ashamed to be with the three of them now. However, that doesn't mean we need to flaunt it in the other' faces either when it's certainly been just as long of a wait for them too. Not looking towards Merrick's direction, I turn my focus back to the top book in my lap.

  My gasp has both sets of mer eyes whipping my way as I stumble out, "I can read it now."

  Both of Merrick's eyebrows shoot up on his forehead as he turns to Zale who appears to be lost in thought.

  "It's possible she's gaining the wisdom of our people through your bond," Merrick speculates to himself while still working to clean off the table.

  "Well I guess that makes our language lessons unnecessary," I say pointedly.

  Neither of them seems to hear me, so I glance back down at the open pages.

  Legend of Five Kingdoms

  Over the next couple hours, I immerse myself deep into the history of the merfolk and their kingdoms. It covers some of the things I've already learned, going further into detail. The five rulers were more than simply bored with their station and underwater domains. Each one vied to be stronger than the other. Whether it be in magic, military, or even population. That rapacity led them all to their own demise. Even after the above water kingdoms were established, greed had claimed the hearts of the clans. They'd never be happy unless they ruled over all.

  Civil war broke out in the realm. No one was untouched by the wrath of war, including those who tried to remain neutral. Those were the first to be slain or enslaved. An inky black darkness covered the waters in this realm, poisoning anything that dared brush against it. Pictures depicting these scenes in the book leave chills down my arms. It's like looking through a graphic novel of the human’s biblical apocalypse.

  The waters coated with this darkness look to be swallowing people whole as their faces contort in fear and pain. Flipping through several more pages to skip even more visualizations, I realize I also skimmed over the end of the war. Peaceful times were upon t
he five kingdoms once more. Trade between them picked up and there was even speculation about a magical bridge between them being built. All darkness seemed to have disappeared.

  I've seen that darkness. It's still out there, a voice whispers in my head, making those chills rush down my spine as well. I try my best to ignore them and the voice while I keep reading.

  It would be many, many hundreds of years later before they'd all learn that peace couldn’t last forever. Discord had already started between the kingdoms and their rulers. Small things at first which broke the dam for much larger ones. Such as increases on imports and exports. These people wanted for almost nothing, and yet they still fought over material things. It's almost too ridiculous to even imagine.

  According to the legend in this book, a prophet from my mates’ kingdom of Yhalwgon was the straw that broke the camel's back. He traveled to and from each kingdom spouting the same message:

  “Outside the Realm of Man, Four Queens Rule the Land

  One of Water, Born of Hatred a Cruel Male’s Daughter

  One of Fire, Protected Under Exile From Her Empire

  One of Blood, Forgotten Faith of Falsehood

  One of Magic, A Monster Within Itself Tragic

  Spurning the Empires Unite, Darkness Consumes the Light

  All Realms Will Fall, Sickness Upon All Will Befall

  A King Will Make Himself Known, No True Claim to the Throne

  Until Rightful Heirs Return, Creatures of Magic Will Burn

  One Pure Sacrifice, Realm Born Shall Pay the Price”

  Until he traveled into the eastern kingdom of Wyhgorl, Bruinen's territory where he was quickly brought to death. Feeling slighted, King Zerces, the Zs father, enacted his form of retribution against the eastern kingdom by attack and demand. Quite possibly not in that order.

  He cut off trade with the other kingdoms unless they agreed to an alliance against King Bruinen. None of them would ally, however, because they saw this as their own opportunity to acquire more power as well. Thus, beginning the next civil war that would decimate and cripple an entire realm. The rest of the book is filled with battles and drawings of such until it abruptly ends without warning.