Descendant of the Deep (Siren Song: Book One)

Chapter Thirteen: Caught

     My mouth opened in sheer horror at the creature on the rock, fear rushing through my body. I quickly grabbed Aiden's arm and dragged him back beneath the waves, swimming as fast as my fins could manage.
     Aiden trailed behind me, still shocked from the siren. He was desperately trying to catch up with me, but the time he'd spent surprised by the creature had cost him.
     "Aiden, you have to swim! Come on!" I screamed. Panic bloomed in my chest as I saw the cloaked figure approaching him from behind. Fins tangled in a mess, I scrambled to get back to him.
     "Get away from him!" I yelled, throwing myself in front of the siren. I waited for it to strike, for the pain to start. But it never did. The siren faltered. Without hesitating, Aiden and I seized this chance to escape. We bolted back to the city gates, stealing glances behind us to check for the siren. But it had disappeared without a trace. It was almost like it was never there.
     Why would it spare us?
     Out of breath and taught from the swim, we finally reached came in sight of the wall. My heart beat like a drum in my chest, threatening to burst from my body. I was such an idiot. How could I have thought this was a good idea? And I'd brought Aiden into this...
     I looked at Aiden out of guilt. His dress coat was covered in sand, a dusting of silt in his hair. My dress was shredded from diving off of the rock so quickly, my palms cut and bloody. We looked like the dead brought back from the grave.
     "Aiden, I'm so sorry..." I whispered as we waited at the main entrance.
     Aiden looked at me, panting. "What the hell were you thinking, going after a siren like that?! You could have been killed!"
     I narrowed my eyes. "How did you know where I was at all?"
     Aiden ran his fingers through his dark hair. "When you said you needed some space, I followed you to make sure you were okay. That's when I saw you swimming off into the city. Britta..." He sighed. "It looked bad. I wanted to believe you are telling the truth when you said you were innocent, but I had to know."
     What had I done? Any last shred of support I had from the Mer would be torn away when this got out. Nobody would believe that and innocent shape shifting girl snuck out at night on full moon and came back with a dress in rags and a palace official's son. Aiden's reputation would be tarnished forever after this.
     I looked at Aiden with remorse. I didn't say anything. There wasn't anything I could say.
     Suddenly, a booming voice called out from beside us. "You there! Identify yourselves!"
     Aiden and I turned to face a border guard with a harpoon gun aimed at our chests. I opened my mouth to start speaking when Aiden cut me off and started to talk. "I am Aiden of the House of Kenderson-"
     The guard looked at Aiden. "Yes, my lord, I realize who you are.  It's this woman I'm curious about." He nudged the speargun at me. "Who is this. I don't recognize her as a noble."
     Another guard swam up behind the first. "Sir, Officer Langly received word of a siren sighting. We have orders to take anyone outside the walls captive, no matter their class."
     The first guard slid the harpoon out of the gun barrel and replaced it with some kind of dart. He turned to us. "Bad night to be out, fellas. I'm taking you in."
     I raised my hands in protest. "Wait, I-"
     A searing pain flared up in my shoulder as the dart cut into my skin. I screamed.
     "Aiden, swim!" I said, my voice fading as my eyelids began to droop. I floated to the ground, sleep overcoming me. I heard Aiden call out my name before he too crumpled to the seafloor. My hand felt around aimlessly, trying to find Aiden, but it was no use. My hearing cut out and my world became consumed by blackness.
*************
I awoke in a four poster bed, my shoulder wrapped in gauze. Pain vibrated through the bandages, causing me to wince as I slowly tried to sit up.
I looked out the window to see the city sprawling out for miles. I was back in the palace. I looked around. I wasn't in my apartments. I was in a much smaller place with shelves of ointments and solutions lining the walls. I was in some kind of infirmary.
The effort of keeping myself propped up was disturbingly hard, forcing me to lie back down. My shoulder throbbed with a dull pain, and my cheek felt puffy and raw. The chase from the night before with the siren and Aiden-
AIDEN!
     Where was he? This was all my fault!
     Just then, the door came ajar. Queen Melusine floated in, her face strained with concern. With a flick of her golden fins, she appeared at my bedside.
    "Where's Aiden?" I croaked, my voice hoarse and raspy.
     Melusine sighed, and sat herself down in a chair next to the bed. "Aiden is fine. He took a hit to the tail, and he's in an infirmary room just like you."
     I leaned back against the pillows, relief flooding my body.
     I turned my head back to Melusine. Her blue eyes burned with something that almost resembled... Fear.
     I narrowed my eyes. "What is it?"
     Melusine straightened herself. "There is much suspicion surrounding you and young Kenderson. You must be prepared for that."
     I nodded. I knew I would be criticized, but the fact that Aiden would be too stung.
     Melusine took out a long wooden rod from a sparkling pouch she had at her fins. A siren detector. I should have known.
    The queen looked at me apologetically. "We have to be sure."
     I gripped the sheets of the bed in anticipation. A sheet of green smoke washed over me, turning the water icy. After only a few seconds, the fog retreated back into the rod.
     I breathed a sigh of relief. There was proof now that I was not the siren. I looked up at the queen, expecting her to share the same feeling. I was wrong.
     Melusine was pale, the authoritative air that usually surrounded her shattered. Her eyes were open wide, her golden hair floating through the water wildly. I inched away, perplexed. I didn't understand why she was so shocked. The detector had proven that I was innocent. If I was guilty, it would have killed me.
     Melusine stood up. "I must go. The court is very concerned about last night." And with that she left, leaving me confused and worried.