How to Catch a Fish (ManxMan)

Chapter Five: The Wonderful Mer Kingdom

~Chapter Five: The Wonderful Mer Kingdom~

It is hard to fall asleep when thoughts of why I am here and what is going to happen keep racing through my mind. I am not sure how long I have been lying in the cold bed, restlessly rolling about while trying to shut off my brain, as my mind did not seem fond of the idea. Instead, all I have been able to manage is staring at the walls and ceiling for what feels like hours. It could have been, too, since there are no clocks in the room.

It's going to take ages to get used to actually using time again.

When I finally exhaust all the worst case scenarios and how to deal with them some time later, my brain is tired, but my body remains awake. While in the prison, I had adjusted to feeling at least semi-warm all the time, so suddenly feeling cold again is just torture. And I am too concerned about what might happen if I light a fire with my magic to warm up. If I lose control for even a second, I might destroy the entire room. There is, after all, a reason fire demons do not live past forty.

The Fae's curse does not affect our magic, only our bodies and minds. However, when we use magic, the cold temporarily fades because that is one of two ways to stop feeling cold. The moment we stop using magic, though, the cold returns. Over time, it starts to eat away at our sanity. Some demons do not even make it a year after developing their magic before losing control. For the safety of others, we are put down like rabid dogs at the first sign of mental instability.

And after seeing firsthand what a cold-driven fire demon is willing to do to feel warm, I can hardly blame the other demons for being so quick to take us down. Of course, they have found ways to keep us sane for longer periods of time by giving us mentors to help us adjust, and it is because of Sidr that I am still here, twelve years after developing my magic. He is also the reason I strive to live. It is for this reason – the reason of respecting Sidr's training – that I refuse to start a fire until I am of a sound mind, even if it means suffering from what feels like an internal blizzard.

Sadly, my determination does not keep the shaking at bay, which is why I end up in one of the far corners of the room, wrapped up in all the blankets. The bed was too open and seemed to be stealing any heat my body produced, so I stripped the bed of its many layers and made a cocoon in the corner. While it does not do much, I no longer feel like my body's warmth is being sapped away.

If I felt capable of moving more than a few feet at a time, I would have made my way out of this place to find Sidr and Heather. But since I still do not know where exactly I am – other than underwater – or where anyone else is, I will just have to wait. Though, I might try to get 'topside' just to be under the hot sun again.

It feels like an eternity before the door opens again with the audible click of a disengaging lock. There is a long moment of silence following the sound when Nero steps in and realizes I am no longer in the bed. After he seems to pull himself from the initial shock, he walks over to the bathroom, apparently having yet to see me. When Nero returns, though, his eyes pass right over me as he scans the room thoroughly, and I know the moment he spots me since he almost drops the steaming bowl in his hand.

"What's wrong?" He demands, quickly crossing the room to crouch in front of me. Though there is very little emotion on his face, the corners of his eyes are pinched in concern, and his mouth is set in a small frown.

If I didn't know better, I'd think he cared.

"Nothing," I force out, but the chattering of my teeth kind of gives it away. It takes Nero only a couple of seconds to realize that it is not just my jaw but my entire body that is shaking. He sets the bowl of what looks like soup onto the floor beside me and pulls at the blankets until they are open enough for him to slip into the cocoon with me.