To Enchant a Mermaid

by S. L. Williams

  Her hand cracked across my face, snapping my head back with the blow, and I tasted the tang of blood. Bright dots infiltrated my vision, and a loud ringing filled my ears.

  “You think you can come to my kingdom and take my spot? You had the audacity to put your filthy hands on my king.” Her voice was cold and detached. “I will strip the skin from your bones.”

  I fell to the ground and curled into a ball. Bitter, red-hot agony seared through me and robbed the air from my lungs and stripped the fury from my bones. My skin was bubbling, and my muscles were being peeled from my bones. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t think. All I could focus on was the blinding pain that seemed to increase with each breath.

  “I will cut your hands from your body,” Phadrah snarled as another wave of debilitating agony rolled through me

  “Enough!” Kamryn shouted. Light filled the room, and Phadrah was encased in a funnel made of smoke and flames. “Don’t make your visit a permanent one, Phadrah.”

  ∞∞∞

  Kamryn

  I had forgotten how fast Phadrah was capable of moving until she was in front of me with pupilless eyes and her wings spread out behind her. I had been so stunned by Sarai’s reaction that I didn’t hear the door open.

  Sarai dropped to the ground and began to convulse. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and foam spilled from her graying lips. Her jugular vein bulged from the side of her neck.

  “STOP!” My voice was the thunder that came before the lightning.

  My magic lashed out without being called on, and a stream of flames erupted from the palms of my hands. It twisted and curled around Phadrah like a snake. The odor of burnt hair and skin filled the violence-laced air.

  “Stay out of this, Kamryn,” Phadrah hissed. “You should have kept her locked away with the dead. This time, she will remain in Irkalla, and I will make sure she doesn’t leave.”

  Her empty threat fell on deaf ears. She had come into my palace without invitation. Phadrah knew how I felt about her. If she thought I would take her side, she was gravely mistaken.

  “Touch her again, and I will pluck each feather from your back and feed your blood to the Sobasam.”

  I walked over to Sarai and helped her stand. “Careful,” I cautioned before turning back to the vengeful Icarian. “You will now take your leave.”

  “You can’t tell me what to do,” she hissed. “You are not my king.”

  I kept my eyes on her and the lightning she held in her hands. “Etan, tell your fiancée to go back to the hole she crawled from before I drag her back and bury her myself.”

  “As if a bastard could ever touch me,” she spat at him.

  I stepped out of the way and smiled. “You feel like your words hold weight. They don’t hurt me. They don’t even irritate me, but I will not sit back and let you take your insecurities out on Sarai.”

  I snapped my fingers, and the fires restraints vanished. Red welts decorated her arms, and her clothing had been reduced to nothing but strips that hung off her slight frame.

  “She went rabid and attacked your brother. You’re going to defend her after that?” She swept her arm in Etan’s direction.

  I turned around and looked at my brother. His appearance would have been comical if the situation had been different. He was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. Half of his face was purple and swollen. And five long scratches ran from his ear to his lips. Around his neck were the imprints of two slender hands. His good eye was glazed, and his nose was dripping blood.

  “He asked for it. It wasn’t your job to intervene.”

  Phadrah would have to learn she couldn’t always come running when Etan was in trouble. We weren’t children anymore, our actions had consequences, and we all had to deal with them, Etan included.

  She had to understand Sarai had every right to be upset. Etan hadn’t been thinking about her or anyone besides himself when he went out and plucked her from her home. He’d brought her all the way here, spent time with her, and made her comfortable just to turn around and hand her over to a sadistic witch.

  “Was I supposed to sit back and let her kill him?” She pointed at Sarai with a shaking finger.

  “Etan is a grown man. He can defend himself.”

  She was wasting her time defending a man who didn’t care for her. Etan had shown her countless times that he didn’t want to settle, not with her at least. She was making a fool out of herself over a sorry man.

  “And she is a grown woman. Let her fight her own battles,” she countered.

  “She did.” I looked back at Etan. “And it looks like she won. Now get out before you wake up and find yourself in the fifth circle.”

  I carried Sarai out into the hall and up to my room. I whistled twice and waited as two shadows peeled themselves from the wall. The silent guards of the palace, the shadows were the spirits of fae who lived for war. They watched over the castle and the other spirits of Irkalla. The shadows were the ones who ferried the boats to the other circles and made sure the spirits remained in their respective circles.

  “Find Cyntheria and then escort Phadrah out. Make sure she doesn’t come back in,” I ordered. They nodded and drifted out of the room as silent as their namesake.

  I laid Sarai on a chaise before going to my potions chest. Physically, she was fine. There were no cuts or bruises from what I could see, and the dark red blood that coated her hand was Etan’s.

  Her mental well-being was the issue. Phadrah attacked the mind and the senses. She could make you feel pain without laying a finger on your body. There was nothing in the world that would convince you she wasn’t truly burning you alive. I knew from personal experience.

  She’d tried it on me once when we were barely out of adolescence. I fought through the pain and set her hair on fire. It took months for her scalp to heal. She’d never tried it on me after that.

  I found the light blue tube that I needed and hurried back to her side. I held it against Sarai’s mouth and coaxed the potion between her lips. She swallowed and opened her eyes. When the last drop hit her tongue, she sat up and threw her arms around my neck.

  “It's okay. You’re all right.” I rubbed small circles across her back.

  Her body shook in my arms, and my tunic grew wet and warm. I didn’t know what to say to stop her tears. All I could do was hold her.

  After a few minutes, her silent sobs resided, and she pulled back and looked up at me. “I hate him. I never want to see him again.” Her eyes hardened, and her mouth twisted in disgust. “He used magic to lure me to him. He’s been lying to me since the beginning.”

  I shook my head and handed her a cloth to wipe her face with. I didn’t know what to say to her. I could agree and talk down on his name. I could tell her that he wasn’t worth the dirt beneath his nails, but that wouldn’t fix anything.

  “I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what I was apologizing for, but it felt like the right thing to say.

  If Etan hadn’t have gone out and found Sarai, we wouldn’t have had the chance to get to know each other. Her curse had become my blessing.

  “He should’ve told me.” She sighed and blew her nose.

  “Yes. He should have. I wish I could have told you sooner, but he forced me to make a blood promise. I couldn’t tell anyone.” I handed her a clean cloth.

  “It’s not your fault. Etan should have told me.” She stared down at her hands as if they were foreign objects instead of flesh and blood. “I don’t feel bad about what I just did,” she admitted.

  “He deserved worse.” I tried not to smile. I didn’t want her to think I found the situation funny.

  “Yes. He does.” She smiled through her tears, and it was like watching the sun shine after days of rain. “I don’t want him or Phadrah to go with us to the marsh.” She crinkled her nose.

  Her eyes were red-rimmed and swollen, her nose was running, her nails were dark brown with dried blood, and she was still beautiful.

  “I don’t know about tha
t.” I sat down beside her. “We need Etan’s magic, and it is him that the witch will see.”

  “The thought of him makes my stomach turn.” She lowered her eyes. “I don’t want him anywhere near me.”

  “I will make sure he keeps his distance.”

  I hated that she had been dragged into all of this. Sarai was a good woman, and she didn’t deserve all the loss and deceit in her life. She just wanted to see the world, and I would make sure she got the opportunity to do so.

  “Once we leave the marsh, you won’t have to see him ever again—if you don’t wish to,” I reassured.

  “Thank you for helping me again,” she mouthed. “I didn’t think Phadrah was going to stop.”

  I brushed a stray curl from her face. “Phadrah is lucky Etan cares for her, but if she ever tries you like that again, I will kill her.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  Sarai

  I barely slept after my altercation with Etan, and I couldn’t force myself to eat breakfast before we left this morning. It was almost noon, my stomach was growling, and it didn’t look like we were going to stop to eat anytime soon.

  “The Witch Mother is what they call her,” Rylo whispered from his mount. “Others call her the Mother of Demons. She devours the hearts of only the most beautiful maidens and grinds their bones for face powder.”

  I flinched and felt my mare shudder beneath me. The bit of bravery I had managed to muster fled my body. The mirror I was meant to give her now seemed silly. What if she couldn’t use it?

  Kamryn looked at me and raised an eyebrow. Are you okay? his eyes asked.

  I shook my head. No, I wasn’t okay. The Marsh Witch seemed ten times worse than the one from the sea. I didn’t want to become a victim.

  “They say the witch is afraid of the sun.” Kamryn looked up at the clear sky. “It exposes her true form and weakens her magic.”

  “I never heard that before,” Rylo muttered. “It explains why she only comes out at night.”

  Etan joined the conversation. “Those are lies. Like many of the rumors you hear.”

  “Maybe you should have listened to those rumors, then you wouldn’t be in the situation you are in now. I hope you’ve found a way around your dilemma,” Kamryn snarled and blocked me from Etan’s view.

  “I will offer her thirty years of my life, a unicorn’s horn, and a jar of Bimini water.” Etan patted the saddlebag at his side. “No one would be stupid enough to refuse that offer.”

  I tapped the mare’s sides with my heels and braced myself as she took off at a brisk trot. I left the group behind and took in a chest-clearing breath of the fresh morning air. I threw my head back and soaked in the bright sunlight.

  It was a beautiful day. If we were back in Irkalla, Kamryn would have asked me to go on a walk around this time. He would have taken me to the library where you could find a book about anything and everything you could think of or to the Luculentus Falls where the water fell from the mountain in an array of colors.

  After that, we would have gone back to the palace where I would help him put our lunch together. We would always end up in the gardens with iced glasses of lavender tea, where we sat and talked until the fire sprites came out and started tying knots in our hair. I couldn’t wait to return and fall back into our little routine.

  The sound of hoofbeats sounded behind me, steady and fast as the rider approached. I turned around and found Xio on her silver mare.

  “Good morning, Princess.” She smiled. “I thought you might want some company.”

  I ignored her and faced forward. I still wasn’t ready to talk to her, but it wasn’t because I was angry. I was embarrassed. I had overreacted when I pushed her away. I knew she didn’t mean to hurt or keep things hidden from me. She was worried.

  “I want to formally apologize. It was wrong of me to keep a secret from you, and I’m sorry.” The apology slipped from her lips.

  I squirmed in my seat, uncomfortable with the conversation. I knew her apology was sincere. I could see it in her eyes. “No.” I shook my head and swallowed my pride. “I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn’t have taken my frustration out on you.”

  I had never apologized to anyone outside of my family. It felt odd, but the relief that followed was worth it. I didn’t want to lose Xiomara’s friendship.

  “I’m sorry,” I mouthed.

  She lowered her eyes and bowed her head. “Thank you, Princess.”

  I gave her a sharp nod and clicked my tongue twice. The mare shot off like an arrow. I laughed as I removed the satin scarf from my head. My tiny braids tumbled around my shoulders. The crisp air felt delicious against my tight scalp. Xiomara’s mare quickly caught up to us. We looked at each other and burst into laughter.

  ∞∞∞

  We rode all day and only stopped to eat, take care of our business, and rest the horses. Besides Rylo, everyone was in a sullen mood. No one spoke much, and the tension in the air was as thick as the mud that sucked on the horses’ hooves.

  My legs were sore, and I wanted nothing more than a hot bath and my warm bed. I was tense, and it wasn’t from riding the horse all day. Phadrah hadn’t said a word to me or Kamryn, but her presence alone had me on edge. I hadn’t forgotten how it felt when she unleashed her magic.

  When night fell, we stopped at the edge of a forest and made camp. The night was cool, and a gentle breeze carried the crisp scent of pine and the sickeningly sweet odor of rotting leaves to the campsite.

  Thick gray clouds rolled in and blocked the moonlight from reaching the clearing. I stared at the shadows that seemed to crawl from beneath the trees and shuddered. It looked like another sleepless night for me.

  Kamryn and Rylo set up the tents, Etan and Phadrah collected wood and started the fire, and I helped Xiomara feed and water the horses. When we were done, we got started on dinner.

  “Magic is amazing.” I admired the way the blue flames crackled and popped.

  “It’s useful at times,” Kamryn said nonchalantly.

  We watched as Xio added herbs to a pot that hung over the roaring fire. The aroma of meat and spices quickly filled the area and made my mouth water.

  “Magic is a blessing and a curse.” He snapped his fingers and called on a blue flame. “It can be a tool or a weapon depending on how one wields it.”

  My eyes landed on the dark shadows beneath his eyes and the tight lines around his mouth. “You’re afraid.”

  He closed his fist and extinguished the fire. “Yes.” His voice wavered. “Only a fool runs into danger without a hint of fear. Sometimes I feel like the gods are testing me.”

  At least I wasn’t a fool. I was terrified of what was to come. I was scared someone would be hurt because of me. I had told Kamryn countless times that I should go in alone. There was no point in all of us risking our lives when I was the one who needed the witch’s help.

  A sharp howl split the air, and a warm wind blew our robes around our ankles.

  “Naga!” Etan cried from across the fire. “Welcome back, old friend.”

  A silver fox with two tails and glowing white eyes gracefully walked into the camp. He placed his head in Kamryn’s palm and closed his eyes.

  “Hello, Naga,” I mouthed, admiring his shiny coat. “Handsome fox.”

  He looked at me and barked once before turning and running over to Etan.

  “He always checks on him.” Kamryn shook his head and turned his back to the fire. “Do you want to go through the plan again?”

  “Yes,” I mouthed. “Just one last time.”

  We walked into his tent where a map was pinned onto a low wooden table. The ground was bare, and the only seats available were four tufted pillows and a thin mattress that was tucked in the corner.

  I sat down on a bright yellow pillow and played with the frayed tassels. Kamryn sat down on a black velvet pillow and ran a hand across the map, as if smoothing out the nonexistent wrinkles.

  He pointed at a large circle that encased the marsh. “T
his is the—"

  “Witch haze,” I mouthed. “Where the souls of men wander the marsh.”

  Kamryn nodded. “As long as we ignore them, they won’t harm us. When we clear the haze, we will find the Garden of the Forbidden Fruit.”

  “Where the undead rest,” I quoted from our lessons.

  “Yes.” He stared into my eyes.

  “I will not cry for them.”

  “Please, Sarai.”

  “I won’t.” I rolled my eyes.

  I knew what was at stake. I wouldn’t allow my sensitivity to ruin all of this for me. I had come too far to mess everything up just because my heart was too soft. I would have to set my emotions aside. The only one I could worry about was me. Anything else was irrelevant.

  “Once you make it through the garden, you will come to a hedge with a gate—"

  “That I can’t touch. I have to ask it to open for me.”

  “At least I know you were listening.” He grimaced. “It makes me feel better knowing you are prepared.”

  “I’ll be glad when this is over,” I mouthed.

  By tomorrow, I would have my voice back, and I couldn’t even feel any excitement. My apprehension overshadowed any other emotion I could possibly feel. I was afraid. I wouldn’t lie and say I wasn’t. It didn’t help that my family had a bad history with magic and witches. I didn’t want to be another sad story that was told around a campfire. I didn’t want my family thinking I had given up on them if I didn’t return. I didn’t want to be forgotten.

  “Me too,” he agreed with a smile. “I’m strangely excited to hear how you sound.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “You’re not afraid I’m going to enchant you?”

  “You’ve already done that.” All the teasing fled from his light eyes. “And I don’t mind.”

  “You wouldn’t care if I took your free will?” I looked down at the map and traced an X over the witch’s hut. “I could make you swallow a vile of poison or stab the one you love most through the heart. You would know what you’re doing the entire time, but you wouldn’t be able to stop.”