AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 1
Isat on the beach, kicking the pink sand underneath my feet, anger simmering just below my skin. The wind sped up, lifting my dark hair off my shoulders. A storm rippled in the distance. I didn’t have much time.
A single tentacle rose from the water, orange with stickers, and started clawing its way forward. I grimaced, hoping it wasn’t who I thought it was. Soon, the entire body emerged. Herman. If there was a crankier octopus in the ocean, I had yet to meet it. “The queen requests your presence.”
I dug my hands into the sand, eyebrows drawn together. “Fine. Tell her I’ll be there soon.”
I stood up, facing the waves, and let out a yell. I didn’t want to go home, back to my responsibilities. Hadn’t I done enough in my twenty-odd years to deserve a break?
“How can someone as small as you make such a loud noise?” said a voice behind me. I turned around and saw a man my age walking through the sand.
Instantly, my eyes narrowed. A human, I had no doubt about it. Merpeople avoided Hibiscus Island. For centuries, my kind and humans had hated one another, hunted each other. Their ships destroyed village after village, raiding them. Some even viewed mermaid tails as prizes. It’s disgusting. After all the death they’d caused my kind, I couldn’t help but stop the rising irritation.
I tilted my nose up at him and sneered. “How can someone as thin as you make so much noise simply walking?”
He looked affronted. “I am not thin. I am average sized.” He took another step toward me and I stood my ground, unwilling to let this human have any leeway. He was right; he was not that thin. Not that I would ever tell a human he was muscular.
As far as he knew, I was one of them.
They weren’t very smart, these humans.
The wind tousled his hair, almost as dark as mine, and I met his eyes. His deep green ones stared past my brown eyes, straight into my soul. My heart skipped a beat.
I clenched my teeth, mad at myself for daring to feel any emotion besides hate toward a human. The virus that had destroyed my people and the ocean for the sake of treasures. Images of the sick ward back home rose to my mind, and I banished any last lingering curiosity over this man.
I folded my arms and glared at him. His eyes widened in surprise. Probably unsure why I hated him so much when we barely met. I didn’t owe him an explanation. Quickly, I whipped around, walking to the waves.
“Wait,” he said. His face was confused as he called out to me. “What’s your name?”
“None of your business, human,” I said. I shot him one last glare, then stepped into the ocean, diving under the waves when I could walk no more.
My legs disappeared, forming a magnificent mermaid’s tale, if I did say so myself. My bright red scales shone, the gold-tipped edges glinting in the sunlight filtering in through the water. My fins were tipped in gold, too.
Wanting to show off, I jumped into the air, flipping my fin at the boy. He was standing there staring, and so I added a flipped middle finger as I fell into the sea.
With a grin, I swam deep into the water, the gills on my ribs flapping as I twirled. Fishes joined me, swimming alongside until I dove deeper than they were willing to go.
Darkness snuffed out any light, but I did not mind. My eyes adjusted to the inky black, the gold on my tail glowing. Down and down I swam, until finally, I arrived at the brightest part of the darkest deep.
Pausing for a second, I floated in front of the merpeople city. Legend had it, the city once existed above the sea, on the edge of Hibiscus Island.
Despite the many times I’d swum up to it, the city still took my breath away. It’s deceptively large, and surprisingly safe. A wide barrier surrounded the entire thing, keeping out any unwanted marine animals. Giant crystals, grown from the sea bed over the years, dotted the walls. The queen maintained the barrier, and it’s one of her main duties.
Would be my duty, soon.
I swam forward and the guards at the gate slam their hands to their chests. “Princess Allura.”
I inclined my head to both, and the one on the right opened the gate, letting me in with a wink. I playfully pushed him on the shoulder. “See you around, Nerus.”
The guards slammed the gate shut, and I heard the other guard teasing Nerus. I grinned as I swam through the main street. The walkways were cobblestone roads, remnants of the past. The left side was the shopping and artist district; lines and lines of open booths stretched far back until they lined the wall. Merchants beckoned with jewels, pearls, shells found in the farthest corners of the sea. Others held merpeople working hard at their craft, threading jewelry or weaving baskets.
The right side was the housing district. Houses of all shapes and sizes, either squashed together or spaced far, all the way to the wall. They, too, were remnants of the city we once had. Only the roofs had been replaced with stone when the straw disintegrated. The wooden and stone walls had been reinforced with magic, and thankfully hadn’t deteriorated since. Roofs of all colors shimmered in the light as I swam past. Above me floated orbs the size of my head, lighting the way.
Another job of Queen was to make sure the orbs stayed lit. Each morning, they were as bright as the sun. At night, they were as dim as the moon. It was the only way our people knew when to sleep.
I swam up to the castle, opening the door. It slid open easily, and I went inside. Merpeople chatted and swam around the room. Swimming up to the stairs to the top, I bowed my head, greeting the two sitting on the thrones there. I focused on the king’s gentle smile when I looked up, studying the queen out of the corner of my eye. Her crown sat perfectly on top of her braided dark hair. Not one strand dared float away from it. She would never allow it. She was tapping her golden scepter, topped with a pearl, against her throne. Never a good sign. I braced myself.
“Queen Amaria.”
