by M. E. Rhines
“Angelique is right,” Eileen offered. “Out of any of us, she knows the most about the Finfolk.”
Donald protested. “I beg your pardon, but my sources have collected years of information on them.”
“Yes, but reading about them and actually visiting Finfolkaheem are two very different things. Besides, Atargatis is Angelique’s home. She’s the only merfolk here who was born and grew up in this city. Donald, you and I are Atlantians, and Myrtle spent hundreds of years exiled from it. I believe Angelique knows what she’s doing. Emotions aside, she will make the right decision for Atargatis.”
Pride straightened my spine and brightened my face. Finally, someone thought of me as more than a dictator’s daughter. To have a mermaid look at me and believe I could achieve more than evil filled me with elation.
“Thank you, Eileen. Your faith in me means more than you could ever imagine. That said, it really only matters what the queen thinks.”
All attention turned to the mermaid who wore the elaborate, antique crown. “I agree with Eileen,” Myrtle said plainly. “If you find these boys trustworthy, who am I to question it?”
Ainsley jumped to attention, eager to move the conversation along and prepare. “Great, that’s settled. Now if you don’t mind, I have some ideas that—”
“Before we proceed, however, there’s something I need to know.” Queen Myrtle rested her chin on her knuckles and leaned in, observing the strangers with a judgmental grimace for show. “Which one of you is in love with my niece?”
“Aunt Myrtle!” I gasped, horrified and embarrassed beyond belief.
“Come along, out with it. If we’re going to be honest and trust each other, as Angelique suggests, this is a good start. Now, which Fin-man has stolen the heart of my favorite family member?”
Ainsley snickered as Lennox raised a timid finger and said, “That would be me, Your Majesty.”
“Fantastic. The one who sent for her mother’s head.” She turned to me. “You couldn’t have picked anyone more complicated, could you?”
“In truth, Aunt Myrtle, I didn’t choose anyone. My heart took the decision from me.”
“Ugh, emotions. Pesky little things, aren’t they?” She winked at me. “I saw it coming from day one, mind you. Oh, Lennox, you should know one thing. Should you hurt my one remaining ocean-bound relative, I will break your tailfin in half. Even if your king vanquishes me, I’ll come back from the grave to finish the job.”
“I haven’t got a tailfin,” Lennox joked with a chuckle. “Only kneecaps. At any rate, I almost lost Angelique once through my own stupidity. You can bet your last bit of silver I plan to spend a lifetime making up for it.”
“We deal in sand dollars on this side of the ocean, two-legs. Shiny things are for looking pretty.”
“King Odom does deal in silver and gold,” Ainsley added, irritation dripping from his tone. “And he’s about to snatch up all your shiny things and leave red in their wake if we don’t come up with a plan.”
“Without Lennox’s current,” Donald started, “we should have plenty of time to send for Atlantis’s army. Once the troops are combined with Queen Myrtle’s magic, even King Odom shouldn’t pose much of a challenge.”
“I thought so at first as well,” Lennox said. “But then I considered what Angelique told me about the king capturing Queen Calypso’s soul. If he has access to that kind of power, it’s possible he found another way to traverse the ocean besides a boat.”
Myrtle gasped, covering her mouth. A ball of dread plummeted to the bottom of my stomach. With all the commotion, I hadn’t gotten around to telling this part.
“What did he do to my sister?” she demanded.
I rested my hand over hers and squeezed. “I found Mother’s soul inside King Odom’s cauldron. He syphoned it from her body, and now he holds it captive. That’s why she’s been so blank as of late. She’s trying with all her strength to find her way back, but she’s stuck.”
“How is such a thing possible? Even Calypso didn’t have access to that kind of sorcery.”
“King Odom stole a forbidden spell book from the merrows. Inside it, all sorts of unimaginable incantations break the laws of magic. Lennox is right. We are running out of time.”
As I spoke the words, a terrible rumble erupted from just outside the palace walls. An eerie silence followed, shattered by the petrified screams of my fellow Atargatians. We stared at one another, frozen in shock and wrestling a bone-rattling fear.
“He’s here,” Ainsley shouted, stumbling to his feet. His chair flew out from under him, floating into the wall.
Eileen shrieked as Donald shot up to the ceiling and over to a window, trying to get the best vantage point. I reached for Lennox, and he pulled me against his body, pressing my head to his chest so tight anything other than his heartbeat sounded muffled.
Myrtle took command, swimming to the center of the table and smacking her tail on its surface to regain attention and order. “Nobody panic.”
“But, Queen Myrtle,” Eileen cried. “We’re not prepared. The troops aren’t armed. We have no plan or strategy, and no defense system in place.”
“Eileen,” I shouted, pulling away from my protector. “Do you hear that? While we’re in here cowering and complaining about lack of preparations, my people are outside fending for themselves.”
A squeak leaked from Eileen’s windpipe as she tried to speak, but Myrtle and I had already rushed toward the door. Lennox and Ainsley trampled behind, close on our tailfins and ready for battle. I whipped the door open, and the shock of the scene outside stopped me dead in my tracks.
No less than a hundred Fin-men pounced, descending from the surface in a swarm. Each held a sharpened spear, poised and ready to strike by the time they reached the seafloor. A few dozen Atargatians took cover, ducking into the first grotto they came across.
I screamed at my clan members, cursing the foolishness of their chosen method of retreat. By confining themselves to a closed-off grotto, they might as well have been minnows cornered by great whites. Calling to those still out in the open, I urged them to swim out to sea where they stood a chance at escaping.
“Out of the way,” Ainsley grumbled as he shoved me from the doorway, dagger already drawn. He and Lennox hurried into the chaos, swiping and stabbing their own at any given opportunity.
Donald emerged from the council room, arms full of spears. Myrtle and I grabbed a few, then thrust them into the hands of panic-stricken mermaids swimming by. Familiar blue hair flashed, and Jewel snatched her own weapon without instruction.
“Fight,” she yelled to the crowd, raising the spear above her head. “Defend our home!”
Impressed by the fire and leadership Jewel displayed, I followed suit, joining her among those who dared stand their ground. With our backs pressed together, we jabbed our spears at any approaching Fin-man. Together, we wielded our blades with precision and expertise, our movements calculated, mastered, and lethal. Nimble and young, we were a frightening duo even in the face of the mightiest warrior in Finfolkaheem.
Blood specked my face, and I wiped it into the water around me. I couldn’t allow myself to consider the red represented a life I’d just taken, doing so would distract me from saving those I loved. A burly fellow smirked at my indignation, then gripped his weapon before lunging forward to take a stab at me. With a swift jerk, I smacked my spear into his and spun it until his dislodged from his hands and drifted into a blood-tinged current. He held his hands up in surrender.
For a moment, I wasn’t sure I could bring myself to lower the pointed tip that threatened to dig itself into his neck. The carnage was bringing me back to a place of darkness, one I didn’t ever want to return to…
“Angelique!” Jewel squealed as another Fin-man snatched her up and tossed her blue tail over his shoulder. She walloped him with the blunt side of her spear, but the human-like brute laughed at her efforts before seizing it from her grasp. He took off toward the palace, and a swell of d
read surged through me.
He can’t get to Mother!
Whirling around, I let the unarmed Fin-man go and swam after the trespasser who was bold enough to approach my humble castle. As he jogged through the water, Jewel bounced around, spewing profanities and barreling her fists into his back. I caught up quickly. Just as I reached out for her outstretched hand, Ainsley brought a small boulder down onto the cretin’s head. The mermaid-napper fell limp, and Jewel wiggled from his clutches before he hit the seafloor.
A mess of shiny turquoise hair tangled in her face. She brushed it aside, her expression nearly melting with excitement as she caught a glimpse of her rescuer. The pulse point on her neck throbbed as she stuttered out a thank-you.
Ainsley threw her a dashing wink and took her spear. “Lost my dagger in some idiot’s hip. Mind if I borrow this?” He took off, not sticking around for permission.
“Was that a Fin-man who just saved my life?” Jewel asked, breathless.
“Yes,” I confirmed. “That one is on our side. He’s with Lennox, so don’t stab them. Come on, let’s get you armed again.”
Myrtle appeared from the murk of blue and red, grabbing my arm and hauling me toward the palace. “Angelique, you need to get to the prison room.”
“What?” I protested. “I’m not hiding! I have to fight alongside my people.”
“They outnumber us by many, dear, and most of us are female. We have the advantage of our tails and agility, but they’re much stronger than we are. Brute force isn’t going to win this one for us, so I must use my magic.”
“Of course you should! Blast them away and be done with it.”
“It isn’t so easy when there are so many enemies mingled with merfolk I need to avoid hurting in the crossfire. This is going to take tremendous concentration, and I need you guarding your mother.”
I scanned the ocean, taking in the battle before me. If there was any way to stop this, to end the suffering inside my kingdom, I had to facilitate it. Swallowing against the lump in my throat, I nodded. “All right, I’ll go. Aunt Myrtle… be careful.”
She wrapped her arms around me and gave me a swift but genuine hug before turning me around and pushing me toward the palace. “Jewel,” Myrtle said, “you need to stay and cover me. Don’t let a soul touch me until the incantation is complete.”
On her order, I dashed across the throne room and through the halls until I found the door to the room holding Mother.
A fin-curling scream of agony pierced my eardrums as soon as I entered the prison. Mother threw herself into her confines, a clank filling the room as her skull collided with metal. Blood started to trickle down her forehead before dissipating in the water around us. Red welts stained the skin on her chest and arms. Imagining the bruises that were sure to take their place made me shudder.
“Mother,” I yelled as I dropped my spear and pushed hard against the water to make my way to her. “You’re awake!”
She flinched at my voice, then winced as the skin on her forehead pulled tight. Her head whipped from side to side, taking in the sounds of war coming from her window. “What’s happening? I can hear them. The clan needs me!”
“I can’t believe it.” I gaped. “You’re back, all of you. How did you escape King Odom’s binding?”
Calypso’s face went blank as she thought about my question, as if conjuring up the memory. Mother’s black eyes darkened a shade, and she drew her lips between her teeth. Her bony finger trembled as she raised it to point at me. “You were there. I remember feeling your presence. That merrow you spoke to…”
“Margaret!”
“The green one…”
“That’s right. Margaret. The former high priestess of the merrows.”
Mother pinched the bridge of her nose and squinted her eyes. “She came back once you left and took the book, the one Odom mumbles at day and night.”
“You could see her?”
“Almost. It’s more as though I could sense her and what she was doing. Sometime later, she returned once more and spoke in a strange tongue, a language I didn’t recognize. The longer she chattered, the farther I drifted away. I wandered around in a world of nothing for what seemed like an eternity before I woke up here.”
“Thank Poseidon!” I slumped forward, leaning into the bars between us. “Margaret and I were going to find a way to free you, but tragedy has befallen us. King Odom has attacked Atargatis.”
Calypso’s back straightened, and her fingers curled around the metal cylinders caging her in. A grinding sound skating off her teeth raised the hair on the back of my neck. “You have to let me out,” she demanded in her regal voice.
“I can’t, Mother. It’s for your protection. Believe it or not, the Fin-man doesn’t come in search of treasure. He demanded we put you to death. We refused, of course, but now he has come to do the deed himself.”
“The lousy disfigured human! Even more reason to open this door.” Taking hold of the cage with both hands, she rattled the enclosure with all her might, but it did not give in to her strength. “I’m a sitting octopus in here, Angelique. All he has to do is burst through that door and I’m as good as dead. Who’s going to protect me? You? You’re still a merling compared to him.”
“Aunt Myrtle is going to take care of him, Mother. She won’t let him get to you.”
“Release me,” she commanded in a shrill, penetrating tone. She lifted her arm, pointing to the bracelet on her wrist. “And remove this thing so I may defend myself. That sniveling throne thief can’t protect any of us. Odom exercises the forbidden arts—a world Myrtle wouldn’t stick her fin if it was her own life on the line. We’re all doomed if you don’t open this damned door!”
Out of habit, I shrank back, prepared to honor her mandate. Years of training played in the back of my head, shaming me vehemently for not complying to begin with. Muscle memory brought me to the opposite wall, next to the window, where the keys to her freedom dangled on a hook. Before I took them, I glanced out the opening in the wall, and immediately wished I had refrained.
A bloody combat raged on below. Mermaids and Fin-men alike littered the seafloor, oozing red plasma into the sea. My lips went numb as I scanned the battlefield, eager to catch a glimpse of just one of my friends.
Lennox caught my eye first, clutching his sword as he lunged toward an opponent with an animalistic, raw ferocity. His dagger caught the belly of the Fin-man who dove at him, and the blade sliced through his gut with incredible ease.
Ainsley didn’t stray far from his companion. He dutifully defended against any aggressor who approached his comrade, as if Lennox’s life meant more to him than his own. A terror-inducing battle cry left his lips each time he kicked against the ground, throwing his full body weight into the same Fin-men who only a day ago he’d called brother.
In the center of it all, Myrtle sat with her tail folded beneath her, her eyes closed in meditation. The space surrounding her remained undisturbed, as if an invisible dome protected her from intruders. Jewel stood guard at her side, spear drawn and at the ready. A nearby mermaid shoved a Fin-man in their direction. As he crossed an unseen threshold, his body caught fire, his skin melting from his bones in a short but gruesome instant despite the water around him.
The scene made my stomach queasy and my face burn with rage. This had to stop. Now. And Mother could put an end to it in an instant. I reached out, grazing the circular keyring with my fingertips.
“That’s it,” she urged, but the desperation in her plea brought me back to my senses.
As much as I wanted an immediate cease fire, releasing Calypso would be like letting a giant squid loose on a school of rebellious, orphaned whales. Chaos would give way to complete pandemonium, and I had little doubt not one of the beings, merfolk or Finfolk, would be spared.
“No,” I said with finality. “You’re a detriment to every mermaid in Atargatis. I beg for peace, and Mother, I don’t think you even remember what tranquility feels like.”
An a
ngry, fury-filled scream left her lungs, filling the room with a cloud of bubbles. Calypso smashed her tail into the bars, not so much as flinching at the crack that sounded when the impact shattered her bone. Her tail, now jutting out at a disfiguring angle, still managed to hold her up as adrenaline spiked through her veins.
“Fine,” she shouted, making me jump. “I’ll do it myself.”
I watched with curiosity as she pulled on the bracelet. Myrtle’s magic was strong, powerful enough to prevent even the ocean’s most prevailing sorcerer from casting even the tiniest hint of a spell. Part of me wondered, however, if it could withstand said sea witch at her most desperate and determined.
The clasp held tight. Mother snarled at its resistance, but remained undeterred. The band’s magic fought back, zapping the former ruler with a jolt of electricity that singed the keratin on her nails. She held them up, shocked at the black residue the assault left behind.
“You don’t give Myrtle enough credit.” I sneered. “It looks like her magic is stronger than you thought.”
Mother’s eyes misted over. She fell back, sliding down the wall inside her cell. “They’re dying,” she sobbed. “My clan is out there dying, and I’m powerless to stop it.”
A jab of sympathy tugged at my heart. The queen had spent her life leading the mermaids of Atargatis, charged with their safety and their keep. Even though she ruled with self-centered interests and a domineering trident, the sense of responsibility endowed on her couldn’t be erased. When I looked at her, I noticed the imprint of her crown still pressed on her silver hair. Calypso was a matriarch down to her core. She didn’t know how to be anything different.
She was also a master manipulator, and I couldn’t be certain the shimmering tears welling in her eyes were sincere.
“Oh, Mother.” I sighed, sinking to her level. “I understand you’re suffering. But you must remember, we bring about our own destiny. It isn’t predestined for us. When you, by your own choices, crossed the boundary of decency and self-control, you sealed your fate. A clan will only accept being beaten down, devalued, and degraded so long before they rebel.”