A Miraculous Mermaid Tale

Chapter 14: Saying Goodbye

"More missing sailors have disappeared from this port than any other in France," Gabriel explained, sounding surprisingly calm. "Many people have also claimed to see ghosts and similar things."

"Fantastic," Marinette murmured.

"Don't let the rumors frighten you," Nathalie said. The wind blew again, colder than before. "Or the wind. We're in a narrow space, so it sounds strange."

Her words didn't seem to reassure any of them, however, even her.

"It doesn't help that it's getting dark," Nino added. "And there's, like, no one around."

"Everyone's probably inside because it's going to rain soon," Gabriel told them all. "That also explains the cold wind."

Everyone jumped at the sound of thunder. "Maybe we should partner up?" Adrien suggested, doing his best not to sound scared.

Gabriel stopped to look at them all. "Very well, if that would make you feel better, go ahead."

Adrien gripped the hand of the person closest to him, which happened to be Marinette. Next to them, Alya and Nino had joined hands as well. Marinette took Alya's hand, linking all four of them together. Even Tikki and Plagg joined them, jumping onto Marinette and Adrien's shoulders.

Nathalie looked at the teens sympathetically before turning back to Gabriel. "How far is she?"

"Only a few minutes."

She glanced at the rapidly darkening sky with a small frown. "Will we make it before the rain starts?"

"Hopefully."

Lightning flashed between the clouds, making Nathalie swiftly look away.

"Might want to rethink that," Nino said, before adding a quick, "Sorry."

Thunder rumbled again, shaking the ground. Adrien steadied Marinette as she tripped in surprise.

"Whoops," she squeaked.

Adrien smiled, about to reply when he saw movement in between the buildings. "Father, I think someone's following us."

Gabriel nodded without turning around. "Stay together. Nathalie, come closer to me." When she did so, he motioned for her to take his arm. "Don't act like you saw them," he told the teens.

Nathalie knew this was the worst possible time for her symptoms to return, but there wasn't much she could do about it. Luckily, other than the pain in her chest, nothing else was present yet.

"Just a little further," Gabriel murmured.

At the sound of more thunder, Nathalie tightened her grip on his arm.

"There it is." A large mansion stood in front of them, quite similar to the one belonging to the Agrestes. It was white and surrounded by hedges.

"Are you certain she'll let us in unannounced?" she asked. "The only one of us she knows is you."

"Not to worry, she owes me a favor."

But Nathalie worried anyway, her free hand moving to rub her chest.

Big mistake.

As soon as she touched the mark, her pain doubled. She fell, wincing as her knees hit the hard cobblestone.

"What's wrong?" Gabriel asked in surprise.

"Nothing, I'm fine." She let him pull her to her feet. "I only stumbled."