Fins(54)

The fight was taking place in deep water. Arriving at the edge of the scene, I was reminded of looking into a fish bowl. Everyone seemed held within a bubble, a few hundred feet wide. Flashes of light flew about and when one didn’t hit its target, it was contained as the edge of the bubble absorbed it.

Peering past the strangers who were fighting, I looked for Mom and Tammer. It was too difficult to make anyone out with the sun nearly gone. A merman a few feet in front of me cried out as a brilliant light hit him in the chest. He was flung backwards against the bubble wall and hung suspended in the water for a few seconds before he disintegrated right before my eyes!

I nearly screamed. Thayde had been right. This was way over my head. How was I supposed to protect myself from this? I was torn between fear and a sense of duty. I was tired of living in fear - fear of Akin, fear of what was going to happen to me, fear of Thayde getting hurt.

Staring into the fight, I recognized Akin. He was in the middle of beating another merman to death and I was consumed with rage. I made my decision in an instant. Swimming at him as fast as I could, I burst through the side of the bubble, ramming into his side. He released the merman and was knocked flying. Stunned, he shook his head and righted himself.

“You!” He growled, his lips pulling back over his teeth in an ugly snarl. Quick as a whip, he was swimming toward me, hands reaching for my head. As I darted upward, he passed under me, snatching at my fins. I pulled my dive knife from its sheath and dove toward him. I wanted to hurt him, to funnel all my rage into him. He turned and grabbed my wrists, squeezing so hard, I dropped my knife.

“You’re out of your league, Halfling!” He yelled and grabbed the back of my neck with his other hand.

Closing my eyes, I focused my energy and the golden orb instantly shot from me. The Fire encased his entire chest and face and he released me, screaming in agony.

“Morgan!”

Gavran swam below me at full speed. I prepared to focus on him, but when I opened my eyes, I stopped short. He was pulling my mom behind him. She was so white, she looked dead.

“Let go of her!” I cried and he stopped in front of me.

“She’s hurt!” He yelled, pulling her into his arms. A loud roar deafened his words and the bottom of the sea floor started to roll. Only Vitahl knew how to move the earth. Severely strong currents followed the rolling and we were thrown about. Lightning spliced through the water, hitting someone and making him disintegrate.

“What did you do to her?” I screamed, grabbing at her.

“I didn’t,” he shouted back over the noise. “My father did it. I have to get her away from here or she’ll die!”

I didn’t know what to do. This was a Dartmoth - they were untrustworthy and cunning, but the look in Gavran’s eyes said it all.

“Take her to our house,” I ordered and he swam around me, in the direction of our home.

I focused back on the battle that was taking place all around me. The water was filling with blood. Screams echoed off the protective bubble’s walls. It was overwhelming.

A surge of white light in the center of the chaos started to build. Shielding my eyes, I watched as Thayde, hunched over his hands, slowly drew them apart. The white light grew. Straightening, he pulled his arms to his sides and quickly twisting, released the light that flew in all directions away from him, immobilizing everyone it touched. When it reached me, I felt it wash over me, but I remained able to move.

He hung in the water, breathing deeply and when he looked up, he saw me.

“Morgan!” He cried in disbelief and began to swim to me.

I made my way around the floating bodies, seemingly frozen in time.

“What are you doing here?” He cried when he reached me, grabbing my hand. “You have to leave!”

“Thayde, what have you done?” I was unable to stop staring at the drifting merpeople.

“It won’t last long. We have about a minute left. Please, go home.”

“No.” I pulled away from him. “I won’t hide like a coward. This is because of me and I have to take care of it.”

“Just how do you expect to do that?” He yelled, lifting his hands up in defeat. “You don’t even know what you can do!”

I didn’t know. Maybe if I just tried something, anything, it would work.

“You’re going to get yourself killed,” he said and his voice caught in desperation. “I can’t do this.”

“I won’t die. I promise,” I said stupidly, my thoughts distracted as one of the mermaids started to move.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” He moved in front of me. “Stay with me, Morgan.”