I had just covered less than two miles when a group of warrior mermaids trailed behind under hot pursuit. Their speed seemed to rise rapidly anytime I tried to swim faster.
I knew that a sprint to the shore with arrows and spears flying behind me would be dangerous and futile.
So...
I turned to face them and unclasped the necklace at my throat. The Reverse Weapon shimmered and unfolded into a circular, grey metallic shield.
They slowed.
There were about fifteen—maybe twenty of them. I studied their tails out of habit. Five were green-tailed. Most were blue. Only a few had orange tails.
"Don't try to do anything funny with that weapon of yours," one of the green-tailed ones said, approaching me with a bow in hand, ready to release the arrow. Maybe he was the leader.
"Actually, it's a necklace," I said, and the shield transformed back to the necklace it was. "I could sell it to you guys in exchange for my freedom." I added, half-joking and half-serious, smiling.
"You will come with us, purple tail. Round her up, girls," she shouted, and I tensed.
"WAIT!" someone shouted amongst them. They all turned and gave way to an orange-tailed mermaid. She drifted forward. She looked young and elegant. Her hair was black though.
"What is it, Dianne?" the green-tailed leader asked.
"Ivy... Ivy maybe we should pause and think if what we are doing is really right? This girl is just going to the land to save her sister. We really shouldn't be..."
"SHUT UP!" Ivy silenced her, pointing an arrow at her. "We are warriors. We don't question orders given to us. Unless you want to end up in Klara's wrath."
Dianne nodded and lowered her gaze.
The others circled me. I had to do something.
"Maybe you guys should just take the magic weapon and say that you didn't see me," I said, offering Ivy the necklace.
"That's so lame and dumb. You are coming with us;whether conscious or unconscious," Ivy said, looking at me as if I were a silly speaking turtle.
"I don't think so," I said, floating up and doing a swift backflip, appearing behind the circle of warriors.
They turned in shock. I squeezed the necklace and it transformed into a shiny katana sword. Not that I had swung a blade before, but I had to at least try right now.
"ARREST HER!" Ivy shouted.
They charged.
I swung instinctively. The blade sliced through the water and released a crescent of purple energy that smashed into them, sending several warriors tumbling back.
'Damn.This weapon is so cool,' I thought.
"ARCHERS," Ivy shouted.
Bowstrings snapped, and more than ten arrows flew at me.
'Oh no!' I gasped.
Without anything to do with my will, the sword shifted and transformed into the metallic shield it previously was, but this time it was larger.
"Wow," I muttered in amazement, quickly shielding myself.
Clang—Tang— Clink—Ting, were the sounds of the arrows clashing against my shield. When they were over, I peeped up and saw them rushing at me.
I panicked.
Suddenly, the water around trembled and the oceanbed shook. They stopped and looked around.
"Did she do that?" Ivy and several others wondered loudly.
"I don't think so. They did," Dianne said, pointing at huge grey tadpole-like creatures with red eyes swimming from a distant above the kelp forest, heading towards them,us.
"What are those?" one of the blue-tailed mermaids asked.
"They look like a swarm of ten to fifteen Taddy Pacling creatures. We have never met them before," Ivy said.
"What are we gonna do? We don't know what they are capable of," another asked.
"Simple," Ivy said. "We split into two groups and..."
"Split into two?" several interrupted her at once, and she stopped.
Silence. Heartbe
"From what my mother told me," Dianne said breaking the daring silence, "those creatures have the ability to copy appearance and abilities of mermaids. We better think and listen to ourselves."
Murmurs followed.
Ivy turned and looked at where they'd left me.
Surprisingly, I hadn't moved an inch or thought of using the opportunity to escape.
"I'm still heeeeere," I said, waving my sword at them, smiling.
Was she willing to defy Klara's orders and make
a choice?
*********************
Back in the mer-villages, Klara stared at the unconscious Annabelle trapped in the fishnet. She looked at Shiva, the yellow-tailed mermaid with blonde hair, and pointed at her.
"You pick her up," she said.
Shiva stared at the fishnet-tangled body confused.
"Use your powers, you small brain," Klara said, turning to look at her.
'Oh.'
Shiva stretched her hands and zapped Annabelle in a huge water bubble, which floated up effortlessly at her will.
Klara nodded. "Now, take her to the shark dungeons. And don't try to act hero."
She obliged.
----
Shiva appeared in a prison-like building with the bubble holding Annabelle floating above her. She opened the gates with a key given to her by Klara.
She entered, and the long hallway was fenced on both sides with closed bars that touched both the floor and ceiling. Behind those bars were square cells, each separated by blue glowing walls.
Shiva opened one of the bar doors leading to the cells. She guided the bubble in and slowly lowered Annabelle onto the magic cement floor, which was meant to sink into the underground where the hungry sharks waited.
But she didn't let Annabelle's body come into contact with it. She suspended the bubble above the floor and added an extra layer onto it.
"I won't let you die like this. This ocean needs a thousand more mermaids like you...and your daughters," she said, weaving the fishnet out of her body and out of the bubble. She was now a free unconscious mermaid.
Shiva then closed the bar doors and looked at the floating bubble containing the unconscious Annabelle.
"I will find a way to get you out of here," she said and left.
TO BE CONTINUED...