The Cosmic Princess

Mermaids and Dragons

The night I had called for her and knew she heard, yet indirectly told me she couldn't, no,that she wouldn't do anything to help me I had taken it off and had never put it back on. It had been the first time I had ever taken it off. Now as I grabbed the necklace that not only held my mother's pendant but Ike's ring as well, I stared at it feeling a mix of emotions.

Guilt was the first one. I hadn't just taken off the necklace because of my fury at my mother, but because of the guilt that I really had no idea what I was doing here. Self-loathing was another familiar friend these days. A world was on my shoulders, and I was letting it down.

Fear was next. Every day I feared that this place was chipping too much off of me that I could bare. If I made it out here alive, I had no idea how I wouldn't come out unscathed. Not only that, but a part of myself that I hated to admit was that I feared Zeddicus. I feared how much power and control he held over me and everyone at his beck and call. How could one person beat him, when all his moves had backup plans upon backup plans to fit his goals. He was right. He was a great commander because no matter how evil-driven they were, he made sure his goals succeeded.

"This place is such a cult!" I screamed to myself. "Everyone follows him blindly no matter how evil he is!"

My moment of weakness was cut abruptly when my door suddenly opened.

I jumped, my attention snapping to the entrance seeing two guards walk in. My attention briefly flickered to some odd black metal pole one of the guards were holding when Hush, the mute mermaid, began to act wildly in her tank.

Water thrashed as her ethereal face morphed into the demonic one, I had the misfortune of seeing the first time we met. Fangs appeared, sunken black orbs glared at the two soldiers who flinched at the mermaid when high octave screeching that could break glass reverberated through the room.

I flinched as the noise shredded through my eardrums just as her body slammed against the tank, like she had done when we first met. Stunned, I could only stare as the two Dynoat soldiers approached her no longer afrain but annoyed. If I hadn't been staring at the mermaid, I never would have noticed how her fierce, scary expression faltered for a moment at their approach while her black eyes flickering to the pole that one of the soldiers were holding. In the blink of an eye, she was back to slamming against the tank, screeching and hissing.

I began to connect the pieces too slowly. Her behavior . . .that pole. . .her reaction. She was behaving like a cornered animal.

Her screeches grew more manic, and I had only managed to stand to my feet when the solider extended the pole above the tank, to the opening, and then in the water.

My breathing stopped as bright electric currents rippled through the water. I winced, choking as the electric currents hit the mermaid. The demonic face flashed back to her angelic, child-like face as a heart-shattering cry ripped from the mermaid. The next instant, she collapsed to the floor of her tank, small whimpering sobs erupted from her shaky form.

The electric currents disappeared, but they were now extending what appeared like a slip leash one would use on a stray dog to capture them towards the motionless mermaid.

My feet moved before my brain could catch up.

"Leave her alone!" I belted, catching up to the soldiers just as they slipped it around her neck and began pulling up her, her immobile body hitting the pane of the tank and sliding against it. The rope was probably choking her and the way they dragged her was careless and showed their lack of regard for her, but I could image that she realized the less she struggled the easier and the quicker it would be over.

My hands shoved the one dragging her, and he hit the wall not expecting me. The pole dropped and she hit the tank floor. The other one tried to grab me, but an elbow to the throat and a fist to the nose put him back in his place.