These Gilded Seas

Chapter Ten: Fish Out of Water

I wake up to the sound of birds.

There are dozens of them, judging by the raucous noise they're making. The air around me is hot but somehow... light? It's as if I'm sitting above the surface of the water. I clench my eyes closed as a dull ache spreads across my tail.

I can't lie here forever. Wherever I am, the gulls and light combined are giving me a headache. Plus, the heat will dry me out. I have to move... find water... find some shade... Every inch of me burns, like I'm being stabbed by fiery sea urchin needles or cooked like a crab over a flame.

The longer I lie here, the more unbearable it becomes.

Slowly, fighting the pain, I peel my eyes open.

A white sun sits perched above me, beating down mercilessly. A gentle blue surrounds it. I smile because that's my favorite shade of blue, the kind untouched by even the thinnest, most feathery clouds. Then, a wave of hot wind blows over me, and I groan in protest.

How did I end up somewhere on the isles in the middle of the day? It was night when I left Hygge. Where was I going again?

As I roll onto my side and cover my face with a burnt arm, my mind digs for an answer.

I remember a ship, seeing Prince Eero standing on the side of it, facing my father when I got back home, hiding in the grotto to think, and then leaving for—

Zula.

I went to see Zula.

Not only did I go see him, I made a deal with him.

I'm such an idiot.

My heart starts to race. Did Zula follow through? What happened after I blacked out? And, most importantly, what happened to—

"Finn!"

The scream leaves my mouth in a rush as I bolt upright. Birds scatter in rage, kicking up more of the gritty substance. My eyes scan the small stretch of beach, but all they find is teal water, gray rocks, and a few lone green trees behind me. Oh, and more gulls.

"Finn?" I call out, quieter this time as fear sets in.

Did I get him killed? I should have stepped in! I shouldn't have let curiosity get the better of me. It was me Zula needed to make a deal with, me he wouldn't harm. It was foolish to take chances with Finn's life on the line like that.

I brush the sand off my arms and start to drag myself closer to the water line. Once there, I wash the sand off my arms and shirt. The poor thing is tattered and torn and hangs loosely off one of my shoulders. When my upper body is as clean as I can get it, I reach down to brush the sand off my tail. I expect to feel the grit jammed in between the hard scales, expect to have to dig it out with my fingernails, but instead, my palms brush—

Skin?

A sudden scream tears out of my throat, and panic sinks in. I suck in lungfuls of salty air. Clamber away from the water line. Scatter sand and birds and shells. The ground twists and dips under me and I scramble away from... whatever those are.

It sure isn't a tail.

And there's TWO OF THEM?!

Some small part of me tries to rationalize. Be logical, Arielle. You know exactly what those are.

Blessed Divine, do I ever...

They're legs.

Two long, pale, skinny legs. Other than being a bit pink from sun exposure and being coated in more than a little sand, they're unmistakable appendages. My gorgeous teal and silver scales are gone... my fin, gone...