[Complete] Eroh has reached his seventeenth spring and has finally become a man. With manhood comes a gift: marriage to the woman he loves. But when a strange new woman from another world enters his life, he is stuck with the decision to honor his...
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Aqule's screams kept me from sleep while her absence kept my father away.
I explained the events in the only words I knew how ... horror. "The landwarkers butchered Aqule ... they can never become our allies. We must take the fight to them before they take it to us." Father wouldn't raise an ear to listen. Everything I said flew past him like the wind. "You can't let them get away with this father!"
I did my best to sound strong, but he waved me away like a pesky fly. It was the first time I questioned his strength. And the first time I questioned our power. Were we as weak as I feared? What happened to our people's courage? What happened to our souls? Did the Sqek take it all away on the isles?
Alone in my bedroom, I tested by the memories of the blood and screams of my sister; by the anger I felt by my father's silence; and by the tears that ran down my cheeks night after night. At times I imagined my tears would flood the room, and I'd be without her fins, only left to drown. When did life become so cruel? Or was the world always this way ...
Uncle Malos chambers were at the bottom of the castle. There he worked in peace, crafting spells of unknown origins. I entered the room, feeling uneasy, glancing between blue vials filled with the unknown liquids stacked on shelves that extended the room. It would take me a day to explore all the narrow passageways between the shelves, though I never stayed longer than I had to. The place creeped me out.
"Marina! What do I owe the pleasure of your company?"
When Malos slithered behind, I could only guess. I faced him. His robe was of midnight blue with golden sleeves and a golden collar. He was tall and thin-muscled. Chin and cheeks keen as stone coral. His cold, icy blue eyes danced up my frame.
"I can't do this uncle ... I can't live this lie."
"You must. Your voice is the only one the King will listen to."
"But what if he finds out our secret?" I lowered my eyes, quilted by the decision to agree. "He will never forgive me."
Malos's hands slipped down to my shoulders. His palms were like ice, but the cold eased the guilt in my gut, if only for that moment. "There, there, child. Your father has a lot on his mind. We must allow him this time to find clearity. When he does, it'll be you he listens to. He always kept mindful when it came to you girls."
I pulled away, leaning against the shelf. A jar glowed, highlighting my skin the reddish-orange hue of anger. I drew a fist down. "Aqule pushed me out of the way ... I should've been impaled."
"But it wasn't."
"I want to avenger her."
"And you will ... patience first, my child, patience."
"But the landwalkers are too powerful on land." I looked towards him. He examined a vial of white ooze, memorized by its swirling motion.
"Do you know what this is?" He placed the vial between two fingers. "Give me a guess?"
