Page 101 of Female Fantasy
The dorsal fin.
I nearly forgot that I had an object from the trove with me. I took it because it weighed less than the trident and was less conspicuous than the whip. As I have not yet unearthed its purpose, thus far the fin has served as little more than a trinket. A souvenir piece of the trove to remind me of my place. A token and nothing more.
Now confidence washes over me, mixing and mingling with the love that flows through my blood. The love is pure, unadulterated power. It gives me a calm certainty.
The answer before me is clear.
My love for Ryke is more potent than fear.
Tonight, I will fight Nix and the sirens with that love.
I rub my thumb over the strange symbols covering the dorsal fin. Spirals and ripples. Etchings in a language I do not understand. And yet I hear words falling from my lips, foreign but familiar, hearkening back to a time when I was not yet born.
Ryke whips around and inhales sharply. “Merriah.”
“Ryke,” I call out to him, my voice unlike anything of this realm. “I have something to tell you. I—”
Just then, Nix emerges from the mouth of the cavern, both fists clenched. The water around him bubbles with rage.
“Behind you!” I shout.
Ryke turns around and throws a punch into Nix’s pristine face, but Nix wraps a fistful of water around his wrist, forming handcuffs. Ryke struggles against them, unable to move his hands.
Nix laughs, shaking his head. “Good luck getting out of this bind, prince,” he sneers.
A high-pitched cry sounds from outside the cave.
Both Ryke and Nix turn around to face the noise, their faces twin with shock.
Several more sounds follow the first.
Battle cries.
An army coming to the defense of its prince.
But these noises are not mer.
They are not human.
In fact, they sound like—
“Dolphins,” Ryke breathes.
Sure enough, an entire infantry of the mammals storms the cavern, whinnying with defiance. They bare their teeth with a vengeance, their fins so sharp they slice through flesh and bone. I always thought of dolphins as adorable creatures of the deep, but these dolphins are anything but. They are warriors of the highest degree, merciless in their pursuit of blood.
The remaining sirens flee like their lives depend on it.
And they do.
Ryke points directly at me.
My jaw drops. Could I be commanding this army of dolphins with the force of my love?
“How?” Nix demands. “You did not kill the human. A life did not end as one was created. You should not be able to command this kind of power. Unless…”A slow smile creeps over his face. “How long have you known?”
“Stop talking,” Ryke grunts.
“Known what?” I whisper.
