A Court of Light and Embers

Chapter Fifteen

Aelin gently pulled away from me, determination now written clearly across her face. I wiped away the last of my tears. "So, where to now?"

Aelin sighed, rubbing her temples. She paced back and forth, muttering to herself. I frowned a little, watching her odd behaviour. Suddenly, she straightened and clicked her fingers. "I've got it! We need to disappear, right?"

I nodded slowly, not really understanding where she was going with this.

She smirked. "Then that's exactly what we're going to do."

~

The waves lapped at the edge of the small beach, the dark water looking like liquid night. I raised a brow. "A bit late for a swim, isn't it?"

Aelin rolled her eyes, pushing up her sleeves. "You can control water, right?" When I nodded, she took a deep breath and turned to the bank. "My mother could, too. The gift was passed down to me, but it was barely a drop. But I wonder..." She frowned in concentration, and bought her hands up in front of her. A stream of water twirled up in a mini tornado. She smiled a little. "Different world, different rules."

"Hold on. You want us to disappear... underwater? My magic won't be able to hold out for that long."

"It doesn't have to."

I paused, waiting for her to explain.

"When we were in Bryce's house, I found a painting on her nightstand of her and a male with a fish's tale. That means, that somewhere down here, are Mer buildings. And I'm guessing that they're not very quick to learn about fresh news." I looked in her in shock, amazed that she could remember and process this little detail.

"Do you mean a Mer?"

"Exactly. You've seen one before, right?"

"Of course."

"So, when you say you have a power from every Court... would one of them happen to be shape-shifting?"

I sighed, guessing where this was going. "Yes."

"Perfect," Aelin clapped her hands, then gestured to the water. "Whenever you're ready."

I huffed, stepping into the water. It cold waves lapped at my calves as I closed my eyes, picturing those beautiful beings in my mind, with their fishes tails and long hair. I summoned the power Tamlin had given more, reshaping my bones and carving out new shapes from my flesh-

I knew it had worked when I sunk into the water, unable to split my legs. Aelin let out a low whistle, and I opened my eyes and looked down. Where my legs used to be was now a beautiful Mer tail, coloured a deep, reflective black. Flowers and vines, the same colour and pattern as the ones on my arms, snaked up my waist, covering my ribs and breasts. My hair had grown longer, and my arched ears had changed back to rounded ones.

I turned to Aelin, swishing my new fins back and forth. "What about you?"

Aelin waved a hand, producing a small knife from nowhere. I frowned as she slashed it across her forearm, blooding dripping into a pool in her palm. "Where I'm from, there's these things called Wyrdmarks. They're a magic of a kind, able to create almost anything. I became fluent in them after my friend Nehemia..." She paused, and her eyes softened. "Anyway, I know the marks to create a shape-shifting spell. Only thing is, it runs out when the marks are wiped away, so we have to create them somewhere safe." Her eyes scanned the beach, then brightened as they handed on a large, flat stone, sitting innocently beside a bench. I waited patiently in the water, testing out my powerful tail as she hurried over to her new canvas, dipping her fingers into her own blood. She quickly and efficiently painted odd marks and symbols onto the stone, muttering nonsensical words under her breath. She drew the final line, and then the arch she had created glowed bright red. Aelin closed her eyes, chanting, and I turned away from the blinding light. When I looked back, I gaped as I found not Aelin, but a Mer.

Aelin's eyes had changed, now a slightly more normal turquoise colour, and without her tell-tale golden ring around her pupil. Her hair had changed to the same shade as mine. She quickly shucked off her sweater, and studied her newly formed body.

Her tail was long and elegant, the colour identical to her eyes, a slight golden shimmer patterned across her scales. Blue bird's feathers covered her breasts that matched the tattoo on her back, and gills flapped just under her neck. There were no canines or Fae ears to be found.

Aelin cocked her head, flapping her tail. "Interesting. I didn't think that would work." She carefully buried the rock in sand under the bench, marking its place. She shuffled over to the water, sighing in ecstasy as the cool ocean enveloped her lower body. "Our powers will be useful under there. Who knows what we might come across."

I looked at her, sudden doubt clouding my mind. "Are you sure about this?"

Aelin shot me a grin. "Absolutely not." And she dove into the black depths.