My tears eventually clear the majority of the blood out of my eyes, but there’s nothing to see, nothing but dirt and rock and a small patch of blue sky. Not even a cloud passing by to distract me.
I can’t see the sun anymore, and I know my time is slipping through my fingers. Since I breached the surface in the middle of the day, my time could be up any moment. What will happen to my body when I die? Will I keep my legs, or revert to a mermaid and disintegrate? Grandfather wouldn’t want one foolish choice to destroy our secret, so my corpse will probably still look human. I wonder if anyone will ever find me. Will the guys search for me, or will they assume I’ve gone back to wherever I came from?
I’d like to think that they’d keep looking till they found me, but I know they have their own problems to worry about. They don’t seem to belong here any more than I do. I wonder where they came from and where they were going. Is their home anything like this place, or completely different? I have no frame of reference to even imagine it, but suddenly I’m desperate to know.
But I never will. I’ll never see anything else, ever again. My life will end here in this hole. My misery overwhelms me, and I force myself to block it out.
My thoughts drift to Maribel and Kai. What will they do when I don’t return? Will Maribel ever find someone else to love, or will her heart forever pine for Kai? Will she find another friend to confide in? Her heart is so good, so kind. She deserves better than her destiny has promised her.
The other mermaids will be thrilled to know that Kai is back on the market. He is definitely the shoal’s most eligible bachelor now. Hopefully he’ll find someone he can be happy with eventually, even if it’s not Meribel. If only his family would allow him to follow his heart instead of his rank! But they’ll never allow him to marry someone so far below him. He’ll still have a chance to become king when Grandfather dies, but the victory will cost him greatly.
As the highest-ranking mermen in the shoal besides Grandfather, Kai and his brother will have to fight to the death in order to win the throne, unless something happens to one of them in the meantime. If Kai or his brother forfeits the challenge, the other will be forced to fight the next highest ranking merman, a fierce and ruthless competitor named Pelagios who will surely come out the victor. I shudder to think what kind of ruler Pelagios would be. This leaves Kai with an impossible choice, and my spirit sinks with the weight of my guilt.
And what will Muriel do now that there is no princess or queen to need a handmaiden? I can’t imagine Grandfather putting her out of her home after all these years, but what will she do in that big, empty palace? Maybe her new job will be to keep Grandfather company, to console him in his grief.
I know Grandfather will mourn me and probably hate himself for cursing the mermaids, including his own granddaughter. A part of me is glad he’s lost his only heir, his only remaining family. But I love him too much to hate him for this. In the end, I made my own choices. I knew the consequences. I just chose to ignore them. Why was I so stupid, so stubborn?
I start to weep as sadness overwhelms me, and my body shivers and convulses with great, heaving sobs that make every part of me ache. I wrap my arms around my middle and curl up into a ball, trying to ease the pain. Watching the sky grow darker, I pass the remaining moments of my life by replaying every moment I’ve had on land, over and over again. Eventually, I fall asleep.
Chapter 8
When I open my eyes, the sky is black above me, twinkling with tiny, yellow lights. I’m cold, my body still aches, and my throat is dry and caked with dust, but all of these things send a thrill coursing through me. I’m alive!
I never expected to wake up again. Yesterday was the fifth day; I should be dead by now. My time should’ve ended yesterday when the sun was at its highest. When it didn’t, I assumed I had until night fall. Maybe I have until daybreak?
My body tenses in anticipation as the sky slowly lightens from black to gray, then yellow, pink, and finally blue. But I don’t die. I lay there, waiting, till the sky is fully lit and puffy clouds appear, but still nothing happens.
Was Grandfather wrong about the number of days? Was it six instead of five? I shake my head. There’s no way he could’ve been mistaken; he’s the one who commanded the sea witch to curse us. No, either she didn’t do as she promised… or Grandfather lied. Which was it? I desperately want to believe the sea witch deceived us all, pretending to wield a power she didn’t possess, but my heart burns with the other possibility. Could Grandfather have lied to everyone?
My body shakes with rejection. Could it be true? Could everything I believed about myself, my world, and my grandfather be false? My heart immediately denies it, but my mind is not so easily persuaded. Maintaining our lineage was important enough to him to curse us all; lying seems tame in comparison.
What does it mean if it is true? Is there no curse at all? Am I free to spend the rest of my days on land? Do I even want to? I could mate with one of the humans, follow him to wherever he came from, explore the world that enticed away my mother. The possibilities are dizzying.
I bark out a laugh at the cruel irony. Even if all that is true, it doesn’t matter! I’m still trapped here, injured and alone, unable to save myself. I might have the whole world at my fingertips, but I’m still going to die here in this hole. My harsh laugh turns to aching sobs.
No! I’m not going to surrender so easily. I’m tired of being controlled, my destiny already charted. I won’t let my grandfather’s deception or my injuries stop me from pursuing my true desire. I will find a way out of here or die trying.
I force my body upright and manage to roll over onto my stomach where I can crawl my way into a standing position, balancing on one leg. My right ankle is dark blue and purple, swollen, and even moving my leg makes it scream in pain. Similar bruises cover most of my body, and I can barely lift my arms, but I do it anyway, forcing them above my head as I dig my nails into the high walls.
My fingers find purchase, and I pull myself up a tiny bit, lifting my good leg up and using my toes to hold me in place. I move one hand a little higher, then the other one, clawing my way up the wall. My fingers tremble with pain and weakness, my arms straining under my own weight, threatening to pull themselves from the sockets. My left leg burns as the muscles contract tightly, struggling to hold me up, and my right leg throbs as pain shoots through every nerve ending every time it grazes the wall.
I’m halfway up when my arms give out, and I tumble to the ground again. I cry out as my broken body collapses. My chest heaves as I try to catch my breath, each gasping inhalation sending currents of agony up and down my body. I whimper as my breathing finally settles down, and I clutch my knees to my chest, trying to suppress the pain.
When I can finally breathe again, I heave myself upright and try again. I only get half as far before my good leg slips, and my body starts to slide down. My sweaty hands grasp for a hold, and I scramble to push myself up with both legs. A bright burst of pain explodes in my injured ankle and radiates up my entire leg, and I fall to the ground again, screaming.
My tortured cries echo against the walls, deafening me to all other sound as I try to silence the pain. Only when my voice gives out and I’ve exhausted myself into a stupor do I hear rustling in the forest above me.
I yell again, but my voice has lost its strength, and it comes out weak and cracked. I call out over and over again, anyway, and I must be just loud enough, because suddenly I hear the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard.
“Princess! Coral! Is that you? Where are you?” An anxious male voice hollers from somewhere close by.
I squeak out another weak cry, and the voice calls again, closer.
On the third call, my voice gives out, and I can’t force any sound from my mouth, but it doesn’t matter, because just then I see a face peering over the edge of the crevice.
Bronze skin darkened with dirt and glistening with sweat, closely-shorn hair, and a heavy brow puckered in distress — it’s Gio, and suddenl
y my body starts to shake as pain and pleasure fight for control of me.
“Coral! Oh my God, are you okay? Hold on, Princess. I’m going to get you out of there. Jude! Liam! Avery! I found her!”
Gio throws himself to the ground and drops his arms down towards me. “Can you reach my arms, baby?”
I sit up and try to lift myself up onto my good leg, but it’s too weak and shaky. I cry out as it collapses under me.
“Are you hurt? Is something broken?”
I whimper and gaze up at him, begging him to help me. A few moments later, more heads appear above me. My heart pounds with relief and happiness at the sight of them, and tears spurt from my eyes and roll down my dusty cheeks.
“She’s hurt and she can’t climb, so I’m gonna have to go down there and carry her out or lift her up to you. One of you run back to the life raft and cut the rope off of it. We might need it.”
Avery nods and takes off into the trees while Gio throws his legs over the edge. He turns over onto his stomach and slowly lowers himself down, keeping a tight grip on the edge with his strong hands. When his arms are stretched as far as they can go, he lets go and drops to the ground beside me.
As soon as he hits the ground, he rushes to my side, wrapping his arms around my shoulders, embracing me. Even though his tight grip hurts, I never want him to let go. When he pulls away, his hands run up and down my body, assessing the damage. He sucks in a whistling breath when his hands and eyes reach my injured ankle.
“Shit, Princess. That looks like hell. Can you move it?”
I know what he’s asking, but I don’t know how to answer him. I can move it, but the pain is too much to bear. He reaches out to touch it, and I pull it away, hissing.
“Okay, baby. I won’t touch it, but you’re going to have to move a bit if we’re going to get you out of here.”
“I think you better splint that ankle before you try to move her,” Liam calls out from above. “Let me toss down some wood and something to tie it with.”
Liam disappears, and Gio soothes a gentle hand along the side of my face as he whispers, “It’s okay, Princess. I won’t hurt you. You’re gonna be okay.” His black eyes, normally so intense, are soft with compassion.
Liam returns a few moments later and tosses down a chunk of wood and some long, dried-out palm fronds. Gio grabs them and kneels beside my ankle. He lays the chunk of wood against my foot and carefully wraps the palm fronds around it, securing it.
“Anything else we need to worry about, Princess?” He runs his rough fingers gently up and down my body, and I try to avoid flinching.
Every part of me is bruised and aching, but I shake my head. He can’t splint my whole body. He holds out his arms to me, and I reach for him, wrapping my own arms around his broad shoulders, burying my face in his neck. The skin is moist with sweat, musky and pungent, but I’ve never smelled anything better.
“I’m probably gonna need my arms to get us out of here. You’re going to have to ride on my back like we did before. Can you handle that?” He pulls away then turns around and drops to one knee, presenting his back to me.
I suck in a fortifying breath and climb onto his back, carefully wrapping my legs around his waist. The small motion sends bolts of pain radiating up my right leg, but I press it against his side, ignoring the agony.
Avery returns and throws the rope over the ledge. “I tied it to a tree up here.”
“Good.” Gio nods and grabs the rope, tugging on it before wrapping it around one wrist a few times.
He plants a foot on the side of the chasm and starts to climb the wall, using the rope to hoist us up. He grunts with exertion, and I grimace with each step but try not to cry. When we near the top, Jude, Avery, and Liam are all waiting with hands outstretched, ready to help us. Gio grabs Jude’s hand, and moments later we are out. I gasp as the bright sun warms my cold body, bringing me back to life. The others guys swarm us, each reaching out to touch me as Gio lowers me to the ground.
“What happened to the shirt she was wearing?” Avery asks, glancing at my bare body. I point to the chasm.
Gio looks over the edge and spots the bundle. “It’s down there. There’s something tied up inside it.”
He grabs the rope and shimmies down the chasm again, grabbing the shirt and untying it. He holds up the contents for the others. “She was collecting rocks. How the hell did she know that’s what we were looking for?”
The others shake their heads, but Liam just stares at me, trying to solve the riddle. Gio climbs back out of the chasm, holding the bundle. He unties the knot, handing off the rocks to the other guys, and wraps the shirt around my waist again.
“Let’s get you back to the beach, Princess. Think you can handle another piggyback ride?”
My face pinches, but I nod my head and let Avery help me onto Gio’s back again.
We trek back to the shoreline, pain ricocheting through my body with every step. The sweat coating Gio’s back makes it hard to hold myself up, and I groan every time I slide down too far and have to pull myself up.
Gio is quiet, his thoughts flitting between images of me in the bottom of the chasm and the dark-haired girl whose face pops up in his mind every time he gets worried about me. He berates himself for not being there to protect her, and he’s determined to make it up to me.
Gio is huffing and grunting after a while, and Jude comes up beside us. “Why don’t you let me take her for a while, Gio? You look like you could use a break.”
“I’m fine.” Gio glares at him, hoisting me up a notch.
No one else dares to offer assistance, and eventually we make it back to our spot on the beach.
“Let’s move the life raft out of the sun and lay her in that,” Avery suggests, dragging the dinghy over towards the trees. Gio gently lowers me onto the soft raft. I sigh as my body finally relaxes.
“She’s probably dehydrated.” Liam grabs one of the bamboo containers and holds it to my mouth. I lean forward and sip greedily, wrapping weak hands around the vessel, then collapse back down as soon as I’ve had my fill.
I want to stay awake and marvel in the fact that I’m still alive, I’m free from the chasm, and I’m surrounded by this quartet of human rescuers. But my eyes fall shut as exhaustion overtakes me, and as terrified as I am of falling asleep and never waking up, I find myself dozing.
Chapter 9
A long while later, I do wake — the pain radiating through every part of my body, a welcome assurance that I’m still here, still human. I wince as I move, trying to alleviate the torture.
“Hey Princess… Coral, are you okay? Do you want some more water?” I open my eyes and see Avery stroking my hair, his gorgeous face hovering over mine, blue eyes sparkling, concern puckering his brow.
I nod, and he reaches for the water container, holding it up to my mouth so I don’t have to sit up. I gulp it down till I feel sated. Avery’s fingers wipe away the liquid that drips down the side of my chin, and he pulls a dirty finger away and chuckles. The rest of his body is clean and shiny, the golden muscles gleaming, and I contemplate reaching out to touch him, but the pain deters me.
“You’re covered in grime, Beautiful. You must’ve had quite a tumble. Would you like me to clean you up a bit?”
I fantasize about diving into the ocean, the cool water embracing me, washing away the dirt and pain of my time on land. My legs twitch, and I long to swish my powerful tail in the water, propelling myself deep under the sea. The last time I went in the water and regrew my tail, my sore feet were healed when I got out and my legs reappeared. Would the water fix my ankle, too?
I still don’t know what it means that I’m still human, still alive. Is my time still limited? I don’t know what to expect now. What would happen if I went back in the water? As much as I want to, I’m too weak and injured to attempt it now. Instead, I nod, gladly accepting Avery’s offer.
He looks around for something before pulling his own shirt over his head. He dips half of it into the wa
ter and uses it to gently wipe my face. The cloth comes away smudged with dirt and blood. He finds a clean spot and wipes again, rubbing a little more on the stubborn spots. As he works, his smile widens, his bright, white teeth like square pearls, glimmering.
“There you are. I could barely recognize you under all that.” When he smiles again, his face impossibly close, my eyes drop to his mouth, and my heart speeds up at the memory of his lips on mine.
“Avery,” I whisper, and he groans then slowly touches his lips to mine. His flesh is soft and warm compared to my own rough, cracked lips, chilled from the water. When he pulls away, I suck my lips into my mouth, chewing on the loose skin.
“I was so worried when you disappeared. Everyone else thought you’d just decided to go back to where you came from, but I didn’t believe that. I’m not sure you even know how to get back home, do you?”
I have no answer for that. I don’t know where home is anymore. Could I even go home? Do I want to? I never dreamed I’d have the choice, so I never really gave it any thought. But now that everything I thought I knew was wrong, my future lies in front of me like the ocean — incomprehensibly wide, open, and endless. The choice I’d always longed for now terrifies me.
Avery dips his shirt in the water again, swishing it around and wringing it out before resuming his ministrations. With strokes as soft as the caress of sea grass, he cleans every part of me, washing away the dirt and blood till I feel like me again. The cool water soothes my aching skin, and tingles race up and down my body. Eventually, he goes to work on my hair, rinsing it clean and using his fingers to comb out the leaves and twigs. I’m overwhelmed by his compassion, and tears drip from my eyes.
“Hey, it’s okay, Coral. You’re going to be okay. I’m here. I’ll take care of you.” He strokes my hair and face then kisses my forehead.
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