To Enchant a Mermaid

by S. L. Williams

Together, we stepped through the haze and into another world.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Sarai

  I smelled the marsh before I saw it. The nauseating odor of rot and dirty water permeated the air. It reminded me of the decrepit streets of the Undercity.

  We stepped out of the haze and came to a halt on the edge of a steep incline. At the bottom of the rocky hill, there were hundreds of moss-covered willows.

  “Etan, you and Phadrah will wait here,” Kamryn ordered. “The rest of you, follow me.”

  He fearlessly slid down the incline and disappeared into the trees below. I held my breath and waited for the signal that was supposed to come. One minute. Two. Three. Where was he?

  The top of one of the trees shook, and a blue sphere shot into the air. It was clear. There were no traps waiting for us. I looked back at Etan and spat at his feet. We’d had to change our plans at the last minute. Neither Kamryn nor I wanted him near when I spoke to the witch. He could present his jar of healing water to her when we were gone.

  Sliding down wasn’t as easy as Kamryn made it look. I almost twisted my ankle halfway down, and my tailbone was sore from where I had fallen.

  “Rylo, I need you to stay here.” Kamryn looked around as if he would be overheard. “Make sure Etan doesn’t get through.”

  Rylo nodded, pulled a blade from the sheath at his thigh, and placed it in Xiomara’s hand. “Be careful out there.”

  Rylo would remain behind, hidden in the trees, just in case Etan and Phadrah decided to cross us. It made things difficult, but we would manage.

  We left Rylo in the shadows of a great cypress tree and began our trek through the marsh. Thirty minutes into our walk, the land began to dramatically change. The hard, packed earth gave way to a world of still water and bare, twisted trees.

  The air was thick and hard to breathe, and the mud sucked at our feet. It got worse the farther we walked. Soon, we were knee-deep in the foul-smelling, green-tinged water.

  Time passed, and I began to fall behind. The leg where I had been wounded ached, and I was beginning to struggle with my footing.

  “We can take a break.” Kamryn and Xio stopped and waited for me to catch up.

  He pointed toward a group of trees that seemed to be growing out of the semi-solid ground. Along the edges of the small island, there were towering cypress trees with immense roots that twisted and curled in and out of the water like eels.

  Kamryn pulled himself onto the island and then helped me and Xio. I sat down and stretched my legs out. My bad leg had begun to go numb from exhaustion, but now it felt as if a thousand pins and needles were being pushed into my calf.

  Xiomara pulled some dried meats and cheese from her pack and handed it out. Kamryn passed his waterskin around so we could wash down the quick meal.

  I was looking at a group of what Kamryn called cattails when I jumped to my feet. My heartbeat was loud in my ears, and I couldn’t catch my breath.

  Father. He was here.

  I dropped to my knees and wrapped my arms around my chest. My brain was telling me it couldn’t possibly be Father, that there was no way he would be here in such a place, but my heart felt differently.

  Before me was my father with the sad eyes that hadn’t truly shined since the death of his wife. He even had the same scar across his cheek he had acquired on a barracuda hunt with his friends.

  “My beautiful daughter.” Red tears streamed down his face. “I missed you so much.”

  I looked at Kamryn, who was staring at the apparition with wary eyes. “It’s time for us to go.”

  Father smiled and swam around the edge of the island. “We are together now, my little fish. You don’t have to worry,” he claimed with joy. “I was so alone. I always felt so alone…”

  I ignored him and rose to my feet. That isn’t Father. He isn’t real, I repeated over and over again as I followed Kamryn off the island and back into the water.

  “Watch your step, and don’t touch anything,” Xio spoke in a hushed tone. “Rylo said many plants and animals here are venomous.”

  “You won’t make it back alive.” The fake Father swam beside me. “Stay here with me. Stay where you’re safe.”

  The air grew heavy with the scent of vegetation, wet soil, and rotting wood. The sun was high in the sky and hadn’t moved an inch since we arrived. It felt as if time stood still here. There was no wind to bring in new air or a river to freshen the water. Everything was too still.

  “The path you follow is long and lonely,” the apparition continued. “You will not win in the end.”

  We walked beneath an immense purple-capped mushroom. A large brown toad eyed us as we passed. I wrapped a hand around the amethyst and fought to keep my eyes off the specter.

  “I have an offer you can’t refuse.” It dove down into the water and popped up a few feet ahead beside Kamryn. “Give me the heart of the jewel-eyed man, and I will give you what you seek.” Its voice turned cold and cruel. “I will bring your father back, and your mother if you wish. You’ll be able to go home. You can go back to your simple life in the sea.”

  My hands began to shake—not from fear, but from anger. It’d already defiled Father’s memory by taking on his appearance. Now it was testing my intelligence. Mother was gone. Nothing could bring her back. If it thought I would betray Kamryn, it was only wasting its time. I wasn’t letting him go, not for all the riches in this world or the next.

  “He fools you with his honey-laced words.” I felt its cold breath against the back of my neck even though it was swimming in front of me. “He knows where your mother went. He could have taken you to see her. Ask him why you can’t go to the third circle.”

  I inhaled a sharp breath and clenched my teeth. Don’t respond. Don’t let it get to you. I repeated my mantra. It’s not real. It’s not real. It’s not real.

  “Poor Myrena. She was a beauty and talented too,” it said sadly. “Too bad her magic couldn’t stop your grandmother’s poison from reaching her heart.”

  “I never imagined such a place could exist.” Xio looked up at the black-eyed toad and clasped her hands together. “The ocean is nothing compared to this.”

  I couldn’t agree with her statement. The ocean was full of wondrous things, from the merfolk to the krill that filled the bellies of the largest whales. The sea was no less than the land.

  “I love it on the surface. I never want to leave.” She sighed.

  “Myrena was a fighter,” the fake Father cooed. “Poor, unfortunate girl.”

  “The sea is a cage. A spacious one, but a cage, nonetheless. We believed we were free because we didn’t know better. Up here, we are truly free to do as we please.” Xio swatted at a swarm of gnats.

  “Sarai,” the creature said in a singsong voice. “Your name was the last thing to leave your mother’s lips.”

  I stopped and faced the creature. It wasn’t Father taunting me as I struggled through the sludge. It had shed his image and exposed its true form.

  Its skin was pale and peeling, as if it had lived in the darkest depth of the marsh. Its teeth were black and broken, and its nose was rotted and full of maggots.

  I pulled a dagger from the sheath around my thigh and plunged it into its empty eye socket. The creature threw its head back and laughed even as black blood streamed from the wound.

  “Sarai, no!” I heard Kamryn yell as a heavy fog rolled in.

  I turned and slipped, barely managing to catch my footing, and looked down at the marsh, where black shapes swam in the murky water. Panic began to rise in my throat. “Kamryn!”

  I frantically searched for Xiomara and Kamryn, but it was as if they had been swallowed by the swamp. I was horrified and didn’t know what to do.

  I trudged through the marsh and headed in the direction I believed Kamryn was leading us in. I wanted to cry from frustration. I had fallen for the first trap, and now everything was ruined. I had told Kamryn I wouldn’t fall for the apparitions’ tricks. I had reassured him
countless times, yet I’d still reacted. I let it know I had seen it, and now the witch knew we were here.

  Something cold and slimy bumped my hand. I looked down and began to violently shake.

  Caressa’s body floated between the reeds. Her lifeless eyes stared up at the sky. Her fin had been cut off and the scales stripped from her tail.

  I watched in horror as one of the creatures broke the surface and clamped its jaws around her body. I pressed my fist against my mouth and silently sobbed as it dove back into the water.

  I ran. I didn’t know which direction I was going, and I didn’t care. I had to get out of the water.

  “Sarai!” Xio’s shrill scream stopped me in my tracks.

  I turned around and felt like crying with relief. Kamryn and Xio had found me. They were okay.

  I hurried to their side and tried to grab her hand. My fingers slid through her body like I was cutting through water.

  “All you love will be lost,” was all she said before their bodies dissolved into thousands of maggots that squirmed on the water’s surface.

  I gagged and stumbled back. Think, Sarai. Panicking won’t solve a thing. I stopped and took even breaths while I scanned the area. I was lost. The fog had robbed me of my sense of direction. What would Kamryn do?

  Kamryn wouldn’t have panicked and run off. Kamryn would use his magic. He always planned ahead, which meant he had planned for this situation. I wrapped my fingers around the amethyst.

  “Where do I go?” I mouthed and slowly turned in a circle. I waited for it to get hot before stopping. Thank the gods for making such a man. I kissed the amethyst and began my trek in the direction it was leading me.

  I felt like I had been walking for hours, yet I didn’t feel like I was getting anywhere. I was beginning to lose hope when a soft voice called from a group of reeds.

  “Princess Sarai. I come to you as a friend.” A redheaded woman with bright green eyes emerged from the reeds. Her voice was as wispy as the moss that clung to her hair. “You are far from the heart of the marsh.”

  It was the woman from the lake. She was the one who had been watching me when I fed the golden fish.

  I stepped back and placed a hand on my blade. “Who are you?” I mouthed between labored breaths. “What do you want?”

  “I need nothing from you.” She bowed her head. “I am only here to help.” She reached out and handed me a gold coin. “For feeding the fish spirits in the pond. They rejoice at your return.”

  I looked down at the gleaming coin and flinched when I caught sight of my reflection. Strands of hair were curled and plastered against my skin. My braids were matted, my eyes wide, my nostrils flared, and sweat poured down my face. I looked like I had been wandering the marsh for a lifetime instead of hours.

  “Be well.” She let out a breath that seemed to clear the fog from not only the air, but from my head, before diving back into the deep water.

  I looked around at the newly visible marsh and began to cry. There was no island in sight, only stagnant water and ugly rotted trees. No Kamryn. No Xiomara. I was alone with miles to go.

  I swallowed the knot that formed in my throat and began my walk through the waist-deep water. The steady heat from the amethyst was the only thing that kept me from breaking down. At least I was going in the right direction.

  A change had fallen across the marsh. The shadows in the water fled when I approached, and the dragonflies that buzzed over the reeds flew away when they sensed my presence. I knew that the coin had something to do with the change. I wasn’t sure how, but I didn’t question it. Instead, I allowed the amethyst to lead me deeper into the marsh where twisted trees covered in thick moss and assorted vines blocked the sunlight from reaching the water.

  Snakes as thick as my arm silently watched from dead branches while brown alligators hissed from partly submerged logs. The weak light that managed to slip through was quickly fading, and the many sounds of nature disappeared. The air began to clear, and the obnoxious odors faded.

  The water began to clear, and the stinking mud transitioned into soft ground. I was led onto a sandbar that was lined with tall, spiked trees that grew so close together, they formed a wall.

  I dropped to my knees as soon as both feet touched solid ground. I made it. I was out of that dreadful water.

  I sniffed the air. There was an indiscernible odor mixed in with the stench of the marsh. I looked up at the looming forest. It was a wicked thing that had to have been plucked from the deepest depths of the most nefarious mind. Bodies of all ages and in various states of decay stared down at me with milky eyes and open mouths full of flies.

  I covered my nose with the sleeve of my robes and began my search for a path to the gate. It didn’t take long for me to find a small trail that was lined with bleached bones of all shapes and sizes. My heart ached for all of them. Did their families know this was where their loved one had taken their last breath? Were they still out there waiting for them to return?

  Somewhere high above my head, a bird cawed loudly. Another answered from across the way, and then another, until the forest was a cacophony of sound.

  The dry leaves shook, eyes rolled in their sockets, and heads swung from their hair as if a tempest had blown in. I watched with pure terror as lips parted and the dead began to scream.

  “Help me. Help me please!” a blue-eyed woman with copper-toned hair begged. “Take me home. My little brother needs me.”

  A young woman with a missing eye whimpered. “It’s been so long since I have felt the warmth of the sun.”

  “I can’t breathe.” A man with an open chest and missing ribs gasped. “Please, help me.”

  I clamped my hands over my ears and kept my eyes on the trail. Don’t cry. Don’t shed a tear. I couldn’t cry for the ones who decorated the branches of the trees. They feed off emotion. Grief resurrects the dead. They are drawn to tears like sharks are drawn to blood. I wouldn’t mess up. I wouldn’t fall for this trap.

  I began to run. Soon, the dry ground turned into a pink, pebbled path, and the jagged bones were replaced by waist-height, pink-flowered bushes. The trees thinned, and the stench of death was replaced with the heavy aroma of fresh-cut grass. Glass-winged butterflies fluttered in the warm breeze, and gentle laughter filled the air.

  When I was sure I had cleared the horrifying forest, I bent over and emptied the contents of my stomach. I would never forget the terrors I had seen. I knew then that coming here had been a grave mistake. I came for my voice, but I was liable to leave without my mind.

  I gasped for breath and scratched at my skin. I felt dirty. Inside and out. They had asked for help. They were begging for someone to get them down. All they wanted to do was go home.

  “Aren’t you a pretty thing?” a voice as smooth as silk cooed. I warily watched as the air rippled and blurred. “You smell of the sea. It has been quite some time since I have seen one of the merfolk. Such a rare treat this is.”

  I stepped back as a tall man wearing loose white robes shifted into view. He had wide green eyes and fiery red curls that contrasted beautifully with his rich earthy skin. He was the most beautiful man I had ever laid my eyes on and easily the most intimidating.

  “Eyes as dark as a moonless night. Skin as smooth as the chocltl that warms the bellies of the gods…but where is her tail?” He stared at my legs and frowned. “Why have you disfigured yourself in such a way?” he asked as if the lack of a fin was the most horrendous thing he had ever witnessed.

  I kept my mouth closed and eyed the stranger. I didn’t remember Kamryn mentioning such a man. Who was he and why in the world was he in this goddess forsaken marsh?

  “You remind me of someone I once knew.” He circled me and sniffed. “Something about you…” He stopped and cocked his head. He tapped his bare foot against the ground. “I can’t put my finger on it.”

  I shook my head and took a step back. He didn’t know me. I was sure I had never seen him before. I would have remembered a face like his.
His presence alone was intimidating. Even though he was hardly a foot taller than me, he seemed much, much bigger.

  “What is that?” He pointed at my neck and took a step forward. “Let me see it, please.”

  “Get away from me,” I mouthed as I pulled my dagger from the sheath around my thigh. He wouldn’t catch me off guard like Tramere had done in the tunnels.

  “You’re a mute.” His eyes narrowed, and he sucked on the front of his teeth. “And a thief.”

  Thief? I wrapped my free hand around the amethyst. I was no thief, and I had no time to sit here and argue with another apparition. If all he was going to do was taunt me, I could go on my way.

  “What is it that you carry? Empty your bag.” His nostrils flared as he sniffed the air.

  I looked over his shoulder. The hedge I had been searching for was a couple of yards away. If he refused to move, then I would walk through him.

  “Get out of my way,” I mouthed.

  “You reek of chaotic magic. Who are you?” His eyes narrowed even more. “What brings you to the witch?”

  His pupils grew thin and elongated like a cat’s. “You could bring her the sun, moon, and every star in the sky, and I promise you will not leave this island.” His tone took on a dark edge. “You are playing with magic you can’t even begin to comprehend. Leave before you do something you will regret.”

  He was just another illusion trying to distract me from my mission, and I wouldn’t fall for his fearmongering.

  The mirror was crafted for a goddess. It showed me things I could never have imagined. If the witch was as vain as they claimed her to be, there was no way she would refuse such a gift. If he truly knew what I carried, he would know that.

  “Don’t go in there. I beg that you reconsider your decision,” the man warned. He winced and wrapped his hand around his throat. “Don’t—”

  I waved him away and kept walking. I was less than five feet away from the bright green hedge when I felt the man’s breath on the back of my neck. The thin hairs rose in response, and goosebumps blossomed on my arms.

  “Set me free, and I will help you escape,” he whispered. “You’re being hunted by something far worse than the Marsh Witch. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants.”