Page 11 of Entangled

“What are we going to do with these fish girls?” Elric shook his head. “We’re just inviting trouble by taking them back to the castle. They shouldn’t even be here at all.”

“We’re undines,” said Melite.

Silence again.

“Sea nymphs,” added Galene.

“Oh, like a mermaid, right?” Zann looked them up and down. “I mean, we’ve heard of mermaids but have never actually seen one before.”

“Something like that,” answered Galene, shrieking when Fang came up behind her and started licking the back of her neck.

“Fang, get back here.” Stone pulled his dog away.

“How are we going to transport them?” asked Zann. “We’ll need to get a wagon.”

“Nay, we will walk,” answered Galene.

“Really.” Darium looked over to his brothers and shrugged.

“Oh, no. Not like this, of course,” said Galene with a giggle. “We can only swim when we have our tails. But once we are dry and on land, our legs will emerge. We’ll look and walk just like humans.”

“I can’t wait.” Elric’s words dripped with sarcasm. “Let’s get back because I’m hungry for supper.” He smiled evilly. “We’re having fish.”

Sebastian entered the great hall to meet up with his men later that day, having kept away from Merrow. He did not want to be near the lusty sea nymph. What he needed was to discuss the undine with his trusted men and figure out exactly what to do with her. Sebastian liked the idea of having a unique, not to mention beautiful, creature under his control. He also liked the fact he’d have something that the Blackseed brothers did not. After all, his late uncle always stressed to him that being king meant having and maintaining power. Uncle Leofric Sethor never wanted to be less powerful than any of the other kings of Mura. Especially not the Blackseed boys. Sebastian had to uphold that image and make his uncle proud of him. Even from the grave.

“My king, we hear you’ve captured a sea witch,” said his advisor, Drell, approaching him with Sebastian’s captain of the guard, Farrimond. Both these men were at least ten years older than Sebastian’s twenty-five years. They’d been close allies of Sebastian’s uncle. Sethor had always looked to these two for guidance while he served as king. Sebastian would do the same since they were the most experienced men at the castle. Sebastian had served in Sethor’s army, but really knew nothing about being a ruler. Hopefully, these two men could help him uphold his inherited role of king.

“She’s not a sea witch, she’s an undine and her name is Merrow.” Sebastian took a tankard of ale from a serving wench and sat on his dais chair that was placed in front of the fire where he liked to sit and think.

“From whence did she come?” asked Farrimond, since neither of these two men were with him on the fishing ship when it happened.

“She came through an underwater portal.” Hitch, Sebastian’s good friend and also his squire, approached the fire, straddling a wooden bench while holding a bowl of grapes. “Would you care for grapes, my lord?” He held out the bowl but Sebastian shook his head. The last thing on his mind right now was food.

“My lord,” said his steward, Jocet, approaching the table as well. His cook followed behind him with a large cleaver in his hand. The cook was a silent man, not able to talk since his tongue had been cut out by Sethor years ago for making a dish that Sethor said was rancid although Cook argued that it was fine. King Sethor had told Cook that his sense of taste was lacking and his tongue should be used for testing food instead of speaking back to a king. By right, he should have been executed, but Sethor was a nasty man and thought it would be more fun to cut out the cook’s tongue and continue to make him work preparing food. He couldn’t taste the food but neither could he argue or talk back to a king anymore either.

“What is it, Jocet?” Sebastian took another swig of ale.

“Cook wants to know how to prepare mermaid. He wants me to ask you if it should be roasted or basted for the best flavor, now that he has no way of actually tasting the dish first.”

“Nay!” shouted Sebastian, almost choking on his ale. “No one is going to touch Merrow. If anyone should even try, they’ll answer directly to me, and I promise the results will be grave. Understand?” He looked directly at Cook when he spoke, angry with him for even suggesting such a horrible thing. Jocet was Cook’s voice since the man couldn’t speak, but there was nothing wrong with his ears. “Understand?” he said once again, waiting for an answer.

“Aye, my lord,” the men around him all answered one after another. Cook nodded forcefully and bowed before turning and running back to the kitchen.

“Oh!” He heard a feminine voice cry out, followed by the sound of two bodies hitting the floor and a loud clank. He looked over his shoulder and groaned. Merrow was prone on the ground and so was Cook. Cook had dropped his cleaver. Merrow’s bare legs had every man’s attention, since her knees were bent and her legs were not together. “I’m sorry. I’m not as skilled at walking as I am with swimming. I didn’t mean to bump into you. Will you forgive me?”

Of course, Cook didn’t answer, since he couldn’t.

“Please, say something. I feel awful.” Merrow jumped up, picking up the cleaver and holding it out to Cook. “I think you dropped this.”

“Zoroct’s eyes, nay,” Sebastian ground out, using the name of one of Mura’s gods in his curse. He handed his ale to his squire and bolted across the room, grabbing the blade from her. “I’ll take that,” he said. “Cook, get back to the kitchen.” The man wanted his chopping blade back but Sebastian didn’t think it was a good idea. “You’ll get it later. Now go!”

He grabbed Merrow by the arm and all but dragged her to the long, wooden trestle table in front of the fire. “I told you to stay in my solar until I returned. Plus, I locked the door. How did you get out?”

“I have many skills, including picking locks,” she told him. “Coral spikes work well.” She proudly fingered the necklace she wore made of shells, coral, and other sea life type things. Besides, you left me there, all but forgotten, and I was hungry.”

“I see,” he said, actually impressed by her cleverness on land, even though her home was in the water. “Sit down here by me, and be quiet.” He guided her to take a seat next to his squire. He handed the cleaver to one of his men passing by. “Take that to Cook,” he said under his breath, not wanting the damned blade anywhere near this beautiful woman. If she suddenly sprouted a tail again, he couldn’t trust that his men wouldn’t want to kill and eat her after all.

“Want a grape?” asked Hitch, holding out the bowl to her as he raised the tankard to his mouth. Hitch was a few years younger than Sebastian, but much more carefree and reckless. Sebastian always calculated each and every one of his moves, constantly thinking three steps in advance, never wanting surprises. He liked to be prepared for whatever came his way. However, catching a sea nymph and bringing her back to Macada Castle was nothing he could have ever even dreamed of doing. He had no idea what to do with her, or how to take care of her for that matter.