The Mermaid's Reckoning | ONC 2024

Chapter 13

Blood. There was so much blood. It pooled in the water around Pretie, blossoming out of Ephyra's wound like the petals of some sort of ugly, gruesome flower. The first several seconds were pure, panicked chaos in Pretie's mind, her heart racing as she stared at the mermaid in front of her, stared at the blood, blood, so much blood.

When Pretie was finally able to snap herself out of the initial shock, she found herself drifting closer to place a tentative hand on Ephyra's shoulder. The mermaid's eyes rose to meet hers. Ephyra's face was a war of pain and fear, her brow furrowed and her lips pressed tightly together. Pretie wished she could somehow make it all go away. 

"Let me see." She whispered. The girl held her breath as Ephyra lifted a trembling hand to guide Pretie's down to her stomach. Her fingers bumped against a sharp metal edge. Pretie gasped. The tip of the harpoon's arrowhead-shaped blade peeking through Ephyra abdomen; the weapon had impaled her from behind. "Oh my gods, Ephyra..."

The mermaid was wilting—that was the only way Pretie could think to describe it. Each flap of her tail to keep herself upright grew weaker with each passing second, her eyelids fluttering as she struggled to remain conscious. Pretie swallowed, grabbing Ephyra's hand in hers and giving it a tight squeeze. "We're... I'm going to get you help. Okay?" The lack of response on Ephyra's end only increased the worry pooling in Pretie's stomach. "Okay."

We're close to shore, she thought to herself, scanning the surrounding waters. Maybe someone from Aecora can help us. At the very least, we can wait on the shore until Melody and Krill find us. Nodding faintly to herself, Pretie tightened her grip on Ephyra's hand, using her arm like a rope to tug the mermaid behind her. 

"Hang in there." She mumbled as she swam toward the shore. The water was becoming shallower; that was a good sign. Any second now, and they would be above the surface, safe on Aecora's sandy, warm beach—at least, as safe as one could be with the blade of a harpoon buried in their flesh.

Pretie heaved Ephyra onto the beach beside her. Somehow, the gaping wound in her abdomen seemed even worse out of the water. Her hands trembled as she reached over to brush a strand of hair out of Ephyra's face. The mermaid's eyes were half open, staring at something only she could see. The only sign she was still alive was the faint rise and fall of her chest with each shaky breath that escaped her lips. Pretie could thank the gods for the fact that Ephyra's lungs had assumed their job.

The girl took a breath. What am I supposed to do when someone's impaled? I never thought I'd have to deal with something like this... She chewed on the inside of her cheek. I don't think I'm supposed to just pull it out, right? Shit. I can break it first, I guess. With shaking hands, Pretie reached over to the end of the spear-like weapon protruding from Ephyra's back. She tentatively wrapped her fingers around the wooden shaft, clenching her hands into fists. Gritting her teeth, Pretie managed to snap it in two. She winced, tossing the snapped shaft aside as she shifted her hand toward the wound in Ephyra's abdomen. As gently as she could manage, Pretie gripped the edge of the harpoon's blade and tugged the remaining half out, barely withholding the urge to gag at the surprisingly wet squelch the motion created. She rinsed the blood from her hands in the shallows, though it still left an unsettling stain beneath her fingernails.

"I'm going to get you help," Pretie promised the mermaid in a low whisper, pressing her lips to the mermaid's damp forehead. "You're going to be okay." This time, she didn't allow her eyes to drift to the source of the blood beginning to soak the sand beneath them.

The girl turned to face her kingdom, shifting to sit up as best she could. Well, here goes nothing. "Help! Help, anyone! We need—" The words died on her tongue as her eyes caught on a figure standing on a pile of rocks nearby. Dark hair, blue eyes...