The Mermaid That's Sweetest

23] A Second Beginning

23] A Second Beginning

The girls and I make it to the Ruins without disturbance. I change the currents of the Rough to make our journey invisible, creating enough waves to obscure our swim through the shallows.

By the time we arrive, the seven of us explore the Ruins and eventually everyone decides to sit in the large shallow rock pool, with our tails out, discussing possibilities of what this place means.

"Can you feel the heat?" I ask, "Below us?"

"It's indescribable, better than a spa. My whole spine is shivering with those good feels," Halina sighs and sinks until the water is at her chin and her tail flops further through the water.

"Servants of the Water's Will," Darya whispers.

"Huh?" Halina raises her chin, "Wha-?"

"What did you say? Servants –?" Roanne gets cut off as Darya holds up her palm.

"It's what I read on the walls, itched above the fossilised swords," Darya points to the mermaids on the ceiling, "It's a prophecy, obviously. We are the mermaids up there."

"Prophecy?" I murmur, "I assumed the ceiling art was in memory of whoever was here before us..."

"Oh, no," Darya shakes her head, "Those swords? Can be broken out of the rock with a spell. I have no idea what it is. We are Servants of the Water's Will, so we need to tread carefully and keep close until we figure out what that means."

"I don't like the sound of that," Rivea whispers, nudging Vanora, her best friend, "I got the feeling there is a price to pay for all this power flowing straight for us... don't you?"

"Don't be so negative," Vanora tries to stay optimistic.

"We'll just have to work it out as we go," I shift to my legs, filling full with power and magic after a good half an hour of resting in the power. I'm jittery. I can't stay still much longer. I step out of the rock pool and slip on a blue silk robe, it doesn't tie in the middle and it's comfortable.

"Where..." Darya gulps, "...are you going... Lily...?" she knows, I can hear it in her worried tone.

"Lily, what are you thinking?" Halina snaps, "Stop thinking it."

"Oh, I know that look in a girl's eyes," Rivea sighs in defeat.

"Take a weapon," Vanora begs me with her eyes, "Please, Lily."

"I have a weapon now," I smile even though I have tears in my eyes from their protectiveness, "Inside me."

"Why do you have to go?" Roanne flips her tail, splashing the water in anger, "Why?"

"There was a battle and he is a King," I explain, "He is a monster. And a rouge. But he is still my mate. So, I owe it to... no, not to him, but to fate, to check. I need to see if he's dead."

"Good riddance if he is," Halina scoffs, "I wouldn't want to be bitten by that monster again. I can't believe you survived the pain when he did it to you."

I blush when I think about how it did the exact opposite for me. A shrill orgasm, sudden and tail breaking. I felt both euphoria and weak during and after that experience.

I start to turn to go, until I decide to say one last thing, "If I'm not back in twenty minutes... he's alive and I'm probably dead."

"Lily," Halina hisses, "Don't say that, ever –"

"I won't go back alive with him, if he is alive and attacks me... I won't let it happen," I snarl it, sounding almost like his kind. Except my voice is hoarse and husky from rising tears. Longing. Disappointment. Lingering betrayal. The fact I was now a murderer, as bad as he was. I didn't even feel bad about killing Irsa, although I did feel regret at shunning my own integrity. I was better than that.