Reservation hung like a noose around Asair's neck as he made his way to the reservoir. The mermaids were his responsibility—his abomination.
Over the decades, observing the sisters from his dimension, remorse for his actions tore at his conscience. With the spell now broken, the bond hinged on Selene's black heart, and as much as he hated the bond, he needed the mermaids. They were his eyes on the outside. If they went to Pyramid Lake and Halen was near, they would sense her presence, and if he asked, they would bring her back to him. At least, he hoped to the heavens they would.
He caught his reflection in the tinted windows as he passed the control center. Gone was the ghostlike boy with long, flowing, snow-white hair and stark complexion. Now a rugged young man with shaved black hair stared back, his skin a warm umber tone, not like Quinn's mother Rania, but like his human father.
He rubbed his hand across the stubble on his chin and over the raised scar trailing his neck. He couldn't imagine Rania standing by while the Elosians inflicted these wounds on her son. When their souls had merged, Asair had understood Quinn's pain, had relived each lashing and tortured cry as if he too had suffered an Elosian trial. And though the siren no longer remained present, Asair would ensure his fight was never forgotten. He admired the boy who had sacrificed his life for the realms; he wouldn't let him down.
A damp fog enveloped him when he pushed open the heavy steel door. The water churned with choppy waves as silver tails slipped between the crests, sending a shiver down his spine. Though the tank measured forty feet deep, restraining the mermaids this way was like keeping a whale in an aquarium. They couldn't thrive here.
He approached the edge with caution, never quite knowing the mood of the girls. Selene popped up first, no doubt lurking near the surface, awaiting his arrival. She swam to the edge, propping her silver scaled elbows on the concrete. Her wispy dark hair wrapped around her shoulders like a cape of snakes. Still, beneath the scales, he recalled the beautiful Elosian, her skin glistening with dew, her eyes wide with life and devotion; her petal pink lips, which once sipped his blood, were now stained black from the curse he had once held over her.
"Where have you been?" She slapped her tail against the water.
Her two sisters, Kye and Diya, surfaced, responding to her request. Out of twelve, only three remained; two turned to stone at Halen's hand, which only made his request that much more difficult to ask.
"I have some good news." His skin flecked with warning sparks as he crouched to be level with Selene. She liked him close, and even though the proximity turned his stomach, he needed to appease her.
Her incisor teeth punctured her bottom lip as her smile broadened. She licked away the black blood. "You look hopeful today." Her gleaming gaze skimmed his, searching for a way into his thoughts. "Are we going somewhere?"
He glanced away, knowing already she'd seen in too far. "We may have found her." His tone remained flat. He didn't even say her name to not appear eager. He feared Selene's tantrum if she read his confused emotions.
YOU ARE READING
Smoke and Ruin
ParanormalWhen darkness calls, she cannot answer... Isolated and alone, Halen Windspeare is in over her head. Sacrificing her soul to save the realms, she must now protect the water stone. But the siren hunters won't relent until she is finally annihilated. H...