Her destiny is her greatest fear.
Seventeen-year-old Halen Windspeare will do anything to extinguish the flames that spark beneath her fingertips. But, returning to the place where she witnessed her father drown forces the fire to ignite. Refusing...
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"Hello? Is anyone out there?" Halen shouted, paying careful attention not to touch the invisible barrier. She wouldn't repeat her mistake.
As she leaned closer, the hum grew higher in pitch. When she retreated, the hum sang in a low alto tone. With her nose inches from the barrier, the wall squealed, ready to strike. She wasn't getting out that way. Frustrated, she sat back down and pulled another piece of plant from the hole in the mattress.
Silver fins pricked her thoughts. What she witnessed in the ocean wasn't of this world. She ran her hand over her black-stained veins. Had the boy saved her? From mermaids? She shook the ridiculous thought away. He didn't have a scratch or bruise on him. Clearly, she was mistaken.
When she glanced up, the boy with the stormy gaze stared back.
Halen sprang to her feet. She swallowed hard, searching for the courage to speak.
"Are you feeling better?" He stepped forward, a lock of blond hair falling across his forehead.
"I would feel much better if you let me out."
"Promise not to run?" he asked.
She nodded, though she wasn't making any guarantees.
He opened his fist, revealing a smooth oval stone, the perfect kind for skipping on still water. When he inserted the stone into a pocket carved into the wall, a popping sound like water dripping into hot oil filled the air. The sound ceased, and he stepped next to her.
Halen's breath quickened. The barrier was down.
Run, her thoughts urged. But to where? She had no clue where she was.
He reached for her arm, and she inched away. "I won't hurt you."
"You let me get shocked." She reminded him.
"I tried to warn you."
"Not very hard." She balled her hands into fists. "Do you have Tage too? Is she locked away in some cave?"
"Tage?" His brow furrowed. "I thought you were alone?"
"You're a Hunter?" she asked again because he hadn't given her a straight answer before.
"No." His gaze dropped to her bracelet. "Did they come for you?"
"I'm not sure. There was this guy and—" Halen didn't know how to explain what happened. She didn't understand it herself. She rubbed her throbbing head.
"You're lucky the mermaids didn't rip your arm off."
"What?" Her breath hitched. "Are you saying they were real?" Having someone say it out loud somehow made the idea seem more unreal.
"You've never seen one before?"
Memories of her father clawing the water pressed her thoughts. Silver fins curled over his head and crushed him under. Halen's mother diagnosed her wild explanation as trauma-induced delusions. She didn't know what to believe now. "No, I've never seen a mermaid."
