AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“There are two pearls,” he said.
“I’ve never heard that,” I said, seriously doubting this was true.
“The gods say there must always be balance in Haven,” Nemo explained. “Light and dark. Good and evil. Everything has an opposite.”
This was all news to me. Still, it made sense. I grabbed his arm. “Where can we find this other pearl?”
I almost got lost in the dark-brown eyes surveying me.
“My grandmother used to be the keeper of the dark pearl, until it was stolen by a collector of magical items.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. Shellfish. Why did my day keep getting worse? We had to find that pearl. My father must not die. I would not survive if I ended up as Faraall’s property, available for him to rape every night.
Gill gave Nemo a friendly kick in his meaty leg. “Your grandma isn’t much of a keeper.”
“Leave my grandma out of it.” Nemo nudged Gill with his shoulder.
“Do I have to separate you two children?” Fin joked along with them.
I giggled at their frivolity. Their humor took my mind off my worries. Their company was a stark contrast to the palace, where everything was always serious and boring…except for Taura and my aunt’s sense of humor.
The gaiety didn’t last long. Fin turned to me and grabbed my hands again. “Wherever the pearl may be, I pledge my allegiance to help you find it.”
My heart raced with joy. What a relief to know I wouldn’t be alone in my search. To be honest, I didn’t even know where to begin to look. But Nemo’s information was invaluable.
He wriggled closer and squeezed me. “Count me in, too.”
Fin and Nemo both looked to Gill for his vow.
Gill shifted as if put on the spot. “What about my sister?”
“We must help the king first,” Fin said to his soldier. “Then he can help hunt down every last one of the pirates.”
“If she’s traded before then, we’ll never find her,” snapped Gill.
The rawness of his statement scratched in my gut. I couldn’t imagine his pain. I didn’t know what I’d do if one of my sisters had been kidnapped. Go insane with worry probably. We couldn’t leave his kin to be traded.
I crawled over to him and held his hand. “We’ll find her. I promise.”
For some reason, my words pushed him away. Either he didn’t like showing emotions, or he felt abandoned by his men. Either way, I refused to move.
A shiver tore through Gill, and he clutched his stomach, wincing as if he suffered cramps. Right now, he was in no state to save his sister. By the paleness of all three of the mermen’s scales, I knew they’d been out of water for at least two days. Merfolk had a limited ability to change into human form, but we couldn’t go without contact with water for longer than three days. Anything beyond that would kill us. Didn’t the pirates know that?
“You’re sick,” I said, stroking the dark blemishes under his eyes with my thumbs. “You need water.”
He moaned at my touch. I put the front of my wrist to his forehead, and it burned as if he had a fever. His lips were cracked and dry like the other two mersoldiers’ were. His tender scales were hard to the touch. All signs of severe dehydration. Gill didn’t answer me. I got the impression he was in too much pain. Over the years, I’d visited the merhospital many times, telling stories to the sick children, feeding them, singing to them. I knew the signs of illness well.
“Soon, Princess,” Nemo said. “Don’t you worry.”
Wow. How could he stay so positive in a time like this? Nothing seemed to bother him. But if the mersoldiers didn’t get water soon, they’d perish.
Nemo put his thick, hulking arm around my shoulder and pressed me to his side. Poseidon, it felt good being in his embrace. My mind soared like the eagles floating above us. So far, I hadn’t embarrassed myself… Well, besides feeling him up…and you couldn’t blame a girl for doing that, could you?
“How do we get out of here?” I asked.
“Princess.”
The way Gill snarled at me made me wonder what had I done to him to deserve his malice.
“We aren’t getting out of here,” he said. “We’re going to be sold to the highest bidder. To some rich, fat fucker who will use us for his pleasure and make us do tricks, like catch a gold coin from the bottom of his pool. Considering how exquisite you are, he’ll probably rape you.”
I gasped, and my elbows banged into the iron bars. Would my father send a rescue party out to find me and return me to the kingdom? If he was under Faraall’s control, would Triton even notice me missing? My worst fears hit me with the force of a dolphin’s body slam.
“Way to go, you guppy,” said Nemo, punching Gill in the thigh.
“The princess needed a reality check,” said Gill. “We’re not embarking on a shopping trip for corsets.”
Both of Nemo’s arms surrounded me. This time, it did little to bring solace to my mind. Gill was right. We were in deep shellfish.
