Drown

Chapter 12

My nightmares were a repeat of earlier today. Swimming into Aegrem and seeing the destruction. But this time, something was different. It was all-out slaughter. The scent of fear and blood coated the water, so heavily it sent chills down my spine. I looked for Jay and the others, but I couldn't see them. Injured merpeople lay on the ground, unable to move. Children separated from their parents floated inches above the seafloor, crying.

Suddenly, a hand appeared on my shoulder. I froze as a familiar face swam in front of me, his mouth stretched into a cruel grin. Tiger Shark. I opened my mouth to scream, but before I could, he grabbed my hand. For a heartbeat, I thought he was going to drag me away; he probably would have had his head not whipped around as he listened to something I couldn't hear. I swallowed hard, my heart pounding as my vision blurred. The room swam in my vision as I woke up, breathing heavily.

For a heartbeat, I struggled to remember where I was and what had happened. Then it all came rushing back. Jay. His parents. Tiger Shark. Diana. My breathing calmed slightly as I saw Jay asleep next to me.

I quietly swam out of bed and got dressed, swimming out of our room. David and Naia were already up when I swam downstairs. We need to keep moving. Meri and Isabella will get worried if we're gone too long.

One of the maids swam up to me as I finished signing, a worried look on her face as she pressed a note into my hands. Naia and David had similar expressions on their faces. From the expression on the maid's face, she hadn't seen the contents of the note, but could tell it was bad. My heart stopped as I opened the note. Dread took root in the pit of my stomach, gnawing at me with each word I read.

Nerissa. It's been a while. In case you haven't heard, I've been doing some... sightseeing in Pelathas recently. Meet me at the Whispering Reef today at dusk. Tell no one and come alone.

A chill slithered down my spine as I folded up the letter with shaking hands and stuffed it into my bag. I swallowed hard, struggling to keep the tears at bay. I almost jumped out of my skin as Jay put a hand on my arm. We swam the rest of the way to Pelathas that day, our journey mostly uneventful.

When we finally arrived, I stifled my gasp of relief. Pelathas was safe. For now, anyway. David told me that he had plenty of room for us at his house and that we were welcome to stay for as long as we needed.

Instinctively, I glanced up at the surface, my stomach tightening as I noticed the sky darkening. Almost dusk. I pasted a smile on my face as I signed, explaining that I was going to find a market and get some food for us.

I hated lying, but I couldn't involve them in this. The others nodded and said they'd meet me back at the house. Jay kissed me on the cheek, his worried glance lingering on my face before swimming away.

I waited until I was alone, then put on a burst of speed. Just as I was thinking I may have missed it, a familiar smell filled my nostrils, one I was beginning to associate with Tiger Shark. I whirled around, heart pounding, wishing I'd brought a dagger or something to defend myself with.

Tiger Shark grinned at me, his dark blue eyes glittering. That wasn't what made my heart jump into my throat. No, it was the merman floating motionless on the seafloor, eyes frozen open. Blood covered his torso and chest, dribbling from an unseen wound on his chest. I faltered, catching myself against the rocks surrounding us, as I stared at those green eyes, so full of life. Even as I told myself over and over that it wasn't Jay, that he was safe...

My hands trembled almost uncontrollably as I grabbed the notepad, scribbling so hard I almost punctured the page. What do you want? A sob rose in my throat and it took all I had to push it down. He was doing this to send me a message. That no matter how hard I tried, I would never defeat him. I would never put a stop to the murders.

He grinned as he read the message, quickly writing his response. I've got some... loose ends to tie up. You are going to make the evidence disappear. For good. If you fail... well, I think you know by now what will happen. And I did. He would take me back to wherever he had made his base of operations, use my soul to complete his army.

That familiar feeling washed over me, bringing with it a sense of hopelessness. It threatened to consume me, but I pushed it down, forcing my attention back to the present.

I nodded numbly, turning away from him so he wouldn't see the tears spilling down my cheeks. I swam home in a daze, barely remembering to stop and get food. My eyes were glassy, my gaze blank as I swam in the house and faltered, catching myself against the wall. David and Jay were at my side in an instant, the former gripping my hand while the latter supported me with a steadying hand on my back.

My chest was heaving as I struggled to get water in my lungs. I flinched as I felt Jay's warm hands on my arms. What happened? Are you okay? His words were a mirror image of what I myself had asked him a few weeks ago. When he'd had that same look in his eyes.

I shook my head, wrapping my arms around him and hugging him tightly. My body was exhausted, but my mind was racing. I couldn't stop seeing the merman's face... so similar to Jay's... My eyes slowly closed as sleep dragged me into its embrace.

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