A Mermaid's Tale

Chapter 13

Alfred and Christov paled noticeably. Arthur was the only one that held his composure, but his lips pressed together into a tight line. I could tell he was already coming up with some kind of plan. We weren't allowed to dwell on it for long, however, because the Council began to talk again.

"You will be given a short head start, so please try not to get caught in the building. It would be inconvenient to have to clean up all that blood..."

"Inconvenient..." Arthur growled. His hand strayed toward his cutlass, but he didn't draw it. "Do you have a plan?" he hissed at me.

"Other than swim like crazy? No."

"Useless..." he mumbled and shook his head. "How fast can your dolphin swim?"

"Fast," I assured him.

"Good. Have him take Christov and the kid out of here."

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine. I'm a pirate, love. I never stay caught for long." A crazy smile appeared on his face as he drew his weapon. "Just don't do anything stupid."

"Gee, thanks."

I turned to my dolphin and explained everything in a low voice. He nodded once and nudged me sadly. I pet his snout affectionately. If there was anyone that I could trust to take care of my friends, it was him. And yes, they were my friends because I've never had anyone stand up for me the way they have.

"Ready?" Arthur's green eyes locked onto mine.

"Yes," I answered.

"Open the doors!"

"GO!!!" Arthur roared.

Alfred and Christov went shooting through the doorway clinging to my little dolphin. I took off after them with as much speed as I could muster. The sharks were chained by the door and snapped at me as I swam past. Their beady eyes followed me hungrily, and I tried not to think about how their teeth would feel sinking into my legs or arms.

"(Y/n)! Hurry!" Alfred shouted. He and Chrstov were already far ahead of me.

"Wait..." I turned to look for Arthur.

He was slowly following behind me while keeping his eyes on the sharks. The beasts seemed to sense the approach of the bigger threat and averted their eyes to the pirate. They strained against the metal collars around their necks, which shimmered with some sort of magic. I wasn't surprised. These sharks were massive, and there was no way ordinary chains could hold them.

Their jaws opened wide in anticipation. They could have easily swallowed one of us with one bite, but I had the feeling they preferred to mangle their prey instead. Something about the bloodthirsty glint in their eyes told me that. That, and the definitely malicious thoughts radiating from their minds. I was never particularly fond of sharks, and these were no exception.

"Release the executioners!"

Time seemed to slow as the collars around the hungry beasts dissolved into sea foam. They beelined straight for Arthur, and he met them with a hungry expression of his own. Unless the pirate had some kind of supernatural powers I didn't know about, he was about to become a pile of bloody chum.

My body moved without my consent. There was only one thought on my mind. "Arthur, nooooooooo!"

~000~

Some kind of cry sounded in the distance, but the Captain couldn't really make it out. All he could hear was the sound of his blood rushing and thumping in his ears. That was perfectly fine with him because he didn't want to hear what awful kinds of sounds sharks made when they tore someone to shreds.