Dark Waters

Chapter 14

EDITED

(Avalon's POV)

I turn around slowly, scared of what happens next. I make eye contact with many dark merfolk, but they look scared of me. 

And then I realize that I have just defeated their best warrior; the one they call their leader. I too am afraid of me. According to this so-called prophecy, I am now their leader, and I must fight the leader of the Northern Kingdom.

One by one, they bow down to me. Until they are all down. 

No. No, I don't want this. I just want to get out of here, I want to go home. Knowing I can use this newfound power and respect in a good way, I make some demands.

"First, you will release all of your prisoners. Then you will allow me to leave," I have to make them believe I will fulfill their wishes, "so I can go battle the Northern Kingdom." 

None of them move. 

"NOW."

The guards rise from their positions and lead me back to the dungeon. As we enter, the prisoners lift their heads in sorrow. They think I have lost. We go to the last cell that contains captives, and I am handed the keys. I place it in the lock, and turn the key. 

Their faces are priceless.

"You? You beat her?" 

The mermaid who filled me in asks in disbelief. I nod in response, and swing open the door. They all slowly file out, and I move to the next cell. But before I release them, I turn to the guards. 

"Half of you are going to retrieve some food for my friends here." The back half depart to do as I say.

Once all of them are let out and have been fed so they have energy, we prepare to leave. It was gross...how they ate raw fish. The large doors swing open, and we all race out.

I ask the mermaid who helped me her name. 

"My name is Evelyn. Yours?" 

 "Avalon. Can you show me to the Northern Kingdom? This is my first time away from home. Away from land." She stops and stares at me in confusion. 

"You're a Domestic? And you beat their leader? But The Prophecy said only a member of the Northern Kingdom can be the chosen one." I am also confused. 

"Well...Domestics and Natives make up the Northern Kingdom."

She is about to reply when I see my grandmother appear in the distance. I mind message her to come to me. 

'I see you. Come towards the group of mermaids.'

The mermaid swims at top speed towards us. She stops and stares at me. 

"You escaped? How? The creatures of The Dark only let prisoners go when ordered to by their leader." She looks fearful. I think she has caught on. 

"I am their leader." 

She stares at me in disbelief. 

"The Queen isn't going to like this."

She leads the mermaids back to Atlantis. As we approach, all signs of life slowly disappear. It is not hard to tell that the pack of mermaids with us have been held captive somewhere. Somewhere dark at that. Their skin is pale. Their bones jut out everywhere. They look weak. 

And why may you ask that there are only mermaids in the pack? Because the creatures of The Dark apparently find all mermen worthless, and therefore they are executed upon being captured.

By the time we are nearing the castle, I am scared. I was afraid to come here in the first place because of my powers. 

Now, I have even more power and will be seen as more of a threat to The Queen.  And there's a Prophecy that wants me to fight her, to defeat her. This is bad. 

The guards operating the castle doors surround us and take us into the castle. They have to make sure we cannot harm the royals.

If only they knew. 

My grandmother and I are ordered to enter The Queen's chambers, while the rest are taken away, to identify who they are and how long they have been gone. We slowly enter, and I am horrified of what will happen next. 

The door creaks open.

(Jade's POV)

We had just finished tying up Avalon's hands when she changed back. She was starting to scare me. Her eyes began to change color, and her voice changed. 

"Let me go, or you will pay the price." She says in a deep voice that sounds robotic. Her eyes are glowing red.

She looks at her bindings and does the unthinkable. 

She begins to move them with her mind. They slowly unravel, and we back away in horror. As the last one drops to the floor with a thud, she walks off of the tree. She walks towards us, stopping when she is a few feet away. She smiles, and waves at us. 

In a creepy doll-like voice, she says "Goodbye. The sea is calling." And she skips to the water. She stops at the water's edge. Her head turns towards us, and her eyes are back to normal. She whispers "I'm sorry," and runs in. We see her tail flip as she swims under. She doesn't return.

I look at Kaitlyn, and we run into each other's arms, crying. We now have reasons to believe that Avalon is in danger, and there is nothing we can do about it. 

We collect all of our things, including Avalon's, and pack it back into the car. We head back home, not speaking a word most of the way.

We enter our city limits, and I figure we should discuss what we are going to do. "We should go to Avalon's house first, and tell her parents what happened. Then we will go home. Sound good?" 

She looks at me from the driver's seat and nods. 

"I just hope she is okay." She whispers, and I nod in agreement. We don't say another word until we are at Avalon's house.

I grab her bag and we head to their front door. We knock loudly and hear a commotion inside. Nerissa opens the door. Behind her are Tangaroa, my father, and Kaitlyn's mother and father. All of our siblings are lined up behind them. 

"Hi...?" Kaitlyn says, improvising.

We are led inside, and into the living room. 

"Where is Avalon?" Nerissa asks. Kaitlyn and I look at each other, and nod. 

"Can we speak to the Tailors' for a moment alone?" Their expressions show confusion. As our families pile out of the room, we prepare to tell them. We tell them the whole story, including Avalon's increased powers.

"She is in danger." Nerissa states.

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