Ursula's Beginning

19. Just a token really, a trifle (continued)

"All of them!"

He smiled and shook his head. "You know, starfish can regrow lost limbs. Can you?" As he spoke, he roughly groped every tentacle he could reach, one at a time. "And if you can't, how stupid of you to go around helping starfish when you can't even help yourself. Who's the idiot now?" He cracked her head against the wall.

Some part of Ursula's brain said she should exert herself, come up with a plan, say something. But that voice seemed very far away. Everything was growing dimmer, and she could only understand snippets of the diatribe Alphon was hissing into her face.

"...have spies and informants everywhere, you fool..."

"...seems everyone is on your side, except that I can tell my mother does not like you..."

"...delusional brothers but you'll end up serving me..."

"...greedy with the dark magic—you will share what you know..."

"...certainly more than one use for you..."

"Answer me!"

She raised her eyes to meet his. "I—how—what was the question?" she mumbled confusedly.

"You don't want to talk? Fine. Let's hear you scream."

"No, just repeat—"

Ursula felt the hot, sickening sensation of a tentacle being sliced open at its base, just beneath her right hip. Her screams filled the cave.

"This was such a clever hiding spot," Alphon sneered. "You knew that you and Triton could be as loud as you wanted and now, so can we."

She looked down and swooned. From what she could make out through clouds of black blood, Alphon was most of the way through her limb. Her useless arms were pinned above her head, both wrists bound in one of Alphon's hands. His other hand worked on her with a knife. As faint as she was, Ursula noticed that it was an odd-looking instrument.

With a revolting jerk, Alphon finished severing her tentacle; they both watched it drift down and bounce lightly across the cave floor. "You'll never even miss it," he pronounced. Her shrieks echoed through the chamber. As they faded into quieter sobs, he pressed himself against her.

"Your screams are like music," he whispered. "The kind that quickens the pulse. It excites me...and so few things do." His lips brushed against her ear as he spoke, sending shudders through her exhausted, injured body.

She tried to smash her head into his, but the blow didn't land. Alphon leaned back to avoid it, then surveyed his victim. "Hmm, guess you need more taming. Let's make you even on both sides, shall we?"

"No, please, I beg you—"

"Scream for me," he said, sinking his knife into a tentacle below her left hip.

He will probably kill me. But I will not pleasure this monster. This message from her brain was louder. Ursula ground her teeth together and fought to remain silent. He noted her defiance and slowed the progress of his knife to extend the torture. Frustration flashed across his face. "Come on!" he shouted.

He was halfway through the limb, and Ursula was silent, save the high-pitched wheezes that she could not suppress.

Enraged, Alphon threw his knife into the floor of the cave. Only the handle stuck out from the sand. He grasped the mangled tentacle and began to tear it from her body, one small tug at a time. The knife had been merciful compared to this. Ursula screamed inwardly for a miracle.

Someone help me! Siddikah! Please! Anyone!! HELP!!

He ripped the tentacle clean off her body and brandished it above his head victoriously as she continued her silent plea for rescue. He released her wrists, and she collapsed onto the floor. He waved her limb around playfully, mockingly. Then he tossed it aside like garbage and advanced toward her once more.

That was the last thing she saw before another wide channel of her own blood obscured her vision. She heard the ensuing struggle, though. She heard the hisses and grunts and snarls. She heard thuds and scuffling and the snapping of jaws. She heard Alphon hollering incoherently.

Then, silence.

When the sand and blood settled, she found herself facing two large moray eels. There was no way to fight, no use in shouting. Ahh, she thought. Attacks and A Tax. We meet at last. The dreams made sense now: they had been a warning that an attack, resulting in death by eels, was the price—the tax—she had to pay for her time with Triton. So be it, then. She felt strangely calm as she looked into their peculiar faces; both of them had one jaundiced eye.

They kept their gaze fixed upon Ursula as they retrieved her disembodied limbs from the floor. At that moment, she turned her head; she would not watch them enjoy their appetizer. It was too much to bear. So she waited, and hoped death would be swift.

A few moments later, she felt a slippery snout on either side of her, seeking her armpits. How odd, she thought dully.

The eels raised her up and slid themselves under her arms, nestling against the sides of her torso. Ursula's eyes popped open in shock. Their heads were twisted to look up and back at her, as if awaiting instructions. Each one had a tentacle dangling from its mouth, held gingerly to avoid further damage.

"What is happening? Would you lower me?" she whispered.

They dipped down in perfect synchrony but stayed in place, propping her body.

"I want the knife."

The eels glided her to the knife. Using the last of her strength, she pulled it from the ocean floor.

"I have a weapon now," she announced.

The two eels awaited their next command, unperturbed.

They must be under an enchantment. Siddikah must have sent them!

"My bag?"

She was promptly propelled to her bag. Ursula stuck the knife inside, bunching her cloak around the blade. She tried to lift the strap to her shoulders, but faltered. Fluidly, the eel to her right slipped under the strap and wore the bag like an absurd, oversized necklace.

"Thank you. Now, can you take me to Siddikah's? Do you know where that is?"

The eels glanced at each other, then looked up at her and blinked in unison. The three of them floated out of the cave as one.