Descendant of the Deep (Siren Song: Book One)

Chapter Twenty: The Portal

The next morning, sunlight beamed through the windows, barring my bed. It was neatly made and any trace of me in the rooms were erased, as if I hadn't been here at all. The fancy clothing I'd worn while I was still here was replaced by the black top I'd arrived in and a blue skirt that would cover me when I transformed back into a human, now washed and free of stains. Everything seemed like nothing had ever happened here. It was eerie how wrong that was.
I closed the door gently, the sunlight dancing across the carved mermaids, their faces smiling wryly at me. I began swimming down to the entrance hall, purposely taking my time. I descended through the water, passing a few people who stole secretive glances at me. I ignored them and looked for anyone I knew. But Aiden and Ash were nowhere to be seen. I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye. I felt as if I was being ripped from something I'd wanted for so long, but couldn't have. If I stayed here, I would only put them in danger. I sighed and headed towards the golden doors of the throne room, defeated. There, surrounded by palace guards, was Melusine. My eyebrows arched in surprise. I didn't know she was coming personally. She noticed me and swam forward.
"Are you ready?" She asked. She wore a simple top with little decoration, and her blonde hair was pulled out of her face instead of her usual regal look. Her authority and queenly way of dressing had distracted me from her humanity.
I nodded. I felt bare with only my tank top on, but that was all I'd come in. Not that I exactly had a choice.
The guards escorted us out of the palace into a courtyard filled with plants and silver fish that glistened in the morning light. At the far end sat a circular device that resembled a seashell. How appropriate. It's metal exterior was composed of swirls and letters that I couldn't quite make out. Maybe it was in a different language.
Melusine raised her hand and the thing began to glow. The words inscribed on the metal burned with white hot heat, growing brighter and brighter until there was an explosion of light. I shielded my eyes and saw a swirling mass of blue light churning in the center of the metal. It was impossible. It was magical.
"What is that?" I asked skeptically. The only magic I'd seen in use had been used to harm somebody, so the use of it here unsettled me.
The Queen laughed. "It's a portal. It is going to get you back to the mainland much quicker than if we had swam there." She frowned. "And time is of the essence. We must go."
I watched as she swam towards the portal and disappeared through the blue light. I approached the portal cautiously. It generated a low groaning sound that made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. I took a deep breath and stuck my hand into the blue mass. It was freezing cold. I reluctantly swam through it.
The second I was fully through, my stomach lurched as a I plummeted through the darkness. There was nothing around me but jet black, giving me a claustrophobic fear in my gut. I tumbled through the void until I was thrown back into normal waters, an eruption of bubbles surrounding me. I panted and looked behind me, but nothing was there but a couple of rocks. I brushed myself off and saw Melusine waiting for me by a cliff. My cliff, the one I'd used the last six years. I breathed a sigh of relief. I was back.
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I watched Britta go through the portal from the North tower, guilt pressing down on me. My reaction to her secret had been terrible, and now it was almost impossible for me to apologize. She was gone, and she probably still thought that I despised her.
I rested my head on my pillow, images of the ball floating into my mind. Her navy skirts twirling, black hair floating through the water. Even though the rest of the night had been a disaster, it was the first time I'd really gotten to know Britta. The real Britta. Not the suspicious girl in the library, but an ambitious person who wanted to do right, even when everyone thought she was not to be trusted. When we were attacked by Sophia, she could have left me, unsuspecting to the monster behind me. Instead, she came back. Whether it was out of guilt or something more, I didn't know. But she did it. And when I was captured by Sophia, she slipped me my freedom on theorem of a key, even though it put her life at risk.
How did I repay her? With a horrified expression that probably killed her inside. I was an idiot.
And now she was gone.