I turned back and hoisted my tail out of the water. “Fine. Take one,” I said with vitriol in my voice.
Cyrus reached forward with the blade and in one flick of the wrist, he cut off one of the smaller iridescent black scales near my fin.
My eyebrows shot up as pain ripped across my tail. A small red cloud filled the tank as I bled from the open wound.
“Here,” said Cyrus as he quickly smeared a thick ointment over the wound. The pain immediately vanished and a numbing sensation took over. Next, he placed a thick stack of gauze over the medicine and taped it down. “I’m really sorry. I wish I didn’t have to do this to you.”
I swung my tail back into the water without saying another word to Cyrus. Forcing a smile on my face, I swam over to Dyna.
Her face had turned ashen. “Did it hurt?”
I shook my head, trying my best not to react to her quavering voice. “No, not at all. He used a special medicine and it numbed the area.”
My muscles tensed as I reached for her hand. Keep it together, Aria. It’s the only way.
She didn’t flinch while he drew her blood, but the cry that escaped her lips when he cut off one of her scales brought tears to my eyes.
“You said it wouldn’t hurt,” she sobbed. “You lied to me!”
“I’m sorry,” I cried. “I didn’t want you to be scared.”
My eyes narrowed in on Cyrus’s as I took the tiny mergirl in my arms. He was lucky I wasn’t armed. If I had my father’s trident right now, I would have thrust it through Cyrus’s body and pinned him to the wall.
He flinched before shoving his hands into the large pockets on each side of his lab coat.
Tears streamed down the tiny mergirl’s face. “I want my Mom.”
“It’s okay,” I said rocking her trembling body back and forth. It was the second time she had asked for one of her parents. My insides crumbled. She was handling the entire situation about a million times better than I would have at her age. She was still just a little mergirl. Poor thing, she’s acting like a grown mermaid and not the merchild she really is. I pictured my Uncle Tryon’s face. This is all your fault, I thought with contempt.
As I comforted Dyna, I cut my eyes at Cyrus and stared him down. I had never been a violent mermaid, but images of dragging him into the water and watching him sink danced through my thoughts. I bit my tongue and pushed the graphic scene out of my mind. What if I did drown him? Then what? How would we escape? If anything, I needed to fool him into letting us go or find a different way that had nothing to do with him.
Cyrus placed Dyna’s scale in a small glass vial and placed it on the metal tray. “Now that you’re done with the testing, you can join the others.”
“Others?” I blurted out. I had completely forgotten he had said that earlier.
His posture slumped slightly before he straightened up again and pressed a red button on the outside of the tank. “Yes, you just have to swim through the tunnel over there.”
“This better not be some kind of trick.” My voice felt thick, as if tears were going to spill over at any moment, but I couldn’t cry in front of Dyna. I wouldn’t let her or anyone else see even a millisecond of weakness from me.
He ran his hands through his chestnut locks as a pained expression settled on his face. “It’s not, it’s just—”
A sharp knock on the door interrupted him.
His eyebrows shot up in fear. “Go, quick! Follow the open tunnel, it will take you to your new home.”
Our new home? This place will NEVER be our new home.
“Quick!” urged Cyrus, interrupting my thoughts. “Please, go! Before it’s too late!”
I grabbed Dyna’s hand and pulled her through the water toward the opening. Cyrus had been spooked by whomever had knocked on the door. “Come on, Dyna. Let’s get out of here!” I certainly didn’t want to meet the landwalker or dragon who had set Cyrus on edge.
The water felt slightly warmer as we swam down the wide tunnel. Dim lights lined both sides, providing some comfort.
As we neared the opening, Dyna let out an ear-piercing shriek.
Before I could see what had caused her to scream, she let go of my hand and shot forward through the water and out of sight.
6
“Dyna, wai—”, but before I could finish my sentence, I entered a massive tank, my eyes immediately landing on another mermaid.
“Mirna! It’s you! It’s really you,” Dyna shouted as she wrapped her arms around a petite mermaid with a turquoise tail.
My jaw dropped as I counted four other mermaids in the tank, which had to be at least ten times larger than the last one, if not more.
Dyna continued squeezing Mirna. “Aria! It’s the missing mermaids! They’re all here!”
Instead of the terror stricken faces I expected to see, they all had massive grins on their faces as they swam toward us. Even more surprising, they all looked happy.
“Dyna,” several of them exclaimed. “It’s so good to see you!”
An older girl with light brown hair and hazel eyes hugged Dyna. “Who brought you here? When did you get here?”
“And who is this,” another mermaid asked, pointing her finger at me.
“Oh, this is Pri—”
“Hey, I’m Aria.” Like the dragons and Cyrus, I didn’t want these girls to know who I was, at least, not right away.
Dyna caught on immediately. “Yeah, this is my friend Aria. We were swimming beyond the boundaries when we saw a dragon.” She shook her head. “We swam up to the surface to get a better look, but he swooped down and got both of us.”
The girls nodded.
“Same thing happened to all of us,” said a young mermaid with a green tail and auburn hair.
I glanced around the enclosure. The water was clear and warm. Small structures littered the bottom, as well as massive sea plants that swayed in an unseen current.
“So, you’ve all been kept hostage here?” I asked, as I noticed a missing scale from the little mermaid’s tail.
“I wouldn’t call it being kept hostage,” said the little girl extending her hand. “And by the way, my name is Yazmine.”
An older girl with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a fiery yellow and orange tail introduced herself as Azure. She tilted her head to the side and stared into my eyes before motioning to the girl with the red tail, opposite Mirna. “This is Dainese.”
Why is she staring at me like that? Does she recognize me? I swallowed and tried to remain calm.
“I can’t believe you’ve been here this whole time,” Dyna exclaimed. “We thought…” she trailed off. “We thought you might have been eaten by sharks.”
Yazmine grinned. “Nope, we’re here and being treated as good as gold!”
I had a hard time keeping my jaw from falling through the floor of the tank. The missing merchildren had been here all along. The strangest part was that they all looked well fed and healthy.
“How long have you been here?” I asked, my voice shaking.
“It varies,” said Azure, motioning her hand to the group. “I’ve been here the longest.” Her voice faltered, but only for a second.
“Have there been any others?” I asked in disbelief.
Mirna nodded. “A few, but they’ve been sent home. We only get to stay for five years. Then we have to go home.”
I rubbed the base of my neck with one hand, trying to process the words coming out of her mouth. Get to stay? Have to go home? Have they lost their minds?
Dyna scrunched up her nose. “You act like you like living here.”
Yazmine grinned. “Of course we like living here!”
I rubbed my face with both hands. I must be in another dimension, or these girls have been brainwashed. An icy sensation spread through my veins. Do dragons have some kind of mind control power?
“Excuse me, but what in the world are you talking about? You were kidnapped by dragons and held captive. How is that okay?” I tried to keep the judgement out of my voice. �
��What about your families?”
Mirna’s brows pulled in as she pinched her lower lip. “Seriously?”
Azure held her arm out. “What Mirna means, is that our families were all kicked out of the kingdom. Most of us,” she said looking me up and down, “were starving when we got here.”
Dyna swished her tail uncomfortably.
Dragging her eyes back up to my face, Azure continued, “The dragons have fed us, given us gifts we never could have imagined receiving, and Cyrus makes sure we all stay healthy.”
“Yeah, one less mouth for our parents to feed,” said Azure. For a moment sadness flickered across her face, but it was quickly replaced with a smile that looked well-practiced. “When we go back, the dragons send us with enough gold coins for our families to live comfortably for the rest of our lives.”
“Yeah,” added Yazmine, “we won’t have to live on handouts or risk our lives just trying to survive in the outer boundaries.”
The dragons feed them? Cyrus keeps them healthy? I let the words sink in as I bit my lower lip. They were starving… because of my family. The dragons take better care of them than their own king.
“You don’t look very hungry,” Yazmine stated, as she stared at my frame.
Dyna’s eyes went wide.
I tried to think up an excuse, but failed. The words refused to come.
“Her mother works in the castle,” explained Dyna. “In the kitchen. And they get left overs.”
Dainese’s eyes filled with disgust. “The castle?”
“But, um, she was bringing me food for my family and the other outcasts,” Dyna quickly explained. “She’s a really good mermaid.”
The tension between us lifted, but only slightly. Thank goodness for Dyna thinking on her tail.
Ding, ding, ding.
“What’s that?” I asked, anxiously looking around the tank for clues.
“Meal time,” chimed in Mirna. She motioned to us, “Follow me.”
As we descended toward the bottom of the tank, a dark shadow caught the corner of my eye. As I turned, I screamed louder than I ever thought possible.
Dirty yellow eyes with black slits stared into the tank as bowed horns scratched the glass.
“DRAGON!” shouted Dyna, diving down toward the cube structures at the bottom of the tank.
Yazmine and Mirna threw their heads back and laughed.
“This isn’t funny,” I snapped. “We’re going to die!”
“Varzus wouldn’t hurt a fly,” said Dainese, waving to the dragon.
Dyna slowed to a stop. “What?”
“They won’t hurt us,” explained Azure. “They just like to watch.”
My stomach tightened up into a ball. “That’s disgusting!”
Azure rolled her eyes. “Not like that. They just enjoy watching us. It’s the first time dragons and mermaids have coexisted in peace for over 100 years.”
The uneasiness didn’t fade, in fact it got worse.
I wanted to ask hundreds of questions. How long had each of them survived down here? How many dragons had they seen? Did they ever leave the glass prison? Instead, I bit my tongue. The girls already seemed uneasy with me because I wasn’t rail thin, a telltale sign of living in the outer boundaries. There would be time for questions later.
Azure watched me with a careful eye. “Are you hungry?”
Dyna rubbed her stomach. “Starving.”
“Definitely,” I said, mimicking Dyna by rubbing my own stomach.
Yazmine nodded her head knowingly. “Come on.”
As she headed toward the largest of the structures at the bottom of the tank, I followed her with caution. There’s no way they were okay with being kept as prisoners, even if they were fed and given presents. What could be better than freedom?
Freedom? They weren’t free before they were kidnapped. Grimacing as guilt settled in, my shoulders drew up and my elbows in. Of course, food and presents were more important than the constant fight to survive life as an outcast. Their lives were a constant struggle. How is being free worth anything when you were constantly starving and scared?
I kept my lips sealed shut as I followed the girls to a closed door.
“Get ready,” said Mirna with a grin.
Dainese nodded her head. “Cyrus has given us more than we could ever ask for!”
“Cyrus?” My mind flashed back to his emerald eyes and chestnut hair.
Yazmine giggled. “He’s soooo cute! Isn’t he, Azure?”
“Shut it,” snapped Azure. Her eyes momentarily flicked from Yazmine to me.
I expected Yazmine to recoil, but instead she took another jab.
“His smile, it’s perrrrrrrrfect,” the youngest mermaid said, cupping her hands under her chin and batting her long black eyelashes. “Isn’t it, Azure?”
“That’s it,” seethed Azure as she lunged for Yazmine.
In the blink of an eye, Yazmine’s green tail flickered and both she and Azure disappeared around the cube.
“What’s up with them?” I asked while my mind started to race. Does Azure really like Cyrus? How could she? He might show kindness to us, but he’s just as bad as the dragons. Maybe even worse. Being compliant to a dictator or evil leader was one of the worst things anyone could be accused of doing.
Mirna shook her head and reached down to open the door. “She’s a little bit sensitive about him. Anyways, come on in.”
As the door swung open, Dyna let out a loud gasp. “Oh my gosh!”
Without waiting for anyone else to enter, Dyna swam through the door and into the middle of the room.
“This is the kitchen and family room,” said Mirna, holding her arms open.
Dyna began pulling open the cupboards and drawers. “There are containers of food everywhere! Those red things Cyrus gave us before and all kinds of other weird stuff!”
I glanced around the room. Neat and tidy, it reminded me of the servant’s quarters. Wincing, I felt incredibly guilty for the second time in minutes.
“Isn’t it spacious?” asked Mirna.
Dyna twirled around with her arms open. “This is amazing!”
“So,” I said with caution in my voice, “You said that Cyrus provides this for you?”
Dainese grabbed a container and opened it. She pulled out two vines full of sea grapes.
After handing one to Dyna and the other to me, she motioned for me to follow her.
“As soon as we’re out of anything, we simply place the container in here,” she said, pulling back a heavy metal door, “and push this button.”
My shoulders shot up in surprise up as a whoosh of air sent bubbles flying through the water.
“Cyrus will receive the empty box, fill it, and send it back to us,” she said with a satisfied smile.
I wanted to believe he had our best intentions in hand, but he worked for the dragons. How could anyone who worked for those wicked beasts be considered kind?
“Is something wrong?” asked Dainese.
Realizing my brow had furrowed in confusion, I shook my head. “I just don’t get it. Why does he help them? He’s a landwalker.”
Mirna, “It’s because—”
“HUSH,” said Dainese, holding her hand out.
The little mergirl flinched. Her turquoise tail stopped swishing from side to side.
Starfish bumps prickled the back of my neck.
“Why won’t you tell me?” I asked, crossing my arms across my chest.
Dainese’s face turned to stone. “We can discuss it later.”
“This is delicious,” Dyna said, interrupting the tense moment. She had a handful of orange-colored slices. “They’re really sweet!”
I made a mental note to talk to Dainese later, in private.
“Mmmmm, mmmmm, mmmmm,” Dyna said with a grin and a mouthful of food.
Thank goodness for Dyna. She was handling this entire situation incredibly well, including the lie she told the other girls about my family.
“They tried to fe
ed us fish at first. Can you believe that? Like we’d eat one of our own?” Mirna popped a sea grape in her mouth. “Even Cyrus told the dragons that they were being ridiculous!”
Swimming down to Mirna’s side, Dainese pulled back the little mergirl’s hair and began braiding it. As her fingers expertly wove a perfect braid, a tinge of sadness tugged at my heart. Did Dianese and Azure act as mothers to Mirna and Yazmine? They were both at least five years older than the young mergirls. What happened to their mothers? Were they worried about them? Missing them?
My own mother’s face flashed through my mind, causing the growing feeling of despair to transform into pure agony.
“What is it, Aria?” asked Dyna, in between bites of food.
“Ah, nothing,” I lied. “I’m just still shaken up by everything.” At least that part was true.
“Here,” she said, handing me a handful of sea grapes. “This will make you feel better.”
I shook my head. “Is there somewhere for us to sleep? This whole day has just been too much for me.”
“You’re not hungry?” Mirna frowned and studied my face.
“Oh, I mean, after I have something to eat.” The other girls were testing me and I was clearly failing.
I popped several sea grapes in my mouth and let the sweet juices slide down my throat. Closing my eyes, I enjoyed the food and focused on the fading hunger in my stomach. “These are really good.”
After several minutes passed and the entire bunch of sea grapes had disappeared, I looked up and yawned. “Can someone show me where we sleep now? I’m exhausted.”
Motioning to me, Dainese swam out of the kitchen and through an open door.
Before I followed her, I turned to Dyna. “Do you want to try and get some sleep or would you rather stay with Mirna and Dainese?”
She popped a vibrant red object in her mouth. “I’m okay. I want to eat a bit more before I turn in for the night.”
The containers started to pile up as Dyna continued to pull them down from the cupboards. Minus the dark circles under her eyes, she looked content.
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