Battlefield

Chapter 20

I'm on the outskirts of Aegrem, watching the city slowly wake. Stores open, wares are laid out, and the usual traffic begins flowing. A small smile appears on my face as I see a little mermaid, no more than seven, admiring a ruby necklace. The shopkeeper grins at the mermaid, handing her the necklace. The mermaid's mother gives her daughter a look, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a couple Perles.

The shopkeeper shakes her head, saying something to the mother before grinning at the little mermaid. Her face lights up as she places the necklace around her neck. I rise from the rock I'm sitting on, readying myself to swim back home. Jay and Meri will be wondering where I am.

Motion out of the corner of my eye makes me flinch as I grab my dagger. Familiar green eyes meet mine, mouth stretched in a smirk. Horror and despair sluice through me as I realise what's happening. I open my mouth to scream, but am silenced by a hand clamping painfully down on my shoulder. He then drags me over to a deep ravine that overlooks the rock we are floating on.

Faster than I can blink, he produces a dagger from his pocket and slices a thin line down my arm. It falls limply to my side, useless. He does the same with the other before binding them behind my back with seaweed. Noah grins, scooping me in his arms and bringing me to the edge of the rock.

The ravine yawns open before me as I struggle. My arms are useless at my sides, but I manage to hit him in the head with my tail fin. Suddenly, I'm falling, the drop seeming to last an eternity. My head smacks against the hard rock as I hit the seafloor.

That was the last thing I remembered before opening my eyes and recognising our room. Jay was beside the bed, gently holding my hand. His eyes widened as he noticed me. Are you okay? He signed.

I took deep, even breaths as I focused on his face, trying to get my heartbeat under control. After a few minutes, it slowed enough for me to nod and respond. Where is everyone?

He reluctantly let go of my hand and swam to the door, opening it and beckoning to someone. David and Bella swam in, concern in their eyes. I rubbed my eyes, trying to calm down. All it took was one word to change the atmosphere of the room. Noah.

Jay's nostrils flared as his hands clenched into fists. David's eyes hardened; Bella's dark skin blanched, her mouth opening and closing. I focused on Jay, squeezing his hand. Please don't go after him. Not now. It's too dangerous.

He shook his head as he rose, grabbing a dagger from the dresser in the corner before swimming out of the room. My entire body shook as I rose, gripping the nightstand to steady myself. Both David and Bella rose to stop me. I shook my head. You don't understand. Noah... he's going to kill Jay.

David's eyes widened as he, too, rose and left the room. Bella took my hand, her grey eyes wide. What's going on?  She signed.

I couldn't seem to think beyond the roaring in my head. Tiger Shark and Naia, Brandon and Noah... too many had come too close to ending everything. My hands shook as I grabbed my dagger, securing it at my waist. Bella tightened her grip on my hand, halting me. You don't even know where they are. They could be anywhere.

She was right. It would take too long to search every inch of the surrounding towns. I shook my head. I have to try. I can't just leave him.

I took a deep breath, readying myself for the long swim. David swam to me, gently taking my hand. He looked into my eyes, his own blazing with anger. If you're not back by nightfall, I'm coming to find you.