The Mermaid's Reckoning | ONC 2024

Chapter 14

Pretie tossed the prince to the ground, utilizing the remnants of the ebbing waves to glide over to where Ephyra still lay limp on the sand. The mermaid's eyebrows were furrowed, her eyes pressed closed. Her lips were parted just enough to release another soft, pained noise. Pretie grabbed her hand from where it was curled weakly across her wounded abdomen. She didn't care about the dark, crimson blood dampening her palm; she didn't even care about the panting, wide-eyed boy stumbling away from the scene, stopping only to snatch a round, glittering object from the ground. 

"Good," she growled, barely sparing the prince a second glance as he burst into a run. "Go away. If I see you again..." Pretie didn't bother to finish the threat. She just turned to the mermaid lying before her. Her bronze skin was oddly dull, its color fading along with the light of the sunset.

"No, please," she whispered, twining her fingers through Ephyra's. "You can't... You can't leave, please."

Pretie didn't feel the tears streaming down her face until she saw them drip onto the sand below. She brushed her thumb across the back of Ephyra's limp hand, shaking her head. "I am literally begging you right now, you can't die on me. Not like this." She bit down hard on her bottom lip, needing something to hold her back from the full-on sobs she knew would soon wrack her body. "I'm a gods-damned princess, you have to listen to me."

She felt the mermaid's hand twitch in her grip, and Pretie's gaze darted immediately to Ephyra's face. Her eyes had opened part-way as she blinked blearily up at Pretie.

"I didn't... I didn't break... Our promise." The mermaid managed to mumble, her words so faint that Pretie had to lean in even closer to catch them. Ephyra let out a shuddering breath, grimacing with the pain the small movement must have generated.

"What?" Pretie forced a gentle smile, tracing comforting circles across the back of her hand. "What promise?"

"Like, with my scars... This wasn't... I wasn't trying to..."

"Shh," the girl whispered, her own body trembling as she fought to keep her emotions in check. "I know. This wasn't your fault. None of it was. You don't deserve this."

Ephyra managed a faint nod, her lips pressed tightly together.

"We're going to... You're going to... It'll be alright," Pretie murmured. "Please, just hang in a moment more..."

A pained smile tugged at Ephyra's lips. "Don't... Don't worry about... About me, Prettypants."

Pretie shook her head. "No. I'll worry about you if I want to, and... And I'm choosing to worry about you, because... I care about you. Like, a lot. I care about you, and that's what people do when they care about someone. They worry. When something bad happens to them, they worry, and— I've never worried like this about anyone, but... I don't want to see you like this, Eph."

The mermaid's head lolled her way. Her dark eyes were hardly more than slits; she was clearly struggling to keep them open as she threatened to tip into unconsciousness. "You don't have to... Don't have..."

"I'm staying." While Pretie could only assume that was what the mermaid was intending to tell her, she was set on her words. She leaned over Ephyra's body, pressing her forehead to hers. "I'm staying here, with you. You have me, okay? I'm not going anywhere."

Ephyra didn't respond, but Pretie listened as her breath hitched in her throat. The girl tightened her hold on the mermaid's hand. Please, she found herself silently praying. Please, gods, don't take her. You can't take her from me.

A splash made Pretie lift her head—albeit reluctantly—from Ephyra's. Melody and Krill had finally made it to shore, their eyes wide in shock as they took in the blood-stained sand and the mermaid lying atop it.