Page 29 of Seas and Scepters

"Of course you do," she replied, sounding amused."No one summons the Sea Witch for pleasant conversation."Her gaze shifted to Selene."The daughter of Nereon, cast out for failing her final trial.How does it feel to walk on human legs, little siren?To breathe air instead of water?To lose more of your true nature with each passing day?"

"It feels like dying slowly," Selene answered honestly."But I would choose it again rather than complete my trial."

Morgana's laugh was like water bubbling through stone."Love.How predictably mortal of you both."She turned her bottomless eyes back to me."And you, prince.You bear my mark, the protection I granted your ancestor in exchange for...well, that's a story for another time.You've abandoned your kingdom, your crown, your duty—all for this creature who once sought your death.What would you ask of me?"

"We seek to break the curse laid upon Selene by her father," I said."To allow her to return to her true form without requiring my death."

"Ah," Morgana sighed, floating closer."Always so simple in the asking, so complex in the granting.What makes you think I have the power to override Nereon's curse?He is a king of considerable magic."

"You are Morgana," Selene spoke up."The eldest of the sea witches, whose power was ancient when my father's grandfather was young.If anyone can break his curse, it would be you."

Flattery seemed to please the witch; her seaweed hair rippled with apparent satisfaction."True enough, child of the deep.I could break your father's curse—or rather, I could offer an alternative path that fulfills it while giving you both what you desire."

Hope surged within me."What alternative?"

Morgana's smile widened, showing even more of those terrible teeth."The curse demands that Prince Eirik die by Selene's hand for her to regain her siren form.But what is death, truly?Is it not simply the end of one existence and the beginning of another?"

She gestured between us, her webbed fingers leaving trails of phosphorescence in the air."I can transform you, Prince Eirik, into a creature of the sea—a merman to match your siren princess.Your human life would end, thus satisfying the terms of Nereon's curse.Selene would regain her true form, and you would both be free to return to the Obsidian Deep...together."

I stared at her, hardly daring to believe what she was suggesting."You would make me like her?A being of the sea?"

"I would make you something new," Morgana corrected."Neither fully human nor fully siren, but a bridge between worlds—just as my mark on your face has always made you."

"And the price?"Selene asked, her voice tight with suspicion."What would you demand for such a transformation?"

Morgana's expression grew solemn."The price is inherent in the transformation itself, dear ones.Eirik, you would never again walk upon the land of your birth.You would forsake your human life completely and irrevocably.No more sunshine on your face, no more fire to warm your hands, no more breath in your lungs."

She turned to Selene."And you, daughter of Nereon, would face your father with a half-human consort instead of the thirteen lives your trial demanded.Your position as heir would hang by the thinnest of threads—dependent entirely on your father's mercy and judgment."

"Is that all?"I asked, unable to hide my surprise."No blood sacrifice?No years of servitude to you?"

Morgana laughed again, the sound raising goosebumps along my arms."Oh, scarred prince, do not mistake simplicity for gentleness.The price I ask is your entire human existence—everything you have ever been or known.Is that not sacrifice enough?"

I looked at Selene, seeing the conflict in her eyes—hope warring with fear, longing with doubt."And if we accept?"I asked Morgana."How would this transformation occur?"

"At the stroke of midnight, when the moon reaches its highest point," the Sea Witch explained, "you would enter the pool together.I would perform the ritual that would end your human life and begin your existence anew.The transformation is...not without pain.Few survive it with their minds intact."

"But some do?"Selene pressed.

"Those with the strongest will.Those with the most compelling reason to endure."Morgana's black eyes seemed to see through us, into the very core of our beings."Those who love beyond the boundaries of their worlds.Be certain before you commit to your fate."

I turned to Selene, taking her hands in mine."I will do it," I said without hesitation."I choose you, Selene.I choose us."

Tears welled in her eyes, catching the moonlight like liquid diamonds."Eirik, you can't know what you're giving up.The sea is beautiful, but it is also merciless.My father may refuse to accept you.We might be exiled, homeless in the vast oceans."

"Then we'll be exiles together," I said firmly."I've lived twenty-five years as a human prince and found true happiness only in the days since I met you.I would trade a thousand years of royal privilege for a single day as your equal beneath the waves."

She searched my face, looking for any sign of doubt or reservation.Finding none, she nodded slowly, then turned back to Morgana."We accept your terms."

The Sea Witch's expression was unreadable."Very well.Return at midnight, when the moon is directly above the center of the pool.Bring nothing with you save the clothes on your backs—you will need nothing from your former lives where you are going."

With that, she sank beneath the surface of the pool, the glow diminishing as she disappeared into its depths.The humming stopped, leaving only the soft sound of waves lapping against the shore.

Selene and I returned to our camp on the beach, where the small fire still burned, casting dancing shadows across the sand.We sat side by side, watching the moon climb higher in the night sky, each lost in our own thoughts.

"Are you afraid?"she asked eventually, her voice barely audible above the gentle surf.

"Yes," I admitted, seeing no reason to lie."But not of the transformation, or the pain Morgana warned of.I fear failing you.I fear not being strong enough to survive with my mind intact, leaving you alone to face your father's wrath."

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