Page 4 of Mermaid on Heels
“Stop this nonsense, Faelina!” Papa demanded.
The guards approached and seized them. There was no point in struggling, protesting, or demanding them to listen—like Papa was doing—when you knew they were under the spell of your evil, half-blood, half-sister.
Liriya’s friend Abacus held her one side and she craned her neck to look at him solemnly; he would never forgive himself if he learned he did this to her—if he ever came out of the enchantment. His naturally green eyes were sapphire like Faelina’s, as were all the affected ones’, and out of focus. However, their tails didn’t change color.
“What do you want with us?” Ella found her voice for the first time, mustering a brave look.
“Oh.” Faelina pivoted to her, mock surprise on her face. “I did not know you could talk.”
She then floated towards Liriya and seized her right wrist with a painful grip. Liriya gritted her teeth together to prevent wincing; she didn’t want to give Faelina the satisfaction. Smirking at her, Faelina pulled the artifact out of her grip.
“See, I told you.” A full-blown, victorious smile rose on Faelina’s red lips. “Now, to your wish of going to the surface and dying… Why do you not let me do the honor of helping you,” she said and looked at all four of them, adding, “All four of you?”
Papa’s eyes widened. “What, no—”
“Take them to the surface, guards—though, I forbidyouto be near the surface. My pirates will be waiting for them.”
“What?” Liriya cried aloud with her sisters.
“Faelina, you cannot do this.”
Faelina stuck out her tongue at Papa. “Watch me.”
None of their protests and struggles worked against the guards as they dragged them out of the castle. Liriya glanced at Mama heartbrokenly as they passed her and cried out to her desperately with her sisters.
But Mama stayed motionless, only her tail swaying, her eyes staring in their direction out of focus.
“My apologies, but seeing you getting separated from your mother makes me excited! Goodbye!”
Liriya felt like her heart plucked out of her chest, she couldn’t believe this was happening. She wished this was just a bad dream and waited to wake up, for her handmaiden to come and wake her up. But no, she kept being dragged out of the castle doors, her home, and its pearl encrusted, heavy and large gates.
Did Faelina have the entire kingdom under her spell?
Liriya searched for the eyes of the guards stationed outside and the others she saw on their way out of Pearltuna, hoping against hope that at least one of them would come to their rescue. But tragically, all of them were under the spell.
It was hopeless, they were going to die, and they would never see Mama again.
“Did Mama know?” Liriya found her voice, glancing at Papa who was dragged on her right.
His vulnerable, apologetic eyes met hers. “About Faelina’s mother? Yes.”
“Were you truly in love with her mother?” Liriya dreaded his answer, but she couldn’t help asking. All her life, she had seen her parents setting an example of love in front of her, and she simply couldn’t accept that Papa had been in love with another woman before Mama—andhad a child with her. “Did you ever loveourmama?”
“With all my life, my Liriya. Amiya is the light in my life; your mamaismy life. I love her more than myself, and more than I ever loved Faelina’s mother. I never had hid anything of my previous life from her, but I did not know about the child…” His eyes grew tormented. “I am so sorry, angelfishes. I am so sorry…”
His voice broke, and the sound of it broke Liriya’s heart. She looked above them at the ever-brightening blue of the sea and saw a huge ship swaying on the surface, anchor casted and all.
Sessa followed her gaze and burst into tears. “Papa, I do not want to die!”
“I would kill myself before I let harm come up on you, my angelfishes,” Papa promised, looking at each of them on either side of him.
“What are we going to do?” Ella asked desperately. “What about Mama?”
Papa craned his neck and looked at the guards holding him. Then, he spoke to them, ignoring Ella’s question. When they didn’t show signs of evenhearinghis words, he turned to look at his daughters.
“I do not know how Siren songs work on affected ones, but these poor mermen do not seem to hear us. That means, they will not be able to do anything on their own, other than what they are told. To answer your question Ella dear, I really do not know what we are going to do. We can definitely not go back to Pearltuna. Faelina will turn the people and even your mama against us.
“Therefore, once I free us, we will swim away as far as we can, away from Pearltuna, and try to figure out a way to bring things back to normal. Now, listen carefully. We are close to the surface. When I knock out the guards and they free you, you have to swim left. Do not wait for me, I will be right behind you. Do you understand angelfishes?”