The Mermaid's Reckoning | ONC 2024

Chapter 12

Just an hour later, the group had reached the first of the sea stacks Pretie had mentioned. The banded column of rock towered above them, stretching its crooked finger into the sky. The tallest of three, this stack stood on a narrow base and gradually broadened into a wider top; the rock looked like it could topple over at any moment. The stacks closer to shore were shorter, one narrow and one wide, sporting a hook-like curve.

"So, which one's our best bet?" Krill asked, running a hand across the stack's craggy exterior. His eyes seemed dimmer out of the water, as if it was the ocean that gave them their electric green brightness. 

"I have no idea," Melody admitted from beside him. "The mythology was never very specific about the stone's whereabouts, and what with the numerous different stories about the event and so many varying opinions about it, it's not very clear—"

"So you're saying the Stone of Edrisse might not even be here?" Pretie hissed. A note of panic buzzed to life in her mind. Ephyra's hand slipped into hers. The panic lessened to a low simmer, appeased by her touch.

"It's here," the mermaid promised with a smile, giving her hand a squeeze. "We'll find it, Prettypants. You'll be back to your human self in no time."

"Oh. Good." Pretie managed a smile, though it felt more forced than she would have expected upon hearing the news.

"I say we split up," Ephyra added with a shrug. "That way we can check more than one stack at once. It'll be easier to search before it gets dark." Her gaze shifted to the western horizon, where the sun hung dangerously low. It wouldn't be long before it set and plunged the group into darkness.

"Sounds like a plan." Krill agreed. An unspoken secret seemed to pass between him and Ephyra as they shared a look. The result was a knowing smirk that curled his lip. "You and Pretie can head for the stack closest to shore. Melody and I will start off with this one and meet you in the middle."

A matching grin lit up Ephyra's features, though Pretie noticed her attempt to tamp it down, burying it in a nonchalant shrug. "If you say so." 

Melody met Pretie's eye. The expression on her face—wide eyes, wide smile—made it perfectly clear what she was referring to as her gaze darted between Ephyra and Pretie. The girl rolled her eyes, though a blush tickled her cheeks and neck. It seems like I'm the only one not in on this. There was clearly plenty of discussion going on behind her back, for better or worse. She caught Ephyra's eye.

"Let's go, Prettypants." The mermaid purred, dipping back into the water. Rolling her eyes, Pretie followed.

As they swam toward the shore and the furthest sea stack, the girl finally realized how close she was to Aecora. The water was gradually becoming shallower the further they swam, maintaining a depth just great enough for the two to avoid brushing their tails against the floor; they couldn't have been more than a few yards from Aecora's sandy beach. I could just walk up that sand and go right back home, she thought to herself. If I had my legs back, at least. The nearness was almost unnerving.

"So. How's it feel to be back?" Ephyra asked, as if she'd read the girl's mind.

Pretie shrugged, focusing on the tug of the muscles in her tail as she swam. "I don't know. I thought it would feel different."

"Different how?"

The girl hesitated. How, indeed. "I... I don't know. I thought it would feel like... Like I was coming home. And... It doesn't, for some reason."

"Well, maybe it'll feel more natural when you're able to walk on land again." Ephyra reasoned tentatively. "You're probably not used to being here with a tail."