The Ocean's Song (pt.2)

~46~

Islay would probably be a cute kid if she didn't look like a negative ghost. "Oh? And how would you do that?"

Islay grinned slyly and closed her eyes, concentrating. A second later, a hazy, actually ghost-like, version of Islay protruded from her and charged at Naida, screaming.

Naida yelped, fumbled backward, and accidentally used her power to force the ghost away from here. It went right through the ghost and knocked Islay back and caused her to thud into the wall, then sink unconsciously to the floor. The apparition dissolved.

"No!" Naida cried and bolted to the girl's side, checking to make sure she was okay. Luckily, she wasn't even bleeding, but what was the next servant to pick her up gonna think when they saw Islay unconscious in her arms? Ocean would punish her for sure.

Naida didn't think about what she was gonna do next, she swam out the entrance to her chamber and started going down the first hall her eyes landed on, going a random direction every time a fork appeared. She used her water manipulation to boost her along, which helped a lot, but it was only a matter of time before she was caught. "What am I doing? Oh, I'm so dead... Ocean's going to kill me for real!

Lost in worry and thought, Naida didn't see the figure coming from an adjourning tunnel and swam right into them. Before she could fight back or run, their arms were wrapped around her and a hand was over her mouth.

"Naida? What are you doing? Where is your escort?" Mako gasped and Naida realized who she had run into. He removed his hand from her mouth so she could speak and she wiggled out of his arms after he loosened his grip.

Naida stared at him, panting. His eyes were as milky white as all the other sirens here, a look that she still wasn't used to seeing on him. Fear, anger, regret, sadness. Emotions threatened to ruin her poorly planned escape by urging horrible insults and prodding questions to shout out of her, but she restrained herself and pushed the conflicting feelings down. Now was not the time.

Naida bolted. She used one hand motion to push Mako back down the tunnel he came from, and another to boost her back along her improvised path.

It didn't take long for Naida to notice Mako was trying to follow her, though her magic current kept him from getting close.