The Sea's Dark Secret [A Little Mermaid Fanfic]

Chapter 4

Airlia let out a hiss of pain as one of the pirates reached out and took her chin. It was a female pirate and her ebony black locks tucked beneath her hat. The many necklaces that she was wearing hung in front of Airlia's face, and as the sun bounced off of the charms, Arilia thought back to how she had watched the sun reflect through the water for so many days. The pirate's nails were digging deep into her skin and she flinched as one of the nails almost broke the skin just above her jaw.

The pirate sneered and threw Airlia's head back against the rock. "She's a pretty thing. I'll say that much."

"That's all you have to say," the Blackheart asked. He was standing behind the rock that Airlia was chained to, one foot on the chain that was holding Airlia, one hand resting on his sword.

His right-hand man knelt to Airlia's height and pulled out his sword, pressing it against the bottom of Airlia's chin, forcing it up. She clenched her eyes shut, hoping that they wouldn't cut her like the other times the pirates had come. They seemed to enjoy spilling her ocean blood. The metal edge of the sword stung her dry skin, and Airlia shifted her head to try and escape the blade of the knife.

"Well all I can see is a pretty face," the pirate shrugged. "Prove that she can be useful to me and you'll have a deal."

The word deal made Airlia freeze, her eyes wide. What deal? Was she being handed over to the new crew? What would they do to her?

The Blackheart chuckled cruelly and gestured for the pirate to back away from the mermaid. The man did so, but not before dragging the sword along her throat and drawing a line that soon bubbled up with red.

"Have you ever heard of the legendary siren," the Blackheart asked, stepping away from the rock. "The one mermaid said to be capable of sinking ships?"

"Aye," one of the men from the woman's crew scoffed. "We've all heard the tale."

"Well," the Blackheart smirked, wrapping an arm around the woman's shoulders and turning her in the direction of the mermaid. "You're lookin' at her."

The woman scoffed, "This lass? She's the siren?"

"Aye. She's got a voice to sink all the ships in the world."

"Alright." The pirate stepped away from the Blackheart. "Prove it if ye want your money." One of her crewmembers stepped forward, a pouch of coins in his hand that clinked like bells as he shook the bag.

The Blackheart nodded and turned to Airlia, an evil grin decorating his face. "Sing, mermaid."

Though the Blackheart had captured Airlia, her spirit was anything but broken. Instead of singing, she stared defiantly at the pirates, pulling herself up a bit and exposing the black shells that hung around her chest, secured by a silver chain. It had been the same one that she had worn since her mother had died, and she had added small black shells with every year that had passed.

"Why should I," Airlia smirked, her voice like velvet as it danced across the water toward the pirates.

Before any of them could say anything though, Airlia's eyes turned black, fangs growing from her mouth, her lips turning as dark as the water she was in.

As the mermaid started to hum, her voice bounced off of the walls in waves, surrounding the pirates in an inescapable net of song.

"My love, my love, my fearless. I will not say goodbye. Sea may rise, sky may fall. My love will never die. Go on, go on, go bravely on. Into the blackest night." The chains clinked as Airlia pulled on them, pushing herself off of the rock a little toward the pirates, singing carefully, with a terrifying yet seductive smile on her face.