Rising

by Kelly, Holly

  The shark turned away and continued to circle. Gael shook his head and scowled. He swam forward and pulled out a knife. “This will get him going.” He reached in and slashed the blade across Sara’s fingers, cutting deep, bringing instant pain as she cried out. “There’s no way he can resist you now.”

  The shark’s gaping mouth appeared in an instant. Gael jerked his arm back just in time to miss the snapping teeth. When the shark couldn’t clamp down on Gael’s arm, it bit down on a bar. The shark shook the cage violently, jerking Sara’s wrist painfully against the band and slamming the metal cage against the rocky floor over and over again. Silt clouded the water.

  The shark resumed circling the cage.

  Gael gaped at the creature, his eyes following his movement. Once again, Gael looked hopeful when the shark moved in toward Sara. This time she didn’t close her eyes, didn’t cringe away. Amintah kept his eye on her and for a third time, brushed his body under her outstretched hand. Sara’s fear of being exposed to attack had melted away. She was far from being an expert on shark behavior, but she suddenly felt calm. This monstrous shark was not going to hurt her. He was giving her a message. She now understood it perfectly. She had nothing to fear from him.

  Gael shouted, enraged.

  Sara’s ears stung as Gael let loose a string of profanity. She didn’t understand a word of it, but it was upsetting nonetheless. He raced over, unlocked her door, and ripped the cage open, cursing at her the entire time.

  “I guess I’ll just have to take care of you myself.” When Gael released her hand, he fisted her hair in his grasp and yanked her out the door. Sara heard the shark slamming into the metal bars as they entered the tunnel. She wished Gael had opened Amintah’s door, too.

  Sara couldn’t believe this Dagonian was Xanthus’s brother. She felt her hair being ripped out by the roots. Xanthus and his brother couldn’t be more different. Xanthus was a protector, his brother, Gael, was a soulless, evil monster.

  “Why are you doing this to me? Why aren’t you just killing me?”

  “The best things in life are to be savored. And I am going to enjoy watching you die. Triton thinks my brother is a great warrior, but look at him. He didn’t have the heart to kill an abomination. By the gods, he fell in love with the abomination.

  “The law demands your death regardless of how my brother feels about it. He may think he’s above the law, but he’s not. And I’m only too happy to rectify the situation. Once it is known what he has done, it will mean his death also.”

  While he spoke, Gael pulled her through the tunnel’s twists and turns, not hesitating a bit when they came to forks in the maze. The light increased as they moved. It was blinding as they entered open waters and Gael swished to a stop.

  “Now I’m going to explain what will happen.” He pulled Sara up close. She smelled an odor emanating from him and it wasn’t pleasant. It made her stomach churn.

  “You see, I still can’t have anyone think I inflicted injuries on you for my own entertainment, and they can’t know I was the one who killed you. They’d never believe that you posed any kind of a physical threat to me, so they’d expect me to bring you in alive. If we were still on the surface, it wouldn’t matter what I did to you. But down here, it does. However, if I did bring you in alive, they would rob me of your kill by executing you themselves. I have no intention of letting them have that honor.

  “Amintah would have provided the perfect means of killing you with no evidence pointing toward me. But since he decided not to cooperate, I’ll have to adjust my plans.

  “I still have to produce your body for Xanthus to answer for his actions, and I need to gather evidence to nail my brother for his criminal behavior.” Gael smiled a crooked smile.

  “Now, I think it’s time we got down to business.”

  An explosion of pain pierced Sara’s belly. She looked down and saw Gael pull out a long, curved blade from her stomach. Blood billowed like crimson smoke from her wound. “Maybe we’ll have better cooperation from the other sharks in this area. Don’t be afraid for my safety if you don’t see me.” He chuckled. “I’ll be fine. I’m just going to watch them rip you apart from a distance. I’ll be back to chase them off and collect your body when you’re dead.”

  With that said, Gael smiled and left, stirring the cloud of blood in his wake. Sara was in shock. She could taste the coppery flavor of her own blood as it thickened in the water. She pressed hard on her belly, trying to stem the flow. She didn’t know if the wound was fatal, but the way she was bleeding, she feared it could be.

  Sara had to get out of here. She jerked forward, her movement unnatural and awkward. She wished she’d had more time to practice swimming. She thought she was getting pretty good at it, but put a knife through her gut and she couldn’t swim a lick.

  The blood clouded the water, making it difficult to see. She’d closed her eyes for just a moment and felt a bump from behind.

  “Who’s there?” Sara asked, her voice weak. She pried open her eyes and saw nothing but red haze. Soon, her eyes closed again. There was another bump, this time from underneath. Sara thought it must be the bottom of the ocean because it remained pressed against her body. She still had the strange sense of floating, though. Sara continued to have soft bumps coming from different sides.

  Sara tried to swim several times and each time she flicked her tail, there was another bump. Her eyes were too heavy to keep open and she was too weak to call out anymore.

  She didn’t know how long this lasted, but after a while, she heard a strange humming. It was faint at first. The tones rose and fell like voices but they spoke strange words she couldn’t understand. They grew louder and insistent—almost angry. Sara tried to see who spoke, but she couldn’t quite get her eyes open.

  Then the ground disappeared from under her and she floated. Or maybe she died. Sara wasn’t sure. Hands began pulling her, touching her, pressing on her belly. Hadn’t she just been doing that? Sara was relieved when the pain began to fade.

  Warm, sweet-scented water caressed Sara's skin as she floated. Each breath of water brought soothing floral smells and tastes. A hum of music tickled her eardrums and made her smile. It was a strange song. Each note flowed into the next as an odd dance of tone and melody. She’d never heard anything like it.

  Sara felt fingers weave through her hair, and then tug in a rhythm that reminded her of when her mother used to braid it. Someone was braiding her hair. Who could be doing such a thing?

  Maybe it was an angel. She must be dead. Why else would she be feeling such a sense of well-being? She remembered what had happened. Gael had stabbed her, trying to coax the sharks into attacking her. But they hadn’t come. She must have bled to death.

  Now Xanthus would never find her. How could he ever find her here? She was in heaven, out of reach, even for him. A sob shook her chest and pain shot through her stomach. Wasn’t she supposed to feel no pain?

  Sara’s eyes blinked open. She was in a large, underwater room. The walls were made of stone. Immense glass windows displayed an incredible view of coral reefs. They seemed to reach up and over the underwater building, cocooning it in a dome. All around the reef swam an array of tropical fish.

  She glanced around the room. The ceiling reached over twenty feet high. There were two very large sculptures on either side of the room. They were of dolphins breaching the surface, waves curling up the sides of their bodies.

  A beautiful voice lilted in Sara’s ears, singing words she didn’t understand. She turned to see who was singing. A young Dagonian, about her age, hovered nearby. Black, intricate braids floated in a halo around her head. The Dagonian woman’s face was breathtaking. Her eyes were dark, her skin the color of toffee. She held Sara’s braided hair in her hands. When their gazes met, the Dagonian woman blinked, and then her eyes widened in horror. Unfamiliar words burst from her mouth just before she let go of Sara’s hair and darted out the door. The flowing swish of a blue tail floated out behind her.


  Was this a dream? She looked like a mermaid. Her tail was different from Sara’s—blue, not flesh colored. And it was much more beautiful. Xanthus was wrong when he said her fin was perfect. It was much too plain.

  Sara chided herself. This was not the time to go all self-conscious about her tail. Her stomach was throbbing with pain, letting Sara know she wasn’t dead and she wasn’t dreaming.

  She needed to get out of here.

  Sara tried to swim, but she couldn’t get her fin to work right. She jerked her way toward the door. Each stroke of her tail brought sharp pains in her belly. She knew she had to hurry—the woman was probably going to get her big husband or maybe the police.

  Just as Sara was about to go through the door, she was met by someone frightening—the woman’s sister. At least, Sara assumed it was her sister. She was a close likeness to the woman who’d left, except she had cinnamon-brown braids. Now that Sara got a good look at the both of them, she was in awe. They both had tails complete with colorful scales. Their fins were long, flowing, and delicate. To top off their look, fin-shaped bikini tops covered their breasts like colorful butterfly wings. The two Dagonian women were much more beautiful than any image of a mermaid Sara had ever seen.

  She almost smiled at the stunning sight. Then she looked the brown-haired woman in the eye and was startled. She was staring Sara down with a hard glare.

  Sara braced for what was to come. The brown-haired Dagonian turned to her sister and spoke in clipped tones. She seemed satisfied about something. Maybe satisfied was too strong a word. More like resigned. She probably realized that Sara was not a threat and was completely inept at being in the water.

  The brown-haired woman gestured toward Sara. Her brunette sister hesitated a moment before she slowly approached. They each hooked an arm through Sara’s arms and floated her back to where they’d kept her before.

  The brown-haired sister spoke to Sara, as if giving her instructions. Sara didn’t understand a word of it. She looked at Sara as if expecting an answer.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t understand.”

  The Dagonian gasped. “You speak English?”

  Sara’s eyes widened. From what Xanthus had told her, very few Dagonians spoke English. Who was she?

  “You’re human?” she whispered.

  Sara knew Xanthus wouldn’t approve of her telling anyone she was human, but this Dagonian had already most likely figured it out. If the Dagonian knew she spoke English and had the cursed blue eyes, it didn’t take a genius to figure it out. Sara hesitated only a moment before she nodded. “Half,” she said.

  The brown-haired Dagonian barked out foreign words to her sister. Sara could tell they were talking about her. They looked as if they didn’t know what to do with her. Sara hoped they would let her go. It couldn’t hurt to ask.

  “I need to return to the surface.” Sara pointed up.

  “You live with humans?” the brown-haired Dagonian asked.

  “Yes, I do. I keep my fin hidden from them so they don’t know what I am. But still, I need to get back.”

  The woman nodded, apparently relieved. “Yes, you safer there. But you heal first. You died.”

  Sara assumed she meant she almost died, since Sara clearly wasn’t dead now. But she didn’t want to wait to heal. Xanthus had to be worried sick. If she was gone long, he’d assume she was dead.

  “I have to go now. I can’t wait.”

  The brown-haired sister shook her head. “Drink first.” She handed Sara what looked like a mermaid’s purse with a narrow tube. “You heal faster.”

  Sara was willing to do anything to appease these Dagonian women and get back to dry land—and a phone. She took it. The bitter-tasting drink didn’t go down well. Still, she drank the whole thing and handed it back to her.

  “Thank you. So how… Do I…”

  Funny, Sara couldn’t remember what she was just saying. Her mind felt hazy. A giggle escaped her lips. Now, what was it she needed to do?

  “A nap, that’s what I need to do. I need to take a nap.”

  ***

  Sara awoke. Her stomach churned and grumbled, hunger twisting it painfully. She needed food. She peeled her eyes open to darkness. Obviously, it was now night. Those deceitful Dagonian women had drugged her. How much time had passed? Xanthus had to be frantic. She needed to get to him.

  Looking around, Sara tried to get her bearings. She was still in the same room. It was quite spectacular at night. The walls had a luminescent quality. A faint green glow came from the walls, illuminating the room. There was cloth covering the windows. The sheen of the cloth had the appearance of crushed pearls. They were held in place by rods at the top and the bottom of the windows.

  Something covered Sara’s body from her tail fin up to her neck. She looked around and realized she was sandwiched in soft, plush fabric stretched across two intricately carved pillars. The cloth brushed her body gently as she swam, easing out of the fabric. This must be the Dagonian version of a bed. They didn’t need anything to cushion their sleep; they just needed something to keep from floating about the room.

  Sara swam to the open door and peered out into a hallway. She couldn’t see anyone out there. She did see that at the end of the hallway, the floor sloped downward. She must be upstairs. She swam out of the room, then down, following the slope. The stone along the slope was carved to resemble interlocking tentacles. This must be a Dagonian version of a staircase.

  Sara hurried; she needed to get out. She felt a bit guilty about leaving so abruptly. She hadn’t even had a chance to thank them. But she had to get back to dry land. She couldn’t waste any more time. If the Dagonians were smart, they’d be glad to be rid of her.

  Sara reached the lower level and jerked to a stop when she heard a voice. “Going somewhere?” The words were clear and well spoken.

  Sara turned to see the black-haired sister. “I… Well… I’m sorry. I do have to be going. I thank you for all you and your sister have done for me.”

  “Sister?” She swam toward Sara and, with a swish of her tail, stopped just in front of her. “Oh, you mean my mother.”

  “She’s your mother? But you both look the same age.” The Dagonian smiled at her. “I forget how humans age. We Dagonians don’t age after adulthood.”

  Sara drifted back a bit, nervous at being so close to this Dagonian woman. She was stunning. Her eyes were dark, wide, and full of expression. She seemed to be tall or long, however they described it, and she was wafer thin.

  “I’m Adelpha, by the way. And my mother is Chara. She’s been the one caring for you.” She glanced around, nervously. “She’s worried about me being around a half-human.” She said this as if Sara should know what she meant. After spending so much time with Xanthus, she kind of did.

  “I’m Sara.”

  “Are you a princess then?” Adelpha’s eyebrows rose.

  Sara smiled in surprise and shook her head. “No, I’m not. Why would you think I’m a princess?”

  “Sara means princess in Atlantian. So you really grew up among them? The humans? Are they as terrible as everyone says? Are humans all murdering, filthy creatures? You look so normal. You must have strong Dagonian genes. But I have to say your eyes are very strange.” Adelpha looked at Sara as if she were some supernatural being.

  Sara nervously moved to tuck her hair behind her ear, which was pointless underwater. Her fingers brushed over a small, floating braid. Adelpha didn’t seem to notice her silly action.

  “Humans, for the most part, are loving and caring people,” Sara said. “There are some that murder and do other terrible things, but we put them in prisons to keep the rest of us safe.”

  Adelpha’s jaw dropped. “That’s just what we do. Are all humans as beautiful as you are? I was told they were vile and ugly. But I must say you would turn quite a few heads down here.”

  “Well, thank you. And yes, there are many more beautiful women than me. My mother is human and very beautiful. I’m told I’m the exact image of
her.”

  “Wow, it makes me wonder if all the tales I hear about humans are false.” Adelpha shook her head, the braids floating around her head waved with the movement.

  “I would think most are,” Sara said, “but from what I see of you and your sister, Dagonian women are stunning. Just look at your tail fins. Mine is so plain compared to yours.”

  Adelpha’s brows crinkled in confusion and then her eyes lightened in understanding. She laughed. “These are not our natural fins. They are coverings, something like human clothing. Our true fins look just like yours.”

  “What beautiful clothing,” Sara said.

  “Are you not happy with yours? I could get you something else to wear.” Adelpha looked Sara up and down.

  Sara followed her eyes down and gasped. She was dressed just as beautifully as Adelpha. Her tail seemed to be made of shiny silver scales that reflected rainbow colors and sparkled like magic. The fabric covered her breasts, hugged her waist, and covered her all the way to end of her fin. Her fin fanned out and looked like mist. “Oh, wow,” Sara said. She’d never worn anything so amazing.

  “I hope you don’t mind your stomach being covered. I didn’t think you’d wanted anyone to see your wound. If you don’t like your covering I could…”

  “Oh no, I love it, Adelpha. It’s so beautiful.”

  Adelpha looked pleased with her response.

  Sara wished that Xanthus could see her. At that thought, she frowned. “Listen, Adelpha, I appreciate everything you and your mother have done for me. I mean if it weren’t for you, I’d be dead. I could never repay you, but I have to get back to the surface. My fiancé has to be worried sick. He probably thinks I’m dead.”

  “You’re getting married to a human? But you can’t. Oh dear, I didn’t even think of all the complications in your life.”

  Oh dear was right. How was Sara ever going to explain to Adelpha that she was marrying a Dagonian that was now living on dry land and that he was going to bring her back down here where she didn’t belong? She didn’t belong anywhere, did she?