Clash of Tides (A merman story)

I need to stop, but I cannot. My arms sweep through the water; am I moving them? I no longer know. The tears I should and want to shed have dried up; nothing is left.

“Hass.” For a moment, everything around me feels forgotten; it’s like I am a blank page waiting for the words to be written on me. Panic, fear, loss; every emotion of sadness attacks me at once. The merman who was kind to me and swore to return me home is nowhere in sight. I keep going, moving my hands through the liquid, hoping he will swim back up and tell me the Beula are gone; I am a fool who wants to believe the lie I tell myself. I repeat his name, this time louder until it grows into screams. My arms keep moving, and the rocks underneath my legs rub against my skin, but the pain hitting me does not compare to the ache in my chest.

“Hass,” I say his name softly, knowing what the truth is: he is gone. As the water splashes up to my knees and the burning sensation becomes numb, I hear my name in the wind.

Elena!

Raising my head, I shift my eyes around the cave, but no one else is here. All I see is the water whipping around in small waves, crashing into the rocks that line the edges, but other than the same liquid, I see nothing; I am alone.

“Is Hass trying to reach me?” Dunking my arms back into the pool, I lean over, staring deep into the water, hoping to see any sign of Hass. Even with the mersight, all I see beyond the light is endless darkness.

Elena, hurry! We promised the prince we would help you. The voices all speak in unison, but behind their main sentence, I hear chatting, all of them talking to each other at once – in the background, I hear my name being said. A spark of memory hints me; these voices are like the ones from before; the children of the forest.

Run, Elena. The Belua will return soon!

As I shake my head, I yell, not wanting to hear what they say. My screams bounce off the walls, reflecting my own noises of turmoil. “I cannot leave Hass behind!” I clench my hands into a fist and don’t move. Run, flee. That’s what my body is urging me to do; however, I stay still, letting only the sound of rumbling water take over the small area I am sitting in. In front of me, the pool of liquid rises to the rocks, then quickly the water sinks, as if something is draining it from my sight.

From the remaining water, bubbles form, first small before growing in size; they pop all around like water in a pot.

Go, now! I leap into the air, turn on my heel and then grip a rock, lifting myself.

“Climb, go, don’t stop,” I repeat the words like a prayer, pushing myself forward.

“Human.” The word hisses out behind me, but I don’t look back; I already know what is there. Move. Go; at this moment, my body does not even feel like my own. Adrenaline courses through me, pushing every inch of me to keep going, but still, I only see a wall of rocks. My feet slip, thanks to the liquid protruding from the bottom of my feet; it’s slippery now and harder to climb, but I keep moving.

“Get the human!” That hissing sound slithers down my spine and crawls up again, eating away whatever bravery I have left. As I grip the rocks, red crimson leaves the edges of my fingers, and the throbbing pain swarms to each part of me. Up ahead, I see beyond the rocks to the top of what feels like a mini mountain. The tall trees come into view; I am close, so close to escaping the Bulea that what I capture me.

Elena, hurry; you’re almost there.

“No!” I yell out as my foot falls from the rock. A hand, which feels like a slung sticking to my flesh, wraps around my ankle.

Instead of looking back, I shake my leg, moving it at forceful speeds until the fingers slide from my foot, and then I keep going, reaching the last few rocks before my hand touches moist dirt – I made it. Lifting myself up and then leaping to my feet, I sprint; I don’t look back. The noises from before get louder; more than one Bulea behind me.

Inhale. Exhale. I release an anxious breath as I pump my legs, darting past trees, bushes, and other foliage in the forest. All around me leaves blow in the wind, and the cool chill brushes past me, whiffing the smell of the plants in my nose. Underneath my feet is wet, but from water or blood, I do not know. All I know is I need to keep moving, running with all the strength I have left in my bed.

A screech echoes in the air. I halt my body, covering my ears of the awful sound that is trying to invade me.

We, the forest creatures, made a pact with the Prince of the Sea. No others will harm this human in our realm.

Screams reverberate behind me. I turn on my heel and gasp; my mouth hangs down in disbelief at what I see. Together, the veins of the trees merge as one, locking some of the Buela in their wood, adding their forms to its own. Blood covers the tree limbs like paint, dying brown, red.

Stepping closer and wide-eyed, I watch the creatures twist in pain when the branches go through their bodies. Before, I thought the cyrid were scary, but the creatures in these woods are worse. Even now, when I am alone, bleeding and aching, Assan is watching out for me.

I want to talk to Assan, but I know he won't hear my thoughts. And Hass…what has become of him?

Go, Elena, return to your home as the Prince wanted; humans have no place in our world.

They want me to leave, but for a moment, I stay and watch the death in front of me. Some of the Belua stare at me from beyond the tree with scowls on their faces. Their eyes look into my own as if they are threatening me. Assan’s world is one of death and misery; the only difference from mine is the lack of death.

I spin around and head towards Hylnn, glad that I can finally slow my pace. My ears capture the sound of screams coming from the Beluas; their blood-curdling pain reverberates through the forest flowing with the wind.

Once, their wails of agony would have disturbed me, but that girl is gone now, replaced by one who has seen and learned the hidden secrets of this world.

Under my feet, the dirt-like stone brushes between my toes, caking onto my skin. All of me, everything hurts, but Joe needs me. One-step and then another, I continue past the trees and bushes that make up the forest. My ears perk; a familiar sound has caught my attention. Lifting my eyes, the image of cobblestone, wood houses, and people come into my view.

“I made it.” My lips curl into a smile. I sprint to the town, not slowing down my pace. As I pump my legs, the aches I feel grow stronger, but I cannot stop; I will not ruin the sacrifice Hass made for me. Breathing hurts, running hurts, and I fight my body to stay upright.

Past the trees, the tiny bushes, and finally, my bare feet touch the cobblestone streets. Looking up, I inhale, exhale and sweep my eyes around. Some are staring at me, gawking their mouths at my appearance, but it does not matter.

Being a respectable young woman right now means nothing to me, and now is not the time for propriety. From what I can see, I am near the docks again, always close to the sea of trees that hide the mers and near the water they live in.

More spectators snarl at me as they walk by, but their disgust is the least of my problems. I am sure my dress is soaked with blood, seaweed, and the smell emanating from my body is putrid. A whiff of the scent catches in my nose - a mix of iron, the ocean air, and sweat. I press on, walking as fast as I can, but my movements fumble, and I stagger; my legs buckle beneath me, and due to the burning ache from my wound, I hit the ground, face down.

Sleep. That is what I wish for - to shut my eyes and go to a place far from here. In my dreams, perhaps I will see Assan again, this time, no fighting, no war, just the two of us, together. As my eyelids droop, whispers reverberate around me, and a foreign touch grabs my arm. Instead of looking up, I stay still, letting the growing darkness swallow me whole.

A/N: Wow! We're almost at the end of book 1! Thanks so much to everyone who waited for the updates. Again, I'm sorry it took me so long to finish posting the story here.