The Island Curse

Born in Blood

"You know the truth. It's your turn to tell them the good news now sister."

"What the actual eff is going on? Someone has to start explaining now," Niko hissed, her dark hair billowing in the wind like a silk curtain.

"Oh, you don't want to tell them? Okay, I'll tell them. You see, a curse born in blood is broken by blood."

"I was told she wanted my legs," I whispered.

"And she does," Molly explained, clasping her hands together as if delighted, "and she'll get them. When she gets your soul."

No sooner were the words out of her mouth than my fear eased. Molly was lying. She had to be. 

I replied, "if that were true, she'd already have legs. She has the souls of hundreds of Merrow."

Tara chimed in. "Not to mention all the souls of shipwrecked sailors and passengers she's claimed over the years."

"First off, she doesn't actually possess the souls of the Merrow. It's more like a contract she can call in when they fail to do her bidding, but for all the rest, those aren't the souls who fill the terms of the curse. She got her fins through the blood of your ancestor, and she'll get her legs back with your blood."

"Branna?" I spun around and looked at the pale woman, knowing she was going to confirm Molly's words, but hoping I was wrong.

"I don't know much about curses child. I was never one to study those types of magics, but it makes sense. Curses are about vengeance, and the best vengeance is taking from someone else the same thing they took from you. She's done that through the deaths of hundreds of male Merrow over the years, and the cherry on top would be taking away the daughter of her enemy."

"Isla, look at me," Kieran said, gripping me by the arms to keep me upright. "We will never let her kill you. No one signed up for murder. We'd rather spend another millennia cursed than to spill innocent blood to save ourselves."

"You can't know that everyone feels that way."

"The only way to find out is to spread the truth."

"Why did Agnes lie to us? She made it sound like it was something simple. She said to fix what was broken, and we would end the curse."

"I don't know, but you're going to be safe, no matter what."

Everyone watched us, not speaking. Even Molly had gone silent, though her expression spoke louder than words. How could she hate me so much? Because that's what I saw when I looked at her. A hatred so deep it grew from her bones, boiled in her blood, and burned in her eyes.

Without thinking, my hands moved to Kieran's hips, tracing small circles on his skin beneath his t-shirt. His flesh was so smooth. So human. And if I let them defend me, that's all it ever would be. The nightmare wouldn't end, and my children and the Merrow children would live in fear of Lorelei. Would that really be winning if that happened?

"Kieran, you'd never get to swim in the ocean with your people, with your tail, the way you were meant to be."

"No," he admitted, catching one of my hands and lifting it to his lips. "But I'd get to walk with you. That would be enough."

"We're kids. We think that now, but what happens a year from now? A century?"

"Isla, don't go borrowing trouble. We have enough of that," Niko snapped, but I noticed the sad look she shared with Tara. Would it be enough for Tara to watch her brother become Lorelei's creature?

"Branna, what do we do about Molly?" I asked, drawing away from Kieran. I could feel his eyes boring into my skin, but I refused to look at him.

"I'll put her somewhere safe until we figure out what to do with her. I think some of the Elders would be very interested in knowing about the role she played in this entire predicament."

She snatched Molly up by her arm, and pulled something from the pocket of her coat. When her sister spied the vial, she started to thrash, but Branna popped the cork and forced the opening into Molly's mouth. Within seconds, the Master of Potions stopped fighting, and a childlike smile spread across her face.

"Don't worry," Branna said when she saw our shock, "it's just a little something to make her easier to manage. No harm, and it'll wear off after a few hours. Come along Molly darling. We're going for a little swim."

"Oh, I love swimming," Molly sighed, divesting herself of her clothes as they waded into the sea.

Branna did the same, her lower half glowing everywhere the water struck. Through the sea mist, I could see snowy scales. Molly's were almost identical, but I caught a winding stripe of dove gray around her hips. Within moments, they were swallowed by the ocean, and we were left on the shores, drowning in the revelations of the last hour.

"What now?" I asked turning to walk toward my house. Defeat weighed down every step.

"Now we have to keep you safe, and we have to get you through your seventeenth birthday," Kieran answered.

"That leaves us just a month to then," I sighed. What would he do if he knew what I was really planning.

"Girl, that's plenty of time," Niko said.

Tara looked at her girlfriend with trepidation. "What exactly are you thinking?"

"A party."

"Um, no. That's completely the opposite of what we should be doing," I said. "We might as well declare here's Isla. Come and get her."

To my surprise, Kieran was nodding, but not in agreement with me. "I think that's perfect. Everyone is going to expect us to hide, right? Let's have it all out in the open. Your birthday is Halloween, right?"

"Yeah, but again, this seems counterproductive."

"Except it's going to be a themed party. Involving masks. How about a masquerade with a little bit of an under the sea twist?"

"A masquerade?" I mulled over the idea. It might actually work to my advantage. They would think I was hiding from Lorelei..."That actually sounds perfect."