Descendant of the Deep (Siren Song: Book One)

Chapter Fourteen: Consulting Sophia

     I was released from the infirmary the next day, the only remnants of my shoulder wound being a bruise on my collarbone. Though it was still tender, most of the aching had vanished. The only thing damaged was my reputation. Everywhere I went, people gave me dirty looks and skirted away from me.
     Whispers echoed in my ears as I passed a group of noble children huddled together.
     "Did you hear about that Merritt girl? She was caught last night beyond the gates! She's probably the siren!"
     I hid behind a pillar, eavesdropping on their conversation.
     One boy with fat cheeks and pig-like eyes spoke up. "There's no doubt about it! Why would she be past the gates at night? And with that Kenderson kid too!"
     I bristled at the mention of Aiden's name. He was there to save me, nothing more.
     A girl with black tresses swam forward. "I don't know, Mathew. She seemed nice enough to me. Maybe it's all just a big misunderstanding. The queen trusts her. Why shouldn't we?"
     I squeezed my eyes shut. The queen did trust me. But something absurd happened the day before that made me doubt her hospitality.
     Mathew leaned in closer. "That's the thing. The only reason the queen let her in was because she reminded her of Iara. Same powers, same attitude...just think about it."
     Anger boiled up inside of me. I made my presence known and came out from behind the pillar. The entire group opened their mouths in horror, filing behind Mathew. The fear on their faces filled me with a sick satisfaction.
     Mathew stammered, "What do you want?"
     I curled my lip. "Those things you said about me? None of them are true."
     Mathew scoffed. "You expect me to believe that? For all I know, you work for Iara-"
     "Mathew!" A voice screeched from beside me. Sophia swam towards, her face red. Mathew shrank back, swimming off with a flick of his yellow tail.
      I turned to Sophia, irritated. "You don't have to keep babying me."
     Sophia crossed her arms. "As long as this siren crap is going on, you bet your life I do."
    I took a deep breath and leaned against the pillar.
     Sophia put her hand on my shoulder, a gesture that I wasn't sure I liked. "Tell you what. We can go back to my apartments and have a spa day. You know, relax for a while."
     I tried to protest, but Sophia was already dragging me up to the west tower. I tried to release myself, but she was surprisingly strong.
     The door to her apartments was a lot like my own, but hers was played with a sheet of gold. Figures of mermaids playing inside sunken vessels decorated the corners.
    She opened it to reveal a vast room of marble that was highly decorated with statues of Merpeople and mirrors that reflected the dying sunlight.
     She took me into a large room filled with ointments and beautification creams. Make up rested on almost every surface, and two chairs were set out for us.
     I looked at Sophia. "You really didn't have to do this."
     Sophia laughed. "Britta! Of course I did! I know you did nothing wrong."
Two servants came in with tools and pillows for our backs. None of them looked me in the eye as they passed. I swallowed hard as they swam by.
Sophia jumped in surprise. "Oh! I've forgotten something. I'll go get it-"
One of the servants swam forward. "I'll get it for you, highness." Her eyes darted to me and back to Sophia.
"No, Kendra, I should be the one to get it. It's very important." Sophia smiled mischievously. What was she up to?
With a flourish of her golden tail, she exited the tower.
I turned to the servants. "Hi." I said weakly, forcing a smile on my face. They said nothing back. I frowned. At this rate, I'd need the spa.
I noticed that Sophia had left the door to the rest of her apartments ajar. Curious, I swam through it.
I entered the magnificent marble hall that I'd been led into when I first entered the tower. Past that was a door that led into a lavishly furnished parlor with paintings of mermaids on the rocks. I got a little uncomfortable when I noticed most of them were nude. On the mantle above the bubbly heating system was a painting of three mermaids. One I immediately recognized as Melusine. Unlike the mural, this painting depicted her more realistically, with streaks of brown in her golden hair and crinkles at her eyes. The only difference between this painting and reality was that her eyes reflected...happiness.
The two mermaids beside her were the copper haired Selisia, who Sophia said had been killed. Her mouth was upturned in a smirk and her eyes glinted with mischief. The third mermaid was undoubtably Iara, her black hair swirling around her face, emerald eyes gleaming.
I exited the room, unsettled. The next room was the bedroom. Once I knew what it was, I shut the door, but not before something caught my eye.
I creaked the door open and swam into the dark room. Everything seemed normal. Blue curtains hung from the windows, blocking any sunlight. The bed was made perfectly, almost as if it had not been disturbed in days. Those servants were good at their job.
What caught my eye was sticking out of the wardrobe in the corner. I couldn't make a good picture out with the lighting of the room. I inched closer. I reached out, grabbed it, pulled it closer to me. A gasp strangled its way out of my lips. I immediately released the cloth from my grasp, horror stabbing at my body.
I stared at the black cloak in my hand as if it were death itself.
Sophia was the siren.