Darkness Arises

Chapter Thirteen: The Army

"Her power is growing. Much more that we have ever thought she would have." The Elder says approaching the body, her face completely emotionless. "The merpeople under her control are changing. Mutating."

I look back at the dead merman's tail. It's slimy and sickly looking. With no fins at the end it just looks like a serpent's tail. "She's doing this to them?" I mutter in disbelief.

"Her power is, yes. They grow dependent on it."

"Where's Charlie then? Did she take her?" Radiance's mother asks, holding Radiance in her arms.

The Elder sighs, about to reply but instead she shouts, "Look out!" Pushing Radiance and her mother out of the way while throwing a burst of white power colliding with another serpent like mermaid. The mermaid shrieks out a horrible sound in fury before dropping dead, floating slowly down to the bottom of the ocean.

We all state after it in shock until someone above us crackles in mad laughter. "Oh you got her! What a pity. She was one of the best servants, stupid, but always eager to please her queen. The rightful queen of the ocean."

On top of the cliff is enough to make my stomach want to hurl. There. Is the Dark Queen and beside her is...

"Charlie! What are you doing!" Radiance panicked cries ring out and her mother rushes to hush her.

The Dark Queen laughs again, throwing her head back and pretending to wipe away fake tears. "Oh how lovely. The other half-breed is here." She says with disgust, flicking her long black serpent tail she pulls Charlie close to her and stroke her hair while Charlie stairs straight ahead, mindlessly.

"End this right now Ursla or you will not live to see tomorrow!" The Elder warns, her voice full of authority and power. Immediately the water changes, charged with her power but the Dark Queen just laughs again.

"Oh Airlia... Darling. How good to see you."

The Elder visibly tenses and her mate shoots forward. "You dare speak her name like a friend?" He snaps, his eyes dark and dangerous.

"Oh! Windsor, how good to see you. My, my, I had almost forgotten you're still around these days." The Dark Queen says in a voice that suggests she's bored with the conversation. "I must say your daughter turned out beautifully! Just look at her! The power she possesses. It's simply astonishing!"

The Elder swims forward. "You will stop this. You do not know what you're doing. This is ancient magic at play."

"That's what makes this all more fun!" Ursla replies with a sneer. "Tell me, how is my son doing? That pathetic merman of a king you call him. He's resisted my calls for so long but... I must say the past few decades has been so lovely to watch him finally fall into madness. He cannot resist his true power for long."

Anger boils through my veins and a surge of unknown power pumps through my body. Without stopping to think, I flick my wrist and send a heavy current to the Dark Queen causing her to fly back with a horrible shriek.

"Fools! All of you!" She snarls, grabbing Charlie's arm digging her nails into her skin drawing thick blood to flow through the water. "Chiriko!!" She screams madly, swiping away her hair out of her face.

Behind her the shark king rises up behind her with a cruel grin. "Youuuu callllllled?" He growls, his beady black eyes locked onto mine.

Painting heavily she starts to scream "KILL HER! Kill the pathetic half breed. Do NOT let the prophecy come true! Do not fail me Chiriko."

"Glllladly my Queen." The shark king darts forward followed by two hammerhead at a blinding speed towards Radiance.

Thankfully she starts to sing a single, loud note that sounds horrible to sharks. But the King of all sharks is too strong for that. While his companions drop with loud shrieks of pain, writhing on the ocean floor he remains unfazed.

Windsor reacts fast and throws his spear with all his strength, releasing a pulse of energy with it. The spear buries itself into the tail of the King who cries out in anger. He turns his attention to Windsor and charges.

Ursla sends down more of her mutant mermaids after us and the guards engage in battle without hesitation. The mutants are slow and stupid but their power makes up for it. I draw my own sword and rush to protect Radiance and her mother.

"Let's go!" I scream at Radiance.

"No! I have to get my mother! I will not leave her." She fiercely says and I have no other choice but to comply.

"Fine. Stay close to me then. She's right next to the Elder."

Radiance nods firmly but her eyes show that she's afraid. Shrieks of the horrible mutants are all around us. A few of the guards have fallen and the others are horrified but are determined. "LETS GO!" I order the captain and he rushes to get his guards in formation.

We need to leave.

"Oh dearie. Please don't take this personally." Radiance and I are stopped by Ursla and Charlie in front of us.

Charlie looks sickly pale. Her black scales are completely transformed now and she has black lines all across her body and around her eyes. She's panting heavily and her arms are twitching uncontrollably. "Charlie?" Radiance says, her voice shaking.

"What did you do!" I growl through my teeth.

"Nothing! Simply nothing... But Charlie... Is about to do everything for me" Ursla replies with a grin and by the time I look back to Charlie, it's too late.

Charlie releases a burst of power through her palms straight towards Radiance who is frozen in fear. I didn't realize Radiance had gotten so close to Charlie. She's out of my grasp. 

Before the scream leaves my throat, a flash of bright red-orange leaps in front of my eyes followed by a painful grunt. I'm blinded by white light and the Elder is attacking furiously. Her eyes glowing. Most of the mutants have fallen but the rest are fleeing with their Queen.

With more laughter she says, "Its over." And disappears our sight.

For a moment, the guards breath a sigh of relief and the Elder collapses in her mates arms, her power completely drained. Everything is quiet until a piercing scream cuts through and brings us back to what had just happened. Charlie attacked us.

"No no no no..."

It's Radiance's voice and relief washes over me but what I see breaks my heart. "Mom? MOM!" She shakes her mother but she does not move and she starts to scream in horror. A sound that will echo in my heart forever.

Her mothers eyes stare upwards, dull of life. Her tail has already faded of all color and she lies limply in her screaming daughters arms,  "Mother please! Please don't leave me here! Please mom! Mom I love you. I love you so much mom. I love you, please come back! Please. Please! NO!!!"

And we all watch helplessly and in shock while Radiances cries of grief echoes into the ocean...

• • •
Damn, that ending totally. Sucked.
Okay guys. What'd you think?