The Search For Peace 2

Chapter 17

Deep under the Atlantic Ocean, in the remnants of an old, wrecked, wooden ship, swam two bodies, half-human and half fish. "Wow, this is so cool!" One of them was a young mermaid, her fluffy ponytail a light purple, her skin a tea pink, and her long scaly tail a striking magenta, mixed with a shine of gold. Her name was Neri Caspian.

"I don't know what you're up to this time, Neri, but we're going to get in trouble!" Delbin Taoi, her merman friend, sneered from his spot, safely away from the ancient boat. His short wavy locks were a gentle mix between green and blue, his skin a light emerald, and his finned end turquoise. Crossing his small arms, he rolled his eyes as his adventurous companion dove straight into a rather big gap in the forgotten form of transportation.

"Delbin, look!" He quirked an eyebrow as she returned with a smoking pipe. Just how long ago of a time was this ship from? "It's a flute!" As she blew into the contaminated thing, Delbin shook his head with an exasperated sigh.

"I'm going back."

"Wait!" Neri latched onto him, staring into his green eyes with her pink ones. "Just stay and let me explore a bit more! Please?"

"Do what you want, I'm leaving." He shrugged her off, but she just grabbed him again. And now, she was holding both his hands and twirling them in a circle like they were schoolgirls playing ring-a-Rosie or something. The sad part of it was, he was letting her.

"Remember that time we were at the surface and some sailors were watching that movie?" While he sported a bored expression, the girl bubbled with enthusiasm. "What was it called? A Tiny Mermaid?"

He didn't bother correcting her. "Anyway, " she continued her reminiscence without another thought, "she sings a song in that about the outside world. Remember? It went something like, 'part of your world~'!" As she sang whatever she knew from the song, a rumble sounded in the distance.

They fell silent, turning their heads towards the dark end of the ocean, where the sound had come from. "What was that?" Curiosity taking over her, Neri let go of the boy's hands, when another strange noise disturbed their rather big and scaly ears. They were on full alert now, twitching as the different tunes rung in their holes.

Like the scream of sirens, the high pitched cry of the two Guardians of their Clan reached them. "I guess someone's bridged the border," Delbin concluded. "Come on, let's go back, the G3's will handle it." But before he had even uttered that statement, the girl was already headed in that direction, leaving a trail of bubbles in her wake. "Wha-Neri!!" Left with no choice, Delbin swam after her, flapping his tail as fast as he could.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°~~~~~~~~~~~~~°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°~~~~~~~~~~~~°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Harmony hit the tides hard, Alyssa still in her grasp. Before the water completely engulfed her, she cast her spell. Her energy focused on her legs, she used the water around her to propel herself and shot upwards, her head making it out of the waves.

Gasping for breath, she again used her free hand to cast another spell, this time on the surface. "Arcane Ice Craft: Ice Berg!" Her voice came out raspy, but it worked, a block of snowy ice shaping in front of her. When it was big enough and floating, she hauled Alyssa onto it, hoping she wouldn't slip off again.

Next, she shoved herself onto it, her fingers digging into the cold substance. When her legs were finally up, she sucked in deep, ragged breaths of raw air. Their yacht had been carried away by the waves, disappearing from their sight completely. Her hands were shaking, her ribs throbbing with a burning sensation. But..."I'm alive..." A sob choked her as she voiced the thought, and she suddenly felt the urge to hurl.

As she gagged, the waves calmed, and the skies cleared. Harmony noticed the light shining from above, causing her to look up. The sun was back, any trace of the previous rain all but gone. It was like the storm itself had been artificial, to begin with.

Dizzy, she looked back down at her hands, trying to get her stomach to calm down. Through the curtain of wet hair falling to her sides, she tried a glance at Alyssa. Only to see she wasn't even there.

Her head bolted up, causing a sharp pain to surge down her neck. But she didn't care, because at the moment, the girl she had so desperately tried to save, was gone. "Oh my God, where'd she go?!" In a panic, she searched the mini iceberg, then proceeded to peek at the still water. "Alyssa?! Alyssa, please don't drown on me!"

Oblivious to her, a strange creature was lurking behind her shadow, creeping onto the berg. And, before she could even react, it grabbed her by the mouth, pulling her into the ocean along with it.