Page 71 of Female Fantasy
“All I did was lift it,” I confess. “And this current of energyjust…moved through me. I began to levitate. For a moment, I even thought I might be shifting. Into a mer.”
I turn away from him then so he cannot bear witness to the disappointment I know I wear on my face.
“Little minnow, you may be something much more powerful than a mere mer. No one has commanded that trident for thousands of years. It is spelled to ward off imposters. Only those with the blood of the gods in their veins can master that instrument, learn to play her most secret notes until she sings for all to hear. Do you know what that means?”
My heart pulses.
“That it is true,” I murmur. “I am the descendant of the goddess of the sea. Amphitrite born again.”
Even as I say the words, they do not feel true. How can this be real? How can I hold such importance in the lives of creatures I did not even know existed until recently?
He nods. “Merriah, I will not hide the truth from you. Tonight we were in danger of yielding to the sirens, who outnumbered the rebel mer ten to one. Kai took a brutal slash to the fin, and Guinn was briefly suffocated by one of the queen’s whirlpools. You see, the sirens are able to control the water in certain ways because of the blood of the humans they have consumed. Talassa is the most powerful, as she continues to feed, addicted to the potency of life in death. She now possesses the abilities of a god. She can manipulate water molecules, turn liquid to ice or vapor. The whirlpools you saw earlier? That was the greatest display of her power that I have ever seen. I had heard rumors, of course, of what she coulddo. I am sure exerting herself to that degree left her relatively vulnerable. But even my brute strength is no match for that kind of omnipotence.”
Ryke lets out a shaky breath, grimacing as he clutches his abdomen. I reach out and run a hand over his torso. He shivers under my touch, as if even the slightest pressure is painful.
“But then a miracle occurred,” he says softly. “Just as I accepted our defeat, a rumble roared from the hall. It was the sound of thundering seahorse, the messengers of the apocalypse, come to deliver our fate. There was a roll of thunder, followed by a flash of lightning. Then all the waves, the elemental weapons at the queen’s disposal, fell still, melted into the water we breathe as if they had never existed at all. The sirens began to turn red in the face, their bodies vibrating uncontrollably. I could not believe my eyes. Could not make sense of it. The queen and her siblings let out guttural screams and fled the palace, leaving the rest of the guard to collapse.”
He gestures at the bodies scattered all around us. My eyes linger on a male siren. His bloodshot eyes are wide open, frozen in horror, his fangs bared. Just as Ryke described, his face is flushed as with fever.
“Feel his forehead.”
I lean down and set the back of my hand against his face. Then I jump back with a yelp.
“He is burning hot,” I tell Ryke.
His eyes dance as we did earlier that night. The memory makes my lower lip tremble.
“Did you know that the body is sixty percent water?”
My jaw drops. “Do you mean to tell me that something made the water trapped beneath their skin begin to boil?”
“Something.” The corner of his mouth pulls up into a menacing grin. “Or someone.”
The very blood stirring in my veins stills.
“Me?” I whisper. “You believe I burned the sirens from within? By wielding the trident?”
“According to legend, the trident had the ability to control any body of water, create water elementals, and command the tides. All at the will of the wielder.” He stares down at me from under his dark lashes. “Merriah, you saved us.”
“I—”
“Thank you.”
He attempts to lean toward me, then groans.
“Are you wounded?” I ask, unable to bear his pain.
He shakes his head. “The battle drained me. I used the full extent of my strength, and now I have very little left. Eventually, my body will heal. But it will take time.”
Panic begins to course through my veins. “But we do not have time! I have no idea how I used the trident. My actions were accidental. I do not know if I can replicate them.”
“Hush, little minnow,” Ryke says. “We have the trident and the rest of the treasure trove. And best of all, we have you. You have given me hope. Restored my faith. My minnow, my savior. My Merriah.”
Tears fill my eyes. “I cannot do this without you,” I cry. “There must be something I can do to help you heal.”
He mumbles to himself, his eyes half closed.
I think back over all the information he has shared with me. The history of his people, all the lore of the gods of the sea. My ancestral claim. I remember our training, the preparations we have made for war. There has to be a way for me to help him. For Ryke to heal faster and be ready for the fight to come. For me to share my newfound power with Atlantia’s one rightful ruler.
