A Mermaid's Tale

Chapter 13

He had volunteered to stay behind as decoy, but the truth of the matter was he had no plan as to what came after that. Sure, drawing his blade seemed like the right thing to do, but what good was that against at least three sharks intent on making him their lunch? Arthur almost smirked. He really should stop being witty in life threatening situations and a little quicker on his feet. Or in the water in this case.

The pirate raised his cutlass. He didn't know if he could do any real damage, but it was better than being eaten. The first shark didn't even slow down as it approached Arthur. He barely sidestepped and used its momentum to cut a long gash from its mouth to its pectoral fin. A bright red cloud grew in the water as blood mixed with the sea. This seemed to throw the other sharks off, and gave the Captain a perfect window of opportunity to escape.

A pirate's got to do what a pirate's got to do, and sometimes that meant running away. He sheathed his blade and swam away from the sharks as fast as he could. Wet clothing didn't make for easy swimming, but Arthur couldn't dump his heavy coat. There were too many important things tucked away in its various pockets. However, some of those things were not useful, so he pulled out two revolvers, a compass, and a knife to drop as he swam. He did hold onto his gold though.

Someone pulled up beside him, and it took the Captain a moment to realize it was the mermaid. "Are you a bloody idiot? I told you to go ahead!"

"I couldn't leave you behind!"

"I said I could manage!"

"I was worried!"

"Well, don't be! I'm a pirate! We take care of ourselves!"

"Look out!!!"

Just then one of the sharks came out of nowhere and almost got a mouthful of Arthur's head. If it weren't for the mermaid, he would have been a goner. By now they were out of the Council Building and swimming through the city. The other sharks weren't far behind, and Arthur was out of clever tricks to pull out of his hat.

"What were you saying about pirates taking care of themselves?"

"Shut up," he grumbled. "You're awfully calm for someone being hunted by sharks."

"Yeah, I guess I am."

This made the Captain hopeful. "Got a plan then?"

"No."

Arthur swore rather loudly. "Then what are you doing coming back for me?"

"I told you, I was worried. But I think I may have a plan now."

The streets were all empty as the merpeople all hid in their houses to avoid being mistaken as the ones to be executed. Arthur paused as the girl filled him in on what she was thinking. His lips pressed together tightly the further she got in her half-baked plan.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked.

"What other choice do we have?"

"And what if you don't make it?"

"Then you won't have to worry about me anymore."

Captain Kirkland's eyes darkened. As annoying as she was, he didn't want that to happen. It didn't even have to do with their connection. He just didn't want anything to happen to the mermaid. The thought was almost laughable, but he couldn't deny it.

"(Y/n), that's not how-"

"No time! Head for the exit!"

She pushed him away as a shark spotted them in the distance. It swam toward her with eagerness, but Arthur couldn't watch what was going on. He was too busy gritting his teeth as he swam away.