The Cursed

Chapter Twenty Seven

Everette

The sweet weather of the day, the gentle breeze of summer turns. It lashes out and catches the the stray ropes and sails, ripping them from their ties.

"Captain, there's a beast!" Blayze yells. He's leaning over the railing, looking into the churning and choppy water. A scaled tentacle reaches out of the water and grabs Blayze by the neck, pulling him into the water. His form is swallowed by the sea.

"Blayze!" I scream and lurch to the railing where he was. Under the water, another tentacle furls and unfurls, large, dark scales covering it. It reaches up again, but I lunge backwards as it thuds onto the railing, splintering it into pieces. It grabs another sailor around his chest and into the water. My crew is being pulled away by a monster into the water. There is only one thing to summon such a beast. They don't come around naturally. Only magic, dark magic can bring them to the surface. And strong dark magic that only my mother is capable of.

"Mother!" I yell to the sky. A particularly loud thunderclap booms overhead. Smoke pours form the clouds into a form. The Queen steps out of the smoke plume.

"Hello my son, it's windy isn't it?" She coo's.

"You caused this, call the beast back!" I scream, pulling out a sword, aiming for my mother's heart.

"The beast? Oh the mermaid? I didn't call her," she says. The sword drops slightly.

"You didn't?" I ask, but quickly raise the sword again, "liar! No other witch in the lands could call the mermaid!" The Queen smiles at me, pity shining in her eyes. She opens her mouth to lie once more, but a sailor cuts her off.

"Captain!" I look over to the sailor, a rope is tied around his wrist, and he pulls it right, securing several barrels to the ship's railing.

"Wait, step away from the edge!" I yell, seeing the shadow of another tentacle under the wave that towers over the ship. However, it is too late and the tentacle wraps around him, pulling him under the spray. The rope holds him to the ship, and he is grappled over like a child's toy or a dog with a bone. He is held to the shop by the rope, but being pulled by the mermaid. With a strangled scream, the rope tightens, sawing through his flesh. He is pulled under the water. His hand wrapped in the rope.

"Oh my, what a cruel outcome," says the Queen. "I, however, did not summon the mermaid. This is fun to see your crew being pulled under, but I would never hurt you, my son." The words struck me. As awful as my mother was, she has never harmed me physically. She stole my love, her memories, all for me to claim the crown. She wouldn't risk my life if it cost her the possibility of my head holding her crown. "Ah, so you've realized it's not me. May I leave now? I'll see you for your coronation in three weeks time." Without another word, smoke consumes her form. A coronation, my coronation. I need to fetch Lilura and being her back to me. Even if her training is not complete, we need to leave this land, and my mother. We can escape my future and build one for both of us. So we can be together.

Thunder booms once more, and lightning strikes the top of the mast, setting it a blaze. The fire races down the wood, sparks catch the sails and ropes. Half my ship is burning before my eyes. A mermaid racing under my feet. My crew being pulled to their watery graves. And my love, away, remembering her past, our past. I will not die on my ship alone. I need to find the summoner of the mermaid and kill her. Then kill the mermaid.

I race to my chambers, dodging tentacles and flying ropes. I dart around crew fighting for their lives, swords drawn against tentacles. Flames swallow barrels and heaps of rags. Other sailors pull water from the sea, which is slowly flooding the deck, and pour it onto the spreading fire. I enter my room, locking the door behind me. I pull down a leather book.

The green cover has a violet gem that lights up the room. The gem's light pulses when I flip it open. I flip through the pages to the one where a large mermaid had been drawn in. She has the upper body of a woman, but with sharp fangs instead of teeth. Her pupils are skits similar to a snake's. Her bottom half is comprised of nearly a dozen tentacles curled around each other. Their scales shine and mimic the ebbing water. A locket engraved with shells shines on her chest. A cursive name is scrawled on it. The summoner.

I read the short paragraph on the side to the mermaid. I must call out a spell to bring the locket to me then read the name to bring the summoner to me. They will be tired and exhausted from calling such a creature, perfect for a battle to their death. I slam the book shut and run out of my chambers with it clutched in my hand. The crew has been thinned out to only the strongest. Time is of the essence.

I don't have magic, the ability to wield it. But Lilura did, does. Perhaps I can use one of her objects to wield her magic and channel it.

I enter her darkened room, her objects gathering dust. I see a headpiece on her vanity. The silver spirals of wire are wrapped around crystals, chains hanging off the brim. I grab it and run to the deck. I open the book on a barrel and flip to the right page. The incantation is clearly printed under the paragraph.

"Master of sea, god of the water, magic of the western element, I call on your creation," I begin, yelling over the howling wind. The headpiece glows a faint blow and begins to vibrate in my hand. "Power of the ocean I call on you for your creation to bring their heart to me." From a whirlpool of sea water a white light began to glimmer, growing brighter and brighter. With a splash and sucking sound, a silver locket flew from the water. A thick chain flying behind jt. The headpiece shook violently in my hand, glowing as much as the water. With a thud, the silver locket fell to the deck in front of my feet. I set the headpiece down and it clatters away across the deck and overboard where the railing is broken. I take a step to chase after it, but I stop. A crown can be replaced, but I have to stop this beast. I pick up the locket and turn it over. True to the picture, there were engravings of various shells and a triangle pointing downward. In the center of locket was the last name I ever wanted to see involved with dark magic.

Lilura.