The Scale Empire

by Cate Farren

  “I’m not doing anything,” I protested. “What are you talking about?”

  She grinned slyly and walked toward me. She tried to be intimidating but it didn’t work on me. I’d met far scarier women in my time, Queen Victoria being one of them.

  Sini stopped mere inches from me. “Bram is royalty. He’s too good for gutter trash like you.”

  “You really are in love with him.” I looked into her eyes, seeing swirls of blue amid the white like running ink. “I thought you were just obsessed.”

  She crossed her arms. “Do you think a succubus can’t fall in love? Just don’t tempt him or I’ll kill you.”

  “If you try to kill me without being ordered to then you’ll die.”

  “Just keep your hands off him. He belongs to me.”

  She blew me a kiss, turned around and walked away. I couldn’t help but laugh at her audacity, and yet I took her threat seriously. A woman in love could be pushed to do almost anything. But I wasn’t scared. If she came for me I’d kill her and not blink an eyelid.

  Chapter 13

  I stared around me, taking in the dream. I was used to lucid dreaming and how real they seemed to me. This was no different. We were in the main library at Buckingham Palace, the place where Leopold and I conducted our secret romance. I could smell the leather of the books and feel the heat of the sun through the windows. I could even hear Victoria shouting at someone from outside in the gardens.

  “Did you say something?” I asked.

  Leopold placed his book on the table. “Are you falling in love?”

  I was surprised that he knew about Bram. My lucid dreaming version of Leopold didn’t usually refer to events that had happened after the real version had died.

  “With Bram?” I asked nervously.

  The ground shook beneath me for a second. Several library books fell off their shelves. Leopold didn’t seem to notice anything.

  “I asked whether you were falling in love with me,” he said. “Who’s Bram?”

  I looked down at the book in my hands. It was a first edition of Dracula.

  “I’m in love with his prose,” I said. “But not much else. I don’t really like it to be honest.”

  The real Dracula often visited Circe. They flirted outrageously with each other, which I found rather obnoxious. He was handsome, certainly, but there was a darkness in him that gave me the shivers. I’d trust him with my life but nothing else.

  He closed his book and clasped his hands. He stared at me with a serious expression for what seemed like forever. I knew what was coming. I’d had this exact dream many times.

  “I’m married,” he said.

  “I know,” I admitted.

  “I don’t love her. I want you to know that. I only married her to make my mother happy. I respect her as a woman and as a mother but I don’t love her.”

  He left his chair and kneeled down in front of me. My heart beat faster in my chest.

  “We’ve sat here and read to each other for weeks,” he said, taking my hand. He was cold, but I didn’t mind. “I can’t take this any longer. I want to kiss you.”

  “You’re a prince,” I reminded him. “It wouldn’t do for you to…”

  He placed his hands on my arms and leaned up, pressing his lips against mine. I shivered. I’d never felt anything like it. I may not have been a sweet virgin, but I’d never been loved before. This felt right, even though it was bound to end in tragedy.

  He pulled away and smiled. “You don’t seem too interested.”

  “I was just surprised.”

  “I have feelings for you. I thought you knew that.”

  “There’s something I have to tell you first. I’m not a virgin.” He appeared shocked, and I feared I’d lost him forever. “When I was fifteen I was married. He died from typhoid only a week later.”

  I didn’t like to think about Brendan, mainly because I felt guilty. I married him because it seemed like the right thing to do. He loved me and he could help keep my family from the workhouse. He’d been a decent man and he’d died thinking I loved him too.

  “You’ve been through a lot,” he told me.

  “All I want is a quiet life.” I laughed, taking in the scene before me. “Or the equivalent, anyway.”

  “All I want is a kiss.”

  ***

  I jumped awake, feeling Leopold’s taste on my lips. I couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time. The lucid, magic-fuelled dreams I had of my lost love always made me feel bittersweet.

  The boat shook violently. I rolled out of the bed and hit the floor, banging my elbow. I got to my feet, realising the earthquakes I’d felt in my dream were real. It felt like something had hit the hull of the boat.

  I ran to the door and pulled it open. People were running up and down the corridor. I grabbed hold of Nile’s shoulder as he ran past.

  “What’s going on?” I demanded.

  “I don’t know,” he said.

  He pushed me aside and headed for the deck. I followed as the boat shook again, a lot more violently this time. I crashed to the wall, feeling vomit rise in my throat.

  I pushed up the stairs as everything continued to rock around me. I found what appeared to be mass panic.

  “What’s going on?” I shouted.

  I ran to the railing, where Bram, Circe and Sini were congregated. They were looking over the side into the water. I saw something, just under the surface, swim up to the hull of the boat and collide with it. The boat shook again and I had to grip the railing to stop myself from going over the side.

  “Was that a mermaid?” I asked, incredulous.

  Bram nodded. “There’s hundreds of them, ramming the ship. I don’t know what’s gotten in to them.”

  “We’re not at war with them,” Circe stated. “And they’re normally a peaceful people. It’s odd.”

  I was fascinated, even though I knew we were in danger. Mermaids were another supernatural species that was now extinct on my world. I’d read books about them and heard tales by immortals who’d met them, but I never thought I’d see one myself.

  “Mermaids are whores,” Sini muttered under her breath.

  I watched with fascination as a group of mermaids crashed into the hull. I hung on as the boat rocked.

  “Are we just going to let them attack us like this?” I asked.

  “They can’t do us any harm,” said Bram.

  “That doesn’t seem to be stopping them,” said Sini, pulling away.

  The ancient succubus was frightened, which made me wary. She was the only one who seemed to be taking this whole attack seriously. I’d read that mermaids weren’t physically strong but they were hyper-intelligent. They wouldn’t be ramming us without good reason. They had to have a plan.

  I performed a spell, latching onto the thoughts of a mermaid. Its mind was blank. It had no thoughts of its own. All it seemed to be doing was concentrating on the attack. I used the same spell on a dozen more of the mermaids and found the same thing in each of them.

  I looked at Circe. “Something is really wrong. I’ve had a look at their minds and there’s nothing there; no personal thoughts, no memories, nothing.”

  “I know,” said Circe. “At first I thought they might be magical simulations, but they’re flesh and blood.” Circe wiped at her face, which like all of the others’ was wet with spray. “The only thing I can surmise is that they’ve had their minds wiped and been co-opted for some sinister purpose.”

  I found myself repulsed by the idea. You’d have to be completely evil to do that to hundreds of sentient creatures.

  “Who would be powerful enough to do that?” I asked.

  My Circe didn’t have such magical power, and I doubted this one did either. Did any witch have so much magic in them to compel an entire species?

  “Look!” Nile cried out.

  He was on the other side of the deck. I turned around just in time to see a mermaid propelling herself out of the water. I had a second to gasp in shock
at the vile thing before it latched itself onto a crewman.

  This wasn’t any mermaid I’d read about. It had the bottom half of a fish, a beautiful tale sparkling like a prism, and the top half of some repulsive beast. It was terrifying as it ripped into the crewman with savage abandon, tearing him to shreds within seconds.

  “Leave!” Circe commanded.

  The witch performed a spell and the mermaid exploded, showering the deck with blood, guts and scales.

  I couldn’t help but stare at the carnage. True, I’d caused my own gruesome scenes on occasion, but the sight of all that blood still unnerved me a little.

  “What the fuck was that thing?” I demanded.

  A bloody scale had landed on my foot. I picked it up and cleaned it off on my coat. It was dull now, as if the death of the mermaid had caused it to lose all its sheen.

  Circe looked at me. “That was a mermaid.”

  “But…”

  Mermaids had obviously evolved differently in this dimension. They were still intelligent, judging from what Circe had said, but they were certainly not beautiful any more. Far from it.

  The boat shook again.

  “They’ve been sent to kill us,” said Bram.

  “By your sister?” I asked.

  He didn’t answer, mainly because none of them knew what to say. Weredragons couldn’t control other species. A witch couldn’t do the same. What was causing the mermaids to go crazy?

  I had to break the connection between the mermaids and whoever was controlling them. The mermaids were innocent in this. I couldn’t in all conscience murder them all just to save my own skin.

  Another mermaid landed on the deck, followed by another. I ignored the cries around me and focused on one of them, delving deep into its mind. This time I went further than before, finding two voices that I recognised working the supernatural creature like a puppet. Both of those voices belonged to my brother.

  “What are you doing, Dorian?”

  Both voices halted. I’d surprised them. I grinned and placed a shield inside the mermaid’s mind, blocking them. The mermaid in question stopped thrashing and looked toward me, shocked.

  “Where am I?” she asked.

  “You’re being controlled,” I told her, holding my hands out to try and keep her calm. At least I think it was a she. All these mermaids seemed androgynous to me. “Let me help you.”

  The mermaid exploded.

  I screamed and turned to Circe, my fury at her overwhelming me. I wanted to kill her.

  “What did you do?” I demanded.

  More mermaids were propelling themselves onto the boat. The crew, as well as Rebecca, Sini and Nile, were fighting them bravely. It would prove futile. I could sense that this mermaid army of thousands wouldn’t give up until we were all dead.

  “I’m saving you!” Circe screamed. “She was coming toward you!”

  “I freed her from Dorian’s grip!” I roared.

  She seemed repentant for almost a second. “I’m sorry. Show me what you did. Together we might be able to…”

  A mermaid crashed into Circe’s back, sending the two of us sliding across the slippery deck. It bit into her shoulder and the witch screamed in agony.

  “Circe!”

  A mermaid clawed at my leg. I looked around in horror, realising we were swarmed with them. The crew were being massacred. I couldn’t even see Bram.

  Another mermaid bit my arm. I screamed and used a spell to push it off me, but another took its place. I took a deep breath as I was enveloped.

  Chapter 15

  I screamed as the mermaids took bites out of my arms and legs.

  One of them exploded into ash beside me. The others shrank back in fear, staring wide-eyed at the wonder in the sky.

  It was Bram in his dragon form.

  His eyes caught mine for a second. I jumped out of the way as he breathed a concentrated burst of fire, incinerating half a dozen mermaids in one go. The flames missed the crewmembers, weaving around, only taking out the enemy. Bram was literally controlling the fire.

  A mermaid was attacking Sini. She was kicking at it ineffectually. I ran to her aid, propelling the creature off the boat and back into the water. The succubus glared daggers at me.

  “I didn’t need saving,” she said.

  “You’re welcome,” I snapped.

  A mermaid flew at me. Sini punched it in the face and it dropped unconscious onto the deck. She screamed in pain. Her fist was covered in blood.

  “That hurts!” she screamed.

  I grinned and re-joined the battle, but it was more or less over. I saw hundreds of mermaids swimming away as fast as they could. Even Dorian’s control over them couldn’t override their natural instinct to flee situations they couldn’t survive.

  Rebecca blew one last mermaid to ash before it was over. Bram walked past me, surveying the damage. The boat was starting to list to one side and the deck was covered in bodies and a dark sludge of blood and internal organs. It was Hell.

  “Time to clean up,” I whispered.

  ***

  Father looked at the brown paper packet with suspicion. He opened it carefully and sniffed the contents inside. I watched without comment, though it was hard to stop myself from laughing.

  “It’s tea,” I told him. “It’s not poison.”

  “And the queen just gave it to you?” Father asked.

  He wasn’t used to getting things for free or without there being an ulterior motive behind it. I understood that. But now we were free and I had a good job. Things were different. Though I had been surprised by Victoria’s gift I still treasured it. It meant she thought something of me. She didn’t see me as just the help.

  “Queen Victoria may come across as a miserable old widow, but she has a heart, even though it’s buried deep,” I explained, filling the copper kettle with water from the tap. I couldn’t wait to try my expensive new tea, imported all the way from India. “Though she did seem annoyed when I walked in on her talking with that woman.”

  I’d found Victoria talking to a middle-aged woman with a deep magical aura. She’d given me a hateful look before leaving the throne room. I’d wanted to ask the queen who she was but felt it wasn’t my place. There’s been something off about the woman, something evil.

  “I wish you’d come and see her,” I said. “She has expressed wishes to see my parents.”

  “I don’t consort with royalty,” Father complained.

  I sighed. He didn’t think he was good enough. I knew better. My father was greater than anybody I’d ever known bar my mother. Even now [NJA8]she was scrubbing the floors of some lady’s townhouse, working her fingers to the bone. I hardly saw her any more, she worked so hard.

  “So what have you been up to today?” I asked.

  Father looked tired, as he always did. His white hair still had bits of dried blood in it and his face was wrinkled and old. He was only in his sixties, but he was far older than that. He was a witch. A witch in their fifties looked like a normal human in their thirties, due to their slower ageing processes.

  “Same thing I do every day,” he complained. “Slaughtered some cows and sheep. It’s not ground-breaking work.”

  “I wish there was something else you could do,” I said, wishing the kettle would hurry up and whistle. “You’re a witch. Witches aren’t supposed to be butchers.”

  “There isn’t much call for witches in London.”

  That wasn’t strictly true. I’d heard talk of malignant witches who sold curses and love spells that lived in the city. They made a fortune from the politicians and aristocracy. I knew my father was a good person and would never succumb to selling his powers in such a vile fashion. Yet there had to be some way he could prove useful and use his God-given powers of witchcraft as well.

  “How are your studies coming along?” I asked him.

  I could hear Dorian in the back yard. He was hammering something. My brother fixed broken furniture for a small shop down the road. While he had qu
ite gifted witch abilities himself, he preferred to work with his hands. I understood. Some people liked magic, others didn’t. Some days I wasn’t sure I liked magic all that much, but it was a part of me, and I was good at it.

  Father crossed his arms. “Not so good. I don’t see why I have to learn to read and write anyway.”

  “You said you wanted to learn to read and write,” I reminded him. “You said you wanted to better yourself.”

  He looked down at his fingers, the nails bitten to the quick. The scars around his wrists looked red and raw today. They often stood out more when he got anxious.

  “I’m trying,” he confessed. “I’m really trying. But…but some of the words don’t make sense.” He looked at me, shame written across his face. “The letters jumble up and it confuses me.”

  “You’ll get there in the end,” I assured him.

  The kettle whistled madly, spouting steam like an angry vicar. I poured the hot water into two ceramic cups and added the tea. It smelled delicious.

  “Queen Victoria certainly has expensive tastes,” I commented. I took a sip and spat it out. “It tastes like old socks.”

  Father drank some of his tea and grinned. “I like it.”

  “You would,” I said. “You chew tobacco when I’m not looking.”

  We sat in silence while Father finished his tea. I was glad it made him content. I liked making my family happy.

  “You look different,” he said.

  “My hair is the same as it was when I left this morning,” I told him, taking a sip from the milk bottle. I was thirsty.

  He shook his head. “You’re happier now than I’ve ever seen you. Surely no job, no matter who it’s with, can be so wonderful?”

  I blushed and looked away, hoping my father couldn’t see into my thoughts. Leopold’s kiss and bold declaration resounded through my mind like the ringing of a bell.

  “I remember that look,” Father revealed, grinning. “I got that look the first time I saw your mother, staring down at me from her caravan. The most beautiful girl in all the world…” He stopped reminiscing for a second to stare at me. “You’re in love.”