A Mermaid's Curse

Chapter 14

At precisely sunrise the next day, I found myself floating in front of the entrance to Rosewood Manor. Stella's words rang in my ears on a loop. "'I want you to bring my parents back to life.'" I almost faltered as I stared at the doors leading inside. My hand drifted inside my pocket, to the pendant resting there. It hadn't been easy keeping this from my parents and Kai, but I knew I'd had to.

Kai hadn't stirred as I'd quietly gotten dressed and left the palace. Luckily, no one else had been awake yet (that I knew of, anyway) so it was completely silent as I slipped outside. I stifled a yawn behind my hand, bracing the other on the door. I hadn't yet completely recovered from the fever yet, so I was still weak. With a deep, bracing breath, I pushed the doors open, the cavernous entryway looming before me.

I blinked rapidly as my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. I kept a hand on the dagger at my side as I  turned in a slow circle, my breathing extra-loud in the silence. Weak sunlight streamed through the windows, thankfully enough to see by. That's when I glimpsed the pair of dark grey eyes, filled with their usual smugness. "Isadora," Stella said, sketching a mocking bow.

"I'm here. Now what?" I said, breathing heavily. How she'd gotten out of the dungeons, I had no idea.

She inclined her head toward a pair of doors leading into one of the many hallways that bisected the manor. We passed multiple rooms, all with their doors shut tight, before coming upon a room with its door slightly cracked. "They're just through there," she said, a hopeful look appearing in her eyes.

My heart pounded so loud it was a miracle she couldn't hear it. It beat in time with my head, each beat repeating the exact same thing: this isn't right... it's a trap... knew we couldn't trust her...

I did my best to shake off the words, concentrating on the task in front of me. My hand shook as I pushed the door open, revealing a mermaid and merman laying on the floor. Faces grey, eyes closed tight, they were motionless as I swam in front of them. I reached into my pocket, hand closing around the object inside.

As soon as my hand brushed against it, I heard the voices. Screaming, pleading, sobbing. I blocked them out as I stared at the bodies on the floor. One hand firmly grasping the pendant, I placed my other on the mermaid's chest. With every bit of strength inside me, I imagined her heart beginning to beat again, the blood flow returning to her veins.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. I heard Stella sobbing quietly behind me, but I blocked that out, too. Just when I felt my strength begin to falter, the mermaid gasped, her eyes flying open. I almost fell to the ground, breathing heavily. The floor looked so inviting, it was all I could do not to curl up and close my eyes. Exhaustion and fatigue tugged at me, but I pushed them back. I still had one more.

I faced the merman, placing my hand on his chest. Just as I had done with the mermaid, I imagined his heart beginning to beat again, the blood flow returning to his veins. The instant his eyes flew open, I collapsed.

My fingers splayed open, unable to keep their grip on the pendant. It fell from my hand, halting inches from my fingers. I barely noticed my body hitting the floor, unable to focus on anything but the exhaustion tugging at me, beckoning to me. I managed to meet Stella's gaze, her tear-filled eyes fixed on mine. One hand grasped her mother's, the other hovering over her heart. "Thank you, Isadora," she whispered.

How I summoned the strength to swim home, I have no idea. It took an enormous amount of effort to keep my eyes open, never mind focus enough to move. I had just reached the palace doors, the familiar gold-and-crimson uniforms of the guards coming into view when I felt my barely-there strength begin to flag. The exhaustion settled into my veins, heavy and thick. "Princess?" One of the guards said, his voice far-away.