by Dee J. Stone
Why do we just stand here? Jas demands, surging toward the opening.
Shil holds out her arm. Be patient.
Shil is correct, Jas, Marikus says. He nods to me. Come, my daughter Cassila. I leave the honor to you.
Me?
Yes. You are the one who restored us to our true forms. You are the one who has made it possible to reclaim our home. You are the one who will lead us to victory!
My brethren cheer. A splendid feeling passes through me. Yes, it was me who brought us here. Me who has returned us to our rightful forms. I am the one who deserves this honor. Me and only me. I could not think of a better reward.
I swim forward and hold out my claws toward the two large rocks. Then I thrust them forward, and the rocks shatter into pieces. The colony of the children of the sea is now exposed. Unprotected.
“Reclaim the ocean!” I yell as I dash inside. “Reclaim what is ours!”
Single file, each and every one of us swoops inside, followed, I assume since I cannot see them, by the rebels and their sharks. Because we are cloaked, the children of the sea will be unable to detect us. We will ambush them, surprise them.
It’s not too surprising to see hundreds of children of the sea guarding the area, each with a shark at his or her side. Just as we are set to pounce, those half-brained sharks storm toward us. At once, their masters are aware of our presence. “Sea serpents!” one of them yells as he rushes further into the colony, probably to alert the rest of them. “They have arrived!”
How can they see us? Jas asks. We are cloaked.
They cannot see us, Marikus tells him. But the sharks are very aware that we are here. Call it instinct. And what they sense, their masters sense as well. He spits. Damn creatures, those sharks. No matter. They will all die today.
We don’t hesitate to attack. If not for the sharks, the children of the sea would be at a total loss. It goes without question that each and every shark must be obliterated.
Ten sharks bound at me, some so large with the sharpest teeth I have ever seen. I hiss and bare my fangs, my claws spread out before me. My body twists and turns as I avoid their teeth, my claws scratching and mauling. Four sink toward the bottom of the ocean, their blood filling the area like red ink.
Shil stretches her hand toward a cluster of seaweed a few hundred feet away. She plucks them out of the ground and launches them at a large Ruby child of the sea. They wrap around his neck, and she tightens them around him. Tighter and tighter until the Ruby’s cheeks swell up. The child slumps toward the ocean floor. His bull shark’s eyes pin on Shil, nothing but pure hatred in them. He zooms toward Shil, but when he is twenty feet away, Shil flicks her claw, sending the shark into a large rock. There’s nothing left of the creature but a mangled body.
More children of the sea emerge with their sharks. But they are not alone. Other creatures of the sea have joined them, such as dolphins, rays, and sea turtles. I hear Marikus’s laugh thunder in my mind. The more the merrier. The more we will destroy.
My eyes catch sight of a small rock sitting on the ocean floor. I stretch my hand toward it, and it floats up. As I extend my claws farther apart, the rock grows until it is the size of the largest shark in the area. I sweep my hand, and the rock soars toward a female Diamond. I use my other claw to hold her in place as the rock slams into her chest, crushing it. Blood spurts out of her mouth, and her head and arms are thrown back. Her neck snaps.
Suddenly, I am no longer cloaked. And I’m weaker. I glance to my right and notice my sea brother has fallen. We have a dent in our armor, and we are too preoccupied to reestablish a new cloak. The rebels are visible as well.
“Attack!” a Sapphire yells.
Now with our cloak gone, the enemy has a greater shot at injuring us. But they are no match for the sea serpents. Marikus shoots his hand toward the enemy, and one of the sea turtles sails toward his outstretched claw. It makes a short stop, its head and legs ducking into its shell. Marikus pumps his claw and the turtle’s shell is ripped off its owner. The turtle plummets toward the ocean floor while its shell remains floating in the water. Marikus flicks his claw, causing the shell to spin in its place. Once it gathers enough speed, he launches it at a Violet, slicing her head off.
The children of the sea send their sharks at us, but they are killed before they get within thirty feet of us.
Marikus laughs loudly. “Surrender, slaves! This is a battle you cannot win.”
“Never,” a broad-shouldered Sapphire yells. “Never will we allow you filthy beasts to steal the sea. We will fight and protect her as long as our hearts beat in our chests!”
“Then you all will die.”
***
The battle rages on. I don’t know why the children of the sea bother—they have lost hundreds while we have only lost one. Their sharks are good fighters, but the children of the sea are weak. Pathetic, really.
Many of the rebels have perished. Perhaps the enemy has strategized to kill them off first because they are an easier target. No matter—they are useless anyway.
Just as I’m about to dig my claws into a Violet female, a voice rings in my head. It’s so intense that I feel it pressing against the inside of my skull. I cry out and drop the Violet. She makes a quick escape, disappearing farther into the colony. An angry hiss leaves my mouth as the pain vanishes. What a wasted kill.
“Surrender to us!” Marikus yells as he shoots another turtle shell at a Sapphire. “It is inevitable that we will triumph. Surrender and there will be no more bloodshed. Only slavery!” His laugh echoes in the water.
The children of the sea refuse.
Boni swims forward and aims his claw at one of the dolphins at the enemy line. It spins around and around, as though it is mad. Just as Boni is set to hurl it at an Emerald, Rula rushes forward, aiming her hand toward another dolphin. She wants to mimic her brother.
No, Rula! Boni yells.
The dolphin is propelled toward Rula and pierces her chest. Blood pours out of her.
NO!!! Marikus and Shil yell.
Rula! Boni cries.
She sinks toward the bottom of the sea.
I feared they were not ready! Marikus races after her. They are not fully formed. All because they were born in human bodies.
I bound after him and sweep her into my arms.
Cassila—
Fight, I tell him. I will heal her.
I swim away from the battle and lay her down on the ocean floor. Her eyes are shut tight and I don’t see her gills expanding and contracting. Resting my hand on her chest, I heal her. Her eyes open. Cassila?
Pay attention to what you do, I tell her. Don’t get in any of your brethren’s way.
We can’t lose any more members. We are one being, and if any of us dies, we will be weak. We can’t grow weak.
Rula nods. Understood. I’ll try harder next time.
When I get back to the battle, I find some of my sea brothers and sisters injured. I swim past them and touch their bodies, healing them.
Excellent! Marikus says. Now we are sure to triumph.
Just as I’m ready to send a rock into a large great white shark, I feel another pounding in my skull. I cry out again, and my body flails around.
Cassie!
It is that same voice. And it’s so painful as it continues hitting the inside of my head.
Cassila, Marikus says. Why have you stopped fighting?
Do you feel it? I ask. The voice. And the pain.
I hear and feel nothing. Only bloodlust.
I glance at my brethren. None of them seems to experience what I am experiencing. It baffles me, for they should hear and feel what I do.
Pushing it aside, I concentrate on the task at hand, on the annihilation of every one of these foul creatures until they acquiesce.
Cassie!
That voice again. This time, it’s much stronger. More painful.
I shove it aside and bite into a tiger shark, shaking it in my mouth, letting my fangs dig deep inside
it. When I’m certain it’s dead, I toss it against a wall of rock.
Its owner charges at me, her eyes flaming. Before she can swim another inch, I open my mouth and spit my venom at her. The green substance hits her face and chest, forming boils on her body and melting away the skin. She cries out in agony as her flesh disintegrates, revealing the bone underneath. It’s not long before that melts away, too.
CASSIE!
My head explodes with the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced in my life. I release a deafening cry before everything around me fades to black.
Chapter Five
“Cassie, my love. Open your eyes.”
I hear his voice, but it feels like I’m buried deep in the ground. It’s like those few times when I’m half-sleeping and am aware of the activity around me because my brain is awake but my body is sleeping. I remember how many times that freaked me out when I was younger, the feeling of wanting to wake up, of trying to force my body to wake up, only to be totally helpless.
“Hold onto my voice, my sweet Cassie.”
His voice is growing stronger, less faint, as though someone has taken a shovel and is digging me out of the ground. “Yes. I can feel it,” he continues. “You are growing stronger, Cassie. Please, do not lose your hold on my voice. You are strong, my love. You are so brave.”
My eyes flutter. My limbs no longer feel as heavy as they did before. I slowly raise my hand and rub my forehead. My skin is ice-cold. I’m shivering uncontrollably, and I wonder if I’m not buried in dirt but in snow.
“C-c-cold,” I sputter.
“I know, my love. But you must awaken. I cannot help you unless you are awake.”
Raising my arm like that took up too much energy and I can barely hold it up any longer. It falls limply to my side. My head rolls to my left and my breathing gets uneven. I’m so weak.
“No,” Damarian says, his tone urgent. “Please do not lose me, Cassie. I beg you, my love. Please, hold onto my voice.”
I’m trying, I really am. But I’m just so cold and tired.
Suddenly, warmness enters my heart. It’s only a bit, but it provides me with enough energy to open my eyes. I’m staring at a ceiling of what looks like a cave. For a second, I wonder if what I thought is true, that I really am buried underground. But as the grogginess starts to fade away from my brain, I realize the ceiling looks like one I would find in an underwater cave.
“Cassie.” Damarian’s voice is so gentle and soothing. It holds nothing but undying love for me. It gives me even more strength, and I turn my head from left to right, trying to get a sense of my surroundings. I am definitely in an underwater cave, a small one with barely any room to move, except there’s no water. The ground beneath me is wet, but it doesn’t seem to be seeping into my clothes. Am I even wearing clothes? I feel naked.
I slowly lower my gaze to my body, careful not to strain myself too much, and that’s when I notice the tattered clothes on my body. I’m wearing rags. No, not rags. I look like I’ve been attacked by an animal, a tiger or a lion who scratched at my clothes, barely missing my skin.
I continue to shake uncontrollably. The warmness from Damarian has left me. I try to open my mouth to call for him, but it’s completely dry, as if there’s sand in there.
“You have the ability to fight it, my Cassie.” Damarian’s soft voice carries over into my ears. “I know you do.”
He sounds so close now. Mustering all the strength I have, I raise my head off the floor and stare straight ahead. What I see before my eyes are bars, the ones that are on prison doors. And behind them is Damarian.
Even though I’m so weak, I feel a large smile break out on my face. “D-D…”
He holds out his hand. “It is all right. Please do not exert yourself.”
His beautiful sapphire tail sways behind him in the water. Wait a second. There’s water on his side while mine is completely dry. And while he’s a merman, I’m human.
Where the hell am I? And what the hell is going on?
Damarian reaches through the bar for me, but it’s like there’s a force field there that shocks him. He winces and yanks his hand back, shaking it to rid the pain.
“D…D…” I try to say his name, but my mouth is so dry and my body is so weak.
Using all my might, I get on all four limbs and start crawling toward him. It feels like I’m fighting an invisible storm. There’s no wind in here, but something is pushing me back. The more I try to shove through, the more it pushes back.
After a few seconds, I collapse on my stomach, totally spent, my face buried in the wet sand.
“Cassie!” Damarian yells.
I need to get up. I have no idea where I am or what’s happening to me, but I know I need to get to Damarian. I give myself a few more seconds of rest before heaving myself back on all fours. But my limbs can’t support my body, and I crash down again.
Determined to not give up, I start dragging my body, making good use of my elbows and knees. I know Damarian is only a few feet away—this little cave is so tiny it’s almost like a dollhouse. Well, a dollhouse for a mermaid. But it feels like he’s on the other side of the ocean. His eyes are filled with encouragement and that profound love he always has when he looks at me. It has always made me feel like I can do anything, conquer all my fears and face obstacles head-on. It gives me even more determination to drag my body the last few feet until I reach the bars.
Still too weak to sit, I remain on my stomach, my elbows digging into the ground. It hurts, but I ignore the pain and focus on Damarian. Even though I’m so weak and all I want to do is close my eyes and sleep for days, a calm, warm feeling enters every cell in my body as I gaze into my merman’s mesmerizing deep blue eyes. The feeling grows stronger as I look at his face and study every one of his features I’ve come to know so well, and as I take in his beautiful, golden hair.
My merman.
“Cassie,” he says in the softest tone I’ve ever heard.
“D…D…” I take a deep breath—through my nose, since I’m human and have no gills, and since I’m not in the water—and force myself to try again. I need to say his name. “D…Damarian.”
He stretches his hand toward the bars, like he wants to reach through them and take my hand. But he drops it to his side, probably remembering the shock he got when he tried before.
“Where am I?” I ask.
He hesitates.
“What?” I ask, dread nestling in my stomach.
“What is the last thing you remember?” he asks, leaning closer until he’s only inches away from the bars.
“I…I don’t know.” My mind is completely blank.
A piercing pain bursts in my head. I cry out and drop to the floor.
“Cassie!”
Little voices bang against my skull. Reclaim the ocean. Reclaim what is ours.
“I must be at your side,” Damarian says.
Though it feels like my head is being ripped open, I manage to fight the pain and keep my eyes locked with Damarian, refusing to lose contact with him. With a serious look on his face, he closes his webbed fingers over the bars. His entire body is electrified.
“D...Damarian!” I choke out.
He doesn’t let go of the bars. It’s like his hands are glued to them. His body quakes and he releases the most heartbreaking yells I’ve ever heard. I leap to a sitting position and wrap my hands over his. My body is engulfed in the electricity, too, and my own yells can wake the dead. This is the worse pain I’ve ever felt in my life.
Cassie…Damarian’s voice echoes in my head.
Damarian…
Through the pain, I see his eyes fill with silver light—electricity—though a different kind than the one that’s taken control of his body. It’s just like the time when the rebels blocked us from swimming to land when I was turning back into a human three thousand feet in the ocean. I’m pretty sure my own eyes are the same, because they feel…odd.
Our hands break apart and I’m thrown against the bac
k wall of the tiny cave. My left side stings and my ears ring. When I glance at the doorway, I see the bars are gone. And so is Damarian.
“Damarian?” I heave my body toward the entrance and am about to crawl through, but the force field shoves me back. “Damarian!”
His face appears before the entrance. “My love, are you all right?”
“Damarian.” I reach for his hand, but I know he and I won’t be able to touch. We’ve managed to destroy the bars, but what was the point if I can’t touch him due to the force field?
To my surprise and shock, Damarian’s hand passes through the opening. I stare as he swims inside and floats only inches away from me. Yeah, he floats. I don’t know how it’s possible, but he’s floating in water while I’m completely dry.
“Cassie,” he murmurs before enveloping me in his arms.
It feels like I’ve been transported into another world as my body sinks into his. His touch is so familiar, so comforting, so loving. He infuses me with so much energy that I immediately feel stronger.
“Cassie,” his lips murmur against my temple. “My Cassie. My beautiful Cassie.”
Even though his arms are so strong and protective, my body continues to shiver. “C-c-cold.”
He rubs his hands up and down my arms, then my back. “You will be all right, my love. You will be all right.” It sounds like he’s not only trying to reassure me but himself, too.
“Why…so cold?” I ask, my teeth chattering. My lips are so dry, and no matter how many times I lick them, it doesn’t help. “Lips…dry…” I manage to say.
Damarian leans his face closer and softly brushes his mouth against mine. It’s as though I’ve been abandoned in the desert for days without water and have stumbled across a water fountain. His kisses are soft and gentle, but I’m practically attacking him, swallowing his lips as though I’m drinking in his life force. When I open my eyes, I see that I am drinking in his life force, just like the other times when I gave Damarian some of my life.
When our lips break apart, we’re both panting, Damarian from the loss of his life force and me from the renewed energy.
