The Faerie Curses

Chapter Twenty-Five: Forbidden Love

The moment Glen caused the throne to explode, I felt the change of atmosphere instantly. The entire underwater cavern felt as if it were being sucked away, the floor of bones swept out from under me. Paranoia flooded my mind as I forced the temporary gills on my neck to intake air. The scepter's energy seemed to pummel at the entire fabric of my being, and I faintly wondered how long the mer reed would last.

"I sure hope that chair wasn't expensive." Glen remarked, trying to hide the strain of breaking the throne into thousands of green shards. The jewels were being carried by the water around the cavern, circulating in a never ending stream.

Diandre and The Protector remained still as the entire space seemed to explode in a collection of dazzling colors. I felt more like vomiting. Dizziness took its hold over my body as an orb of light rose over our heads towards the rocky ceiling. Squinting against the brightness, I could see a faint shadow inside the sphere of green. There was no denying it; The Summer Scepter. Clearly Glen saw it too. His eyes widened, and he swam towards it, his movements slow and labored underwater.

Diandre turned to The Protector.

"Why is the scepter surrounded by that orb?" He asked the mermaid, his eyebrows furrowing in puzzlement.

The Protector didn't answer. Her gaze was fixated on the shimmering, filmy surface surrounding The Object of Power.

"It's her soul," I realized, examining the colors closer.

Encasing the shadow of the scepter, the sphere was a luminous green, but within I could see other hues merging with each other. A furious red, a blossoming pink, a joyful yellow, a despaired blue. There were countless shades deep inside the scepter's protective orb, all of The Protector's being and magic energy. Faintly, I could even hear her lost singing voice, calling out to us. It was a breathtaking melody that ached with pain, and beside me The Protector's golden-brown eyes were wet.

Glen braced himself against the thrashing magic energy and closed his eyes.

"What is he doing, taking a nap?" Diandre muttered, oblivious to the swirling power that seemed to drain me.

Glen was too focused to fire back a retort, and I could tell by his furrowed eyebrows that he was deep in excruciating concentration. Like a spark, I sensed his magic igniting in the cavern. I knew that it was Glen's by the way that it shimmered and bounded towards the orb with wild electricity and freedom. The scent of the fae forests filled my nose as his magic drifted past me, leaving his laughing ringing and lingering in my ears as it collided with the sphere of The Protector's soul.

There was a small crack, like a strike of lightning, and the filmy sphere came to life. Images rose to its surface, and Glen opened his eyes, triumph breaking across his face. Diandre leaned forward, captivated. Beside me I heard The Protector's quick intake of breath.

The entire cavern seemed to melt away for a moment as I stared at the scene unfolding before my eyes.

Reflected on the green film was a mermaid, swimming desperately through the tunnels of Liberty Island. I recognized The Protector by her golden tail and tangled brown hair, but I could tell that she was younger, more ignorant. She looked to be only a little older than me. Her youth was plainly etched in her face, but there was a wretched fear that seemed to have consumed her. She darted through the darkness. Her tail was flapping wildly, and almost in a panic she fled deeper. She swam faster, and I could tell that there was no hope left inside this mermaid. There was only the looming uncertainty of the future ahead.

Finally, the young Protector chose a tunnel and tore down it as fast as she could. Her breaths were fast and worried, and soon she burst into a moonlit lagoon. I could tell by the glowing reeds and the fluorescent coral that she was in The Faerie Realm. The mermaid tilted her face up at the surface, up at the moon and stars watching her from above.