Drown

Chapter 14

Chaos was the only word I could think of to describe what was in front of me. Everywhere I looked, I saw blood. Smelled the horrific, yet familiar scent of decaying bodies.

I was in front of the Whispering Reef, but the water was choppy, flurries of motion everywhere I looked. My blood went cold as I realised what this was: a premonition in the form of a dream. I saw swords swinging, saw mermaids and mermen battling one another, bloodied and battered.

A horrible sense of dread took root in my stomach, quickly transforming into a knot. I looked around for my family, but could barely see three feet in front of me. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Just as it had countless times before, my vision sharpened, my body tensing as I scanned my surroundings.

My heart leapt into my throat as I spotted familiar red-gold hair. Meri. I swam to her, but before I could even get close, I was yanked backwards. I screamed, thrashing against my captor. My eyes watered as a foul stench filled the water. I knew who was holding me before I even looked at him.

Dozens of his cronies flanked him, each carrying at least one weapon. Tiger Shark grinned at me, then gestured behind him. My heart stopped completely as I realised what he was pointing at.

Jay was floating a few feet in front of me, his tail bent underneath him. His face was dangerously close to the ground, but he couldn't so much as move a muscle with the sword pressed into his neck.

Before I could so much as open my eyes, however, I was awoken by a hand shaking my shoulder. David stared at me, his face pinched. His expression told me everything I needed to know. My hands were clenched into fists as I got dressed, slipping two daggers into my pocket. Tiger Shark is here, isn't he? I asked as I swam out of my room.

He nodded, face grim. We swam outside and were greeted by a group of mermen, all carrying various weapons. Their eyes were on Jay, but as soon as I crossed the threshold, they turned their gazes on me. He glanced at me, then spoke. He must've asked where Tiger Shark was, because not a minute later, a familiar face appeared in front of us.

Dread twisted in my gut, stealing the breath from my lungs and making my hands tremble. Jay swam up beside me, putting a hand on the small of my back—a comforting touch. Tiger Shark blinked at Jay before meeting my eyes. Fear was a war drum in my heart as I stared at him.

His fighters looked menacing and while that sent bolts of fear into my heart, Jay's face was tense. A knife I hadn't noticed was in his hand not a moment later. My breath caught in my throat as he swam away, quickly disappearing in the fray.

And just like my dream, chaos ensued. I saw mermaids and mermen hurry into the fray, brandishing knives and swords.

I looked around for David, but I didn't see him or my sisters. Or Bella. My daggers were out of my pocket and in my hands before I so much as turned around. One of Tiger Shark's mermen swam in front of me, a large crossbow in his hands. I raised my daggers, ready to strike... and saw a flash of black hair move in front of me, hesitating for a heartbeat.

That was my first and last mistake. He fired, the bolt zooming through the water, aiming straight for my injured shoulder. I barely had time to draw breath as the bolt hit home.

The pain made me lose my grip on my daggers. They fell to the ground as the pain came alive, just like it did that day with the poison. My arm immediately went numb, but I scooped up one of the daggers with my good hand.

It left my hand a heartbeat later, whizzing through the water before quickly finding its mark. The merman sank to the ground, his eyes frozen open, hands scrabbling for the dagger hilt.

A familiar face appeared in my vision, a determined look in her eyes as she faced off against two of Tiger Shark's mermen. Bella. The metallic scent of blood filled my nose, but I ignored it. Bodies came to rest on the ground, eyes frozen open, blood gushing from unseen wounds. A bolt of relief went through me as I realised none of them were ours.

I looked around for the rest of my family, savoring the precious moment to catch my breath. Flashes of black and brown hair, respectively, appeared in my vision. Jay. David.

As I swam up to them, my worst nightmare came true. Tiger Shark was in front of them, what was left of his fighters floating behind him, malice in their gazes. David and Jay both held two daggers each, anger blazing in their eyes.

Red-hot anger flowed through me as I saw them squaring off against him. My heartbeat became a roar in my head. I swam in front of them, angling my dagger in front of me. The anger in their eyes quickly transformed into fear as they realised what I was doing.

My hand was surprisingly steady when I struck, the dagger aiming straight for his chest, right over his heart. His eyes widened as he realised what I was doing, then went blank as I drove the dagger home. A sick sort of satisfaction washed over me as he sank to the ground. I didn't even notice his chest rise and fall for the last time.

A heartbeat later, the brutality of what I had done slammed into me. I froze, barely noticing the blood covering my hands and my face. The pain in my shoulder was a dull roar compared to the shock coursing through me. Sometime during the battle, the remainder of his fighters had figured out they were outnumbered and fled.

Jay and David each took one of my arms, gently helping me back home. I was asleep before we'd even reached the house.

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