A Merman's Kiss (A Novella)

by Laura Lond

  Kellemar squared his shoulders. “As hard as it must be for you to understand, I do not want their plunder. I’d rather use it to stop the raids. So you can fight the Dolmanians and take it. What do you say?”

  “Well, let me think here… You want to build yourself some reputation by defeating the Dolmanians in your father’s absence, with only a half of the army…”

  “Two thirds,” he quickly interjected. I had to stifle a laugh.

  “Two thirds? All right, two thirds then, sorry for the assumption. Anyway, it is obviously not enough to completely destroy them, so if you manage to pull it off, you’ll be regarded a hero. And in order to do it, you offer me to take out the part of their forces that is guarding the plunder. Of course, no one will know about it. If word gets out that Lord Arkus attacked the Dolmanians, no one would think that we had an agreement about it and I was actually helping you. Evil Arkus went after the treasure, they’ll think. Am I following you?”

  “Close enough. So what do you say?”

  I made an innocent face again. “That’s not quite heroic though, is it?”

  My pun reached its target, I could see it. Kellemar clenched his teeth, but chose not to pursue the subject.

  “Let that not concern you. Do you agree to my offer or not?”

  For a moment, I wondered what he would do if I refused.

  “It is an interesting offer,” I said. “Shall we discuss the details of your plan over a map?”

  The prince smiled. “Arkus, I am no fool. I do intend to get out of here alive. If you agree, you will receive the location of the plunder in a separate message, on the day of the battle.”

  I smiled in return. Good thinking, Kellemar.

  “A day before. I’ll need to verify your information and prepare.”

  “Very well, a day before. Deal?”

  If you think he extended his hand here, you are wrong. He wanted to strike a deal with a villain, but without dirtying himself by shaking hands on it. You tell me how noble it is.

  “Deal.”

  I wanted to see his reaction, so I offered my hand. He didn’t touch it.

  “There is no need for that. You have my word as a prince.”

  ***

  So I let the prince go and waited for his message, entertaining myself with thoughts of how I could have fun with the messenger. Kellemar, however, robbed me of that pleasure by sending the message attached to an arrow shot from a safe distance. His note stated that the plunder was hidden in the Skeleton Cave. I knew the place well. According to the note, the raiders had only about a hundred men guarding the treasures—a mere trifle for me and my army, especially keeping in mind that I have had some encounters with the Dolmanians in the past, and, well, let’s just say they find me a little intimidating. It looked like I was going to have an easy victory.

  In case you are wondering whether I thought of attacking Kellemar after taking the plunder, of course I did. What respectable villain would disregard such an opportunity? However, I decided against it. A deal is a deal, after all, and as I have said before, I have manners. Besides, what’s the use of invading his land when it has just been raided and I’d already have all the gold?? I could wait for a better time. According to my sources, King Ramian wouldn’t be back for a while.

  I studied the map and planned my route, making sure to check whether there were any white towers on the way (I will explain that later). On the day of the battle, I donned my best armor and my favorite purple cape. I am a handsome and stylish villain, by the way. No, seriously.

  My men were ready for the mission and happy about it. They always salivate when they smell gold. We reached the cave unnoticed and surprised the Dolmanians. The battle was short. I took out their leader, who screamed like a maiden; the rest of them panicked and fled, making it even easier for my guys to finish the job.

  I entered the cave first. There was more gold in it than I expected; the Dolmanians must have raided several settlements before hitting Dalvanna. I stepped closer to count the sacks filled with golden coins.

  That’s when I heard the growl.

  I recognized it immediately, nearly dropping my sword—quiet yet powerful, the chilling sound that had become my nightmare, only this time it was real. The monster had found me again. He shouldn’t—he couldn’t be there…

  I spun around and saw him towering at the cave entrance… a lizard-like beast, taller than any man… with glowing red eyes… and the sharpest fangs… hideous claws… and…

  All right, all right. I am terrified of him. Even writing this makes me shudder. And don’t you dare laugh: if you saw that creature, you would have fled faster than I did.

  By some miracle I had made it out of that cave, my cape torn in half with the beast’s paw; that’s how close he was to completing his mission. I saw Prince Kellemar riding up, and for a split second I was stupid enough to think that he would help me. He was, after all, an aspiring hero, and heroes are supposed to do such things. Not this one: Kellemar stopped his horse and watched with a smile.

  I ran for my life, heading to the nearest white tower. To my horror, I found it in ruins. That explained why the monster was able to get to me; it also meant that I had no protection from him for two more miles, until—and if—I reach the white tower in Arkusville, the closest one to my castle.

  Those of you who think that running for two miles with a monster after you is a fun adventure will have to allow me to disagree. Add to it the humiliation I had endured, in front of Kellemar and in front of my men. That would be enough to move Kellemar to the first spot on my long list of enemies and start planning the most cruel and treacherous invasion ever—immediately. However, that was not the end of my troubles. When I reached the spot where the second white tower was supposed to be, I saw it destroyed as well. My home, the Blackriver Castle, was no longer safe.

  At that moment, Shork showed up, on horseback. He was the only one of my men who knew about the monster and therefore knew where to look for me.

  “Oh, no, the tower is gone!” he exclaimed. “And the next one—the next one is in Malgarra, that’s over sixty miles from here!”

  Idiot. As if I didn’t know that.

  “What took you so long?!” I yelled at him. “And why didn’t you bring my horse?!”

  “I couldn’t catch it, Your Lordship. It bolted away, and I— ”

  “I have no time for this! Give me yours!”

  He hurried to dismount. “What will Your Lordship do?”

  “Guess!” I snapped, jumping in the saddle. “Ride to Malgarra, of course!”

  “But we could get to the castle first, take some supplies and another horse.”

  “The beast can be here any moment, you fool!!”

  “He isn’t that fast… Ouch!”

  Usually, Shork was pretty good at knowing when I was going to smack him, but this time he missed it.

  “Now, listen, and don’t you mess anything up, or I will have you for dinner. Go to the castle, wait for the men to return, and order them to start rebuilding the tower. Then take some money and food and find me in Malgarra. Got it?”

  “Yes, Your Lordship. Castle, tower, supplies, and find you in Malgarra. Very good.”

  I had no time to remark that I did not need his evaluation of whether my orders were good or not. I had to get out of there before the monster would catch up with me.

  ***

  About the author:

  Laura Lond is an internationally published author of several novels and a collection of short stories. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. Having worked for 2 years at a literary museum, Laura entered the world of business, working for large corporations like Xerox Ltd. and Fluor Daniel. After moving from Europe to the United States, she has been self-employed as a freelancer.

  Laura’s other works:

  My Sparkling Misfortune, Book 1 of The Lakeland Knight series

  Lord Arkus of Blackriver Castle readily admits that he is a villain and sees no reason why it should stop h
im from being the protagonist of this book. After all, Prince Kellemar, an aspiring hero, has defeated him in a rather questionable way. Bent on revenge, Arkus attempts to capture a powerful evil spirit who would make him nearly invincible, but a last-minute mistake leaves him with a Sparkling instead—“a goody-goody spirit that helps heroes, watches over little children, and messes up villains’ plans.” Bound to Lord Arkus for five years of service and sworn to act in his best interests, the Sparkling is not easy to get rid of, and of course his understanding of “best interests” is quite different from what Lord Arkus has in mind.

  My Royal Pain Quest, Book 2 of The Lakeland Knight series (to be released in October 2011)

  How far would a villain go to help a friend? Lord Arkus of Blackriver Castle thinks doing three heroic deeds is a bit too far.

  The Journey, Book 1 of The Adventures of Jecosan Tarres trilogy

  His father killed in war before he was three, his mother unexpectedly dying when he was eight, Jecosan Tarres is young and poor, yet he has something not many men have: a faithful heart, a strong spirit, and the knowledge of truth taught to him by his mother and the priest Shaledan. Alone for a year, but later befriended by Dalian the blacksmith, he has already beaten the odds of being destitute and forgotten, but clearly something or someone is at work in his life. With his faithful dog Gart and his friend Dalian he sets out on a life defining journey after a messenger visits him with a commission to go to Kanavar, the ancient capital of Meoria, where he is to enter the king’s service and somehow prevent the war that is about to break out in his country. There are powerful forces interested in his journey, both to fail and succeed. Join young Jecosan as he struggles along, escaping sudden traps, facing prison and captivity, fighting pain and despair, losing and making friends.

  The Palace, Book 2 of The Adventures of Jecosan Tarres trilogy

  Having completed his difficult journey, Jecosan makes it to his destination—the king’s palace—but so does his enemy, whom he is yet to discover. Jecosan enters in service to the king as a kitchen worker, proving himself worthy of the task and more. Still, he has much to learn while looking to fulfill his purpose. Although court life is luxurious and splendid, it is also complicated, with its hidden laws and unspoken rules. King Alvard III is a young and ambitious monarch whose hot temper is only restrained by one fearless lord, and in the presence of his sister, Princess Arvelina. Seeking counsel from the magician Henky-Roo, the king orders for the ancient Book of Light to be stolen from the neighbouring kingdom of Tirgan. Little does he know that in doing so he may destroy his own country and people. Reports of a mysterious horseman being seen throughout the area thwarting the army and deterring the plans against Tirgan only infuriate the king.

  The Battle, Book 3 of The Adventures of Jecosan Tarres trilogy

  Having done his best to fulfill the commission given him by a supernatural messenger, yet apparently having failed to do so, Jecosan finds himself running for his life from the wrath of King Alvard III. When the king pays dearly for his mistake, the nine-year-old Princess Arvelina is elevated to a position she could not have anticipated. While the Meorian army marches toward Tirgan to destroy the Book of Light as originally planned by Alvard, it seems all hope is lost to stop a war between the two nations as the Tirganians have begun moving their troops in response. Disobedience, although done out of best intentions, throws the conflict into an event of extortion of life and death, leaving the Tirganian king, Ez-Keramon, to decide the fate of a dearly beloved young man. Without intervention by the Lord of the heavens the two nations face the judgment of a blood bath. Individual character qualities and actions bring to each their own penalties and rewards, as well as the effect they have on others.

  The Magic Bracelet, a short story

  “I am a very unhappy man… Misrepresented and misunderstood,” says the mysterious owner of the Dark Castle, greatly feared by all. Is it true? Can he be trusted? And is his magical gift a wonderful blessing or a dangerous trap? That’s what Rogan, a careless wanderer and a gambler, has to find out.

  Side Effect, a supernatural thriller

  Janna Sorelle is a determined young professional born and raised in Moscow, Russia, but, having French background, she considers herself French and strives to return to her “historical homeland”. Her first visit to Paris, where she goes as a translator of a rich but ill-mannered Russian businessman, turns into something totally unexpected. After a strange incident at a small restaurant, Janna is kidnapped—and this is just the beginning of an adventure she couldn’t have ever imagined. As the story unfolds, Janna finds herself working for Technotics, a huge international corporation with an advanced security system owned by the mysterious Mr. Kumidi. Janna is told that Technotics is an engineering company working on some technical research, but, as she begins to suspect, things are not that simple. There is a secret laboratory in what they call the lower level of the company building, and some of the employees seem to be not exactly human...