Page 59 of Whispers of the Starlit Sea
Her feet slipped on the rocks, and she fell against the tunnel entrance.
“I can manage from here,” the older man said. “Thank you.”
With a few quick wriggles, he joined Sìne in the flooded tunnel. Sorcha sagged against the square stones while more mer made their way past her.
One voice continued to ring out over the others, the deep tones echoing through the tunnel, from someone she was sure hadn’t been with the others in the pool. Her grip tightened on the stones as she recognized the voice.
“Father,” she whispered in horror.
Hergaspwasnothingmore than a whisper, but it snapped Arick’s attention from across the cavern. Sorcha leaned against the iron gate, her skin paler than usual, her pink lips falling open as she clutched her chest.
A final twist of the key, and the last manacle opened, allowing the merman to slide into the water. Arick was moving before the splash hit the rocks he’d been perched on. He crossed the space separating them, checking for the tightness around his own chest. But it never came. Whatever the cause of her reaction, it wasn’t the magical bond.
A song with the power and mystery of the sea echoed from the tunnel.
“What is it?” He signed with one hand as he clasped Sorcha’s elbow.
“Father.” The word was an explanation, a wish, and a cry all in one. Arick barely noticed that the word was so similar to his own language. He would have understood even if it was vastly different. The ache of family carried through.
“The singing?”
She nodded, tears obscuring her sapphire eyes.
Arick motioned for Sorcha to stay with the merfolk as he drew his sword and moved toward the voice. He wasn’t fully sure why he had chosen to wear it tonight; hurting his uncle’s guards wasn’t something he wanted to do, nor did he wish to threaten the merfolk. But sometimes a pointy object was the best way to get the message across. And he admitted to appreciating the confidence the familiar grip gave him as he held it in his hand.
He kept his footsteps light as he neared the entrance to the second cave. The booming of the sea outside the cave kept time with his thundering heart. He sloshed across the flooded tunnel, staying clear of the escaping merfolk. Many had taken up the song, but one voice continued louder than the others.
The echoes in the cave bent around him, carrying the weight of a thousand years of torment. The voice cracked slightly at its highest pitch, as though it were not only singing but fighting — fighting against something unseen, something suffocating.
Arick repressed a shudder as he pressed against the square rocks. Light spilled from the inner cave, an eerie blue-green glow. Steadying his breath, he rounded the corner.
In the center of the cave, his fin submerged in what was barely a puddle, the largest merman Arick had ever seen lay chained. His broad chest rose and fell with each breath. The weathered face, framed with long gray hair, was lined with agony, yet he sang with all his might.
Two guards lay slumped against the far wall. They seemed unharmed, albeit being asleep on duty meant something was wrong. In the corner lay the odd little man, even more mouse-like in sleep with his knees tucked up to his chest.
A wave of drowsiness washed over Arick, and his jaw stretched with a yawn.
Magic.
He sheathed his sword and covered his ears. He hurried forward, pulling the manacle keys from his pocket as he struggled to keep at least one ear covered. The merman’s eyes flashed open as Arick reached for the lock. Glaring, the merman sang even louder. Arick swayed as his eyes grew heavy.
No. He mustn’t sleep…
“Sorcha!” he shouted.
Whether he were calling her for help or trying to tell the merman he knew her, he wasn’t sure. He just knew he had to say something.
The mer stopped his song, eying Arick in surprise. Another yawn split his jaw as he repeated her name. He forced his sluggish arms to lift the key and unlock the manacle holding one of the mer’s wrists to the wall.
He let his eyes drift closed as the mer’s hand fell.
Then fingers were wrapping around his throat. His feet scrambled for purchase on the damp floor as he fought against the iron grip.
“Father, no!”
Never had her musical voice brought such relief. The merman released Arick, and Arick fell to his knees, gasping for breath.
He expected her to run to her father, but her cool hand pressed against his cheek as her voice lifted in a question. He met her gaze, his smile a reflex to assuage the worry on her face, reflected in the flickering of the torch she held in her other hand.
