A Mermaid's Heart

Chapter Nine.

Evangeline.

I walked along the unfamiliar town that seemed almost deserted. The night was cold and the streets dark but that didn’t stop the man dressed in medieval clothing which meant that it had to be around the fifteenth century during the middle ages. His attire was made up of a brown hair of leggings, leather shoes and a long green shirt that fell to just above his knees. The feather on his hat bobbed in time with his movements as he ducked from one building to the next. A sword hung from his belt and his hair was a dark ash brown that curled around his face and down his shoulders. I couldn’t see his eyes since he kept his head down while he moved, my legs having to run to keep up with him. I stopped ahead of him and tried talking to him, tried asking where he was heading but he walked straight through me and I furrowed my eyebrows up in confusion, glancing down at my more see through figure. I followed him to the edge of the town where a small cottage waited, the door illuminated by candles that cried tears of wax onto the walkway. He pushed through it and into the cottage, leaving me outside, studying the stone structure, build with various shapes of cobble stone that were layered on top of each other. The lush green grass surrounding the cottage indicated that we were in Scotland. I ventured closer, reaching out to lean against the door as if to listen in with my ear pressed to its wood but I found myself falling through it and into a small room. I stumbled but caught myself, eyes searching my surroundings. The room was orange from the many candles that stood around it, a stove pushed up to one side with a small bed opposite it. There were makeshift shelves and a table that was covered in herbs and oils, flowers and old books “My sisters have called for my council” a familiar voice said, causing me to turn, eyes darting in its direction. A woman with hair as black as coal was stood by a bookshelf, her fingers dancing along their spines. Her eyes were completely white and a black crescent moon sat in the center of her forehead “Will you go?” the man I had been following questioned, fiddling with some type of small animal skull. He raised it, examining the ivory bone and only glancing in Aurella’s direction when she had spoken. She retrieved a book and began pacing through it, her hands void of rings but her black nails remained. When she moved her red gown moved along with her, the fabric similar to velvet “I must-.” came her response quick reply, her gaze locked on the pages of the book. She looked younger, less knowledgeable than the Aurella that I knew. What I was seeing took place almost three hundred years in the past which was why she seemed more innocent, less strict and emotionless “We are bound through our magic” she set the book down on the table I had been studying earlier then began to grind up various types of herbs and flowers, mixing them into a stone bowl. The man hummed and tilted his head back when he spoke, brown eyes searching the skull that he held “All seven witches gathered in one place-.” he set the skull down and turned to fully face her with his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. My eyes narrowed onto him, the small action giving him away. He was a knight of Scotland, a man who had been given the title of Sir “No good can come of this” Aurella wiggled her fingers when they hovered over a specific blue flower then snatched it up and added it to the mixture, using a round stone to grind it up like she had done with the other ingredients “Our purpose is to protect this world” she argued as if to remind him that they were given their powers for good and not for evil like he occasionally thought. His feet moved across the straw floor, almost silent apart from the crunching of the dried strands as he ventured closer to where she was working “But not its people” he added as if to remind her of the wrong in their purpose. She paused her work and shot him a look that said she was irritated by his response. He chuckled and placed his hand on the small of her back, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. The witches were created to protect nature, to protect the animals that inhabit it from the humans that will ultimately end up destroying it. The gods knew this and wished to preserve the world that they had created by giving it seven protectors, women who controlled the elements “The king is to protect his people, not me” Aurella stated, moving away from the man to pour the liquid she had squeezed out of the herbs and plants by crushing them into a cup. His back stiffened, his eyes growing hard when he watched her as if she had struck a nerve like he had done with her “The king has other matters to attend to” he tried to defend which drew a breath of laughter from the raven haired woman’s lips. The sound was sweet and gentle, so unlike the voice of the current witch that I knew which was hard and without remorse. Had the years molded her into such a cold, cruel woman or had something happened that would change her heart forever? “Like getting drunk off wine and bedding any woman he sees fit?” it was then that I realized that she didn’t have a Scottish accent like the man talking to her did, meaning she had been born in some other place during some other time, far back when the ice had consumed the world and the lands were covered in layers of snow “Like making sure the town’s people don’t burn you at the stake” the tension in the air only seemed to grow becoming thicker, heavier with his words. King James the second would’ve sat on the Scottish throne during that time, a time before King James the sixth would unite Ireland, Scotland and England as the first king of three realms “That is your job, not his” Aurella reminded him, shooting him a glance. He rolled his eyes and stalked closer, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on the top of her head to glance down at what she was doing “Forgive my rude remarks-.” he pleaded, his pride not like that of any man I had ever seen before. Instead of continuing to argue and eventually storming out of the cottage, he chose to apologize and make peace with the woman who held his affections “I am simply shaken by the idea of seven witches gathering here” she huffed, setting the bowl aside and turned to address him, his hands never once leaving her waist when he met her caring, white eyes that were usually empty and void of emotion. Her own arms raised to snake themselves around his neck “You are forgiven” how gentle she was when she whispered those words to the knight that stood before her. Their love wasn’t as intense and passionate as Claudia’s nor was it as complicated and confusing as mine and Caleb’s, it was peaceful almost as if all that existed was them and their affections for each other. He leaned down to press his forehead to hers, his eyes closing as if she was al that could possibly calm his storms. I wondered what his name was but before I could find out I was stood inside a cavern with rocks hanging overhead and a pit of fire in the center of the cave. Around the fire, seven figures could be seen staring into its flickering orange flames, seven women. The one closest to me was Aurella, dressed in a black cloak that was similar to the one she wore when she had erased my memories in Port Alice. Beside her stood a woman with red hair that was braided back who wore a similar cloak but in the color crimson. She was pale and had freckles but she was just as beautiful as Aurella. All of the women were and all of them had empty white eyes deprived of pupils or irises. I walked around the fire, past the red woman and to the one clad in blue. She had blond curls that hung loose to her shoulders but they went no further. Her skin was slightly darker and her nose a small button shape. Next to her stood a woman in green, an ebony skinned woman that I recognized as the witch from the Pirate’s Nest that went by the name of Briony. She looked much younger, her skin less scarred in beautiful markings that were carved into her skin with various meanings. There were three more women, one in grey who gave off a very chilling aura with hair of onyx and almost pitch black skin. An ivory loop hung from her nose like that of a bull. There was one in white, her hair a very light blond, much lighter than that of the one in blue but not quite as white as mine. The strands were tied back in a delicate up do with various braids and golden loops decorating it. The last woman who stood to Aurella’s left was dressed in purple, her hair was a light brown that hung down straight to the arch in her back. They all either had black crescent moons on their foreheads or white depending on their skin tone “Why have you called us here?” the woman in red asked of the one in white who remained calm even when the fire before her began to grow out of control in sync with the red headed woman’s questioning words “Calm yourself, Vanya” the woman in the purple cloak warned, her eyes darting to the female stood on the opposite side of Aurella as her. The fire began to calm down and I could lower my arm that had shot up to shield my face from the intense blaze, once again looking at the many faces “It is a crucial time to call for a meeting” the one in blue agreed with a nod of her head. The woman behind the meeting of sisters, of witches cleared her throat and looked from one to the next until she eventually decided to speak the words that would cause discord among them “Amun has scattered the jewels” my body tensed at the mention of the seven treasures and along with me, the rest of the women erupted into bursts of ‘What?’ and ‘How can this be?’ the cave rumbled which seemed to be Briony’s doing, the dark skinned woman glaring daggers at her sibling from across the fire “How could this happen?” she demanded of the woman who had announced the news. The one who had been silent, unaffected by anything that happened around her, the woman in grey with skin as black as pitch spoke up for the first time, causing the rest to immediately fall silent “Tell me Riona, how did you catch word of this?” the question no one else had bothered to wonder about or ask. The woman in white, Riona stiffened but remained calm, her gaze turning to her darker sibling that looked on the surface to be the complete opposite of her “Death speaks” instead of it being Riona who spoke it was the one in purple who snapped at the woman who even I feared just from the aura that radiated from her. Aurella froze, not sure how to handle the situation if things were to go South “That’s enough, Eilish” my head swung around to look at the woman in blue who managed to hush her sister with her words. The one referred to as ‘death’ looked bored with the rest of them “Hermes came to me with the news” Riona explained, speaking of the messenger of the gods as if it was normal to receive a visit from him. I tried my best to piece them together, matching names that were mentioned with faces until only two names remained a mystery. The woman in grey and the one in blue “And we had no say?” the prior of the two questioned, her arm swiping to the side, causing the blue material of her cloak to whip through the air, exposing her elegant sapphire dress that lay beneath it “I agree with Morgayne, why were we not consulted with?” Aurella asked, nodding her head to show that she too wished to know why Amun hadn’t thought to inform them earlier of what would happen to the jewels, at least then it would’ve given them room to object or argue against scattering the gems “We are their puppets therefor we do not have a say in the matter” Riona reminded her sisters. The cavern fell silent, the voices no longer echoing through the passageways or bouncing off the walls. It was the woman with an aura of death who spoke again “They wish to keep this power for themselves” the ‘they’ that were constantly being referred to were the gods who sat upon their thrones and ruled over their portions with Amun towering over them all. The matter being discussed wasn’t something as trivial as human politics but a much bigger picture that concerned not only the human race but every single being inhabiting the earth “Our power!” Vanya erupted, her voice radiating out around them, around me. It was a reminder that the magic that had been entrapped in the jewels once belonged to them a long time ago when they were of equal strength as the gods “They have no right to do with the jewels as they please” Briony agreed with the fiery redhead, the two of them locking eyes before they turned their full attentions back onto the one they were talking to. Riona took a deep breath in through her nose, her shoulder square and her features emotionless “I agree with you sisters, however-.” her pause made me feel unsure as if something bad was to follow it and the rest of them could sense it as well. Something wasn’t right regarding the gems “It is too late, they have been scattered and their whereabouts are unknown” my eyes darted in Aurella’s direction. How had she written the book of the seven treasures if she hadn’t known where the jewels were being kept? The woman who had yet to be given a name spoke up, her painted black lips moving in time with the voice that exited them “We must find the gems and retake our power” her declaration caused an entirely new uproar that moved from one woman to the next. Riona was silent, her teeth gritting as she listened to the many female voices around her “We agree with Charis, it is our power not the gods” I was walking around them, walking through them, moving to see them as clearly as I could. It was Riona’s next words that brought forth the nearing end of the vision that I was experiencing “As someone who had signed a contract with Amun, I have agreed to seal away the jewels-.” six heads shot up to look at her, eyes wide, some glaring, others filled with betrayal and hurt that cut deep. It was what brought forth the first real treasonous action between the sisters, the first seed of broken trust “No witch may have access to them for only a mortal can gather the gems” I was the mortal of which she spoke, the human who had been turned into a mermaid, perfect for retrieving all seven jewels. Aurella spent many years trying to determine where the gems were kept but it wasn’t she who wrote the book, it was her lover, a knight who served under King James the second since the seal also prevented the witches from venturing to and writing about the jewels since no documents could exist of the sword of the stones. Shortly after the book had been written the knight, Sir Faolan of Perth died in battle against the British forces who fought for Scotland’s throne. She was left feeling abandoned by him, the news having come from men of war who gifted her his sword then chased her from the town for being a magic user. Her mind had started to go mad with her obsession with the jewels and her sorrow only made her weak when it came to Neptune’s enticing words that had entrapped her in his contract for over a century. She would come up with a plan to lead the Campbell half-blood to the daughter of Lady Bethany Sillvan then tear them away from each other by disguising herself as an old fisherman on the docks who witnessed Caleb and I meeting then she went to inform my parents. She would tear us apart then sow us back together again with the book of the seven treasures all so she could be set free of her bounds and get her hands on the seven gems.

My eyes shot open and I found myself staring at the floorboards above the Captain’s quarters. The ship and its people were mostly silent with only the waves of the sea creating a faint rumbling sound that almost hummed me back to sleep “I trust you better understand the severity of things?” a familiar voice, one from my dream questioned. I sat up on the mattress to be met with the sight of Aurella stood at the foot of the bed, watching me. She had a tendency to pop up in the most unusual of places at the most unusual times, causing my heart to jump from her sudden appearance “That not only are we to save thousands of memories but destroy the power of the jewels while we’re at it” my chest was rising and falling from the shock but I nodded, placing a hand to my chest. The gods sealed away the power to use for themselves, making it so that no man nor witch could gather the gems. That amount of power could bring the world to an end, it could destroy the earth and all those inhabiting it which was why she had decided to show me her memories “I understand” as soon as the words were out a much more masculine voice pierced the air, sounding from above deck where most of the crew were gathered. Aurella’s gaze remained rooted on my figure even when I shot up from the bed to see what the commotion was about. She glanced back at me from over her shoulder, her eyes seeming almost grey instead of their usual white like the raging storm upon the open ocean “It’s a wasteland” Ben’s voice muttered when I stepped out into the light of day, my eyes locking onto the sight everyone was staring at. The town had been burnt to the ground, buildings that were made of wood nowhere to be found, piles of ash littered the streets while the stone buildings that were lucky to still be standing were burnt pitch black. It had long since been abandoned by all life, no plants grew, the grass was dead and burnt, the trees bare and withered. Caleb was stood on the helm, his eyes too gazing out on the familiar town that he had once called his home. Rebecca couldn’t stand seeing the sight of her home so destroyed, so as she had remembered it. Horrible memories surrounded that place, memories of death and destruction. There were no bodies that I could see despite the picture that Becca had painted of the gruesome murders “Lower the anchor!” Caleb boomed overhead, snapping the crew into action. Nolan took a minute, his mind racing back to the night he had seen Claudia tied to the mast, her torso cut open and her empty, dead eyes staring at the ground. The sound of chains cluttering reached my ears as the anchor delved deeper into the ocean’s depths where it eventually caught on either sand or a reef “Martin’s Port-.” I turned to find Aurella stood beside me, her hands neatly folded in front of her, her posture as perfect as always, stood gazing out at the Coastline “Or more commonly known as Death’s Door” the name made my skin crawl and a lump form in the back of my throat. The wind whipped her hair back, revealing the many piercings that decorated her pale ear. Caleb’s boots thudded down the helm’s steps until he came into view, his gaze hard beneath the brim of his Captain’s hat “Only those of Campbell blood may wield the Leandros sword” Aurella informed us, her eyes moving from Caleb’s form to me as if to say that I knew the whereabouts but only he could pick up the sword and bring it to the ship. The gods knew what they were doing when they placed a curse on the sword, only allowing those who are part of the bloodline to use the one weapon capable of unleashing the power that is trapped within the jewels “I shall remain here, there is no use for me to set foot on such tainted land” the witch turned, her cloak fluttering behind her as she stalked her way back to the navigation room where bowls and plants and books were scattered as if she had brought her entire tower with her to practice her magic and plan for what was to come.