Fathoms Below

Chapter 11: The Arena

As she swam, Adelaide tried to push and pull the water around her. She used her thoughts, trying to think the water into movement, and even tried waving her hands about like a loon—which only twisted her up and changed her swimming direction.

You can't lose. Lives are at stake!

What had she done when she'd pushed Pheron back into the water?

Freaked out and totally lost her cool. She'd been in a panic, desperate to live.

But what did she do?

Adelaide thought back to the moment, remembering the feeling of Pheron glaring down at her, promising a painful death. He'd had his hands on her arms, so she hadn't moved them to make it happen.

In a moment of desperation, Adelaide wished she'd known how before she'd lost her memory, so she could have told Seymour and he could have reminded her.

Her heart lurched at the thought of never seeing Seymour again if she failed, and a surge of water rushed past her face.

Adelaide paused, floating for a moment. Was it tied to emotion? Pain? Anger? Fear? She thought of her parents, killed by Pheron in a jealous rage, and thought of how much she hated him. Water pulsed toward her again.

Emboldened, Adelaide held onto her feelings, zipping through the water with new purpose.

She sensed it before she saw it, the dark water pressing around her. As she drew deeper, buildings came into view. Skyscrapers, decrepit and crumbling, half caved in by the fall into the sea. Cars, homes, and even what seemed to be an old amusement park stretched before her—eerily quiet and forbidding.

California.

Adelaide kept swimming, fear constricting her throat. She wondered how many bodies were below her, having drowned with no chance of rescue.

The song beat boomed inside her now, and she knew she must be close. Strange lights dotted the water, filling the homes that didn't seem to be quite as ruined as the rest. A voice in the distance echoed through the water. She recognized it.

Pheron.

Kicking her fins faster, Adelaide soared forward. She stopped, staring down below. The little lights glowed purple and white, filling an arena of some kind. It stretched in a half circle, Mer resting in seats, staring down at the mossy green center where Pheron addressed them.

"Our time has come." He hovered in the water, arms stretched wide. His bare chest glowed brighter than any of the other lights, which Adelaide realized came from the other Mer. Most had black scales like Pheron, though there were plenty violet mermaids as well.

Adelaide swam closer, staying behind Pheron to keep out of view.

"The humans aren't to be trusted. It's only a matter of time before they come for us – to fish for us and roast us alive."

Murmured voices echoed at this assertion, but Pheron continued.

"We have a chance to destroy them. I've discovered their secrets, their weapons, and with the help of our own scientists, we've adapted their weapons for our use. We can flood the earth, and then we'll be the only creatures in control."

"But what about the freshwater Mer?" a voice called. Adelaide searched for the speaker, but couldn't see clearly through the murky water. It occurred to her that there were far fewer Mer than she expected. No more than there were UnKept above.

"The humans have turned the freshwaters against us. They've turned them into cannibals who eat their own kind—stolen their water, so they live dry."