Clash of Tides (A merman story)

Nerina keeps her sight on Assan, frozen in her spot. “That is not important,” she pauses and swims closer to us, “I told your mother she was foolish for not bringing you with her. Come with me, Assan,” she pleads with him, inching ever closer to us.

Assan half-smiles, raising his hand above the water. “And why would I do that?” He taunts her, his voice dripping with venom. The water surrounding Assan starts to whip around us, flowing in all directions. As the water rises into the air, Assan groans, and then touches his chest. He clenches his jaw and slumps over, barely holding himself up.

The droplets rain back into the water in front of us, and I hear Nerina breathe a sigh.

“Assan!” I reach out to him, but he knocks my hand away; his face darkens, causing fear to pump through me. He grimaces at me. This pain is nothing, Elena. Just stay behind me. I will handle this. As I look at his piercing gaze, regret floods me. I try to think, but my mind is blank, caught in a whirlwind of disbelief.

He darts his gaze back to Nerina. She smiles sweetly, reminding me of my mother’s grin. “Time is short, Assan. Come home, and you can have any mer maiden you desire,” she urges him, swimming ever closer.

Mer maiden? Swiftly I glance at Assan, pondering what his answer will be.

His pants, inhaling and exhaling, but he doesn’t falter. His moist, black locks dangle from his head, forming a curtain over his face. His sharp glare stops Nerina in her tracks; she halts in the water, staying in her spot. The tension between the two mers oozes in the air. There is always more to the undersea world than I will ever know. As I listen and watch the exchange between the two mercreatures before me, my head is overrun with confusion.

If this is Assan’s aunt – the one Terza talked about – then she is the queen’s sister? The royal family of the sea is in shambles, but why? Questions swirl around me, and a throbbing pain begins to hit my head.

I want to talk, but Assan told me not to move. Despite his order, I want to act, to help him as I did before. I begin to swim around Assan until I hear a melody. It is a beautiful sound - the humming noises of soft voices singing together, soothing me.

Come to us, Elena

The music, the voices in my head call to me, coaxing me to them. Wasting no time, I whip around and start swimming away from Assan.

Keep going

We are waiting

As it grows louder, I long to find the source of the singing, the ones who are looking for me. As I hear the sound echo in my ears, I want more, to be bathed in the wondrous tune that feels me with such warmth. At this moment, nothing matters, not Joe, not Seidon, not mother, not Assan, only the sounds.

“Elena!” A deep voice cuts through my thoughts, but I dive underwater, propelling my legs as fast as I can. The voices, I must go to them.

A/N: I know this chapter was short, so I'll post chapter 20 soon.