T&H Excerpts

after Sereia gets captured

She lay still in the net, knowing it would be a futile effort to try to disentangle herself. She waited silently, heart beating in her throat, clenching the rope so tightly that her knuckles went white. Her breathing was shallow and fast, partially from being so unused to air and partially from fear. The sailors were yelling and shouting, the commotion a stark contrast from the peace of the ocean from only a few moments before. The net continued to raise up, her stomach dropping as she was ripped away from the sparkingling blue-black water she so dearly loved. The garish yellow lights were hard on her eyes and she squinted against the lights as the net came closer to the ship.

"Aye, it's a mermaid!" a voice from below her cried out. The net shifted over the boat, and she could feel it being lowered towards the deck.

"Get Norik!"

She tensed, and then she was no longer suspended in the air. The net hit the ground and the rest of the rope dropped on top of her. She gasped as the scratchy wet rop slapped her skin. She let herself go limp. "Hey- Jasper and Horace, help me out!" A man next to her shouted. His boots came near her and she felt the weight of the rope lift off her. Several hands pulled the rope from out under her, and she was laying on the deck. A moment passed, and she gathered her strength and in a flurry of action, rolled on her stomach, pulled herself up on her hands and used her tail to get to the side of the ship as fast as she possibly could. It all happened so quickly that it took a few seconds for the men to realize what she was doing- "Hey! HEY! Someone grab her before she goes over the side!" She scraped her tail against the wood and pushed herself along as fast as she could, breath coming in short gasps, reached her arms to the side and was just pulling herself up when a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist like an octopus's unrelenting tentacles. She thrashed, body jerking against the man who had grabbed her. She was powerful, but another pair of limbs latched around her tail. Fingers scrabbling for the wood- but ripped away, as the men got a strong grip on her. She kept jerking around, struggling in their arms, but they hauled her away and pinned her to the ground. They slammed her down roughly, the breath knocked out of her and she lay stunned and limp. Several other men rushed down to her side, holding her arms down and one planting his foot in the middle of her tail, and another on her stomach so she couldn't get up.

"Norik!" a man called. "Look what we caught!" She was too frenzied to notice the tall man walk over to her. He knelt down next to her face and caught her chin between his rough fingers. At the unfamiliar touch she tried to jerk her head away but he held her tight. She opened her eyes and glared at him, hissing. He stared back at her, but without malice. That surprised her.

"Good, good," he muttered absentmindedly. "Kyin, correct?" Kyin mermaid, he meant.

"Unharmed, I presume?" He looked at one of the men next to him.

"Aye, sir. But she's feisty so we'll have to be careful to keep her that way."

Norik nodded, letting go over her face.

"Put her in the fluorocarbon tank," he directed to one of the sailors.

"Ask her a few questions, that sort of thing."

The feet on her stomach and tail were removed, and the pressure relaxed. She took a breath, and flailed out again, jerking and yanking against the arms that held her. But they were too strong- having witnessed it the first time. They got a hold on her, lifting her above their shoulders and walking in the middle of the ship. And she knew then her greatest fear.

She screeched out her whole soul, screaming the pain and horrible fear inside her. The moon blinked at her and the waves lapped, and the men chattered in low voices, but no answering call came from the sea for her. She wailed again, and then fainted.