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The murky water of the witch’s cave surrounded us like the claws of a terrifying beast. Gas bubbles poured out of the rocks forming her lair. Hundreds of red eyes watched our every move from their hiding places in the rocky wall. I wondered if they warned the sea witch of our presence. Nothing else but these strange monsters survived for long in this land. The sulfur was poisonous and the sand infertile.
“This place is the definition of creepy,” said Gill.
He jabbed at a hole, and one of the red-eyed creatures snapped at him.
Yes, definitely creepy. As soon as we were done, we were out of there.
“Formation, soldiers,” Fin ordered.
Nemo and Gill readied their tridents.
I came armed with only the pearl, so I wasn’t going to be much use in a fight. Unless I was able to harness the power of the pearl. But I’d already tried a hundred times on the way back from the Darkwoods, and nothing happened.
“Princess.” Fin’s voice sounded in my mind. “You stay at the rear.”
I took two deep breaths, building the courage to move forward. This was for my father. For the realm. And to destroy Faraall.
“Very well.” I squeezed the pearl so tight, I was surprised I didn’t crush it.
“Forward, soldiers,” Fin ordered.
My mermen and I propelled into the sea witch’s lair. Sulfur tainted the water, replacing the oxygen. My lungs and scales clouded, and I gulped for air. Darkness descended upon us as we pushed deeper into her filthy grotto. Eyes in the walls of her cave blinked at us. A face in the seaweed pleaded for us to turn back. Despite the screams in my head telling me to turn back, I couldn’t.
Inside the grotto, we found the sea witch lounging in her chair, with Faraall and his men by her side.
The berries I’d eaten at lunch scratched in my stomach. Shellfish. They were working together.
“Welcome, Princess. I assume you brought me the pearl.”
The sea witch’s voice rang in my ears like nails scraping down rock, and I shuddered.
Now, I definitely did not want to give her the pearl. With it, she and Faraall would possess immense power. My mind ran riot, imagining what they’d do with it. Instead of removing the cloth from between my breasts, I turned to leave. Something sharp jabbed me in the side, and I froze and looked down at the cold, hard metal prongs of a trident.
Shellfish.
Twelve mersoldiers. We were vastly outnumbered. A hammer blow forced the air out of my lungs. Fin and Nemo men had beaten back six men, including the slimy general, at the cave. But how would they fair against an even bigger battalion?
“We have company,” I told my mermen.
My merman spun around, ready to fight back, but they were pinned to the wall.
“Bring the traitors to me,” Faraall’s voice growled in my mind. “I’ll kill them all in front of the princess. Especially the two who want what’s mine.”
My insides iced over, colder than the mountains of Whitepeak.
A rough hand squeezed my shoulder so hard it would leave a bruise.
Gill threw the soldier against the wall and slammed a fist into his jaw. Three mersoldiers sprang at him. One stabbed him in the fin. The other two seized his arms and pressed him to the rock.
Nemo’s hands clenched into fists. I could tell by the look on his face he was ready to pound the mersoldiers’ faces to pulp if the chance arose. But he was smarter and more calculated than my reckless Gill. Some plan was probably forming inside that beautiful, optimistic head of his. One ending with much happier odds than I was imagining, I was certain.
All sorts of hideous creatures emerged from out of the gloom, things with spiked protrusions on their bodies, jagged fins, sharp teeth, and slimy eyeballs. They swarmed around me, showing teeth, nipping the water between us, and one even sank its fangs in, drawing blood.
I gasped, yanked my arm away, and bumped into the guard behind me. He grabbed me and held me on the spot.
The sea witch sauntered over, her overpowering, sulfurous stench stinging my nostrils, throat, and scales.
Her long, gray tongue stretched out to sample my blood. “Delicious,” she said, showing very sharp and stained teeth.
