The Broken Queen

Chapter 7

I was swimming frantically through the hallways of Rosewood Manor, trying to outrun whatever was chasing me. If I stopped long enough, I could feel the tickle of its breath on my neck, feel its presence behind me. After swimming for several more minutes, I finally allowed myself a moment to rest. My chest was heaving as I braced a hand on the wall, struggling to catch my breath.

A sharp cry broke from my lips as its hand suddenly gripped my shoulder. The pain exploded in waves, each more intense than the latter. I bit back my scream as the nails dug deeper into the wound, blood trickling down my arm as it reopened. The world spun as I struggled to stay conscious—then whirled around, hopefully catching my attacker off guard.

Or, what was left of him. It was a merman, that much I could tell. His light skin was hanging off his body in strips, his once-brown hair in clumps on his head. His one eye—so black you couldn't see the iris—roved up and down my body, eyeing me hungrily. If I looked carefully, I could see his rib cage, the bones jutting out at an awkward angle. How he managed to keep clothes on, albeit in tatters, was beyond me.

He swiped a decayed hand at me, missing my arm by mere inches. It was only then that I noticed the pendant hanging from his neck, the blue stone radiating in the light. I screamed, trying to swim away, but he grabbed me before I could. I gagged as he pulled me to him, his rotten breath making my eyes water.

My head spun as my vision blurred, the pendant slowly sapping the life force from my body. I took gasping breaths, my heartbeat fading and breathing becoming shallow. Spots flashed in my vision as I felt myself slowly losing consciousness. The merman's scales—a shade of black so dark they gobbled up all the light surrounding him—was the last thing I noticed before my vision blurred completely.

I shuddered as I woke up, my eyelids fluttering open. Immediately, I felt hands clasping my own. A sense of dread overwhelmed me, bringing with it an onslaught of panic. My vision was blurry, but after a few blinks, it cleared enough for me to recognise the mermen staring at me. They each had expressions of concern on their faces.

Jay gently squeezed my hand, his expression solemn despite the panic in his eyes. It's time. His pale skin was ashen as he gazed at me, as if trying to memorise my features. I rose shakily and grabbed my bag, clutching it to avoid revealing the tremors in my hands.

David swam to me, concern and worry in his grey eyes. I had no doubt he had the same reservations as Jay. He wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly. I hugged him back, neither of us letting go for quite some time. When we finally broke apart, however, his shirt was stained with tears from where I had buried my face into it.

Jay took my hand, gripping it as I shouldered my bag. David was trailing us, a hand hovering over the small of my back. We swam in silence to Rosewood Manor, the exterior looming over us as we arrived. It looked even worse than it had the last time I'd been here.

The stone was cracked and chipping away, as if whatever magic or sheer will that had kept it in good condition had disappeared without a trace. Overgrown seaweed had clustered on the exterior, a snaking zig-zag that went all over until it had basically hidden the stone behind it. The windows were almost completely covered by seaweed, but what I could see of the glass was broken.

Almost as soon as I approached the doors, I felt the ghosts. More than that, I felt them—their emotions, their hearts beating, albeit weakly, under their clothing. I shuddered, squeezing Jay's hand as we swam inside. The moment I crossed the threshold, I was suddenly thrown backwards, the force ripping Jay's hand from my own.

The last thing I saw was Jay's wide eyes, his hand frantically reaching for me, before the door slammed, sealing me inside. My back and shoulders barked in pain as I hit the ground, panting heavily. When the hand appeared on my shoulder, I was instantly reaching for my dagger. My fingers had barely brushed the hilt before hands were on my arms, restraining me.

I struggled against my captor, but quickly realised its uselessness when he shook me, so violently it left me dazed. I could do nothing but sag in his arms as he dragged me down the endless hallways, disorienting me. Instead of stopping in front of my old room, which had a light grey door, we stopped in front of an unfamiliar beige door.

He released me to unlock the door, finally giving me a chance to glimpse his face. My eyes were so wide I thought they'd pop out of my head as I stared at the merman in front of me. Most of the scales had fallen off his tail now, leaving rough patches where the scales had been. He was completely bald now, the rest of the hair having fallen off since we'd last seen each other.

He'd somehow acquired a metal eye, which was roving up and down my body with the same intensity as his real one. I shuddered as I squirmed free of his grip, rushing into my room and slamming the door. It was a relatively large room—complete with a lavish, comfortable-looking bed, a vanity, and bathing room. My hands shook as I gently opened the lotus flower necklace around my neck—and blinked back tears when I looked inside.

Without my knowing, one of the others—most likely Jay or David—had added four new photos to the inside of the flower. Along with the rest of my family, Carla, Drew, Ella, and Faye now gazed at me, the smiles on their faces breaking my heart. After I closed the necklace, I took the time to explore my new room.

The walls were painted a seafoam green, much like the seafloor outside my window. I was so focused on the furnishings of my room that it took me a minute to realise the lights in my room were flashing. Confusion filled my eyes as I opened the door and met unfamiliar amber eyes. The mermaid was about my height, with strawberry-blonde hair and golden skin.

She smiled gently at me before signing. My name is Nadia Lightwood. Upon seeing my expression, she gently laid a hand on my arm. You've nothing to fear. I know about your... situation. I had no doubt Alyssa had filled her in. I hadn't so much as glimpsed her since I'd arrived, but I knew I'd run into her soon.

Nadia led me over to the vanity, gently fluffing out my curls before running a brush over them. I stared blankly into the mirror, my dark blue eyes dull and unfocused. As she finished, she laid the brush down and focused on me. Are you hungry? I could send for dinner.

As much as I wanted to curl up in my bed and never come out, I couldn't stay in my room forever. I shook my head. I'll come down.

If Nadia noticed how tightly I was clutching my necklace, she didn't comment. She kept a steady hand on the small of my back as we swam to the dining room. I didn't see a single other servant during our swim through various hallways before we came upon the dining room. I didn't have time to dwell on it, however, as we swam into the spacious room.

The wallpaper was bloodred, with veins of gold shimmering throughout the squares. A long, rectangular table sat in the middle of the room, with multiple chairs positioned on either side. I had barely sat down before red hair flashed in my vision. The mermaid passed the dining room without so much as a glance in my direction, but the sight of her was enough to get my heart pounding.

I ate as much as I could stand—although it wasn't because of the food. It was exquisite, flavours and textures I'd never tasted combining on my tongue to create something amazing. No; it was because of Alyssa, the memories that surfaced.

I quickly cleaned up my plate and swam back to my room, shutting the door behind me. My hands shook as I undressed. Tears filled my eyes, spilling down my cheeks. Gut-wrenching sobs made my chest heave. Nadia was at my side a heartbeat later, helping me into bed.

It was only when she'd left the room, dimming the lights and shutting the door behind her, that the darkness and memories coalesced, leaving me pale and shaky when they subsided. My need for sleep finally took over the nightmares, wrapping me in blissful oblivion.

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