The Trader

~The Girl Wants It~

I sat in my room, turning the diamond pin over in my hand. It was perhaps the most spectacular thing I had ever seen. In its center was a single, blindingly bright point: surely the purest diamond in all of Under. Arms spiraled out from this point, forming arcs and flowers. It amazed me that such intricacy- such beauty- could exist within such a small object. 

"Ari? You in there?" I heard a quiet voice at the door, and immediately knew that it belonged to one who could be trusted. 

"Come in," I replied. 

Adaline entered the room first, followed by Alania, Ataria, Aviana, Amelia, and Adrisia. This surprised me, as all of the Emberwood siblings rarely ever assembled in one place outside of the public eye.

"Greetings, Arylline," Adrisia folded her hands across her thighs, as polite and composed as ever. "We saw that you were quite distressed at the party, and came to check on you, just to make sure that you are alright." 

"Yeah," Adaline nodded. "You looked like you'd seen a ghost, after talking to Winters!" 

"You were talking to Lorianne Winters? The Councilwoman?" Adrisia pursed her lips. 

"Well, it wasn't really my fault," I muttered. "She was the one who was talking to me." 

"I'm sure Father has already told you this, but it is not healthy for you to be associating with such people," Adrisia shook her head. 

"What's so bad about her?" I frowned, looking up at my sisters. 

"Should we tell her?" Alania whispered quite loudly to Adrisia. 

"She is one of us. She has as much of a right to know as the rest of us," Adrisia declared, her voice as firm and authoritative as that of the future Head Councilwoman of Under ought to be. 

"Know about what?" I asked, looking up at Adrisia expectantly. 

"The issue of the Trader grows each day. Under is no longer at peace," Adrisia began with a sigh. 

"No longer at peace? You mean...there's going to be a war?" I gasped. 

"Worse," Adrisia spat. "We don't see the effects of it much here in the Upper City, but people down in the Lower City are going missing. The Council has been vigorously investigating these disappearances, but though it's clear as day who caused them, there is absolutely no incriminating evidence. The only link that ties the crimes together is the fact that all of the missing people's families and coworkers report having seen them last with a diamond pin around their necks." 

"You mean, like this one?" I asked, removing my pin from its chain and holding out for Adrisia to see. 

"How did you get that!?" Adrisia nearly shouted, snatching the pin out of my palm. 

"Councilor Winters g-gave it to me," I stuttered, suddenly filled with fear. 

"Of course she did..." Adrisia shook her head. "This is bad news, Arylline. The Trader's influence is spreading to the Upper City. I don't know how much longer Father will be able to protect us." 

"We don't need to be afraid," Adaline said firmly in an attempt to calm the rest of my now frantic sisters. "The Council is powerful, and Father is the strongest leader they have had in generations. They will make sure that everything is alright." 

"That is no longer so," Adrisia sighed darkly. "The Council has split into two factions. It is divided, weak, and fraught with corruption and political tension." 

"That can't be," I gulped. "The whole reason we left Land and built ourselves a city here, underwater, was to escape the tyranny of their King." 

"Ironic, isn't it?" Adrisia's lip trembled as she gazed out of my window. "Look at it. Our beautiful, perfect city." 

The picturesque landscape of Under stretched out before us for miles on end, filled with straight, well-lit streets and happy people. 

"It could all crumble any second now, Arylline," Adrisia whimpered in an entirely uncharacteristic tone. "Any second." 

"Is there anything we could do to help?" I asked, suddenly concerned. 

"I need to know everything that happened at the party this morning," Adrisia said seriously, staring into my eyes. "The more information the Council has about the Trader, the better their chances of discovering its true identity and shutting down its vile business once and for all." 

"Well, I was...kind of eavesdropping on the Council," I muttered, embarrassed. "Father and Councilor Winters were having an argument, about the Trader." 

"That's all they do these days," Adaline shook her head. "Winters and her cronies just won't leave the rest of the Council alone!" 

"Please, try not to interrupt," Adrisia said kindly but firmly. 

"After the meeting, Councilor Winters walked out of the room. She saw me leaning against the wall, and came over to talk to me about the Trader. She told me that the Trader could help me- that it could help me go to Land. And then, she gave me the pin."

"Oh, no," Adrisia gasped, immediately tossing the pin into the small fireplace under my window. The flames rose for a second, glowing brightly as they consumed the diamond. "You must forget that ever happened, Arylline. Forget Councilor Winters, the Trader, and the pin. The Barrier Laws are in place for a reason: nothing good ever comes of a creature of the sea journeying to Land."

"The Trader doesn't sound all that bad to me," I said softly. "I mean, all it does is give people stuff that they want." 

Adrisia's face contorted into a scowl. Adaline opened her mouth, looking ready to tell me off, but Adrisia cut her off. "It's Winters. She has this strange effect on people. She makes them believe what she believes. Arylline, I do not want you to leave your room for the rest of the week. I will be appointing extra security outside your door. You seem to be a target of the Trader's, and the last thing any of us want is for something bad to happen to you."

"What!?" I gasped. "That's not fair! It's not my fault that Winters happened to walk by me!" 

"This isn't about being fair. It's about keeping you safe," Adrisia said. "I'm sure that, if he was made aware of the situation, Father would do the same thing." 

"Adrisia!" I yelled. "You can't just lock me up! I'm not your prisoner! Tell her, Ady!" 

"She's right, Ari," Adaline sighed. "The Trader's dangerous. You need to be protected."

"And give me that," Adrisia snatched my book of Landian fairytales from my bed. 

"Hey! What am I supposed to do in here all day, with nothing to read?" 

"Read something else," Adrisia commanded. "I don't want you getting any...ideas." A pained look filled her eyes as she tossed the book into the fireplace. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. 

"Goodbye, Arylline," Adrisia smiled softly, unsuccessfully attempting to lighten the mood. "A maid will be up soon with your dinner." 

With that, my sisters filed out of my room, shutting and locking the door behind them. 

As soon as they were gone, I rushed to my fireplace, using the poker to retrieve both my favorite book and my pin. Both were charred beyond repair. 

I clutched them to my chest, biting back a sob. 

How could my own sister be so cruel, and my father so indifferent? 

A single tear touched the pin, and I reached down to wipe it away. However, what I found astounded me. The pin began to glow brilliantly, and grew so hot that I was forced to throw it at my bed to avoid burning myself. I watched, awed, as a figure rose from it, forming the shape of a girl. 

She had seaweed for hair, which she had braided and dressed with pearls, and her skin possessed a slightly greenish hue. She sat on my bed where the pin had been, her legs elegantly crossed.

"Hello, Ari," she smiled, her eyes bright and alive. "My name is Fyn-Ling, and I'm here to help."