The Mad Queen

Chapter Eight

Creature: Mer
Grouping: Waterfolk
Gender: Male and Female
Physical Appearance: The Mer are a water race. They have the upper body of a human and the lower body of a fish. They are extremely beautiful. Their human features usually consist of long hair in shades of dark browns, blacks or deep gingers. Their skin colour can range from pale to dark. Their eyes are usually coloured with tones of bronzes, golds and amber which is similar to the scales on their tales. It is thought their features are warm colours so that it is more welcoming to their prey. Humans especially will drift toward warmer colours than colder. They also stand out against the colours of the waters, drawing the eyes of their prey to them.  During the time they are feeding, the teeth sharpen and they take on a more monstrous appearance.
Magic: Mer use their beauty to draw in their prey. One look upon their beautiful faces, you find yourself immediately enchanted. You will do whatever they order you too just so you can continue to gaze at them.  What really hooks you are their eyes. It is easy to get lost in them.
Physical Abilities: Mer can breathe in the water and out of it. Their tails also make them incredibly fast and powerful swimmers. They can also transform into human form if fully out of the water. Though this doesn't make them any less dangerous. They can still use their beauty magic in this form.
Weakness: To hunt a Mer, it is vital that shaded glass is worn over the eyes. This filters out the enchanting beauty as it slightly distorts their appearance. Once the Mer is caught, the removal of one eye stops their magic working completely yet still keeps them beautiful. Especially if their missing eye is replaced by a fake one.
Other facts: Mer don't always want to kill. They can make someone their obedient slave and do their bidding. If a creature is exposed to their beauty for too long, they will forever serve the Mer who enchanted them, even if that Mer has their eye removed.

~The Creatures of Vivelle. Written by Scholar Dominic Frey, Head of Creature and Magical studies during the reign of the Mad Queen Orianna and her successor King Niklaus

I run straight back to my room. Fallon almost stabs me when I slam the door open and rush in.

"It's just me," I say as I just dodge the blade.

"Bloody hell Ana, you scared the shit out of me!" she gasps, putting the blade away. She takes a look at my expression and frowns.

"What?" she asks sceptically.  I burst out laughing.

"Wake up!" I shout at my sisters. I run and jump on the bed, shaking them awake.

"Illyana, what's going on?" Rayanna moans. I am still laughing. I am so overjoyed! I can save them.

"Calm down," Cordelia moans and I sit back on the end of the bed as the three of them sit up.

"Fallon, close the door and the windows. We don't want anyone hearing what I am about to tell you," I tell her. She sighs and heads to the door, shutting it softly behind her and then the windows.

"The walls are probably listening," she mutters.

I pull her onto my bed, which is four-poster, and pull the drapes around us completely. Then, I start to tell them.

"Are you okay?" Shaelyn asks as I get to the part about Kristoff attacking me.

"I am going to fucking kill him!" Fallon shouts and stands up. I drag her back onto the bed.

"I sorted it. He wasn't successful," I tell her. She frowns.

"What have you done to Kristoff?" Rayanna asks. I smile.

"Let's just say he isn't feeling too good," I shrug. "Now shut up and let me finish," I hush them. The next words tumble out of my mouth incredibly fast. When I finish telling them everything the Master Scholar showed and told me, their mouths are hanging open. Then Shaelyn starts to cry.