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Chapter 8
The wagon stopped all of a sudden, and I sat up, along with the mermen. My heart froze. Had we arrived at our final destination?
I glanced around. It was pitch black under the canopy of the forest. My eyes were accustomed to the murkiness underwater, not out of it. But I made out all the trees rustling in the breeze and the furry animals scurrying on branches. A bird with big, round eyes blinked at me and hooted from atop its perch.
“What’s the fuckin’ hold up?” grumbled the pirate in the wagon behind us.
The horse towing our wagon took advantage of the break to take a big dump, and the smell of it hit me, causing me to gag.
“Pipe the fuck down,” growled the head pirate, the one who’d negotiated with Faraall. “I’m takin’ a piss.”
More groans flew through the train of wagons.
One of the pirates, a fat, bald one, his belly bursting out of the cloth covering his hairy chest, grunted at me. “You’re quite beautiful. Bet you’ll fetch a handsome price.” He poked me through the bars and laughed, showing off his rotting teeth.
Fin grabbed his finger and cracked it. “You will address the crown princess of the sea kingdom with the reverence a merwoman of her rank commands.”
My heart fluttered at him standing up for me. Back in the palace, no one had dared to address me in such a deriding fashion. So this defending-my-honor thing was all new.
The pirate huffed, untied his pants, pulled out his shriveled dick, and urinated on the wheel of our wagon. “I ain’t gotta do nothing, Your Highness.” His laugh was just as horrid as the head pirate’s was.
What a guppy. Few people ever disrespected me to my face. Was that how humans treated each other? If so, I was glad I didn’t live on land.
Nemo scratched the air, trying to snare the pirate. “You’ll apologize for addressing my princess like that and for degrading her with your filth.”
“Try your best,” the pirate taunted, snorting.
Nemo slammed against the bars, rocking the whole cart, and I squeezed the bars just in case it tipped over.
“If I ever get out of here, I’ll…” Nemo began.
“You’ll what?” the pirate goaded. “Think we’ll sell you for meat. You’re not worth trading for labor.”
Before Nemo exploded again and rocked the cart onto its side, injuring one of us, I took his hand.
“Thank you for defending my honor,” I said softly. “But this is a fight you can’t win.”
Nemo backed away. I’d wounded his pride. Guilt flooded through me. But as a princess, I had to ensure the safety of my people.No one had ever stood up for me. They hadn’t needed to. My chest warmed with appreciation for his efforts.
He spat at the pirate’s feet.“One day, I’ll kill you.”
The pirate took a big tree branch out from beneath the seat at the front of the wagon, and he jabbed Nemo in the gut with it. The hulking merman didn’t even flinch, so the pirate took out his dagger and slashed the merman’s leg. Nemo hobbled backward, clutching his wound.
Fin dragged Nemo to the back of the cage and pushed him to his knees.
My whole body iced over. I hated the sight of blood. Even after all the hospital visits, I still couldn’t stomach it. Fighting the nausea, I pressed a hand to my mouth.
Sea god, give me strength.
I tried to think of anything but Nemo’s wound, while Fin tended to it, tearing some material off the pirate’s flag soaring above us. The leader secured it around Nemo’s leg and tied it up.
Already, I had a strong impression of the mermen. Fin, the calm, reasonable diplomat who cared for his men and their safety. Nemo, the happy-go-lucky spirit who would defend my honor and tend to me. Gill, the strong, silent type who had some serious coral to grind and whose eyes never missed a beat.
“This should stop the bleeding for now,” Fin said, hauling me from my thoughts. “But you’ll need water to heal.”
Because merfolk had the ability to shift between legs and fins, we also possessed the ability of advanced healing, but only in the presence of water. If we could find a way to escape and get to a river or other body of water, then Nemo’s cut would stand a good chance of healing.
“Princess.” Nemo took my hand.
