Descendant of the Deep (Siren Song: Book One)

Chapter Five: No Return

My heart stopped beating. "What?"
"You can't go back now or you risk being caught by the wrong people. It was incredibly fortunate that we found you first, and sending you back to Maine would give the sirens a chance to steal you away from us."
"What do the sirens want with me?" I asked, trying to keep the fear out of my voice.
Melusine pursed her lips. "Your abilities could be useful to them."
"Why?"
The Queen glared at me. "I will say no more on the matter."
I was shocked by how sharp her tone was. She'd been so kind to me that I'd almost forgotten her authority.
The Queen's face softened. "Maybe I could arrange a way to inform your foster mother that you were safe. Would that make you feel better?"
I nodded. If I wasn't permitted to return, at least Ruby would know that I was safe.
Melusine sighed. "So it seems you'll be staying here a while. I shall order the servants to allow you to stay in one of our guest rooms. My daughter Princess Sophia will show you the central parts of the castle that you must learn to navigate. Hopefully, I can get you safely back to your human mother before too long."
My body was completely numb by the time our conversation was over. I couldn't go back. She wouldn't let me. I'd gone through so much precaution and so much anxiety to make sure that my secret stayed buried, and the second I'm discovered, I'm stuffed in a cage at the bottom of the sea. A beautiful cage full of magical creatures and gorgeous architecture, a positive voice sang in my head. And maybe the palace was indeed the best possible prison to be in if I had the choice, and maybe my life would not be terrible from here on out. But it was still a cage, and I felt more isolated than ever. When I swam out of the throne room into the entrance hall, I spotted Taron and Rowan floating in place near a support column. Though they were my captors, they were the only people I knew even remotely in this strange new world. And it wouldn't hurt to piss Taron off with my new room in the palace.
     Taron spotted me and scowled. "Surprised that you made it out of there without an escort of guards to show you the way to the dungeons, you filthy bottom feeder."
     Rowan winced. "Taron, now's really not the time-"
     "Shut it, zippy. I just want to know how this freak is swimming free."
     Free was a strong word, and definitely not one that described my new situation. But the last thing I wanted was for Taron to know that.
     "Oh, it's simple, really. I spoke with the Queen about my special talent, and she was so amazed by it that she offered me shelter in her palace. An ironic twist of events, don't you think? I'm sorry, but I don't believe I heard where you were staying?" I relished the last words, bringing back Taron's cruel words about my name back to bite him. He clearly got the memo, as he curled his lip back into a snarl. Rowan laughed under his breath, but was silenced when Taron shot him a dirty look.
     I held my wrist bindings up to Taron's face, completely throwing subtlety out the window. "I think you know what to do, Officer."
     Taron growled and grabbed a knife from his satchel. He hovered the blade inches from my skin, probably considering slashing it into my flesh. After a moment's hesitation, he cut through the seaweed bindings.
     I massaged my wrists and sighed. To have my hands free from the tightly tied cuffs was an amazing feeling, a bright side in what seemed to be looking like a gray, dark day.
     The murderous look on Taron's face didn't hurt either.
     I turned around and began to swim away, leaving Taron defeated and Rowan snickering.
     As I swam around slowly around the entrance hall, exploring every nook and cranny, a mermaid dressed in a black silk uniform swam up to me.
     "Excuse me, miss, but are you the guest the Queen informed me about?" She asked in a polite tone. I nodded.
     The servant smiled. "Welcome. Right this way Lady..." She waited for me to introduce myself.
     I snapped out of my daze. "Oh! Britta."
     The servant smiled. " My, what a pretty name. You can call me Mary. I'm the head of the servants here at the Summer Palace. If there's anything you need, I'll bring it up to you in no time."
     Mary's warm demeanor was comforting. I liked her already.
     "Her Majesty the Queen informed me that you had quite a rough day today. Might I suggest a visit to the hot springs? I've heard that they are very relaxing."
     I thanked her for the suggestion, and followed her into a corridor.
     "Now, Lady Britta, I will show you to your apartments. If you would just follow me..." . Mary led us down a series of hallways until we reached a massive open space that arched upward into what must have been the tallest turret in the palace. Along their walls were doorway-shaped holes that led into hallways. There wasn't a staircase in sight.
     Mary began to swim up, and she motioned for me to follow. We swam up through the clear water until we reached a hole on the third floor. Swimming through the entrance, Mary guided me to an elaborate oak door with carvings cut into it. The carvings depicted mermaids on the rocks, smiling and vainly playing with their hair. It, like everything else in the palace, was beautiful.
     Mary swung the door open to reveal a lavish room with marble flooring and stone walls. I rounded a corner to find an extremely large bathroom and a bedroom. The drawers of the dresser were already stocked with clothes of all different sizes. In another room there was a chair and a hole that vaguely looked like a fireplace, but gurgled up bubbles instead of flames. An underwater heating system.
     All of it was so amazing, yet so overwhelming. My mind kept wandering back to poor Ruby, who didn't know that I was okay. I quickly thanked Mary, who exited through a back entrance that I hadn't noticed on the way in.
     With Mary gone, I undressed and went to the bathroom to treat the bruise on my cheek. When I looked in the mirror, I winced. It was worse than I thought. Taron had broken my skin when he'd knocked me unconscious, so there was a small wound in the middle of black and blue swelling. I must have looked like the living dead when I'd first awakened this morning.
     With my wound treated with rubbing alcohol to fight off infection, I crawled into the four poster bed in the middle of the room and let myself sink into the piles of sheets and blankets.
     And for the first time since my capture, I cried.