The 7 Seas

Venesso Part 15

"We're here!" Rayla leaned over the side of the ship. She was grinning from ear to ear. 

"Uh where?" Callum asked coming and standing by her. 

"Oh right. Your not part mermaid." Rayla laughed. She turned his cheek slightly to the left. "Its underwater. See how the waves break over it? It looks like a reef but its not."

Callum looked harder and saw the waves break. "Oh! So cool!" 

Rayla smiled. "Yep. Bye!" 

Callum's smile faltered. "Bye?" 

Rayla nodded. "I'm going to Venesso." She laughed. 

"I'm coming with you!" Callum said. Rayla shook her head. 

"I'm a mermaid. There's only one way for a human to enter Venesso." Rayla explained. 

"Whats that?" Callum asked. 

"I take some of the seaweed down at Venesso's gate and tie it around your chest. It allows you to breathe." Rayla said. "But you'll have to swim down there to get it." 

Callum thought for a second and then said "I can make it! Lets go." Rayla nodded and dove in. 

Callum jumped in after her. The waters were jewel blue and clear and Callum saw Rayla's legs transform into a tail. They went father down, and Callum's lungs started to burn. Black spots started to crowd his vision. But he kept swimming. Finally he couldn't take it and his eyes started to close. 

"Callum!!" Rayla swam back to him. "Hold on! Where almost there!" Rayla wrapped his arms around her neck and swam down, as fast as she could go. She got to the entrance and wrapped the sea weed on Callum's chest. After a second his eyes snapped open. 

"What happened?!" He asked. Then he looked around and screamed. "I CAN BREATH UNDER WATER!!!!! COOL!!!" 

 "Yes you dolt. Now come on!" She rolled her eyes and swam into the cave. 

Callum followed. Suddenly an alarm went off. 

"Crud! We triggered something!" Rayla yelled and swam out, Callum following. 

Then a cage broke the waters surface and locked Rayla in it. 

"Callum!" She cried. Callum grabbed her hand throw the bars. The cage lifted. 

"Wait! No no no!" Callum swam to the surface and saw Felix and his crew. They jeered and laughed when the cage, with Rayla as its contents, rose from the water and was set on the deck. Rayla's tail disappeared. 

"RAYLA!!" Callum yelled. He looked around but couldn't see The Ryde anywhere. 

"Callum, take this!!" She threw the necklace overboard and Callum caught it, tears in his eyes. "Now go!" Rayla yelled as the pirates opened the cage door. 

"I'll come back for you! I promise!" Callum yelled and then dove under the water, out of sight. 

Two pirates held Rayla's arms and Felix walked out, sword swinging by his side. 

"Hello little pest." He said. 

"LET ME GO!!" Rayla cried, struggling. "I need to free my parents!" Felix laughed. Then he signaled to a pirate. The pirate came out, holding a sack. Felix opened the sack and pulled something out and Rayla gasped, tears coming to her eyes. 

"How dare you!" She said softly, throat closing up. 

"Oh very easily." Felix said and tossed the mermaid head of Adella into the sack. "I made the letter, I sent the letter, then I killed Adella. Your parents aren't alive, I killed them myself." Felix said and walked away. "Take her to the torture chamber!" He called and went below deck. Rayla hung her head, limp, tears streaming down her face. 

Adella was dead, her parents were dead, and Callum was going to be hunted and probably killed. And it was all her fault.