Chapter 10
881 Words
The Shadowbound moved silently.
Hidden beneath his dark cloak, he watched the two figures disappear into the sea.
There was no doubt.
No uncertainty.
No possibility of mistake.
The silver-haired girl was the one his queen had described.
The blood of the mermaid queens flowed through her veins.
The Last Mermaid had been found.
A cruel smile touched his lips.
For nineteen years she had remained hidden.
Now her hiding place was gone.
And soon, so would she be.
The Shadowbound pressed two fingers against a black crystal hanging around his neck.
Dark energy flickered within the stone.
A whisper escaped his lips.
"My Queen."
The crystal glowed.
Far beneath the ocean, inside her obsidian fortress, Queen Morvana opened her eyes.
The connection formed instantly.
She could see through her servant's eyes.
See the harbor.
The coastline.
The endless sea.
And finally—
The girl.
A slow smile spread across Morvana's face.
"At last."
The words echoed through her throne room.
Around her, shadows twisted and writhed like living things.
Nineteen years.
Nineteen years of searching.
And now the final heir stood exposed beneath the open sky.
"The child lives."
The declaration sent unease through every servant in the chamber.
No one spoke.
No one dared.
Morvana rose from her throne.
Darkness gathered around her.
"Prepare the hunters."
The shadows trembled eagerly.
"It is time to finish what we started."
---
Unaware of the danger closing around her, Daisy followed Lyra northward along the coast.
The sun hung high overhead now.
Its warmth felt strange.
Pleasant.
Yet distracting.
Everything on the surface seemed different.
The wind.
The light.
Even the smell of the world.
The air carried scents she had never encountered before.
Flowers.
Trees.
Smoke from distant chimneys.
Life.
As the afternoon wore on, the coastline changed.
Towering cliffs gave way to sandy beaches.
Forests appeared beyond the shore.
Daisy stared in amazement.
She had heard stories of forests.
But stories had not prepared her for the reality.
The trees looked enormous.
Ancient.
Their green canopies stretched toward the sky.
"What kind of trees are those?" she asked.
Lyra smiled.
"Thousands of different kinds exist."
Daisy's eyes widened.
"Thousands?"
The sea spirit laughed.
"The world is much larger than you thought."
That was becoming increasingly obvious.
Every hour revealed something new.
Something impossible.
Something wonderful.
And yet fear lingered beneath the wonder.
The creature.
Morvana.
The prophecy.
They were never far from her thoughts.
Eventually they reached a secluded cove hidden between steep cliffs.
The beach was empty.
No ships.
No fishermen.
No villages.
Just golden sand and rolling waves.
Lyra slowed.
"This should be safe."
Daisy studied the shore.
Safe.
The word felt fragile these days.
Still, this place seemed peaceful.
The cliffs offered protection.
The forest provided cover.
And for the moment, no enemies appeared to be nearby.
"What now?" Daisy asked.
Lyra hesitated.
Then pointed toward the beach.
"You need to go ashore."
Daisy stared.
The simple statement suddenly felt enormous.
Go ashore.
Leave the sea.
Walk upon land.
The idea terrified her.
Mermaids belonged in water.
Not on beaches.
Not in forests.
Not in human kingdoms.
"I don't know if I can."
"You can."
"I've never done it before."
"Neither has any mermaid in centuries."
That wasn't comforting.
At all.
Lyra swam closer.
"The stories your mother left behind said mermaids could take human form."
Daisy touched the pearl hanging from her necklace.
The same pearl that had guided her through the temple.
The same pearl connected somehow to her family.
"And if it doesn't work?"
Lyra grinned.
"Then we'll discover a very embarrassing problem."
Despite everything, Daisy laughed.
The sound felt good.
Normal.
For a moment, it reminded her of life before the sanctuary fell.
The memory hurt.
But not as sharply as before.
Taking a deep breath, Daisy swam toward the beach.
The water grew shallower.
Sunlight danced around her.
Small fish scattered from her path.
At last she reached the edge of the shore.
The waves rolled gently around her tail.
Nothing happened.
Daisy frowned.
"This isn't working."
"Try focusing."
"On what?"
"Your human form."
Daisy blinked.
"I've never had one."
"Then imagine one."
Easier said than done.
Still, she closed her eyes.
The pearl warmed against her skin.
A strange energy flowed through her body.
Magic.
Ancient and powerful.
The same magic she had felt inside the Temple of Tides.
The water around her began to glow.
Silver light wrapped around her tail.
Daisy gasped.
The transformation had begun.
Bones shifted.
Scales dissolved into light.
The sensation wasn't painful.
Merely strange.
Like stepping into an entirely different life.
Moments later, the glow faded.
Daisy opened her eyes.
For several seconds she simply stared.
Two legs.
She had legs.
Actual legs.
"Well," Lyra said.
"It worked."
Daisy couldn't stop staring.
The sight felt surreal.
Impossible.
Wonderful.
Terrifying.
She carefully placed one foot onto the sand.
Then the other.
Immediately she lost her balance.
With a startled cry, she fell face-first onto the beach.
Lyra burst into laughter.
Daisy groaned.
"This is not funny."
"It absolutely is."
For the first time since the sanctuary's destruction, both of them laughed.
Neither noticed the pair of crimson eyes watching from the shadows of the forest.
The hunters had arrived.
And they were closer than anyone realized.
- Writer
