Page 86 of Female Fantasy
My stomach twists.
Heightened emotions.
The fear of losing my beloved to the murderous sirens.
The passion of being consumed entirely by the rightful ruler of Atlantia.
I think of the way my insides contracted around him and squeeze my thighs together.
“And what of the trove’s other items?” the mer—Enochlo, some sort of noble—continues. “Have you confirmed that they answer to her and only her?”
Ryke clenches his fists. I can tell that he is only seconds away from losing his patience.
“Not yet,” he grits out. “But we will. Soon.”
I nibble on my lip. Perhaps Enochlo is right.
But perhaps not.
The other two items in the treasure trove, a dorsal fin carved with mysterious symbols and a golden whip, have thus far proved ineffective. When I held them, I felt no obvious pull, like I did when I somehow knew to lift the conch to my lips. Power surged through my body the moment I set eyes upon the trident.
Ryke insists that when the time is right, I will know what to do with each item.
I am not so sure.
“Pathetic human,” Enochlo practically spits. “Can she even shift?”
My heart sinks. If only this mer knew how badly I wish I could do just that. But alas, the ability to grow a tail has thus far eluded me. My bloodline must be too diluted.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ryke open his mouth, prepared to take down Enochlo once and for all with his clever tongue. But it is Mira who stands before he can speak. Who looks the older mer directly in the eyes and says, “I would think twice before further insulting a deity of Atlantia.” Her voice is ice cold, merciless. “Some might see it as sacrilege.”
With that, Enochlo is silenced.
Ryke speaks again. “I have seen the strength of the almighty Merriah firsthand. Even without knowing the truth about our kind, she was summoned by the conch. Heard its ancient melody and felt possessed to blow it. The night of the Ball of Sinking Stars, when I was ambushed, Merriah single-handedly gutted the intruding sirens by boiling the very water inside their bodies. Her tidal waves and whirlpools outmatched thoseof the false queen Talassa. Where our fake sovereign draws her power from bloodshed and carnage, our goddess pulls from her birthright and her destiny. The sirens develop their abilities by killing humans. But Merriah wants only to save our race. She healed me with her energy, the natural potency of her life force, and kept me from dying, even when I brought her to the very edge of the afterlife. But those are not the main reasons you should put your faith in her.”
I can barely breathe, can barely see. “Are they not?” I whisper.
He shakes his head, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
“No, my minnow. The people of Atlantia should rally behind you because you showed them kindness before they did anything to earn it.” He turns back to face the crowd. “She was prepared to join our cause before she had any knowledge of her connection to Amphitrite. After surviving so much darkness in the human world, her spirit remains light and hopeful. She is every bit as much a queen as I am a prince. And only she can stand by my side as we liberate our people.”
Then the crown prince of Atlantia sinks down on one knee and bows his head to me.
Dylan follows suit.
Then Guinn.
Kai and Mira.
Even Enochlo.
Before I know it, the entire room is bowing to me. A human woman.
I want to shout at them to rise. Urge them not to place their faith in me.
The pressure crushes my shoulders, my back, my mind.
What if I lead thousands of people to the slaughter?
